The Last Dragon
Grade : B

Dragons went extinct two hundred years ago on the islands of May, so when Tansy and her father find dragon’s bane blooming - which only occurs when a dragon is about - no one imagines that a dragon is on the loose. This is no sentimental modern dragon, but rather a medieval-style baby-devouring beast, and the village’s only hope is to find a hero to slay it. The hero, Lancot, isn’t quite up to par, and his only hope is to rely on clever Tansy. A very pretty, art nouveau-style book with a plot so classic it could be a fairy tale you’ve never heard, The Last Dragon is a good read but not all it could have been.

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I couldn’t decide if this book was fairy tale or fantasy. The Last Dragon is tightly written in that classic fairy-tale style, with nearly every item encountered in the story proving important to the resolution. It also has the fairy tale weakness of simplified characters and rushed relationships. Tansy and Lancot have more depth than many fairy tale characters - Tansy is the village healer, and Lancot is a wannabe hero who has never accomplished anything - but this isn’t a book for strong character growth. Their love comes on quickly, just like that of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and their respective Princes.

On the other hand, as with most fantasy stories, the most important element is action, and I enjoyed the adventure elements and the innovative plan to kill the dragon. This also takes the story away from the fairy tale genre, where stories are more general, and towards fantasy, where detail and originality are valued. On the whole, however, the story isn’t quite detailed enough to be a superior fantasy, but not universal enough to be a clever new fairy tale archetype.

I loved the art. Guay’s art nouveau style in deliberately faded colors resembles old Bohemian Alphonse Mucha posters, or turn-of-the-century stained glass windows. I enjoyed the range of character looks and did not struggle to tell people apart. I appreciated that the panels were not overwhelmed by text, either dialogue boxes or exposition, and that the artist used a variety of panel sizes and styles to tell the story rather than endless pages of nine-odd boxes of talking heads. There were a couple of pages on which I wasn’t completely sure which order to read in, but that may be related to my recent manga reading, where the flow is different. I’ve seen some complaints that the quality of the panels fell off by the end of the book, but I didn’t notice, maybe because I was eager to get through the whole book. On the whole, Guay’s art gave the story a dreamy, faux-medieval atmosphere that matched the plot.

I enjoyed reading The Last Dragon, but it wasn’t outstanding. Definitely worth getting from the library, but even fantasy lovers won’t see the need to have it in their collections. It’s probably a better fit for a pre-teen or young teen fantasy reader than for adults.

Grade : B
Book Type: Graphic Novel

Sensuality: Kisses

Review Date : January 5, 2015

Publication Date: 2011

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Caroline Russomanno

I'm a history geek and educator, and I've lived in five different countries in North America, Asia, and Europe. In addition to the usual subgenres, I'm partial to YA, Sci-fi/Fantasy, and graphic novels. I love to cook.

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