3.5 stars (rounded up) for this absolutely adorable novella that I had the pleasure of reading before the official release!

This is truly a book for all ages, although I feel that it would have the biggest effect on younger children and teenagers still struggling to find acceptance in our world for deviating from the norm society has set for us. The amount of LGBTQ+ representation in this story is astonishing - trans, lesbian, aromantic and asexual just within our three human main characters, and others touched upon. You can really tell how much thought and love went into this project, which made it so delightful to read. I've seen another reviewer describe it as the literary equivalent of a hug, and that describes it really well if you ask me.

We follow the story of Sir Violet, a knight/not really a knight, who makes it his mission to protect the quaint village of Ynys. The most trouble he ever encounters is the long-fingered dragon who lives in a nearby cave, but even he always returns the things he's taken if asked nicely. So when the local baker, Juniper, goes missing, his first thought is to go looking there. However, the dragon would never take a human - and so him, Sir Violet and the baker's wife Holly start their adventure to go find Juniper and bring a little more love and acceptance into this world.

I think the concept behind this book was so intriguing and lovely, but I can't help but wish for a little more magic in the world. It already feels fantastical with the mythological creatures, so I wish the whole thing was taken up a notch to create an even more magical atmosphere. The themes of acceptance were expressed a little too overtly at times for my personal taste, but that's very much a personal complaint. Furthermore, I can see why it would be deemed necessary to make the story more accessible to younger readers, which is exactly the group I'd recommend this book to the most.

The importance of having stories where you see yourself represented in a positive light cannot be stressed enough. I think this is an absolutely beautiful story for all those who are not treated with the kindness they deserve in our society and need to know that that is not okay - everyone deserves to be their authentic self and receive nothing but love for that.

First thing first, let’s take a moment to admire this beautiful cover by @ullathynell. This cover is the reason why I downloaded this book on @Netgalley. Second reason is because this book talks about LGTBIA+ and I haven’t read a lot of books on that subject. It was really informative. This book is quite short (less than a hundred pages for the ebook) but let’s keep in mind that it is a tale and tales are short. Also, that is why, I think, this book only explains terms such as transgender, asexual, aromantic without going deeper on these notions. It was not a problem at all from my point of view because it is important to have books like that, that explains the terms without being heavy and difficult to read. Minerva herself is a quenderqueer aromantic asexual writer, making this book a #ownvoice. I saw that it was the second version of this book as the first one could be seen as hurtful but since I didn’t read it, I cannot compare. Nonetheless, I can tell you that this book is great and the characters are all loveable, especially the dragon, and learning from their mistakes. It just makes you feel at ease. The only critique I have is that I think this tale is missing some magic. Otherwise, I fully recommend this book, especially for children but not only.
4/5

3.5 sweet stars!

The Dragon of Ynys is a tale that will bring joy to readers of all ages. I couldn’t help but feel at ease during this book; the characters were outwardly peaceful, their journey just the right amount of whimsical.

~★~ What is this book about? ~★~

In the small village of Ynys, people are quick to notice when their possessions start disappearing. Knight Violet is assigned to investigate and retrieve the lost items.
Soon enough, he discovers that a dragon is the village thief, and it becomes common for the two to encounter each other whenever Violet returns to collect the stolen goods.
When a person goes missing this time, Violet is almost sure he’ll find her in the dragons lair. The dragon assures Violet he would never steal a person, and thus the two embark on a journey to find the lost girl.

~★~

This book was an unexpected joy! I grew attached to Sir Violet and his sweet demeanor in no time, as well as the supporting cast and Snap the friendly dragon. It was great to follow an asexual, aromantic protagonist that is written from an author who identifies as the same.

This is a story largely surrounding acceptance and welcoming others into their true self, which was much needed on my part. It’s been a while since I’ve read something this simplistic and meaningful, so I’m happy to have gotten around to The Dragon of Ynys!

My one small complaint is that I wished there were more to the magic of this world. There wasn’t enough time to properly address the creatures present, much less the physical magic. I wish there was something a little more inventive included. All in all, I had a fun time with this one!

<i>“Why?” the spider asked. “What message do you think is so important that everyone should hear it?”</i>
<i>“The message that being different from what is considered the norm does not mean you will lead an unhappy life.”</i>

Have you been craving a fiercely queer fairytale involving a dragon, suitable for children and adults alike? Well, this is that fairytale.

A note: this story was first published in 2018, but the version that I've read is the new re-edit and republication for 2020, featuring new sensitivity edits (which is worth bearing in mind when looking at reviews from before this year).

Although the title mentions both a dragon and the word "Ynys", this book is neither Welsh nor set in Wales. In the small fairytale village of Ynys, treasured items begin to go missing, and the village knight Violet is tasked with their retrieval. For ten years, and many polite encounters with the culprit, a dragon named Snap, all is well, until one day the baker goes missing. Snap the dragon is under suspicion, and Violet sets off on a quest to rescue her.

This story could be so important for so many children to read, LBGT or otherwise. I know that if I'd read it as a child, it would have offered me a perspective that I otherwise wouldn't encounter until adulthood.

The protagonist is, like the author, ace and aro. There are trans characters. There are lesbian characters. There are non-binary characters. There are matter-of-fact discussions about pronouns done in a gently educational way without removing the reader from the story. There are gender-nonconforming characters.

This book will no doubt enrage certain people who may call it "preachy" or say that it has an "agenda" (sigh), but fairytales are supposed to have a moral, right? Although perhaps a little clunky in places (the introduction of a key trans character stood out a little in this regard), the messages and the story itself are really beautiful.

This is a fairly quick read – it only took me a couple of hours finish, and could be read to children by parents or read solo by middle-grade children.

A huge thank you to Atthis Arts and NetGalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Not only the gorgeous cover attracted me to this book, but also the synopsis promising a story involving polite dragon and the book being an inclusive fairy tale for all ages. The latter is something I think the world could use more, since of late my eyes have been opened to flaws regarding representation and questionable behaviour being unchallenged in other books meant for children. It was really refreshing to read a story like this one and I believe this story really helps to prevent harmful bias for the younger generations growing up. I would definitely want to read this story to children!

The synopsis set the bar high for me, but the book has more than met my expectations. What really warms my heart is that in need of searching a new publisher for her book, the author took the decision to rewrite parts of the book because of comments other reviewers had about sensitivity issues the first edition sadly contained, even though it’s aim was to be inclusive. To the best of my knowledge, these issues are fixed in this edition. I have to say that the fact that the author not only acknowledged these issues, but also put effort in rewriting the book shows how intent she is about writing a truly inclusive story.

The story itself is told really smooth: descriptive enough to get a good feeling of the world but not too detailed for it to become boring. Even though the book is compact, it feels amazingly complete which is very impressive. The characters in this book are unique and each is lovable in their own way. My favourite character was Snap the dragon. He made such funny comments that often I would catch myself of laughing out loud. It was so unique to read about a dragon as a complete character in a story and also about one with such an amazing personality.

My favourite thing about the book was the underlying message, which is that people should learn from each other through communicating with other people about their needs and experiences. The way this aspect was pursued in the book was beautiful and original. Also, I loved that the characters in the book wanted representation, just like the readers of this book want from this book.

I’m really not able to think of any negative feedback about this book, so the five stars I give it are definitely well deserved. I’m looking forward a lot to reading more from this author in the future!

I started reading this book last night and I've already finished it, and I have so much to say about it!!!! First of all: I LOVED IT! This has definitely been one of my favorite reads of the year. Absolutely loved it.

Let me begin by giving you a little history on the book itself. The Dragon of Ynys was first published in May, 2018 by Less Than Three Press (LT3). There were two problems in the first version of the book: firstly it contained some elements which were hurtful to the trans readers and secondly there were sentences in the first edition of the book which the author could've challenged but didn't then.

Because of the above mentioned reasons and the fact that the own voice author - who identifies as asexual and somewhere on the spectrum of aromantic - paid attention to the feedback, the author decided to make the necessary corrections and bring out a second version of the book. I appreciate an author who is willing to recognize the flaws in her story and even takes the time to correct those flaws. So kudos to her for that, it's honestly quite brave of her.

