What do you think?
Dragon Defenders of Destia Part II #1
Hybrid Magic
A young mage and her dragon must battle the darkest magic…
All her life, Winnie has dreamt of being a mage. But when her grandmother threatens to pull her out of school, Winnie needs to prove herself to the Fairspell Magic Academy, and fast! When she’s chosen to travel with a delegation of mages to the capitol of Fantis, she sees her chance…
But Winnie’s determination gets her mixed up in a mystery that threatens all magic in the kingdom. Soon, she finds herself imprisoned alongside a fierce dragon named Kygo, tormented by dangerous experiments that mix dragon and human sorcery. And making Winnie’s own powers become erratic and dangerous.
Winnie and Kygo must band together to escape the clutches of evil, and save Winnie’s fellow mages before it’s too late. And if they fail, the ancient war between Fantis and Destia will reignite…
All her life, Winnie has dreamt of being a mage. But when her grandmother threatens to pull her out of school, Winnie needs to prove herself to the Fairspell Magic Academy, and fast! When she’s chosen to travel with a delegation of mages to the capitol of Fantis, she sees her chance…
But Winnie’s determination gets her mixed up in a mystery that threatens all magic in the kingdom. Soon, she finds herself imprisoned alongside a fierce dragon named Kygo, tormented by dangerous experiments that mix dragon and human sorcery. And making Winnie’s own powers become erratic and dangerous.
Winnie and Kygo must band together to escape the clutches of evil, and save Winnie’s fellow mages before it’s too late. And if they fail, the ancient war between Fantis and Destia will reignite…
346 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 27, 2024
About the author
Ava Richardson
143 books450 followersAva Richardson writes epic page-turning Young Adult Fantasy books. She creates lovable characters and drops them into intricate worlds that are barely contained within your eReader. Ava has written 21 YA dragon fantasy series, including her bestselling series Return of the Darkening and her recent series, Destia's Dragon Shifter War.
She grew up on a steady diet of fantasy and science fiction books handed down from her two big brothers – and despite being dog-eared and missing pages, she loved escaping into the magical worlds that those authors created. Her favorites were the ones about dragons; where they’d swoop, dive and soar through the skies of these enchanted lands.
She grew up on a steady diet of fantasy and science fiction books handed down from her two big brothers – and despite being dog-eared and missing pages, she loved escaping into the magical worlds that those authors created. Her favorites were the ones about dragons; where they’d swoop, dive and soar through the skies of these enchanted lands.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
July 10, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for a listener copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 ⭐️ 🎧
𓆩🐲𓆪
I did not realise that this was book 4 as it is mislabelled as book 1 on NetGalleys site. It is possible to read & enjoy this as the 1st book, though, as what happens in the prior stories is explained in enough detail. This seems like the sort of series where you can start on any book so long as you then finish the series.
I found this was an interesting story. It is slow to start. However, I found I didn't mind this so much as I was listening to an audiobook. Had I been reading a physical copy, it may have affected me more. It is worth noting that I listened to the audiobook on 2x speed.
I loved the twists & turns in this book although parts of it were definitely not unexpected. Eg.
I would like to read the next book. Winning is a great character & I am invested in her now. I need to know what happened to the Destia delegation.
3.5 ⭐️ 🎧
𓆩🐲𓆪
I did not realise that this was book 4 as it is mislabelled as book 1 on NetGalleys site. It is possible to read & enjoy this as the 1st book, though, as what happens in the prior stories is explained in enough detail. This seems like the sort of series where you can start on any book so long as you then finish the series.
I found this was an interesting story. It is slow to start. However, I found I didn't mind this so much as I was listening to an audiobook. Had I been reading a physical copy, it may have affected me more. It is worth noting that I listened to the audiobook on 2x speed.
I loved the twists & turns in this book although parts of it were definitely not unexpected. Eg.
I would like to read the next book. Winning is a great character & I am invested in her now. I need to know what happened to the Destia delegation.
April 3, 2024
Hybrid Magic by Ava Richardson
Destia. Air Mages. Murdered Parents. War.
All heroes have tragic origin stories, and Winnie is definitely not a villain. With a natural affinity for air magic, Winnie is put into the hands of her grandmother after her parents are murdered in cold blood.
Her maternal grandmother is a lady of high society and will do anything to keep an iron fist on power and wealth, forever dreading and begrudging her commoner son-in-law. Her grand lifestyle is all that she values, and she makes everyone around her know who to respect.
Winnie is a very inquisitive, and it's her investigative nature that sets her apart from others, for she has found a weakness with her rival's armor, vowing to end his life in order to end the neverending, bloody war.
The king sees this cunning and appreciates her skills, and soon Winnie is joining the country's best scholars on the Fantis expedition, to make sure all remnants of the former mage's magic is gone for good. These remnants are known in this novel as the Rot.
This was a very engaging story and I am very grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. The author certainly does a wonderful job of painting an adventure of action, fantasy, and navigating difficult situations. It never let me down, urging me to read faster and faster.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves high fantasy, complex worlds, and action-packed novels. This definitely made me want to dive into the other installments set in this fantastical world. 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!
Destia. Air Mages. Murdered Parents. War.
All heroes have tragic origin stories, and Winnie is definitely not a villain. With a natural affinity for air magic, Winnie is put into the hands of her grandmother after her parents are murdered in cold blood.
Her maternal grandmother is a lady of high society and will do anything to keep an iron fist on power and wealth, forever dreading and begrudging her commoner son-in-law. Her grand lifestyle is all that she values, and she makes everyone around her know who to respect.
Winnie is a very inquisitive, and it's her investigative nature that sets her apart from others, for she has found a weakness with her rival's armor, vowing to end his life in order to end the neverending, bloody war.
The king sees this cunning and appreciates her skills, and soon Winnie is joining the country's best scholars on the Fantis expedition, to make sure all remnants of the former mage's magic is gone for good. These remnants are known in this novel as the Rot.
This was a very engaging story and I am very grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. The author certainly does a wonderful job of painting an adventure of action, fantasy, and navigating difficult situations. It never let me down, urging me to read faster and faster.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves high fantasy, complex worlds, and action-packed novels. This definitely made me want to dive into the other installments set in this fantastical world. 🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 Stars!
April 8, 2024
2 1/2 stars. High fantasy, a young woman finding her way in the world, political intrigue and the aftermaths of a war. And of course dragons. These are the key elements of this book but it takes a while for it really to develop. The first 2/3 goes slowly.
Winnie is use to not being taken serious as a mage because of her age, though she has proven herself to be a competent scholar and taken part in important parts of the turning part of the war. It is understandable that someone at this age, and with other factors, that she feels that she take this. (and she does show based on some of her actions that she is young, inexperienced and isn't always seeing the bigger picture) but hearing about it so many times does get annoying.
A mixed bag but the ending definitely picks up and delivers everything you could want for a YA fantasy.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
Winnie is use to not being taken serious as a mage because of her age, though she has proven herself to be a competent scholar and taken part in important parts of the turning part of the war. It is understandable that someone at this age, and with other factors, that she feels that she take this. (and she does show based on some of her actions that she is young, inexperienced and isn't always seeing the bigger picture) but hearing about it so many times does get annoying.
A mixed bag but the ending definitely picks up and delivers everything you could want for a YA fantasy.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
June 11, 2024
Interesting book, Interesting magic system. Definitely a YA fantasy, has action, magic and surprises. Has a great plot that keeps the story moving. Would recommend
I received a free copy and leaving an honest review
I received a free copy and leaving an honest review
May 24, 2024
This was an interesting book. Even though this is the beginning of a crossover I didn't feel lost from the other books that came before this one. The author did well explaining the events that lead up to what was happening here, but left us with a huge cliff hanger. I did like the different types of Magic in this book and look forward to continuing the series.
July 15, 2026
This was action packed from start to finish! There was a lot of important world building informant given to us very quickly in the first few chapters but after that it really found it's feet.
Also I love dragons so it's not a surprise that I picked this up! My favourite character is the main dragon in this book.
My only real issue was the voice of Winnie, I know she's young but in the audiobook she sounded too young and it seemed a little over the top at time but I managed to get use to it around the 25/30% mark.
So much excellent ground work was done in this first book, I look forward to following this journey.
Also I love dragons so it's not a surprise that I picked this up! My favourite character is the main dragon in this book.
My only real issue was the voice of Winnie, I know she's young but in the audiobook she sounded too young and it seemed a little over the top at time but I managed to get use to it around the 25/30% mark.
So much excellent ground work was done in this first book, I look forward to following this journey.
March 29, 2024
First, thanks to Netgally for the advanced copy!
Hybrid Magic follows Winnie, a young woman working to become a mage. When she's invited to join a special delegation to help alleviate dark magic in a newly-friendly country, she agrees, excited to learn. But things aren't always as simple as they may seem.
