The Color of Dragons
- Downloads：3394
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-20 07:19:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：R.A. Salvatore
- ISBN：B08VVCVRLZ
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Kristen
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Maggie has magic that she can't control， with no one to help teach her。 Griffin has almost nothing to his name but his record in the arena， fighting draignochs， and the fickle favor of the once-beloved king。 When the two of them meet within the ramparts of the Walled City， they have no idea that their choices over the next week will be a cornerstone of history。I wanted to love this one。 Dragons and magic are two of my most favorite things。 The feeling was only bolstered by Salvatore's big name o Maggie has magic that she can't control， with no one to help teach her。 Griffin has almost nothing to his name but his record in the arena， fighting draignochs， and the fickle favor of the once-beloved king。 When the two of them meet within the ramparts of the Walled City， they have no idea that their choices over the next week will be a cornerstone of history。I wanted to love this one。 Dragons and magic are two of my most favorite things。 The feeling was only bolstered by Salvatore's big name on the cover （he's like， a fantasy genius for some。） But alas， I did not enjoy this one as much as I had hoped。 2 stars。The novel is told through the dual perspectives of Maggie and Griffin， which was one of the things I didn't much care for。 Dual narrators are fine。 But Maggie's chapters are written in first person and Griffin's in third， which was jarring， and has never been a favorite style of mine。 Furthermore， I feel like I did not get enough depth to any of these characters; Maggie was brash and headstrong， Griffin was。。。 I'm not really sure。 The villains are obviously villains， the heroes obviously heroes， and I can't help but say I was a little disappointed。I also think that the plot was lacking a little for me。 At this time， I haven't seen anything that suggests that this would be a series， which is a shame--there is， or was， so much possibility。 Instead， I felt like I was plodding along for the majority of the story， only to feel rushed in the final chapters。The Color of Dragons was a novel that I struggled with from the very beginning。 I had believed that this would be a quick read for me， probably days at most。 Those days stretched into weeks as I pushed aside reading this， eventually to the point where I had to reread the first few chapters （I hadn't gotten farther than 10%， previously。） I think all in all， it's not a story for me。I received my ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 My thanks to the publisher， HarperCollins Children's Books， for the chance to read and review。 All opinions are my own。 Publication date: 10。19。2021。 。。。more
Jenna Rideout
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3。5 StarsI am a member of the HarperCollins Canada influencer program and attended the HCC #FrenzyPresents YA fall preview event where this was one of the titles covered。 I was then granted the opportunity to access an eARC of this title via NetGalley。 Thank you for the opportunity！ My thoughts are my own and my review is honest。 Saltvatore + YA fantasy + dragons + Merlin origin story？ The marking for this book had me extremely excited to get my hands on it and devour it！ What a great combinatio 3。5 StarsI am a member of the HarperCollins Canada influencer program and attended the HCC #FrenzyPresents YA fall preview event where this was one of the titles covered。 I was then granted the opportunity to access an eARC of this title via NetGalley。 Thank you for the opportunity！ My thoughts are my own and my review is honest。 Saltvatore + YA fantasy + dragons + Merlin origin story？ The marking for this book had me extremely excited to get my hands on it and devour it！ What a great combination of things I already love to read！ I expect this book will attract a huge audience regardless of the reviews coming in， and I do hope those who choose to read the reviews won't be scared off by the less than perfect 5 out of 5 average。 The first half of this book is full of absolutely gorgeous， intricate world-building and character introductions that made me want to just hang out in this world forever， even if nothing else happened。 Maggie's story is a classic nobody from nowhere turns out to be the Chosen One bonded to a misunderstood dragon sort of deal， while Griffin's is the young nobleman unsure of how he measures up to the expectations put on him flavour of character arch。 When their paths cross， interesting things are sure to happen。 I particularly love the magic system in this book and how we got to watch Maggie discover and learn her powers。 The set-up， magician's assistant who turns out to be the real source of power behind a stage trick turned miracle， reminded me of the premise behind Hutchinson's latest， Before We Disappear。 The storytelling is split between two POVs， Maggie's and Griffin's， but while Maggie's parts are first person， Griffin's are third person。 I've seen this done in YA recently and sometimes it's very effective， but something about the combination just didn't work for me in this one。 When it works （like Reintgen's Ashlords duology） the different type of perspective serves a purpose。 In that example， one POV is second person because the reader is meant to take that character's view of the world and understand how completely different the other two POVs are from the second person POV。 In this book， I didn't see a point to the different POVs。 If it's simply because "this is Maggie's story" then why give us a Griffin POV at all？ Around half way through this book it suddenly devotes a whole bunch of time to the tournament， and at this point the experience becomes more flat and detached。 The sheer depth of detail that made the first half so immersive is left out。 My editor's mind wonders if the first half of this book got more revisions than the second。 Are Salvatore and/or Lewis chronic revisionists who backtrack before sitting back down to write more？ It really feels like that first half got more attention and care。 Overall this is a charming YA Fantasy that vaguely resembles an Arthurian origin story。 It has a few more YA tropes than I'd like to see and not enough on-page dragon action， but otherwise it's a solid debut for Lewis and a great first stride into YA for Salvatore。 I'm looking forward to more YA Fantasy from both authors and I would encourage fans of the subgenre to check this out！ 。。。more
