Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon

by Rena Rocford

• ISBN10: 162007043X
• ISBN13: 9781620070437
• Publish Date: 23 November 2015
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Imprint: Curiosity Quills Press
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 230
• Language: English

Reviews

1,5 stars

I'm sad that I didn't love Acne, Asthma, And Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon. It has so much going for it, a gorgeous cover, a fun title, dragons and what seemed like an entertaining read.

Almost every single aspect is flat, shallow and underdeveloped. This book isn't exciting and failed to hold my attention. I couldn't relate to the characters, the romances are poorly written and the plot and world doesn't make sense. 

Alyson might not have much of a personality, but she's also the first character I've read about in a YA Fantasy who has acne. I like that the aspects she considers to be insecurities and flaws are the parts that make her unique and otherworldly. I also like that her makeup skills play a role in hiding her dragon nature. Unfortunately, some aspects are unbelievable such as her acceptance of mythical creatures and that she might be half-dragon without much hesitation as well as when she figures out the dragon stuff pretty quickly.

The plot is all over the place and I couldn't understand what was going on most of the time. It's like there's a bunch of different plot lines that don't make sense on their own, nor do they make sense in terms of the overall story. I couldn't understand what the characters are trying to achieve and what's the point of it all. 

I love books about mythical creatures and there are many different mythical creatures such as trolls, unicorns, centaurs, gryphons and dragons. However, I didn't like how they're portrayed. Some mythical creatures are explored more than others, but it's still very shallow.  The main character is half-dragon, but I still don't know much about the dragons in Acne, Asthma, And Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon.

I always felt like I was missing important information about the world, the creatures and the characters and the ending is abrupt. 

Acne, Asthma, And Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon could have been a fun read. Interesting ideas, but terrible execution.

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon was fun! When it starts, Allyson is at the mall with her best friend, Beth, when they run into a group of very large men talking about unicorns. Allyson is convinced that they're speaking in code and that they're human traffickers. She's trying to figure out what to do when she unexpectedly breathes fire at them! What's going on?! Allyson and Beth get away from the men, and Beth tells Allyson that they're trolls and really are looking for unicorns to sell. Oh, and she's also half-troll and Allyson is half-dragon.

I really enjoyed Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon from that very first chapter. Allyson is kind of a loser, with Beth being her only friend. She cakes on theater make-up to cover what she believes is chronic acne, which is actually emerging scales. Her asthma turns out to be her starting to be able to breath fire! She's gone 15 years without knowing what she is, and now she's caught in the middle of a mythical creature crime scene! Not only must she help her best friend clear her name after being accused of kidnapping unicorns, she also has to learn about her own abilities and save her dad from an evil plot! Lots of stuff going on.

The one thing that bothered me about Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon was Allyson's relationship with her mom. Or maybe her mom's motives. They move every few months, so Allyson has never even completed a semester in the same school. I suppose this was her mom's way of protecting her, but from what? Her father? Other Kin? Who? She never really explains this. And I found it odd that she refused to tell Allyson the truth about being a dragon even when she saw the signs of her manifesting. You cannot convince me that her mom didn't suspect about the scales and fire breath? That's not something you can hide forever!

Anyway. Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon was a quick, fun read. Allyson and Beth go on a wild roadtrip, following clues left by her aunt, and outrunning those who seek to harm them.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

First off I'll admit I was drawn to this book because of the cover. Look at it. It's amazing. It's blue (my favorite color). It mentions dragons. And since I recently discovered I have asthma myself, I had to have it. I mean, I have to know whether I'm half-dragon or not, right?

Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon is a humorous young adult fantasy novel that follows Allyson on her adventures with her friend, Beth, as they work to clear Beth's name. Allyson is dealing with being a teenager in general and then discovers that she is half-dragon. Of course, her family didn't share any details with her regarding what it means to be half-dragon. So as Allyson discovers people can be trolls and unicorns and dragons, hilarity ensues.
Allyson and Beth were good foils for each other. Beth's troll attributes put her in a position that most female characters don't occupy—she's the muscle, but she's also got brains. Allyson's need to find answers and discover who she truly is was touching. Her journey covers all the emotional bases and in the end, she is forced to make a tough choice. Beth's knowledge and connections to the creature world help guide Allyson and give her context for the things she discovers. Like yin and yang, it's hard to see Allyson without Beth and Beth without Allyson. They are true best friends.

This book reads like a good buddy road trip movie. Beth and Allyson experience all kinds of crazy things and I found myself laughing out loud many times. The story moves quickly and resolves itself in a satisfying fashion.If you are looking for a lighter fantasy novel without a lot of romance definitely give Acne, Asthma, and Other Signs You Might Be Half Dragon a shot!

This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

[tweetybugshouse]

The first thing that caught me on this book was the cover just love that cover, then the title intrigued me and i was not holding high expectations but i was completely taken by surprise. From page on all the way to end i was held in rapt attention as i watched Allyson learn all about her dragon part of herself and i love how it does not let up on the action and you really want to see how it all going to play and their even hints of more to come.