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A Dance to Wake a Dragon
Can you save the world with a dance? Can you call dragons with music? And can you do this when no-one believes that such things exist or are possible?
The dragons of Tianya guard the balance between the forces of order and randomness, of heaven and earth, and when things are stable, no-one remembers they exist. But any disturbance can create tragedy, and only the mysterious dance to wake the dragon, performed at the ancient site of Zamai, can save the world. And the only person who knows the dance in this new age is Shengli.
Shengli lives in a remote village with her friends, her dog companion, and a wise old neighbour who is one of the last in Tianya to understand the ancient ways. She embarks on a dangerous mission, with her friends and the mysterious Renzi, to perform the dance at Zamai and the journey offers trials and tests that demand courage, cunning, and comradeship.
With echoes of Lewis, Tolkein, and Pullman, but with a wholly original voice, this is a classic quest adventure in a fresh setting that explores contemporary themes in a timeless format.
The dragons of Tianya guard the balance between the forces of order and randomness, of heaven and earth, and when things are stable, no-one remembers they exist. But any disturbance can create tragedy, and only the mysterious dance to wake the dragon, performed at the ancient site of Zamai, can save the world. And the only person who knows the dance in this new age is Shengli.
Shengli lives in a remote village with her friends, her dog companion, and a wise old neighbour who is one of the last in Tianya to understand the ancient ways. She embarks on a dangerous mission, with her friends and the mysterious Renzi, to perform the dance at Zamai and the journey offers trials and tests that demand courage, cunning, and comradeship.
With echoes of Lewis, Tolkein, and Pullman, but with a wholly original voice, this is a classic quest adventure in a fresh setting that explores contemporary themes in a timeless format.
- GenresFantasy
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 29, 2025
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 30, 2025
In this fascinating new fantasy novel, readers discover a world where the dragons of Tianya maintain the balance of the universe and even save it if the right dance is performed at the ancient site of Zamai. As Shengli, a young village girl who still remembers the ancient ways, sets out on a quest to save her village by traveling to Zamai, readers follow her and her friends and allies as they face the dangerous trek to save the world. As their friendships are tested and their quest unfolds in dramatic fashion, Shengli and her friends’ journey will bring them closer together if they hold tightly to each other in the face of danger. The epic, sweeping nature of this novel -- dragons, quests, and all -- really draws readers into this story, and the familiar epicness will remind readers of other classic fantasy quest novels, but this new release offers a fascinating mix of dragons and dancing that readers will love. The characters, particularly Shengli, are the stars of the novel, and her burden of cultural memory and preservation is one that readers will deeply appreciate. Well-written, dramatic, and incredibly detailed, this novel’s incredible world-building and brilliant adventuring nature will pull readers into the quest from page one.
Thanks to Earnshaw Books for the advance copy.
Thanks to Earnshaw Books for the advance copy.
March 31, 2025
A Dance To Wake A Dragon by Richard Pratt is part history and part cautionary fairy tale for the future wrapped in a beautiful fantasy adventure. I loved the main character Shengli, and her best friends Shonan, and Durfin's endless tenacity and perseverance. Despite the heartache of losing friends along their journey, battling enemies determined to capture them, and getting separated from every adult responsible for them along the way, these 13-year-old kids used nature and all their whit to carry out their mission. They weren't ashamed to admit they were afraid in the moment and carried on anyway pushing themselves outside of their comfort zones and realizing their potential. My second favorite thing about this book is how poetic and smooth the story flows. I routinely found myself rereading a section or sentence because I needed to experience it again.
There isn't anything I dislike about A Dance To Wake A Dragon except one particular character's death that broke my heart and made me yell at my Kindle. Despite that betrayal, I would gladly read anything by Pratt in the future.
If you like journeys with friends, adventure, dragons, and other animals, you'll love this YA fantasy.
There isn't anything I dislike about A Dance To Wake A Dragon except one particular character's death that broke my heart and made me yell at my Kindle. Despite that betrayal, I would gladly read anything by Pratt in the future.
If you like journeys with friends, adventure, dragons, and other animals, you'll love this YA fantasy.
April 29, 2025
Actual rating: 2.5/5, rounded up.
Set in the fantastical land of Tianya, A Dance to Wake a Dragon is an ambitious novel that maybe tries to bite off more than it can chew. The premise is intriguing and drew me in right from the start. Young Shengli embarks on a dangerous quest to reach the sacred place of Zamai to perform a magical dance which was taught to her by her now deceased mother. In a world that's increasingly off balance and where the old ways have been forgotten, Shengli will be able to count only on her skills, her cunning, and her faithful friends if she is to be successful in her mission to wake a dragon.
