ARC Review: Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey - Blog Tour

Title: Dragonswood
Series: Wilde Island Chronicles #2
Author: Janet Lee Carey | Website
Available: 1/5/2012
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: YA












Synopsis via Goodreads:

Wilde Island is in an uproar after the recent death of its king. The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witch hunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations. Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysterious Dragonswood, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of fate when she is accused of witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends. 

Not even Tess’s power to see the future can help the girls as they set off on their desperate journey, but she keeps having visions of a man wielding a sword. And when she finally meets him, Tess has no idea how to handle the magnetic attraction she feels for him, or the elusive call she hears from the heart of the Dragonswood. 

In this epic romance, an ancient prophecy comes true in a way neither dragon, fairy, nor human would have predicted.

My thoughts:

Dragonswood satisfied a craving I wasn't even aware I had. Obviously my book diet has been seriously lacking fantasy lately. I just didn't realize how bad until I started reading this enchanting novel.  Tess takes readers on an incredible journey. I found myself staying up late at night because I just couldn't bring myself to put her captivating tale down. The magical combination of a historical setting, dragons, fairies and romance had me falling in love at first page.


I absolutely loved Tess. She craved an independence that women during her time didn't typically have. Instead she was forced to live in fear with her mother and abusive father. Who would of thought being accused of witchcraft and forced to flee could be so liberating? Tess is a strong and admirable character. She stayed true to herself throughout the book and as a reader I appreciated this. The secondary characters were also a pleasure. I wish the dragons would have had a little more time in the spotlight. The few scenes where they spoke or interacted with the characters were without a doubt my favorites. I just have so much love for those scaled beasts ♥ 


I found the pacing of Dragonswood to be wonderful until the end. The ending just seemed a little rushed and the writing didn't flow as nicely as it did throughout the majority of the novel. I also had difficulty with the epilogue. Tess seemed to have a different "voice". I'm not sure if this was to help reflect the time that had passed and how she had changed. It just didn't feel like I was reading from the POV of the same girl I'd just spent almost 400 pages with. 


While the ending could have been smoother it didn't in any way squash the massive amount of love I have for this wonderful book. I still found Dragonswood an absolute delight to read! I highly recommend it and hope to read more by Janet Lee Carey very soon.


While visiting Janet Lee Carey's website I discovered Dragonswood is technically the second book in the Wilde Island Chronicles. I wasn't aware of this little bit of info when I first started reading. I haven't had the pleasure of reading the first novel, Dragon's Keep. I don't feel reading out of order made Dragonswood any less enjoyable and never really felt like I was missing anything. 

My Rating:

Review: Flying Blind by Deborah Cooke

Title: Flying Blind
Series: The Dragon Diaries #1
Author: Deborah Cooke | Author Website
Available: Now
Reading Level: YA












Description via Goodreads:


Zoë Sorensson is perfectly normal, except she's been told she's destined for great things. Zoë's the one female dragon shapeshifter of her kind. But Zoë is at the bottom of the class when it comes to being Pyr and her powers are AWOL, so she's sent to a Pyr boot camp. 

Zoë quickly realizes that she has to master her powers yesterday, because the Pyr are in danger and boot camp is a trap. The Mages want to eliminate all shifters and the Pyr are next in line-unless Zoë and her friends can work together and save their own kind.


My thoughts:


Zoë is quickly approaching her 16th birthday and anxiously awaiting the signs that she is growing up. Not only facing the pressures of school where she doesn’t really fit in, but also knowing she is destined to be this one of a kind female dragon shifter known as the Wyvern. Puberty is supposed to trigger more than boobs for the female Pyr. It should also awaken the powers that seem content to stay MIA. 


When an episode of bullying causes Zoë to partially shift in front of a human, her father decides it is time for her to attend boot camp. Zoë is excited to finally learn more about the ways of the dragon, and spend time with long time crush Nick. When an unexpected guest arrives and monopolizes all of Nick’s attention, Zoë finds her jealousy difficult to control. As boot camp progresses, tempers flare, and long time friends find themselves turning on one another. Will Zoë be able to fix things and figure out what powers are at play?


Flying Blind takes place in 2024. It is apparently the spin off of Deborah Cooke’s adult PNR series, which stars the parents of the shapeshifting teens we meet in her Dragon Diaries series debut. I definitely feel this gave her writing a certain vibe that you’d expect from an established author of a series aimed at adults. I really liked that, and felt it made it easier for me to connect to the key players even though I’m quite a few years older than them. 


I actually really enjoyed Zoë’s “voice”. Especially her list making. As a list maker myself I found this little trait very endearing. Zoë also seems to share my attraction to the bad boy type. Once you meet the motorcycle riding bad boy in Flying Blind you will see why. The romance itself was a very small part of the plot. The book definitely focuses more on the mystery, action, and Zoë’s self-discovery. 


I did find the whodunit portion of the book a little predictable, but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment in the least. What grabbed my attention and kept me reading was my desire to watch Zoë master her Wyvern powers. She was so used to being the underdog, and I really wanted to see her come out on top for a change. She is a very realistic heroine, aside from the shapeshifting power that is ;) She walks the line of insecurity without becoming whiny or pathetic. This gave her such a genuine feel. In a world where main characters sometimes are just a little bit too beautiful and life is just a little too easy, Zoë is a nice change of pace. 


Flying Blind is a great start to a new Young Adult series. After reading the first chapter of book #2, Winging It (available December 2011), I’m eager to see what is in store for Zoë next.

My Rating:

Books in this series:

Check out Deborah Cooke’s guest post to discover how she feels writing YA and Adult PNR differ by clicking here.

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Source: Teen Book Scene