Monday, May 18, 2009

Dragon Spear (MG, YA)


George, Jessica Day. 2009. Dragon Spear. Bloomsbury.

"It's a bucket of sand," I said.
"Yes, yes, it is!" Luka was still grinning at me with delight. "Black sand. And we got six bucketfuls!"


Dragon Slippers. Dragon Flight. And now Dragon Spear. This novel continues the adventures of Creel and her friends both human and dragon. If you haven't read the first two books, then this review may reveal spoilers for the first two books. If you've read the first two books, then you'll probably want to read the third one regardless of what I have to say about it! But I will try my best to not have any spoilers about the third one.

Creel is engaged! She's marrying Prince Luka! The date has been set. The plans are underway. Including elaborate plans for her wedding gown--but will the plans go off without a hitch? What do YOU think? Can any wedding really truly go according to plan down to the last little detail? Luka wants the marriage, not the wedding, so he'd be more than thrilled if she'd consent to elope with him. Or if she'd settle for a very small, very private wedding. But Creel--dressmaker that she is--wants to make the PERFECT dress. And a perfect dress needs to be admired, right? If only she could uninvite some of her guests. If only her true friends could be there for her big day. Why oh why did the dragons have to be banished? Why oh why did her family have to come. Her bossy mean old aunt! Her scheming aunt that thinks this is the perfect opportunity for her daughters to marry well. The only person she's happy to meet again is her brother, Hagen.

When the novel opens, Creel and Luka are preparing to go on an extended vacation together to go visit the dragons in their new home, their very beautiful and exotic island home. (Complete with fainting goats). How are the dragons settling into their new home? Are her dragon friends doing well since 'peace' has come into the land?

The heart and soul of this one--like the others--is found in the dragons. Creel has a special bond with the dragons. And her destiny seems to be tied in with hers. The book presents a new danger complete with life-threatening adventures and challenges.

Did I like it? Yes! I don't know that it was as magically thrillingly wonderful as the first in the series. But I love these characters and want to read about them. I'm always happy to get reacquainted with Luka and Creel.

Can it stand alone? Yes and no. I think it's best read as part of the whole. But the book does include little asides--especially in the beginning--that stand as explanations about this world George has created. These catcher-uppers help with characters and setting. So everything you *need* to know for the book to make sense is there within this one volume. Not all fantasy books are that helpful. And some fantasy books that do are too helpful. This information can bog down and be too obvious. But not in this case. Not at all. So if it's been a while since you read the others, or if you're just jumping in now, then I think you'll do fine.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
If you're reading this post on another site, or another feed, the content has been stolen.

12 comments:

Ms. Yingling said...

I'll have to take a look at these. They look like they might be good for Dealing With Dragons or Alanna fans.

Melissa O. said...

I apologize in advance for being off-topic but I just wanted to say that I like all your scrolling lists! I'm glad I could be of help :-)

Becky said...

Melissa, I'm just so very thankful that you taught me how to do them! I hope it's not overkill. I just hope to cut down on the loading time of my page. And I hope it looks *slightly* less cluttered now.

DesLily said...

Becky, Becky, Becky.. *sigh*.. I've read the first book now it looks like I need to get TWO more books! argh! lol

ibeeeg said...

Ok..Ok...I am going to read the first book. This review was great. I look forward to reading this series.

Kailana said...

This looks good! I just added the first book to the library holds!

Zibilee said...

My daughter loves all things dragon, so I am going to have to get these for her. Thanks so much for posting this!

Anonymous said...

Does someone betray creel in the book cuz i thought i read something about that, if so tell me tell me tell me!

Vrisklepuff said...

Nope, no one betrays Creel. :) This was (kind of) in the first book. :P

Anonymous said...

I love all these books! Their the best ones ever! I also read Dealing with Dragons and the Alanna series. Did you know that the Alanna series is a little series made out of one big series? There is also one in the big series about Keladry of Mindelan. Another one is about Kel's friend whose name starts with a V. You should check out all the books by Tamora pierce. I could go on and on about them, but I'll stop. Just check them out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I remember what the girls name was!
Her name was Veraldaine, but everyone just called her Daine. I think that you should really check these books out. Their for young adults, though. They can be a bit older and just for girls at some points. I wouldn't tell a boy to read them. I love them a lot. I was crying towards the end of the last book in the Alanna series. I hate it when I finished the series because I couldn't read anymore of them. If you like these you might also like Eragon and Eldest. I know I read Eragon and I think that I read Eldest, the next one is Inheritance. Another series you should check out is the series about a boy named Luke.The first book is Among the Hidden. Just check all the books you see at your local library!!!!!!! These books are like links to other worlds. Also check the Harry Potter books!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd better stop before I go to far. See Ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


P.S. I also left the other comment that's really big.

Emme said...

This is my favorite series about dragons. If you liked this series then you might be interested in a series called Peter and the Starcatchers. I love them both. Jessica Day George Rules!!! =) I cant wait to read this last book!!!