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Anamat #1
Scrapplings
Darna shouldn't have been born – priestesses aren't supposed to have babies – and she most certainly shouldn't see dragons. After all, no one else does, except in Anamat, or so the minstrels say.
She sets out for the city of Anamat. Along the way, she meets Myril, an older girl with frequent premonitions and an eerie sense of hearing.
Then there's Iola, who is so dragon-struck that she actually wants to be a priestess. She's blind to the corruption in the temples.
Thorat is Iola's champion. He sees dragons as much as the girls do, but unlike them he blends easily in to a crowd.
Apart from these four, the city seems to be nearly as dragon-blind as the provinces. Darna scavenges for scraps, but apprenticeships cost more than she’s likely to earn. When she's offered a sack of gold beads for a small bit of thieving, she takes her chances... and ends up angering the dragon herself.
Scrapplings is the first book in a five part series. Book Two, Priestess, is due out in April 2015.
She sets out for the city of Anamat. Along the way, she meets Myril, an older girl with frequent premonitions and an eerie sense of hearing.
Then there's Iola, who is so dragon-struck that she actually wants to be a priestess. She's blind to the corruption in the temples.
Thorat is Iola's champion. He sees dragons as much as the girls do, but unlike them he blends easily in to a crowd.
Apart from these four, the city seems to be nearly as dragon-blind as the provinces. Darna scavenges for scraps, but apprenticeships cost more than she’s likely to earn. When she's offered a sack of gold beads for a small bit of thieving, she takes her chances... and ends up angering the dragon herself.
Scrapplings is the first book in a five part series. Book Two, Priestess, is due out in April 2015.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
21 people are currently reading
957 people want to read
About the author
Amelia Smith
9 books84 followersThanks to my grandmother, Nancy Woollcott Smith, I started out in life with the delusion that writing was a thing grown-ups did. Becoming a writer seemed almost as realistic an ambition as becoming an accountant, though less lucrative. That delusion led me to a couple of decades of irregular and mostly profitless work, but it's also kept me going.
In high school I wrote two novels with a friend. We passed chapters back and forth in between classes. They were written on paper, the first book long-hand, the second on computer. That was before the internet. During the fall and winter after I graduated from college, I wrote a novella/poetry collection, still unpublishable or at least unmarketable. I sent it to about a half dozen agents and collected their more-or-less gentle rejections.
At age 31, I launched into my current project, a multi-volume epic fantasy about the last generation of a land animated by dragon-gods. I set it aside when I had my first baby, and I'm not 31 any more. I've also written a stand-alone Regency romance, a historical fantasy novella, and a screenplay.
In high school I wrote two novels with a friend. We passed chapters back and forth in between classes. They were written on paper, the first book long-hand, the second on computer. That was before the internet. During the fall and winter after I graduated from college, I wrote a novella/poetry collection, still unpublishable or at least unmarketable. I sent it to about a half dozen agents and collected their more-or-less gentle rejections.
At age 31, I launched into my current project, a multi-volume epic fantasy about the last generation of a land animated by dragon-gods. I set it aside when I had my first baby, and I'm not 31 any more. I've also written a stand-alone Regency romance, a historical fantasy novella, and a screenplay.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 12, 2015
This story reads like a 3rd or 4th draft. It's almost there, but not quite finished.
The basics of the characters have been developed, but they still felt rather shallow. Like cardboard cut outs instead of real people. I could see the potential, but it wasn't fully explored.
The concept of children begging and scrapping for junk felt like a good fit with the story, but I really couldn't move past Iola's annoying personality. I kept seeing something like this every time she was begging in the market place. So annoying!
I am all for building the world and immersing the reader into it, but about 75% of this 324 page book felt like it was set aside for exploring the day-to-day minutiae, that really could have been summed up in a few days of exploration, not months. It started to get to this point...
One of the saving graces of this book is that there's plenty of these little guys running/flying around...
I adore dragons, and I thought the dragon-sight was a unique and interesting concept. I would have appreciated more on that, as long as it wasn't involving Iola.
The whole story reads as a Young Adult read, the characters are young teens and the tone and feel of the book all sit squarely inside that genre, with the exception of the interesting, but strange 'ritual prostitution' (thanks for that wording KJ!) that goes on in the temples.
Overall, I didn't love any of the characters, though I'd have to say Thorat came into his own a little towards the end. Dorna was prickly and hard to like, and Myril just seemed a bit too much of a crutch that was used when a plot hole needed to be filled.
I am curious to know what happens next, but I'm not in a mad rush. I'm sure I'll get around to picking up the next book sometime.
**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review**
The basics of the characters have been developed, but they still felt rather shallow. Like cardboard cut outs instead of real people. I could see the potential, but it wasn't fully explored.
The concept of children begging and scrapping for junk felt like a good fit with the story, but I really couldn't move past Iola's annoying personality. I kept seeing something like this every time she was begging in the market place. So annoying!
I am all for building the world and immersing the reader into it, but about 75% of this 324 page book felt like it was set aside for exploring the day-to-day minutiae, that really could have been summed up in a few days of exploration, not months. It started to get to this point...
One of the saving graces of this book is that there's plenty of these little guys running/flying around...
I adore dragons, and I thought the dragon-sight was a unique and interesting concept. I would have appreciated more on that, as long as it wasn't involving Iola.
The whole story reads as a Young Adult read, the characters are young teens and the tone and feel of the book all sit squarely inside that genre, with the exception of the interesting, but strange 'ritual prostitution' (thanks for that wording KJ!) that goes on in the temples.
Overall, I didn't love any of the characters, though I'd have to say Thorat came into his own a little towards the end. Dorna was prickly and hard to like, and Myril just seemed a bit too much of a crutch that was used when a plot hole needed to be filled.
