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Writer's pictureJonah Braelyn

And They Found Dragons | A Book Review

Hello, and welcome back to Blonde Girl Writing, where I talk about writing, God, and reading!

Today's post falls into that latter category—because I'm going to be doing a book review on a series that I read a while ago: And They Found Dragons.


So, without further ado, let's get started!


and they found dragons book reviews thumbnail


Overview

And They Found Dragons is set in a dystopian future where only 169 people survived a global apocalypse and created an Ark that orbits Earth, where they have waited for years for the planet to be restored so they can go down and live on it again. There's just one problem: dragons, the physical form of humanity's fear and darkness, have risen from the ashes and now inhabit it. Even worse, they emit a deadly toxin that affects anyone over the age of puberty. So the people of Ark have decided to train teams of children to go down to Earth, find the Dragon Queen, and kill her so the toxins will go away and humans can live on Earth again. There's also a prophecy that says that 'a child will lead them.'


This premise is so good. I love anything dragon-related, so at first, these books (it's a trilogy) seemed right up my alley, despite being a bit under my reading level. I also love dystopian and science fiction, which this book has elements of. I enjoyed the journey of Jack, the main character, and the idea of going into darkness to be the light. Plus, And They Found Dragons is co-written by Ted Dekker and his daughter, Rachelle, so there's pretty much a dream team behind these books. However, some things didn't hit the mark, as I'll get into here.


Content

Considering that And They Found Dragons is a middle-grade trilogy, there is no adult content of any kind. Below, you can find a list of everything in these books.


  • Mentions of dying and death

  • Children fighting and killing each other (non-graphic)

  • Toxin that drives you insane

  • Blood and non-graphic descriptions of wounds

  • Mentions of dragons being deadly and able to kill you

  • Children killing dragons (non-graphic)

  • A "ritual" ceremony involving a dragon skull

  • Milk that connects you to dragons and gets you hooked on it


I would recommend And They Found Dragons for ages 10-14. Since this is an adventure story, there is fighting, killing, and children being threatened or in danger. I'd consider these elements on par with The Wingfeather Saga.


Characters

None of the characters, even Jack, really stood out to me. All of them seemed very two-dimensional and only really served one purpose.


WARNING: There are minor spoilers ahead. If you haven't read And They Found Dragons, please proceed with caution.


Jack, like I mentioned earlier, is the main character and a 12-year-old boy. I believe he has some sort of blood disease that makes him weak compared to other children, but makes up for it with a quick mind and good problem-solving skills. He is a believer in Yeshua, and supposedly the only one on the Ark besides his mother. He is a fairly typical chosen one (he is the 'child to lead them' from the prophecy) but he is very kind and quiet and finds himself in a rough spot being one of the only followers of Yeshua left in all of humanity. He has some sympathetic traitsfor one, he struggles with fear (one of the main themes of the books being love overcoming fear) and keeping the ones he loves safe. But for the most part, he was just too good. He didn't really have a character arc or any flaws to overcome.


Sammie is a supporting character, and Jack's best friend. She's very good at physical activities and can shoot arrows and bullets perfectly. She also tends to get in trouble for not paying attention and is very much a free spirit. Just like Jack felt too good, Sammie felt two-dimensional in the fact that she just does bad stuff, no matter what Jack tries to tell her. She ends up drinking dragon milk and becoming a Scaler (people connected to and enslaved by the dragons) pretty quickly, and feels no remorse for her actions until the end of the last book. Obviously, as humans, we all have our sins and faults. But Sammie didn't really do much except show kids what not to do—kind of the opposite of Jack, who shows kids what you should do.


There aren't too many other characters that really stand out to me, mostly because the kids that made up the Dragonslayers team (along with Jack and Sammie) died pretty quickly into the second book. There are a few characters, like Lukas, Camila, and their mother, who show three of many different ways that people in sin act. Lukas is harsh, cold, and quick to betray anyone who doesn't believe in his ways. Camila acts like your friend but rejects you if you differ in opinion. And their mother, the leader of their tribe, is easily angered and threatens anyone who stands in her way. But really, they don't do much except present obstacles for Jack to overcome as he tries to show the light of Yeshua to a people overwhelmed by darkness and fear. There's also Jack's mom, Michelle, who does little but stand on the sidelines and pray for Jack, as well as teach him a few lessons near the beginning of the first book. I have nothing against mothers praying for their children, but as a character, she just seemed so flat and mentor-like.


Anyway, I didn't really like or empathize with any of the characters.


Plot

The plot is...okay. It wasn't super interesting, like stay-up-late-at-night or not-able-to-put-it down type interesting, but at least it didn't drag too much.


We mostly follow Jack and Sammie's journey to find the Dragon Queen and slay her, while Scalers who claim that the only way to survive the toxins is to connect with the dragons via their milk present an obstacle to their main goal. There are a few chapters with Doctor Alexander, a scientist aboard the Ark who is enslaved by the dragons, which makes him paranoid and selfish, and leads him to sabotage the Ark's resources. There are also a few chapters with Jack's mom that give us insight into what's happening on the Ark while Jack's on Earth.


Each book is relatively short—all under 200 pages—so there isn't a lot happening in each. The first book takes place mostly on the Ark, as the people decide whether or not to send the Dragonslayer teams to Earth, and ends on Earth when Jack's team crashland on Earth and discover that they aren't immune to the toxin after all. The second book is about Jack and Sammie wandering around, trying to find the Dragon Queen, and getting found by the Scalers. And the third book is about Jack discovering his true purpose for being on Earth and sacrificing himself to free everyone by killing the King of Dragons.


And They Found Dragons doesn't have a bad plot in the least. It's just written for children who probably don't have a long attention span and who prefer shorter books to long ones.


End of minor spoilers.


Theme

As one might expect from Ted Dekker, And They Found Dragons is blatantly Christian. And there's nothing wrong with that, except that the way that it's written makes it come off very cheesy.


The themes are right up in your face, and you can't go more than a few pages before the truth is shoved up in your face. Rather than show the truth, you get told the truth. And I know this is kind of nitpicking, considering this is a middle-grade series. But The Wingfeather Saga is in a similar vein (fantasy adventure), is also Christian, and is middle-grade fiction. And yet, though the Maker is mentioned time and time again, and yes, sometimes Nia does plainly tell her children a lesson, oftentimes the truth is found and learned rather than taught. Janner is not a perfect child and has to learn to overcome his fears and his selfishness. It doesn't seem fair to compare And They Found Dragons to The Wingfeather Saga, but it's just proof that middle-grade Christian fantasy doesn't have to be cheesy. Children are smarter than you think. You don't have to shove the truth down their throat every other page.


Now let's talk about the main theme of this trilogy: Yeshua's love will overcome fear. You can see it in Jack's struggle between what he has to do and his fear of having to do it; you can see it in the White Dragons versus Red Dragons, in how they treat humans; and you can see it in Yeshua loving on Jack and telling him the truth versus the King of Dragons wanting to control Jack through fear and manipulation.


Everywhere you look, this theme is presentwhich is what you want in a book, so very nice job here. And the theme is a good one for children (as well as teens and adults) to learn. I have no qualms with the theme itself, only how it is told rather than shown.


Spiritual Aspects

Since And They Found Dragons is a Christian trilogy, I want to take some time to go over the Spiritual aspects in this book.


WARNING: There are minor spoilers ahead. If you haven't read And They Found Dragons, please proceed with caution.


As I mentioned earlier, Yeshua is the name that Ted and Rachelle use for God in this book. He is spoken of many, many times, and is literally the Light and Love that counteracts Darkness and Fear. He even physically shows up to Jack, and Jack talks to Him. I love this name for God, and I love the way He is written to be kind, non-judgmental, and loving.


There is symbolism, namely that Jack sees a pure white bird with a silver beak. It speaks to him, almost taking on the role of the Holy Spirit, there to guide Jack and remind him of the truth. I think this was so smart, and considering that the Holy Spirit is described as a dove in the Bible (a white bird), I think it was a great way to incorporate Him.


There are also the Light Dragons, or Whites, who are the good dragons, unlike the Reds who enslave humans in fear. They can meld with a human (in that you feel what they feel) and speak to you in your mind. They are kind and serve Yeshua, acting as angels.


On the flip side, there are the Reds, which use their toxin to drive humans mad so they can enslave them with their milk. They are cruel and manipulate people through fear so they can rule the world. They are headed up by the King of Dragons and represent demons and spiritual warfare.


Finally, many times in these books, a specific passage of Scripture is quoted. Namely, Psalms 23, verse 4, which reads:


'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ' Psalms 23:4 (KJV)

Though religion is strictly banned in this dystopian future, Jack's mom teaches Him about Yeshua and the Bible and often quotes this Scripture to him. And considering that the main theme of the book is about love conquering fear, it's a great verse to have. It's like a compass to Jack, leading him safe and true and reminding him of the truth even in his darkest moments.


So, yes, despite the themes and the truth constantly told to you rather than shown, Ted and Rachelle did an excellent job incorporating the Spiritual aspects into And They Found Dragons.


End of minor spoilers.


Final Thoughts

And They Found Dragons is not a bad trilogy in the least. I honestly truly enjoyed reading it! But the flat characters and the telling-not-showing theme made it hard for me to like it. I've only read it all the way through one time, which is saying a lot considering I usually reread books hundreds of times.


Please do not let my review discourage you from trying And They Found Dragons. I instead encourage you to read the trilogy for yourself and come to your own conclusions about it. You might end up enjoying it! Plus, this trilogy is a clean Christian fantasy for middle-grade readersso it's perfectly safe for children 10 and up to read! In the end, though, I can only give And They Found Dragons 3 out of 5 stars.


and they found dragons book review 3/5 dragons rating

 

Thank you for reading, friend! I hope you enjoyed this book review.


Let me know below: What did you think of my review? Have you read this trilogy, and if so, what did you think? What book should I do a review for next?


Best wishes,

Jonah



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