WARNING: This story will have you craving chocolate.
Aventurine is a brave young dragon ready to explore the world outside of her family’s mountain cave. If only they’d let her leave it. Her family thinks she’s too young to fly on her own, but she’s determined to prove them wrong by capturing the most dangerous prey: a human.
But when that human turns out to be a food mage and tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, she’s transformed into a puny human without any sharp teeth, fire breath, or claws. Still, she’s the fiercest creature in these mountains, and now she’s found her true passion: chocolate. All she has to do is get to the human city to find herself an apprenticeship in a chocolate house, and she’ll be conquering new territory in no time. Won’t she?
I don’t know why it took me so long to read this book. I devoured it the same way I do chocolate.
Aventurine is not your average twelve-year-old girl. She is a fierce dragon, and her point of view was a refreshing change of pace from the present-day middle school girl point of view I’m used to reading. I loved how she kept her fierce dragon characteristics when she was in human form.
I have mixed feelings about the food mage transforming Aventurine into a human. In his defense, she did plan on eating him. But after changing her, he just left her in the forest. He didn’t owe her anything, but it still seemed cruel.
Being changed from a dragon to a human is a huge transition. Aventurine doesn’t know anything about human society or their social structure. She has a lot to learn, and she catches on quickly. As she slowly learns how to be human, she keeps her fiery dragon spirit.
Overall, this story has everything you could want in a fairy tale fantasy: dragons, magic, well-rounded characters, and most importantly, CHOCOLATE!
Tune in next week for my review of the second book in the Chocolate Heart series, The Girl with the Dragon Heart.