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Dear Dragon
The Union was a political declaration of cooperation. Humans, mages, fairies, and many other magical and non-magical species worked together under the same king to maximize efficiency. The kingdom was striving in comparison to its neighbours.
Yet, not every species saw their quality of life improve. One species saw very little of the Union, as they vanished shortly after joining.
Most people didn’t think much of dragons’ disappearance, supposing dragons up and left. Itazu was not one of those people, see, that would mean they left her behind. And from what little she remembered of her mother, and the stories her father told, it seemed unlikely.
Itazu hid her heritage from the world around her. She did as her father recommended, she didn’t transform or use her strength. She worked at a busy bookstore and buried her curiosity deep down.
Until a letter arrived addressed ‘Dear Dragon’, promising answers. Itazu had common sense, but not enough of it to outweigh the now growing tree of curiosity. She followed the instructions in the letter, onto a train heading to an unknown location.
Had she known she wouldn’t be back by Monday, she would have left a note for her father, but it was too late for that now.
Yet, not every species saw their quality of life improve. One species saw very little of the Union, as they vanished shortly after joining.
Most people didn’t think much of dragons’ disappearance, supposing dragons up and left. Itazu was not one of those people, see, that would mean they left her behind. And from what little she remembered of her mother, and the stories her father told, it seemed unlikely.
Itazu hid her heritage from the world around her. She did as her father recommended, she didn’t transform or use her strength. She worked at a busy bookstore and buried her curiosity deep down.
Until a letter arrived addressed ‘Dear Dragon’, promising answers. Itazu had common sense, but not enough of it to outweigh the now growing tree of curiosity. She followed the instructions in the letter, onto a train heading to an unknown location.
Had she known she wouldn’t be back by Monday, she would have left a note for her father, but it was too late for that now.
355 pages, Paperback
Published December 30, 2021
4 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Russell
4 books2 followersAbout the Author, me, Hannah Russell.
I always hate bios, it's like, nobody really cares about my life. Even I don't care to hear about my life. I lived it. It was fine, like, mediocre, six out of ten?
Yet, it's expected, I am expected to sell myself, an expression I hate by the way, I know what it means and it's supposed to reflect self-confidence, but I am not an object to be sold.
I am a person.
So, how do I relate to my book? Other than the fact I wrote it. I guess, it's important to me. It's not like, a piece of my soul turned into words, I didn't write it with blood or sweat. But I'm still proud of myself. I had an idea at the age of fifteen and wrote it down on a piece of paper instead of just forgetting for a change.
Did I forget the piece of paper for five years? Yes. But I mean, better late than never?
I've spent two years, two years with this book as a part of my life. That's longer than some people manage to stay in my life.
I've made timelines, drawn references, I've written and read, read some more, re-written, edited, read it again, re-wrote some bits, revised, edited... it was tiring. At times it felt like it would never be complete.
It still feels like I could add and improve and re-write infinitely. But with every draft, I got a better book. And six drafts in, I'm content. I think it has quality, the characters know who they are and the plot is built on a sound structure.
So, I hope you can relate to the characters, and learn to love them like I did. I hope you can enjoy the world and visit it with me.
I'd like you to know, that the same questions you ask while reading, I asked myself while writing. And although we may come across those questions at different moments, the experience is closer than you may think.
I love reading.
I love writing.
I love them both, for the exact same reason.
I always hate bios, it's like, nobody really cares about my life. Even I don't care to hear about my life. I lived it. It was fine, like, mediocre, six out of ten?
Yet, it's expected, I am expected to sell myself, an expression I hate by the way, I know what it means and it's supposed to reflect self-confidence, but I am not an object to be sold.
I am a person.
So, how do I relate to my book? Other than the fact I wrote it. I guess, it's important to me. It's not like, a piece of my soul turned into words, I didn't write it with blood or sweat. But I'm still proud of myself. I had an idea at the age of fifteen and wrote it down on a piece of paper instead of just forgetting for a change.
Did I forget the piece of paper for five years? Yes. But I mean, better late than never?
I've spent two years, two years with this book as a part of my life. That's longer than some people manage to stay in my life.
I've made timelines, drawn references, I've written and read, read some more, re-written, edited, read it again, re-wrote some bits, revised, edited... it was tiring. At times it felt like it would never be complete.
It still feels like I could add and improve and re-write infinitely. But with every draft, I got a better book. And six drafts in, I'm content. I think it has quality, the characters know who they are and the plot is built on a sound structure.
So, I hope you can relate to the characters, and learn to love them like I did. I hope you can enjoy the world and visit it with me.
I'd like you to know, that the same questions you ask while reading, I asked myself while writing. And although we may come across those questions at different moments, the experience is closer than you may think.
I love reading.
I love writing.
