Dragon Physician by Joyce Chng

I would like to thank the author for a copy of this novella in exchange for a fair and honest review

Published – Out Now

Price - £4.06 Kindle eBook £5.70 paperback

Can Jixin succeed in a world of dragon racing run by powerful women? Can he fight the system and fulfil his dream of becoming a dragon rider? Or does he choose instead to be a dragon physician like his mother? Jixin finds his world suddenly changed when Lu Si, the scion of a Rookery owner, takes a shine on him. He is plunged straight into the lucrative world of dragon racing... Will his life change?

I think one of the most important things young adult books can do is teach people that the world can be changed. We are not fixed into any one form, alliance or worldview. Our heroes need to understand the world they live in and decide what is right and then do everything they can to make it. In Dragon Physician by Joyce Chng we get a story that achieves that tricky balance of creating a whole new world and adventure but then placing some very relevant twenty first quandaries in the way of its young lead.

Jixin lives on a planet with dragons. He has a natural affinity for their upkeep and well being that works well since he was sold into servitude into one of the wealthy dragon families owning a Rookery that breeds the creatures for racing and other functions. It’s a very gendered society where only women can race a dragon – men are viewed as having the wrong temperament. But Jixin gets the attention of Lu Si the daughter of the Rookery owner. Impressing them with his skills he is hired to train as a Dragon Physician – someone to ensure the dragons are in peak condition for fitness. While Jixin builds his knowledge is finds himself torn in loyalty as Lu Si breaks from their family and offers Jixin the chance of a Rookery of his own hidden from the authorities. Lu Si has told his family they now identify as a boy a huge break with social laws; Lu Si then joins forces with other teens in the same situation and they decide to show the world there is another way. The authorities though can be relentless to opposition.

What I enjoyed about this novella is the flow of the tale. We initially think this is a chosen one story all about Jixin; who we find is the son of the one of the most renown dragon physicians but instead he’s just one key part of w wider tale. Chng makes a great effort to first establish this world in our eyes – lots of colour, dragon traditions and facts so we see the world first. It is interesting that it’s a world where women are the dominant gender and initially that’s where I thought the tale was heading but its Lu Si’s story that becomes the real catalyst for change.

I loved how the relationship that develops between Jixin and Lu Si was sensitively handled. He first them meets prior to transition and a chemistry develops so that while Jixin is startled by the change in gender he very quickly decides this is still the same person he has fallen in love with. Their love for each other is there regardless. The story is about defying the traditions of the past and in the wider Rookery group that Lu Si forms we get to see a variety of opinions on what the group is doing. In the latter half we see why some urge caution as we feel the authorities have not stopped searching for the escapees. At this point we get a darker tinge to the story as we encounter the intolerance of those in charge and a reminder that power really often is not prepared to listen to reason and want to control others. Happily, this is where Jixin’s skills lead to a mighty pay-off as one dragon he is keeping will help change the world.

This a wonderfully layered but charming tale of learning about the world; accepting others but also where those in power are showing no empathy or understanding then it is right to resist. I think this is quite a refreshing YA story and as always with Chng’s work packs a world of ideas in a fascinating plot. Well worth a look.