Though the book starts off fairly strong, I was soon slightly confused as to who the target audience is: Shengli is thirteen, although both she and her twin friends would seem somewhat younger based on their dialogue and thoughts. However, the writing style would suggest a much, much older audience, with complex, often run-on, sentences making this extremely hard to read even for me as an adult. I'll admit I actually found this quite tiring at times, and considered DNFing for this reason alone. There also seem to be far too many themes tackled here, though I applaud the author for attempting to weave reflections on industrialisation, urbanisation, climate change and the exploitation of natural resources in such an original way in a YA fantasy novel.
My general feeling upon finishing this book was that it tried to do a lot, but in doing so ended up losing much of the emotional punch it could have packed - especially with a couple of hard-hitting scenes that snuck up unexpectedly but had little space for development. There was one in particular that left me somewhat perplexed, as I'm not quite sure what purpose it served at that point in the book, appearing to be there mostly as shock-value - and again, not something I would expect to be included in such a manner for a younger audience.
Alongside the sometimes confusing writing style, I struggled with the pacing in this book: there were long stretches in which nothing much seemed to be happening, characters talking over the same points repeatedly as if to ensure the message had actually been delivered to the reader, only to then have everything happen at once, with no space for any of the emotions to settle. I don't say this often, but I feel this book could have benefited from being a bit longer and take its time to expand more on certain scenes instead of rushing on to the next thing.
Despite this, I did like to spend time in Tianya and I enjoyed getting to know Shengli and the twins. Again, I would have liked to see them being developed a bit more fully, as well as delving deeper into the rich lore of this world, which was sketched more than painted. Although this book didn't fully work for me, I truly enjoyed the bits that did and the general idea behind this.
I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
For more reviews, visit Book for Thought.
Set in the fantastical land of Tianya, A Dance to Wake a Dragon is an ambitious novel that maybe tries to bite off more than it can chew. The premise is intriguing and drew me in right from the start. Young Shengli embarks on a dangerous quest to reach the sacred place of Zamai to perform a magical dance which was taught to her by her now deceased mother. In a world that's increasingly off balance and where the old ways have been forgotten, Shengli will be able to count only on her skills, her cunning, and her faithful friends if she is to be successful in her mission to wake a dragon.
Though the book starts off fairly strong, I was soon slightly confused as to who the target audience is: Shengli is thirteen, although both she and her twin friends would seem somewhat younger based on their dialogue and thoughts. However, the writing style would suggest a much, much older audience, with complex, often run-on, sentences making this extremely hard to read even for me as an adult. I'll admit I actually found this quite tiring at times, and considered DNFing for this reason alone. There also seem to be far too many themes tackled here, though I applaud the author for attempting to weave reflections on industrialisation, urbanisation, climate change and the exploitation of natural resources in such an original way in a YA fantasy novel.
My general feeling upon finishing this book was that it tried to do a lot, but in doing so ended up losing much of the emotional punch it could have packed - especially with a couple of hard-hitting scenes that snuck up unexpectedly but had little space for development. There was one in particular that left me somewhat perplexed, as I'm not quite sure what purpose it served at that point in the book, appearing to be there mostly as shock-value - and again, not something I would expect to be included in such a manner for a younger audience.
Alongside the sometimes confusing writing style, I struggled with the pacing in this book: there were long stretches in which nothing much seemed to be happening, characters talking over the same points repeatedly as if to ensure the message had actually been delivered to the reader, only to then have everything happen at once, with no space for any of the emotions to settle. I don't say this often, but I feel this book could have benefited from being a bit longer and take its time to expand more on certain scenes instead of rushing on to the next thing.
Despite this, I did like to spend time in Tianya and I enjoyed getting to know Shengli and the twins. Again, I would have liked to see them being developed a bit more fully, as well as delving deeper into the rich lore of this world, which was sketched more than painted. Although this book didn't fully work for me, I truly enjoyed the bits that did and the general idea behind this.
I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
For more reviews, visit Book for Thought.
April 27, 2025
Set in a land named Tianya, A Dance to Wake a Dragon showcases traditional eastern elements inspired by both locations and lore. Dragons, magic, and nature vie against modernization and urbanization, clashing in a way that reminded me of one of my favorite entities across all media: Princess Mononoke.
The initial premise sucked me in. Shengli, a young village girl, finds that the legacy she shared with a mother she lost far too early in life might just save the world. Dancing and music, tangled with connection outside of more than just humans, can save a broken land. Forced into a lot of responsibility for young teens, the main character, her twin friends, and her loyal dog with so much personality were also highlights of the novel for me. The execution was not.