It should be noted that this book is the first book in a second part of a series. What follows in my review may largely be due to the fact that I did not know to read the first three books in that series. (Note, I was also unaware there were other books because NetGalley's site incorrectly labeled it as Destia's Dragon Shifter War #1 with no mention of it being a Part 2).
While an effort was clearly made for this to stand alone, I don't think it does. So much so that I think this should have been Book 4 rather than Part 2 Book 1. Reading this as a standalone, I found myself wishing I was reading the earlier books because the backstory seemed so much more interesting than what I was reading. I didn't realize it had books before and wondered why I was reading about a magical cleaning crew rather than an evil wizard and a magical war. It felt like an unnecessary extra season tacked onto the end of a great show, only I hadn't seen the great show. It's not a standalone, so don't read it if you haven't read Part 1.
TO START: I didn't hate every minute of this book. If I wasn't reading it for Netgalley, though, I likely would have given up before it got good. The first 2/3 dragged because of the heavy exposition and lack of drama.
I was initially excited for this book because, based on the description, it had a lot of promise. I like mages. I LOVE dragons. All good things! The last third of the book delivered on this promise and was truly great. There were even some great moments that seemed to me to be pretty cool foreshadowing (if the next books are going where I think they are). Honestly, if the first 2/3 of the book were condensed into a few chapters and the last third was more drawn out, more complex, it would have been a MUCH better book. It would have been the book the description promised.
But, the description lied. It said it was about a girl and a dragon but we don't meet the dragon until 2/3 of the way through the book (at which point it gets good). The cover also lied- it shows a girl with glowing green hands but that's not a thing at any point. This problem was largely due to the extraordinary amount of exposition and backstory (which wouldn't be necessary if this were sold as a 4th book in a series rather than a Part 2 Book 1).
There was TOO MUCH exposition. The book started at a snail's pace because everything from Part 1 had to be explained again and again in detail so that a reader who hadn't read Part 1 would have all the necessary context. This book does not stand alone. It doesn't. Not only was there a ridiculous amount of backstory and exposition, but it's done in a very clunky way. The majority of the backstory (particularly at the very beginning) is not done through the prose, but through the dialogue. The problem this creates is that you show two characters who just lived through an event... asking each other basic questions about the event. They were often asking about things they should already have known the answer to. A lot of the exposition could have (and should have) been done at the very least in a long, detailed prologue. But realistically, it wouldn't have been needing if this was Book 4.
Part of what also confused me was how the main character, Winnie, was treated by the people around her. About halfway through the book it's revealed that she's directly and solely responsible for figuring out the evil wizard's weak point and how to kill him. She's the reason the war ended. She's the reason that they are in times of (admittedly tenuous) peace. She worked directly for the King on the very important project of saving people that ended with her figuring all this out. She's a badass.
No one treats her like it. They keep trying to make her prove herself. She's disregarded and scoffed at. She's treated like something stuck to the bottom of everyone's shoe instead of a WAR HERO. And not just any war hero- one of three people who brought about the end of the war. Everyone should know who she is. They should be star-struck by her. They should be listening to her ideas because her ideas literally ended a war. Instead they wave her off, they treat her like she's completely irrelevant, and she walks around parties alone, with no one even looking in her direction. At one point someone from the rival nation says something along the lines of "ignore her, she's young and just an assistant.' SHE LITERALLY ENDED A WAR.
Even worse, she thinks she's right. I've had enough of bad*ss heroines who think they're nothing special. Girls can be awesome and know it. They can be proud without being boastful. I know it's done a lot in fantasy, but honestly it's to such a degree here that Winnie almost seemed pathetic. She let everyone ignore her and mistreat her and was like "I get it. I'm used to it" which makes no sense! She's a strong, intelligent woman and she's allowing herself to be a doormat and accepting it as the way she is. "I'm nothing special" kind of attitude. Make it make sense.
There were a lot of inconsistencies or things that just didn't make sense.
For example, the grandmother could have been completely cut from this. Aside from exposition, the scenes she appeared in gave us nothing. But Winnie also talks about how her grandma is proud of how Destin (their country) focuses on helping everyone reach their full potential for contributing to society. Her granddaughter is a war hero and well-respected scholar. And she's mostly worried about... marrying her off? The character was completely inconsistent.
Another example: all the people who revile the peace agreement wear red everywhere, everyday. They're also the biggest supporters of the now dead evil sorcerer. Why would they be advertising their out-of-date alliance? It would be like Death Eaters walking around in Dark Mark t-shirts AFTER Voldemort died. Why would they do that?
Third example: the high council of the country they're invited to is fighting over whether they should be allowed into the country at all. Half the council wants to throw them out. And yet, she's able to walk around the city alone, unmolested, despite very clearly being Destian and not Fantisian? If the council hate Destians, people on the streets (who lost more in the war than council members probably did) would LOATHE Destians. She would be yelled at, assaulted, followed. Instead, people just kind of look at her funny.
The dragons.
Dragons fly! Duh. They have telepathy! Cool! The telepathy has a very limited range and is essentially useless. Not so cool. Not one of them breathes fire at any point which is... not dragons. Also not dragons? Doing as they're told by humans and behaving as though they are humans' pets. These dragons are super easy to kidnap. They can be held down by some chains and a handful of guards. And worst of all, they can see all the magic that exists in the world in a way human's can't. But they can't use it. It seemingly doesn't do anything except give them good intuition. They've had this power for centuries but no dragon has ever been able to use it to manipulate the world around them. Cue main character.
Winnie gets access to this sight and five minutes later is using it to change things and save people. It almost overwhelms her but then the dragon's like "Hey calm it down" and she's like "Oh is that all?" and magically is in complete control of it. Later someone else gains access and the ability to manipulate the magic around them is IMMEDIATE and stronger than even Winnie has managed.
The dragons were so weak. They were basically giant birds with an appreciation for the magic of nature.
The book could have used another edit, sad to say. There were small proofreading errors and grammatical mistakes throughout. It's not a big deal to a lot of readers, which is fine, but for snobs like me, it can easily ruin a book. Those errors disrupt the flow of the writing and take the reader out of the fantasy. The dialogue was also awkward. Yes, because of the heavy expositional conversations held by character who both already know that information, but also because it was just awkward. The author couldn't decide whether to use old-timey grammar or more current ways of speaking, which led to "Worry not" and "Keep in touch" being in the same paragraph. Characters would say "I know not" but also use contractions. It was very strange to read.
All in all, this is a fun, light YA fantasy book that has its issues and should have been Book 4 in the series. It spent so much time on exposition that it didn't really have much story on its own. Cutting down on the exposition could have saved 50 pages, and those pages could have been dedicated to the most interesting part of the story that gets a bit rushed at the end. If you're selling a book about a girl and her dragon, the dragon should show up at some point in the first half of the book!
Hybrid Magic follows Winnie, a young woman working to become a mage. When she's invited to join a special delegation to help alleviate dark magic in a newly-friendly country, she agrees, excited to learn. But things aren't always as simple as they may seem.
It should be noted that this book is the first book in a second part of a series. What follows in my review may largely be due to the fact that I did not know to read the first three books in that series. (Note, I was also unaware there were other books because NetGalley's site incorrectly labeled it as Destia's Dragon Shifter War #1 with no mention of it being a Part 2).
While an effort was clearly made for this to stand alone, I don't think it does. So much so that I think this should have been Book 4 rather than Part 2 Book 1. Reading this as a standalone, I found myself wishing I was reading the earlier books because the backstory seemed so much more interesting than what I was reading. I didn't realize it had books before and wondered why I was reading about a magical cleaning crew rather than an evil wizard and a magical war. It felt like an unnecessary extra season tacked onto the end of a great show, only I hadn't seen the great show. It's not a standalone, so don't read it if you haven't read Part 1.
TO START: I didn't hate every minute of this book. If I wasn't reading it for Netgalley, though, I likely would have given up before it got good. The first 2/3 dragged because of the heavy exposition and lack of drama.
I was initially excited for this book because, based on the description, it had a lot of promise. I like mages. I LOVE dragons. All good things! The last third of the book delivered on this promise and was truly great. There were even some great moments that seemed to me to be pretty cool foreshadowing (if the next books are going where I think they are). Honestly, if the first 2/3 of the book were condensed into a few chapters and the last third was more drawn out, more complex, it would have been a MUCH better book. It would have been the book the description promised.
But, the description lied. It said it was about a girl and a dragon but we don't meet the dragon until 2/3 of the way through the book (at which point it gets good). The cover also lied- it shows a girl with glowing green hands but that's not a thing at any point. This problem was largely due to the extraordinary amount of exposition and backstory (which wouldn't be necessary if this were sold as a 4th book in a series rather than a Part 2 Book 1).