Eli
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The Color of Dragons is a new YA fantasy story that had my attention with its cover。 Seeing the cover and title of this book， I was so excited to have more stories with dragons。 I was a little disappointed with the total lack of dragons incorporated into the actual story。 The main thing I took away from reading this book focused on a few things: 1） a Champions Tournament。 2） Politics within the Kingdom and its court 3） One （singular） dragon 4） A Curse 5） Magic。 I think with all these things inco The Color of Dragons is a new YA fantasy story that had my attention with its cover。 Seeing the cover and title of this book， I was so excited to have more stories with dragons。 I was a little disappointed with the total lack of dragons incorporated into the actual story。 The main thing I took away from reading this book focused on a few things: 1） a Champions Tournament。 2） Politics within the Kingdom and its court 3） One （singular） dragon 4） A Curse 5） Magic。 I think with all these things incorporated into a story， the reader is prepared for one wicked world-building experience。 But sadly， I was a bit let down by the WOW department。 I really REALLY enjoyed that this gives off major medieval vibes with Knights， castles， and likable characters， but I was expecting a bit more。 It takes a while for things to get set up， which sometimes seemed to drag out。This is obviously my opinion after reading the eARC provided by Netgalley （THANK YOU！））， but it just was a bit incomplete and the reader is left asking more questions， than getting answers。 Overall， this book got three stars from me and I do recommend you pick up this book to form your own opinion。 YOU may enjoy it！ 。。。more
Christian Walters
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Hello everyone， my name is Christian and welcome to my hobbiblog。First and foremost， I want to thank the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book。 I am somewhat new to the author R。A。 Salvatore and have actually read one of his books The Thousand Orcs （which I recommend to not read until you've read the previous books in the Legend of Drizzt novels）。 I was intrigued by the concept of there being one king who has wiped out the race of dragons and made himself a mythical figure in the world。 T Hello everyone， my name is Christian and welcome to my hobbiblog。First and foremost， I want to thank the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book。 I am somewhat new to the author R。A。 Salvatore and have actually read one of his books The Thousand Orcs （which I recommend to not read until you've read the previous books in the Legend of Drizzt novels）。 I was intrigued by the concept of there being one king who has wiped out the race of dragons and made himself a mythical figure in the world。 The story was well written and so were the cast of characters。 What I had trouble with was how long everything took to become interesting。 I ended up DNFing this book at about 55%， according to my Kindle， and I found that every time I put the book down I could not remember what had gone on。 Maybe it's burnout （I finished the Wheel of Time a month or two ago and haven't been able to bring myself to dive back into fantasy） or maybe the story itself just isn't my cup of tea。 The fault is not with the author， as I stated earlier， everything was well written and the characters were relatable。 There is a narrative shift that occurs every chapter though where one character is written 1st person POV while another is 3rd person omniscient and now that I think about it， I think this is what made me DNF this。 It was exhausting to read more than 1 chapter at a time。 I enjoyed what I had read but maybe a revisit in a few months is what will allow me to finish。 。。。more
jessica
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wow。 another book that feels incomplete and with no sign of this being a series… i really hope the authors decide to follow this up with another book because this left me with more questions than answers。and honestly， thats not even my main complaint。 its the total lack of dragons！ i would say a good 50% of this is focused on a champions tournament， another 25% is court and kingdom politics， and the other 25% is one dragon and a curse and some magic。 so sad that the fantasy elements in this stor wow。 another book that feels incomplete and with no sign of this being a series… i really hope the authors decide to follow this up with another book because this left me with more questions than answers。and honestly， thats not even my main complaint。 its the total lack of dragons！ i would say a good 50% of this is focused on a champions tournament， another 25% is court and kingdom politics， and the other 25% is one dragon and a curse and some magic。 so sad that the fantasy elements in this story take a back seat and lack in what could have been some really interesting world-building。but if you enjoy medieval vibes with knights and castles and contests and easy-going character driven novels， then this book is for you！thanks harpercollins/harperteen for the ARC。↠ 2。5 stars 。。。more
Kristi
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4。5- really enjoyed this one！
Julie - One Book More
，
