Reviews

Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier

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rebgar727's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I'm not normally a fantasy reader, but I found this to be a great introduction into fantasy. Dragonfruit provided the thrill of adventure and the heart of community. This book is perfect if you love fairytales. It had fantastic world building and a lot of detail was given to the full cast of characters, without taking away from the focus on the protagonist (Hannalei). I will say it did take me a bit to get into it, as I felt the last two thirds of the book were a lot faster paced than the first bit. I think if this book were a tad bit longer, some back stories would have fleshed out a bit more and helped with the pacing. Still had such a great time with it though, and think it could make into a lovely series about exploring islands if the author so pleased.

Content Warnings

ptorres96's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

meghan013's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Hanalei of Tamarind is the cherished daughter of an old island family. But when her father steals a seadragon egg meant for an ailing princess, she is forced into a life of exile at 8. In the years that follow, Hanalei finds solace in studying the majestic seadragons that roam the Nominomi Sea. Until, one day, she is captured by a seadragon hunter she used to work for and finds her way back to her home island. Samahtitamahenele, Sam, is the last remaining prince of Tamarind (not the heir). With his mother ill and his grandmother nearing the end of her reign. Sam is left with two choices: to marry, or to find a cure for the sickness that has plagued his mother for ten long years. When a childhood companion returns from exile, she brings with her something he has not felt in a very long time - hope. They go on a hunt to find seadragon eggs to help her only to not find any and learn they were betrayed by his cousin taking an egg for himself. But Hanalei uses her new power to cure the princess and Sam and Hanalei go on their own adventures fulfilling their goals. I really enjoyed this book it was quick and to the point with many tender moments in between. The story did jump and I did need to go back to make sure I didn’t miss anything though. The magic system is unique and is very immersed in the pacific island culture and its people. The writing was captivating and made the book go by faster.

mccleark's review

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adventurous inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kattaylor42's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

julgar22's review

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3.0

this was a sweet little ya fantasy. i really loved the pacific islander mythology aspect, i honestly learned a lot. obsessed with the idea of markings, that was my favorite part of the story. i did think some aspects felt underdeveloped or left me wanting more from the characters. i really loved the main characters hanalei and samahti but i also felt like they fell flat sometimes… idk how to explain it because i did really like them, i just didnt feel that connected to them.

sanaiya's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

mickey14's review

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5.0

4.5 stars. Like all the other books from this author, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I loved the Pacific Islander vibe and the characters especially. The plot was good and kept me wanting to go back to read more. I hope there might be more books in this world someday.

oofie's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

3.25 - liked it well enough but it is also not really the kind of book I go for...?

This book follows Hanalei, exiled aristocrat of sorts from Tamarind, a matriarchal society where some magic exists (think: magic tattoos), in an oceanic overall society where sea dragons roam, are dangerous, and their parts highly valued. The most valued part: their eggs, which can grant a boon at a terrible price.

Hanalei was exiled for consuming a dragonfruit (egg) meant for the princess of the archipelagos, and ten years later, she gets the opportunity to right that wrong by hunting down another two with Sam, the ill princess's son. He's been searching relentlessly for a cure for years, and Hanalei is an answer to his prayers.

I think this book was well-written. I've never read anything about Pacific Islander mythology before or even about the Pacific Islands whatsoever, so that was a cool thing to have been exposed to. I liked the magic tattoos and the respect had for tattoos in the cultures of the book, which I know mimic similar feelings IRL. I generally liked the characters, and I liked that there were character arcs, even for minor characters like Sam's cousin. I liked the idea of the dragons, the dragoneers, etc. Although there is no such thing as a dragon, I liked the somewhat realistic features like an illegal dragon trade.

This book had a lot of good going for it...and I just don't generally...like books like this? Or like them beyond a mild like. I like books with romance, which is not a focus in this book at all, and maybe a little more angst? Idk. It also, while having a lot of interesting things going for it, was overall just kind of boring. I wasn't invested in the plot, the characters, the world, etc.

I'd recommend this book if you like fantasy, adventure, and the Pacific Islands/PI mythology/PI fantasy.

rottenpaperbacks's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

i adore this book, it was so lush and vibrant , with so much vivid imagery and amazing world building . i loved the MCS and i loved the “tattoos” being able to come to life and travel. my favorite part was when

hanalei got a tattoo marking, and it was a sea dragon of her own!!

that was truly a tear-jerking moment.
although it was a beautiful book, i do have a few issues with it.
one of the biggest issues i have is the excessive amounts of animal death. one, two dead dragons felt like enough, however they just kept getting slaughtered and it put me off. it was upsetting and all of it just felt overdone, especially

the death of fetu.

that was truly not needed and it was just put in for shock. at that point, i was ready to throw the book in the trash and not finish it, however i was already 80% done and decided to push through. it’s quite dark for a YA novel.
also, i got very confused near the end, when

sams mother was able to be revived through hana’s blood? because she had the mark of a sea dragon?

that was not really explained and i didn’t understand how it was at first all about

the egg, and then all of a sudden it was about the blood.

i wish there was a more in-depth explanation on that.
all the characters were fun and lovable however they did fall a tiny bit flat, as well as the romance. this book did not feel like a fantasy romance, it simply felt like a fantasy.
nonetheless, i still loved this book and i still believe its a solid 5 stars, because of how truly magical and unique it was. even with its flaws , i believe it was well worth reading and i would recommend it to others. im hoping the author releases a second one! however if she does, i’m quite literally BEGGING for the animal cruelty / death to be majorly toned down.

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