There was TOO MUCH exposition. The book started at a snail's pace because everything from Part 1 had to be explained again and again in detail so that a reader who hadn't read Part 1 would have all the necessary context. This book does not stand alone. It doesn't. Not only was there a ridiculous amount of backstory and exposition, but it's done in a very clunky way. The majority of the backstory (particularly at the very beginning) is not done through the prose, but through the dialogue. The problem this creates is that you show two characters who just lived through an event... asking each other basic questions about the event. They were often asking about things they should already have known the answer to. A lot of the exposition could have (and should have) been done at the very least in a long, detailed prologue. But realistically, it wouldn't have been needing if this was Book 4.
Part of what also confused me was how the main character, Winnie, was treated by the people around her. About halfway through the book it's revealed that she's directly and solely responsible for figuring out the evil wizard's weak point and how to kill him. She's the reason the war ended. She's the reason that they are in times of (admittedly tenuous) peace. She worked directly for the King on the very important project of saving people that ended with her figuring all this out. She's a badass.
No one treats her like it. They keep trying to make her prove herself. She's disregarded and scoffed at. She's treated like something stuck to the bottom of everyone's shoe instead of a WAR HERO. And not just any war hero- one of three people who brought about the end of the war. Everyone should know who she is. They should be star-struck by her. They should be listening to her ideas because her ideas literally ended a war. Instead they wave her off, they treat her like she's completely irrelevant, and she walks around parties alone, with no one even looking in her direction. At one point someone from the rival nation says something along the lines of "ignore her, she's young and just an assistant.' SHE LITERALLY ENDED A WAR.
Even worse, she thinks she's right. I've had enough of bad*ss heroines who think they're nothing special. Girls can be awesome and know it. They can be proud without being boastful. I know it's done a lot in fantasy, but honestly it's to such a degree here that Winnie almost seemed pathetic. She let everyone ignore her and mistreat her and was like "I get it. I'm used to it" which makes no sense! She's a strong, intelligent woman and she's allowing herself to be a doormat and accepting it as the way she is. "I'm nothing special" kind of attitude. Make it make sense.
There were a lot of inconsistencies or things that just didn't make sense.
For example, the grandmother could have been completely cut from this. Aside from exposition, the scenes she appeared in gave us nothing. But Winnie also talks about how her grandma is proud of how Destin (their country) focuses on helping everyone reach their full potential for contributing to society. Her granddaughter is a war hero and well-respected scholar. And she's mostly worried about... marrying her off? The character was completely inconsistent.
Another example: all the people who revile the peace agreement wear red everywhere, everyday. They're also the biggest supporters of the now dead evil sorcerer. Why would they be advertising their out-of-date alliance? It would be like Death Eaters walking around in Dark Mark t-shirts AFTER Voldemort died. Why would they do that?
Third example: the high council of the country they're invited to is fighting over whether they should be allowed into the country at all. Half the council wants to throw them out. And yet, she's able to walk around the city alone, unmolested, despite very clearly being Destian and not Fantisian? If the council hate Destians, people on the streets (who lost more in the war than council members probably did) would LOATHE Destians. She would be yelled at, assaulted, followed. Instead, people just kind of look at her funny.
The dragons.
Dragons fly! Duh. They have telepathy! Cool! The telepathy has a very limited range and is essentially useless. Not so cool. Not one of them breathes fire at any point which is... not dragons. Also not dragons? Doing as they're told by humans and behaving as though they are humans' pets. These dragons are super easy to kidnap. They can be held down by some chains and a handful of guards. And worst of all, they can see all the magic that exists in the world in a way human's can't. But they can't use it. It seemingly doesn't do anything except give them good intuition. They've had this power for centuries but no dragon has ever been able to use it to manipulate the world around them. Cue main character.
Winnie gets access to this sight and five minutes later is using it to change things and save people. It almost overwhelms her but then the dragon's like "Hey calm it down" and she's like "Oh is that all?" and magically is in complete control of it. Later someone else gains access and the ability to manipulate the magic around them is IMMEDIATE and stronger than even Winnie has managed.
The dragons were so weak. They were basically giant birds with an appreciation for the magic of nature.
The book could have used another edit, sad to say. There were small proofreading errors and grammatical mistakes throughout. It's not a big deal to a lot of readers, which is fine, but for snobs like me, it can easily ruin a book. Those errors disrupt the flow of the writing and take the reader out of the fantasy. The dialogue was also awkward. Yes, because of the heavy expositional conversations held by character who both already know that information, but also because it was just awkward. The author couldn't decide whether to use old-timey grammar or more current ways of speaking, which led to "Worry not" and "Keep in touch" being in the same paragraph. Characters would say "I know not" but also use contractions. It was very strange to read.
All in all, this is a fun, light YA fantasy book that has its issues and should have been Book 4 in the series. It spent so much time on exposition that it didn't really have much story on its own. Cutting down on the exposition could have saved 50 pages, and those pages could have been dedicated to the most interesting part of the story that gets a bit rushed at the end. If you're selling a book about a girl and her dragon, the dragon should show up at some point in the first half of the book!
March 29, 2024
First, thanks to Netgally for the advanced copy!
Hybrid Magic follows Winnie, a young woman working to become a mage. When she's invited to join a special delegation to help alleviate dark magic in a newly-friendly country, she agrees, excited to learn. But things aren't always as simple as they may seem.
It should be noted that this book is the first book in a second part of a series. What follows in my review may largely be due to the fact that I did not know to read the first three books in that series. (Note, I was also unaware there were other books because NetGalley's site incorrectly labeled it as Destia's Dragon Shifter War #1 with no mention of it being a Part 2).
While an effort was clearly made for this to stand alone, I don't think it does. So much so that I think this should have been Book 4 rather than Part 2 Book 1. Reading this as a standalone, I found myself wishing I was reading the earlier books because the backstory seemed so much more interesting than what I was reading. I didn't realize it had books before and wondered why I was reading about a magical cleaning crew rather than an evil wizard and a magical war. It felt like an unnecessary extra season tacked onto the end of a great show, only I hadn't seen the great show. It's not a standalone, so don't read it if you haven't read Part 1.
TO START: I didn't hate every minute of this book. If I wasn't reading it for Netgalley, though, I likely would have given up before it got good. The first 2/3 dragged because of the heavy exposition and lack of drama.
I was initially excited for this book because, based on the description, it had a lot of promise. I like mages. I LOVE dragons. All good things! The last third of the book delivered on this promise and was truly great. There were even some great moments that seemed to me to be pretty cool foreshadowing (if the next books are going where I think they are). Honestly, if the first 2/3 of the book were condensed into a few chapters and the last third was more drawn out, more complex, it would have been a MUCH better book. It would have been the book the description promised.
But, the description lied. It said it was about a girl and a dragon but we don't meet the dragon until 2/3 of the way through the book (at which point it gets good). The cover also lied- it shows a girl with glowing green hands but that's not a thing at any point. This problem was largely due to the extraordinary amount of exposition and backstory (which wouldn't be necessary if this were sold as a 4th book in a series rather than a Part 2 Book 1).
There was TOO MUCH exposition. The book started at a snail's pace because everything from Part 1 had to be explained again and again in detail so that a reader who hadn't read Part 1 would have all the necessary context. This book does not stand alone. It doesn't. Not only was there a ridiculous amount of backstory and exposition, but it's done in a very clunky way. The majority of the backstory (particularly at the very beginning) is not done through the prose, but through the dialogue. The problem this creates is that you show two characters who just lived through an event... asking each other basic questions about the event. They were often asking about things they should already have known the answer to. A lot of the exposition could have (and should have) been done at the very least in a long, detailed prologue. But realistically, it wouldn't have been needing if this was Book 4.
Part of what also confused me was how the main character, Winnie, was treated by the people around her. About halfway through the book it's revealed that she's directly and solely responsible for figuring out the evil wizard's weak point and how to kill him. She's the reason the war ended. She's the reason that they are in times of (admittedly tenuous) peace. She worked directly for the King on the very important project of saving people that ended with her figuring all this out. She's a badass.
No one treats her like it. They keep trying to make her prove herself. She's disregarded and scoffed at. She's treated like something stuck to the bottom of everyone's shoe instead of a WAR HERO. And not just any war hero- one of three people who brought about the end of the war. Everyone should know who she is. They should be star-struck by her. They should be listening to her ideas because her ideas literally ended a war. Instead they wave her off, they treat her like she's completely irrelevant, and she walks around parties alone, with no one even looking in her direction. At one point someone from the rival nation says something along the lines of "ignore her, she's young and just an assistant.' SHE LITERALLY ENDED A WAR.
Even worse, she thinks she's right. I've had enough of bad*ss heroines who think they're nothing special. Girls can be awesome and know it. They can be proud without being boastful. I know it's done a lot in fantasy, but honestly it's to such a degree here that Winnie almost seemed pathetic. She let everyone ignore her and mistreat her and was like "I get it. I'm used to it" which makes no sense! She's a strong, intelligent woman and she's allowing herself to be a doormat and accepting it as the way she is. "I'm nothing special" kind of attitude. Make it make sense.
