Review – The Seventh Year Trials

Johnson, Alexis. The Seventh Year Trials. NP: Fox Burrow Publishing, 2020. 

Summary from Author’s Web Site

It isn’t easy for a fifteen-year-old girl to raise a dragon in secret, but Mirren Calia never turned down a challenge.

A thrilling young adult fantasy woven with charm, treachery, and a touch of steampunk, where dragons and riders contend in the prestigious Seventh Year Trials for a costly purse and the admiration of a nation.

My Review 

The Seventh Year Trials is the debut young adult fantasy novel of Alexis Johnson. I fell in love with Mirren in the first chapter. My heart soared at her triumphs and plummeted at her trials throughout the book. There are aspects of the story that remind of The Hunger Games including a poor heroine who becomes the people’s choice for a champion. However, the trials are not a fight to the death like the Hunger Games were. The interactions Mirren has with the other characters are very real – she disagrees and argues with her parents, she and her brothers exhibit typical sibling behavior. For more on her relationships with her competitors and  the cute boy – you’ll need to read the book to find out what happens with those.

Johnson has several surprises as the reader approaches the end of the story – some are happy surprises and others are a disappointment (but necessary for the plot). The Seventh Year Trials has many aspects which make it a great fantasy – it takes place in another world, a fight between good and evil, heroism (Mirren is a strong heroine), mythical creatures (lots of dragons), and an epic journey.  

While The Seventh Year Trials has a satisfying ending, it did leave me eagerly anticipating book 2 in The Tainted Scales series. I am very impressed with Alexis Johnson’s work and look forward to many more books from her in the future.

The Seventh Year Trials would be a great addition to a K-12 Christian school library. There is at least one reference to hell as a swear word. There are also comments like, “He swore under his breath.” That is the only swearing. For the most part the book is appropriate for fifth grade and up.

I have known Alexis Johnson for a number of years – she is a friend of my daughter and was in a band with one of my sons when they were both in high school. This did not influence my review. I received a complimentary copy of The Seventh Year Trials as a member of the launch team. This is my honest review.

THE SEVENTH YEAR TRIALS: BOOK ONE OF THE TAINTED SCALES SERIES is available from Amazon. When you find a book on Library Lady’s Kid Lit that you would like to purchase, I hope you will use the purchase links provided. When you make a purchase through our affiliate links, you support this young adult and children’s literature blog. I am grateful for you. Thank you!