This is one of those books that started really strong and then became a bit of a mess once the main plot got rolling and it's a shame because the author can clearly write; the opening chapters proved that.

We start with Pip taken from her home by slave traders and captive in a zoo where 'big people' come and gawk at her and the monkeys. This was by far where the novel was strongest, with a simple narrative and heartfelt descriptions of Pip and her plight along with her growing bond with a giant ape. Here the author genuinely excelled and the plot seemed to move logically. There were some heartfelt moments and some funny moments and some heart-breaking moments. It worked well.

And then she gets rescued by a dragon. And this is the beginning of the end except we're only a fraction of the way in. It's never really explained why the dragon was looking for her or how he knew to look for her or anything. She's special. And that about sums the rest of the book up. Pip is special. She's got special learning, special bonds, special magic and special powers. If there's a way Pip can be special, this author will find a way to include it. By the end, our pygmy heroine might as well be a damn superhero and it's all because she's special.

To be blunt, I hate this trope. It's the Mary Sue of Mary Sue and it's aggravating and unnecessary and frankly - boring. We know the superhero will save the day, particularly when the superhero just keeps on picking up new powers like they are dandelions. There's no particular character growth or development, it's deus machina where the answer rains down from the sky as yet another gift is added. It's lazy.

On top of this, the writing gets messy. The timeline isn't always clear; there are random time skips that are never explained or covered, there's an inordinate amount of sex jokes about dragon backsides, there's a reliance on repetition - if you insult a dragon the dragon gets angry, no matter how bloody stupid the insult was - and there's way too much going on, sweeping a touching beginning into life and death stakes that never really makes sense. The characterisations weren't much better in honesty, with most characters being caricatured cut outs, random betrayals that make no damn sense and a half-hearted enemies to lovers romance that really aggravated me.

This is not a series I'll be continuing with, needless to say.