I am curious to know what happens next, but I'm not in a mad rush. I'm sure I'll get around to picking up the next book sometime.
**Note: I was provided an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review**
January 7, 2020
I had a good feeling about this book when I first read the synopsis, months back when it arrived as part of my SPFBO package. It sounded like it had a lot of potential to be really enjoyable, and while the world at first seemed a bit generic, well, it’s not like I haven’t read and enjoyed books set in generic fantasy worlds in the past.
As it turns out, the worldbuilding was actually one of the things I liked best about Scrapplings. On the surface it looks a bit generic. There are dragons. A country with ties to them, and a fear of foreigners who have less to do with dragons. Urchins in the street, priestesses in their temples. Nothing outstanding. But those are just the bare bones, the scaffolding that holds it all together and supports the artistry on the surface. Dragons are creatures of myth, who both made the world and are the world, and they’re more spiritual beings than corporeal ones. Priestesses devoted to dragons are akin to what we’d think of as temple prostitutes, engaging in sexual acts as a spiritual thing, representing a communion with dragons. Or that’s the theory, anyway, since many priestesses seem to have more belief in the sex than they do in dragons, or what their positions are supposed to represent. Dragons are invisible to most, and those who see them often go on to become priestesses, rather as a default position.
Darna is a girl who can see dragons but has no interest in becoming a priestess. She also seems to be the illegitimate child of a prince and a priestess, though for most of her life she’s been treated as a servant, and stigma against her and her disability hold her back from following her dreams. Iola was cast out from her family, dreams of traveling to the city of Anamat to become a priestess, and can’t understand why Darna would want anything else. Thorat is a fairly generic boy who travelled with Iola on her journey, who sees dragons far less than the rest of them but still sees them. And then there’s Myril, who seems even less distinguished than Thorat, but who can also see dragons and is on her way to Anamat too.
The main characters are a bit peculiar in that they have an interesting dynamic while largely remaining pretty uninteresting people. They remained acquaintances rather than friends, each following their own path as the story went along but always gravitating back to each other in the end. So that was an interesting twist on what you usually see in YA-oriented stuff; most often people thrown together by circumstance either become friends or enemies, but rarely do they keep a similar dynamic to when they started. Most of the characters, though, weren’t particularly interesting. Darna most certainly was, since she showed initiative and ended up in the thick of conflict and larger plots and the real meat of the story. Iola was, to a degree, since she seemed most connected to the dragons. But Thorat seemed to be there to provide a couple of perspective breaks and participate in a scheme toward the end of the book, and Myril didn’t really contribute to the story at all. Elna, a secondary character who shows up halfway through the book and whose purpose is really just to be another member of Darna’s small street gang, got more development than Myril did.
Stylistically, I rather enjoyed Scrapplings. The beginning was a bit awkward, and I thought the first chapter could have been cut entirely without anything really being missed from the story (at least not that couldn’t have been filled in by flashbacks similar to what other characters got as their introduction, or dropping explanations throughout the rest of the text), but for the most part, it was pretty good. Scrapplings is one of those books where surprisingly little happens, but you don’t realise it until you’ve already gotten invested in the world and the story. I’m a bit odd in that sometimes I really like reading about the day-to-day lives of some characters, so the amount of window-dressing in this story didn’t bother me as much as it might bother those who prefer a very tight story with no words wasted. But the worldbuilding and the writing style were good, even if the pacing wasn’t fantastic.
So it’s a book not without its issues, but it was still very enjoyable, and it interested me enough to make me curious about reading future installments of the series. It’s a light read, not heavy on action or tension, and in some ways it feels more like the first half of a book rather than a full book itself, but that doesn’t by default make it a bad book. (Nor do I count that as a flaw that only arose due to the book’s self-published status, given that I recently read a traditionally-published novel by a big-name author that made me think the exact same thing.) Categorically, I think I might put this book somewhere between mid-grade and YA, given the combination of the ages of the characters, aspects of the writing style, and some of the novel’s content, and while mid-grade isn’t exactly my speciality, I do know what I like, and I liked Scrapplings. Once you get past the awkward beginning, the story really starts to shine through, and I can see a fair bit of potential for the rest of this series.
(Received for review as part of the SPFBO.)
As it turns out, the worldbuilding was actually one of the things I liked best about Scrapplings. On the surface it looks a bit generic. There are dragons. A country with ties to them, and a fear of foreigners who have less to do with dragons. Urchins in the street, priestesses in their temples. Nothing outstanding. But those are just the bare bones, the scaffolding that holds it all together and supports the artistry on the surface. Dragons are creatures of myth, who both made the world and are the world, and they’re more spiritual beings than corporeal ones. Priestesses devoted to dragons are akin to what we’d think of as temple prostitutes, engaging in sexual acts as a spiritual thing, representing a communion with dragons. Or that’s the theory, anyway, since many priestesses seem to have more belief in the sex than they do in dragons, or what their positions are supposed to represent. Dragons are invisible to most, and those who see them often go on to become priestesses, rather as a default position.
Darna is a girl who can see dragons but has no interest in becoming a priestess. She also seems to be the illegitimate child of a prince and a priestess, though for most of her life she’s been treated as a servant, and stigma against her and her disability hold her back from following her dreams. Iola was cast out from her family, dreams of traveling to the city of Anamat to become a priestess, and can’t understand why Darna would want anything else. Thorat is a fairly generic boy who travelled with Iola on her journey, who sees dragons far less than the rest of them but still sees them. And then there’s Myril, who seems even less distinguished than Thorat, but who can also see dragons and is on her way to Anamat too.