A Dance to Wake a Dragon is listed as a young adult or teen novel, but I don't feel like it matches that target audience. Shengli being described as thirteen does meet expectations for the genre, but the way she acts and talks seem quite a bit younger. The twins also feel the same way. If it weren't for the themes depicted or the writing style, I'd actually recommend the title to a younger audience.
Some phrases and depictions of the places Shengli and company journey through are downright beautiful. However, they are often mired within sentences that make you feel like you've run a marathon by the end of them. Out of curiosity, I counted up a few toward the beginning. Multiple sentences run past 100 words and throw clause after clause at you, often getting lost in the middle a little. The general "readability" level matches postgraduate expectations. Because the content is geared toward younger readers, and the writing style creates a difficulty that's highly demanding, I am not really sure what the target audience is.
Pacing also set me back a little as a reader. I'd argue that this is actually two books smashed into one, leaving it hard to let some of the more emotional scenes truly have the impact they deserve. Without the proper time spent on them, some events feel more like they were included for shock value rather than for the purpose of the story. For me personally, I would have DNFed after one of them if I hadn't already been so invested by the time it happens.
I appreciated the subversiveness of several tropes in A Dance to Wake a Dragon. The journey of our heroes isn't to slay a dragon to save the world, but to summon one. Music and dance are the methods of winning, not slashing and hacking. Readers looking for that flavor of different should enjoy.
The initial premise sucked me in. Shengli, a young village girl, finds that the legacy she shared with a mother she lost far too early in life might just save the world. Dancing and music, tangled with connection outside of more than just humans, can save a broken land. Forced into a lot of responsibility for young teens, the main character, her twin friends, and her loyal dog with so much personality were also highlights of the novel for me. The execution was not.
A Dance to Wake a Dragon is listed as a young adult or teen novel, but I don't feel like it matches that target audience. Shengli being described as thirteen does meet expectations for the genre, but the way she acts and talks seem quite a bit younger. The twins also feel the same way. If it weren't for the themes depicted or the writing style, I'd actually recommend the title to a younger audience.
Some phrases and depictions of the places Shengli and company journey through are downright beautiful. However, they are often mired within sentences that make you feel like you've run a marathon by the end of them. Out of curiosity, I counted up a few toward the beginning. Multiple sentences run past 100 words and throw clause after clause at you, often getting lost in the middle a little. The general "readability" level matches postgraduate expectations. Because the content is geared toward younger readers, and the writing style creates a difficulty that's highly demanding, I am not really sure what the target audience is.
Pacing also set me back a little as a reader. I'd argue that this is actually two books smashed into one, leaving it hard to let some of the more emotional scenes truly have the impact they deserve. Without the proper time spent on them, some events feel more like they were included for shock value rather than for the purpose of the story. For me personally, I would have DNFed after one of them if I hadn't already been so invested by the time it happens.
I appreciated the subversiveness of several tropes in A Dance to Wake a Dragon. The journey of our heroes isn't to slay a dragon to save the world, but to summon one. Music and dance are the methods of winning, not slashing and hacking. Readers looking for that flavor of different should enjoy.
April 26, 2025
A Dance to Wake a Dragon by Richard Pratt is a beautiful, lyrical, and utterly heartwarming fantasy adventure that swept me away from the very first page. Reading it felt like stepping into a snow-laden, otherworldly village where ancient traditions, stubborn young hearts, and mystical forces weave together into an extremely powerful narrative.
At the heart of the story is Shengli, a spirited, brave girl who dances not just for joy but, ultimately, to save her world. Through her friendship with her clever fox-like dog Boken (who's now one of my favorite fictional animal companions!) and the bonds she shares with her village and friends, Shengli’s journey is about hope and honoring the wisdom of the past in a world eager to forget it.
The writing is tender yet intelligent, laced with whimsical humor (especially through Boken’s delightful “conversations”) and thoughtful insights. Author Pratt’s prose has that rare timeless quality which reads like a classic fable but remains fresh and vibrant.
There’s a subtle depth running beneath the playful surface, about cycles of life, the price of forgetting our roots, and the small acts of bravery that change the world. I also loved how the book gently critiques modern cynicism without being preachy and simply lets the magic of tradition speak for itself.
If I had any tiny critique, it would be that the beginning meanders slightly (though charmingly) before the main quest kicks into motion, but honestly, I didn’t mind spending extra time in Shengli’s snow-covered world.
