Calico Thunder Rides Again

Calico Thunder Rides Again by T.A. Hernandez is an adventure book that I did not know I needed. It has Dragons, circuses, and gangsters. While I don't often read books suitable for the under 18 audience, Calico Thunder Rides Again is well written enough to excite and entice readers of all ages. As a participant in the BBYNA tour, I was given an opportunity to check out this story; it appeals to all the things I like. So, I dived in, and I was so glad I did.

As I mentioned, Calico Thunder is a book that is written for a younger audience. But while the writing style has more youthful themes to it, I come from an intense love of grimdark; it still was descriptive and engaging. The description of the circus with its kaleidoscope of colors and cacophony of sounds seemed fantastic. I could practically smell the popcorn.

I was engaged with the characters right from the get-go. It has frenetic pacing at times, which added to the situation that Jake found himself in. I routed for Jake as an underdog the whole time. Even well-timed bits of laughter and jokes helped lighten the mood just enough so that you don't take it all too seriously.

Calico Thunder Rides Again is a fun story, and it is rather obvious why it was a final in the competition. I am glad that I had a chance to read something out of my standard repertoire, and the story did well for me.

In this mystical circus adventure, we encounter dragons, dwarves, and enchanters in the big-top as they try to keep their livelihoods from falling into the hands of a mob.

Calico Thunder Rides Again is an adventurous story brimmed with risk, danger, and a little bit of romance. Readers will find themselves easily enchanted with Calico Thunder and many of the other spectacles that can be found at Strickland's Circus! It's a wild ride from beginning to end and while the story itself is very predictable, it is a rather satisfying story that makes you feel good upon finishing it.

All of the characters were charming and I really liked how their different personalities worked together to create such a tight-knit group–much more like a family than coworkers. And I think that captured the spirit of a circus very well.

One thing I do have to say though, is I really wish Calico Thunder had been more of a focal point in the storyline. With her being on the front cover, and the title being named after her, I really thought the story was about her. It wasn't until about chapter six that I realised that the book was actually about Jake Strickland and not the beautiful calico dragon; she was just a background character, an object of interest at the most. And that made me very sad. I wanted to watch her acts and be around her, so that made Jake seem very boring to me. But towards the end, I enjoyed getting to know Jake and Grace as they did everything they could to save the circus.

Overall, I think Calico Thunder Rides Again is a charming story that many adventurers would enjoy! I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Content: There is infrequent and mild cursing present. Some implied [premarital] sex scenes in the form of mentioning “sneaking into each other's rooms for late night meetings” and several non-detailed kisses. There is mild action and only a few mentions of blood, though not detailed. Trigger warnings include: Animal cruelty and abuse.

I received this book from the author for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.

This is a LiteratureApproved.com Review.