Dragon by Midnight

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.<br /><br />This was different to most retelling's of Cinderella because it starts at the ball, where Cinderella dances with Prince Benedict and is having a wonderful time, until the clock strikes midnight an Cinderella turns into a dragon. This is when everything goes pear shaped and the Prince and a sorcerer Sikandar are order to hunt the dragon(Cinderella). She can only be saved from death if Sikandar can break the curse, and turn her back into a girl. This is pretty fast pace for most of the book and the characters are delightful, wholesome, and a bit too trusting, I really enjoyed the story.<br /><br />Happy Reading ??

I'm excited to share Cinderella and Sikandar's story with you all! It's been years since I wrote a young adult novel, so I hope I'm not too rusty and readers enjoy this one. :)

3.5<br /><br />Well, that was wholly enjoyable. I liked our main characters and the concept. I feel as enough some things could have been expanded on more and dealt with better but on the whole, I’m pretty happy. Going into this I didn’t realise it was a series, I assumed it was just a standalone. Personally, I think this would work better on its own, maybe then it would have felt like the ended was more well rounded.

<i>I received an ARC via BookSirens in exchange for a honest review.</i><br /><br />This book has an interesting idea for a retelling that immediately caught my eye, <i>What would happen if Cinderella's magical transformation came with a curse?</i> <br /><br />On the surface, it looks like a "Cinderella" rehash that's going the way the expected plot we all know, with the first scene being the girl arriving at the palace's ball as in countless other takes. But then, the surprises start: you see the "Beauty and the Beast" element crash into the ballroom, literally, in the form of the dragon in the title as the clock strikes midnight, and then you see the influence of "The Thousand and One Nights" appear, specifically vibes from "Aladdin," in the form of the sorcerer from Azurum and his entire backstory. It was a pleasant and creative idea to see developed because, although combinations of the first two tales aren't new to me, the combination of all three definitely is.<br /><br />What I liked best besides the premise was the characterisation of Sikandar, whose Bad Boy/Evil Sorcerer is hilariously deceptive, because he couldn't be a sweeter boy if you coated him with an extra layer of honey. His chemistry with Cinderella is... mixed. It does exist, but it's not what it could be, as he has to carry the weight of the plot on his shoulders far more than the girl, making theirs look like a mentor/pupil dynamic more than one of equals, which is curious given that they're bofh of an age, but he's more mature and initially gave off the impression that he was older than he is. His story was by far my favourite.<br /><br />As for the aspects I found in need of improvement: the structure of the book is very flawed. There's a lot of plot-convenient scenes and plotholes, by which I mean scenes that are there for no discernible reason and that have no follow-up. The most glaring one would be the vain Prince Benedict proclaiming he'll go dragonslaying, only to make one appearance out of nowhere at a too convenient point, and then <i>adieu</i>. It's not even an anomaly, there's scenes that could've been disposed of because they add nothing to the plot, and it only makes the story read like a collection of loosely-connected vignettes in the beginning (it improves along the way, thankfully). And, as a result of this style of storytelling, the dialogue is often awkwardly placed and random, and too expository at times, sounding often like two adolescents texting. There's fun banter here, of course, but it has to fight for space with cringey lines.<br /><br />The writing, too, leaves much to be desired. I haven't read this author's other books to judge whether this is her usual style or if she was experimenting with a new style for YA, but whatever the case, the short and stilted lines and the overabundance of one-line paragraphs made it hard to enjoy the story. There's also the detail that the passage from one scene to the next is weird and difficult to make sense of: first Cinderella arrives to the ball, then she sees the prince and flirts (poorly) with him, then she gets drunk, then she goes to the ladies' room just so we can see the Evil Stepsister, then she's back, then she's a dragon... What was the point in that sequence? The placement of the flashbacks is also awkward and interferes with following the plot. This is definitely the biggest flaw in the book, in my opinion: the plotting and scene structure. Others may point out to the worldbuilding being rather low on the development side, but I'm used to retellings being character-driven more than world or lore-centric, so I have no negative feelings over this personally.<br /><br />That there's no real plot resolution doesn't help the story, however, and that brutal cliffhanger by the end that screams "read the next book" without convincing readers first that it's going to be worth their while isn't going to sit well. Ultimately, this mightn't keep you turning the pages non-stop, but it's entertaining for a weekend afternoon, especially if you like fairy tales.

You know those movies that are very clearly directed at children so they don't actually care to make them good but they still manage to put in a few sexual innuendos that completely ruin the tone?