The main characters are a bit peculiar in that they have an interesting dynamic while largely remaining pretty uninteresting people. They remained acquaintances rather than friends, each following their own path as the story went along but always gravitating back to each other in the end. So that was an interesting twist on what you usually see in YA-oriented stuff; most often people thrown together by circumstance either become friends or enemies, but rarely do they keep a similar dynamic to when they started. Most of the characters, though, weren’t particularly interesting. Darna most certainly was, since she showed initiative and ended up in the thick of conflict and larger plots and the real meat of the story. Iola was, to a degree, since she seemed most connected to the dragons. But Thorat seemed to be there to provide a couple of perspective breaks and participate in a scheme toward the end of the book, and Myril didn’t really contribute to the story at all. Elna, a secondary character who shows up halfway through the book and whose purpose is really just to be another member of Darna’s small street gang, got more development than Myril did.
Stylistically, I rather enjoyed Scrapplings. The beginning was a bit awkward, and I thought the first chapter could have been cut entirely without anything really being missed from the story (at least not that couldn’t have been filled in by flashbacks similar to what other characters got as their introduction, or dropping explanations throughout the rest of the text), but for the most part, it was pretty good. Scrapplings is one of those books where surprisingly little happens, but you don’t realise it until you’ve already gotten invested in the world and the story. I’m a bit odd in that sometimes I really like reading about the day-to-day lives of some characters, so the amount of window-dressing in this story didn’t bother me as much as it might bother those who prefer a very tight story with no words wasted. But the worldbuilding and the writing style were good, even if the pacing wasn’t fantastic.
So it’s a book not without its issues, but it was still very enjoyable, and it interested me enough to make me curious about reading future installments of the series. It’s a light read, not heavy on action or tension, and in some ways it feels more like the first half of a book rather than a full book itself, but that doesn’t by default make it a bad book. (Nor do I count that as a flaw that only arose due to the book’s self-published status, given that I recently read a traditionally-published novel by a big-name author that made me think the exact same thing.) Categorically, I think I might put this book somewhere between mid-grade and YA, given the combination of the ages of the characters, aspects of the writing style, and some of the novel’s content, and while mid-grade isn’t exactly my speciality, I do know what I like, and I liked Scrapplings. Once you get past the awkward beginning, the story really starts to shine through, and I can see a fair bit of potential for the rest of this series.
(Received for review as part of the SPFBO.)
December 2, 2014
The problem with this story is that nothing really happens. At first it comes off as a sort of quest narrative, but after Darna and her new friends reach Anamat, the story meanders around seemingly with no point. It eventually goes somewhere, but I began to get irritated with its lack of progress towards any kind of a climax or resolution at about the halfway mark. It didn't help that I absolutely despised one of the characters, Iola. That would have been fine if she were one of the unsavory characters, but that wasn't why I couldn't stand her. She wasn't someone I loved to hate. She was just so ridiculously naive and clueless about everything, and on top of that, her fanatical religious beliefs caused her to betray her friends.
One of the few elements that I enjoyed about this book is that the story is set in a very sexist world that also seems to treat its children as easily cast aside. Unlike a couple other books I've read this year, though, the main character is a young girl who chooses to go against societal pressures to make her own way in the world and not just accept her "fate". The girls in this story have backgrounds and character traits and physical descriptions. They're not just decoration or plot points along the way.
Overall, I didn't really like Scrapplings. However, I didn't hate it either. I think it deserves a chance if you truly love Fantasy, especially Fantasy involving dragons, or if you're tired of reading male-centric trope filled quest narratives. This isn't for you if you prefer fast(er) paced books, and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who is new to the Fantasy genre.
One of the few elements that I enjoyed about this book is that the story is set in a very sexist world that also seems to treat its children as easily cast aside. Unlike a couple other books I've read this year, though, the main character is a young girl who chooses to go against societal pressures to make her own way in the world and not just accept her "fate". The girls in this story have backgrounds and character traits and physical descriptions. They're not just decoration or plot points along the way.
Overall, I didn't really like Scrapplings. However, I didn't hate it either. I think it deserves a chance if you truly love Fantasy, especially Fantasy involving dragons, or if you're tired of reading male-centric trope filled quest narratives. This isn't for you if you prefer fast(er) paced books, and I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who is new to the Fantasy genre.
December 13, 2014
Really a 4.5 star.
This one of those freebie kindle downloads I picked up not too long ago. I'm never sure when I pick one of these up whether it is going to be a rare find or something less. When the book is a clear winner I always make certain to put readers on notice. This fell into the rare find and clear winner categories.
It is a coming of age story which apparently is going to have other books after to help wrap up what happens to our various troops of friends. In that regard it is different than many coming of age stories as there is more than one group our crippled heroine associates with.
Life is hard, at best, for Darna, who can see the dragons that are worshipped in her kingdom. Crippled from an early age she finds out that she is the daughter of the ruler of her town and rather than be confined and used by him this plucky youngster runs away to the city of Anamat in hopes of finding a new life as an apprentice to a guild.
As with all YA coming of age stories she goes through trials and tribulations, but always manages to cope and even prosper by being willing to take risks and never give in. For more of the story than that, the reader really should buy a copy of the book. I am looking forward to buying a copy of the following book to see what happens with Darna and whether we will find out what happens to her friends.
Brava, Amelia Smith
Note: I have no connection at all to the author. This is an unsolicited and uncompensated review.
This one of those freebie kindle downloads I picked up not too long ago. I'm never sure when I pick one of these up whether it is going to be a rare find or something less. When the book is a clear winner I always make certain to put readers on notice. This fell into the rare find and clear winner categories.
It is a coming of age story which apparently is going to have other books after to help wrap up what happens to our various troops of friends. In that regard it is different than many coming of age stories as there is more than one group our crippled heroine associates with.
