by Janet Lee Carey
Release Date: January 5, 2012
by Dial
Purchase / Goodreads
Wilde Island is not at peace. The kingdom mourns the dead Pendragon king and awaits the return of his heir; the uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is strained; and the regent is funding a bloodthirsty witch hunt, hoping to rid the island of half-fey maidens.
Tess, daughter of a blacksmith, has visions of the future, but she still doesn't expect to be accused of witchcraft, forced to flee with her two best friends, or offered shelter by the handsome and enigmatic Garth Huntsman, a warden for Dragonswood. But Garth is the younger prince in disguise and Tess soon learns that her true father was fey, making them the center of an exciting, romantic adventure, and an ancient prophecy that will bring about peace between all three races - dragon, human, and fairy.
Tess, daughter of a blacksmith, has visions of the future, but she still doesn't expect to be accused of witchcraft, forced to flee with her two best friends, or offered shelter by the handsome and enigmatic Garth Huntsman, a warden for Dragonswood. But Garth is the younger prince in disguise and Tess soon learns that her true father was fey, making them the center of an exciting, romantic adventure, and an ancient prophecy that will bring about peace between all three races - dragon, human, and fairy.
*A copy was provided by Dial for review purposes*
Dragonswood has been sitting on my shelf for the longest of all my review copies, so I though it was only fair to finally give it a try. I’m not a huge fan of witch books, and I had no idea that there was a witch undertone in this book, and luckily it wasn’t a huge aspect of the book so I ended up liking it pretty well.
While the writing was only average in this book, I still did enjoy it. I think that Carey was trying too hard to make the diction sound old and eloquent, and, as a result, the writing was really choppy and disconnected. Also, at the end of the book, when we find out that someone is not who he/she says he/she is (not telling), the act of finding out isn’t dramatic enough. It should be groundbreaking, not just “Oh yeah, so-and-so is actually so-and-so” and leave it at that. Also, I got really confused with all the characters and places. But, on the bright side, I did really enjoy the story. The staging and story line was really good, and I loved the escapes/rescues. They were believable scenarios so I enjoyed that. I also really liked the ending. I was extremely confused about who was bad and why, because Carey didn’t really explain it in the beginning, but I’m guessing he was a pretty good villain :P
This is a very interesting cast, and I really enjoyed it. I think Tess is the perfect leading female character. She was strong, defiant, and smart, and kick-butt in her own way.
I also really liked Garth. He was so nice and sweet and cute and totally sexy. Mmmmmmmmmmm :p
So, all in all, a pretty good fantasy book. And, let me just point out, this cover is absolutely stunning. Love love love love LOVE it!!
While the writing was only average in this book, I still did enjoy it. I think that Carey was trying too hard to make the diction sound old and eloquent, and, as a result, the writing was really choppy and disconnected. Also, at the end of the book, when we find out that someone is not who he/she says he/she is (not telling), the act of finding out isn’t dramatic enough. It should be groundbreaking, not just “Oh yeah, so-and-so is actually so-and-so” and leave it at that. Also, I got really confused with all the characters and places. But, on the bright side, I did really enjoy the story. The staging and story line was really good, and I loved the escapes/rescues. They were believable scenarios so I enjoyed that. I also really liked the ending. I was extremely confused about who was bad and why, because Carey didn’t really explain it in the beginning, but I’m guessing he was a pretty good villain :P
This is a very interesting cast, and I really enjoyed it. I think Tess is the perfect leading female character. She was strong, defiant, and smart, and kick-butt in her own way.
I also really liked Garth. He was so nice and sweet and cute and totally sexy. Mmmmmmmmmmm :p
So, all in all, a pretty good fantasy book. And, let me just point out, this cover is absolutely stunning. Love love love love LOVE it!!
4 pink flowers
Sounds like the book for me. I should pick it up.
ReplyDeletei hope i can get it soon . tnx 4 the review . i lov fantasy
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