Customer Reviews

Dragonfly

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A few years ago when I was just starting to explore YA Fantasy I would probably have thought this a great book. I was coming off reading romance novels and had not had a whole lot of exposure (other than classics read at a young age) to other fantasy-type novels.

Since then I've read Fantasy YA books such as Graceling & Fire by Kristin Cashore, the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare and the Studies trilogy by Maria Snyder. Also, I've also just come off reading the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. What does all of this mean? It means I'm a bit more critical now and my likes and dislikes are quite a bit more pronounced.

This novel felt like a toned-down romance novel. It had all the elements of the classic romance historical novel - a political marriage that results in jibes for a few days before both people realize they have love for each other. The kidnapping and basic formula to split the two apart making them realize that the love is true love. There's a bit of intrigue and rebellion because, goodness knows, you have to show that your hero has a backbone. Ugh, I could go on but honestly.. the result was that, in spite of REALLY wanting to like this book, I was bored by it. I knew what the ending would be, there was no excitement or twists or turns and the characters were fairly one-dimensional.

It's not as bad as some other YA novels out there are, but it wasn't what I was expecting at all and I was disappointed by it.

Taoshira,or Tashi to her friends, was commonly known as
the Fourth Crown Princess of the Blue Crescent Islands.
Soon, however, she must marry Prince Ramil of Gerfal, and
she doesn't want to leave her friends and family. She's
not too keen on marrying a stranger, either. Upon arriving
at Prince Ramil's palace, she finds he's every bit as rude
as she imagined. Then the two get kidnapped by the enemy,
Fergox. They fight their way out of his prison after being
humiliated and tortured, but due to unforseen problems,
Tashi and Ramil are separated on their way home.
But will they ever reunite and defeat Fergox? Can they
bring peace to their two different countries? And will
they ever become friends?

I thought this book was well written. It gave me a clear
picture of what was going on.
Golding clearly describes just enough so that you don't
get bored, but not too much so that you still need good
insight. It wasn't very realistic though, and there was no
modern technology, either. There's lots of action.
Definitely a book for people who like suspense.

There was quite a bit of violence in this book. There was also a
lot about different faiths and religion.


Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer
Flamingnet Book Reviews
Teen books reviewed by teen reviewers

Neither Tashi nor Ramil is looking forward to their upcoming marriage, but both are willing to submit in order to unite their people against a growing enemy kingdom. Culture clash proves to be too much for the pair, but just as Tashi is about to call off the union and return home, she and Ramil are captured by their shared enemy. They must put their differences aside and join forces in first escaping and then making the long journey back to Ramil's homeland before misunderstandings in their respective kingdoms about their disappearances lead to war across the land.

I really wanted to like this book, especially because I'm a sucker for the hate-turned-to-love storyline, but it just didn't click for me. The book was overly long and in some places even plodding. I found myself bored. Worse still, the characters were not very likable, particularly Ramil. Tashi was better, but she always felt closed off and removed. This was partly because of her personality, but that isn't a great personality for a character readers are supposed to form an emotional attachment with to have. I could not connect to either of them and their eventual romance did not resonate. On the flip side, the descriptions of the cultures, especially Tashi's culture and system of government, were interesting and well described.

Overall, this was decent, but kept from greatness by mediocre characters and overwriting.

I'm not sure why this one was listed as a fantasy novel, maybe because the whole thing takes place in a fictional land, but it doesn't have the usual fantasy elements like magic, elves, etc. I still really enjoyed this book, even though at times it felt a little long. This book stands well on its own, there is a companion novel coming out this summer which will be following different characters. Tashi and Ram's story was full of adventure and love. It did seem like they were getting into one problem after another, but that's part of the fun. The story rotates from their respective points of view, which was a fun way to see how they viewed one another and when they weren't together you could see how the story was moving along. I admit, after awhile I got a little bored with the religious aspects of the story but they were an important part to Tashi's character, and it was nice to see her grow throughout the book. It was a fun read and I look forward to reading the companion novel this June.

Bookworm Rating: 4
[...]

This is just one of those books that is a joy to read. It has an age old storyline about two strangers who are for various reasons, unhappily betrothed. Thankfully the author's imagination adds more depth and originality to the story.

Princess Taoshira, or Tashi as she is called, is from a land that is predominantly run by women. Taken at a very young age from her simple life as a goat herder's daughter, Tashi is thrust into the position of Fourth Crown Princess of her kingdom. She learns the customs of this position before she really even knows who she is herself.

Ramil on the other hand has been royalty his whole life and therefore lives accordingly. Although a tad bit used to getting his way it is obvious he is a good person with good intentions for his future kingdom.

I enjoyed getting to know all the characters in this book. Tashi and Ramil are our leads but the story would not be as fun without all the unique supporting characters.

A easy, fun read that I easily recommend. A lot of adventure, gory battle scenes, a love story, and quite a bit of humor too.

Descriptive battle scenes make this appropriate for 6th grade and up!

Find out more about Julia Golding and her other books HERE

Loved this book! This will be one I look to buy. It had all my favorite elements~ Princess, prince, love, adventure,growing and finding yourself! The characters were great. I wish I could have gotten into there heads a little more. There is a lot of action and I had a hard time putting the book down. These books are great tween-teen reads. There is some violence, but it was not too descriptive. 13 and up. There is a second story I will be looking into getting but it is not of the same characters.

Dragonfly showcases fantasy cultures written in a realistic fashion. Along with this, Dragonfly also offers readers lots of romance, suspense, and adventure. An expertly crafted piece of literaure with a great story and amazing characters. This book is a major must-read!

The country of Holt threatens war in the known world upon the surrounding countries. Those countries form an alliance and make an unusual pact - requiring one prince and one princess to marry. When the Fourth Crown Princess of the Blue Crescent Islands arrives in Gerfal, she's unhappy with her new situation and insulted by Gerfal's lack of protocol. They know nothing of her ways. Taoshira's not used to such treatment and takes offense. Neither she nor her betrothed, Prince Ramil, are interested in this alliance. They realize they must perform the duty their countries ask of them, but that was before their kidnapping, the religious persecution, and their imprisonment. Can they find a way to work together in order to survive?


Written in alternating perspectives, this novel flows beautifully and is an addicting tale. I don't particularly like this cover, it's really hard to see the face on my copy. I love Tashi's feisty attitude and independent streak. Julia Golding writes a fantastical romantic masterpiece full of adventure, betrayal, near misses, combat, and loyalty.

I don't understand why this book got so many negative reviews. I thought it was well written. I was especially impressed that the author wrote a book that is clean and sweet, something I wouldn't be embarrassed to let my teen-agers read. With all the trash that is out there (Graceling, The Twilight Series etc.), it is refreshing to read something like this. Sure the book wasn't perfect, but it was a feel good book. One you could read, enjoy, and not have to think too much about. I hope she writes more novels like this.

I was immediately drawn in by this story. It was a little hard to understand the different customs presented between the two different kingdoms (Gerfal and the Blue Crescent Islands), as well as, keeping the names of different places straight. The author could have made it easier to understand. Overall, I thought it had all the right elements in terms of storyline. The beginning felt a little drab, and slow, but the story does get better as one reads on. I admit this isn't an amazing historical novel nor will this book make the New York Times Bestseller's list, but I enjoyed the book very much. There are one or two flaws here and there, but it is a nice read for the weekend.