The Color of Dragons is a new young adult fantasy by R。A。 Salvatore and Erika Lewis。 The story is told from both Maggie and Griffin’s perspectives， which I liked， especially considering how different they are and that their stories aren’t always together。 However， Maggie’s chapters are told in the first-person point-of-view， while Griffin’s chapters are from the third-person。 I have mixed feelings about this。 I liked the first person and felt that I got more perspective on Maggie’s thoughts and The Color of Dragons is a new young adult fantasy by R。A。 Salvatore and Erika Lewis。 The story is told from both Maggie and Griffin’s perspectives， which I liked， especially considering how different they are and that their stories aren’t always together。 However， Maggie’s chapters are told in the first-person point-of-view， while Griffin’s chapters are from the third-person。 I have mixed feelings about this。 I liked the first person and felt that I got more perspective on Maggie’s thoughts and feelings。 It delved deeper into her character this way。 Griffin’s story， though interesting， felt a little more detached。 I think this might be an interesting way of showing the differences in their personalities， but I would have loved to know more of Griffin’s thoughts and feelings in the first person as well。Since she has newfound powers， Maggie must learn how to control and use them。 She also tries to find out more about her past and the situation with the dragons。 Maggie has a special connection with dragons， unlike Griffin。 Griffin is the king’s champion， and he has a lot of pressure put upon him。 The king has high expectations， as do the citizens。 Additionally， he hunts dragons。 Griffin has suffered much loss at the hands of dragons and hates them for it。 I like how his feelings and opinions evolve over the course of the story and how Maggie’s influence opens his eyes to what is happening around him。The way Maggie and Griffin approach things， their beliefs， and even their loyalties conflict。 However， they have other things in common。 They are both strong and smart survivors who do what they must to protect themselves。 They both grow a lot throughout the story， and they both have feelings for each other。 Their relationship is sweet and filled with longing， which was one of my favorite parts of the story。 I like how Maggie and Griffin slowly connect and change each other。Political intrigue， corruption， power-hungry antagonists， forced betrothals and other dangerous situations are the cause of conflict throughout the story， and the more Maggie and Griffin find out about the king and his son and their tyrannical reign， the more they realize that things aren’t always what they seem。 The antagonists didn’t have much depth， but their villainous ways permeated the land and people。 The magic and the dragons are really intriguing， though I wish each was further developed。 I want to know more about each and have a feeling they will be explored more deeply in future books in the series。 The ending has a twist that I totally didn’t see coming， and it completely surprised me。 It did feel a bit rushed， but I liked it nonetheless。I think readers who like young adult fiction with strong protagonists， political intrigue， a clean romance， and interesting fantasy elements might enjoy this read。 。。。more
Gretchen
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Maggie has no memory of who she is， her family， or where she is from。 Since she bumbled out of the woods as a little girl， she has been traveling the Hinterlands with Xavier， a man intent on finding real magic。 Everything changes when she encounters king's soldiers that have captured a draignoch。 Suddenly， Maggie has real magic that she has no idea how to control。 She and Xavier are dragged to the Walled City to perform for the cruel king who taxes the people of the Hinterlands to death。 There s Maggie has no memory of who she is， her family， or where she is from。 Since she bumbled out of the woods as a little girl， she has been traveling the Hinterlands with Xavier， a man intent on finding real magic。 Everything changes when she encounters king's soldiers that have captured a draignoch。 Suddenly， Maggie has real magic that she has no idea how to control。 She and Xavier are dragged to the Walled City to perform for the cruel king who taxes the people of the Hinterlands to death。 There she meets the king's champion Griffin who is famous for beating the odds and winning last year's tournament by beating his former mentor。 Griffin must win the tournament again this year to retain the king's favor or risk being expelled from the Walled City。 The only problem: he must kill Maggie's draignoch。 This book is full of magic exploration， court politics， and betrayals。 #Edelweiss 。。。more
Raji
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3。5 starsReview to come
Shaina Carey
，
Thank you to Netgalley and author R。A。 Salvatore and Erika Lewis for an e ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 I felt this book was like Game of Thrones meets Galdiator with a quick blooming romance and a layer of magic thrown on top and I loved every second of it！ The story follows Maggie， a young orphan with an unknown past who is given a home with a traveling wannabe magician who is all tricks。 But when Maggie turns out out be the one with real powers she has to learn how to control the Thank you to Netgalley and author R。A。 Salvatore and Erika Lewis for an e ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 I felt this book was like Game of Thrones meets Galdiator with a quick blooming romance and a layer of magic thrown on top and I loved every second of it！ The story follows Maggie， a young orphan with an unknown past who is given a home with a traveling wannabe magician who is all tricks。 But when Maggie turns out out be the one with real powers she has to learn how to control them while also keeping them hidden。 When fate brings her in the path of Griffin， the king's champion and slayer of draignochs （small dragon-like creatures）， he and Maggie must work together to control her powers all while Griffin is competing in the king's tournament to keep his title of champion。 With magic connected to the moon， a past that she can't remember， and an unrelenting pull toward a dragon she can't seem to stay away from， Maggie has to learn who she is and what she will do to survive。 I loved being able to discover who she was right along with her throughout this book。 And Griffin is certainly a champion for the ladies to swoon over。 And even though the ending did seem a bit quick/rushed， I look forward to learning more of the story in the future！ 。。。more
Roomies' Digest
