Dragonborn by Maeghan Friday

CCC

A classic fairytale.

If I had realized that going in, I would have been less perplexed at times. 

Cursed. Two beings sharing one form. Cecily and Ben trade places everyday with one in control of the physical body, but both always cognizant. Heir to the kingdom, the anomaly is abhorrent to their parents who refuse to acknowledge Cecily's existence. 

Ratirzans are scandalized by anything other than heteronormative pair bondings and attempted to destroy a sacred text to ensure them. Unsurprisingly, there is a great deal of discussion via various characters about transgender, gender fluidity, and gender neutral terms. There is also just a general exploration of the spectrum of sexuality including asexual.

For all of Ratirzan's laws against anything but a single man and woman pair bond there seems to be a great deal of shenanigans around the castle and the during the ball that gets overlooked. 

The whole story is written with a bit of innocence, as if for younger readers. Yes, the fairytale theme dragons and magic influences that, but it skews younger in the conflicts, interactions, language, and the characters' maturity levels, as well. Additionally, all affections beyond kissing are behind closed doors.

The POC protagonists were refreshing, and conceptually I really like the fairytale idea, but this felt like it was written for someone in their early teens. At one point, I was doing rock, scissors, paper, lizard, Spock while reading about the various magics. And the polyamorous relationships looked like a Twister board 6 spins in with the characters aligned and tangled at the same time. So, this wasn't a perfect fit for me, but it was a good story for what it was.  

Is it realistic? No. Is it sweet and highly simplistic resolution to severe problems with little real conflict and no repercussions for the characters' actions? Yes. But, it's a fairytale after all, and Happily Ever Afters are de rigueur--after you vanquish the dragon.

Overall, a YA fantasy story highlighting polyamory among diverse representations of people and sexualities.