There were a lot of inconsistencies or things that just didn't make sense.
For example, the grandmother could have been completely cut from this. Aside from exposition, the scenes she appeared in gave us nothing. But Winnie also talks about how her grandma is proud of how Destin (their country) focuses on helping everyone reach their full potential for contributing to society. Her granddaughter is a war hero and well-respected scholar. And she's mostly worried about... marrying her off? The character was completely inconsistent.
Another example: all the people who revile the peace agreement wear red everywhere, everyday. They're also the biggest supporters of the now dead evil sorcerer. Why would they be advertising their out-of-date alliance? It would be like Death Eaters walking around in Dark Mark t-shirts AFTER Voldemort died. Why would they do that?
Third example: the high council of the country they're invited to is fighting over whether they should be allowed into the country at all. Half the council wants to throw them out. And yet, she's able to walk around the city alone, unmolested, despite very clearly being Destian and not Fantisian? If the council hate Destians, people on the streets (who lost more in the war than council members probably did) would LOATHE Destians. She would be yelled at, assaulted, followed. Instead, people just kind of look at her funny.
The dragons.
Dragons fly! Duh. They have telepathy! Cool! The telepathy has a very limited range and is essentially useless. Not so cool. Not one of them breathes fire at any point which is... not dragons. Also not dragons? Doing as they're told by humans and behaving as though they are humans' pets. These dragons are super easy to kidnap. They can be held down by some chains and a handful of guards. And worst of all, they can see all the magic that exists in the world in a way human's can't. But they can't use it. It seemingly doesn't do anything except give them good intuition. They've had this power for centuries but no dragon has ever been able to use it to manipulate the world around them. Cue main character.
Winnie gets access to this sight and five minutes later is using it to change things and save people. It almost overwhelms her but then the dragon's like "Hey calm it down" and she's like "Oh is that all?" and magically is in complete control of it. Later someone else gains access and the ability to manipulate the magic around them is IMMEDIATE and stronger than even Winnie has managed.
The dragons were so weak. They were basically giant birds with an appreciation for the magic of nature.
The book could have used another edit, sad to say. There were small proofreading errors and grammatical mistakes throughout. It's not a big deal to a lot of readers, which is fine, but for snobs like me, it can easily ruin a book. Those errors disrupt the flow of the writing and take the reader out of the fantasy. The dialogue was also awkward. Yes, because of the heavy expositional conversations held by character who both already know that information, but also because it was just awkward. The author couldn't decide whether to use old-timey grammar or more current ways of speaking, which led to "Worry not" and "Keep in touch" being in the same paragraph. Characters would say "I know not" but also use contractions. It was very strange to read.
All in all, this is a fun, light YA fantasy book that has its issues and should have been Book 4 in the series. It spent so much time on exposition that it didn't really have much story on its own. Cutting down on the exposition could have saved 50 pages, and those pages could have been dedicated to the most interesting part of the story that gets a bit rushed at the end. If you're selling a book about a girl and her dragon, the dragon should show up at some point in the first half of the book!
Hybrid Magic follows Winnie, a young woman working to become a mage. When she's invited to join a special delegation to help alleviate dark magic in a newly-friendly country, she agrees, excited to learn. But things aren't always as simple as they may seem.
It should be noted that this book is the first book in a second part of a series. What follows in my review may largely be due to the fact that I did not know to read the first three books in that series. (Note, I was also unaware there were other books because NetGalley's site incorrectly labeled it as Destia's Dragon Shifter War #1 with no mention of it being a Part 2).
While an effort was clearly made for this to stand alone, I don't think it does. So much so that I think this should have been Book 4 rather than Part 2 Book 1. Reading this as a standalone, I found myself wishing I was reading the earlier books because the backstory seemed so much more interesting than what I was reading. I didn't realize it had books before and wondered why I was reading about a magical cleaning crew rather than an evil wizard and a magical war. It felt like an unnecessary extra season tacked onto the end of a great show, only I hadn't seen the great show. It's not a standalone, so don't read it if you haven't read Part 1.
TO START: I didn't hate every minute of this book. If I wasn't reading it for Netgalley, though, I likely would have given up before it got good. The first 2/3 dragged because of the heavy exposition and lack of drama.
I was initially excited for this book because, based on the description, it had a lot of promise. I like mages. I LOVE dragons. All good things! The last third of the book delivered on this promise and was truly great. There were even some great moments that seemed to me to be pretty cool foreshadowing (if the next books are going where I think they are). Honestly, if the first 2/3 of the book were condensed into a few chapters and the last third was more drawn out, more complex, it would have been a MUCH better book. It would have been the book the description promised.
But, the description lied. It said it was about a girl and a dragon but we don't meet the dragon until 2/3 of the way through the book (at which point it gets good). The cover also lied- it shows a girl with glowing green hands but that's not a thing at any point. This problem was largely due to the extraordinary amount of exposition and backstory (which wouldn't be necessary if this were sold as a 4th book in a series rather than a Part 2 Book 1).
There was TOO MUCH exposition. The book started at a snail's pace because everything from Part 1 had to be explained again and again in detail so that a reader who hadn't read Part 1 would have all the necessary context. This book does not stand alone. It doesn't. Not only was there a ridiculous amount of backstory and exposition, but it's done in a very clunky way. The majority of the backstory (particularly at the very beginning) is not done through the prose, but through the dialogue. The problem this creates is that you show two characters who just lived through an event... asking each other basic questions about the event. They were often asking about things they should already have known the answer to. A lot of the exposition could have (and should have) been done at the very least in a long, detailed prologue. But realistically, it wouldn't have been needing if this was Book 4.
Part of what also confused me was how the main character, Winnie, was treated by the people around her. About halfway through the book it's revealed that she's directly and solely responsible for figuring out the evil wizard's weak point and how to kill him. She's the reason the war ended. She's the reason that they are in times of (admittedly tenuous) peace. She worked directly for the King on the very important project of saving people that ended with her figuring all this out. She's a badass.
No one treats her like it. They keep trying to make her prove herself. She's disregarded and scoffed at. She's treated like something stuck to the bottom of everyone's shoe instead of a WAR HERO. And not just any war hero- one of three people who brought about the end of the war. Everyone should know who she is. They should be star-struck by her. They should be listening to her ideas because her ideas literally ended a war. Instead they wave her off, they treat her like she's completely irrelevant, and she walks around parties alone, with no one even looking in her direction. At one point someone from the rival nation says something along the lines of "ignore her, she's young and just an assistant.' SHE LITERALLY ENDED A WAR.
Even worse, she thinks she's right. I've had enough of bad*ss heroines who think they're nothing special. Girls can be awesome and know it. They can be proud without being boastful. I know it's done a lot in fantasy, but honestly it's to such a degree here that Winnie almost seemed pathetic. She let everyone ignore her and mistreat her and was like "I get it. I'm used to it" which makes no sense! She's a strong, intelligent woman and she's allowing herself to be a doormat and accepting it as the way she is. "I'm nothing special" kind of attitude. Make it make sense.
There were a lot of inconsistencies or things that just didn't make sense.
For example, the grandmother could have been completely cut from this. Aside from exposition, the scenes she appeared in gave us nothing. But Winnie also talks about how her grandma is proud of how Destin (their country) focuses on helping everyone reach their full potential for contributing to society. Her granddaughter is a war hero and well-respected scholar. And she's mostly worried about... marrying her off? The character was completely inconsistent.
Another example: all the people who revile the peace agreement wear red everywhere, everyday. They're also the biggest supporters of the now dead evil sorcerer. Why would they be advertising their out-of-date alliance? It would be like Death Eaters walking around in Dark Mark t-shirts AFTER Voldemort died. Why would they do that?
Third example: the high council of the country they're invited to is fighting over whether they should be allowed into the country at all. Half the council wants to throw them out. And yet, she's able to walk around the city alone, unmolested, despite very clearly being Destian and not Fantisian? If the council hate Destians, people on the streets (who lost more in the war than council members probably did) would LOATHE Destians. She would be yelled at, assaulted, followed. Instead, people just kind of look at her funny.
The dragons.
Dragons fly! Duh. They have telepathy! Cool! The telepathy has a very limited range and is essentially useless. Not so cool. Not one of them breathes fire at any point which is... not dragons. Also not dragons? Doing as they're told by humans and behaving as though they are humans' pets. These dragons are super easy to kidnap. They can be held down by some chains and a handful of guards. And worst of all, they can see all the magic that exists in the world in a way human's can't. But they can't use it. It seemingly doesn't do anything except give them good intuition. They've had this power for centuries but no dragon has ever been able to use it to manipulate the world around them. Cue main character.
