THE DRAGON TAMER; by Ava Richardson ***Guest Post-Why does Ava Richardson love dragons?***
The Dragon Tamer
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: October 31st 2018
For seventeen-year-old Kaelan Younger, growing up at the bottom of Alverian society has been hard, made even harder by the fact that she is loyal to the crown and has a habit of opening her mouth when she shouldn’t. But when her mother, dying of a mysterious disease, reveals the secret of her father’s identity, Kaelan is thrust into a world she was never prepared for – the opportunity to train at a prestigious school for those who share a dragon’s bloodline. The Alveria Akademy is a proving ground for humans and dragons alike, and could give Kaelan the chance to change her life forever.
Faced with a new life, and the gradual realization that she is meant for something more, Kaelan must reconcile not only her past, but also the course of her future. When her responsibilities as a Tamer collide with her feelings for Lasaro, Prince of Alveria and a powerful dragon shifter, it will take a strength she has never known to prepare her for the coming danger, and the fate of the dragons she has been sworn to serve.
Guest Post by Ava Richardson
Why I love dragon stories!
Fantasy stories cover all kinds of topics and magical races, but dragons show up again and again. What is it that makes dragon stories so popular? I can’t speak for everyone, but here are some reasons why I love dragon stories.
Let’s start with their basic appeal: dragons are just plain cool. They can fly, they’re devastatingly powerful, they can breathe fire, they’re usually intelligent, and sometimes—particularly in stories with villainous dragons—they guard a massive hoard of treasure.
This goes back to how dragons were originally portrayed: big, scary monsters. Saint George slaying the dragon became the stuff of legends. Following that was the other common type of villainous dragon—the dragon that has kidnapped a princess. These stories don’t use treasure to motivate their heroes, but the allure of romance.
Let's face it: what’s a greater adventure than fighting an enormous, flying, fire-breathing monster to get treasure and love?
As a reader, I love watching a hero overcome impossible odds. Fantasy often deals with the belief that evil can be overcome by courage and virtue and the idea that anyone can become a hero. Dragon stories are filled with these sentiments whether the dragon is good or evil.
However, these stories tap into something even more compelling when they involve dragon riders. It takes the concept of a human-dragon friendship and strengthens it by creating a deep, complex bond between the two characters. Dragon riding stories give something extra to readers that includes:
A sense of freedom beyond regular escapism. If I imagine myself in the position of the dragon rider, it lets me fly over beautiful landscapes, free of everything, and ride into battle with incredible power on my side. I experience the strength and majesty of a dragon while still following a human protagonist.
The bond between dragon and rider is deep and unique. Is it like having a pet? No, because these dragons can communicate, either through speech or some sort of telepathic link. Is it just like having a friend, then? Not quite, because dragons are fundamentally different than humans, with different needs and ways of viewing the world. And it is often a deeply personal connection, too—one human paired with one dragon.
Whether it’s Christopher Paolini’s Eragon or Naomi Novik’s Temeraire, these stories show us a truly special bond. They let us imagine not only the freedom of riding a dragon, but the security of a lifelong friendship and a world where we never have to be lonely. Strong character interactions are often what make stories really stand out in my mind, and that’s part of what makes dragon rider stories so compelling.
In short, dragons have the potential to be devastating enemies. They have the potential to be amazing allies. They allow for stories of adventure, redemption, romance, friendship, freedom, and powerful bonds unlike any other.
All of these things are why I love dragon stories—and why I’ll keep reading (and writing!) dragon stories for as long as my imagination will allow it.
The Dragon Tamer is available at www.avarichardsonbooks.com
About the Author
Ava Richardson writes epic page-turning Young Adult Fantasy books. She creates lovable characters and drops them into intricate worlds that are barely contained within your eReader. Her current work is the ‘Return of the Darkening Series’, which features Seb, Thea and their shared dragon, Kalax.
She grew up on a steady diet of fantasy and science fiction books handed down from her two big brothers – and despite being dog-eared and missing pages, she loved escaping into the magical worlds that those authors created. Her favorites were the ones about dragons; where they’d swoop, dive and soar through the skies of these enchanted lands.
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