Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Book Review: Dragonfriend

Today's book review, Dragonfriend, Marc Secchia

From the "Back of the Book:"

"Stabbed. Burned by a dragon. Abandoned for the windrocs to pick over. The traitor Ra’aba tried to silence Hualiama forever. But he reckoned without the strength of a dragonet’s paw, and the courage of a girl who refused to die.

Only an extraordinary friendship will save Hualiama’s beloved kingdom of Fra’anior and restore the King to the Onyx Throne. Flicker, the valiant dragonet. Hualiama, a foundling, adopted into the royal family. The power of a friendship which paid the ultimate price.

This is the tale of Hualiama Dragonfriend, and a love which became legend."

Lia is a royal ward - the adopted daughter of the king. At the beginning of the book the traitor throws her out of a dirigible. She's saved by a dragonet, and it's the start of a beautiful friendship.

The plot is fairly standard for fantasy, but the focus is on the characters. Specifically, the relationships between Lia and her dragon friends. This was a really fun read that I completely enjoyed.

Secchia has created a rich world with a nice take on dragons here. The dragons aren't the traditional evil, nor the modern super-friendly, but instead have a complex society of their own. It was really fun spending time with them, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

If there was one flaw, it was with the plotting. It does move a little slowly. I don't mind this, because the book is character driven, and most of the time is spent developing and exploring relationships. I love books like this when it's done right, and Dragonfriend does it very well. There are a few fight scenes to keep the political plot and mystery surrounding Lia going, but, if you're expecting action packed, it's not.

Four stars, easy. Possibly five if the next books in the series are just as good or better.

No comments:

Post a Comment