Winnie gets access to this sight and five minutes later is using it to change things and save people. It almost overwhelms her but then the dragon's like "Hey calm it down" and she's like "Oh is that all?" and magically is in complete control of it. Later someone else gains access and the ability to manipulate the magic around them is IMMEDIATE and stronger than even Winnie has managed.
The dragons were so weak. They were basically giant birds with an appreciation for the magic of nature.
The book could have used another edit, sad to say. There were small proofreading errors and grammatical mistakes throughout. It's not a big deal to a lot of readers, which is fine, but for snobs like me, it can easily ruin a book. Those errors disrupt the flow of the writing and take the reader out of the fantasy. The dialogue was also awkward. Yes, because of the heavy expositional conversations held by character who both already know that information, but also because it was just awkward. The author couldn't decide whether to use old-timey grammar or more current ways of speaking, which led to "Worry not" and "Keep in touch" being in the same paragraph. Characters would say "I know not" but also use contractions. It was very strange to read.
All in all, this is a fun, light YA fantasy book that has its issues and should have been Book 4 in the series. It spent so much time on exposition that it didn't really have much story on its own. Cutting down on the exposition could have saved 50 pages, and those pages could have been dedicated to the most interesting part of the story that gets a bit rushed at the end. If you're selling a book about a girl and her dragon, the dragon should show up at some point in the first half of the book!
April 13, 2024
This is book one of the Destia’s Dragon Shifter War (Dragon Defenders of Destia Part II) series and the main character is Winnie Peters a wind mage who was instrumental in helping Eva with all the people, including the King, who had been turned into glass statues by the evil Warlock Malcolm Venistrare. She is supported at the Fairspell Magic Academy by her grandmother, who she moved in with after her parent’s deaths, but who believes two years of magical learning is enough and wants her granddaughter to be meeting more people socially. Worried her studies may be cut off, after she spent months helping scholars at the king’s request and only just having caught back up with her own studies, she is offered a helpline. Head Mage Unwin offers her the chance to be part of a delegation travelling to Fantis, to help figure out if they can find a way to remove the rot that Warlock Venistrare’s magic has left behind even after his death. She will be the assistant to a Brianna Ramaya, one of the academy’s professors and a water mage, who doesn’t take kindly to a wind mage handling her precious potion ingredients! Other mages and assistants will be travelling to Fantis along with a Fantisian dragon rider called Commander Kamoren, who she helped Eva get out of a cell, and his dragon Hetta. They travel by horse drawn carriage, with pack dragons taking their camping equipment only up to the border, not being allowed into Fantis itself as foreign dragons, with tensions still high since the war ended and the warlock was killed.
The journey is thus a very long and tedious one, with only Kamoren and his dragon as protection. An attack in the no man’s land between the two countries, sees their Destian magic quickly defeated and the delegation in trouble, only being saved by Winnie and Brianna. Reaching Fantis itself, they find themselves not welcomed as expected, with half the council that rules the land, not in favour of them coming to assist. Luckily the head of the Council is one who wants them there, but must fight constantly against those who favoured Venistrare, and show this by wearing red apparently. Winnie wants to get stuck in, but their first day doesn’t go as planned, when they find someone has broken into the warlock’s warded workshop. Winnie investigates the spell that was supposed to ward the workshop and finds more questions than answers, about who is responsible for the break-in, getting herself into a bit of trouble as she carries on looking into it all herself. Her determination to find answers in all she sees around her soon gets her imprisoned alongside some others who have fallen on the wrong side of a certain lord and his sidekicks.
She is locked up with an old man used to wandering the land, a bookkeeper who found out something illegal was going on and got caught, and a young female thief who got caught trying to rob the lord’s home, as well as an old dragon who has been experimented upon for months and is tired and has given up hope of ever getting away. Winnie soon finds it is her turn to be part of the experiment to take magic from her or the dragon and give it to the lord, who is on a power trip and isn’t happy with the circumstances of his position, believing he was due so much more. He has vast plans for the council, Fantis and of course those in Destia, with a war being restarted between the two sides becoming more real as every day progresses. Winnie had always been somewhat fearful of these large creatures, dragons, but will soon find herself working together with them to escape captivity and try to get home to Destia. The rest of the delegation have also been imprisoned and accused of being spies, so matters have gotten a lot worse for them all. They are being pursued and her chances of saving the rest of the delegation or getting back to Destia, are far from certain. The lord who imprisoned and experimented upon her and the others, has no idea that part of his experiment worked, or that Kygo gave her a tiny piece of his lifeforce to allow her to survive, after her second time in the chair. He did however, manage to create a monster and will no doubt ramp up his plans, as well as redouble his efforts to recapture Winnie and even Kygo. Have to wait the next chapter to see what happens next.
The journey is thus a very long and tedious one, with only Kamoren and his dragon as protection. An attack in the no man’s land between the two countries, sees their Destian magic quickly defeated and the delegation in trouble, only being saved by Winnie and Brianna. Reaching Fantis itself, they find themselves not welcomed as expected, with half the council that rules the land, not in favour of them coming to assist. Luckily the head of the Council is one who wants them there, but must fight constantly against those who favoured Venistrare, and show this by wearing red apparently. Winnie wants to get stuck in, but their first day doesn’t go as planned, when they find someone has broken into the warlock’s warded workshop. Winnie investigates the spell that was supposed to ward the workshop and finds more questions than answers, about who is responsible for the break-in, getting herself into a bit of trouble as she carries on looking into it all herself. Her determination to find answers in all she sees around her soon gets her imprisoned alongside some others who have fallen on the wrong side of a certain lord and his sidekicks.
She is locked up with an old man used to wandering the land, a bookkeeper who found out something illegal was going on and got caught, and a young female thief who got caught trying to rob the lord’s home, as well as an old dragon who has been experimented upon for months and is tired and has given up hope of ever getting away. Winnie soon finds it is her turn to be part of the experiment to take magic from her or the dragon and give it to the lord, who is on a power trip and isn’t happy with the circumstances of his position, believing he was due so much more. He has vast plans for the council, Fantis and of course those in Destia, with a war being restarted between the two sides becoming more real as every day progresses. Winnie had always been somewhat fearful of these large creatures, dragons, but will soon find herself working together with them to escape captivity and try to get home to Destia. The rest of the delegation have also been imprisoned and accused of being spies, so matters have gotten a lot worse for them all. They are being pursued and her chances of saving the rest of the delegation or getting back to Destia, are far from certain. The lord who imprisoned and experimented upon her and the others, has no idea that part of his experiment worked, or that Kygo gave her a tiny piece of his lifeforce to allow her to survive, after her second time in the chair. He did however, manage to create a monster and will no doubt ramp up his plans, as well as redouble his efforts to recapture Winnie and even Kygo. Have to wait the next chapter to see what happens next.
March 31, 2024
To start, I think I was misled on what I was expecting to read. When NetGalley presented this on their site, it was shown as a book 1 series story. As I read the first half of the book, I continued to feel as though I was missing something. Things either seemed like I should already know the information, or that more story existed and I wasn't being given it. I continued to push through and read though. The further along the plot went, the more I was finding myself irritated with bits and pieces of the world building and storyline. I then went and researched more about this authors other written series, only to see that this is a part 2 in a series previously written. That explained every thought I had up to this point. So essentially, if you did not know otherwise, this is book 4 rather then a book 1 like NetGalley presented. The first series is written about Eva and this part 2 of the series is written about Winnie who is Eva's friend.
I had other issues with parts of the story aside from this major detail and error. To name a few without going too deep into detail, I found myself not even understanding why including the grandmother in any regard was necessary. The first portion of the book was sooooo long and overly written. Most of the information was not needed, and maybe if I had known prior to starting this that 3 books were prequels, it may make a difference. But....I didn't find any positive impact on the grandmother being in the picture. You learn while reading that our MFC helped the king literally save everyone!!! Like she's the reason everyone is alive and well and not being ruled by some crazy power obsessed evil guy. But, she's spoken to like she's nothing more then a peasant, she's overlooked as if she is ghost in a crowd and people talk to her as if she is not smart. It got VERY aggravating at a certain point, because I am sitting here like, HELLOOO she's probably right and you need to listen to whatever she may have to offer up. She also wrote our MFC to self doubt herself wayyy too much. She's totally fine with it being normal that no one notices her or listens to her, etc. I was wanting her to fight to be heard, fight to be seen, have self validation in her ideas and intelligence.
Moving on, I was really conflicted with the cover art. It's never really stated that she has green glowing hands when using her magic, but again, maybe this is mentioned in one of the first 3 books. I also felt that the whole idea that dragons seem to be weak and the way they are explained in the story... a bit strange and confusing. Mix this with sentences that seemed to have been written in an odd formatting of old English and new, and I was stumbling with the flow in which I was reading. I do know my version is an ARC, so maybe this was remedied in the final production.
