The Dragonet Prophecy

Title: The Dragonet Prophecy
Series: Wings of Fire
Author: Tui T. Sutherland
Dragons Illustrator: Joy Ang
Map and Border Design: Mike Schley
ISBN: 9780545349185
Pages: 304 pages
Publisher/Date: Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., c2012.

Clay clenched his talons under the water. They had to be talking about Glory.
“Well, I’m not doing it,” Webs said.
Dune shot him a withering look. “No one thought you would.”
“Even though this is all your fault,” said Kestrel. [...]
“So how and when,” Dune said in his no-nonsense military voice. “Drowning would be simplest.” He glared at Webs.
“I joined the Talons of Peace to stop killing dragons,” Webs said. “I won’t argue with Morrowseer, but I’m not doing it myself.” [...]
“I’ll do it tonight while she’s sleeping,” Kestrel said. “I can get in there and break her neck before the others know what I’m doing, especially with the bossy one safely chained up.” [...]
Clay had heard enough. He sank down below the surface and swam toward the gap in the wall.
What do we do? What can we do? What can I do?
There’s no time.
How do I save her? (53-55)

Clay and four other dragons have been living under a mountain for years in the hopes that they were meant to fulfill a prophecy and end a war between the dragon clans. After Clay overhears his caretakers threatening to kill one of his friends because she doesn’t fit the prophecy’s specifications, the five dragons make an escape attempt. Their attempt is foiled almost immediately, and their separation and capture puts them in an even more dire situation. As their entire lives are called into question, doubts begin to surface about their abilities and loyalties to each other. If one of them dies, will the prophecy ever be fulfilled?

Readers picking up this book need to be patient from the beginning. What begins as a slow start quickly turns into a confusing situation, with five dragons, each a different breed and with different abilities, being cared for by three caretakers, also each a different breed of dragon and with different abilities. There are seven types or breeds of dragon total, but two of the breeds aren’t involved in the war, although they are represented by two of the young prophecy dragons, and one prophecy dragon was a “substitution” and isn’t mentioned in the prophecy at all. Sutherland tries to make it easier for readers by opening with “A Nightwing Guide to the Dragons of Pyrrhia,” but for the first third of the book I found myself flipping back and forth. The dragons are sometimes referred to as type and not by name, so getting them straight takes some effort. And is anyone else confused by the cover, which has the series name in BIG BOLD font, and then the actual title of the book looking like a subtitle?

Once you get into the story and the young dragons have been captured, it gets a little better, but only a little bit. I do like the different attributes given to each breed, some of which are explained by the end of the book. The whole premise of the prophecy is a little sketchy simply because of the slow start, but I’m assuming with book number two we’ll get more details about what the young dragons intend to do in order to save their world. It brings into question the whole aspect of destiny. Does choosing these dragons put them on the path to fulfill their destiny, even if one is a “substitution?” Friendship is also a major theme in this book, as the dragons’ loyalty to each other is called into question, and they must play up their strengths and weaknesses to help each other.

The book has some violence that I think sensitive readers might be bothered by, especially when we encounter the gladiator style fighting arena. The callousness of some of the dragons is also eye-opening if we think of them and their relationships in human terms. This behavior might ring truer to character if we compare the dragons to other wild animals and how they act, which actually makes sense considering Sutherland is part of the team of writers responsible for the Seekers series. I do appreciate the fact that the dragons are the main characters here, as opposed to most fantasy when they are merely secondary or supplemental (think Tamora Pierce, Anne McCaffrey, or Christopher Paolini). Overall, the quest and multitude of characters and species brings to mind Lord of the Rings, and complicated fantasy fans would more than likely enjoy the developed characters and unique setting. I know that’s why I’ll be reading the second one, since spending all that time figuring out who was who would be a waste otherwise.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Title: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Author: Grace Lin
Narrator: Janet Song
ISBN: 9780307746047
Pages: 278 pages
CDs/Discs: 4 CDs, 4 hours, 57 minutes
Publisher/Date: Random House, Inc., Listening Library, c2010.

Living with her mother and father in a small and sparse mountain village, young Minli toils with them over the land to yield the bare minimum of food. Minli enjoys listening to her father’s stories of dragons and the Old Man on the Moon, but she can’t block out her mother’s discontented sighs for greater wealth. Taking it upon herself to improve her family’s fortune, Minli sneaks away from her home in search of the Old Man on the Moon. Her journey is anything but easy, as she encounters magic around every turn that test her strength and resilience.

I was pleasantly surprised by the narration. Janet Song does not distinguish the character voices so they are instantly recognizable. Instead, her soothing tone makes you feel like you’re being read a bed time story or sitting around a camp fire with your family. It’s an intimate experience where you can envision she’s talking right to you, and I thought she was a perfect choice for this story that’s essentially a string of inter-connected shorter stories. This book is perfect for bed time reading as the sections are quite short and snippets can be read as desired or as time dictates.