If you’re looking for a heartful, exquisitely written fantasy full of dancing, dragons, and characters you’ll miss long after the book is over, A Dance to Wake a Dragon is pure magic. It’s the kind of story that feels like a warm fire on a winter night: comforting, glowing, and unforgettable.
At the heart of the story is Shengli, a spirited, brave girl who dances not just for joy but, ultimately, to save her world. Through her friendship with her clever fox-like dog Boken (who's now one of my favorite fictional animal companions!) and the bonds she shares with her village and friends, Shengli’s journey is about hope and honoring the wisdom of the past in a world eager to forget it.
The writing is tender yet intelligent, laced with whimsical humor (especially through Boken’s delightful “conversations”) and thoughtful insights. Author Pratt’s prose has that rare timeless quality which reads like a classic fable but remains fresh and vibrant.
There’s a subtle depth running beneath the playful surface, about cycles of life, the price of forgetting our roots, and the small acts of bravery that change the world. I also loved how the book gently critiques modern cynicism without being preachy and simply lets the magic of tradition speak for itself.
If I had any tiny critique, it would be that the beginning meanders slightly (though charmingly) before the main quest kicks into motion, but honestly, I didn’t mind spending extra time in Shengli’s snow-covered world.
If you’re looking for a heartful, exquisitely written fantasy full of dancing, dragons, and characters you’ll miss long after the book is over, A Dance to Wake a Dragon is pure magic. It’s the kind of story that feels like a warm fire on a winter night: comforting, glowing, and unforgettable.
April 20, 2025
A Dance to Wake a Dragon
By: Richard Pratt
Publisher: Earnshaw Books
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Length: 229 pages
Triggers: Loss of a character (and your emotional stability), separation, grief
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Quest, a Dragon, and One Big Ugly Cry
Look, I thought I was just getting a cute little YA quest about a girl dancing to wake a dragon and save the spring. What I got was a poetic gut-punch wrapped in lyrical prose and smuggled into my heart by a bunch of brave 13-year-olds who were way more emotionally mature than I’ll ever be.
Shengli is a total gem—fierce, flawed, and full of ancient knowledge that nobody else bothered to remember. She and her little found-family crew (shoutout to Shonan and Durfin, bless their chaotic loyalty) take off through a frozen landscape to basically convince a myth it still matters. No big deal, right?
Except it is a big deal. This book dives into friendship, legacy, fear, grief, and the wild beauty of trusting something bigger than yourself—even when the grown-ups have ditched you, monsters are on your tail, and your only weapon is an ancient dance and sheer determination.
I’m not saying I sobbed. (I am. I did.) One character’s death straight-up had me screaming at my Kindle like it personally betrayed me. But honestly? Worth it. Every line flows like poetry, every scene builds the tension without dragging, and the world? Gorgeous.
This book gave me hope, heartache, and the reminder that sometimes it takes a kid with a beat in her soul to wake the whole damn world.
Perfect For:
📖 Fantasy nerds who cry at poetic prose
📖 Anyone who loves dragons and emotional devastation
📖 Readers who still believe old magic lives in stories (and maybe in us too)
By: Richard Pratt
Publisher: Earnshaw Books
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Length: 229 pages
Triggers: Loss of a character (and your emotional stability), separation, grief
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A Quest, a Dragon, and One Big Ugly Cry
Look, I thought I was just getting a cute little YA quest about a girl dancing to wake a dragon and save the spring. What I got was a poetic gut-punch wrapped in lyrical prose and smuggled into my heart by a bunch of brave 13-year-olds who were way more emotionally mature than I’ll ever be.
Shengli is a total gem—fierce, flawed, and full of ancient knowledge that nobody else bothered to remember. She and her little found-family crew (shoutout to Shonan and Durfin, bless their chaotic loyalty) take off through a frozen landscape to basically convince a myth it still matters. No big deal, right?
Except it is a big deal. This book dives into friendship, legacy, fear, grief, and the wild beauty of trusting something bigger than yourself—even when the grown-ups have ditched you, monsters are on your tail, and your only weapon is an ancient dance and sheer determination.
I’m not saying I sobbed. (I am. I did.) One character’s death straight-up had me screaming at my Kindle like it personally betrayed me. But honestly? Worth it. Every line flows like poetry, every scene builds the tension without dragging, and the world? Gorgeous.
This book gave me hope, heartache, and the reminder that sometimes it takes a kid with a beat in her soul to wake the whole damn world.