I'm not sure. I really was hoping to love this story, but ended up feeling so many different thoughts in the end. The last 1/3 of the book was where the action and pace finally picked up and got better, but I am not entirely sure that it was enough to carry the storyline alone. I would say if you want to read this story to please read the first 3 books prior, then jump into this one, I would hope it would greatly improve your take away then what I had to experience.
**Thank you NetGalley and Relay Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I had other issues with parts of the story aside from this major detail and error. To name a few without going too deep into detail, I found myself not even understanding why including the grandmother in any regard was necessary. The first portion of the book was sooooo long and overly written. Most of the information was not needed, and maybe if I had known prior to starting this that 3 books were prequels, it may make a difference. But....I didn't find any positive impact on the grandmother being in the picture. You learn while reading that our MFC helped the king literally save everyone!!! Like she's the reason everyone is alive and well and not being ruled by some crazy power obsessed evil guy. But, she's spoken to like she's nothing more then a peasant, she's overlooked as if she is ghost in a crowd and people talk to her as if she is not smart. It got VERY aggravating at a certain point, because I am sitting here like, HELLOOO she's probably right and you need to listen to whatever she may have to offer up. She also wrote our MFC to self doubt herself wayyy too much. She's totally fine with it being normal that no one notices her or listens to her, etc. I was wanting her to fight to be heard, fight to be seen, have self validation in her ideas and intelligence.
Moving on, I was really conflicted with the cover art. It's never really stated that she has green glowing hands when using her magic, but again, maybe this is mentioned in one of the first 3 books. I also felt that the whole idea that dragons seem to be weak and the way they are explained in the story... a bit strange and confusing. Mix this with sentences that seemed to have been written in an odd formatting of old English and new, and I was stumbling with the flow in which I was reading. I do know my version is an ARC, so maybe this was remedied in the final production.
I'm not sure. I really was hoping to love this story, but ended up feeling so many different thoughts in the end. The last 1/3 of the book was where the action and pace finally picked up and got better, but I am not entirely sure that it was enough to carry the storyline alone. I would say if you want to read this story to please read the first 3 books prior, then jump into this one, I would hope it would greatly improve your take away then what I had to experience.
**Thank you NetGalley and Relay Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
March 31, 2024
To start, I think I was misled on what I was expecting to read. When NetGalley presented this on their site, it was shown as a book 1 series story. As I read the first half of the book, I continued to feel as though I was missing something. Things either seemed like I should already know the information, or that more story existed and I wasn't being given it. I continued to push through and read though. The further along the plot went, the more I was finding myself irritated with bits and pieces of the world building and storyline. I then went and researched more about this authors other written series, only to see that this is a part 2 in a series previously written. That explained every thought I had up to this point. So essentially, if you did not know otherwise, this is book 4 rather then a book 1 like NetGalley presented. The first series is written about Eva and this part 2 of the series is written about Winnie who is Eva's friend.
I had other issues with parts of the story aside from this major detail and error. To name a few without going too deep into detail, I found myself not even understanding why including the grandmother in any regard was necessary. The first portion of the book was sooooo long and overly written. Most of the information was not needed, and maybe if I had known prior to starting this that 3 books were prequels, it may make a difference. But....I didn't find any positive impact on the grandmother being in the picture. You learn while reading that our MFC helped the king literally save everyone!!! Like she's the reason everyone is alive and well and not being ruled by some crazy power obsessed evil guy. But, she's spoken to like she's nothing more then a peasant, she's overlooked as if she is ghost in a crowd and people talk to her as if she is not smart. It got VERY aggravating at a certain point, because I am sitting here like, HELLOOO she's probably right and you need to listen to whatever she may have to offer up. She also wrote our MFC to self doubt herself wayyy too much. She's totally fine with it being normal that no one notices her or listens to her, etc. I was wanting her to fight to be heard, fight to be seen, have self validation in her ideas and intelligence.
Moving on, I was really conflicted with the cover art. It's never really stated that she has green glowing hands when using her magic, but again, maybe this is mentioned in one of the first 3 books. I also felt that the whole idea that dragons seem to be weak and the way they are explained in the story... a bit strange and confusing. Mix this with sentences that seemed to have been written in an odd formatting of old English and new, and I was stumbling with the flow in which I was reading. I do know my version is an ARC, so maybe this was remedied in the final production.
I'm not sure. I really was hoping to love this story, but ended up feeling so many different thoughts in the end. The last 1/3 of the book was where the action and pace finally picked up and got better, but I am not entirely sure that it was enough to carry the storyline alone. I would say if you want to read this story to please read the first 3 books prior, then jump into this one, I would hope it would greatly improve your take away then what I had to experience.
**Thank you NetGalley and Relay Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I had other issues with parts of the story aside from this major detail and error. To name a few without going too deep into detail, I found myself not even understanding why including the grandmother in any regard was necessary. The first portion of the book was sooooo long and overly written. Most of the information was not needed, and maybe if I had known prior to starting this that 3 books were prequels, it may make a difference. But....I didn't find any positive impact on the grandmother being in the picture. You learn while reading that our MFC helped the king literally save everyone!!! Like she's the reason everyone is alive and well and not being ruled by some crazy power obsessed evil guy. But, she's spoken to like she's nothing more then a peasant, she's overlooked as if she is ghost in a crowd and people talk to her as if she is not smart. It got VERY aggravating at a certain point, because I am sitting here like, HELLOOO she's probably right and you need to listen to whatever she may have to offer up. She also wrote our MFC to self doubt herself wayyy too much. She's totally fine with it being normal that no one notices her or listens to her, etc. I was wanting her to fight to be heard, fight to be seen, have self validation in her ideas and intelligence.
Moving on, I was really conflicted with the cover art. It's never really stated that she has green glowing hands when using her magic, but again, maybe this is mentioned in one of the first 3 books. I also felt that the whole idea that dragons seem to be weak and the way they are explained in the story... a bit strange and confusing. Mix this with sentences that seemed to have been written in an odd formatting of old English and new, and I was stumbling with the flow in which I was reading. I do know my version is an ARC, so maybe this was remedied in the final production.
I'm not sure. I really was hoping to love this story, but ended up feeling so many different thoughts in the end. The last 1/3 of the book was where the action and pace finally picked up and got better, but I am not entirely sure that it was enough to carry the storyline alone. I would say if you want to read this story to please read the first 3 books prior, then jump into this one, I would hope it would greatly improve your take away then what I had to experience.
**Thank you NetGalley and Relay Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2024
Hybrid Magic by Ava Richarson does not disappoint! It is in a way book #4 in her Destia series which started with Eva and Perrel, but this is the first book of a new Destia series set after the war ends and both countries, Fanta and Destia, are trying to deal with the aftermath of a magical war. This book is centered on Winnie, seen as a supporting friend in the original series, but here is the main character. She goes on a diplomatic mission into the old “enemy” territory to try to help figure out the cause of and treatment for the “rot” caused by the evil magicians left over magic. Winnie grows as a person and as a mage. It was a bit weird for one of Eva’s books to not have a dragon as a central character, but one comes into the picture about half way thru the story and he, Kygo, is a major player! Winnie discovers a new kind of magic and together, she and Kygo, triumph and are determined to still help the others of the mission and the people and land still sick from the “rot.”
The story ends satisfactorily, but definitely leaves you knowing there will be more to come and I can’t wait!
Genre(s): fantasy, magic, dragon
Bad Language: none
Intimate Scenes/Reference: none
Violence: mild, not graphic or gorey
Substance Abuse: none
Mental Health: some depression due to captivity, but overcome by inner strength and the strength of friendship
Addiction: none.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story ends satisfactorily, but definitely leaves you knowing there will be more to come and I can’t wait!
Genre(s): fantasy, magic, dragon
Bad Language: none
Intimate Scenes/Reference: none
Violence: mild, not graphic or gorey
Substance Abuse: none
Mental Health: some depression due to captivity, but overcome by inner strength and the strength of friendship
Addiction: none.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 30, 2024
Hybrid Magic is book 3 in the Destia's Dragon Shifter War (Dragon Defenders of Destia Part II) and it does not disappoint! This book switches focus from Eva and Perel’s storyline to a that of Winnie who has thus far been a supporting character. This book begins after the war ends, leaving both countries (Fanta and Destia) trying to come to terms with the aftermath of war.
Winnie leaves on a diplomatic mission into what was once enemy territory to try to help discover the cause of a plague called “rot” caused by the evil magicians residual magic and hopefully find a treatment or cure.
Winnie truly begins to grow and we see a big change in her character development as she embraces her mage abilities and her find confidence in herself.
I truly enjoyed the exploration of other characters strengths before we finally meet the dragon Kygo who is introduced into the storyline about halfway into the book and it was fascinating because Kygo and Winnie together find and embrace a new and unknown magic making them a force to be reckoned with as they become even more determined to cure the rot.