While I absolutely loved the audiobook, readers of the physical book get an extra treat with author Grace Lin’s beautiful illustrations. The jacket art is just a preview of her skills, as each chapter is preceded by a line drawing of an object or event portrayed in the story. Interspersed amongst the chapters are full color illustrations that portray in vivid detail the scenes described. You can apparently buy prints of these illustrations from the author through etsy, like this one, which is one of my favorite: http://www.etsy.com/listing/60892565/the-dragon-gate-print

Grace Lin weaves these stories together effortlessly, as one segues into another and they all come together at the end. The alternating points of view give listeners and readers a glimpse into not only Minli’s perspective, but also takes turns showing us the thoughts and feelings of Minli’s parents and other characters, including a dragon. This gives readers a connection to all the stories. A wonderful, understated gem of book that sparkles from the inside, it has a satisfying happy ending that is a result of unexpected actions.

I hope someone used this Newbery Honor Book for their Summer Reading program of One World Many Stories, because this would have coincided well with that theme.

Voices of Dragons

Title: Voices of Dragons
Author: Carrie Vaughn
ISBN: 9780061798948
Pages: 309 pages
Publisher/Date: HarperTeen, c2010

A deep, short growl echoed above her. She rolled over and looked up. She was in shadow, and a dragon hunched over her. A real dragon, close up. Two stories tall, a long, finely wrought head on a snaking neck, and a lithe, scale-covered body. It was gray like storm clouds, shimmering to ice blue or silver depending on how the sunlight hit it. Its eyes were black, depthless black. [...]
They regarded each other. Her heart was racing, getting ready to burst out her ears. The trouble she was going to get into over rock climbing by herself was nothing compared to the trouble she was going to get into over this. This . . . this was epic trouble. She waited for the thing to eat her. (6-7)

However, seventeen-year-old Kay Wyatt got lucky, because the dragon does not want to eat her. Instead, the two strike up an unlikely friendship, with Kay crossing the forbidden border between dragons and humans that had stood unbreached for 60 years. Kay struggles to keep her rendevous a secret from her law enforcement parents, her best friend, and her budding boyfriend. But escalated activity causes unease in everyone’s mind, and this friendship might be in jeopardy as sparks fly and a war threatens.

First off, let me just say that the cover is GORGEOUS! The pose, layout, and even the color choice remind me a little of the Laura Croft Tomb Raider movie poster from a few years ago. But it’s extremely eye catching, with what I assume are dragon scales serving as a border along the cover, and the glowing light behind the model engaging the viewer.

I liked the premise of the book. Dragons are living peacfully on what could be compared to Indian Reservations, designated land set aside for their use. Humans patrol the border, preventing anyone from interfering with the uneasy peace that was established after World War II. I say uneasy peace because dragon drills are done every year, with kids practicing ducking for cover in doors and staying away from the windows. That part reminded me of the nuclear bomb drills that they had during World War II, where it really wouldn’t help much in the event of a real occurrance, but it least it comforts people to know there is a plan, no matter how futile.

I was engaged in the story while reading it. Kay is a likeable enough character who faces pressures from her friend, Tam, to find a boyfriend and have sex. She slowly and cautiously develops a relationship with a long time climbing friend, Jon, in the beginning for the sole reason to have a date for the homecoming dance. Readers however see very little of their relationship, as Kay spends a growing majority of her time getting to know the dragon and Tam’s boyfriend leaves town with his family as problems increase. Tam is also relegated into the beautiful/popular/sexy friend position, and although she and Jon come through for Kay in the end, I wish we had seen more of her when she wasn’t attached to her boyfriend’s face.

Kay’s interaction with the dragon is thrilling to read about, probably satisfying dragon fans like readers of Patricia C. Wrede’s Dealing with Dragons series, Tamora Pierce’s Immortals series, or Anne McCaffrey’s Harper Hall series. The physical description of the dragon is detailed, but the dragon could have used a little more character and personality at times. In this same manner, the reading was a little slow at times, with Kay’s internalized dillema and point of view monopolizing the plot. I think alternating view points would have greatly helped the pacing of the book. However, the ending almost guarantees an eventual sequel, which fans will want to pick up but I think most readers will feel indifferent about.

The Titan’s Curse

Title: The Titan’s Curse
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book #3)
ISBN: 9781423101482
Pages: 312 pages
Publisher/Date: Disney Hyperion Books, c2007.

