View source for Indigo's Dragon by Sofi Croft

{{infobox1
|title=Indigo's Dragon (Indigo's Dragon 1)
|author=Sofi Croft
|reviewer= Louise Jones
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary= A boy called Indigo ventures into the Polish mountains in search of his missing grandfather and discovers all sorts of mythical creatures along the way.
|rating=4
|buy=yes
|borrow=yes
|pages=98
|publisher=Accent Press
|date=June 2016
|isbn=9781783759385
|website=http://www.soficroft.com
|cover=1783759380
|aznuk=1783759380
|aznus=1783759380
}}

Indigo is a free spirit who loves exploring the mountains near his home in the Lake District. For all of his life, his family have entertained him with stories of dragons, but at thirteen, he's too old to believe in them now. However, when he receives a mysterious parcel in the post, Indigo is forced to rethink everything he thought he knew about mythical beasts, especially when he comes face to face with one that urgently needs his help...

''Indigo's Dragon'' is a fast-paced novella following Indigo's journey of discovery into the world of dragons and other mythological creatures. Along the way, he will meet bird-cats, yetis, a unicorn, a cockatrice, a kraken and a whole host of other amazing creatures at the hidden sanctuary in the Polish mountains. As he helps his family search for his missing grandfather, he will make a shocking discovery that will change everything forever.

There are plenty of things to like about this book. Indigo is an appealing protagonist and his family are quirky and interesting. The main antagonist is a multi-faceted character with many shades of light and dark, which means that the reader's perceptions of him and his motives are constantly changing. I really like it when villains are portrayed this way; after all, very few individuals are entirely evil. The setting in the Polish mountains is unique and dramatic and fits in well with the storyline. My favourite part of the story, though, has to be the mind-bending twist near the end which completely changes the dynamic of the story and has exciting implications for any future sequels.

I did have a few issues with the book, though, and they were mainly to do with the pace of the narrative. The novella format was definitely not the right platform for a story as epic as this one and the resulting story felt condensed and constricted. For example, we meet many fascinating and fabulous creatures over the course of the book, but each beast is quickly skipped over before introducing the next one. I would have preferred a much longer book with the story spread over several hundred pages to allow each creature its moment in the spotlight.

''Indigo's Dragon'' was a lot of fun to read and I was sorry to come to the end just as the story was getting really exciting. I eagerly anticipate the release of next book in the series. Many thanks to the publishers for my review copy.

Younger readers may enjoy [[Hattie B, Magical Vet: The Dragon's Song (Book 1) by Claire Taylor-Smith]] which has similar themes to Indigo's Dragon but is aimed at a much younger audience.  You might also enjoy [[Keras by Simon Rae]].

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