The book has a great story arc and sets everything up well fir book 4 while still leaving you with a sense that although the story definitely has more to tell it is satisfying on its own and leaves you excited to see what happens next! Highly recommend if you love wild magics and awesome dragons this book is for you.
Winnie leaves on a diplomatic mission into what was once enemy territory to try to help discover the cause of a plague called “rot” caused by the evil magicians residual magic and hopefully find a treatment or cure.
Winnie truly begins to grow and we see a big change in her character development as she embraces her mage abilities and her find confidence in herself.
I truly enjoyed the exploration of other characters strengths before we finally meet the dragon Kygo who is introduced into the storyline about halfway into the book and it was fascinating because Kygo and Winnie together find and embrace a new and unknown magic making them a force to be reckoned with as they become even more determined to cure the rot.
The book has a great story arc and sets everything up well fir book 4 while still leaving you with a sense that although the story definitely has more to tell it is satisfying on its own and leaves you excited to see what happens next! Highly recommend if you love wild magics and awesome dragons this book is for you.
July 11, 2026
This is a must listen, wonderfully exciting, fantasy audiobook for teens and YA. But I have to say it’s wonderful for adults too that don’t want books written in the mode of the current trend of adult fantasy.
I have read many Ava Richardson books, enjoying them all. So I had high hopes and was delighted to listen. My wish was definitely matched. Isabella Tubman’s narration brings the story to life.
Adventure, dragons, a young MFC and a story of hidden corruption. Winnie finds herself firmly in the middle of this as her ‘inquisitive, can’t leave things alone’ puzzle solving gets her firmly in trouble. But she’s clever, has more knowledge than the average sixteen year old and she’s not leaving people or dragons behind.
I hadn’t read the part 1 The dragon Defenders of Destia books, but I had no problem with that listening to this book. There are little hints about what the main character, Winnie, had done before this book starts.
I now have the three books of Dragon Defenders of Destia part 1 on my TBR, along with the other two books in part II. Looking forward to listening to them all.
Thank you to Relay Publishing and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
I have read many Ava Richardson books, enjoying them all. So I had high hopes and was delighted to listen. My wish was definitely matched. Isabella Tubman’s narration brings the story to life.
Adventure, dragons, a young MFC and a story of hidden corruption. Winnie finds herself firmly in the middle of this as her ‘inquisitive, can’t leave things alone’ puzzle solving gets her firmly in trouble. But she’s clever, has more knowledge than the average sixteen year old and she’s not leaving people or dragons behind.
I hadn’t read the part 1 The dragon Defenders of Destia books, but I had no problem with that listening to this book. There are little hints about what the main character, Winnie, had done before this book starts.
I now have the three books of Dragon Defenders of Destia part 1 on my TBR, along with the other two books in part II. Looking forward to listening to them all.
Thank you to Relay Publishing and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
April 11, 2024
This is a kind of continuation of the first three books in the Dragon Defenders of Destia only with the main focus being on Winnie. Winnie is an air-mage and she has been chosen to join a delegation to Fantis to help deal with the magic rot from Venistrare. The journey to Fantis is interrupted when raiders attack their caravan, but they are able to defend themselves. They find out that some humans are able to use the magic rot without having any magic themselves. Another thing for the delegation to investigate.
There are political divisions, with some of the ruling council wanting them there and others not very happy with the Destians being there.
Things go from bad to worse, when Winnie is taken by someone who is trying to get a seat on the council that he thinks was stolen from him.
I loved learning more about Winnie and some of the new characters are really interesting too. This is part of a series, so this book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger.
Looking forward to the next book to see what happens to Winnie.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
There are political divisions, with some of the ruling council wanting them there and others not very happy with the Destians being there.
Things go from bad to worse, when Winnie is taken by someone who is trying to get a seat on the council that he thinks was stolen from him.
I loved learning more about Winnie and some of the new characters are really interesting too. This is part of a series, so this book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger.
Looking forward to the next book to see what happens to Winnie.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 30, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy of this audio book. When I chose it I didn’t realise it was part of a series - so I did what I needed to do! I enjoyed listening to books 1-3, or Part 1, following Ava’s story and the close friendship she formed with Winnie, the Scholar to her Dragon Rider.
This series is perfect teen/YA dragon fantasy especially given so much of the adult genre leans heavily on the romance. I’ve been trying to find alternatives that I can recommend to the younger students without patronising them. This series has two brave and strong female protagonists whose back stories lead them to be underestimated - a silly mistake!
The dragons in this series are characters the readers can empathise with and root for - one of the features of the adult fantasy that I particularly enjoy. Their characterisation in this series is one of its strengths.
This fantasy series is everything it should be, escapist, fully of treachery, strength of knowledge over brute, friendship, trust, and of course magic!
The narration by Isabelle Tugman @izzyvoiceover is full of warmth and clearly defined characters.
I’ll be listening to the rest!
This series is perfect teen/YA dragon fantasy especially given so much of the adult genre leans heavily on the romance. I’ve been trying to find alternatives that I can recommend to the younger students without patronising them. This series has two brave and strong female protagonists whose back stories lead them to be underestimated - a silly mistake!
The dragons in this series are characters the readers can empathise with and root for - one of the features of the adult fantasy that I particularly enjoy. Their characterisation in this series is one of its strengths.
This fantasy series is everything it should be, escapist, fully of treachery, strength of knowledge over brute, friendship, trust, and of course magic!
The narration by Isabelle Tugman @izzyvoiceover is full of warmth and clearly defined characters.
I’ll be listening to the rest!
July 22, 2026
First of all, this is an arc, thank you, netgalley, so much for letting me listen to this story!
When I started this I was immediately interested. I kept wondering if I missed information or if the story just had an extensive backstory. So I went on a search and found out I was listening to book 4 of the series. So naturally I had to go and buy the first three audiobooks to listen to those first. (I'll probably review them separately)
You actually can listen to this story without listening to the other three books, but it helps and is more fun to listen to the other three before this book.
On to the review. I really liked this story! Winnie is quick witted, uses her knowledge (nerdiness), to overcome multiple situations. I love how she views the world and how she takes things on.
It does have a slow start but it's interesting enough to keep going and now I'm invested and can't wait for the next books.
I did have to get used to the narrator. The voice was not for me. I think I'd choose to read the next books instead of listening to them.
When I started this I was immediately interested. I kept wondering if I missed information or if the story just had an extensive backstory. So I went on a search and found out I was listening to book 4 of the series. So naturally I had to go and buy the first three audiobooks to listen to those first. (I'll probably review them separately)
You actually can listen to this story without listening to the other three books, but it helps and is more fun to listen to the other three before this book.
On to the review. I really liked this story! Winnie is quick witted, uses her knowledge (nerdiness), to overcome multiple situations. I love how she views the world and how she takes things on.
It does have a slow start but it's interesting enough to keep going and now I'm invested and can't wait for the next books.
I did have to get used to the narrator. The voice was not for me. I think I'd choose to read the next books instead of listening to them.
July 25, 2026
I went into this excited. Dragons! And there is dragons but its mainly towards the end. I think the major problem with this was the marketing. On NetGalley it said it was Book 1. Upon looking it up on Goodreads, after I started, it said Part 2 Book 1. By the time I reached the end of the audiobook, the narrator said Book 4. Each type of book has different expectations. If it was Book 1 then there should have been some world building but there wasn’t. If it was Part 2 Book 1 then there should have been some sort of recap which could have been written into the story as a remind of who people are and what happened previously. There wasn’t not. If it was a Book 4 in a series then there would be little to no recap since you should know everyone and everything that had happened already which this book does.
On to the narration. The narrator doesn’t add any inflection to the voices so it sounds one note. The narrator also makes the FMC sound extremely young not the 16 yo she is. Then again she was also kind of written that way. For one why are her abilities a lot of the times underestimated? She is 16, has magic, and has helped defeat a great evil. She underestimates herself but that is believable because she is only 16 and doesn’t have a lot of self confidence.
Onto the world at large which could have been answered in the other books but since this is labeled as Book 1, I am only going with things that are said in this book. I don’t understand the magic system. The mechanics are not explained in this book so I was feeling a bit lost on how she was able to do what she could do. The dragons were another thing I was struggling to understand. What are the size of dragons? Do they come in multiple sizes? When the FMC is captured, what is the size of that dragon? Is the dragon massive along with this room/cell they are in or can this dragon fit in a regular sized room and still be able to be ridden? I also did not understand the abilities and magic of the dragons. All I have seen in this book are that they are large flying lizards who can be communicated with.
Definitely don’t read this without first reading the Part 1 books. Unfortunately this book didn’t make me want to go back and read the rest so I will be leaving it here. I received this audiobook from Net Galley for an honest review.
