Genre: Fantasy, Cozy Fantasy, Middle Grade / YA Appropriate
Reviewer: Jay
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About The Book
After Mandy’s family Troll Bridge is attacked and destroyed by dragons, Mandy finds herself alone. Her parents and her two little brothers have disappeared. Suspecting the dragons, she embarks on a desperate quest to find and rescue her missing family, or avenge them.
On the way, she swallows her new resentment of dragons long enough to rescue Beeble, a tiny fae dragon. With the cute dragon’s help, and help from unexpected friends within the walls of the Dragon Transport and Pacification Society itself, the pair unravel a plot bigger than the destruction of her beloved family troll bridge.
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The Review
This is billed as a cosy fantasy, but reads like a middle grade book, suitable for the 9-12 age range. The heroine is Mandy, a bridge troll, whose bridge is destroyed by dragons.
Mandy sets out to rescue her scattered family. She is aided by a miniature dragon and a stone troll. I wish it had at least a couple of illustrations, because it’s a while before we are given much idea of what Mandy or the other supernatural beings in the story look like.
The quest plot is exciting, but ends on a cliff hanger. This volume and the sequel are both available in Kindle Unlimite,d but if I was a parent who had bought the book, I might be a little annoyed at having to purchase the next volume.
Mandy is a well developed character and I hope she manages to reunite her family. As for the poor bridge, it is probably beyond reconstruction.
There are hints of a possible romance between Mandy and the stone troll, but nothing further develops in this book. Recommended for middle grade readers.
The Reviewer
I’ve been doing book reviews on my website, crossposted or linked to various social media, for a few years. I read a number of genres but I really enjoy all kinds of speculative fiction so thought I’d like to share my views with you. I love sci fi and other speculative fiction because of the way it can, at its best, make us see ourselves in a new light. Quite apart from the exciting stories, of course! I used to be an English teacher, and I’m a writer (fantasy) so I can be quite critical about style etc. but I hope I can also appreciate properly some books that don’t appeal to me personally but might be simply perfect for others. I have, obviously, read widely, and continue to do so.
