Tag dragons

A dark image, almost an engraving, shows a lone figure on a far mountaintop.

Fantasy Reads on the High School Summer Reading List

Julia M Leave a comment
The strong elongated letter of the title is surrounded by a symmetrical image of bones, birds, bugs, and plants - all in a deep blue green palette.
A young Black teenage boy in a hoodie stands in front of a spooky tree dripping with spanish moss. Mysterious light appears in front of his hand. Cover is all in dark blues and deep greys.
The brightly colorful cover illustration has a single figure of a Pacific Islander young woman with a headband woven of greenery and flowers. long hair, and other creatures worked into the bottom of the image.
A young woman's face, with light eyes, is partially masked by fabric and vines.
A dark image, almost an engraving, shows a lone figure on a far mountaintop.

by Julia M.

There’s no time like the summertime to dig into a long, immersive fantasy book. The 2025 High School Summer Reading list features several titles that fit the bill—here are five recommendations to keep you engrossed for hundreds of pages! 

Deep is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson is a suspenseful fairy tale centered on a cast of lifelike characters on their quest to find the heart of the nefarious secret society known as the Order of Toadmen. The main character, Merry, grapples with her magical ability as she fights against society to save her father. I loved this book’s sweet friendships, the rivals-to-teammates dynamic between Merry and her counterpart, and the way the mystery unfolds as we follow the main characters deeper and deeper into the murky magic.    

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams explores a world of magic incorporated through Black American history, folklore, and myth. When Malik Baron reunites with his estranged grandmother, he’s drawn into a world of magic and mystery that may just give him the tools he needs to control his magical powers and protect his foster brother on his journey to find his missing mother. This book transforms the magic school trope into something defiant and heartfelt.  

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier is a fantasy adventure based on mythology from Guam and other Pacific Islands. We meet our main character, Hanalei, in her days of exile after her father steals a sea dragon egg. She spends her days studying and sketching the majestic sea dragons in the surrounding waters, and when an encounter with a dragon offers her a chance to return home, Hanalei is launched into a quest that could save her family—and the entire kingdom of Tamarind. The book delivers a beautifully woven, mythology-rich expansion on the teen dragon rider trope and leaves readers asking, “When will there be another one?” 

Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros is a historical fantasy set in 1940s Lithuania. The book follows Vera, a golem created from an ancient magic, called kishuf, by a father grieving for his murdered daughter. Driven with a violent purpose, Vera is sworn to avenge herself against the Nazis. Throughout her quest, she finds that she’s not the only one with access to kishuf—and it’s going to take everything Vera has within her to come out triumphant. This dark fantasy draws from Jewish folklore to spin a tale full of strength and vengeance.  

Heir by Sabaa Tahir picks up almost two decades after A Sky Beyond the Storm, the final installment in Tahir’s previous series. Sabaa Tahir excels at balancing a full cast of characters and creating interesting and distinct points-of-view, and Heir is no exception. We get to watch the story unfold from behind the eyes of Aiz, Sirsha, and Quil—the orphan, the outcast, and the prince. Like the Ember in the Ashes quartet, Heir tells a war story in a fantasy setting that delves into issues of genocide, human rights, family bonds, and betrayal, and underscores it with characters that forge fierce bonds of friendship and love.  

Happy reading!  

Julia is a Teen Instructor & Research Specialist at the Central Branch. They love to read YA books, play the cello, practice martial arts, try new cookie recipes, and generally squeeze as many hobbies into a day as possible.

The book cover depicts a dragon with its tongue extended, encircling a medallion that depicts a ship with all its sails unfurled on the open sea.

Reading Nostalgia

Tony B Leave a comment
The book cover depicts a dragon with its tongue extended, encircling a medallion that depicts a ship with all its sails unfurled on the open sea.

by Tony B.

In January, I resolved to try and check Goodreads at least once a day and to write something about most of the books I read. The pandemic was detrimental to my reading habits, and I needed to give my once-voracious appetite for reading a jolt. As far as new year’s resolutions go, this year has been the most successful by far. When I started my resolution by re-reading a novel I enjoyed in high school, I unintentionally kick-started a year of reading nostalgia. This was either literature that I was forced into by the English curriculum or put into my hands by family and librarians. Reading these fondly remembered books reinforced not only that re-reading books is perfectly fine, but also that it can lead to new understandings. 

The book cover depicts a white dragon with tongue extended, encircling a medallion that depicts a pagoda.

My last book of 2023, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, was a peer-pressure read, and throughout the story I kept thinking, “Wow, these dragon types really remind me of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series.” I realized I hadn’t read them since high school, so I listened to the first Temeraire novel, His Majesty’s Dragon. (Side note: Simon Vance is an incredible narrator!) I remember being impressed as a teen by the military and historical aspects of introducing a dragon air corps to the Napoleonic wars, but as an adult I have a significantly more nuanced appreciation of the social, political, and ultimately societal ramifications of adding aviators to the early 19th century. The entire series is an adventure spanning multiple continents and countries, seeing the world through both human and dragon eyes. While it can devolve into a bit of Carmen Sandiego world-hopping, the installments always come back to the big picture and are a joy to experience. 

The book cover depicts a magician and apprentice, both carrying staffs; one is bent and aiming the staff, with a circle of light resembling a blazing sun at the point.

The other series I have revisited from my teenage years was the Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist. Starting with Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master, these first works of Feist’s are paragons of sword-and-sorcery high fantasy. Inspired by his own Dungeons and Dragons campaigns in college, Feist writes fast action while maintaining vivid storytelling and comprehensive worldbuilding. It is easy to see how many other fantasy authors point to Feist’s work as early inspiration, because the Riftwar Saga titles are hard to put down. These were some of my favorite books as a teen, though as an adult I can spot the D&D influence and sword & sorcery archetypes much more readily. D&D-inspired content is in the limelight, and I can’t recommend these fun classics enough. 

Re-reading these series as an adult was a reflective experience and made me think about how much of our literary experience is informed by our lived experience. I encourage you to re-read a book from your not-so-recent past and see what new nuances you can find. I am looking forward to continuing this trend, possibly either with Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, which was assigned reading in high school, or Tad Williams’ The Dragonbone Chair for more epic fantasy.  

Tony is an Instructor and Research Specialist at HCLS Miller Branch. He has a degree in history and a renewed interest in science fiction and fantasy.

A illustration of a dragon like mask with horns. Pine trees are in the background.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

Julia M Leave a comment
A illustration of a dragon like mask with horns. Pine trees

By Julia M.

When I’m looking for a new book to read, any book with a dragon on the cover immediately calls my name. To Shape a Dragon’s Breath caught me at the title, and with a gorgeous red-and-black illustration of a fierce dragon on the cover, I was sold! 

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath is the debut novel from author Moniquill Blackgoose. It’s a queer, Native American dragon rider story, full of originality and anti-colonial power. The magical worldbuilding is strong, and the cultural commentary is not subtle but refreshingly straightforward. We get dragons, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ representation, magical academia adventures, political intrigue, and more in this first book of the Nampeshiweisit series.  

Blackgoose cites Peter Beagle’s The Last Unicorn and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld as her favorites of the fantasy genre, and hers is an important and timely addition to the fantasy literature canon. I was instantly struck by Blackgoose’s clear, cutting prose, the rich alternate-history Victorian universe, and the strength of the characters. It’s easy to claim “strong female protagonist” as a checklist item, but it’s harder to make good on that claim, and Blackgoose achieves it thoroughly. Anequs is a protagonist who refuses to let her will be shaped by others, and though our main character knows herself from the start of the book, we watch her discover who she will become in a world that seeks to make her into something else—a world that is inhabited by humans that are crueler than the dragons they try to control. 

Like any good dragon book, there are dragons on every page. They are controlled by the alternate-universe Vikings, known as the Anglish, who colonized the land they live in, and claim ownership of land, people, and dragons whom Anequs is aware cannot be owned by anyone. Due to the colonizers’ control over the dragons, the book’s main character is the first among the indigenous people to be chosen as the partner of a dragon hatchling in many generations, and the story follows Anequs as she travels to the Anglish-run Kuiper’s Academy of Natural Philosophy to train in all aspects of raising and keeping a dragon.  

Although it’s set in an alternate history, the social and political events that occur in Anequs’s life mirror those of the real world, and it’s a story that deals frankly with the harms of colonization and racial injustice. The book delves into societal issues of prejudice and deep-rooted worldview differences between Anequs and the colonizers who run the dragon academy. We see through Anequs’s eyes as she confronts the depths of racism, colonialism, sexism, and homophobia that are ingrained in the colonizer society. Her strength in the face of their bigotry is refreshing and powerful, and presents a complex examination of tokenism, while questioning the white colonial savior complex and reminding readers that Anequs and her Indigenous people never needed saving or advancement.  

Blackgoose’s version of the dragon-rider archetype is unlike anything I’ve read before, but readers who enjoyed books like Eragon or Fourth Wing will love this refreshingly original dragon story, told in Anequs’s direct, clear voice. I hope you’ll join me in eagerly awaiting the sequel! 

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose is available in print and e-book.

Julia is a Teen Instructor & Research Specialist at the Glenwood Branch + Makerspace. She loves reading YA books, playing the cello, practicing martial arts, trying new cookie recipes, and generally trying to squeeze as many hobbies into a day as possible.

