Dragonfly by Julia Golding

Genre: YA Fantasy

Publication Date: October 2009

One Word Review: Adventurous

Author Website: www.juliagoldning.co.uk

First Line: “The Fourth Crown Princess of the Blue Crescent Islands had sixteen rituals to observe from the moment of waking to when she broke her fast.”

Synopsis: Princess Taoshira of the Blue Crescent Islands is appalled when she is ordered to marry Prince Ramil of Gerfal. And he's not too pleased, either. She is used to a life of discipline, ritual, and splendor. He is used to hunting and carousing. They hate each other on sight. But both of their countries are under threat from a fearsome warlord, and the only chance of peace is to form an alliance. When Tashi and Ram are kidnapped, they fear there’s no escape--from their kidnappers or from each other. Can they put aside their differences long enough to survive ambush, unarmed combat, brainwashing, and imprisonment? And will the people they meet on their adventure--including a circus strongman, a daring rebel leader, a sinister master of spies, and the best female fighter they have ever seen--help them or betray them to the enemy?

Kathy’s Review: I’m not sure why this one was listed as a fantasy novel, maybe because the whole thing takes place in a fictional land, but it doesn’t have the usual fantasy elements like magic, elves, etc. I still really enjoyed this book, even though at times it felt a little long. This book stands well on its own, there is a companion novel coming out this summer which will be following different characters. Tashi and Ram’s story was full of adventure and love. It did seem like they were getting into one problem after another, but that’s part of the fun. The story rotates from their respective points of view, which was a fun way to see how they viewed one another and when they weren’t together you could see how the story was moving along. I admit, after awhile I got a little bored with the religious aspects of the story but they were an important part to Tashi’s character, and it was nice to see her grow throughout the book. It was a fun read and I look forward to reading the companion novel this June. This reminded me of The Demon King and Incarceron.

Bookworm Rating: 4

Reading Order:
Book One: Dragonfly
Book Two: The Glass Swallow