Tag: fantasy

DRAGON’S BAIT by Vivian Vande Velde

Fifteen-year-old Alys is not a witch. But that doesn’t matter–the villagers think she is and have staked her out on a hillside as a sacrifice to the local dragon.
It’s late, it’s cold, and it’s raining, and Alys can think of only one thing–revenge. But first she’s got to escape, and even if she does, how can one girl possibly take on an entire town alone?
Then the dragon arrives–a dragon that could quite possibly be the perfect ally… .
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/372807.Dragon_s_Bait

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Finally I have found a book with a dragon I really like.
Although it’s a YA fantasy, and probably one that’s geared at an even younger audience than many of the contemporary YA books, it’s an absolute delight to read even for adults.
The themes of this book are revenge and responsibility and the wonderful thing is that the author doesn’t spell out every message hidden in this little gem of a book. Like the heroine, the readers have to come to their own conclusions.
Neither the heroine nor the dragon are morally pure to begin with nor are they by the end of the book. But both are changed by each other’s company.

The dragon in this book can change into (a very handsome) human form, so the monstrous aspect of the dragon is secondary. What makes him alien is his personality. He doesn’t adhere to human morality and his motivation is mysterious at best. His character really conveys a feeling that dragons are truly otherworldly creatures.

The interactions between the heroine and the dragon are delightful. There is bickering, there is jealousy and there is romance but it is very subtle.

Furthermore the book avoids all my personal YA pet peeves: no neverending self-indulgent introspection of the heroine, no over explaining of everybody’s motivations, no first person narrator and no fucking love triangle.

My only criticism: It’s too short. Otherwise it’s perfect.

May Book Recommendation

the-modern-typewriter:

The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

modern-typewriter says: This is a popular fairly recent release, so you may have heard of it. If you have heard it and are debating whether or not you want to read, or haven’t heard of it but like stories about fey/faeries – read it! I loved this book. I think it balanced the danger and the beauty of faeries well, and every character felt like they had their solid motivations. The antagonists were good. I admit, I am skeptical of magical bad boy set ups, but this one actually worked for me. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series to see how everything develops! May always seems like a fairy time of year for me, so have at as the weather warms!

If you liked this try/you might like this if you liked: “The Darkest Part of The Forest” also by Holly Black, The Shades of Magic series by V.E Schwab, numerous other fairy tale feeling stories.

This sounds really good!