Coming to the book and the story - The Dragon Of Ynys is a wonderful tale! A short and fulfilling conquest of an aro/ace knight, a trans-woman/F baker family and a dragon! It's a perfect fit of a queer fantasy troupe (which I definitely would love to be a part of) - a dragon, giant spiders, a knight, a small town and bakers!

It all starts out with the knight - Sir Violet - discovering the compulsive thief in town - Snap, the dragon. The conversations between Violet and Snap are funny, witty and sarcastic, everything you'd expect when interacting with a dragon. The sarcastic humour gets even better when Sir Violet goes straight to the dragon when the town's best baker - Juniper - goes missing.

It's the event that marks the start of the main storyline: the reason for Juniper's sudden disappearance and the conquest to find her by her wife - Holly, accompanied by Sir Violet and the dragon. The story gets even more interesting once they do find Juniper and all four embark on their subsequent mission of meeting the spiders to help them with their final conquest.

I would say that this book was probably written for the age group of 6-12 year olds and would even require guidance from a parent at some points to understand some of the issues addressed here. But in my opinion, like any well-written children's book, it would make for a great read for all age groups. Like the author said, "After all, representation is not just about seeing yourself in a story. It also, more generally, opens our minds and explains the perspectives of other people around us."
I loved that the characters in the book are flawed and are accepting of themselves too. They acknowledge the problems and work on improving them, sending out a clear message that there's always a way around most of them. The character Violet identifies as aromantic and asexual which I felt was a bit underplayed but appreciate the character's acceptance of self.

What I loved most about the book was how tight the plotline was, from start to finish. Despite how short the book is, it's completely whole, the ending didn't feel incomplete and I would certainly read this book again! I would rate this book 5 out of 5 cinnamon roll shaped bookmarks and would highly recommend you all to give it a read!

The second version of the publication comes out on 15 September, 2020 so remember to keep an eye out for this. I hope I get to read more books like this because inclusion starting from children's fiction is an exceedingly important step. It is high time we start acknowledging own voice authors who have written stories where every individual whether an adult or a kid feels represented.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Atthis Arts for providing me with an eARC of the book to review. I'd also like to congratulate the author Minerva Cerridwen on her efforts to bring to us a corrected second edition of the book.

I love reading fairytales and in particular have always enjoyed friendships between dragons and people. So the first half of this book provided that for me and I was loving this novella. However, I found the writing and the plot line in the second weren't as enjoyable. The themes of acceptance were great, but they were reinforced a little too overtly for my taste (although maybe that is necessary for some people).

All in all, this was a cute novella that I enjoyed.

This is a beautiful book about acceptance of oneself and others.

The message of acceptance is seen and felt throughout the whole book. This book is easy to understand and connect with, no matter age or who or what you are.

It is a warm, safe place for you to explore ideas about yourself and allows you to feel complete about it. There really is something for everyone and the fairytale setting is absolutely marvelous. It creates the perfect backdrop for a book about being different.

I can’t thank the author enough for writing this book, definitely looking forward to more.

Overall 5⭐

What can I say? This was a fun, really fast read. A modern day fairytale for LGBTQ+ peoples to see themselvea in.

It has a simple message of acceptance, that being different isn't wrong and there are people out there like you. That connections need to be made to help people.

It spends it's roughly 34k word count doing a great job. Understandable by kids and a must read for adults who, especially, have trans kids and want to do right by them.

A story with great, absolutely great inclusion

The only unfortunate element is again, no character descriptions. Yes, the LBGTQ+ characters are amazing, but there are Black and Brown members and without description, how will any know if they fit in the narrative of the story?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

The Dragon of Ynys is a really fun fairytale about a knight, a dragon, and finding where one belongs in the world. It is about acceptance and kindness and all the other wonderful things that books can teach us about. It is a quick read and is perfect for young and old alike. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA fantasy and fairytales.

