
Member Reviews

Dancing With Dragons was very well written with beautiful imagery. I kept the idea of Gaia with me for several days afterward.
There were some difficult topics covered, but this was done in a very positive way.
Thank you NetGalley and Sea Dragon Press for the ARC of this book; this is my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before its publication date.
I found myself quickly swept away with this story. So many tragic things happen to Gaia over the course of the book, and her spirit continues to shine through those difficulties. I found myself rooting for her just as loudly as I was for the sea dragons.

The female main character loses her family and with that the dreams she had of becoming a dance die too. Gaia has good character development and I found this to be an okay read. I really wanted to rate this high as I had high hope for it but that wasn’t the case. It was just an okay book

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Dancing with Dragons by Jenni Ogden!

What a wonderful coming-of-age work! This tale centers on Gaia, a young dancer with dreams of ballet who is enthralled by the natural world around her. She must navigate tragedy and other outside forces that threaten her peace and stability as she grows up in the world amid devastating loss. We also meet a wonderful cast of characters that come alongside of her during her growth, and the way she related to them in different ways was wonderful: Jarrah and Seamus also captured my heart, like Gaia did. Lush, evocative, and thoughtful!

Dancing with Dragons is a fantasy about ancient secrets, political intrigue, and fierce battles. When Gaia loses her whole family, her dreams of becoming a dancer die. She leaves her home but returns two years later to make new connections with an aboriginal couple and their nephew. The character development was good but the story itself was a bit of a slog for me. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Dancing with Dragons is a beautiful story spanning several decades. Gaia and Bron live with their parents in the Australian outback. When tragedy strikes, Gaia is left alone and befriends a local Aboriginal couple and their young nephew. The novel looks at how Gaia recovers from her traumatic past with the help of her new friends and the world around her.
With a strong ecological theme, this book will appeal to many readers and despite being heartbreaking at times, end on a positive note.

This story will stick with me.
The way Jenni is able to paint a setting with words is extraordinary. The outback setting and water scenes come alive! The characters are flawed yet beautifully so. The tenderness with which they care for one another is so touching, painfully so at times. But the themes of redemption and second chances in Dancing with Dragons leave the reader with a sense of hope and beauty for those flawed, painful places they may find in their own lives.

I enjoyed Gaia's story and especially the Australian setting and focus on nature. The mixture of emotion and plot made for a good read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of Dancing with Dragons. It is available now!

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Dancing with Dragons by Jenni Ogden. This debut novel is set in Australia, and Gaia’s life changes forever when she is a teenager, when a house fire kills her parents, injures her older brother who then takes off, and leaves her with severe burns and scars. She is in a hospital and foster situation until she is 16, then comes back to her rural home where she attempts to live off the land, and spend time snorkeling and learning about the creatures that live in the sea. Life is difficult but she finds joy and ultimately friendships and found family. This reminded in some ways of Where the Crawdads Sing-both young girls, on their own, communing with nature. I was very pleasantly surprised, enjoyed this story. #dancingwithdragons #jenniogden #netgalley #advancedreadercopy #debutnovel #australia #bookstagram #foundfamily #lovetoread #takeapagefrommybook #readersofinstagram

This is my second book read by this author. It's a very touching and emotional story. The story of a young lady who loves the beauty of the sea. She was suppose to be a ballet dancer before the loss of her mother.
The hope she has of saving some of the creatures in the sea. How she survived losing her parents and then her brother leaving. The prejudice she was forced to witness because she chose to befriend you young Aboriginal boy who loved to watch her dance on the beach.
Gaia and her brother were being trained for the ballet. Their mother had been a ballet dancer and wanted her children to follow in her footsteps. The family lived on a farm where they worked the land. Sold vegetables in the market to make money. They didn't have electricity. Their parents wanted them to live off the land. They lived in a remote area with only a neighbor and his wife.
One day Gaia and her finds Sea Dragons in the water and is mesmerized by them. She knows they are a rare one to see and is so excited. But that night something horrible happens and her life takes a whole new path. She loses both parents in a fire and is badly burned herself. Her brother received burns but nothing like she did. After this Gaia pretty much isolates herself from people.
Gaia makes new friends. She deals with a lot of prejudice and violence because of a young boy who she befriends. While dealing with the possibility of losing the peaceful and tranquil life and the beauty of the sea to people who only want to take land and build resorts. They don't care about the wildlife. She does.
This is a very sweet book. A good read with a good feel to it. Aside from the prejudices that is. It's told in a beautiful way that just draws you in and keeps you turning the pages. To me it was a fast read. One I just couldn't put down.
The Epilogue was beautiful. Gave me chills and a few happier tears. Also do not skip the Author's Notes. A lot of great info there.
Thank you #NetGalley, #SeaDragonPress, for this ARC.
Five big stars.

I loved everything about this book starting with the cover. That was the first thing that I was attracted to. What a wonderfully well written story. I enjoyed reading every page of it.

I didn’t get to Dancing With Dragons before the publish date, but now that I have read it, I gave it 2.5 stars

This was a lovely story of survival and connection. Watching and learning how Gaia loves nature and sea life was amazing. The family dynamics provided very realistic depiction of her family life. This story was absolutely beautiful and is worth the additional attention and time it needed.
Huge thank you to NetGalley, Jenni Ogden, and Sea Dragon Press for this advanced copy.

3.5 stars
Dancing with Dragons is a compelling novel about survival and growth, following the fortunes of the orphaned Gaia, after a tragic house fire claims the lives of her parents. With her brother taking his own path, he returns to the family property to restart her life in whatever way she can.
Returning to her daily routine of dancing and snorkelling, she soon befriends a local Indigenous boy Jarrah, and their friendship helps both to grow in their own way, despite the conflicts that come their way.
This book just felt like summer, every time I picked it up. Ogden’s descriptions of the landscape, the coral and coast really come to life and I found myself thinking back on school summer holidays – not as they were but how you always imagined that they would be.
The central conflicts in the book revolve around some developers keen to turn Gaia’s idyllic surroundings into a resort; and her abusive, alcoholic neighbour Mason, who has designs both on the payout and on Gaia herself.
The rest of the novel revolves around Gaia coming to peace with her past and the things that have happened to her, and taking steps out of a previously sheltered life (home schooling and mother-run ballet practice) to find an extended community of her own, as well as a passion for environmental conservation – an element of the story that could perhaps have provided more challenge for the characters.
Like other readers, I felt that the two main conflicts were resolved a little too easily in the end (although I suppose you would argue otherwise if you were Bron!) and Gaia didn’t really have any other foils to her own growth – everybody else was enchanted by her.
That said, the story flowed well and did build tension – I thought Rita Roo was done for when they said Mason was out shooting roos, as did I think the male sea dragon was similarly fated. I particularly enjoyed reading about how much Jarrah came out of his shell and I liked his Epilogue.
All in, I think from a plotting point of view, this novel could have been tighter in certain aspects. But from the point of view of making the reader feel and root for the characters, I can say that Dancing with Dragons drew me in and I thoroughly enjoyed escaping to the coral coast for a little while.
My thanks to Sea Dragon Press, via NetGalley, for the eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

A beautifully written story of living differently, early life tragedy, learning to overcome, discovering beauty and the importance of finding the right way to forge ahead. A very thoughtful story. Thanks #NetGalley #SeaDragonPress

i enjoyed this book, I just don't know that it what I expected it to be, even after reading the description. I thin kit was much sadder than I thought it would be and I wasn't prepared for that. Why I gave it 3 stars.

oh i just loved this! i found it so beautiful but heartbreaking at the same time - i usually struggle with books that are a little slower paced but this held my attention throughout! the setting was so beautiful as well, i felt like i was transported right over to Australia and could picture everything so vividly.
i’ve loved this author’s previous work and cannot wait to see what they do next!
thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

Dancing with Dragons sounded very different because of its plot.
Gaia and her brother Bron lost their home and parents in a fire when she was 14. They’re so close and then have to go their separate ways. I was drawn to the book immediately.
I have physical and visual disabilities and a lot of scarring. I had to learn how to love my body again after surgeries and so identified with Gaia and Jarrah’s plights.
The areas where they live and the area where the sea dragons were is so atmospheric. The sea dragon mating ritual was interesting and magical.
I felt sad for Gaia and Bron when their parents died, and wondered if they’d ever see each other again as the story developed.
The writing style is gripping all the way through. It makes me feel as if I'm living everything along with the characters. There's no awkward lagging in pace or confusing parts.
Gaia has severe scarring after the fire. Will she ever dance again? Will she feel comfortable with her body? I liked how she met Jarrah, a boy with difficulty walking and a club foot. Their friendship is so special and a joy to witness.
I liked his aunty and I also liked Seamus. I'm half Irish, so the references to Irish culture through him were wonderful.
Will Jarrah and Gaia ever see each other again? I was really hoping they would. I was concerned about Gaia living in the barn of her childhood home.
Dancing with Dragons is magical, heartfelt and has wonderful visuals and well created characters. It’s unforgettable. It’s about learning to love yourself and your body no matter what it’s like. It’s about embracing your passions in life and fighting for the people and things you want and love.
I loved it when Gaia was referred to as a fairy.
New Zealand Aboriginal culture and Irish culture combine in this novel. Ballet and Irish dancing. It’s a lesson in life about finding happiness within sadness and difficulties.
I definitely hope there’ll be more books by Jenni Ogden.
Thanks to Jenni Ogden and Sea Dragon Press for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
5 stars