This book surprised me! That's a pretty big deal, especially in a YA novel. Stories with dragons really seem to go one of two ways, but not this book. This book went it's own way.
1. Loved our heroine. She's determined, she's brave, and she's smart. There was a part in the middle of the book where she got kind of stuck doing nothing, which was frustrating, but she made up for it in the end. The dialogue was good, even though the story was lacking in side characters. The story felt a little too to-the-point without some of the character-building that's enjoyable in a story. She should have interacted with more people to add some interest.
2. Love the boy. There's always a boy, and we're always Supposed to love him, but frequently for me he falls short. This boy is adorable, he matches the story perfectly. He's a good character in his own right.
3. World-building. While the world-building was pretty basic, it was also Unique! I treasure a unique world. Dragons who are also humans who also rule the land. And the non-dragon humans are mad about it. And there's dragon school. Love it. It took some familiar elements and mixed them in new ways. I like to be curious about what will happen instead of predicting it from the first page. Everything did hurry on to the end (the book felt short). Some more description and dialogue would have helped.
Definitely made for a younger audience, with that simplicity and goodhearted feeling you often find in J-Fic novels. That's not a bad thing though, because I liked it. It was magical. A little like the early Harry Potter books, which are cute and happy and magical.

This is the first book in a new YA fantasy trilogy set in a world with dragons. Unfortunately this one didn't work for me. I wasn't invested in the characters and I didn't find the plot very compelling. The world was quite an interesting one and I'm a fan of dragons, but other than that this book wasn't for me personally. If you love YA fantasy then this may be worth checking out.

This was a fun book to read, it had some great characters and a really engaging story line. I definitely recommend reading this book!!!

If authors keep writing fantasy books like this, my library is going to EXPLODE! Pages spewed everywhere! It will be messy...

This is the first books in a new fantasy series entitled Alveria Dragon Academy and it's no surprise I'll be keeping my eye out for the sequels. This is a really well-written book. I enjoyed a lot of Richardson's lexical choices and flowing addictive prose. There are many mind-bendingly exciting scenes, so much plot intrigue and magic! I mean the main character is attending a magical academy to be a dragon tamer. THIS IS MY DREAM JOB ,OKAY!?

I'm not sure if I agreed with all the protagonist's choices but she has overcome a lot and it reads like we are floating in her mind. She is a fantastic character. Strong minded but flawed at the same time. I will be adding this author to my "keep an eye on" list because dang, I'm impressed.

Lots of magic and an intriguing plot. I enjoyed reading about the MC discovering her magical abilities, fighting the nobles for her rightful place, and the plot. The prince's pov was also nice to read - a prince who has to fight his fears in order to earn a position he wants.

It was very much a YA book. The type where girl meets boy and awkwardly flirt, love, then breakup, repeat. Annoyingly, it took up a major portion of the book, and I skimmed though most of those parts. I would have loved the book were it not for the romance. It would've made the characters a lot more interesting.

This is definitely not a character driven novel though. The characters are a little flat, even the MC, but they're developed enough to not ruin the story.

Still, aside from that, I really did enjoy the character's growing magical abilities and I'd be interested in reading the next book, if only to get closure on knowing what happens next. It was compelling in that way. Younger readers, or people who like that kind of romance, would enjoy this book.

I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. The story is about a girl who finds out she had dragon blood and is sent to an academy to learn and she meets the prince: not a spoiler- it happens in like the first couple chapters. I liked the development of the characters although there were times I felt confused like details were missing but they were soon cleared up and the story flowed well. I am excited to move onto book two and finish the story. Over all it’s a very well written book and the relationships are well developed.

A cute YA adventure about a girl and a prince earning their place in their world.

The first half was a little slow and I wish the time was spent better because the world building was a little lacking, but the plot picks up at about 45% and stays relatively steady for the rest of the book. The main characters are a little surface-deep and the side characters a little cookie cutter, but it does feel targeted towards the middle-grade side of YA so that's not totally unexpected. A fluffy adventure series featuring dragons, prince's and magic boarding schools sounds like a perfect enough reason a preteen girl might read this, and they'd enjoy it.

The book was longer than it should have been for what little occurred, which might have been offset if there'd been any sort of side story running parallel to Kaelan's and Lasaro's. I also noticed that book 2 is going to be released only two months after this one, and book 3, two months after that which makes me think that this paced as if it's a very long book with three parts rather than three books.

I'm interested enough that I might check up on the sequel in a few months to see what follows.

The Dragon Tamer by Ava Richardson. A well written and intriguing story set into a very well built world. Dragons live alongside humans and can take human shape, but in order to reach their full potential they need a tamer. The tamer has dragon blood, and bonds with only certain dragons in both of their lives. Put this book on your TBR list.

Oh, this was a really good read. I went into The Dragon Tamer with low expectations, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The world-building was so descriptive, and the plot was unique. I've never come across a book on shape-shifting dragons and have human tamers as well. I thought some parts were cliche and it was low-key insta-love since they were kind of enamored by each other from the start, but other than those, it was a fun and quick read! Can't wait for the second book this December!

Once I started reading this book I could not put it down. The action was exciting and the characters were lovable. I look forward to the next installment.

This is a new author to me but I really loved the world building and characters so often first books are a little slow pacing especially fantasy books but this one didn’t have a slow moment the story kept moving along with plenty of action. I can’t wait for the next one at the end of the year.

I received this novel from net galley and the publisher. Thank you!
This novel was an amazing read! I could not put it down! It contains dragons, magic, romance, betrayal, and adventure all together. Kaelan Younger is a stubborn young woman, who helps to heal others, like her mother, is loyal to the crown, and can suddenly roar? Kaelan learns the truth of her heritage as her mother is dying from sickness and the only way she can be healed is by a dragon. With a letter given to her by her mother, she travels to the Akademy, where she plans to become a dragon tamer. Along the way, she is attacked and saved by Lasaro, the Prince of Alveria, who is trying to become the chosen heir, but has not yet transformed into a dragon until he sees Kaelen in trouble. Lasaro knows Kaelen is to be his dragon tamer and they strike a bargain. However, Kaelen is a peasant and is not readily accepted by the Akademy to train as a dragon tamer. We see the relationship develop between Lasaro and Kaelen, but he betrays her with his words when confronted in various situations due to in part his selfishness and the love he has for her. Kaelen falls in love with Lasaro as well, but there are rules that must be followed. Lasaro wants to change some of those rules, since it has caused much dissension among the people of his kingdom and the dragons. However, the enemy has found a way to cause trouble within the kingdom. Lasaro and Kaelen need to find a way to stop the enemy before the kingdom falls.

An engaging and fast-paced book about magic, heritage, love and prejudice set against the backdrop of a dragon-ruled kingdom that is threatened from without and within. Book two couldn’t come soon enough!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

Kaelan is a poor peasant who finds out at age 16, that her father is a notorious dragon, in a country ruled by dragons. War is threatening from their neighbors, and the prince goes to school to try and gain the future throne.

This is a fast paced, emotional story that is smart and fun to read. This is not a terribly long book, and for that I am grateful. The author doesn’t try to fit too much into the story and bog it down, but gives us enough to give a good story and crave the next in the series. I already have a wishlist of things I hope to have answered in the next book, and hope it’s as good as this was.

Dragon Tamer is enjoyable fantasy. I appreciated the dialogue most of all, including how this author built characters with it. Recommended as an entertaining read.