The world of Kindred Dragons is a wildly fascinating one. All at once readers are thrown into a magical realm in which dragons exist, bonded to specific “kindred” people, eggs just appearing in a basket overnight for the chosen ones. But dragons in this world, living connected to their person, have created a litany of problems for the non-kindred living there. We’re introduced rather quickly to a young girl, Alice, who is desperately waiting to be chosen as a kindred and receive her dragon egg despite sharing no blood with a kindred relative. Her grandmother, who’d adopted her father—a non kindred—for the sole purpose of allowing the kindred line to end with her, has her own dragon which therefore makes this desire of Alice’s even stronger and the subsequent disappointment when she continually does not find an egg in her basket even stronger.

At this same time, an old and sickly dragon grumpily wanders about the wood and its outskirts, his kindred having been somewhat ousted from public society as she now lives deep within the forest. As Alice faces disappointing morning after disappointing morning, watching her friends be chosen, she suddenly finds herself in the position of needing to help this old dragon as he desperately reaches out to her for help, causing problems with the people of the town.

Now Alice, unlike the kindreds, is unable to communicate with any dragons—but in her eager desperation to help the old dragon, Brim, she suddenly develops the ability to receive his thought images and soon learns that his kindred was ill and left to get help, but has not returned. Thus begins a rather beautiful journey of Alice helping Brim, eventually saying goodbye, and finally realizing her calling.

You see, the dragons whose kindred are elderly, sick, and dying have been considered dangerous and are put in chains by the people who do not know how to communicate with or handle them. It’s a sad depiction, one that leaves readers feeling intensely almost immediately for each of the dragons experiencing this. And while Alice may never find a dragon egg of her own in the basket she leaves by her bed, with her newfound abilities, there is something meaningful and dragon-related that she can do.

I loved this story. So. Much. Sarah Mensinga’s Kindred Dragons is such a beautiful tale with the most amazing characters, an exceptional plot, and a fantastic message. The artwork is excellent throughout and I’m so excited to read more as this seems to be only the first in a series. I truly cannot wait to see where it goes next.

A very good introduction to this world where some lucky girls are gifted dragon eggs. Once these egg hatch they become a dragon that the girl is bonded with for life, when one dies the other does as well. While this seems like it would be a dream come true this first volume does a great job of showing why this might not be the "gift" it first appears. I am loving this world and can't wait to learn more about it in future volumes.

The middle-grade graphic novel “Kindred Dragons (Book 1)” by Sarah Mensinga follows Alice who is obsessed with dragons. While she is waiting to see if she will ever get a dragon's egg from the fairies, she finds an abandoned giant dragon in the woods and starts on a journey to help him find his Kindred.

The graphic novel describes itself as “Anne of Green Gables meets How to Train Your Dragon” and I think this description is spot on! The story is engaging and heartwarming. I really loved Brimstone the giant dragon as a character and really felt for him. Supported by the wonderful illustration styleI had a good time reading.

In my opinion it sadly was a great deal more “Anne of Green Gables” than “How to Train Your Dragon”. The familial conflicts had too much room for my taste and I would have liked to have a greater focus on the dragons. If you are a fan of the classic however this will be perfect for you!

Overall this was a solid read with great illustrations and heart.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher ABRAMS Kids | Abrams Fanfare for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the premise, and the mix of real world and fantasy!

I felt like I related to Alice a lot... especially in her passion for dragons and being left out, once her best friend got a dragon!

I really wanted Alice to get her own dragon, or become kindred with Brim once Edith died, but I do really love that she became a foster parent for the abandoned dragons!

I did not like her grandma, however. I felt like she was too stubborn in holding a grudge against Edith for something she did when she was a teenager, and had basically no ability to see Edith's point of view until after Edith died and Alice helped her.

I do think that Alice was too easy in forgiving her Grandma for how she treated her, and I would have liked to see Alice get her own dragon, but I really enjoyed this and I'm excited to read the full color version when it comes out!

I will start off by saying I've never read Anne of Green Gables so I can't compare the two!
I had a lot of issues with the characters and how they treated the main character, Alice. Especially the grandmother. I think the author could have done better to make the grandma stern but not harsh. She belittled Alice and completely tore down her character at the same time that all of Alice's old friends and companions were doing the same thing to her.
It felt like there was very little hope in a book targeted for children. The bleakness of it dimmed the story. It wasn't sweet and whimsical, it was dark and misty because there were so many devastating moments and scenes.
I didn't really enjoy this and I had a tough time making my way through it.

Kindred Dragons was a beautiful story. They got it right when they described it like Anne of Green Gables with dragons! I am excited to read more from the world and to learn more about the main character's special ability. The Drawings were gorgeous and I am eager to see them come to life in full color. Thanks to Netgalley for the E-ARC!

"Kindred Dragons" is a middle grade graphic novel by Sarah Mensinga. The main character, Alice will remind you a bit of Anne of Green Gables at first, being headstrong with fanciful ideas. She is absolutely sure that the fairies will gift her a dragon egg and that she will get a kindred dragon (a dragon that you raise, speak to telepathically, and are tied to life-wise: when one dies, the other dies). When she doesn't, she begins helping a grumpy dragon in the forest. I love the world-building and how emotionally touching the entire book was. I imagine it will be even more beautiful in full color. A must-buy for middle grade graphic novel collections everywhere.