This is a story of love and acceptance not only for others but yourself as well. This book tells that you are not alone and that your story needs to be heard. That being different is ok it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. Parts of this book made me giggle. I just love a book with dragons and the fact that this one is a polite thief makes it all the better

I recieved an eARC of this novella through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, for clarity - this is actually a republication of a novella originally published in 2018. I didn't read the original version, but the author explains in her note at the end that after the original publication she realised that the way in which she had portrayed trans characters (and cis characters' opinions of those characters) was harmful. Minerva Cerridwen has since come out as genderqueer and several sensitivity readers helped in the rewriting of this story.

I went into this story knowing that it was an LGBT+ fairytale containing dragons - it was lovely to see just how much LGBT+ representation there is! There are two openly trans characters (one trans woman, one trans girl) as well as at least one nonbinary character. The trans woman is a lesbian married to a cis woman. There is also representation of an aromantic asexual character in this story - the author is aro & ace, so this representation is #ownvoices.

Overall I thought this was a very sweet middle-grade level novella dealing with important social issues. Diversity and equality are major themes, with a strong message to accept all people (and dragons) not just in spite of their differences but because of them. This book also shows the importance of communication, that it's okay to ask for space if you need it, and that avoiding problems is not the best way of dealing with them. Serious issues are balanced well with lighthearted humour, lots of love and friendship, and a healthy dash of cinnamon. Although the characters do face some adversity it is not a particuarly tense or upsetting read.

This would make an excellent short chapter book to read with younger children. 20+ years ago I was a little girl obsessed with books and dragons. I know that I would have loved this story then, especially since I grew up to be a queer woman with lots of trans and nonbinary friends!

Happy reading,

Maisie Rose

This was a very cute story about acceptance, leaving behind prejudice, and welcoming others in their own true self.
I really appreciated the intent of the story and, reading the acknowledgments of the author, I applaud all the work that went into rewriting it to mend some mistakes in the first publication. I love to see an author that can recognize the flaws in their own work, listen to reviews, and try to make it better. That's very brave.
The messages of the story felt a little too preachy and in-your-face. I prefer to read a story and learn the lessons in a more subtle way. Maybe if you look at it from a kid's story then it might make more sense, but I still believe not everything needs to be spelled out to be understood.
Nevertheless, this kind of stories need to be told more and more and I like to see that they do exist and start to get more credit. Own voices books are incredibly important and I hope one day soon every little kid or adult will be able to see themselves represented in more and more books. Inclusion in fiction, starting from children's fiction, is an incredibly important step to create a more accepting and loving future generation.
I'd like to thank the published and NetGalley for providing me an e-copy to review.

Sir Violet is a knight, or, well, at least mostly a knight. He has never met the king and thus never formally been knighted, but as he handles all the knightly duties in his town, the point is fairly negligible. The town itself is pretty peaceful, and most of Sir Violet’s duties involve trekking out to the dragon’s cave and asking him to return whatever item the dragon has stolen from an unlucky townsperson this time. The dragon, Snap, is polite and easy going, though an incurable kleptomaniac, so Sir Violets duties are not generally terribly onerous. But when the baker goes missing, Sir Violet, the baker’s wife, and the dragon must set off on a quest.

I love dragons. I love dragon art. I love dragon books. I love dragons. I also love fairytale.So you might say I am a bit predisposed to like stories like this one. A fun fairy tale will always be my favorite form of entertainment.

But that’s not all this novella has to offer. I am ace. I hoard stories with ace representation the way Snap hoards gold. There isn’t much in the way of ace representation in any media, though the field is slowly growing. I will say that this is the only story I have ever encountered with an aro-ace main character—so the field is definitely not in danger of crowding. The world is made better by stories like this one. It’s nice to know the web is being built, to know that these stories are there and that they have a place.

Plus it is straight up funny. Its got a good selection of one liners, like when the dragon goes to clear up snow from an avalanche and says“Now if you would please both get out of the way. I am about to create a river and have been told that drowning is not a recommendable death.“

So, if you’re looking for a fun, inclusive, and lighthearted fairytale, look no further. It’s short enough to read in a single sitting, but filled with enough heart to make your entire day.

I’m thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my request for a review copy of this book.