Dragon's Keep
by Janet Lee Carey

    DRAGON'S KEEP by Janet Lee Carey
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  4/1/07
    Publisher:  Harcourt
    Reviewed by:  Carrie Spellman
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Rosalind's fate was written in the stars, read by Merlin, some 600 years before she was born.  A direct descendant
    of the Pendragon line, her ancestor, Evaine, was the younger sister of King Arthur.  Evaine married an outlaw and
    was banished to Wilde Island and erased from family history, setting Rosalind's destiny in motion.  Three things are
    said of the twenty-first queen of Wilde Island; "She shall redeem the name Pendragon.  End war with the wave of her
    hand.  And restore the glory of Wilde Island."

    Rosalind knows the prophecy well.  She has been groomed for it her entire life.  The way her mother sees it, England
    is in the midst of a civil war and Rosalind will marry Prince Henry, future king of England, thereby fulfilling all aspects
    of the prophecy.  There are just a few problems.  Having never met the Prince, what if he and Rosalind don't get
    along?  Not that the Queen of England has officially contacted them yet, though it is assumed she is aware of the
    prophecy.  With the recent dragon attacks on Wilde Island their military force is depleted, and may not be much help
    to England.  Oh, and there's the little matter of Rosalind's ring finger.  Instead of a finger it's a dragon's claw.  So far
    she and her mother have hidden it behind golden gloves, but that won't work when Rosie is married.  They MUST
    find a cure soon.  A cure that is made harder to find due to the fact that the healers are never told what the exact
    problem is.  Things are beginning to look bleak.

    When an envoy from England comes to visit Wilde Island, things may be looking up a little.  Especially since they've
    managed to slay the dragon that has been harassing the Island forever.  It doesn't hurt that the one who killed the
    dragon is a handsome boy around Rosalind's age.  At least in Rosalind's opinion, but her mother might not see it the
    same.  Not that it's a concern for long.  What should be one of the most triumphant moments in their history turns
    horrifying when the dragon's mate returns to punish the people, and takes a special interest in Rosalind.  Before long,
    Rosalind's life will never be the same, and it doesn't look like the prophecy could ever possibly be fulfilled.

    There is so much more to this book than I can tell you here!  So many more levels and layers to the story.  If I tried
    to fit it all in it would not only ruin the story, but end up nearly as long as the book!  The relationships between the
    characters are so multi-leveled and very realistic.  Rosalind may be a Princess with a dragon's claw in a faraway time
    and place, but her relationship with her mother is something you could see in anyone's life.  Her desire to be normal
    and accepted are the same things everyone experiences as a teenager.  So while the circumstances aren't something
    we experience every day, the people in them, and their reactions to them, are completely realistic and easy to relate
    to.

    Part fairy tale, part mythology, part legend, all around fantastic!  Read it!  You'll be glad you did.