The Dragon Chronicles: Learning

“Learning” is book one in The Dragon Chronicles, and takes place in an alternative time on a campus for magical folks. Despite all the shifters and elven kind wandering the school grounds, dragons are a vague memory. Dr. Alex von Schreider finds himself a victim of an attack by someone assuming his brother’s form. If that isn’t weird enough, he discovers the other unmated male shifters suffered similar attacks. Only problem is he’s not a shifter, even though he’s from a bear shifter family.

Dr. Lindy Veles is drawn to Alex, but is confused by his insistence that she’s a shifter. Elves don’t shift - at least not many do. The attacks and other mysterious happenings preoccupy Lindy as she wrestles with the possibility that not only is she a shifter, but she could be the rarest kind.

Author Grady has a deft hand with magical lore, imagery, and timing. Alex and Lindy both wrestle with inner demons, malevolent forces and their inconvenient attraction. “Learning” is more like a look from the other side of Hogwarts with the characters being slightly older than the original Harry Potter characters. While this isn’t an original concept, it is well done. The tightly written prose, rising actions, and likable characters make the book into not only a page-turner, but also an all-nighter. The best thing is all the secondary characters are fully rounded and engaging, which means there are more riveting tales to come. “Learning” is a fun read that is suitable for ages as young as twelve. 

Morgan Stamm