Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley

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Dragonhaven

"Dragonhaven" by Robin McKinley is the story of a young boy who has grown up in a rather unusual situation. He lives on a dragon preserve! There aren't very many dragons left in the world, so there have been several preserves created, and Jake's Dad runs one.

Jake has also been rather sheltered, not only does he live on a preserve far away from normal civilization, his Dad tends to over protect him because his mother died a few years ago. But, finally, Jake gets permission to go out on his first over night trek into the preserve. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes. Jake comes across a dead dragon mother, the poacher that killed her, and her dead babies. But wait, one of the babies isn't dead! And that's how Jake becomes a dinosaur Mom.

The story is written entirely from Jake's perspective, and that can be quite interesting at times! I'm not sure how McKinley managed to get inside the head of a teenage boy, but I think she did a really good job. Watching Jake and the dragonlet grow together is a lot of fun!

Dragon on a Pedestal by Piers Anthony

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Dragon on a Pedestal (Xanth Novels)

"Dragon on a Pedestal" continues the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. King Dor and Queen Irene have been married for a little while now and have a cute little three year old girl named Ivy. Irene has a frightening vision that tells her Ivy is going to be in great danger, and then Ivy manages to get lost! Of course this makes Irene frantic, and she sets off to find her daughter while King Dor stays behind to keep the kingdom together.

Ivy knows she's lost, but she's quite smart for her age, and having a blast! Her magical talent involves the enhancement of other people and animals. In fact, the more she believes in them, the more what she believes come true! Because of this talent she's able to make some unusual friendships, and over come obstacles that would have defeated those with a lesser talent.

Things come to a crisis point though when an invasion of Wiggles is found in Xanth. Irene is frantic to get to her daughter before anything bad happens, but Ivy and her new friends are the only one's who will be able to stop the Wiggles! Can the people and creatures of Xanth come together to face this threat? Will Ivy be safe? Read the book to find out!

Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik

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Victory of Eagles (Temeraire)

"Victory of Eagles" is book 5 in the Temeraire novels by Naomi Novik, and once again your joining me in progress as I read a series! I read the first four books while I was living in Ellensburg last year, and fell in love with the series!

Will Laurance and Temeraire are the heroes of this series. Will finds himself bonding with and raising Temeraire when his egg hatches unexpectedly on an over seas voyage. Will was a mariner, and he never thought he'd be a dragon captain, but that's what he becomes as Temeraire grows.

The series is set during the Napoleonic wars, but it doesn't just take place in Europe. Our two companions also travel to China, Africa, and all over the place! The first four books in the series are; "His Majesty's Dragon," "Throne of Jade," "Black Powder War," and "Empire of Ivory."

I really enjoyed this series because it looks at dragons from a different angle. Well that and I've always loved dragons! This series looks at what the world would look like if dragons were a normal part of life, if they fought by our sides, and formed partnerships with us. Temeraire never looks at things quite the same as a human would, and I love his spin that he puts on things! I highly recommend the series to any dragon lover out there.

Dragonworld by Priess and Reaves

Many of the books I review on this blog are books that I've read because I already know the author, or because a friend had recommended it. That's not the only way I find books though! In fact, I found this one in a more random method than normal... I was at the library, chatting with my brother and looking for a book, and the words "Dragonworld" caught my eye. I just had to snatch it up! Anything with dragons after all has to be given a chance.

I'm so glad I picked it up! "Dragonworld" is written by Byron Preiss and J. Michael Reaves and it was illustrated by Joseph Zucker. As the book opens we meet a young boy from the kingdom of Fandora. His people are simple folks, the cities of the nation mostly being self governing, but they are about to face a major challenge! They go to war. The why's I'll let you find out for yourself, but soon the people are heading out to war with the neighboring kingdom of Simbala, a kingdom they know very little about.

As we meet the people of Simbala we find out that they have a beautiful culture, beautiful, but full of political intrigue. The book progresses with many misunderstandings, both accidentally and manipulated, and you will find yourself caught up in the twists and turns! I didn't want to put the book down. It's simply written, but the story was compelling.

Oh yes, and there ARE dragons, and coldrakes, and lots of fantasy to feast your heart on!

I would be remiss if I didn't discuss the illustrations in this book. They are all through out, and it's obvious that the illustrator worked closely with the authors. The story doesn't need them, but it's definitely enhanced by them!