Super disappointing. This book needed some serious editing - and I know I'm looking at an ARC but I'm not just talking about grammar. Also the "queer rep" was minimal at best.

An enjoyable, adventurous story with some great characters and a lot of heart to it. I particularly appreciated the relationship between the brothers and the focus on them both.

A cute story, but ultimately did not work for me. I could imagine who would enjoy this and may recommend it to others in the future. I however, did not finish it.

DNF @89%
Some middle grade books i do like, but this one was not my cup of tea. It seemed interesting with the lesbian characters and non-binary main character. But i had a hard time feeling it. The story seemed bland and boring to me sadly.

Rhinen and his older brother, Laeb, were both born with dragon wings, assuring their eventual place on the throne. But the inequality between the magic-born Shaynen and the non-magic Klor has sparked a rebellion, and Rhinen's easy life of glass blowing and swordplay takes a sudden change when he is kidnapped by a group of rebels intent on bringing justice to the Klor people. In captivity, Rhinen meets Haia, a young dragon-girl and learns that some of the Klor--who are denied education and live as second-class citizens--can, in fact, do magic.

Would have liked a bit more obvious nonbinary content.
Was a goid book for younger readers though.

<i>A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

2,5-3/5

First things first: if it's the queer rep that's brought you here, I'd suggest you turn back around and find another book. I had hoped the other reviewers had just expected more, but alas, they were right.

Let's start with the 'gender nonbinary protagonist'. Sounds great, right? But all you get is Rhinen, using he/him pronouns, wearing make up for special occasions and a long skirt once; also for a special occasion. Laeb is mentioned often as not wearing make up as it's not his thing, implying that make up for men in this world is nothing strange or non gender confirming. Just by using they/them pronouns, the non binarity of Rhinen would have been obvious. (I know there are nb people okay with he/him or she/her pronouns).

Then we have the lesbian side characters. To put it bluntly, if you don't know this beforehand, you won't see it. Even with knowing it, you have to squint to even get a glimpse of it. The most we get is "I don't smooch boys", which is replied to with "I don't smooch anyone". Following this logic, Rhinen would be asexual. These characters are kids, though. The lesbian characters are under 16, and best friends due to circumstances at school. Just because Laney wants to make Bernice something for good luck and to remember her when she goes on her journey, doesn't mean she's lesbian. Just because she cries when Bernice gets hurt, doesn't mean she's lesbian, and <i>none</i> of it implies Bernice has feelings for Laney, too. So only because we're told, we see Laney as a girl in love with another girl.

Bottom line: the supposed queer rep leaves a lot to be desired. Mostly for it to exist.

It's a true shame, too, because this book had SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL.

Especially today, the fight against inequality is once again incredibly relevant. That part of the book remains important, and the conclusion of it was satisfying to me. The journey towards it, though, not so much. The pacing is off, and characters change their minds way too easily to be believable. It's too easy, it's too fast. This book could have been split up into a duology and have it all fleshed out so much more and better. This book could have been great with a couple more rounds of editing, and not just for spelling and grammar errors (and there were plenty- I hope they got fixed before the actual publishing of this book. Same with the formatting issues. I love a good puzzle, but not in the actual reading of a book:
"It could appear that Fettpotem, not allowing it I'm absorbing Tref into to remain independent.")

Rhinen is supposed to be 13/14 I think, but he reads much older to me. Especially when in the second half of the book he suddenly becomes an almost scientific genius.

HOWEVER, as you can see from my rating, I did somewhat enjoy this book. It's not a BAD book. It's just... as we say in Dutch 'het is het net niet'. It's just off the mark, and with certain things it's too on the nose, by spelling out exactly what message it is sending. It is an easy read, and a good story; it's just the execution that is sadly lacking. Especially the second half is very rushed, and even more especially the ending.

Haia and Rory are my favorite characters, and I will protect them with my life (even if Haia does need some rules in her life haha!)

I hope this book will get some serious editing and rewrites, and will be republished! Though I hate saying that, knowing that so much work goes into writing and publishing a book as is. I'm sorry. I really wanted to love this book, but instead, it's a meh with a lot of things that just weren't working.

I managed to binge this whole book in on day. It was such an easy and digestible read and I flew through it. It was a very entertaining read with good political intrigue for such a young audience and yet still very approachable. For a younger child the beginning may prove a little heavy on description and be a little too info-dumpy. The themes are very important and are very understandable and displayed reasonably throughout the book. However they may prove to be a little heavy handed in places. This may cause some parents to see this has beating the children about the head with these ideologies. I personally however think that these themes should be addressed in such a manner as they educate without over complication. Very good novel. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Book review time! This month, I decided to go with something a little different. It’s a middle grade fantasy, which means it’s aimed at younger readers, but still accessible to older readers. I admit it’s not something I usually seek out, but it’s fun to read stuff like this occasionally. Dragon Brothers by L.B. Lillibridge was released by Furtive Grunion Books on the 26th. I must thank them and NetGalley for giving me access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get on with it!

Dragon Brothers follows Rhinen and Laeb, rare dragon-born brothers, as they fight the inequality that plagues the lands they will one day rule. When Rhinen is kidnapped by Buntars (members of the non-magical Klor who seek equal rights with the magic wielding Shaynan by any means necessary), not only does he learn about their plight, but he discovers another dragon-born, the toddler Haia. After Rhinen and Haia are rescued from the Buntars by the dragon king Tateh and Laeb, the revolution reaches a turning point with the two brothers trying to steer it towards equality for all.

