Dragon Untameable Review | Ava Richardson

If, like me, you’re always on the lookout for some dragons, today’s post might be of interest. I’ve always enjoyed Ava Richardson’s books: full of charm and the perfect introduction to fantasy for young readers. Here’s my Dragon Untameable review.

Publisher: Relay Publishing | Date: 2019 | Genre: YA/Fantasy

Plot: When Alveria is plunged into a pitch-black darkness, can a dragon-shifter labelled as “Untameable” and the dragon-hunter sent to kill her, bond together to save their world?

Laini Unclaimed, a maid at the Alveria Palace, thought supervising a kid’s birthday party of young dragons was going to be the hardest part of her day. Then a never-ending darkness falls across Alveria, and an army of monsters are unleashed from the underworld. As attacks on humans and dragons rise, there’s little the royals can do to protect the people from creatures impervious to magic—and many think Laini is to blame.

She’s one of the first to face the terrifying monsters when she saves Prince Cade’s life at the palace. After a lifetime of rejection, all the orphan wants is to find her place as an accepted member of Alverian society. But when the realm plunges into eternal night, her uncontrollable—unheard of—power awakens: the power over light and dark.

Despite whispers of suspicion and blame, Laini denies responsibility for the darkness—how could it be her when she doesn’t even understand her powers? Under the king’s guidance, she’s sent to the prestigious Alveria Dragon Akademy to learn control of this newfound magic with a mis-fit group of other Untameables. But even the strong Akademy walls may not keep Laini safe, for a young dragon hunter lurks in the shadows, watching Laini and biding his time.

Now Laini must discover the source of her powers and banish the darkness covering Alveria—before whispers become a cry for her death. But as the truth emerges, she learns that it is far more than her own life that’s at stake, it’s all of Alveria.

I received Dragon Untameable from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dragon Untameable Review

I told myself to stop requesting every Ava Richardson book I saw after being disappointed by the last couple. The next thing I know, the next trilogy’s on my shelf.

But the Alveria Dragon Akademy’s Untameables has a different approach. Rather than a now-predictable unlikely pair bonding with a dragon, this time, the characters are the dragons, with both magic and shape-shifting abilities. There’s still the unlikely pairing, but that, too, has been handled differently.

Characters

Laini has the power of light and dark. An extremely rare power she didn’t know she possessed until stressful circumstances causes her magic to manifest. This results in her being blamed for an eternal night and ghosts roaming around.

I couldn’t warm to Laini. She’s naïve and desperate to belong. But her adamance makes her actions forceful, annoying, and you can see why she wasn’t included. Once she lets go of that and starts accepting her place, you grow to like her a lot more. She’s resourceful and determined and when she applies that to everyday situations rather than fixating on one thing, she’s given the chance to develop.

Her magic is a mystery, but has the set up of a strong character arc as she learns who she is and what she’s capable of. Not a strong start for Laini, but I think she’ll really develop over the three books.

Tyr is an instant hit. He’s a dragon-hunter with secret abilities and a past he doesn’t want to share. Strong, vulnerable, deadly and kind, you instantly connect to Tyr and the decisions he has to make. His story arc also has the potential for development but he’s a great character to get behind.

The relationship between the two is rushed. It’s hard to determine the time-frame events take place over but it’s only a matter of days. Tyr and Laini instantly fall for each other. I’ve always enjoyed the way the author starts the characters off as friends and lets feelings develop – sometimes romantic, sometimes just platonic. But this felt like a cliché young adult trope to make them fall in love before they know each other. It annoyed me.

Perhaps this person – this brave girl, the one who took on wolves and goddesses to protect those she cared for – had always existed, and Laini had simply never realized it.

Dragon Untameable by Ava Richardson

Writing

As mentioned, it takes place over a short period of time. The pacing was slow. The majority of tension revolved around Laini. I couldn’t invest emotionally in events, due to not connecting to her character. My attitude changed as the book progressed. As the threat rises, all the characters are in danger and by that point, you’re starting to like them.

The writing is sufficient but there are moments when it’s missing an edit. Repetition of phrases stunted the development. Laini’s sudden regression to once again dwell on her need to belong undermined her previous development at a key moment. She didn’t get the chance to move forward.

Final Thoughts

The trilogy has potential. I’m interested to see where this goes next, now the initial set up is out the way.

Have you read any of Ava Richardsons’ books? What did you think?

Also in the series:

• Book Two: Dragon Gods
• Book Three: Dragon Family

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