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

by Rena Rocford

[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