“No!” Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.
“Get back, half-blood!” the girl with the circlet said. “Get out of the line of fire!”
But Annabeth leaped onto the monster’s back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.
“Fire!” Zoe ordered.
“No!” I screamed.
But the Hunters let etheir arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, “This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!”
And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and turmbled into the darkness.
“Annabeth!” I yelled. (26)

Annabeth, Percy, and the newly restored Thalia head off to help Grover, who has discovered not one but two new half-bloods in a remote school. Upon arrival they enter into combat with a manticore, who forces Annabeth over the cliff. She isn’t the only one who is missing, as Percy, Grover, Thalia, and the Hunters head out in search of a kidnapped goddess. But Percy’s dreams plague him with visions that they’re walking straight into a trap, one which not everyone is going to survive.

Rick Riordan has continued the high-octane adventure that he started with The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters. Some romance might be blooming for Percy, and we’ll have to see how that progresses as I have mixed feelings about these developments. Now that most of the big twelve have had interaction with Percy, Riordan is moving on to more obscure myths, like Talos, the Garden of Hesperides, and Ophiotaurus (which I had never heard of). And because Percy is such a newbie to this whole concept that myths are real, the pace of the book is not slowed down by the exasberated demi-gods explaining everything to him and the readers. I like how Riordan takes a cue from Homer and does not describe Aphrodite. Percy says that “Thinking back on it, I can’t tell you who she looked like. Or even what color her hair or her eyes were. Pick the most beautiful actress you can think of. The goddess was ten times more beautiful than that. Pick your favorite hair color, eye color, whatever. The goddess had that.” (185)

I think Riordan had a little too much fun with when the group ends up visiting the Hoover Dam.

“Let us find the dam snack bar,” Zoe said. [...]
“I could use some dam french fries.”
Even Thalia smiled at that. “And I need to use the dam restroom.” [...]
“I want to use the dam water fountain,” Grover said.
“And . . .” Thalia tried to catch her breath. “I want to buy a dam T-shirt.” (208)

Younger readers might not get the joke, or might start using the word inappropriately, but middle schoolers will certainly find the humor. He also does a great job incorporating Annabeth into this scene, even if she’s not physically present, with the gang spouting off statistics that they have learned through Annabeth. Annabeth’s parents all make an appearance, and although her father and step-mother are not quite what I expected. To be fair, I’m not sure what I expected, but her father’s role in the final battle make up for my surprise.

I think I also appreciate the fact that even thougth there is this prophecy that might pertain to Percy, which I can’t help comparing to Harry Potter’s prophecy, it’s very open as to what exactly will end up happening. With Thalia present, there was the possibility that Percy wasn’t the “chosen one”. Even by the end of the book, Riordan has worked it out that there’s still no certainty when it comes to these things, with one big surprise at the end.

The one complaint that I have is that a lot of the plot and information is revealed in dreams and prophecies, and it takes a lot of the guess work out of Percy’s quest. I think I would have enjoyed it more if Percy and the gang would have had to investigate these events a little more. All in all, a good plot, a solid addition to the series, and a resounding lead off for the next book. I feel certain (and it’s not just becuase I read the sneak peek in the back of the book) that Rachel Elizabeth Dare is going to play a bigger role in the adventure. Did anyone else notice that her initials spell RED, which is the color of her hair?

The Search for the Red Dragon

Title: The Search for the Red Dragon
Series: The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica
Author: James A. Owen
ISBN: 9781416948506
Pages: 371 pages
Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2008.

Sitting in a disarray of just-blooming bluebells, mud, and free-floating feathers was a small girl. A small girl with wings. [...]
“More of a cherub, really, don’t you think, John?” said Charles.
“And you would know this how?” asked John. “When have you ever seen a cherub?”
“Look,” said Charles, “when he said ‘angel,’ I was expecting something a little more grown-up. This cherub can’t be more than five years old.”
“I’m eight, I’ll have you know,” the girl piped up. “Next Thursday, anyway. And I’m not a cherub or an angel, whatever those are. I’m Laura Glue, and Laura Glue is me.” (16)

In the sequel to Here, There Be Dragons, James Owen begins the story nine years later. Charles and John have been contacted by Jack’s brother to come immediately. Upon arrival, they are greated not only by Jack and his brother, but by a tiny winged girl with a message for “Jamie” that “The Crusade has begun.” Jamie turns out to be Sir James Barrie, the previous Caretaker of the Imaginarium Geographica. After calling on their old friend Bert, they discover that children, including Aven’s son, have all gone missing along with the dragon ships. As the conduct The Search for the Red Dragon, they’re transported to Never Land where they meet some familiar characters.

James Owen has done it again. Fabulous mythology weaved seemlessly with fantasy, history and folklore transport the reader into Nether Land. It’s an impressive pantheon, with wonderful descriptions and a much appreciated author’s note that guides the uninitiated through fact, fiction, and the connections between the two, seperating what is true with the liberties that he took. The writing is engaging, and I’ve asked our ordering teen librarian to acquire the rest of the series, because you can’t start this series without finding out how it ends. I certainly hope we haven’t seen the last of Laura Glue.

Here, There Be Dragons

Title: Here, There Be Dragons
Series: The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica
Author: James A. Owen
ISBN: 9781416912279
Pages: 326 pages
Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, c2006.

The apparition grasped his hand in return, pumping it frenetically. “At last, at last!” he exclaimed. “So happy to make your acquaintance, John, my dear, dear boy. And what better place than here at Sir Arthur’s home-away-from, eh? So grand, so grand. Yes…”
Jack and Charles exchanged skeptical glances and Jack twirled a finger at his temple.
The little man continued undeterred. “I trust you can take it from her, correct?” he said, thrusting the oilskin-wrapped parcel in John’s direction. “You know what must be done. The professor would not have left you unprepared for this.”
John waved the parcel away. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you are talking about. We’ve only just ourselves come from the professor’s house, and I haven’t known of his death for but the last day.”(17)

John, Jack, and Charles all find themselves at the apartment of a recently murdered professor on a cold and stormy night. Although they’ve never met eachother before, they become entangled in an adventure when Bert presents them with the Imaginarium Geographica, an atlas of imaginary worlds. The Winter King however, is after the book, and all three are sent fleeing on one of seven Dragon ships. In a story that weaves mythology with recognizable classic fantasy, James Owen’s Here, There Be Dragons presents a journey to the ends of the world with the tales of King Arthur, elves, and Captain Nemo assisting the three unlikely heroes.

Fantasy nuts will recognize with great clarity the influences on this book. The Parliment aligns itself with the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, there is a ring of power that Tolkein fans will recognize from Lord of the Rings, and the humans being referred to as “Sons of Adam” traces back to Chronicles of Narnia. Literary figures are also apparent, from works like H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne. But even without these little glimpses into the genre, readers are still transported back into time, not only to the era of World War I, which is where our story begins, but to the lands of the Archipelago. I loved the line towards the end of the novel, where Charles says “Here, There Be Dragons,” wasn’t a caution. It was a reassurance.” and John remarks “I think that would depend on your relationship with the dragons. (313) It just shows what the book is, which is an entirely new way of thinking of mythology, mystery, and fantasy. The black and white drawings done by the author add intrigue and detail to an already compelling read, which grabs readers and holds them tightly to the very end, where there is one last curveball for readers. Highly recommended to fantasy fans, especially middle schoolers who have already gobbled up the usual suspects.

Dragonsdale

Title: Dragonsdale
Author: Salamanda Drake
Narrator: Jill Shilling
ISBN: 9780739348864
Discs: 5 CDs / 5 hours 50 minutes
Pages: 271 pages
Publisher: Listening Library, c2007.

Drane was still scratching. “I think she likes me. She’s purring.”
“She’s doing what?”
“Purring.”
Cara shook her head. “Dragons don’t purr . . . uh-oh.” She eckoned to Drane. “I think you’d better come out of there.”
“Why?” Drane’s voice was dreamy. “She’s enjoying it. Look she’s smiling.”
“Drane, I think it would be a really good idea if you came out of there right now.”
[. . . ] The dragon gave a gigantic belch. A searing tongue of flame shot from her mouth across the stall and roared toward the open doorway, straight for Drane’s unprotected head. (13)

Cara loves her life at Dragonsdale, even if it does involve mucking out dragon dung and washing the stuck up Hortense’s dragon for her. That’s because she can spend her free time with Skydancer, an “untrainable” dragon that Cara loves like her very own. However, due to her mother’s death by falling off a dragon, Cara is forbidden to ride Skydancer, or anyother dragon. Cara is content to stay on the ground, until Skydancer’s future at the Dragonsdale riding school is threatened. Will she take to the air to save Skydancer, even against her father’s wishes? Written at the age of 16, Dragonsdale by Salamanda Drake is the exciting beginning to a brand new series about dragons.

I can’t review the book without commenting first on the book cover, which I almost missed because I listened to it as an audiobook. The cover is GORGEOUS, with a cut-out two layered effect that overlays the dragon’s head with Kara’s. The eye-catching cover just doesn’t translate for the audiobook cover. The illustrations by Gilly Marklew are equally appealing, with an interesting and ever-changing use of white space and margins. The storyline and characters are predictable at times, but the dragon scenes are engaging and entertaining. There apparently is a sequel, with possibly two more on the way to be translated. The cover of the second looks much different, and I’m hopeful the plot isn’t as cliche as the first. However, it’s a good read, and a sure win with children looking for more dragon stories.