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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Alex O. Harb’s To Spare A Dragon follows Celia of Rellan, a paid monster hunter whose sister Emilia is dying from orange plague. Celia wants money for a healer, and has no interest in royal ceremony, yet King Talbert names her Dragon Slayer after Tallanor has left the title empty for decades. The blessing gives her strength, but the post also turns her into a tool for rulers who see her road to Dragon Valley as a way to settle old wars. Celia travels with Gabriel, Caldan’s Black Knight, while every kingdom on the route asks something of her before she can reach the dragon whose blood may save Emilia.
Alex O. Harb’s To Spare A Dragon is a brilliant epic fantasy because the quest keeps getting bigger, but Celia’s reason for leaving home never gets lost. This is a huge book with old magic behind each political bargain, but Harb keeps the story personal through Emilia’s illness, which I appreciate. The world-building is completely fleshed out. I found the Bastion worked particularly well, an elven fort trapped in the Night Realm, where families live by wall shifts while conjurers turn monster flesh into food. Celia is a wonderful main character because her love for Emilia gives every danger a human cost. Gabriel is excellent because his loyalty to Caldan changes when he watches Celia put Emilia before the royal plans. Well written and haunting, readers who love epic fantasy with real heart will adore this book.
