What Do Dragons Eat?
A review of Kim McDougall’s Dragons Don’t Eat Meat (Wrong Tree Press, 2020)
By Derek Newman-Stille
Part Valkyrie and part Dryad, Kyra Greene walks between worlds. She’s cut off from her Norse roots and has no connection with dryads, and perhaps this allows her to connect to other outsiders and others who are looking for homes. Kyra works in the magical creatures removal business, but most of the creatures she removes end up living with her in the menagerie that is her apartment.
Kim McDougall’s Dragons Don’t Eat Meat takes place in a post apocalyptic future where human beings damaged the Earth so much that she brought back magic and now most of the world is covered in spaces of magic that are dangerous to human beings. Cities like Montreal have created their own wards to keep chaotic magic and dangerous creatures out, but this is still a dangerous world and Kyra does a dangerous job dealing with magical creatures.
Kyra’s care for magical creatures is what brings her first into contact with dragons, who she had thought were mythical. When she sees poachers abusing and transporting dragons, she, as a compassionate person, needs to intervene, but her good intentions lead her into betrayal, new friendships, and a battle that could end the city of Montreal.
To discover more about Kim McDougall, visit https://kimmcdougall.com
To find out more about Dragons Don’t Eat Meat, visit https://kimmcdougall.com/dragons-don-t-eat-meat
Reviewed by Derek Newman-Stille (They/Them), MA, PhD ABD
Sounds like an interesting read. Thank you sharing.
I found the overly cute dragon on the cover put me off –it put me in mind of the cute animal sidekicks in my kid’s Barbie movies– but your review cancels that out. I find the premise of the return of magic after an apocalypse a bit intriguing, and the idea of the outsider protagonist being more sympathetic to others is one of my favourite Canadian tropes. Hmm. Definitely a ‘maybe’ for the to-be-read shelf now.