Skip to main content

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart

Stephanie Burgis became an auto-buy author for me because I know I can always count on her books to be both well written and the among the best of whatever fantasy angle and age category it falls in. Her newest release, The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart, is a perfect example of this.

Aventurine is a young dragon who has yet to find her passion in life. All dragons have them. Her brother studies philosophy. Her sister is an oh so perfect epic poet. Adventurine doesn't want to study books and she doesn't want to stay safe inside her family's mountain. Knowing she is old enough and just needs to prove herself, she sneaks out of her mountain. In doing so she finds her life's passion: Chocolate. Unfortunately for her, the chocolate comes from a human who enchants it. Aventurine finds herself in a human body quite incapable of avenging herself on the Food Mage she was planning to take back to her family as a treat. Alone and forced to find her way in her new state, Aventurine makes her way to the city of Drachenburg where she manages to force her way into an apprenticeship at a chocolate house. As she learns the ins and outs of working with her passion, she also learns a lot about humans. When her family come to the city, and both the dragons and humans she loves are threatened, Aventurine must find a way to save both and learn how to balance her two natures.

Aventurine is the best. She is determined, stubborn, brave, and reckless. As a dragon, she is loved, sheltered, and adored. As a human, she has to learn to survive, make allies, and navigate a strange world of feelings. It is no small feat to write a well developed and rounded personality of a single species. That Aventurine is very much a dragon and very much a human at the same time is a marvel. At times her dual natures are in conflict. Watching her find her way as a human, is a fascinating study in nature and character dynamics. I enjoyed how much of a dragon she remained. I read for pages getting used to thinking of her as a girl and suddenly there would be a line like: "I just wished that all the horses I passed didn't look so delicious." It is delightful. The way Aventurine boldly finds her way in life is wonderful too, but I love that there was a flip side of this. As a dragon, she did something reckless and paid a high price for it. As a human, she makes mistakes too and learns how her actions as both dragon and human affect all those who love her. (And eventually the whole city of Drachenburg.)

Joining Adventurine, is a wonderful cast of supporting characters in a novel that is packed full of girl power. Silke is a savvy city girl who takes Aventurine under wing when she is newly arrived in the city. The girls develop a business partnership based on mutual respect that blossoms into a great friendship. Marina is the prickly, artistic, driven yet recovering from a failure she finds difficult to move on from mistress of the chocolate house Aventurine works at. Aventurine and Marina learn mutual respect and assist each other in facing down their fears and achieving their goals.

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart will appeal to those who love fantasy and magic. It is a comforting sort of read (at least for me) that was reminiscent of the Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles. It had the same sort of humor mixed with empowerment. I think this novel will appeal to a slightly younger audience, but is certainly for people of all ages.

Warning: Have chocolate on hand. You will want it.

I read a copy made available by the publisher, Bloomsbury Children's US, at ALA Midwinter. The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart goes on sale May 30th.

Comments

This comment has been removed by the author.
When I first heard of this book a few weeks, I thought it was just a bit to 'outlandish' for me. A dragon turns into a human and learns to make chocolate? But the idea has since grown on me. Your comments on Aventurine and the supporting characters make me glad I added the book to my TBR instead of dismissing it.
Kim Aippersbach said…
Arrggh, can't wait for this one! Dragons and chocolate: why has no one put the two together before? It's just so perfect! (Maybe I'll read some Laura Florand while I wait ...)

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the

TTT: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly themed blog hop created by  The Broke and the Bookish  and now hosted at  That Artsy Reader Girl . This Week's Topic: Most Recent Additions to My TBR List From Most Recent to Least: What books have recently caught your eye?

This Side of Home

What attracted me to This Side of Home by Renee Watson was the cover. The story hooked my interest. The characters made me fall in love. Maya has lived her entire life in the same neighborhood in Portland hanging out with the same group of friends: her twin sister Nikki, their best friend Essence, and Ronnie, Malachi, and Devin-three boys her father mentors. They have plans for the future that involve each other: prom, college, life. But things in their neighborhood are changing. People are moving in and starting new businesses. Property values are going up as a result. In addition to change, this is also causing trouble. Essence has to move out of her  house when the owner decides he can make more money selling it than renting it. The racial demographics of the school, which has been mostly African American, is shifting. This presents new challenges and choices for Maya and her friends. It brings new people into their lives at the same time. Maya has to figure out how-and if-she wa

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t