Perfect For:
📖 Fantasy nerds who cry at poetic prose
📖 Anyone who loves dragons and emotional devastation
📖 Readers who still believe old magic lives in stories (and maybe in us too)
May 4, 2025
This is a charming read for teens, blending eastern culture and spiritualism, some well-known supernatural ideas, contrasted at times, with steampunk imagery. Its themes though are the up to the minute issues of ecology vs capitalism.
Through a journey through changing landscapes it explores the bonds of friendship between a girl, her dog and her human best mates, with a sidebar of how music is made and brings joy. Episodic, it spans the range of emotions. Well written with a vocabulary expanding narrative, to be welcomed and enjoyed.
Through a journey through changing landscapes it explores the bonds of friendship between a girl, her dog and her human best mates, with a sidebar of how music is made and brings joy. Episodic, it spans the range of emotions. Well written with a vocabulary expanding narrative, to be welcomed and enjoyed.
August 20, 2025
What was the point of that?
April 13, 2025
A Dance to Wake a Dragon follows the story of a 13 year old girl named Shengli who has been tasked to travel far from her forest home to perform a dance to wake a dragon.
Spring is late and the snow is hurting the villages, as nothing can be grown until it melts. The dance will awaken the dragon who will bring the spring weather to the land.
While the idea of a dance to wake a dragon is fun, I struggled reading some of the passages due to the writing. It’s possible my advanced copy was still going through some edits since I did get it quite early on, but there were so many sentences that could have been organized better. For example, run-on sentences that last half a paragraph. Many thoughts were placed in a single sentence instead of separated out. I thought maybe it was just a choice to get into the head of a 13 year old that might talk that way out of excitement, but it happened with other characters too. Even the narrator went on and on at times. I just think it could have been structured better in some places.
This also made me feel like the book should be classified in children’s or middle grade, rather than YA.
The main character is 13, and as mentioned before, the writing felt more suited for a younger audience in my opinion.
I had decided this might be a 4 star for me if I got in the headspace of it being a middle grade book instead. However, in the last 20 percent of the book, a character gets killed off and I did not agree or understand the point of that move. I didn’t deem it necessary, and overall it brought down my rating to a 3.
While this may not have been as enjoyable for me, there are many others that really enjoyed the story.
These are my honest thoughts!
Thanks Earnshaw Books for the advanced copy.
Spring is late and the snow is hurting the villages, as nothing can be grown until it melts. The dance will awaken the dragon who will bring the spring weather to the land.
While the idea of a dance to wake a dragon is fun, I struggled reading some of the passages due to the writing. It’s possible my advanced copy was still going through some edits since I did get it quite early on, but there were so many sentences that could have been organized better. For example, run-on sentences that last half a paragraph. Many thoughts were placed in a single sentence instead of separated out. I thought maybe it was just a choice to get into the head of a 13 year old that might talk that way out of excitement, but it happened with other characters too. Even the narrator went on and on at times. I just think it could have been structured better in some places.
This also made me feel like the book should be classified in children’s or middle grade, rather than YA.
The main character is 13, and as mentioned before, the writing felt more suited for a younger audience in my opinion.
I had decided this might be a 4 star for me if I got in the headspace of it being a middle grade book instead. However, in the last 20 percent of the book, a character gets killed off and I did not agree or understand the point of that move. I didn’t deem it necessary, and overall it brought down my rating to a 3.
While this may not have been as enjoyable for me, there are many others that really enjoyed the story.
These are my honest thoughts!
Thanks Earnshaw Books for the advanced copy.
July 18, 2025
A Dance to Wake a Dragon is not just a book, but it’s the way to travel to the world of Tianya in the time of industrialization whiting this fantastic novel by Mr. Richard Pratt. In a review, this story is about Shengli’s life and the challenges she faces to wake the dragon. She is a girl from forest, and the story shows the challenges she faced when she entered the cities to get to Zamai. (I don’t want to tell the whole story, because it worth it if you read the whole book to enjoy this novel.) From the another perspective, why this story is good, and what are the important things I learned from reading A Dance to Wake a Dragon, is because thid story shows the importance of the traditions in our world. It shows that when the world started to industrialization and things became more advanced and city life began, people started to forget the traditions, and how it is important to keep things in a balance. How a traditional dance can change something that the people who forgot about their traditions were looking for.
All in all, I recommend this book for everyone to read, because it’s not just a novel for teenagers, there are sentences and things that can change your mind in this book. It was great, thank you.
All in all, I recommend this book for everyone to read, because it’s not just a novel for teenagers, there are sentences and things that can change your mind in this book. It was great, thank you.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews