Review: The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart by Stephanie Burgis

Title:The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart
Author: Stephanie Burgis
Source/Format: Borrowed from the Library; Hardcover
More Details: Middle Grade; Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Bloomsbury US; May 30, 2017

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Aventurine is the fiercest, bravest dragon there is. And she's ready to prove it to her family by leaving the safety of their mountain cave and capturing the most dangerous prey of all: a human. But when the human she finds tricks her into drinking enchanted hot chocolate, Aventurine is transformed into a puny human girl with tiny blunt teeth, no fire, and not one single claw. But she's still the fiercest creature in the mountains -- and now she's found her true passion: chocolate! All she has to do is get herself an apprenticeship (whatever that is) in a chocolate house (which sounds delicious), and she'll be conquering new territory in no time...won't she?

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is one book I’ve been waiting for since I first heard about it sometime last year—I can’t remember the exact date now, I just know that it was a long time ago. This isn’t the first book I’ve read by Stephanie Burgis, but it’s certainly one of my favorites. I sped through this book. I read it in almost one sitting and can say that The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart was such a cute story filled with magic, chocolate, and of course dragons.

I have to admit that I was looking forward to this book because of who Burgis choose to be the narrator of the story. I think it was a great decision because Aventurine was such an interesting character. She was a dragon who thought she knew everything there was to know, and set out to prove just that. However, it becomes quickly apparent that Aventurine still had a lot to learn about herself and the world outside her cavern home. The other dragons were a point of interest too. I loved all the scenes with Aventurine’s family, and it was interesting to see Burgis’ portrayal with what life was like for younger dragons—like, for example, what was expected of them, what they were supposed to learn, etc..

Chocolate—you can’t go wrong with something like that. I loved how chocolate was used in the story. It was my second-most favorite part of The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart, because it wasn’t just there. Instead, Burgis explored how chocolate—and other chocolaty desserts and drinks—were made, and I thought that was a pretty neat thing to include.

Yeah, The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. And, now that I looked at the Goodreads page again, I noticed that there appears to be another book in the series. So, in light of that, I look forward to reading more of Stephanie Burgis’ books.

Favorite Recipe: The Best Brownies

Oh yes, it’s time for another Favorite Recipe. This time, it’s brownies. Yes, rich, chocolatey brownies. Just a quick note: the pictures for this post were collected over time thus the plates don't match. I’ve made brownies all sorts of ways including from the box. I've also made them from scratch using a different recipe than the one I’m going to talk about today. I’ve had all kinds of results, including one unfortunate batch that was too much like particularly dry chocolate cake, i.e. not like a brownie at all. So, I have been on that quest to find the perfect brownie recipe, and to date I think this one is the best I’ve tried. The recipe I’m talking about is this one: Mmm-Mmm Better Brownies. (Pictured to the right is a double batch in a 9x13 inch pan before baking.)

When I say I love this recipe, I’m not kidding. It’s a huge hit in my house. There is nothing cakey about these brownies. They’re perfectly moist and fudgy, and the top and edges form this crispy layer. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the kind of dreaded crispiness you get from burning the brownies. No, this is the kind of crispy layer that you actually want on your brownie—hence, why I always go for one of the corner pieces. But it’s not just the texture that I’m a fan of, the flavor is just as good. It’s really chocolatey! The flavor reminds me more of dark chocolate—so, sweet, but with just a hint of bitterness. That’s what I like about dark chocolate anyway, so the flavor is right up my alley. (Pictured to the left is the double batch in the 9x13 inch pan after baking.)

Speaking of flavor, I can’t forget to talk about the extra things I’ve added into the batter. Per the recipe, walnuts are optional, but I actually prefer these brownies with them. However, leave them out if you have a nut allergy. Pictured below is the result I got when adding chopped walnuts and white chocolate chips to the batter before baking. I prefer to mix the extra ingredients into the batter rather than sprinkling them on top, because I feel like it’s evenly distributed throughout the entire batch of brownies. Of course, you could really add anything you want into it, like M&Ms, things like that.

My only other recommendation is: double the recipe (which makes enough for a 9x13 inch pan instead of just a 9x9 inch pan), especially if you’re making these brownies for more than just yourself. (Pictured to the left is a closeup of a piece of walnut and white chocolate chip brownie.)



What about you? What’s your go-to brownie recipe?

The Friday 56 (111) & Book Beginnings: Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

She’s a soldier.

Noemi Vidal is seventeen years old and sworn to protect her planet, Genesis. She’s willing to risk anything—including her own life. To their enemies on Earth, she’s a rebel.

He’s a machine.

Abandoned in space for years, utterly alone, Abel has advanced programming that’s begun to evolve. He wants only to protect his creator, and to be free. To the people of Genesis, he’s an abomination.

Noemi and Abel are enemies in an interstellar war, forced by chance to work together as they embark on a daring journey through the stars. Their efforts would end the fighting for good, but they’re not without sacrifice. The stakes are even higher than either of them first realized, and the more time they spend together, the more they’re forced to question everything they’d been taught was true...

Beginnings: "In three weeks, Noemi Vidal will die--here, in this very place."

56: "Noemi imagines the Gastons standing before her, tall and pale, their expressions disapproving. How could you let this happen? they might say." 

Comments: I haven't read a book by Claudia Gray since back before I started blogging. Defy the Star's is one of her newer novels. I wasn't too sure about it but ended up really loving the story. For the sake of avoiding spoilers for parts of the store, ,y 56 comes from page 52 instead. 

What are you reading this week?

Thought Corner: Power Rangers (2017)

Title: Power Rangers (2017)

Produced by: Haim Saban; Brian Casentini; Marty Bowen; Wyck Godfrey

Directed by: Dean Israelite

Story by: Matt Sazama; Burk Sharpless; Michele Mulroney; Kieran Mulroney 

US Release Date: March 24, 2017

Viewing Format: Redbox DVD Rental

Website

Going into Power Rangers (2017), I honestly didn’t know what to expect. All I remember of it was the old series I used to watch when I was a kid during—or was it after? Before?—the Saturday morning cartoon block. Still, I’ve heard nothing but good things about the film and was excited to watch it. And you know what? Power Rangers was actually really good. I was surprised by how much I liked the film.

I was prepared for a certain level of cheesiness. Instead, what I got was a well-thought out movie with aliens, superpowers, and Zords (cause you can’t forget about the Zords). But that wasn’t all. This movie also explored the complicated and often messy side of life from the perspectives of characters from different and diverse backgrounds. I liked how this film was made, and the action sequences and training scenes were interesting to watch. The characters are worth making mention of because they were my favorite part of the movie. They weren’t perfect, squeaky clean hero characters who never did or got anything wrong. No, they were allowed to make mistakes and grow from them, all the while learning how to be Power Rangers. The individual and collective character development was spot on. They were great individually, but I liked when they worked together as a team.

I didn’t think I’d say it, but this movie was pretty awesome. I’ve come to one conclusion: I need a sequel. I don’t know if there will be one, but hey, you never know.

What about you? Have you seen Power Rangers? If so, tell me what you thought about the movie in the comments down below.

Music Monday (29) Throwback To Way Back When

   Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: It has been a couple of weeks since we last participated in Music Monday. However, today is a bit of a throwback to the early 2000s, since my picks this week actually come from an album I haven’t listened to in more than five years: Bratz Rock Angelz. Does anyone else remember Bratz? I used to have a lot of the dolls and still have the Rock Angelz game for the Gameboy Advance SP. Anyway, over the weekend I remembered that I once had a CD, but I’ve moved several times and can’t recall where it is. Anyway, listening to this album again takes me right back to my childhood. Seriously, it really does. I used to listen to Rock Angelz all the time. I kind of wish that I never lost the CD, but it is what it is. The most surprising thing is how much I still like the entire album. It’s on iTunes and I’ve seriously considered buying it again.

My first pick is It Could Be Yours. Oh man, after all theses years I still love this song.

And my second pick is Who I Am. I can’t even begin to count how many times I've listened to this song. I used to listen to it on repeat because its one of my favorites from the album. Even though its been so long, Who I Am hasn't lost its charm. 

Adri: I love this album too. I had a different one than Breana. Sadly, I won't mention what happened to the one I had, but just know that it's gooonnnneee. I don't have much to say about these tracks, but when I heard Breana listening to them again I had a mega flashback too.

What are you listening to this week?