Dragons Are People, Too by Sarah Nicolas
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
I read a sample of this book on Amazon and really wanted more. Since I don’t usually buy books unless I have read and loved them, I went to check my local library. They didn’t carry it, so I made a purchase suggestion. And what do you know—they listened, I borrowed, and wow, am I glad I went to all that trouble.
A Chinese girl and a Ugandan boy are secret government operatives and the main characters in this story. Talk about diversity! This is quite refreshing as I don’t recall the last fantasy book I’ve read–YA or otherwise–that had minorities front and center. Anyway, Kitty and Sani also happen to be were-dragons, their existence unknown to the public. They go from guarding the President’s son to running for their lives when their secret is out and the First Son gets kidnapped.
It is pretty much non-stop action from there. I had planned on only a couple of chapters and ending up reading late into the night until I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I finished it the next day.
Because this is YA, expect some hormone-driven narratives. Katherine Lung (Kitty) has been in love with her partner, Bulisani Mathe (Sani), for years. The constant, descriptive lusting really got to me after a while and was the one downside to the book. I get that this is YA and thus, the requisite love sub-plot must exist, but the romance seems a bit forced.
This is the start of a new series, so expect a cliff-hanger ending. It does have a HEA of sorts but also expect plenty of loose ends to be hopefully addressed in subsequent book(s?). Along the way, though, you will encounter a creature I’ve only seen in Japanese anime, which is pretty cool. Then there are the different types of dragons which vary in physical appearance and magical powers depending on their country of origin. I absolutely love these details. Since I’m rather partial to dragons, they were delightful to discover.
Overall, this was a fun, YA urban fantasy. Don’t expect perfection. There is no complex world building going on or deep character developments. Perhaps further in the series, we will see more backstories. Regardless, I plan on reading the next installment when it comes out.