Le Guide complet de Miss Percy pour la réintroduction des dragons

Miss Percy Guide #3

by Quenby Olson, Alix Dewez (Translator), Mye Bi (Illustrator)

Miss Mildred Percy ne tient pas le moins du monde à connaître Londres.

Hélas ! sa nièce, Belinda, s'est récemment enfuie de Nyth y Ddraig avec un bébé dragon blanc au bras, une quinzaine d'oeufs de dragons dans son sac, et des illusions de grandeur plein la tête. Tout porte à croire qu'elle a posé ses valises à la capitale : c'est donc là que Mildred et compagnie doivent se rendre.

Mais retrouver un tas d'oeufs, même de dragons, au milieu d'une vaste métropole n'a rien d'une sinécure, surtout quand on se heurte à des obstacles tels que la presse, des pélicans et un certain prince régent. Autrement dit, Mildred devra puiser dans toutes ses ressources si elle veut espérer rendre les oeufs volés au pays de Galles (avant éclosion !) et se bâtir enfin la vie dont elle a toujours rêvé.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Audiobook, Cozy Fantasy, Historical, Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy

384 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2024

About the author

Quenby Olson lives in Central Pennsylvania where she spends most of her time writing, glaring at baskets of unfolded laundry, and chasing the cat off the kitchen counters. She lives with her husband and five children, who do nothing to dampen her love of classical ballet, geeky crochet, and staying up late to watch old episodes of Doctor Who.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story continues from the not so pleasant events of the last book. Our friends are now on a quest of sorts to right the wrongs of others. The pace is slow to begin with but quickly builds to further on the plot. The story is filled with lots of humour, warmth, and adventure which kept me wanting more. The writing remains witty and engaging, blending historical charm with fantasy in a way that is fun to read.

Mildred's growth as a character is inspiring, and the relationships she builds along the way add depth to the story. I loved the character development of all the supporting cast even the bad people you can’t help but like. The way the places are described is beautifully done and conjures up all sorts of images in the mind.

Overall, this is a heartwarming and entertaining read, I especially enjoyed the ending which brought a tear to my eye. There is the possibility of another book in this series and I really hope that comes about. This final instalment offers a mix of humour, adventure, romance and a touch of magic, making it a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

[Chloe Frizzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, solid ending

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Before I get too far into my thoughts, I want to start by saying this series deserves all the praise and recognition in the world. It is a jewel of self-published fantasy, and I would love to see it get more recognition. If you enjoy whimsical, cozy-adjacent stories (with just the right amount of peril), poetic, thoughtful prose (even if it's a little meandering now and then), and characters representing the most underserved demographics (single, 40-something year old aunties), I would highly recommend this series.

The way the author writes dragons is just delightful. Each has its own distinct, humorous personality, and their antics were absolutely the highlight of the story for me. The cast of human characters is also lovely, and is a wonderful example of found family.

While the ending to this story is satisfyingly happy, I was really hoping for a more dramatic resolution with our villains. I ended up hating the main antagonist, and I wanted to revel in the glory of their complete and utter downfall. Unfortunately, Miss Percy is just too kind for all that, and I was left feeling just a little bit disappointed. I also think a stricter edit may have been helpful. A few scenes drug on longer than I would have liked, and sometimes the narrative tangents seemed a little too.. tangential for the scene we were in.

Gripes aside, I'm so thankful I picked this up as one of my last reads of 2024, and I look forward to supporting the author in her future endeavors!

[Irina Kermong · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Noor Al-Shanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Percy's Guide to the Restoration of Dragons is a wonderful conclusion to this trilogy. The ever-growing cast of excellent characters that feel so real continues to grow, bringing more great characters and also giving more depth to some of the characters that were already introduced in the previous two volumes. This book is full of adventure and difficult situations for Mildred and the others, so much so that I felt intense anger and stress for her future at times, but it's also full of that same cozy vibe that permeated the other two.

With this series the coziness stems from the character interactions and the fact that even though it's a book about dragons you can see similarities and connections to very real behaviours that a pet or child might display. The way Mildred cares for the dragons - and for everyone else around her, really - is so reminiscent of a mother or other caregiver worrying about and caring for their kids, which makes it all so believable in the midst of this grand adventure.

