Once a powerful four-headed dragon, Garrodigh now has three heads and a stump, and is an outcast from the wild dragon society. Complicating matters, his three heads all have different personalities — Centerhead is mad at everyone and wants to rain terror on the heads of all he sees, Upperhead is under the delusion that he's human, and Bottomhead's personality is similar to that of my dog, in that he's food-motivated and dumber than a box of rocks. When a battle goes awry, Garrodigh ends up in a human-run training facility, where he gets shelter, meals, medical help, and a quirky rider named Rania who's desperate enough for a dragon that she's willing to put up with his weirdness. As he learns to trust himself and his rider, Garrodigh and Rania team up to help fight for the safety of their world.
I'll readily admit that I came to this book based entirely on my assumption that a three-headed, three-personality dragon would be hilarious, and that Wiswell would do it justice. And thankfully, I was right in that assumption. What I didn't anticipate (but really should have expected, given my previous experience reading Wiswell's books) was the thoughtful treatment of the often bumpy physical and mental healing process Garrodigh goes through. We get to see personal growth, the impact of colonialism and xenophobia on cultures, and the power of friendship, all with a solid magical system and just the right amount of humor. Highly recommend this one.
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