I got this eARC from NetGalley free of charge, they encourage reviews.
Amazon Product Description:
Newbery Honor author of Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine weaves a spellbinding tale about a clever heroine, a dragon detective, and a shape-shifting ogre.
Newly arrived in the town of Two Castles, Elodie unexpectedly becomes the assistant to a brilliant dragon named Meenore, and together they solve mysteries. Their most important case concerns the town’s shape-shifting ogre, Count Jonty Um: Someone is plotting against him. Elodie must disguise herself to discover the source of the threat amid a cast of characters that includes a greedy king, a giddy princess, and a handsome cat trainer.
Readers who loved Ella Enchanted and Fairest will delight in this tale of a spirited heroine who finds friendship where she least expects it and discovers that goodness and evil come in all shapes and sizes.
Once again Gail Carson Levine has created a masterpiece! This is an amazing story! The characters are fantastic and the story is clever and intriguing. Elodie is a wonderful heroine.
Meenore is incredible. Count Jonty Um is more human than most, especially for a shape-shifting ogre. The King is awful (but he's supposed to be).
This is a story of courage, friendship, misconception, misdirection, and the value of goodness and honesty. My favorite thing about this story is that it shows that every once in awhile when life takes an unexpected turn and you end up somewhere you didn't think you wanted to be, what you find there is home.