Life is hard, at best, for Darna, who can see the dragons that are worshipped in her kingdom. Crippled from an early age she finds out that she is the daughter of the ruler of her town and rather than be confined and used by him this plucky youngster runs away to the city of Anamat in hopes of finding a new life as an apprentice to a guild.
As with all YA coming of age stories she goes through trials and tribulations, but always manages to cope and even prosper by being willing to take risks and never give in. For more of the story than that, the reader really should buy a copy of the book. I am looking forward to buying a copy of the following book to see what happens with Darna and whether we will find out what happens to her friends.
Brava, Amelia Smith
Note: I have no connection at all to the author. This is an unsolicited and uncompensated review.
April 4, 2015
Scrapplings could pass as an average middle-grade fantasy (with a strangely sordid background about ritual prostitution), but I suspect that even as a kid, the story would have failed to grab me. The world of Anamat is poorly sketched out and the characters one-note cutouts. As soon as each character is introduced, we immediately get a flashback explaining their entire life history until that point. It robs them of any chance to reveal secrets to each other--or to the reader--and strips them of any chance to develop.
Without characters the reader can invest in, we turn to the plot, and again come up short. After a while, it dawns on the reader that each chapter is only a daily accounting of where the characters were begging or foraging for food each day. There isn't much of a greater plot, or an ongoing sense of urgency or purpose behind it. There's no tension in this book, no excitement.
The story has the potential to become something more engaging in future books. This may be one of those times when the adage about "starting as close to the end as possible" applies. Was the entire plot of Scrapplings necessary, or does the story really start (as I suspect) in the final chapter?
Unfortunately, without a cast of characters to bond with, I'm uncertain whether to give the series a second chance.
(I received a free copy of the book for the purposes of reviewing. I received no money for doing so.)
Without characters the reader can invest in, we turn to the plot, and again come up short. After a while, it dawns on the reader that each chapter is only a daily accounting of where the characters were begging or foraging for food each day. There isn't much of a greater plot, or an ongoing sense of urgency or purpose behind it. There's no tension in this book, no excitement.
The story has the potential to become something more engaging in future books. This may be one of those times when the adage about "starting as close to the end as possible" applies. Was the entire plot of Scrapplings necessary, or does the story really start (as I suspect) in the final chapter?
Unfortunately, without a cast of characters to bond with, I'm uncertain whether to give the series a second chance.
(I received a free copy of the book for the purposes of reviewing. I received no money for doing so.)
read-as-beta
December 8, 2014I had the privilege of reading 'Scrapplings' in beta format, and thoroughly enjoyed the unusual world setting, the array of very memorable characters and the vivid descriptions of the surroundings. I loved the idea that only some people can see the dragons, and even though there's a whole religion devoted to them, the priestesses are just as dragon-blind as most of the population. Being the first of five parts, the plot builds slowly, but things draw to a dramatic conclusion. A good read for those who like their fantasy a little different.
[Note: No star rating, as I haven't read the finished book.]
[Note: No star rating, as I haven't read the finished book.]
November 3, 2018
I love fantasy when it’s done in a way that’s both innovative and enjoyable. That’s certainly the case with Amelia Smith’s Scrapplings: Children of the Dragons, the first book in her Anamat series. Read the publisher’s blurb for all you really need to know about this story (without anything being spoiled). All that I will add is that Darna is an absolutely superb leading character, that Myril, Iola, Thorat and the rest of the supporting cast are perfectly crafted, and that the plot is well written really works beautifully by itself and as the start of s greater story arc. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.
January 23, 2019
Most can't see but some can, but what do they really see?
This book is very interesting. Characters are younger than I was thinking they were from the first couple of chapters but if you enjoy a story of young kids finding their way in the world then this is a good read.
There are believers and non-believers, those that can see and those that can't. There are myths and rumours.
This book is very interesting. Characters are younger than I was thinking they were from the first couple of chapters but if you enjoy a story of young kids finding their way in the world then this is a good read.
There are believers and non-believers, those that can see and those that can't. There are myths and rumours.
January 8, 2016
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for a fair review.
Good job book you have done the near-impossible; made me interested in a series.
This is a very character driven book, not the sort of thing you often see in high fantasy. If you’re expecting sword fights and overly powerful wizards—look elsewhere. Honestly the book is mostly concerned about crafting characters for likely a long-standing series and only just tipping the toes into an over-arching storyline. The finale is…underwhelming for how much build-up there was. Nevertheless if you prefer slice-of-life and very intricate plots, this is a book for you.
The plot follows four main characters, four “scrapplings” or young adults just set adrift into the world. For the peasant class in this society seems to expect young adults to fully find their way by either learning their parents’ trade or going to a city to learn another one. The three girls we meet however are “dragon-touched”, as in they have the potential for being priestess for having some capacity to interact with dragons.
Most of the plot however is concerned with the four just trying to survive on the streets long enough to either earn enough to be accepted into an apprenticeship or be accepted into a temple at mid-Summer. The narrative voices are each distinct and well rounded. The tone of the prose is more slanted towards Young Adult so we don’t have the pathos or complex characterizations we may expect in epics but each character adds their voice to the story and have a clear stake in the events around them. They’re interesting in their interactions and motives.
Nevertheless the one who carries the story is Darna, the red-headed runaway Prince’s daughter whose story almost resembles Cinderella in that she works in the palace kitchen when we meet her. Nevertheless her selfishness and natural aloofness set her far apart from any self-sacrificing heroine. She’s often insensitive and outright mean, even though she does realize when she’s been unkind. She’s a character with a great deal of potential who I like to keep following.
The only real problem I have is in regards to Darna’s chronic injury. Her leg was apparently crushed by a boar as a child and never healed properly. While Smith does a better job than most authors in remembering she has an injury and resulting limitations; she doesn’t quite capture how day to day life is with such an injury.