Also, can I just say how much I despise Belinda? Read the book to find out why, but wow...

The other great thing about this series is that the situations and locations keep changing so there's never a repetitive or dull moment. The stakes keep rising and there are all kinds of new problems to deal with.

As usual, the book is full of parentheses and asides and explanations that are absolutely wonderful.

Not sure what more I can say without spoilers except do yourself a favour and go pick up book 1 and start this series. Oh, and I really, really hope there are more books planned in this world even though this particular trilogy reached a very satisfying ending. I would love to see more related books!

[S. Bavey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an advance review copy of this book by the author. Thank you, Quenby! My review is honest and my opinions are my own.

Miss Percy’s Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons is the third and final episode in the Miss Percy trilogy. An utterly delightful story in which we see our main character, Miss Mildred Percy go from strength to strength as the country’s premier authority on dragons, but also having to endure a period of iniquity at the hands of her villainous niece Belinda and the Prince Regent himself. Miss Percy is very self-aware. She knows her place in the usual pecking order and where she stands in terms of attractiveness, but with the love and support of her devoted vicar, Mr Wiggan, in this book we see her coming into her own, standing up for herself against media ridicule and attempted character ruin by the horrendous Belinda, a character equal to any Disney villain, whose lack of morals are outstanding considering she was mostly brought up by Miss Percy.

Miss Percy and her brave company of heroes, hellbent on the protection of all dragons, born or still yet to hatch, take on London, with all its hustle and bustle, despite mostly being people of an age who would much prefer a quiet spot by the fire in Wales. All because Mildred believes deeply in her cause to protect dragons and keep them safe and free rather than caged by greedy scientists and Royals and her entourage has become unwaveringly devoted to her and her kindness and strong morals.

The climactic scenes at Westminster Cathedral play out like an old-school Ealing comedy or British farce in the style of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Do not miss this book!

[Amy Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished it. Like literally just put my Kindle down. And I can't find the words. I loved it so much <3

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this trilogy ending. I love that Mildred never stopped being a good person. So riveting!

[Pau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic ending of the trilogy! Hopefully will get to read more adventures of Miss Percy and co.

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun series and this last book provided a pretty solid ending. I have to admit, there were several times where I thought I knew how it would end, but then things got mixed up yet again! It was fun that it wasn’t super predictable.

I do wish though that Miss Percy would’ve been a little more active with decision-making in this book rather than letting herself be swept up by some of the opposing characters. I felt like she became more and more sure of herself throughout the series so it felt like she was taking steps backwards a couple of times here. In the end, she got it all figured out though and I was happy to cheer that on.

Quenby Olson is one of my favorite cozy writers and I’m excited to see what she’ll have next for us. This series was such a great cozy adventure with fun characters!

[Vera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book vs listening on Audible; might have made a difference for me, as I felt this one was not quite as good as the first two. So much parenthetical wring it got distracting. Still an enjoyable read though.

[stasia · Rating 2 out of 5]

[octobre 2025]

borf ça tirait franchement en longueur
là où le tome 1 était très introductif mais on se dit que c'est ok, là où le tome 2 était un peu plus dynamique et ça laissait présager un truc sympa, le tome 3 est franchement lourd.
l'écriture ne m'a pas gênée dans les tomes précédents, même si le style assez patacaisse était déjà présent, là ça se ressent vraiment comme un moyen pour combler le vide!

clairement en dynamisant un peu le récit, y avait moyen de faire une bonne duologie, là c'est abusé comment on stagne pendant la moitié du roman et RIEN n'évolue.
la fin aussi est genre hyper facile? ok c'est de la cosy fantasy mais ça n'exclut pas de travailler son récit?
franchement déçue, j'ai bien cru ne pas aller au bout de ce tome. dommage parce que l'histoire était sympatoche...

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

If there was an award for flowery writing, this would win hands down. There was a lot of padding, I mean a lot. I suspect if the trilogy was edited down to remove all of the aforementioned padding you might have a single fair sized novella. I normally don't skip or scan when reading, but I did with this book trying to get to points where the plot was actually furthered and something actually happened. The only reason I didn't give it up as a bad job was my interest in the subject; who doesn't like a story with dragons?

