The Hatchling product reviews

Willow and Hunter are twin siblings, living with their Grandfather, after their parents disappeared almost two years ago. After a few nights of restless sleep, they finally manage to get into their attic, only to discover than a large egg has hatched and that dragons, are real...

Willow bonds with this new little creature, very quickly, leading to tension between her and her brother. This isn't helped at all by the fact that their Grandfather is in the early stages of Alzheimer's and keeps forgetting the basic, important things. Soon enough the pair find themselves in danger as a mysterious man arrives in town and wants their new friend for nefarious reasons, and the school sends child services to their home out of concern about their Grandfather and his suitability to continue raising them. Choices will be had, discoveries made and relationships tested as the twins try to save their dragon friend and remain a family.

We did reach a point in the book where it felt like maybe there was a little too much going on - child services, a bad guy and multiple family issues - and I felt myself wishing that the author had picked one or the other as the main nemesis, but it seemed to come together well enough in the end (though one aspect did resolve itself a little abruptly, I felt that could have been written a little differently). That being said, overall I enjoyed this book, it tackles a few heavy subjects whilst still being a fun adventure story with plenty of action as you reach the end. It's the kind of book that younger me would have wished I could jump into.