I have a similar chronic injury in that I have a nerve injury in my right leg and hip that leads to muscle weakness and numbness. Personally for me it is very tiring to walk on two legs because basically even with a cane as one leg is doing all the weight bearing (as seems to be the same for Darna if her weak leg is withered from atrophy) and thus more work. I could not walk for hours like Darna apparently does without several breaks. Never mind how painful a bone injury that didn’t set properly would be. There would be bone pain and possibly chronic inflammation as nerves and muscles were rubbed against or pinched by an out-of-place bone. Yet Darna apparently doesn’t have any pain, even in the cold and wet. A little bit more research in portraying the disabled and acknowledging what our lives are really like would be nice.
Also the book does use the word “cripple”. I wouldn’t call this offensive necessarily but I know how some people feel about it.
Though in sum I was quite captured by this book and look forward to more from the author.
Good job book you have done the near-impossible; made me interested in a series.
This is a very character driven book, not the sort of thing you often see in high fantasy. If you’re expecting sword fights and overly powerful wizards—look elsewhere. Honestly the book is mostly concerned about crafting characters for likely a long-standing series and only just tipping the toes into an over-arching storyline. The finale is…underwhelming for how much build-up there was. Nevertheless if you prefer slice-of-life and very intricate plots, this is a book for you.
The plot follows four main characters, four “scrapplings” or young adults just set adrift into the world. For the peasant class in this society seems to expect young adults to fully find their way by either learning their parents’ trade or going to a city to learn another one. The three girls we meet however are “dragon-touched”, as in they have the potential for being priestess for having some capacity to interact with dragons.
Most of the plot however is concerned with the four just trying to survive on the streets long enough to either earn enough to be accepted into an apprenticeship or be accepted into a temple at mid-Summer. The narrative voices are each distinct and well rounded. The tone of the prose is more slanted towards Young Adult so we don’t have the pathos or complex characterizations we may expect in epics but each character adds their voice to the story and have a clear stake in the events around them. They’re interesting in their interactions and motives.
Nevertheless the one who carries the story is Darna, the red-headed runaway Prince’s daughter whose story almost resembles Cinderella in that she works in the palace kitchen when we meet her. Nevertheless her selfishness and natural aloofness set her far apart from any self-sacrificing heroine. She’s often insensitive and outright mean, even though she does realize when she’s been unkind. She’s a character with a great deal of potential who I like to keep following.
The only real problem I have is in regards to Darna’s chronic injury. Her leg was apparently crushed by a boar as a child and never healed properly. While Smith does a better job than most authors in remembering she has an injury and resulting limitations; she doesn’t quite capture how day to day life is with such an injury.
I have a similar chronic injury in that I have a nerve injury in my right leg and hip that leads to muscle weakness and numbness. Personally for me it is very tiring to walk on two legs because basically even with a cane as one leg is doing all the weight bearing (as seems to be the same for Darna if her weak leg is withered from atrophy) and thus more work. I could not walk for hours like Darna apparently does without several breaks. Never mind how painful a bone injury that didn’t set properly would be. There would be bone pain and possibly chronic inflammation as nerves and muscles were rubbed against or pinched by an out-of-place bone. Yet Darna apparently doesn’t have any pain, even in the cold and wet. A little bit more research in portraying the disabled and acknowledging what our lives are really like would be nice.
Also the book does use the word “cripple”. I wouldn’t call this offensive necessarily but I know how some people feel about it.
Though in sum I was quite captured by this book and look forward to more from the author.
December 8, 2014
What if your world included dragons, but few could see them as they flew overhead, keeping watch? What if the children were considered to be like cast offs, to fend on their own, begging for scraps of food, coins, whatever they could get? Referred to as scrapplings, their existence is bleak and dangerous and so the journey begins...
Set in a unique and vividly detailed fantasy world, Amelia Smith’s Scrapplings begins with the journey of four children in search of people with special gifts that the minstrels told of, residing in the city of Anamat. Each child is in search of a better life, and each has at least one special gift.
What they find is a city where the citizens are as “dragon-blind” as any other. Darna refuses to be held down by circumstances and is saving for an apprenticeship so she may earn her own living. The leader of her group, she is has taken on the role of protector as well, even as she searches for the answers to her existence. Will the hopes of these four children be dashed because of one foolish mistake? Has Darna angered the dragons in her misguided quest to improve her lot in life? Will the group stand together or will their bond begin to crack and split apart?
Enjoy the leisurely pace, the magnificent world building and relax into Darna’s world. Amelia smith has colored her world with mystery and the chaotic life the scrapplings lead. She is generous with creating background stories for each character, bringing them to life and allowing the reader to see them as more realistic. While the dragons are shrouded in a veil of mystery with little said about them, there appears to be a building story that will include them in one of the next additions to the series. With the creation of the world well-defined, our next journey into Darna’s world is greatly anticipated.
I received an ARC edition from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Anamat - Book 1
Publication Date: December 1, 2014 (eBook)Publication date: 11/24/2014 (paperback)
Publisher: Split Rock Books
ISBN-13: 9781941334072
Print Length: 324 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Set in a unique and vividly detailed fantasy world, Amelia Smith’s Scrapplings begins with the journey of four children in search of people with special gifts that the minstrels told of, residing in the city of Anamat. Each child is in search of a better life, and each has at least one special gift.
What they find is a city where the citizens are as “dragon-blind” as any other. Darna refuses to be held down by circumstances and is saving for an apprenticeship so she may earn her own living. The leader of her group, she is has taken on the role of protector as well, even as she searches for the answers to her existence. Will the hopes of these four children be dashed because of one foolish mistake? Has Darna angered the dragons in her misguided quest to improve her lot in life? Will the group stand together or will their bond begin to crack and split apart?