I love them both, for the exact same reason.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 27, 2022
A beautiful and action-packed story
-I would like to thank the author for the eARC-
Since the Union was declared, every species worked together under the same king. It seemed to be fine, but not every species has the same quality of life, especially dragons, who disappeared completely shortly after. Or so people thought. Itazu had to hide her true nature as her father advised her to. Working in a bookstore suited her just fine, until a letter adresseed to a "dragon" was left at her doorstep. The answers the sender promised being too inciting for her, she decides to trust this stranger and meet with them. For better and for worse.
I had a blast reading this book! It was fun and light, easy to read, but at the same time, full of action and mystery. Taz is an amazing character and journeying with her was an absolute pleasure. I liked her determination and strength. The secondary characters were also really intriguing and I never really knew who was on which side, which made the story all the more interesting. The magic with the dragons and all was really quite unique and easily explained. The world is fascinating and I can't wait to know more about all this in the next book. I also thought that the writing was quite nice and poetic at times and it really pulled me into the story easily, making it hard to close the book once opened. The pace was really good, with a good balance between action and talks and the character development quite interesting. I liked the mystery surrounding everything and uncovering the secrets with Taz and her friends. All in all, it is a great story for all readers.
I really recommend if you like fantasy and dragons!
"I'm begging you, Taz, don't die a hero with no cause."
TW: violence, genocide, blood, gore, kidnapping, abuse, death, fire
-I would like to thank the author for the eARC-
Since the Union was declared, every species worked together under the same king. It seemed to be fine, but not every species has the same quality of life, especially dragons, who disappeared completely shortly after. Or so people thought. Itazu had to hide her true nature as her father advised her to. Working in a bookstore suited her just fine, until a letter adresseed to a "dragon" was left at her doorstep. The answers the sender promised being too inciting for her, she decides to trust this stranger and meet with them. For better and for worse.
I had a blast reading this book! It was fun and light, easy to read, but at the same time, full of action and mystery. Taz is an amazing character and journeying with her was an absolute pleasure. I liked her determination and strength. The secondary characters were also really intriguing and I never really knew who was on which side, which made the story all the more interesting. The magic with the dragons and all was really quite unique and easily explained. The world is fascinating and I can't wait to know more about all this in the next book. I also thought that the writing was quite nice and poetic at times and it really pulled me into the story easily, making it hard to close the book once opened. The pace was really good, with a good balance between action and talks and the character development quite interesting. I liked the mystery surrounding everything and uncovering the secrets with Taz and her friends. All in all, it is a great story for all readers.
I really recommend if you like fantasy and dragons!
"I'm begging you, Taz, don't die a hero with no cause."
TW: violence, genocide, blood, gore, kidnapping, abuse, death, fire
June 26, 2022
I just finished the book and I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about it. I really enjoyed the story. A race almost extinct, only some youths and children left and a big secret around them. There’s action, there’s emotion and there is character development that I really liked.
On the other hand it felt a bit rushed. I wouldn’t have minded 100 or 200 pages more to give the story a bit more time to unfold. More room for details and maybe a bit more backstory.
That being said I am really looking forward to the next book coming out because I really want to know what becomes of the characters. And there are some threads of the story that remained loose at the end and I hope they will get picked up again in the second book.
All in all it was a really enjoyable read and I most definitely recommend it to anyone who likes ya high fantasy with action and emotion. No spice involved.
On the other hand it felt a bit rushed. I wouldn’t have minded 100 or 200 pages more to give the story a bit more time to unfold. More room for details and maybe a bit more backstory.
That being said I am really looking forward to the next book coming out because I really want to know what becomes of the characters. And there are some threads of the story that remained loose at the end and I hope they will get picked up again in the second book.
All in all it was a really enjoyable read and I most definitely recommend it to anyone who likes ya high fantasy with action and emotion. No spice involved.
September 6, 2021
Great story!
A very cute tale, lots of action. The end felt a bit rushed to me and left plenty of room for a sequel! Hint hint! Good read!
A very cute tale, lots of action. The end felt a bit rushed to me and left plenty of room for a sequel! Hint hint! Good read!
October 8, 2023
If you read this book, do it knowing that the writing is still imperfect and that some things may be odd. I’m an avid reader and I love when the authors show me the narrative, but in this book, it was more tell than show. That made it difficult for me to fully connect with the characters, but still, I liked Kai from the beginning, although his personality changes from one moment to the other were a bit of a shock; I found Zack very annoyed by his need for company, and May was suspicious to me at first glance. I couldn't understand many of Itazu's reactions, I didn’t feel her anguish or relief, I didn't share her fury or her joy or her quiet moments, because the emotions were said, but not presented to arouse them in me. And I think that's why it was a bit difficult for me to read. But I wanted to know what happened next, how it ended, which is good, because even if I'm committed, I don't read something I don't like or don't call me.
So, generally speaking, I liked Itazu's story. It was... it had more action than I expected, to be honest, and I don't know how I expected less in a world with dragons, but the mind is strange, isn't it?
So, generally speaking, I liked Itazu's story. It was... it had more action than I expected, to be honest, and I don't know how I expected less in a world with dragons, but the mind is strange, isn't it?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews