Customer Reviews

Dragon's Keep

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rosalind's mother believes Merlin's prophecy from centuries earlier that stated her daughter would "... redeem the name Pendragon. End war with the wave of her hand. And restore the glory of Wilde Island." She goes to great lengths to have a child and will protect her daughter's future, no matter what it takes.

As the future twenty-first queen of Wilde Island, Rosalind is prepared to marry an English prince when the time comes and re-integrate her family line with the English court. Her branch of the royal family tree was outlawed by King Arthur hundreds of years earlier. There is just one little problem. Instead of a ring finger on her left hand, she has a dragon claw. Only her mother and Rosalind know about her hand and her mother devises a fashion of wearing gloves to hide the "disfigurement" because even a princess might be taken for a witch if the secret got out.

This is a story of obsession in many ways. In her efforts to protect her daughter and see that she gains the throne, Rosalind's mother will do anything. It put me in mind of the the headline-making "cheerleader mom."

Rosalind's obsession with what she perceives as a physical flaw is exacerbated by her mother who desperately seeks "cures" for her daugher from physicians, who are not allowed to know her specific ailment. This focus on physical appearance echoes news stories today about the growing number of young adults seeking cosmetic surgery.

Dragon attacks and the Rosalind's growing suspicion that all is not right in the castle are just some of the layers in this complex and riveting story. Carey's characters are real and compelling.

First rate!

Rosalind's fate was written in the stars, read by Merlin, some 600 years before she was born. A direct descendant of the Pendragon line, her ancestor, Evaine, was the younger sister of King Arthur. Evaine married an outlaw and was banished to Wilde Island and erased from family history, setting Rosalind's destiny in motion. Three things are said of the twenty-first queen of Wilde Island; "She shall redeem the name Pendragon. End war with the wave of her hand. And restore the glory of Wilde Island."

Rosalind knows the prophecy well. She has been groomed for it her entire life. The way her mother sees it, England is at war with Spain, and Rosalind will marry the Prince of England, thereby fulfilling all aspects of the prophecy. There are just a few problems. Having never met the Prince, what if he and Rosalind don't get along? Not that the Queen of England has officially contacted them yet, though it is assumed she is aware of the prophecy. With the recent dragon attacks on Wilde Island their military force is depleted, and may not be much help to England. Oh, and there's the little matter of Rosalind's ring finger. Instead of a finger it's a dragon's claw. So far she and her mother have hidden it behind golden gloves, but that won't work when Rosie is married. They MUST find a cure soon. A cure that is made harder to find due to the fact that the healers are never told what the exact problem is. Things are beginning to look bleak.

When an envoy from England comes to visit Wilde Island, things may be looking up a little. Especially since they've managed to slay the dragon that has been harassing the Island forever. It doesn't hurt that the one who killed the dragon is a handsome boy around Rosalind's age. At least in Rosalind's opinion, but her mother might not see it the same. Not that it's a concern for long. What should be one of the most triumphant moments in their history turns horrifying when the dragon's mate returns to punish the people, and takes a special interest in Rosalind. Before long, Rosalind's life will never be the same, and it doesn't look like the prophecy could ever possibly be fulfilled.

There is so much more to this book than I can tell you here! So many more levels and layers to the story. If I tried to fit it all in it would not only ruin the story, but end up nearly as long as the book! The relationships between the characters are so multi-leveled and very realistic. Rosalind may be a Princess with a dragon's claw in a faraway time and place, but her relationship with her mother is something you could see in anyone's life. Her desire to be normal and accepted are the same things everyone experiences as a teenager. So while the circumstances aren't something we experience every day, the people in them, and their reactions to them, are completely realistic and easy to relate to.

Part fairy tale, part mythology, part legend, all around fantastic! Read it! You'll be glad you did.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

Dragons Keep was a great young adult novel. The character Rosalind tugs at the reader's heart as she is trapped by a 600-year-old prophecy, her over protective mother, and dragons.

Both Rosalind and her mother constantly obsess and fret over her flawed finger and constantly worry over someone seeing it. Her mother subjects her to healers, witches and claw trimming every Sunday, all in an attempt to banish Rosalind's `shame.'

During a festival; a dragon, which has been terrorizing the island for centuries, kidnaps Rosalind and forces her to take care of four baby dragons. It is this time on Dragon's Keep where Rosalind, re-named Briar, truly comes into her own.

Her perceived shame is one of beauty to the dragons, and she learns more about the war between dragons and humans; mainly the dragons' side of it. The beginnings of a new age unfolds when the dragons fly off to meet for a war council and Briar returns to her kingdom to reclaim her throne.

The book was all around great; however, the ending I felt was very rushed. It seemed as if the entire book centered around conflict with the main character struggling to find answers as well as find herself. Everything was resolved in the last 15 pages and left me feeling a little confused and wondering how the dust had settled so quickly.

A prophecy was spoken by Merlin 600 years ago, and now the time has come for its fulfillment. The 21st princess foretold in the prophecy, Rosalind, has been born . . . and the only problem is, on one of her hands is a dragon's claw instead of a finger. Afraid that she'll be branded as a witch, Rosalind's mother is determined to protect her daughter and find a cure for her ailment.

Set in the middle ages, Dragon's Keep is an excellently told tale, full of intrigue and suspense. The author gives the book the feel of a historical fiction while weaving in the fantastical elements. A good, satisfying fantasy perfect for teens with an interest in Medieval times.

Princess Rosalind has a secret. One that her mother has kept from their kingdom. Rosalind was born with a dragon claw.

No one, save her mother, knows about this secret. The queen has forced her to wear gloves at all times until a cure can be found. Rosalind must be perfect or else she can't fulfill Merlin's prophecy that will restore her banished royal family to its rightful throne.

But fate steps in and Rosalind comes to find out the truth behind the prophecy that has haunted her since birth.

I loved the twist of this tale. A perfect princess born with a hideous flaw. Something that shames her own mother, who has a secret of her own.

The first couple chapters hooked me. I wanted to know more about Rosalind and how she dealt with her problem. The middle of the book dragged a little but picked up with how the princess interacts with the dragons and finds out the truth behind her secret.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy. This one has bite!

When King Arthur's sister was banished to Wilde Island, Merlin saw in the stars that the 21st Queen born to her would end war with the wave of her hand, restore the family name, and bring glory to Wilde Island. Too bad, Rosalind was born with a dragon claw instead of a finger on her left hand. As Rosalind grows, she is constantly reminded of her "shame" and "devil's mark" on her hand by her mother's obsession of finding a cure and of secrecy. She's never been allowed a friend, and people who have seen her claw have a tendency to end up dead. Rosalind feels like she can't live until she's cured; so life waits until the day a dragon kidnaps her and keeps her hostage against her people. If she stays and serves him and his motherless children, her people live.

This young adult novel had so much potential. It relates very well to life--who doesn't have something about them they wish they could change? Who doesn't worry about the future and how they will accomplish their dreams and goals? The storyline was really well done. The writing was fluid, and the story progressed wonderfully. I never felt lost as to what was going on, but wished for a bit more detail. In fact I found myself shocked and the end to read that Rosalind had red hair. Now, that might sound silly, but during the entire story, I never had a clear picture of what she looked like--everything is so focused on her cursed finger. It might have been purposely done to add feeling to the weight Rosalind felt about her body, but it made me feel like there were things lacking in the story, that things were overlooked in the development in the story and characters. Now, I'm not giving the book a 3 star rating just because of this, but this is just an example of what disappointed me.

Another thing that disappointed me was the romance. I'm always a sucker for romantic sub-plot. Rosalind's love interest comes along and makes a strong impression on Rosalind. I was disappointed in the development of their relationship. It just didn't. They have 2 or 3 conversations and then suddenly he's calling her "dearest" while he saves her after a horse accident. Not only that, but he seemingly abandons her after he accidentally sees her claw. All of that would have been okay in the story if his story had been told at all after they finally come together. But it doesn't. All we know is that he shows up in the very end to save her then flash forward a couple of months and Rosalind is summarizing events by saying "we married..."

Now I understand this is a fantasy book--I mean it's about a dragon--but the amount of superstition practiced by everyone got REALLY old. I know people living during the Middle Ages were superstitious, but this book just oozes with it. It made me feel like the laws that govern things in this world created by the author weren't fully developed. (Think of how important that is in books like Harry Potter.)

I feel that had I read this when I was 17, I would have loved this book and found nothing wrong with it. As an adult reader though, there was just a lot of missed potential by not fully developing the story. I just wanted a bit more to it. I enjoyed the story and the adventure. But once I finished it, I easily moved on and thought of it no more.

I agree with many of the previous reviews. The ending was a big disappointment. I enjoyed the entire story up until the last 3 chapters or so. I had a hard time putting it down and found myself reading well into the wee hours of the morning. The story had many well developed events and detailed characters. However, the ending did seem very rushed. I needed to know more about Kye. Why did Lord Faul suddenly die? Even his death left me wanting more, the author didn't develope that quite enough for me. Why did all the dragons come back that very day at the end? The ending didn't have enough detail.

I normally avoid dragon books like the plague because they are usually so predictable. This book was a different and refreshing take on dragon tales. The main character is well written and well rounded.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys authors like Robin Mckinley or Tamora Pierce.

Dragons Keep was worth the read. I enjoyed reading it to the very end although I think it lacked a little adventure because I thought some parts were a tad slow. The author provided great detail of the setting and characters. Although this isn't a book I would normally read because I don't care for books taking place in the past it was worth picking up.

This story is about a princess named Rosalind. Rosalind has a terrible secret that only her mother knows about. She was born with a dragons claw. her mother has even gone to extremes to keep the claw hidden. She is forced to wear golves and see coutless healers who have to guess what her problem is. Rosalind is also the key to a 600 year old prophecy that is to get their banished family back on the throne. Rosalind longs for a man to love her but fears her claw will prevent that from happening. One day a dragon sees her claw and thinks it beautiful where her mother only sees shame. The Dragon steals her away and soon it seems she is forgoten. she longs for the truth... is she of dragon kin? or human?..... this was a really good book I read too fast... i was hooked and could not put it down..lol.. it had a good ending and interesting charaters.