Customer Reviews

Dragonsdale

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

 

 

I am a 10-year-old girl. This book was the first book that ever made me cry. Once I started reading this book, I was hooked. It is the best book in the universe because Cara seemed like a real person to me. And all the other characters seemed real too. Hortense seemed so evil, I despised her! This book was very well written. I recommend this book to all kids around my age. They will love it. (typed by mom)

All her life, Cara has dreamed of riding a dragon. Her father will not allow it, for her mother died in an unfortunate dragon training accident just before Cara was due to start learning how to train and fly the magnificent beasts. Ever since his wife's death, Huw, the Dragonmaster of Dragonsdale, has forbidden his only child from even mounting a dragon.

Instead, Cara works around Dragonsdale. As one of the premier training farms on the island of Bresal, there is much to be done, and Cara cleans out the dragons' stalls and assists the riders with grooming their dragons. All the while, she dreams of being able to fly on one herself. She even has one in mind--Skydancer, a wild Goldenbrow who has been notoriously hard to tame.

As the Island Championships draw closer, Cara becomes more and more envious of the dragon riders, particularly Hortense, the High Lord of Seahaven's daughter. Hortense expects Cara to care for the dragon she rides, but gets the pleasure and honor of riding him herself. The tension between Cara and Hortense escalates as the competition grows closer and cumulates with Hortense convincing her father to purchase Skydancer from Dragonsdale.

Hortense's rough methods do not mesh well with Skydancer's fiery personality and suddenly there is a very real danger that Skydancer's wings will be clipped, grounding him forever. It is up to Cara to find a way to save him--without her father discovering that she is learning to fly.

Fantasy fans will enjoy this book with its rich world and well-developed characters. Cara is a charming heroine and the dragons are absolutely delightful.

Readers will hold their breath as Cara rides Skydancer through the challenging course in the Island Championships and clench their fists at Hortense's antics. They will wish they could scratch a dragon's crest or help weigh a squirming dragonet. And while they do so, they'll absorb some good lessons about caring for others and the right way to treat people.

Armchair Interviews says: This is a promising start to what is sure to be a wonderful series.

Dragonsdale is a stable full of dragons to ride. A girl named Cara likes a dragon that she secretly rides. Cara is not allowed to ride dragons. One day her father lets her ride Skydancer after watching her ride in a show. Cara and Skydancer are finally happy.
Dragonsdale is the best! I was telling my mom about it until she got tired(because she had already read it). I was so afraid Hortense would get Skydancer! I could not put this book down. It is very good for both kids and adults. I am an 8 year old girl and I was really captivated by it. Horse lovers will also enjoy this book. I have two horses and the idea of riding made me want to read it. I found out riding dragons is almost the same as riding horses with a few differences of course! This is a book to definitely keep on your shelf!
-----Typed by mom

This is my favorite book ever. My favorite part is when Skydancer and Cara ride in the wild. I liked the character of Cara because she is nice, smart, and works as a team. The story made me feel like I want to ride a dragon. Hortense is a nasty character. I also liked the meaning of the trustbond because it showed that you need to work kindly to create relationships. (Submitted by mom)

Dragonsdale is the perfect combination of horse stories and fantasies. This time, the stables that girls dream of being filled with beautiful ponies is filled with awe-inspiring dragons. Cara is the daughter of the Dragonmaster, the head of Dragonsdale. The one thing she wants more than anything else in the world is to ride one of those dragons that she cares for. However, she's forbidden to do the one thing she wants most because her mother was killed while riding a dragon.

As Cara works caring for the dragons with all her friends, she develops a wonderful devotion to the most uncontrollable of all the dragons named Skydancer. But the nastiest girl of all, Hortense, decides that Skydancer will be hers, alone to ride in the upcoming championship.

Dragonsdale contains plenty of tension with some very well-drawn characters. It's very clear who is the heroine and who is the villain, and wondering what the outcome will be keeps the pages turning for grade school readers.

Salamanda Drake's DRAGONSDALE is a winning story of a riding school run by Cara's father - a riding school where dragons are the mounts. It's a stable of longing for Cara, who loves dragons but is forbidden to ride them since her mother's terrible accident - and it's a stable of danger, as she secretly rides anyway, in defiance of her father's wishes. Will Cara ever be able to openly take flight and ride? DRAGONSDALE is your typical horse stable girl story with a twist and will delight grades 6-8 with a fun story of change and courage.

Personally I subscribe more to the Eragon style Dragons. Wise, powerful creatures which can talk and are equals with humans. But I digress. Anyway this is a pretty good read if definitely a kids book. Particularly girls. One of the things that bug me about it is the almost blatant references to horse riding, the way the illustrated characters dress and the rosette deal. Its pretty obvious what this book was inspired by.
One the characters I like is Hortense. She's the character like Umbridge of Harry Potter fame. The one everybody loves to hate. I personally hope that if there is ever a third book, that she gets eaten alive by a wild dragon. Along with her father as well. The stable boy Drane (or something I don't remember) is pretty good in the way that he doesn't like dragons. Salamanda does a good job in making Drane a deeper character than just and idiot male in most young girls fiction. That his father is harsh and demanding and almost forced him to be ignorant.
If you like dragons this is a good book for you but if you're looking for serious fantasy, go somewhere else.

The fictional author (who rides dragons and has a pet wyvern?) has methodically replaced all horse/pony references in a generic horse story with dragon references and marketed the result to kids whining for more magic... it is kind of horribly amusing, especially if one read, as I did, far too many horse stories in their youth. It is over quickly, and leaves room in the child's brain for other more interesting things soon.