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Unfortunately this book fell just a little short for me！！I had a fine time with it， and was enjoying it mostly up until the 50% mark。 I really liked the world， and the magic system。 I liked the build-up and the relationship between our two star-crossed lovers。 But at some point it seemed like the tone of the book changed， and we went from this really rich picture to just a surface level experience。 I really would have loved to have seen more about the dragons since this was the main point of the Unfortunately this book fell just a little short for me！！I had a fine time with it， and was enjoying it mostly up until the 50% mark。 I really liked the world， and the magic system。 I liked the build-up and the relationship between our two star-crossed lovers。 But at some point it seemed like the tone of the book changed， and we went from this really rich picture to just a surface level experience。 I really would have loved to have seen more about the dragons since this was the main point of the title， and how they related to our MC。 I also thought the deaths included in this book were just throwaways meant to push the plot。 I didn’t care much that they happened and honestly wasn’t surprised that they did。My favorite part was probably the length of the tournament。 I really liked seeing our champion compete and the struggle he was having because he was hurt/tired， but also him knowing he had to do it to keep the king’s favor。 The politics were really nice， and I wish they hadn’t been cut short。 I also wish that this hadn’t been sold to me as a King Arthur retelling/ based story。 I didn’t see the relevance of this and I get that it was included in the end of the book but it didn’t seem like it fit given that there was nothing about it until the last page。Overall a fine read， and would recommend to fantasy romance readers who are looking for a YA base level standalone。 I’m sure others would like this book， it just wasn’t for me！Xx-Christine 。。。more
bookswithmery
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Está novela me ha decepcionado un poco， esperaba algo más。 La historia está contada desde los puntos de vista de ambos protagonistas: Maggie y Griffin， dos personajes que podrían haber sido mucho mejores。 Desde la sinopsis se confirma una historia de magia y fantasía situada en la época antes del rey Arturo con romance， y yo no he encontrado eso; la historia de amor en si me ha parecido bastante forzada， y el sistema de magia es interesante， pero no han sabido llevarlo bien。 Tampoco se ha desarr Está novela me ha decepcionado un poco， esperaba algo más。 La historia está contada desde los puntos de vista de ambos protagonistas: Maggie y Griffin， dos personajes que podrían haber sido mucho mejores。 Desde la sinopsis se confirma una historia de magia y fantasía situada en la época antes del rey Arturo con romance， y yo no he encontrado eso; la historia de amor en si me ha parecido bastante forzada， y el sistema de magia es interesante， pero no han sabido llevarlo bien。 Tampoco se ha desarrollado bien el mundo， simplemente sabemos que está separado y que， literalmente， el bien está en un lado y el mal en otro。 El antagonista no se explica casi nada su historia， simplemente repiten una y otra vez lo malvado que es， pero no explican muy bien por qué。 El final ha sido bastante brusco y precipitado， como si se estuviesen quedando sin ideas， me habría gustado que se explayasen un poco más y que por lo menos algunas partes tuviesen algo de sentido。Lo que si me ha gustado han sido varios personajes secundarios， y que tiene dragones， lo que le da Game of Thrones vibes。Es el típico libro de fantasía en la que aparece una chica de la nada que va a salvar a todo el mundo。 。。。more
Fallon
，
This has been one of my favorite reads this year and if I could buy all the versions I would。 I already preordered this right away after reading。 The rotating POV kept the pacing fast。 Also， they were long enough so you got into the story without being transported into the next POV too quickly。 Dragons are fierce and this story showed their fierceness but also there fall from something more。 Unexpectedly， this story tied into the myth of Merlin which I was so here for。 Definitely recommending th This has been one of my favorite reads this year and if I could buy all the versions I would。 I already preordered this right away after reading。 The rotating POV kept the pacing fast。 Also， they were long enough so you got into the story without being transported into the next POV too quickly。 Dragons are fierce and this story showed their fierceness but also there fall from something more。 Unexpectedly， this story tied into the myth of Merlin which I was so here for。 Definitely recommending this book！ 。。。more
Rhys
，
*Thank you to HarperCollins/Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review*The Color of Dragons follows Maggie and Griffin。 Maggie has powers， with no one to help her control her magic。 Until she meets Griffin， the king's champion infamous for hunting down draignochs that plague the kingdom。 Neither of them has any idea of the destiny they both carry， or that their meeting causes a chain of events to start that alters every aspect of the life they know- and all of history afterward。 I lo *Thank you to HarperCollins/Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review*The Color of Dragons follows Maggie and Griffin。 Maggie has powers， with no one to help her control her magic。 Until she meets Griffin， the king's champion infamous for hunting down draignochs that plague the kingdom。 Neither of them has any idea of the destiny they both carry， or that their meeting causes a chain of events to start that alters every aspect of the life they know- and all of history afterward。 I love this book。 It is a Pre-Arthurian tale of the origins of magic （and Merlin）。 It was phenomenal。 The beginning was a little slow， but not by much。 This was such a fast-paced book that I loved every second of it。 Maggie is my favourite character。 She is strong yet going through so much heartache in her life。 She is strong， stands up for what she believes in， and is unbelievably funny。 I was not expecting to laugh so much in this story， but I was proven wrong because of Maggie。 This book is a standalone， and it was done perfectly。 In the end， there was not more the authors could have added， because then it would get into an Arthurian retelling （which I mean， I wouldn't mind reading a version from them *wink*） If you are looking for a Pre-Arthurian retelling full of magic， funny characters in dire situations， dragons， and it is fast-paced， The Color of Dragons is for you。 。。。more