Dragon by Midnight is the first book in the Dragon by Midnight series.Thanks so much bookofmatchesmedia for my ARC ?.<br /><br />It is the story of Cinderella who transforms suddenly into (you got it right!) dragon by midnight ???<br /><br />It's a Cinderella retelling with a blend of Beauty and the Beast, and Alladin. What I liked about this book is that it's fast paced and easy to read. The world mixes medieval and modern technology well. The story flows nicely, full of twists and turns albeit a bit predictable but enjoyable. <br /><br />The characters are likable and well-written. Cinderella is kind and a bit naive. Sikandar is a cinnamon roll! The banters between these two are amusing and adorable. Although it would've been better if Prince Charming has more involvement, too.<br /><br />Overall, Dragon by Midnight was a fun and whimsical read. I recommend it to people who likes retelling and YA fantasy with fluffy romance.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.<br /><br />One of the best Cinderella retellings I've read. I started this book at 11 in the night and stayed up till 3.30 in the morning to finish it. I just couldn't put it down, and even after I finished it I couldn't stop thinking about it.<br /><br />The story is unique with Cinderella turning into a dragon, and Charming wanting to slay her. Add a mysterious sorcerer into the mix and it's a perfect book! There were many twists and turns throughout the book with unexpected revelations.<br /><br />The characters were well-written, especially the main ones. I enjoyed the banter between Cinderella and Sikandar and laughed on many occasions. Their backstories helped me connect with them, which in turn helped me get sucked into the story.<br /><br />There were also some Arabian Nights elements in the book, like a magic lamp, and the kingdom of Azurum gave Middle Eastern vibes. The author has done a wonderful job of blending these elements with the story.<br /><br />I loved the way the story ended. One problem was solved, but another one has come up, setting the premise for a new adventure. I'm eager to see how Cinderella and Sikandar tackle this new issue.<br /><br />I recommend this book to all fantasy lovers who enjoy retellings filled with adventure.

A fun retelling of Cinderella (and also Aladdin!)! I don’t really have too many thoughts on this one other than the fact that I enjoyed it! the romance was great and i’m just a sucker for dragons :)<br /><br />but I didn’t realize it had a sequel and I hate the way it kinda ended with opening up a new plot? it felt very much cheesy cliff hanger ending to a TV episode :/<br /><br />CW/TW: animal death, fatphobia, blood, murder, emesis, domestic abuse (mention), fantasy racism/xenophobia, grief, death of grandmother (past), death of father (past), death of mother (past), drugging, confinement, non consensual kiss, gun violence, self harm (for magic)

Dragon by Midnight is a retelling of Cinderella - with a twist I haven't seen before! It's Cinderella meets Beauty and the Beast meets Aladdin. <br /><br />The book is easy to read even for non-native speakers and relatively light-hearted. I liked the humor and teasing between Sikandar and Cinderella, even tough it is evident how their relationship is going to end right from the first time they meet. <br /><br />There are enough mysterious elements to the story (Sikandars past, why Cinderella turned into a dragon) but the reveals where kind of a let down and too anticlimatic.<br /><br />Cinderella's family is as you expect her family to be but both Sikandars family and the royal family are lacking an actual personality and the royal family acted kind of unrealisticly. Sikandars family tries to be edgy and is just weird.<br />I also expected Prince Charming to play a bigger role in the story.<br /><br />The book tried to speak on racism twice, since Sikandar is a POC, but I'm not quite content with the execution. <br /><br />The story definitely has potential but the execution is lacking, especially character developement. Otherwise, it was ... a book, I didn't feel a lot while reading it. With a bit more work this could turn into a solid YA novel but as it is right now I would put it into the Middle Grade category.<br /><br />2.5 ⭐ <br /><br />I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

<i>Thank you to BookSirens for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.</i><br /><br />This book had <i>so</i> much potential. A Cinderella retelling but she turns into a dragon after midnight? The prince is in fact a bad guy and a mysterious sorcerer is her actual Prince Charming? I was sold. Not to mention the beautiful cover. However, the book did not live up to my expectations and I actually DNF'd it at 38%.<br /><br />I am not going to lie, I was intrigued by the concept of the book and the mystery behind Sikandar. The powerful sorcerer who promises to break her curse in order to redeem himself of his past sins. But, the execution killed any interest I had. The writing felt similar to fanfiction and I was unable to really get into the story. Everything (solutions to problems) came so easily to the leads and it felt like they did not work for anything. The world-building wasn't that great (I felt like there was none at all), and the fact that the main protagonist turns into a dragon and is in her dragon-form, but other characters take issue with Sikandar's skin tone is untasteful.<br /><br />I do not want to leave negative reviews or completely shit on a book since I know how hard it is to get to the publishing stage, however, I felt like this book can be the exception.