[Mica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This entire series has been an absolute joy and delight to read! I have very much enjoyed my time spent with Miss Percy and the ever-growing cast of friends and dragons. I found this such a satisfying conclusion to the series as well, that now I feel all warm and fuzzy, as if I'm sat by a cosy fireside with a dragon sleeping at my feet and one too many cups of tea. (As if there is such a thing as too many cups of tea!)

[Mikayla Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
I liked this book but I feel it was the weakest of the series, if only for it's change in feel of the novel. This book had higher stakes and more backstabbing and misfortunes to the main characters than any other books. Not that the first books were without troubles, but this had much less of a cozy feel and more of a darker (though that's not quite the right word) feel to it. Still a great series.

[Shazzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book. Read this series.

Read my review here

I was given a review copy by the author.

[Mair Alys · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BEST EVER

I WANT MORE

PERFECTION


Nothing will compare to the joy I get from this series. Not only the dragons but the character and a romance (from a non romance reader) I was squealing over.

Perfect end to this arc. I do hope more is to come

[Charles Desjardins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un excellent tome qui clôt la série. Une belle histoire où on soutient miss percy durant ses moments sombres et on l'encourage lors de ses confrontations. Jusqu'à la fin elle est resté fidèle à elle-même et à toujours sut s'en tirer sans agir comme ses ennemis.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good ending(?) for the series, although, I wouldn't be sad if there were more stories in the future.

[KateFair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed each book and I’m sorry to see them end. Loved the way each thing (person and dragon) was concluded. And yet there was another area opened up to explore, I hope!

[Judith]

excellent livre

[Dee Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first two books about Miss Percy and her discovery of dragons (through an inheritance of an ancient egg from a great uncle) with pure, unadulterated glee. Quenby Olson's writing is so far above most novels written today! Her vocabulary is extensive, and as she's writing about England's Georgian period, it's full of Bridgerton stuff, but oh, so much better! She's droll and not above impressive alliteration--or calling attention to it!--but more, she really brings her characters to life. I just finished reading a rom-com in which the sex was explicit but rote; what was meant to be an expression of real love was flimsily constructed, as out of cardboard. Not here. Here, the barest intertwining of fingers between two souls who've been together from the first book is so utterly touching--and by the same token its opposite, the villain of the piece, Miss Percy's 18-year old niece, Belinda, uses language to such soul-crushing effect and is so relentless, I wanted to murder her outright. Rarely do I get that involved in my reading. 455 pages flew by in a single day. I am now committed to reading anything Quenby Olson writes, and I won't even miss her dedications:
"To my mother, You’re the one who taught me to read and write, so really, this whole author thing is all your fault." Right?!

Miss Percy, hereafter Mildred, has been on the adventure of several lifetimes since the egg she'd inherited hatched. She names her dragon Fitzwilliam but he's long since become just Fitz. At this point, about a year later, he's the size of a dog and growing fast. He's always been in a pocket of her dress, or lately, in her arms, or wrapped around her shoulders, but he's getting to be an awful lot of weight to carry. And now there's little Morgen, too, a wholly different kind of dragon. He loves being near a warm fire and sneezes puffs of smoke with a snort of fire, but Morgen dives into a fire and eats the charcoal! A tagalong named Owen manages her, as she's quite a bit to manage. Mildred had initially asked the local vicar of Plimpton, Claude Wiggan, for help in researching dragons with her great-uncle's notes; he'd been at her side ever since, through the long months' journey to Wales where her great-uncle had found Fitz's egg, and the long slog since after Belinda abandoned her husband, hooked up with a Welshman, and absconded with one live and petite white dragon--and 15 eggs they must recover before hatching.