Enjoy the leisurely pace, the magnificent world building and relax into Darna’s world. Amelia smith has colored her world with mystery and the chaotic life the scrapplings lead. She is generous with creating background stories for each character, bringing them to life and allowing the reader to see them as more realistic. While the dragons are shrouded in a veil of mystery with little said about them, there appears to be a building story that will include them in one of the next additions to the series. With the creation of the world well-defined, our next journey into Darna’s world is greatly anticipated.
I received an ARC edition from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Anamat - Book 1
Publication Date: December 1, 2014 (eBook)Publication date: 11/24/2014 (paperback)
Publisher: Split Rock Books
ISBN-13: 9781941334072
Print Length: 324 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Reviewed for: http://tometender.blogspot.com
December 13, 2014
“Scrappings” was published in 2014 (December) and was written by Amelia Smith (http://ameliasmith.net). Ms. Smith has published three novels, “Scrappings” being the first of the five part “Anamat” series.
I obtained a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I would categorize this novel as ‘G’. The story is a Young Adult Fantasy set in another time and place, the city of Anamat. The primary character is Darna who has fled her home and made her way to the city. She joins up with three others of about her same age. Their world believes that there are dragons that make things happen, and there are temples dedicated to them. But few on this world actually see the dragons.
Cyril, who is a little older, Darna meets along the way to Anamat. Myril is a little protective of Darna. Myril has premonitions and an acute sense of hearing.
Iola it infatuated with the dragons. Dragons that almost no one else can see. She desperately wants to become a priestess and is oblivious to much of the corruption of the city.
Thorat met Iola along the way to Anamat and has become her champion and guardian. He, like Darna, Cyril, and Iola, can see the dragons.
These four join many other youngsters begging, getting by, living on the streets of Anamat. They survive, trying to save enough to buy their way into an apprenticeship, or are accepted into a temple as a priestess initiate.
The story was OK, but it did not get me fully engaged. For the most part, it seemed a little slow. I give this novel a 3.5 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I obtained a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I would categorize this novel as ‘G’. The story is a Young Adult Fantasy set in another time and place, the city of Anamat. The primary character is Darna who has fled her home and made her way to the city. She joins up with three others of about her same age. Their world believes that there are dragons that make things happen, and there are temples dedicated to them. But few on this world actually see the dragons.
Cyril, who is a little older, Darna meets along the way to Anamat. Myril is a little protective of Darna. Myril has premonitions and an acute sense of hearing.
Iola it infatuated with the dragons. Dragons that almost no one else can see. She desperately wants to become a priestess and is oblivious to much of the corruption of the city.
Thorat met Iola along the way to Anamat and has become her champion and guardian. He, like Darna, Cyril, and Iola, can see the dragons.
These four join many other youngsters begging, getting by, living on the streets of Anamat. They survive, trying to save enough to buy their way into an apprenticeship, or are accepted into a temple as a priestess initiate.
The story was OK, but it did not get me fully engaged. For the most part, it seemed a little slow. I give this novel a 3.5 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
January 10, 2015
Young outcasts from neighboring villages travel to Anamat with big dreams and empty pockets. Some of these children manage to earn their keep, but most of them resort to begging and thieving. In time, a number of these scrapplings actually fulfill their aspirations, such as becoming a temple priestess or guild apprentice. Those that do not find a constructive position within Anamat society must leave.
Four of the scrapplings begin their Anamat adventures together: Dharna, a gimpy orphan who desires her freedom; Myril, a nearsighted girl who possesses healing skills; Iola, a beautiful dreamer who wants nothing more than to become a priestess; and Thorat, a young boy who promises his protection to Iola. While quite different in natures, they do share some common traits. The four adventurers can see the godly dragons and also wish to serve these scaled deities. In striving to survive their various hardships and establish their individual futures, however, will the children make the dragons' world a better place or will they incur its destruction?
I received a free ebook copy of this novel from the author and enjoyed it. I found it tightly constructed and well-written but rather dry. It did not fully engage me until the end.
December 10, 2014
I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I don't know how much of the story I can explain without this review becoming completely incomprehensible. The world that the story is set in has a city where all the stray children go. There they beg and steal until they have enough money to become apprentices or, if female, are old enough to become priestesses. (There's some implications that the priestesses are sacred whores.)
The troubling thing about the story is the venality of it all. The main characters seek out this city because they're dragon-touched. They, unlike many, can see dragons. So they go to this city on an almost holy quest -- and learn to beg and steal and fight. The sense of it escapes me. I hoped that the book would explain what about being dragon-touched was so important or unveil a secret world of dragons and dragon lore, but it never did. It's like the story says, hey, you're touched by God, go on pilgrimage to the Vatican City or Mecca, but surprise, when you get there, you don't meet God, you become a thief and a gang member.
The book is interesting, the plot keeps moving along and the characters are unique and memorable, but I can't like it, because it leaves a big question in my mind. Namely, why?
I don't know how much of the story I can explain without this review becoming completely incomprehensible. The world that the story is set in has a city where all the stray children go. There they beg and steal until they have enough money to become apprentices or, if female, are old enough to become priestesses. (There's some implications that the priestesses are sacred whores.)
The troubling thing about the story is the venality of it all. The main characters seek out this city because they're dragon-touched. They, unlike many, can see dragons. So they go to this city on an almost holy quest -- and learn to beg and steal and fight. The sense of it escapes me. I hoped that the book would explain what about being dragon-touched was so important or unveil a secret world of dragons and dragon lore, but it never did. It's like the story says, hey, you're touched by God, go on pilgrimage to the Vatican City or Mecca, but surprise, when you get there, you don't meet God, you become a thief and a gang member.
