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A review by firstbreaths
Hear Me Roar by Amanda Kespohl, Kevin Cockle, Candas Jane Dorsey, Krista D. Ball, Blake Jessop, Rhonda Parrish, Damascus Mincemeyer, Stephanie Lorée, Megan Engelhardt, Gwen C. Katz, M.L.D. Curelas, Aurora B. C. Donev, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, Jennifer R. Donohue, Jennifer Lee Rossman, Joseph Halden, JB Riley
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.25
I had high hopes for this anthology, as I love fantasy stories about strong women and about dragons, so combining the two seemed like an amazing idea. Unfortunately, the quality of this collection was incredibly hit and miss for me - the editor acknowledged in her intro that she limited submissions to authors who were on her mailing list, and it shows, as the stories were lacking the diversity that I think would have come from a more carefully curated collection. There were a few solid stories that I enjoyed, and a few with concepts that I might have loved as a full-length novel, but a lot of them felt rather flat for me.
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Reviews for each story, for those who are interested:
[1. The Princess of Dragons by Aurora B.C. Donev - N/A. I'm not going to rate this story as it was written by an elementary school student (though she definitely would have gotten an A if this was English class and I was her teacher), but... it was definitely a bold choice to open with this story, as it didn't set the mood well at all.
2. Light Chaser, Dark Hunter by Joseph Halden - 3/5. This was an interesting story about a female prison warden who helps a prisoner smuggle out some baby dragons. I think this would make a fascinating novel as there was lots of world-building that bogged such a short story down, but that I wanted to know more about.
3. Defend Us in Battle by Jennifer R. Donohue - 3/5. A charming but somewhat cliche story about a teen girl who grows up to follow in her father's footsteps as a dragon hunter.
4. Blacktooth 500 by Gwen C. Katz - 3.5/5. One of my favourites, since it was so wholesome - a mother and daughter team pair up to win a dragon chariot race and get the opportunity to connect along the way.
5. Father Christmas, Mother Hubbard, The Dragon (And Other Selected Scenes From the End of the World by Damascus Mincemeyer - 1.5/5. I really didn't enjoy this one, mostly since the narrative voice was so cringey; every single sentence was overwhelmed by a combination of cussing and nonsensical pop-culture references.
6. The Naga's Mirror by Amanda Kespohl - 2.5/5. A girl visits a reflective pool where you can literally swim through your memories, and befriends the dragon who lives there. I initially thought this would be among my favourites, but then it came to a sudden, abrupt stop before it really capitalised on the premise.
7. Madam Librarian by M.L.D. Curelas - 2/5. A dragon librarian defends YA readers' rights to read whatever they want... but why? I honestly just had so many questions about the premise.
8. Of Dragon Genes and Pretty Girls - 2/5. This was an interesting idea - the premise is that the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac will race to determine the order of the calendar for a new outer space colony - but the delivery fell flat for me, mostly because I found the MC's relationship way too cheesy.
9. Blackout by J.B. Riley - 2/5. The low rating for this one is probably all on me, since I really wasn't in the mood to read a story where the entire plot conflict revolves around violence against women.
10. Ginny and the Ouroboros by Stephanie Lorée - 3.5/5. A young girl and her troubled sister find a dragon egg. This was both uplifting and heartbreaking, and definitely one of my favourites of the collection.
11. Red in Tooth and Maw by Laura Vanarendonk Baugh - 2.5/5. Another great concept (how do you safely perform life-saving surgery on a dragon), but I found this one lacking in any kind of real suspense or intrigue.
12. Serpent in Paradise by Megan Engelhardt -3.5/5. Two lady scientists go on holiday to an island... but there's not a lot of opportunity to relax. This story reminded me a lot of the Memoirs of Lady Trent series in tone, which I love, and also included an adorable cat called Strawberry.
13. Tia Time by Kevin Cockle - 1.5/5. I honestly couldn't even tell you what this story was about, because there was just way too much jargon for me to even care.
14. For the Glory of Gold by Krista D. Ball - 3/5. A female dragon (The Duchess of Toronto) who swindles The Duke of Scotland is exactly the kind of thing I like to read about, and this was a lot of fun, though I didn't think the broader framing that the Duchess was being interviewed for an article about her life really added much to the story.
15. The Rise of the Dragonblood Queen by Blake Jessop - 3/5. This story turned the trope of the damsel in distress on its head, which I loved, though I wasn't a big fan of the ending.
16. A Night in the Philosopher's Cave by Candas Jane Dorsey - 1.5/5. I found this story completely unengaging, and found it particularly odd that none of the characters were even granted names.
===
Reviews for each story, for those who are interested:
[1. The Princess of Dragons by Aurora B.C. Donev - N/A. I'm not going to rate this story as it was written by an elementary school student (though she definitely would have gotten an A if this was English class and I was her teacher), but... it was definitely a bold choice to open with this story, as it didn't set the mood well at all.
2. Light Chaser, Dark Hunter by Joseph Halden - 3/5. This was an interesting story about a female prison warden who helps a prisoner smuggle out some baby dragons. I think this would make a fascinating novel as there was lots of world-building that bogged such a short story down, but that I wanted to know more about.
3. Defend Us in Battle by Jennifer R. Donohue - 3/5. A charming but somewhat cliche story about a teen girl who grows up to follow in her father's footsteps as a dragon hunter.
4. Blacktooth 500 by Gwen C. Katz - 3.5/5. One of my favourites, since it was so wholesome - a mother and daughter team pair up to win a dragon chariot race and get the opportunity to connect along the way.
5. Father Christmas, Mother Hubbard, The Dragon (And Other Selected Scenes From the End of the World by Damascus Mincemeyer - 1.5/5. I really didn't enjoy this one, mostly since the narrative voice was so cringey; every single sentence was overwhelmed by a combination of cussing and nonsensical pop-culture references.
6. The Naga's Mirror by Amanda Kespohl - 2.5/5. A girl visits a reflective pool where you can literally swim through your memories, and befriends the dragon who lives there. I initially thought this would be among my favourites, but then it came to a sudden, abrupt stop before it really capitalised on the premise.
7. Madam Librarian by M.L.D. Curelas - 2/5. A dragon librarian defends YA readers' rights to read whatever they want... but why? I honestly just had so many questions about the premise.
8. Of Dragon Genes and Pretty Girls - 2/5. This was an interesting idea - the premise is that the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac will race to determine the order of the calendar for a new outer space colony - but the delivery fell flat for me, mostly because I found the MC's relationship way too cheesy.
9. Blackout by J.B. Riley - 2/5. The low rating for this one is probably all on me, since I really wasn't in the mood to read a story where the entire plot conflict revolves around violence against women.
10. Ginny and the Ouroboros by Stephanie Lorée - 3.5/5. A young girl and her troubled sister find a dragon egg. This was both uplifting and heartbreaking, and definitely one of my favourites of the collection.
11. Red in Tooth and Maw by Laura Vanarendonk Baugh - 2.5/5. Another great concept (how do you safely perform life-saving surgery on a dragon), but I found this one lacking in any kind of real suspense or intrigue.
12. Serpent in Paradise by Megan Engelhardt -3.5/5. Two lady scientists go on holiday to an island... but there's not a lot of opportunity to relax. This story reminded me a lot of the Memoirs of Lady Trent series in tone, which I love, and also included an adorable cat called Strawberry.
13. Tia Time by Kevin Cockle - 1.5/5. I honestly couldn't even tell you what this story was about, because there was just way too much jargon for me to even care.
14. For the Glory of Gold by Krista D. Ball - 3/5. A female dragon (The Duchess of Toronto) who swindles The Duke of Scotland is exactly the kind of thing I like to read about, and this was a lot of fun, though I didn't think the broader framing that the Duchess was being interviewed for an article about her life really added much to the story.
15. The Rise of the Dragonblood Queen by Blake Jessop - 3/5. This story turned the trope of the damsel in distress on its head, which I loved, though I wasn't a big fan of the ending.
16. A Night in the Philosopher's Cave by Candas Jane Dorsey - 1.5/5. I found this story completely unengaging, and found it particularly odd that none of the characters were even granted names.