Cute, cozy, charming with a sharp sense of humor & comparatively low-stakes

I am thankful to the author and the folks at NetGalley for this ARC of the book. Upscaled by Joseph John Lee (whose Spellblinders & Gunslingers series I have been meaning to pick up for a while now) portrays a dragon story that is charming, cozy, and cute with a spunky, mischievous, determined 11-year-old lead one can get behind, balancing a wicked sense of humor behind the coziness and the low stake nature of the story.

Eleven-year-old Ailis “comes” across a dragon egg through a lucky set of circumstances that she may have orchestrated. The Land of Nora ostensibly has “banished” dragons through the efforts of the Inquisition of the Priory of the Thrice-Dead Prophet (that’s a mouthful) but it was more like the dragons themselves decided that they didn’t want this trouble and vanished. However, as is wont in such societies, those in relative power do want dragonic artefacts and there is a roaring black market for smuggled dragon goods. Ailis pretty much has laid hands on a dragon egg that is meant for a powerful lord, all hell breaks loose and the matter is further complicated as the egg hatches. Complicating matters further, Ailis wants to bake a cake to celebrate the dragon leading to a quest to find the land of the dragons while managing family dynamics and relationships. 

“I only write the laws! They do not apply to me”

Make no mistake, Upscaled is a very cute and charming dragon story about a girl who wants to throw a party for her dragon and bake a cake. But dig beneath the surface, there is a lot of commentary on the nature of power and the stupidity of those following rules made by people in power. In an almost Pratchett style, the humor is of multiple aspects – sharp, sarcastic, biting, slapstick depending on the situation – the story’s cuteness and charm shouldn’t take away from the aspects of humor permeating the story.

“It was a silence of three parts, but speaking was a different matter from delivering the same. It was safer to say it was a silence of a single part, and that part was sadness”

This book is also about family (own and found), how messy families can get, and the emotions and feelings it can trigger. Given the energy, determination, and stubbornness Ailis brings to the table, one almost feels bad for her bedraggled mother. The interactions that Ailis has with her family and her dragon are quite engaging and form the real heart of the story. The quest that Ailis sets off is not without its complications but it does get resolved rather easily. Which brings me to what I wanted perhaps a bit more from this book – I probably wanted a bit more stakes on this. I found some of the situations resolved rather conveniently than satisfactorily. But then the author also seeds elements for the next book – therefore we may see some amount of stake elevation in the next book

Upscaled can be one of the Disney movies comfortably (in a good way) – it has a charming lead, cute moments, and a baby dragon to boot. But at its very heart, this is a multi-layered book that packs in a fair amount of commentary below the surface and has a sly sense of humor driving this engine. Come for the cuteness and stay for the commentary, Upscaled is a dragon story unlike what you have read before. 

Rating – 3.5 Dragon Eggs on 5

Upscaled is available now. You can order your copy on Amazon