At one point, Mildred worries that there will never be a real time for her and Claude because the dragons are EVERYTHING. Now, here's what I mean about genuine tenderness:

"'I am happy with you, Mildred. Whether we are scaling mountains in search of dragons, or lazing about in the afternoons surrounded by books and tea and monotony. All we ever have will always be the only thing I ever want, as long as I am with you.' Mildred told herself she should not cry— Diana [her older sister, a termigant who's forced Mildred to be governess of her two children and ignores all three] had always hated tears (at least when others became drizzly) declaring them an overwrought
surfeit of emotions best reserved for funerals and the occasional wedding — but there were many times when she told herself she would not do a thing (have that third slice of cake, read just one more chapter, sleep past ten in the morning) and yet did it anyway. 'I do not think I can be an ideal wife,' she confessed.'I am nothing like my sister. I do not like to entertain or make banal conversation over lukewarm tea with all the other women in the village. I would probably keep a very untidy house, and I do not care whether it is long or short sleeves that are in fashion. And if y-you—' She stuttered into silence when Mr. Wiggan kissed her lightly on the forehead (pushing her bonnet askew) before he kissed her again, with greater firmness of purpose and resolution, on the corner of her poorly puckered mouth. 'God help me if I should want a wife molded after one such as your sister,' he said. And barked out a laugh before he kissed her again. Of course, reality was left to intrude after..."

I freely admit to being cast in Mildred's mold, myself. Her idiosyncrasies are also mine, right down to that third piece of cake, unconcern for fashion, untidiness, and sleeping late. And how I'd love to have a man as loving as Claude in my life!

They are now accompanied by a Mrs. Merrick, a Welsh witch whose healing powers are often needed, whether for humans or dragon-born, and her bff and probable lover. As they gear up to follow Belinda and recover the eggs, they've become quite a bundle of people, including her sister's children, Nettie and Matthew, and Belinda's alcohol-sodden, abandoned other half, a Mr. Hawthorne. Mildred would like to think the dragons were still a secret, but:

"Somehow, in a tiny corner of her mind where she still believed she would one day be able to fit into her favorite gown without letting out the seams or that she could become fluent in French if only she applied herself to a renewed spate of studies, she had allowed herself to shelter under the conviction that the dragons were still mostly a secret. As though no one beyond their own small circle — and Mr. Gorman and his household, and the villagers around Abergavenny where Fitz had set fire to a chicken coop, and Mr. Matthew Gwilym and his family, and a good portion of Builth, and everyone in and about Nantlle, and anyone Mr. Parry and Belinda might have crossed paths with over the last week, and—"

And I do love when an author sneaks in a few comments about present day reality, as here:

"Before now, she had only ever read about the great doings and happenings and how they had occurred to others. (Most of it involving men with too much power going to war with other men with too much power, with an occasional bout of inventing or a worldwide plague threading through everything.)"

"Was this how the days of all of history’s important individuals went along? Rushing off to a battle in the morning, followed by a touch of prophecy at luncheon and then a coup d’etat in time for afternoon tea?)"

"Journalism, this thing the London newspapers claim to practice, brings to mind the old saying that if one tells a lie for long enough and loud enough, it will eventually become the truth. -from a letter written by Mr. Claude Wiggan, to Mr. Richard Gorman."

Belinda always slashes her victims to bits with her words, and Mildred has always succumbed to the demands of others:

"She had not married nor borne children. She was not rich enough to be of consequence, nor poor enough to be lamented. A tired spinster, lacking in classic beauty, stumbling around at the fringes of an adventure that should never have been hers to begin with. That was, at least, what Belinda wanted her to believe. Even now, Mildred sensed her niece’s will pushing towards her, smothering the keenness of her thoughts into a smooth complacency. The urge to surrender thrummed through her, a feeling that lacked the definition of words. That she would have what she wanted if she would only step aside, if she would only allow Belinda to have her own way. The problem was that Belinda did not know what Mildred wanted. Because her niece saw her as nothing, then it naturally followed that she could not believe her aunt would want anything worth anyone’s notice. The promise of a life hardly better than the one she had already possessed was the most her limited powers of imagination could conjure. But Mildred could not — would not — be so cheaply bought." How could the reader fail to cheer her on to the victory of her choice?