This is a really colorful story. Meaning we get to know what color just about everything is in here. Everyone has unnatural hair colors (sometimes tied in with their powers, sometimes not). There are color shifting cats and winged dogs and all sorts of vivid images. It’s definitely a pretty book in that way. The colorful imagery also helps make the descriptions fun and occasionally unexpected. And the pacing is super tight, which makes for a quick read as much as a fun one.

The plot is a little awkward at times because there doesn’t seem to be any rules to the magic of this world. If they need something, there’s suddenly a character who has just the magic they need. It’s a little too convenient at times. But it’s a middle grade book, so I suppose that’s okay. As a middle grade book, a lot of really complex issues are over-simplified. A lot of things happen much too easily. It’s part of the reason the book went so fast, but also the reason it wasn’t as gripping as it could have been. Even kids’ fiction can be more complex than this one is. The message is good, though.

My only real complaint has to do with the description. It literally says “Featuring a gender nonbinary protagonist and lesbian side characters, Dragon Brothers offers a voice of inclusivity for children everywhere.” I’m sorry, but if you have to say it, chances are you’re not showing it well enough in the book. And this book doesn’t. Rhinen likes to wear makeup and skirts, which is completely normalized in the book. Otherwise, he’s a pretty standard boy. And the lesbian side character is a girl about the same age as the brothers who doesn’t kiss boys and wants to make a special gift for a girl who happens to be her best friend. There’s zero romance in this book, so the lesbian relationship comes off as close friendship. Stop using inclusivity as a marketing tool and just put it in the book.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Dragon Brothers for what it is, a middle grade fantasy. It read a little young for me, but I don’t have kids, so what do I know? It’s cute and I’ll check out other things from Lillibridge if I stumble across them, but I won’t search them out.

Overall, I gave it three out of five stars. If you have kids (recommended for 9-12 year olds, but probably safe for slightly younger kids), check it out. If you enjoy middle grade books yourself, go for it. But you’re not really missing anything if you skip it.

Rhinen and his older brother Laeb were born with dragon wings. To be born with wings means you will be a king or royalty. Lafeber is being trained to become a king under the tutelage of the king. Another king has caused the rebellion of a population called the Klondike people. If the people don’t show they have magic by a certain age, they must do menial work. The Klors feel they are treated poorly. A band of rebels kidnap Rhinen and take him back to their camp. At the came, when Rhinen is thrown into their prison, he meets Haia who is a young girl with dragon wings. They escape together. Rhinen is surprised to see Haia can breathe fire. She shows how she does fire to Rhinen. While Rhinen was the Klor’s prisoner, he discovered that they did have magic abilities. He realizes that even if they didn’t, they should be treated equally rather than as second-class citizens. Lafeber has the same thoughts as Rhinen. The king is willing to do it but the other older kings are not willing to change. Will the Klor win their rights to be equal or not? What will happen to the dragon brothers? Will the Kors win their rights?

The novel is a fantasy that is about two dragon brothers and their relationship. The two brothers listened, questioning and changing the unequal caste class for the Klor people. They do this instead of having a war.
It is a book full of adventures. I enjoyed seeing Rhinen and Haia interacting throughout the story. This is a novel about civil rights. It is an enjoyable story..

A magical fantasy featuring 2 Dragon Brothers: Laeb and Rhynen. In this world, those born with dragon wings are destined to rule the land. Rarely though has there been 2 dragon brothers born to the same mother. They are taken to be wards of the king to be trained in ruling. However, there are many people with magic. For example, Laeb and Rhynen's mother is an Empati, who have the power to influence and read feelings. The system is such though that if the magical abilities do not manifest by 15 years old, the child is kicked out of school and designated as more 2nd class citizens., the Klors. Thus, there's this underbelly of discontent against the ruling class, A group of rebels ended up kidnapping Rhynen and the story really blossomed from there. Soon, there's rebellions in neighbouring kingdoms that threaten to spill all over the world.
I had a hard time at first getting into the book, but as mentioned, things really picked up after Rhynen's kidnapping. I was engaged from then. The world is colorful and magical. Even though the characters are fantastical, they are very relatable. The class inequality and prejudices illustrated unfortunately are also present in our world. I also really like that the 2 brothers have a close bond. Each of them have strengths that are used to try to better society. This is a middle grade book and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to young readers.

**Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an ARC for an honest review.**

**ARC from NetGalley**

I will be recommending this to tweens & teens that are looking for a fun royal dragon type book with a bit of drama and no romance. The brother's relationship is healthy and encouraging.

The system of government is… an interesting one, where a child born with dragon wings is brought to the castle to be raised as little princes, princesses, etc. In the story’s case, there are a pair of brothers born with dragon wings. It’s not quite explained just why this would distinguish them as leaders. (And, if I think too much about it, I can’t imagine any ruling monarch would be happy with the sudden arrival of random children and their mother.)

Except this quickly becomes apparent that this isn’t always the case because one of the major characters is a girl with dragon wings who has not been claimed as an heir to any throne. Though, to be fair, she’s also a toddler at best. I do have a gripe with her character and her speech patterns. Haia is a toddler and speaks well… Like this:

“Me mad. Me make mad come out. Like this.”

Children… don’t tend to speak like this, even very young. Grammar is one of the first things kids pick up on, at least in my experience. This type of ‘baby talk’ is admittedly a pet peeve of mine in writing and shouldn’t be the strongest point of contention here.

Additionally, an ancient prophesy or so if brought into the story–but far too late for me to pay it any mind!

While the heart is in the right place, I found this book a little lacking. It felt really heavy on exposition, especially in the early chapters, and I never quite wrapped my head around the magic system. At the same time, this book came off a little bland. However, I do think that the heart of it is kind and good, pushing for equality and inclusivity and that the book could have been stronger if it went through another round of editing.