Book Review: The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon-Keeping by Ashley O’Melia

Title: The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keeping
Author: Ashely O’Melia
Genre: Urban fantasy
Date Read: 03/09/2014
Rating: ★★★★

Review:

All right, I admit it, I am a sucker for baby dragons. Well, dragons of all sizes are awesome, but there’s something about the way baby dragons tend to fall somewhere between a puppy and a kitten in terms of behaviour and are definitely just as cute that makes me want to flail my arms and go “Aww!”

This book is a quick. delightful little fantasy story, centering on Aubrey Goodknight, who discovers a mysterious book, “The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon-Keeping”, just when she is feeling most alone. Next thing she knows, she is hatching a dragon in her oven, and raising him while trying to keep his presence a secret.

Hugo, as she names him, is completely adorable, and I was continually “Aww!”-ing as I read. Aubrey was a well-rounded character herself, with equal amounts of insecurity and bravery when required. I also really enjoyed the character of Ben, Aubrey’s eventual boyfriend. He was just so far removed from usual romantic leads in novels: he wore glasses, was a bit dorky, and enjoyed LARP [Live Action Role Play] on weekends. Just as Aubrey is a Wanderer, it is revealed Ben is a “Believer”, which is just as important to Hugo’s growth and the future of dragons in general as the Wanderers are.

The mythology of the book is revealed at a nice pace, mostly through the texts of The Wanderer’s Guide, though towards the end, information is revealed through a few new characters. There are some intriguing bad guys that the reader is aware of for most of the story, though their motivations don’t become clear until later, which keeps up the suspense.

While I’m not 100% sure, I’m assuming that this is the first in a series, as there is still lots of the story to hear. I look forward to the next installment!