Dragon Seer by Janet McNaughton

Dragon Seer by Janet McNaughton

Completion Date: May 10, 2011

Reason for Reading: Read more books by this author.

Enslaved since early childhood, Madoca is astonished to be chosen as dragon seer, one who will care for the dragons of Orkney. But people now question the age-old traditions that placed the dragons at the very heart of her society, and one of the older dragon seers has made enemies among the chieftains. When the Vikings arrive with a malevolent seer who has vowed to destroy all dragons, new alliances form and the people's way of life is threatened. As Madoca's powers emerge, strong but uncontrolled, she faces the fight of her life. How can she save her beloved dragons?

In May of 2007, I read An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton. This was back in the days when I would buy by impulse a lot. I wasn't even entirely sure what the book was about, but I wound up loving it. I had always intended to read more by her, but it has taken me all this time to actually do so. I am getting a little tired of the same type of books, so when I saw this book mentioned in a few places on the blogosphere I knew I was going to have to give it a read. I love dragons and don't read enough books that revolve around them.

When I read An Earthly Knight, I thought I was going to be reading historical fiction. It turned out to be a retelling of Tam Lin, but McNaughton writes in such a believable manner that it really could be historical fiction. There are just dragons thrown into the mix. She doesn't go overboard with her fantasy, so it makes it easy to actually picture the events in the book as true. She also writes young adult books that feature strong female characters in the lead role. Madoca was no exception. She had a rough life in the beginning, but things change for her and propel her into a whole new world. A world full of dragons. The dragons all have personalities, too, so that also added to the enjoyment factor of the book.

Overall this was another really good book by McNaughton. It reiterated the fact that I really need to read more from her. In a world where young adult seems to be very trend driven, she manages to write fresh novels that will appeal to all ages. I look forward to reading more from her in the future!

This book counts for the Once Upon a Time challenge.