When SHFT (someone texted that to me and I had to Google its meaning), it does so in SPECTACULAR FASHION, even to involving the last heir to Victoria's throne, Prinny himself. I won't spoil that for you. Finally, once again in Wales and living quietly with Claude, Owen, Fitz and Morgen, who are too domesticated to be returned to the wild, one day she receives a letter from Germany. They have discovered a dragon and perhaps, eggs--and would she be agreeable to visit and advise--?

"“Well,” she said, and tucked the letter into her pocket, though she did not release it for several minutes, as though worried it would cease to exist if she could not assure herself of its presence. “I suppose this is when we find out how well a fire-breathing dragon fares on a ship!” * * * THE END Or is it?"

I can't wait!

[Bjørn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to finish my reviews by pointing out the ideal audience for a book. Well, the ideal audience for the third book in a series are people who loved the first two. Which is everyone with great taste. (So, mine.)

There are some individuals who will not appreciate Miss Percy’s Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons – or, really, any book in the series:

1) those allergic to purple prose (Olson has never met a thesaurus she didn’t like);

2) those who hate brackets (I was rather surprised to see the first book in the series, Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons not win SPFBO with some judges complaining about brackets);

3) who don’t have British sense of humour and/or don’t get it;

4) who like their books predictable and formulaic, protagonists muscled and/or gorgeous and/or at LEAST young. “[Haven’t we] always been taught that ordinary people were not capable of achieving extraordinary things?”;

5) when the book breaks the fourth wall with (my) delight – including author’s direct plea to the readers and explanations such as “Mr. Hawthorne (primary villain from Book One, reluctantly ancilliary villain from Book Two)”.

The literary polymath (see my interview with Quenby Olson here) hasn’t just developed her voice as an author; she developed a special voice for the Miss Percy books. I loved all of the horrors listed above. Fast-paced, action-packed, rough and brutal bloodshed Miss Percy (as in the books, but Ms. Percy herself also) is not.

Ms. Mildred Percy is coming of quite some age, being a greying spinster. She is not very muscled (that would be odd) – as for gorgeousness, since we only see Mildred through either her own eyes or the eyes of those who find pleasure in telling her how ordinary she is, you’d have to ask Mr. Wiggan. I compared the first book to Lucy Maud Montgomery’s The Blue Castle, because of Montgomery’s protagonist (a spinster raised by her not very nice family who never miss a chance to remind her about their generosity). By book three, both Olson and Mildred have grown way past some ol’ boring Montgomerys. There is some Oscar Wilde, a good dollop of Terry Pratchett, but really, there is mostly Olson and her immensely elegant British…ness.

Miss Percy’s Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons is not perfect. The first 20% or so is… well, a part of this book’s charm is that the pacing is slow, but the first 20% is a very long sort of slow. The Intoxication Incident takes way more space on page and produces more questions than it does excitement and answers. The only male character that exhibits some personality is the Prince Regent; Owen is so unnecessary (apart from being the Carrier of the Hat) that I just assumed he’s someone who’s supposed to be around. Only after I finished the book did I stretch my memory to try and figure out what he did in the previous books and I am not entirely sure, still (but Miss Percy is a series I will be re-reading). Even the Love Interest, Mr. Wiggan is… sort of… there. Mr. Hawthorne disappears at some point, with a vague hint of foreshadowing that then leads to… not much. Which doesn’t count as a spoiler, because it’s unimportant. The stars of Olson’s book are women and dragons alike.

Fitz and Morgen are just so… full of life and magic. Belinda makes a brilliant villain, the opposite of everything her old spinster aunt, the sort of person who should be the protagonist and knows that; her husband(s) is (are) sort of… there. Mostly to carry something. Mrs. Babbinton, who is at most a tertiary character, is glorious. Mrs. Merrick is like a gentle version of Granny Weatherwax and hopefully [spoiler spoiler] of her own. The baby dragons become fully-fleshed characters the moment they hatch. Diana manages to be a complete character, rather than a stick figure, even though technically she isn’t in the book. Honestly, though? Men have been protagonists of so many books, while women have been… sort of… there (mostly to be saved/rescued/avenged/raped) that they (we) will have to survive somehow.