The book is interesting, the plot keeps moving along and the characters are unique and memorable, but I can't like it, because it leaves a big question in my mind. Namely, why?
July 6, 2015
I read this book and it’s sequel “Priestess of the Dragon Temple” and I have to say it makes a lot more sense in the context of at least the first two books. I’m sure that the book will have even more of its questions answered once the series is complete (planned 5 books). My complaint with the first book though, is that very little was explained. Even just a few explanations of what a scrapplings are and WHY they go to the city would have been huge. Instead, the readers has to figure this out on their own, but there’s no big reveal once you figure it out.
The general world building was interesting and there certainly are aspects that were intriguing, but overall this was a book that could have been shortened a lot. The conflict was minimal and is more of a back-story than something that’s truly needed to start the over-arching story. I think this would have been better as a novella prequel. Regardless, I’d recommend starting with the second book and then going back to read this if you want to know of what happened first.
Warning: contains some violence
Who should read it? Fantasy Fans, but I’d almost recommend starting with the second book
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract
The general world building was interesting and there certainly are aspects that were intriguing, but overall this was a book that could have been shortened a lot. The conflict was minimal and is more of a back-story than something that’s truly needed to start the over-arching story. I think this would have been better as a novella prequel. Regardless, I’d recommend starting with the second book and then going back to read this if you want to know of what happened first.
Warning: contains some violence
Who should read it? Fantasy Fans, but I’d almost recommend starting with the second book
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com or @Read2Distract
October 20, 2014
( I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for and honest review.)
Check out my blog for more reviews. (http://book-blog-of-books.blogspot.com/)
I didn't really like this at first it was really slow and a bit boring. But near the 50% mark is when it started getting interesting and i could read the rest of the book quickly.
Scrapplings is about runaways and children going to Anamat to join guilds and get apprenticeships. Darna the main character flees to Anamat to be with the dragons and with others who can hear and see daragons. But in Anamat it is a constant struggle to survive and save up for apprenticeships as well as gang issues. So Darna steals an amulet for foreign convoy's and angers Anara the dragon and so she tries to make it right, but ends up being inducted as a priestess which is something that she did not want.
I found Darna to be annoying a bit of a bitch and an all around unpleasant person. And the other characters sometimes seemed a lot more likeable.
Overall this is not a bad book just a really slow one in the beginning and i would like to see if the series gets better in the next book.
3 Stars
Check out my blog for more reviews. (http://book-blog-of-books.blogspot.com/)
I didn't really like this at first it was really slow and a bit boring. But near the 50% mark is when it started getting interesting and i could read the rest of the book quickly.
Scrapplings is about runaways and children going to Anamat to join guilds and get apprenticeships. Darna the main character flees to Anamat to be with the dragons and with others who can hear and see daragons. But in Anamat it is a constant struggle to survive and save up for apprenticeships as well as gang issues. So Darna steals an amulet for foreign convoy's and angers Anara the dragon and so she tries to make it right, but ends up being inducted as a priestess which is something that she did not want.
I found Darna to be annoying a bit of a bitch and an all around unpleasant person. And the other characters sometimes seemed a lot more likeable.
Overall this is not a bad book just a really slow one in the beginning and i would like to see if the series gets better in the next book.
3 Stars
April 24, 2016
I received this book from LibraryThing in exchange for a review. I was really looking forward to this book. I love fantasy books and especially ones with dragons. The concept is great, Unfortunately I found it very disjointed and a difficult read. I gave up about two thirds of the way through. Even though the main characters are young teenagers I believe this book is aimed at a more adult reader.
A very few people can see and communicate with dragons, whilst the majority of the population are 'dragon blind'. Four young teens from different regions leave their homes for various reasons, and meet up in the city of Anamat where they become 'scrapplings' - kids who fend for themselves on the scraps of the city whilst waiting to be accepted into a guild or as a priestess. The timeline moves between the 'now' and each teens history of how they came to be on their journey. Many other scenes also move backwards and forwards within the period of a day, or few days.
There are times when we read books of different styles depending what 'mood' we are in. Maybe I was in the frame of mind for a more action-packed book when I started reading this one.
A very few people can see and communicate with dragons, whilst the majority of the population are 'dragon blind'. Four young teens from different regions leave their homes for various reasons, and meet up in the city of Anamat where they become 'scrapplings' - kids who fend for themselves on the scraps of the city whilst waiting to be accepted into a guild or as a priestess. The timeline moves between the 'now' and each teens history of how they came to be on their journey. Many other scenes also move backwards and forwards within the period of a day, or few days.
There are times when we read books of different styles depending what 'mood' we are in. Maybe I was in the frame of mind for a more action-packed book when I started reading this one.
December 3, 2014
Scrapplings features plenty of tropes that will feel familiar to fans of fantasy, but their usage feels comfortable, homey even, rather than tired. Part of the reason for this is that Smith doesn’t rely on them for either her characterization or for worldbuilding. The characters are where the text really shines. I’ve always considered it a mark of good writing when you find yourself getting upset with or otherwise personally invested in a fictional character, and there are plenty of instances where you’ll likely find yourself doing just that.
It’s a tale that fantasy aficionados will likely enjoy. There are elements of Marion Zimmer Bradley (a female-centric, magic-based culture threatened by internal corruption, hostile foreign elements, and waning faith in the old ways) and Daniel Abraham’s Dagger and Coin series (a world that owes its existence to dragons and grapples with sudden societal change). If you’re a fan of either set of works, then Scrapplings will likely be a pleasure for you.
