Dragon Princess

by Jason P. Crawford

To the commonfolk of Aetheria, the monarchy are the stuff of legends, descendants of the Uniter. To the lesser nobles, they stand as bastions of courage and political skill, deftly balancing the concerns of the people and the country. High Princess Amalia strives to live up to both expectations, forging herself into a Queen that her nation will one day be proud of.

A hard task for any young woman, but for one blinded at birth, nearly impossible.

Approaching her seventeenth year, and finding her worth under scrutiny from all corners, Amalia learns a devastating truth – dragons, the fabled foes of her ancestors, have returned. To defend her people and her kingdom, every last one must be destroyed…but her convictions are shaken when she discovers that they are not the unthinking beasts of her nation’s collective nightmares, but intelligent creatures much like herself.

Amalia must uncover the secrets hidden in the shadows if she is to avert a war that could end in the deaths of her family and her people. But some truths may be better left buried…

Genres: Fantasy

417 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2016

About the author

Jason Patrick Crawford is a 42 year old high school science teacher and father of four children who came into writing at the urging of his family. He discovered a primal joy in the act of creation that he had never experienced before. He has also learned of the amazing community of authors he has joined and is proud to be counted among their ranks.

Jason's first published work, Chains of Prophecy, is available in most e-book formats. He had the idea for this novel several years ago when he was getting his teaching credential, but had no idea at the time how to make it work. His inspiration for his writing practices is the great Stephen King; his memoir On Writing was an amazing resource and really helped jump-start Jason's work.

If you would like to speak to Jason, you can e-mail him at jasonpatrickcrawford@gmail.com or message him on Twitter at @jnewmanwriting. He will be glad to answer as soon as he can!

Reviews

[Julia Sarene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!

Dragon Princess by Jason P. Crawford quickly grabbed my attention by having a blind main character. I especially liked how she managed to be independent, and get around by counting steps, and having a service dog to help. So her blindness felt a lot more realistic, than in some other books, where it's more of a gimmick.
My one niggle is a few scenes, when she can see through someone else's eyes. I've never been a fan of circumnavigating disabilities by magic. However if someone who has been blind since birth suddenly sees, I don't think they could immediately understand what everything is...

Another MAJOR plus for the book is, having a girl main character and yet no romance! These are incredibly hard to find, and we need more books like this!

The story in itself felt a bit too easy and too predictable, I'd say it would fit with a middle grade age well. It's a bit dark for that age group at times, but that's where I'd put the writing complexity.
However for adults it's just too much on the light side to be fully satisfying.

All in all this was a quick and fun read!

[Jason Crawford]

This book was very challenging and a lot of fun for me to write. It features a blind protagonist, and a 3rd person limited point of view. I made it my personal mission to express myself in her other senses, and I think it turned out well. I'd love to hear what your opinion on that is :)

[S.K. Wee · Rating 4 out of 5]

High Princess Amalia was blinded at birth but through sheer strength of will, she tries to prove to her father and the country of Aetheria that she is up for the challenge to rule when the time comes. The story delves deep into the dark world that surrounds young Amalia. We receive a fantastic glimpse into all her trials and tribulations as she continues through her training.
This well-written story starts a very creative adventure. Dragons along with the fabled dragon-slayers have all but fallen into myth but Amalia realizes that the historical accounts may not tell the whole tale. Wonderful coming-of-age adventure. Highly Recommended.

[Victoria Pring · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I enjoyed this book however the whole using magic to essentially bypass a disability is not an aspect I enjoy, especially as she was immediately able to understand the new imput even though she had never seen anything before, colours for example, how on earth would she know them? It bothered me just enough to interrupt my enjoyment of the story. The story itself was interesting though, a few nice twists, some more obvious than others and a nice strong cast really helped in keeping my attention on this book. The princess was a good character to follow and I did enjoy the inclusion of a guide dog in a fantasy novel as thats something you really dont see often.

[Jentina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. Sensitive and compelling storytelling, really bringing you into the shoes of a blind protagonist, who has so many challenges to face, and yet she does it all with grace and style. Conflict abounds, and Amalia is right on top of it. Lots of delightful surprises, I can't wait for the next one. Read on Audible.

[Martine Carlsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dragon princess is a sweet story that any fan of classic fantasy would like.

The challenge of having a blind protagonist dragged me in, and I was into it to the point that I wanted my eyes back to "see" the world she lives in. (You have a realistic description of what she feels, hears... ) You get to know each character. They are not caricatural and you actually feel for them.

The end is not only a twist but a high quality drama. I couldn't put the book down. I'm curious to read how it turns out in book 2.

I am a bit mixed with the target reader. Though it's definitely a YA book, some descriptions are deeply gritty (what happened when she was a baby). It feels a bit unbalanced. I hope it gets grittier with book 2 as she gets older and stop behaving like a maiden. Same goes for the length. It could have been shorter as it's mostly psychology, and we stay mostly within castle walls (but it never feels boring). I was also a bit perturbed with the different parts in the book - how it jumps from one person's POV to another in the same chapter. Sometime I couldn't grasp directly who I was following.

I can't wait to read more about Amalia and her sister!

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some print things that were a distraction, I liked this book. The author did a good job of telling a story about a blind girl and letting readers "see" things from her perspective. The story moved along well and took a couple of turns before getting to an unexpected, for me, finish. Without giving much away I will say that the ending fit even though I didn't see things working out quite the way they did.