Olson is not an ordinary author, and those books aren’t, either. I don’t feel calling Miss Percy (I think about it as a complete series, even though technically I am only supposed to review Miss Percy’s Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons fantasy is even correct, unless The Portrait of Dorian Grey is fantasy, then, absolutely. She doesn’t uproot tropes, she uproots the genre, or creates her own. “Don’t you realise?” Belinda asks, being Belinda. “This isn’t supposed to be your story. […] Stepmothers and wicked queens and old witches sequestered off in the deepest part of the woods. And really, you’re not even that, when you consider it. You don’t even exist in those stories, the quiet kind of nothing that you are. There’s not even a place for you on the page.” Those glorious pages are Mildred’s and the dragons’.

The build-up towards the ending is massive – everything that can go wrong does, and then more things that I didn’t know could even happen also go wrong. This is hardly grimdark, so of course I expected a happy ending, but – why is 2024 such a good year for books best described with this word I hate? – Miss Percy’s Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons is unputdownable. I physically suffered (truly, my anxiety was about to metaphorically go through the roof (and I live in a three story house, while my kitchen is located downstairs, so you can assess the vertically unchallenged size of my anxiety)) from having to take a break to make dinner. If it were just me, I’d have a sandwich, but with a husband to feed, I was tortuously tortured by having to put the book down. Which was unjust, but just, because neither the dinner nor the book deserved to be given only half of my attention.

Anyway, because I digress. Once I got to the ending, it was very, very rewarding, while remaining exactly what it should be: gentle. Like the longest burning British romance between Mr Wiggan and Miss Percy (dear reader, do not be shocked, but there are instances of their appendages touching through multiple layers of clothing AND not being immediately withdrawn), all about the Miss Percy series is gentle. It’s not the sort of anxiety that keeps you up at night, it’s excited anxiety that makes you dream of dragons and identify as a spinster in a grey, ill-fitting gown.

According to my Kobo, there are 778 pages. Frankly, they could be edited down to 288, if you didn’t mind losing all the charm and fun, Olson’s ability to shape the English language (and punctuation) until I giggle at least once per three pages – which would make it approximately 255 giggles, if you exclude the front and back matter. It’s not roaring laughter humour; it’s the never-fails-to-make-me-smile sort. Miss Percy’s Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons didn’t make me ecstatic or delirious – it made me happy. This inevitable trilogy of movies will not need a pomp and circumstance sort of a John Williams soundtrack. There will be no need for senseless violins, same as gratuitous sax. Miss Percy is a unique work of art that wouldn’t be hung in the Louvre and constantly besieged by Instagram models craving a selfie, which is precisely why it should be, and why – judging by the sales – it is. Because in its quiet way, it’s truly a story that doesn’t exist anywhere else. In its grey hand-me-downs, devout of fineries and jewels (unless Belinda or Diana or Prince Regent enter the stage) and instead adorned with often adorkable (unless they’re setting half of London on fire) dragons, it is almost a masterpiece.

Unfortunately, due to the flat male characters and uneven pacing, I had to lower my rating. Which is why instead of the well-deserved 11/10 I am forced to only give Miss Percy’s Definitive Guide to the Restoration of Dragons the low, low score of 10 out of 10. (Or, 5/5 for Goodreads.)

My ratings:
5* = this book changed my life
4* = very good
3* = good
2* = I probably DNFed it, so I don't give 2* ratings
1* = actively hostile towards the reader*

[Beverly Diehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This concludes the adventures of Miss Percy, Mr. Wiggan, their friends and family who've joined in this quest, and the baby dragons they care for. Cozy Regency fantasy, for those who like theirs with a healthy serving of snark.

Compared to the previous volumes, this one went FAST. Despite the helpfully intended interference of the Prince Regent, Miss Percy manages to thwart her selfish niece Belinda, who looks upon the dragons and eggs as fashion accessories and valuable assets for wealth generation.

We get a happy ending, and even a wedding! Most loose ends become tied up, although the one that still niggles at me is WHY does an egg which has been dormant for years or decades, to suddenly hatch? (Perhaps Miss Percy will have insight on this in future adventures.) The previous volumes are enjoyable, but this is the best, IMO.