Emiley M。
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The story before the story， well-known author R。A。 Salvatore and debut author Erika Lewis give a new twist to the origin story of one of Camelot's most beloved characters。 In The Color of Dragons， orphaned Maggie is traveling across the land as a magicians apprentice。 But surprisingly， it is Maggie who can produce magic and not her employer， a fact she must keep secret from everyone。 Conveyed to the home of a corrupt king， she finds herself meeting a knight who personifies the fairy-tale and the The story before the story， well-known author R。A。 Salvatore and debut author Erika Lewis give a new twist to the origin story of one of Camelot's most beloved characters。 In The Color of Dragons， orphaned Maggie is traveling across the land as a magicians apprentice。 But surprisingly， it is Maggie who can produce magic and not her employer， a fact she must keep secret from everyone。 Conveyed to the home of a corrupt king， she finds herself meeting a knight who personifies the fairy-tale and the two of them fight to reclaim both themselves and their way of life。 A riveting， fast-paced read， this is a book worth adding to your shelf。 。。。more
Amanda
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Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Teen for an ARC to review！ I wanted to love this so much but alas it fell short for me。 A quick fantasy read with a little romance， a tyrant king， and dragons。 The story felt rushed and while the characters were developed well， the plot and world building felt rocky。 Dialog was strange and I felt like the book couldn't decide if it wanted to be MG or YA。 An easy read that I would recommend for tweens getting into fantasy but aren't ready for some of the heavier Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Teen for an ARC to review！ I wanted to love this so much but alas it fell short for me。 A quick fantasy read with a little romance， a tyrant king， and dragons。 The story felt rushed and while the characters were developed well， the plot and world building felt rocky。 Dialog was strange and I felt like the book couldn't decide if it wanted to be MG or YA。 An easy read that I would recommend for tweens getting into fantasy but aren't ready for some of the heavier YA hitters。 。。。more
Victoria Carbol
，
Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada for sending me an ARC in exchange for review！In many ways “The Color of Dragons” was a very nostalgic read for me。 A Merlin origin story， it reminded me greatly of books I enjoyed in my youth。 It is a familiar tale—in a good way—of a young orphan with hidden magical abilities caught up in the court politics of a corrupt kingdom。 Complete with warring noble families， marriage alliances， murder plots， and dragons， this medieval-inspired fantasy kept me ca Thank you so much to Harper Collins Canada for sending me an ARC in exchange for review！In many ways “The Color of Dragons” was a very nostalgic read for me。 A Merlin origin story， it reminded me greatly of books I enjoyed in my youth。 It is a familiar tale—in a good way—of a young orphan with hidden magical abilities caught up in the court politics of a corrupt kingdom。 Complete with warring noble families， marriage alliances， murder plots， and dragons， this medieval-inspired fantasy kept me captivated from start to finish。 The characters were likeable and the romantic arc was well developed with perfect chemistry。 However， while this tale reminded me of childhood favourites in many good ways， it also brought with it a bunch of things I think really ought to have been left in the past。 As far as I can tell， the cast is all cishet and white。 A queer woman myself， I prefer diverse books， but I am also of the belief that authors don’t owe us diversity。 So that in and of itself isn’t a deal breaker for me。 However， when coupled with an uncomfortable dose of fat shaming， slut shaming， and paragraphs that might have been taken out of a “not all men” spokesperson’s diary， it does paint the book in an unfortunate light。 It also includes another trope that is usually a miss for me—that of the absurdly gorgeous protagonist who doesn’t really know she’s pretty despite the fact that every man comments on it， as though it makes a woman vain to enjoy her own appearance。 Overall， I enjoyed this book from a non-critical standpoint， meaning the plot was enticing and the characters were captivating。 However， there was enough in it that I felt could be harmful that I couldn’t give it more than three stars。 It was nostalgic， yes。 But maybe also a little bit stale。 。。。more
Julie
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**Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced e-copy of this book。**Initial review on finishing the book: Y'all。 WHAT。 This book ended up being so good！？ Some serious YA cliches which made me wonder at first。。。 but the ending was sooooo good。 And I became quite connected to these characters！ Now， I will attempt to actually put my thoughts into a coherent review and proper sentences - haha！ Wow！ I ended up being so pleasantly surprised by this book。 I was so excited to see a YA fantasy stan **Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advanced e-copy of this book。**Initial review on finishing the book: Y'all。 WHAT。 This book ended up being so good！？ Some serious YA cliches which made me wonder at first。。。 but the ending was sooooo good。 And I became quite connected to these characters！ Now， I will attempt to actually put my thoughts into a coherent review and proper sentences - haha！ Wow！ I ended up being so pleasantly surprised by this book。 I was so excited to see a YA fantasy standalone， something that is not super common， and even more excited when I realized that it would have dragons！ While I wish the dragons had come into the story a bit more， just having any kind of dragon in a story makes it epically better， don't you think！？ But I digress。。。Salvatore and Lewis did a fantastic job of setting up an intriguing fantasy world - one which mirrors so many aspects of our real world that it was complex and different enough to make you escape into the world of fantasy while noticing the many similarities to the hierarchy we have in our society。 The history and the set up of the world helped to shape so many aspects of the plot。 Things were happening because of past events and relationships - and we had plenty of information to link them and make some theories about what might happen。I think that was one of the great things about this book。 I kept trying to guess how things would turn out， and a twist would throw me off here and there。 I thought I had it all figured out at one point when the greatest twist happened and I was FLOORED。 I didn't see it coming。 Some people might， but I thought that the authors did a really good job of making you like so many of the characters while also being suspicious of almost all of them。。。 You can't guess everyone's motives or moves at every plot point， and I loved that for a fantasy book。 There was so much court and political intrigue in motion alongside the magic， the romance， and the friendships。 It was so wonderful woven together。I loved the characters。 They all had flaws in some way or another， and they were all realistic people。 I was rooting for some of them， intrigued by others， and honestly wanted to be friends with a few of them。 I will say the one thing that I found difficult was that there are so many side characters for a standalone fantasy。 It was difficult to keep track of a whole host of characters at the beginning， and I easily mixed them up a couple times。 BUT they all come to play a role in the story， no matter how small。 I think some could easily have spinoff stories if the authors choose， and depending on the characters， I could be easily enticed to pick up their stories。I will admit that I hope the book went through another round of editing， but I would never hold that against an arc and did not factor it into my rating。 I did， however， factor in the few blatant YA cliches that were used。。。 a couple are honestly mocked at this point so I am not sure if the authors used them in jest or not， but I feel like we could move on from some of them in the mess of 2021 and leave them behind。。。 but alas， they definitely didn't break the book for me。I think that the book does take a little bit to set things up since it begins en media res， but I generally like that。If you are looking for a YA fantasy that is easy to follow， has great characters and court intrigues， friendship， romance， and DRAGONS， then I think this is a fantastic book to pick up - especially since it's a standalone！ Perfect for when you want a touch of fantasy but don't want to commit to multiple books。TW: animal cruelty/death， blood， confinement， death， death of a parent， emotional abuse， grief， injury/injury detail， scarring， misogyny， murder， toxic friendship， violence 。。。more
April Gray
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Perfect for when you want to go on an adventure that doesn’t require a lot of thought。 The Color of Dragons is a fun romp through a medieval fantasy world。 Follow along as the main character figures out her power， her love life， and defeats the bad guys in this tale of knights and castles， magic and mystery。 It has a little bit of everything for those who want to take a break from the real world for just a little while。 #TheColorofDragons #NetGalley
Kayleigh {K-Books}
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The Color of Dragons Review on K-BooksAnyone who has followed me for any amount of time will know I am a huge fan of fantasy and am completely and utterly obsessed with dragons。 So when I heard about this book， I jumped at the chance to read this one early and review it。 I am so， so glad that I did。 I loved this book。 It is everything in a YA Fantasy that I love。The Color of Dragons follows the story of Maggie， a young girl living in the slums of a kingdom ran by a horrific ruler， who will hurt The Color of Dragons Review on K-BooksAnyone who has followed me for any amount of time will know I am a huge fan of fantasy and am completely and utterly obsessed with dragons。 So when I heard about this book， I jumped at the chance to read this one early and review it。 I am so， so glad that I did。 I loved this book。 It is everything in a YA Fantasy that I love。The Color of Dragons follows the story of Maggie， a young girl living in the slums of a kingdom ran by a horrific ruler， who will hurt his people if it means keeping power。 When Maggie finds herself face to face with a dragon she feels an instant connection to it。 When magical powers are unleashed within her， Maggie finds herself living in the Palace and trying desperately to save the life of her dragon。This book is set in a pre-Arthurian world。 It’s a king of prequel to any Merlin/Arthur tale that you have heard。 I am a huge， huge fan of Arthurian mythology and tales so this just made me love this book even more。 It essentially tells the story of how magic is born and how the power that Merlin yields comes to be。 I really loved this， I love anything magical so to have this tale of a world with no magic and then having the discovery of powers was just completely awesome。The Color of Dragons was a fast-paced， action packed tale and it had everything in it that I love。 Magic， dragons and romance。 My one small gripe about it was I felt like the romance felt a little forced at times。 It suddenly went from the two main characters not really liking each other to suddenly they were ready to betray everything for each other and it seemed a little far-fetched to me… even for a fantasy romance。 Other than that I loved every moment of this book。 If you love YA fantasy and/or Arthurian tales， this one is not to be missed！ 。。。more
Jan farnworth
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Dragons， a Pre-Merlin tale， and an underdog with special powers tick all the boxes for me to make for a fantastic story。 The book is told in alternating perspectives between maggie， our underdog， and griffin， who wants to be noticed and fight for honor against the evil dragionochs。 This story takes place in a time before Merlin， and the whole thing keeps you guessing right up to the last paragraph exactly how that all plays out。 Dragonoichs are forced to fight in the arena against humans and die Dragons， a Pre-Merlin tale， and an underdog with special powers tick all the boxes for me to make for a fantastic story。 The book is told in alternating perspectives between maggie， our underdog， and griffin， who wants to be noticed and fight for honor against the evil dragionochs。 This story takes place in a time before Merlin， and the whole thing keeps you guessing right up to the last paragraph exactly how that all plays out。 Dragonoichs are forced to fight in the arena against humans and die in an attempt to live。 Griffin plucked from the bottoms where poor people live and are now the chosen fighter for the prince。 The king wants magic is desperate to have due to a prophecy the king was shown。 When he discovers Maggie and her dad may have true magic， he makes them prisoners in his castle。 What unfolds for Maggie about her past and future sets up this world for an eye-opening adventure。 Expertly done between these two authors， and I thoroughly enjoyed this stand-alone。 。。。more
Zoe Stewart （Zoe's All Booked）
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This comes out two days before my birthday and I can't think of a better gift to give myself。 Origins of magic？ Say。 Less。 This comes out two days before my birthday and I can't think of a better gift to give myself。 Origins of magic？ Say。 Less。 。。。more
Ashley
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Thank You Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book。 Maggie is amazing。 Her story is full of heartache and strength！ Her love and loyalty for Rendicryss is beautiful！ I am always surprised when a character ends up being the complete opposite of what I am expecting。 In this book。。。 multiple characters surprised me。 A few were totally infuriating！ A few ended up redeeming themselves。 Merlin has some pretty cool grandparents。A solid YA read。
Ellie Flowers
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This book was certainly ok。 The story itself was fine， but the storytelling felt a bit bumpy。 Not a lot flowed。 I ended up having to force myself to finish it。 However， every single complaint I had was "worth it" with the last sentence of the book。 This book was certainly ok。 The story itself was fine， but the storytelling felt a bit bumpy。 Not a lot flowed。 I ended up having to force myself to finish it。 However， every single complaint I had was "worth it" with the last sentence of the book。 。。。more
Zakri Banker
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ARC Review from NetGalley"The Color of Dragons" by Erika Lewis and R。 A。 Salvatore is a delightful read full of mystery， magic， and intrigue。 From start to finish， it is fast-paced， and keeps the reader wanting to learn more。 The story follows two main characters， Maggie and Griffin。 Maggie is a young woman of unknown origins who is the main assistant in a traveling troupe， while Griffin is a young man from the "Bottoms" who literally fought his way to become the king's champion。 In the beginnin ARC Review from NetGalley"The Color of Dragons" by Erika Lewis and R。 A。 Salvatore is a delightful read full of mystery， magic， and intrigue。 From start to finish， it is fast-paced， and keeps the reader wanting to learn more。 The story follows two main characters， Maggie and Griffin。 Maggie is a young woman of unknown origins who is the main assistant in a traveling troupe， while Griffin is a young man from the "Bottoms" who literally fought his way to become the king's champion。 In the beginning， Maggie comes in contact with a strange， fearsome creature believed to be a draignoch that has been captured by soldiers。 When she gets curiously close to its cage， she and the draignoch touch igniting a fire of magic within her that has lain dormant， changing her entire existence and that of her soon-to-be peers in a matter of seconds。 Although the book was a fun read， it felt rushed， and the ending left the reader feeling as though the author had run out of ideas and just "needed" to end the story quickly。 Lewis seemed to spend too much time focusing on the love interests， and too little time developing the kingdom and the magic system。 While it is entirely possible this is the start of a new series of dragons and magic， it is also likely that this story is merely a simple story of how a kingdom was changed by a young woman who encountered a draignoch。 。 。。。more
LeahLovesToRead
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"We were two pieces of the same universe。 Sun and moon。 And we would always be part of the same sky。"When I first saw that this book was a pre-Arthurian tale， I knew I had to read it。 I've always loved the stories set in times of medieval magic and the tales of King Arthur， so a story about the origins of the magic in that setting seemed totally up my alley。 I really enjoyed this book。 I love fantasy books and I adore romance。 When there is a true adventure tale， I feel like it is often hard to "We were two pieces of the same universe。 Sun and moon。 And we would always be part of the same sky。"When I first saw that this book was a pre-Arthurian tale， I knew I had to read it。 I've always loved the stories set in times of medieval magic and the tales of King Arthur， so a story about the origins of the magic in that setting seemed totally up my alley。 I really enjoyed this book。 I love fantasy books and I adore romance。 When there is a true adventure tale， I feel like it is often hard to get the perfect balance of romance into the story while maintaining the epic fantasy element， but I think it was really well done here。 I might have liked a little bit more of a romantic wrapup after all of the things Griffin and Maggie went through together， but eh， that may just be me。 Griffin and Maggie has a bit of an enemies-to-lovers vibe， mixed with forbidden love， and the power of destiny。 I really loved them。 Having them in separate viewpoints was really nice， as I like how that allows for individual development。 I loved all of the magic and dragon-esque details that were woven in this book。 I think they had a very interesting take on the connection between a human and their magic， and I liked that Maggie maintained her strong moral compass throughout everything。There is quite a lot of death and violence in this book。 Personally， I didn't mind it， as I feel like that is an accurate depiction of medieval times， but that would be my main potential warning to other reads。 Quite a few characters die rather violent deaths and there is just quite a lot of fighting （all that jazz）。 As said though， I think it worked in this case， but this may not be the best for everyone。 Recently， I've been more interested in reading a series than a standalone， but I think this book has helped bring me back into the world of standalones。 It is very well done， and I think that the two authors blended together seamlessly。 I would be interested in reading more of their work in the future！Thank you to HarperTeen， NetGalley， and the authors for providing me with an eARC of the book。 This in no way affected my review。 。。。more
Emily Sherman
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Two underdogs get to live in the renowned walled city and discover not everything is what it seems。 This is a good， quick read with dragons and some interesting world concepts if you don't mind violence。I loved the characters from the North， and I might have liked the second perspective more if it had come from one of them and not Griffin。 The sibling interaction was amazing and I would have loved to see more from them！ My favorite character was probably Sybil （though Petal is a close second）。 T Two underdogs get to live in the renowned walled city and discover not everything is what it seems。 This is a good， quick read with dragons and some interesting world concepts if you don't mind violence。I loved the characters from the North， and I might have liked the second perspective more if it had come from one of them and not Griffin。 The sibling interaction was amazing and I would have loved to see more from them！ My favorite character was probably Sybil （though Petal is a close second）。 The cute and predictable romance featured in this story was actually clean！ Just a few kisses and lots of pining。 Honestly， probably one of the most entertaining things about Griffin's perspective was how much he was pining for Maggie。 The world was interesting， but never really delved into because they spent so much time re-iterating how terrible the king and all of his knights are。 Speaking of which， I would have liked to see something beyond the typical 'evil fantasy king， who has no humanity left' trope。 Was he always that way？ Did the war change him？ He feels a bit like greed/power-lust incarnate， which isn't necessarily bad， I just wished there was a little something more to him or his story that Maggie or Griffin could have discovered。 This story is told from two alternating POVs， Maggie's and Griffin's， which I do not think did the story any favors。 I also thought that a lot of the suspense that could have been built up around whether or not certain characters （like the Prince or even Griffin himself） were good or evil was cut by the fact that we had Griffin's 3rd person narration。 I was not a huge fan of how quickly the ending wrapped up （the antagonist is killed in the literal last chapter） since it left a ton of questions unanswered。 Like， who takes over the government now？ And how is there literally only one dragon？ Surely the king didn't manage to kill all the other wild draignochs。Another thing I liked was the 'moon magic'。 I especially liked how Maggie almost instinctively knew its purpose before she officially figured it out。 That was something I would have loved to see an explanation of （is she literally the daughter of the moon？）。 There were so many things that interested me in this book， however， I didn't feel like a lot of it was really delivered on。 I kind of wish it was a little longer， so the authors would have had more time to explore the world they created。 Or if they had freed the dragon sooner maybe there would have been more time？ Hard to say for sure， but congrats to Erika Lewis on her debut novel！ I am curious to see what she'll write next！CWs:-Violence （portrayals of death， attacks on children， wounds）-Abuse from parental figures （not any physical if I'm remembering correctly， I believe it was mostly mental） 。。。more
Mossywall
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The Color Of Dragons tells the story of three lives; a champion caught in a plot， a dragon sent to die， and a girl with a powerful magic never seen before。 From the first word to the last The Color Of Dragons will pull you in。 It’s a suspenseful， beautiful story which will leave you feeling like you know the characters by heart。 R。 A。 Salvatore and Erika Lewis have written the perfect book for readers who love magic and fantasy， but also anyone willing to try a book that brings the true meaning The Color Of Dragons tells the story of three lives; a champion caught in a plot， a dragon sent to die， and a girl with a powerful magic never seen before。 From the first word to the last The Color Of Dragons will pull you in。 It’s a suspenseful， beautiful story which will leave you feeling like you know the characters by heart。 R。 A。 Salvatore and Erika Lewis have written the perfect book for readers who love magic and fantasy， but also anyone willing to try a book that brings the true meaning of hope to life。 。。。more
C。j。
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I enjoy a good tale of dragons and magic and this did not disappoint。 Swapping between Maggie and Griffins POV was great as we got see how someone whose always known magic sees the world compared to one who thought it wasn’t real。
Ana Reinhard
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