The Dragon's Apprentice

By: James Riley

Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this hilarious fantasy adventure from the New York Times bestselling author of the Story Thieves series, a girl strikes a deal with the ancient, cranky dragon she accidentally summoned to teach her the forbidden magic she needs to save her mother.

STOP. Don’t read any further. There are magic spells in this book, and the Emperor has forbidden anyone from learning magic, because it’s way too dangerous! If you try one of the spells, any number of terrible things might happen (or so the Emperor says).

Don’t be like Ciara, a twelve-year-old girl living in the tiny village of Skael. When she used a spell from within this book, she ended up summoning a dragon. A DRAGON! Those things breathe fire! From their mouths! She’s obviously doomed.

And don’t listen if Ciara tells you that dragons won’t hurt humans, and that they even once taught us magic, a thousand years ago. Definitely don’t pay any attention to the fact that the dragon she summoned, Scorch, might be willing to help rescue Ciara’s mother and free her village from the Emperor and his Warden, because it’s all obviously a big lie. So put this book down, and forget about it. Magic is just way too dangerous. After all, you wouldn’t want to summon your own dragon, would you?

Critic reviews

"Alternately humorous and heartrending, this lively fantasy will have wide appeal." —Kirkus Reviews

"An uproariously funny third-person narrative....chronicling high-spirited hijinks while unspooling an inventive mythology." —Publishers Weekly

"Undeniably entertaining." —Booklist

If Draconian mean dragon, why doesn't it have a G?

I've been a fan of James Riley since I discovered his Story Thieves series back in 2017. His stories have always seemed creative and entertaining, but also with his own distinctive style and The Dragon's Apprentice is no exception. 12 year old Ciara lives in Skael, but is forced to run and hide when it's discovered she has a book belonging to Bianca, someone who has gotten a bad rep over the last millennia thanks to another book that is essentially the world's scripture. The night she runs away, Ciara accidently summons Scortch, a dragon who was as Bianca's mentor. Reluctantly he agrees to help Ciara.
Ciara and Scorch's relationship starts off rocky but, predictably, turns into them becoming friends. I like to think of them of an annoyed uncle and his excited but well-meaning niece. Alana Kerr Collins does a wonderful job bringing the characters to life,
Riley gives us a funny, sometimes snarky, story that I've loved from the beginning. The Dragon's Apprentice has a lot of heart and I'm excited to see where this fantastical series takes us.

Great protagonist and interesting magic mechanics

Ciara has a wonderful drive and voice in this tale, and the dragon, Scorch, makes a great cranky-father figure. My only complaints? Yet another “dead dad” story, and sometimes the magic seemed unnecessarily hamstrung