[Thia Reads A Lot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was really good. This conclusion was great.

Synopsis: Mildred and co go to London, following Belinda and Mr. Parry who took the white dragon and fifteen eggs with them. The press is depicting Mildred as a witch/old hag. They try to reason with Belinda when she is giving a talk at the British Museum, but they have to leave urgently because another egg hatches (Mag, whose egg was overlooked by Belinda and carried in Mildred's pocket since). Lady Pritchard introduces Mildred and Wiggan to the Prince Regent, who wants the dragons to belong to England. They ignore his summons and gifts after the first meeting. Mrs Merrick finds a way to track Belinda (making a map of London with stones and using a lock of her hair to pinpoint her location). Mildred, Wiggan and Mr. Hawthorne go there, find conterfitted journals and fake eggs (they find out they are fake upon coming back to Lady Pritchard's London house). Fitz and Morgen are becoming crazy to be always indoors, they both escape through a window and Fitz sets fire to St. James Park. The Prince Regent intervenes, summoning Mildred and the dragons to his palace. He has made a deal with Belinda, who will give the eggs and dragons to England. Mildred accepts to be the dragon keeper. At the ceremony where Belinda was to be recognize for her efforts, many of the eggs hatch and some are revealed to be fakes. Mildred confronts Belinda, who also has to answer to the Prince Regent. Mildred gets "whatever she wants" from the Prince Regent in exchange for the dragons to go far from London. Mildred marries Mr. Wiggan, they go for a while to Wales where the younger dragons are set free. They observe them, but find themselve a cottage. They adopt Owen, while Nettie and [nephew] visit them on their school holidays, Fitz and Morgen living with them (too domesticated/wanting to be with people). In the epilogue, Mildred receives a letter from someone in Germany where another dragon (or many) has hatched.
Mr. Hawthorne becomes a publisher. Lady Pritchard opens a school for girls. Mrs Merrick and Mary Winn go back to their house near the dragon's nest. Mrs. Babbington and Hopkins take a house together, working for Lady Pritchard.

A few small points:
- The story is slow to get moving. I get that there is a lot of things to arrange for a large group travelling with several dragons, but that should have been quicker
- I love the narrative voice, who makes many little aside comments throughout
- I wonder how familiar the author was with the Regency era, especially regarding marriage laws. I was expecting the marriage between Mr. Hawthorne and Belinda to be a plot point somehow.
- Many dragons have a "talent". Fitz spits fire, Morgen eats coals, Mab spits acid, but we never know what the white dragon does.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 but rounding up for Goodreads.

There was a point in the second book where Olsen's style of writing went from being charming to being tedious and it continues to go downhill in this third installment. It's like molasses: in small doses sweet and lovely but in excess leaves you drowning in verbosity.

Most of the attempts at humor, especially in the overabundance of asides, fell flat for me and the occasional chuckle that did escape me just wasn't enough. Every chapter was spent talking in circles about the same things: "How much bigger will Fitz get?" "Whatever shall Miss Percy do once this adventure is over?" "Miss Percy simply isn't an adventuress; she's far too old and tired for all this!" The first 70% of the book is spent spinning wheels and when we finally get a conclusion it's rushed and leaves so much to be desired. How we went from Belinda--the pretty-faced, petulant teenager who somehow charms the entire city with a wave of her hand-- and the Regent Prince--a literal prince who has clearly never been told no, wants the eggs for himself, and has otherwise zero personality-- being the unstoppable antagonists to rolling over and letting Miss Percy do whatever she wants I don't know. The fact that the Regent Prince was so willing to let Miss Percy just leave with the dragons and the remaining eggs baffles me. All she did was sit in a ballroom for a week and then coincidentally be in the same room as the eggs when they hatched. Now you expect me to believe that this completely obtuse, self-centered regent is going to just let her walk away? What happened to banishing them all to the countryside?

All this being said, if you've been a fan of the series up through the first two books then I do think this is a worthwhile read. It's an adequate conclusion to the series and the epilogue is quite sweet.

[Laura Hütt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan, unfortunately. While the series is relatively sweet and cozy, I became tired of Mildred never standing up for herself, the whole cast of heroes being dumber than an obnoxious 17-yo and the books completely ignoring English marital law of the 19th century, which could have solved half the issues of the last book immediately, i.e. bigamy was illegal, and Belinda could have been thrown in jail. Besides, all property of a woman was legally her husband's, meaning that Mr Hawthorn could have very easily claimed the (stolen) property as his. Instead, we got a convoluted story where a teenager outwitted 8(?) adults, spread lies in papers without anyone challenging her, made claims of being an expert in dragons while no one questioned any part of her story (somehow the word of Lady Pritchard is not valid but a random teen girl is unanimously believed). And while I understand that many people like Mildred's quiet kindness, I kept hoping that for once, she'd grow a backbone and slap the smug smile off Belinda's face - especially considering how she hurt Fitz and her own siblings in the 2nd book.

It all just took so much away from a story that could have been so much fun, but instead focused on long explanations of mundane events instead of the actual adventure they were on (endless minutes listening to how Mildred thinks she's not enough or how wonderful Mr Wiggan is and then barely anything left for the actually interesting parts). Unlike some, I didn't mostly mind the endless asides and parentheses, but it just seemed like fun fluff while the bones of the story were given very little time.

I did like the fact that the MC is a 40-yo woman, but eventually, that seemed to take up so much of the story (how could an old spinster possibly go on an adventure!?) that eventually, it just became yet another annoyance.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly pleasant, if not overly concerned with logistics or plot. Probably not books that I would reread, but I would probably read any sequel. 3.25 stars.

The message of older women being invisible and not having any power was just so hammered in that it became a little tiresome. But I did enjoy the guarantee of knowing that everything was going to work out, although I did get quite worried in the second half of this book. Basically, the found family has to find a way to undo Belinda‘s wrongdoing and find a future for dragons, all while dealing with the Prince Regent.

Nobody seemed to really be worried about telling Matthew and Nettie‘s mother where they were for months on end, which is one example of logic just not really being at the forefront of this. But,like I said, quite pleasant. I believe these are independently published, and so really she did quite well.

Also, the dragons’ behavior seems really to be modeled on that of of cats. We don’t actually get to hear very much about the dragons, it’s really more about how miss Percy rises to the occasion of the adventure that comes up upon her. Though Fitz does get his own characterization, and he’s pretty great.

If you want something lightly, entertaining to read, you could do much worse than these books.

[Paige Borrelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly a Masterpiece

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up the first Miss. Percy novel. As a thirty something homebody, it's easy to feel a bit disconnected from the heroine of the story when she's normally beautiful, teenaged or early 20s woman, spunky and curious (some may say impulsive). Mildred is... not that and she is innately aware at how strange that is. Despite that, she doggedly continues forward to protect what is important to her. By this book she has become so capable, so sure in her convictions, so completely herself that you can't help but know that (despite it seeming bleak for a lot of this final adventure) things will turn out alright.

That being said I felt I was just as anxious, confused, angry, and battered as Mildred for the latter half of the book and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Highly recommend this read if:
you, like me, believe that adventures don't stop after your twenties
you care passionately about doing the right thing you think the world contains more than a little bit of magic
and you know deep in your heart that most decisions should be made after a hot drink and a snack

[Judith A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo

I’m going to be honest. There were parts of this book that dragged. But, the ending! So glorious! TBH, the parts that dragged were because Ms. Olson is so good at painting every day life - well, every day life for Miss Percy and crew. There were definitely parts that I found myself thinking, “How much longer can this go on?” Then, there would be another unexpected twist that kept me reading. The dry wit added in all the parentheticals makes the book more interesting.

I read the first Miss Percy book and fell in love with Miss Percy and Mr. Wiggin and Mrs. Babbinton. I read the 2nd book and was extremely irritated at the ending. Yet, I got the 3rd book as soon as it was available. There were some times I wished I had re-read the other 2 books before embarking on this one, but the author did a pretty good job of giving background so that I could at least mostly keep up, although I think it would have been easier if I had re-read the other books. After this 3rd book, I do hope Ms. Olson keeps writing.

Enjoy!