The best books with girls and dragons, or girl dragons

Dragonsong is the science fantasy story of an isolated teenage girl who runs away from home when forbidden to pursue her passion for music. She stumbles on a nest of fire lizards—the legendary ancestors of the dragons that keep her world safe—and must stop hiding her identity and use her gifts to aid the dragonriders in their crucial mission. 

This book has the SF/F holy trinity of great plot, characters, and world-building—but what really hooked me was the multi-dimensional female main character that I connected to immediately. I’m a musician and creative thinker, too, so I could see myself in Menolly. This book is for anyone who has ever been told to hide part of who they are—and anyone who loves dragons, of course.

The plot of Priory of the Orange Tree centers on the return of an ancient dragon villain known as The Nameless One. Multiple factions in the West—where politics rules and dragons and magic are forbidden—must come together with those in the East—where scholars abound, and water dragons are worshipped—to defeat The Nameless One. 

Priory of the Orange Tree is one of the best epic fantasies I’ve read in the past few years. The unique world-building is extensive, the story is twisty, and the female characters are diverse, strong, and dynamic. The chosen one aspect can be tiresome, but in this tale, it definitely works. Best of all, dragons are an integral part of the narrative—not just mindless beasts or weapons used to melt enemies.

This is a beautifully written YA fantasy that has the flavor of a traditional epic—like the Lord of the Rings—but also brings us intimately close to its characters, their individual cares, and their unique world. The story centers on Aerin, the king’s daughter, and her journey from being an outcast at her father’s court to becoming a hero in her own right—at the expense of a dragon, unfortunately. 

The Hero and the Crown is often praised as an example of classic feminist fantasy. It was one of the first stories I encountered where the goal of the female main character wasn’t to be rescued or married. But in my opinion, it’s McKinley’s lyrical and compelling prose and fantastic world-building that truly makes this a not-to-be-missed read.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (TGWCFinaSoHOM) is the story of a girl named September who is invited (enticed/stolen away) to Fairyland and ends up setting out on a quest to steal back a spoon for some friendly witches. Sounds cute, right? This book is anything but.

Categorized as tween/younger YA fantasy, TGWCFinaSoHOM is a modern take on Victorian fairytales, filled with darkness, dragons (wyverns, actually), off-kilter sentient beings/objects (á la Alice in Wonderland), and some fairly mature themes. It’s simultaneously complicated, ridiculous, wonderful, and the stuff of nightmares—picture something like the 1985 dark fantasy movie, Return to Oz. The twists and layers of TGWCFinaSoHOM kept me constantly guessing—and turning pages. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

Shatter the Sky is a quick-read YA high fantasy. It’s the story of Maren, who wants to live an ordinary life with her girlfriend, Kaia. When Kaia is kidnapped, Maren decides to apprentice herself to the Aromatory—the emperor’s mysterious dragon tamer—as a first step in her rescue plan. 

Shatter the Sky features a number of diverse characters and a sapphic romance and has been highly praised for breaking ground in the YA fantasy realm. I particularly enjoyed the Aromatory, the new take on dragons, and a main character who begins by viewing herself as unimportant but progresses to accepting her power and recognizing her value. Maren’s story continues—with ramped-up stakes, more dragons, and a complicated political plot in the meatier second book in this duology—Storm the Earth.