It’s a tale that fantasy aficionados will likely enjoy. There are elements of Marion Zimmer Bradley (a female-centric, magic-based culture threatened by internal corruption, hostile foreign elements, and waning faith in the old ways) and Daniel Abraham’s Dagger and Coin series (a world that owes its existence to dragons and grapples with sudden societal change). If you’re a fan of either set of works, then Scrapplings will likely be a pleasure for you.
December 2, 2014
I have always loved the fantasy genre (Tolkien/Eddings/Brooks etc) especially the creation of a new fantasy world. I loved the premise of the books: children otherwise known as scrapplings leaving behind the past and moving on to a new city where they can find their futures. I wish I had known more about the dragons that can only be seen by certain people but am sure there will be an answer in book two onwards. It is the kind of book (for me) that I need to sit down when I have time to finish in one go. I was unable to do that (families duties intruded lol) and I found it sometimes difficult to get back in the flow of things but again that was my own issue and not the author's. I was intrigued and cared about the main character and that is a big thing to me when I am reading a book. I am looking forward to the next instalment.
June 3, 2016
This was a wonderful book. A little slow to start, but in my experience, I find the best ones are. This certainly holds its own against other young adult fantasies!
Darna is the bastard child of a prince with the gift of dragon sight. Working in the palace kitchens, she could only dream of saving up the beads to get away, and when she learns of her heritage she runs away in fear of having her dragon didn't stripped of her. In Anamat she had options for her future, though still limited by her lack of beads she is destined to a season of begging and scrapping until she can earn enough to buy an apprenticeship or must succumb to a life as a servant. But the dragons have other plans for her.
I am very much looking forward to reading more in the Anamat series.
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Darna is the bastard child of a prince with the gift of dragon sight. Working in the palace kitchens, she could only dream of saving up the beads to get away, and when she learns of her heritage she runs away in fear of having her dragon didn't stripped of her. In Anamat she had options for her future, though still limited by her lack of beads she is destined to a season of begging and scrapping until she can earn enough to buy an apprenticeship or must succumb to a life as a servant. But the dragons have other plans for her.
I am very much looking forward to reading more in the Anamat series.
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2014
Dragons do not make themselves seen to everyone, but Darna can see them. When a priestess arrives and tells her she is the daughter of the Prince, she sets off for the city to avoid becoming a "prisoner" of the royal life. On the way she encounters others, some can see the dragons as well. Once in the city, Darna and her companions become scrapplings, young people who beg, trade and scrap to gain enough gold to purchase an apprenticeship in a guild or to become a priestess. This novel chronicles her quest.
This was an intriguing book. Not completely what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it. I'm curious to see where the author takes these characters, providing there is a second book.
This was an intriguing book. Not completely what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it. I'm curious to see where the author takes these characters, providing there is a second book.
December 1, 2014
This book is set in a fantasy land protected by dragons. The main character, Darna, and her friends all set out from their homes to reach Anamat, the land's main city, in the hope of finding a new way of life. While there, they earn their way by begging or stealing. While trying to survive, they must determine what path their futures will take.
I enjoyed the setting of this story. Some of the story line feels a little rough around the edges and events can seem a bit disjointed or confusing. However, I was able to look past that and appreciate the story as a whole. Overall, I liked the characters and I definitely want to keep reading this series to find out what happens next!
I received a copy of this book from the author. Thanks!
I enjoyed the setting of this story. Some of the story line feels a little rough around the edges and events can seem a bit disjointed or confusing. However, I was able to look past that and appreciate the story as a whole. Overall, I liked the characters and I definitely want to keep reading this series to find out what happens next!
I received a copy of this book from the author. Thanks!
March 22, 2018
A new series that's about dragons and those who see them.
Darna may or may not be the daughter of a prince. But she runs away before they can find out. On her way to Anamat she meets up with Myril, both of them can see dragons and Myril can read other peoples thoughts.
Upon their arrival in Anamat they meet up with Iola and her protector Throat.
The story takes us with them through their summer trying to save enough money (different size balls) for their future.
Iola says she will become a priestess. Thorat will join a guild. What will happen?
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Darna may or may not be the daughter of a prince. But she runs away before they can find out. On her way to Anamat she meets up with Myril, both of them can see dragons and Myril can read other peoples thoughts.
Upon their arrival in Anamat they meet up with Iola and her protector Throat.
The story takes us with them through their summer trying to save enough money (different size balls) for their future.
Iola says she will become a priestess. Thorat will join a guild. What will happen?
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 5, 2015
This book started off promising, but then somehow it stalled out. I was disappointed in the ending with Darna pretty much forced into the temple against her will when she had a chance at the apprenticeship she really wanted. It feels as though priestesses of the temples are pretty much sex workers, whether they want to be or not, and that implied lack of consent really bothers me. And we are teased that things would be different for those who saw dragons, but nothing ever comes of this. Altogether frustrating and felt like it ended on a cliffhanger. I hope the next one is better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2014
I enjoyed reading Scrapplings . The writing was good and the story was interesting. The transitions to different characters' points of view were confusing sometimes, but it was pretty easy to get past that. Overall it was a good book, and I think most teenagers would probably like it. I'll be glad when the second one comes out.
September 16, 2015
Entertaining
While I was interested enough to finish the book there were to many questions left unanswered. The temple life could have been a little more in-depth but all in all I was satisfied enough to recommend the story.
While I was interested enough to finish the book there were to many questions left unanswered. The temple life could have been a little more in-depth but all in all I was satisfied enough to recommend the story.
April 7, 2018
Awesome story,a bit different than usual. Darna dislikes where she is except for the dragons that not everyone can see. Even when she runs away to a different place it’s the same story. Received a free copy and reviewed because I enjoyed it.
April 25, 2015
Really enjoyed reading this. A totally different fantasy world. Love the dragonlets! Great writing, great story, great characters.
March 7, 2022
dnf at 10%
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