The cover depicts a celestial sphere with clouds and the rays of a sun, with the silhouettes of a white dragon and a black dragon flying in front of it.

Everything’s Better with Dragons

Kristen B. 1 Comment

by Kristen B.

The cover depicts a celestial sphere with clouds and the rays of a sun, with the silhouettes of a white dragon and a black dragon flying in front of it.

One of the hottest titles at the moment is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It has Hunger Games energy, plus dragons! Violet, a young woman who expects to follow her deceased father into a scholarly life, is instead enrolled into the military academy by her mother, the general. From there, the story takes off into a school story, but with death of cadets an inevitable, acceptable outcome. On top of not wanting to be in the dragon academy, Violet has physical issues (which seem similar to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) that make it even more difficult for her to succeed. However, she does have a fair amount of stubbornness and unwillingness to die – gotta love her! The story only gets more complicated with conscripted children of a failed rebellion and ever-increasing military action at the country’s borders. I suspect there’s more going on here, but I will have to wait for answers until the next book in the series, which comes out in November.

Speaking of waiting – go ahead and get yourself on the list for Fourth Wing (print, e-book, or e-audiobook). In the meantime, here are more great books with dragons:

The book cover depicts a dragon in the sky, wings spread and with pointed tail pointing towards the ground, as a woman in a long, flowing dress faces it and looks up towards it.

Heartstone by Elle Katharine White
Pride and Prejudice, with dragons! This one leans more toward Austen and Regency romance than modern dystopian fantasy. It has everything: country houses, fights with monsters, terrible misunderstandings, class issues, and one true love. But, you know, with dragons. Aliza Bentaine, second of five sisters, resides at the family’s country estate of Merybourne Manor. A flock of wild gryphons has infested their land and, tragically, killed the youngest sister. Riders come to the rescue, and the rest follows from there. Reader, I devoured it – plus, there are sequels.

The book cover is the face of a red dragon, with antler-like horns and yellow eyes, facing the reader, against a backdrop of stars and pine trees in silhouette.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

Native Americans and colonization, with dragons! In this alternate timeline, the Viking explorations became permanent settlements of this continent, with a Spanish-equivalent nation to the south. In what maps to current-day New England, Anequs, a young Native woman, lives a traditional island lifestyle with her family, until a rare indigenous dragon lays an egg and the ensuing hatchling bonds with her. She is compelled to attend a dragon academy, which brings her in close contact with “regular society,” and not particularly subtle culture clashes ensue. Anequs, though, is determined to do what is best for herself and her dragon, as well as her family and friends, while actively avoiding assimilation.
Also available as an e-book.

The book cover shows a grey-blue dragon flying against a white, cloudy sky, with a blue sea and a sailing ship beneath it.

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik (Temeraire series)

The Napoleonic wars, with dragons! Will Laurence is an officer and a gentleman serving in the Royal Navy when his ship captures a French frigate carrying important, secret cargo – a dragon egg! The dragon Temeraire chooses Will, causing him to leave the Navy and, for the most part, good society to become a member of the Aerial Corps along with his new charge. Class structures provide much of the drama, outside of the war raging across the continent. The subsequent political and military maneuvers are wonderfully entertaining, especially with Temeraire as the outsider who often needs to have things explained. The mystery of the dragon’s origins continue through this book and the next. Over the course of the series, Laurence and Temeraire travel the world, always looking to advance the cause and care of the intelligent, capable species of dragonkind.
Also available as an e-book and e-audiobook.

The book cover shows a grey dragon in profile from the neck up, teeth bared, against a darker grey background.

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons (Chorus of Dragons series)

Kitchen boy to … well, more … epic fantasy, with big, bad, scenery slaying dragons! This sprawling series takes on many standard tropes and has a lot of fun with them. Prophecy, immortal elves, scheming merchant families, named swords, battles for the throne, absent and all-too-present deities, and dragons combine in Jenn Lyons’ huge (finished!) series. Khirin is the main character, but not necessarily the hero, of a story that is the most recent chapter in a epic that spans millennia. A seeming orphan thief who lives in a brothel, Khirin’s life is turned upside down when he’s condemned to slavery and again when it seems he’s a lost scion of a noble house. The plot moves fast, and things are never quite as they appear. The stories are written as a sort of historical account, complete with dry, snarky footnotes. Discovering the “author” and the role he plays is part of the fun. Despite the doorstop size of the five volumes in this series, they move fast and require you to read carefully.
Also available as an e-audiobook.

Kristen B. is a devoted bookworm lucky enough to work as the graphic designer for HCLS. She likes to read, stitch, dance, and watch baseball in season (but not all at the same time).