On to the narration. The narrator doesn’t add any inflection to the voices so it sounds one note. The narrator also makes the FMC sound extremely young not the 16 yo she is. Then again she was also kind of written that way. For one why are her abilities a lot of the times underestimated? She is 16, has magic, and has helped defeat a great evil. She underestimates herself but that is believable because she is only 16 and doesn’t have a lot of self confidence.
Onto the world at large which could have been answered in the other books but since this is labeled as Book 1, I am only going with things that are said in this book. I don’t understand the magic system. The mechanics are not explained in this book so I was feeling a bit lost on how she was able to do what she could do. The dragons were another thing I was struggling to understand. What are the size of dragons? Do they come in multiple sizes? When the FMC is captured, what is the size of that dragon? Is the dragon massive along with this room/cell they are in or can this dragon fit in a regular sized room and still be able to be ridden? I also did not understand the abilities and magic of the dragons. All I have seen in this book are that they are large flying lizards who can be communicated with.
Definitely don’t read this without first reading the Part 1 books. Unfortunately this book didn’t make me want to go back and read the rest so I will be leaving it here. I received this audiobook from Net Galley for an honest review.
March 28, 2024
Winnie and Kygo’s Story . . .
Being an air-mage means everything to Winnie Peters. She is selected to be part of a group of magical scholars traveling to Fantis for the summer to investigate the work the evil Venistrare Warlock did there, examine his research, and hopefully find a way to cure damage he left behind. But she is taken captive and imprisoned with a dragon named Kygo. The experiments conducted there to mix the magic of mage and dragon cause her own magic to become unreliable and potentially dangerous. Can she and the dragon Kygo learn to work together to escape and save the others in the kingdom before all is lost? Would she and Kygo ultimately form a bond so she could help him and share her strength to heal him? Would they truly be connected? Or would he try to block her attempts to share her life-force?
Being an air-mage means everything to Winnie Peters. She is selected to be part of a group of magical scholars traveling to Fantis for the summer to investigate the work the evil Venistrare Warlock did there, examine his research, and hopefully find a way to cure damage he left behind. But she is taken captive and imprisoned with a dragon named Kygo. The experiments conducted there to mix the magic of mage and dragon cause her own magic to become unreliable and potentially dangerous. Can she and the dragon Kygo learn to work together to escape and save the others in the kingdom before all is lost? Would she and Kygo ultimately form a bond so she could help him and share her strength to heal him? Would they truly be connected? Or would he try to block her attempts to share her life-force?
April 26, 2024
Look, I liked Winnie when I read the first part of the series and I still like her a lot and I hope she'll grow more in the next books.
She's you quick witted, kinda nerdy girl. She's lonely and struggling to find herself and she often doubts her instincts and compares herself to her famous friends.
This book is part of a series, but I didn't feel like you wouldn't be able to enjoy it without reading the other three books. However, I really recommend reading them, because then everything will make much more sense.
The adventure begins when she's sent to Fantis, the country that was their enemy not too long ago. There she'll find many secrets and so much more. I like the magic system and I'm curious how's it gonna change in time.
Disclaimer: I received a free book in exchange for my honest review
She's you quick witted, kinda nerdy girl. She's lonely and struggling to find herself and she often doubts her instincts and compares herself to her famous friends.
This book is part of a series, but I didn't feel like you wouldn't be able to enjoy it without reading the other three books. However, I really recommend reading them, because then everything will make much more sense.
The adventure begins when she's sent to Fantis, the country that was their enemy not too long ago. There she'll find many secrets and so much more. I like the magic system and I'm curious how's it gonna change in time.
Disclaimer: I received a free book in exchange for my honest review
March 27, 2024
This series is a bit different than the traditional dragon-mage bond. Winnie is studying to be a mage at Fairspell Academy, but her grandmother sees her giving that up in order to find a husband and settle down properly in society. Winnie is given the opportunity to go to Fantis to help them overcome the lingering effects of Venistrare's magic, but while there, she is captured! Her captors want to splice a human with a dragon and Winnie is forced to undergo testing along with Kygo! Can Winnie escape and save the other captured humans and dragons? You won't be able to put this book down! The only problem is that I want to read the next 2 books in this series!!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 14, 2026
ADVANCED AUDIOBOOK COPY FROM NETGALLEY
First of all, the narrator is awful. She has zero inflection, sounds like a robot on the narrative and uses a voice that sounds like a 6 year old for the main character who is 16.
Second, the most interesting things to happen in this world have already happened. The great war, the big bad, all occurring before the story started. No one cares about the rebuilding of a society that you aren’t emotionally invested in.
Third, I understand it’s a YA book, but there is zero urgency and again, the cool coming of age story and being accepted appears to have happened BEFORE the book takes places. There is zero reason to root for the hero. She clearly already did a bunch of really cool stuff so why is she back to acting like an insecure nobody.
First of all, the narrator is awful. She has zero inflection, sounds like a robot on the narrative and uses a voice that sounds like a 6 year old for the main character who is 16.
Second, the most interesting things to happen in this world have already happened. The great war, the big bad, all occurring before the story started. No one cares about the rebuilding of a society that you aren’t emotionally invested in.
Third, I understand it’s a YA book, but there is zero urgency and again, the cool coming of age story and being accepted appears to have happened BEFORE the book takes places. There is zero reason to root for the hero. She clearly already did a bunch of really cool stuff so why is she back to acting like an insecure nobody.
April 2, 2024
After the war, Winnie is left at the academy to finish her studies. She has never quite fit in given her initial humble beginnings despite her grandmother's desire that she uphold the family honour. She is chosen to go to Fantis as part of a delegation to find out the cause of the ongoing magical problems happening there,but Winnie's curiousity causes her to stumble into more problems - more plots and a Kygo, an imprisoned dragon. The story is fascinating, fast paced and well written. Can't wait for more. 5/5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 15, 2026
I love this story and the different magic systems. Winnie is sent with a delegation to the capital to try to unravel the damage caused by the previous war. While there, she is captured and experimented on along with a dragon named Kygo.
I really enjoyed watching Winnie and Kygo’s relationship grow and change throughout the story. Their connection is interesting, and I’m very curious to see where it goes next. The ending is a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to continue the story in the next book!
I was given an ALC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This is a review of the audiobook.
I really enjoyed watching Winnie and Kygo’s relationship grow and change throughout the story. Their connection is interesting, and I’m very curious to see where it goes next. The ending is a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to continue the story in the next book!
I was given an ALC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This is a review of the audiobook.
March 6, 2024
As with all of Ava Richardson's books that I have read, "Hybrid Magic' has intrigue, suspense, and is incredibly well-told. It is a great follow-up to Dragon Defenders of Destia Part 1. in the first series we learned of the destruction in Destia. Now with this series, we see the aftermath in their opponent in the war, Fantis. Eva's friend Winnie is the main character of this next series. While it can be read without reading the first series, I recommend reading it first. I can't wait for the next in this series!
April 2, 2024
This was a fun YA fantasy book overall. I feel like I was getting lost along the way, missing something, and realized it was part of a series as the description from where I was given the book from says "Book 1" but really it should be "Part 2, Book 1". I'm sure once I've had a chance to read the earlier books and it makes more sense, I'd review higher. In general, we love the magic and dragon stories in our house so it'll likely be something we'd read again. I am personally newer to this kind of fantasy read though, and I'm still learning of what makes a great 5-star read.
April 15, 2024
This is a real page turner of a story and Winnie is a great character. Following on from the defeat of Venistrare,
Winnie joins a team headed for Destra to unearth a magical plague. The resulting story is full of magic, mages, politics, dragons and discoveries. Action packed and fast paced, this is a gripping story that you can’t put down. So need to read the next book!
It is great to see Winnie at the character develop and using her site to.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Winnie joins a team headed for Destra to unearth a magical plague. The resulting story is full of magic, mages, politics, dragons and discoveries. Action packed and fast paced, this is a gripping story that you can’t put down. So need to read the next book!
It is great to see Winnie at the character develop and using her site to.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Read
March 1, 2024I loved the characters and the images of their world as you read the book. You can easily follow the young girls development and fears as the story progresses. The storyline is a great escape from my day and I can picture this world. Truly enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to the next book. Enjoy your read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 26, 2024
Once again, Ava Richardson has created a spectacular coming of age story. In Hybrid Magic, she has created a story where the main character not only has to find her place in the world, but also deal with how her knowledge of it has changed. All this along with the adventure of finding a dragon companion. I can’t wait for the next book, to see what comes after Hybrid Magic.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 28, 2024
Great to catch up with Winnie from a previous series and see her dreams coming true. As she faces some adversity from her grandmother, she sets out to prove she is capable and reaches for her destiny as a mage and becomes bonded with a dragon. They set out to free the others and attempt to keep a war from recurring. Can't wait to see what's next for Winnie and Kygo.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews