Name: The Dragon of Ynys
ISBN: 9781945009686

Minerva Cerridwen

Every time something goes missing from the village, Sir Violet makes his way to the dragon's cave and negotiates the item's return. It's annoying, but at least the dragon is polite. But when the dragon hoards a person, that's a step too far. Sir Violet storms off to the mountainside to escort the baker home, only to find a more complex mystery-a quest that leads him far beyond the cave. Accompanied by the missing baker's wife and the dragon himself, the dutiful village knight embarks on his greatest adventure yet. The Dragon of Ynys is an inclusive fairy tale for all ages.

The Dragon of Ynys

Nessa Luna

More Queer Reads at The Queer Bookish

This novella has been updated by the author to tackle issues the queer community expressed about it.

I haven’t read the problematic original one so I only know about this because the author told me about it and therefore I can only talk about the new edition of The Dragon Of Ynys.

Which I heavily enjoyed – I just wished there were more pages to it. There are so many characters and I would have loved for the story to be slightly more fleshed out. If I keep in mind that it is supposed to be a fairytale for all ages I can live with the shortness. Especially if that means young children can listen to the book and understand everything.

It is a lovely fairytale with a very amusing dragon going by the name Snap. If I had known this book as a child Snap would have competed with and quite possible won against Fuchur (it’s Falkor in the english translation I think?).

The characters are mostly loveable, some I can’t quite grasp because of the shortness of the book, and I love how issues are solved on page. Mainly trans*phobia and the flirting at a character who absolutely does not want to be flirted with. There’s a lot society should lean from The Dragon Of Ynys.

Bookish Thoughts
I can’t remember any fairytail I was read as a child that had such a positive message for people:

The message that being different from what is considered the norm does not mean you will lead an unhappy life.” (kindle pos. 885)

So to have this message in combination with an inclusive cast, a feelgood ending, and even an aroace character (sadly still not the norm even in inclusive and diverse works)? It’s like a dream come true.

Disclaimer
I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

I absolutely adored this book. It's so incredibly sweet and hopeful and thoughtful and just an absolutely amazing time. I appreciated the discussion of the ways that people can mess up, even when they're trying to help, and the fact that perfection isn't the goal because it's impossible but rather continual growth as we try to do better by the people around us. There were just so many good conversations in the book between characters where they acknowledged that they'd messed up and hurt someone, and the person who was hurt is allowed to voice their hurt and explain what they need to feel more comfortable and safe and their needs are respected. And the ending being Violet's ideal ending to a story? *chef's kiss* perfection

Ethel

A magical tale that makes you feel at ease

Key words: acceptance, LGTBIA+, asexual, tale, fiction, dragon, informative, fantasy, children fiction, ownvoice

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

Thank you Netgalley and Atthis Art for this ebook in exchange of my honest opinion

Ocean

This is such a cute and heartwarming story! The characters are interesting and the theme of the book seems to be about the importance of communication and accepting people for who they are. There are lesbian characters, trans characters, and even an aromantic asexual character. The representation is great and I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Holly and Juniper, and the friendship between Snap and Violet. I would definitely recommend this book for readers of all ages. Who doesn't love stories with dragons and adventures?!

The Dragon of Ynys

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