Review Detail

THE COLOR OF DRAGONS is an intriguing YA fantasy that transports the reader to a world controlled by a cruel man who made his reputation and kingdom through the killing of dragons. He followed it up by building a capital city with a gigantic wall around it. Now, his son, Jori, is to wed the daughter of the North, the last area not under their control, creating an empire built on the starvation of the citizens left outside the wall to give everything they own in the name of taxes.

Maggie is a magician's assistant. Found as a child in the woods, Xavier has raised her as they have traveled throughout the kingdom, scraping any means they are able. He performs tricks using illusions but believes in real magic and has given everything in pursuit of magical objects, which have all turned out to be fakes. On the day when Maggie nearly loses her arm or life to the king's soldiers, she is to perform with Xavier at a tavern - where those very soldiers are also attending. On guard and anxious, the performance does not go to plan and things spiral when Maggie finds herself performing an unexpected feat of real magic. She and Xavier are then escorted to the palace to perform for the king, a place that Maggie would never have wanted to go, except that they are also escorting a dragon there - one to which Maggie feels a deep connection.

The king's champion is Griffin, who was raised within the walls as a orphan in the Bottom, the lowest tier of people with dangerous jobs. He rose through the ranks by battling draignochs, dragonesque creatures bred to be fought. His position in the palace is uncertain, serving at the whims of Jori and his father. At this year's tournament, unexpected things are happening, and he cannot help but be drawn to Maggie - a connection that may bring them danger amidst the intrigue of court.

What I loved: This was a really intriguing plot that keeps the reader hooked. The pace is quite fast, with just the right amount of background for the reader to understand what is happening. As Maggie seeks out information about her past, the reader learns more about her, magic, and the problems pervading this world. There are some hefty themes around power, oppression, politics, and protection/military that are discussed throughout the book. These are manifested through the king and the way that the country has been structured. While Maggie sees the injustices, she and others often feel powerless to stop them.

The connections between Maggie and the dragon as well as between Maggie and Griffin really drove the plot, as we learn more about each and see them grow throughout the story. I found the characters and their connections to be really well done. Maggie and Griffin were each compelling characters, and I appreciated the dual perspectives that allowed the reader to really see each of them.

What left me wanting more: While I appreciated that this was a stand-alone, I also would have enjoyed for this to be more drawn out so we could delve deeper into the magic, the prophecy, and the dragons to really understand the changes that had happened within a lifetime to this kingdom and its inhabitants. The world-building was adequate, but more space would have allowed a much richer and fuller study of the characters and their histories.

Final verdict: An intriguing YA fantasy, THE COLOR OF DRAGONS studies magic and politics in a character-driven read that would be great for fans of THE GUINEVERE DECEPTION, THE LAST LEGACY, and LEGENDBORN.