To be entirely honest, I DNFed this book. It wasn't bad, it was pretty interesting, in fact. But it was just too much like so many other fantasy books out there. The dragons were a bit of a twist but the standard plot, a rivalry, family name/honor, caste systems, is just too cookie cutter. If you aren't used to reading YA fantasy, then this is a fantastic book. It would be new and refreshing if I hadn't read so much of similar material. I did like the characters and there was definite character development. It was quick (the 2/3 that I did read) and enjoyable. I very much liked the parts with the dragons, their different classifications, elements, and abilities. I do think that part of the book was quite different from others that I've read, but it wasn't enough to redeem the book as a whole. As I said, if you don't read a ton of YA fantasy and you're in to dragons, pick this one up because it is a lot of fun.