City of Thieves (Battle Dragons #1)

Alec lives in the futuristic city of Drakopolis, which has some dystopian problems but is a thriving city. Alec's family struggles a bit: his father has scaly lung, his mother works in a dragon food plant, and his sister Lina is working at a cafe to help the family with money. His brother Silas is doing okay, and has been accepted into the Dragon Riders, which serves as a police/military entity to protect the citizens, but always seems a bit questionable. Alec failed his entrance exam to the Dragon Rider Academy, which was a bit of a relief. While he and his best friend Roa (who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns) like reading comics about the daring exploits of Dr. Drago, dealing with ACTUAL dragons sounds dangerous. When Alec finds out that his sister has a secret life of crime and is herself riding dragons, he's leery of being asked for help, but follows her directions. He uncovers Karak, a dragon his sister has stolen, and with the help of a teacher at his school, Ally, as well as Roa, he learns how to take care of a dragon and starts to ride Karak, who bonds with him. Drakopolis is run by kins, which are like gangs, and it turns out that Lina is aligned with the Sky Knights, which have a revolutionary, Robin Hood vibe to them, but Roa is surprisingly aligned with the Thunder Wings, as is Ally. There is also a Red Talon kin, and they are threatening Alec's family because of Lina's activity. The kins have what amount to "rumbles"; battles that are "equal parts race, heist, and duel". These battles determine who has control of different neighborhoods and their resources, like dragons. Because Alec has a dragon, he is the center of a lot of activity to win his dragon over for a kin. He's not sure which one he should align himself with, and when a big battle is planned, he has to decide. Will he side with his sister, his best friend, or his brother, or forge his own path?

Dragons. Dragons. Dragons. Oh, and more dragons? Listen, if you don’t like dragons then don’t even bother with this books. But. If you are like me and love dragons, then read this book as soon as you can! I honestly loved this book so much and it was for so many different reasons. This is a Middle Grade book but it is so entertaining for any age group. However, it is perfect for the project audience. There are literally dragons everywhere in this book and I am so jealous that I don’t live in Drakopolis. Okay… maybe I take that back. This book is full of politics but in such a way that it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment from the book. There are Kins that control each area of Drakopolis and then there is the Dragon Guard, who is technically the law. All of them, are bad though. After events that Abel cannot control, he becomes entangled in all three. The best part about it? He gets to befriend and ride a freaking amazing dragon! Honestly, I’m a little jealous. But this book flows so nicely and it was such a fun read. There is nothing confusing or slow about this book and I’m definitely going to be buying it for my nephews because it was just so much fun. I am so excited that this is going to be a series and I cannot wait for the next installment.

Abel was an amazing main character. In the beginning, it is clear he doesn’t have a lot of self confidence. With two older siblings who passed their exams but chose different paths, Abel did not. Secretly, he is glad though. But everything changes when his sister gives him a comic book that contains a top secret. That secret? A dragon. And that dragon bonds to Abel (again, jealous). Abel recruits his best friend Roa and after Roa drops a big secret on Abel, a lot of events unfold. Instructor Ally, who is a bad-A by the way, teaches Abel how to fly the dragon to get ready for some kin battles. I don’t want to go into too much detail because it will give a lot away, but it’s all pretty epic. Abel’s character develops so much in this book and it was great to see him from this unsecure boy to someone who isn’t afraid to stand up to the kinners for his family and his new dragon.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, City of Thieves by Alex London was seriously a fantastic book. I had so much fun reading it and I can’t wait for everyone else to read it as well. If you like dragons then this is definitely a book for you as it is full of dragons in almost every way you can possibly imagine. It definitely has some politics in the book as well but it is never exhausted to the point where it takes away from the story. It is, however, very crucial for the events that take place. Abel was a great main character and I really enjoyed the development he went through. I cannot wait to continue his journey and see what happens next. Even though this book is meant for Middle Grade, I highly would recommend it to anyone who wants a fun, fast read that includes all things dragons, races, and Kin grudges.