Dragonswood

Wilde Island Chronicles #2

by Janet Lee Carey

On Wilde Island, there is no peace between dragons, fairies, and humans.

Wilde Island is in an uproar over the recent death of its king. As the uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans begins to fray, the royal witch hunter with a hidden agenda begins a vengeful quest to burn girls suspected of witchcraft before a new king is crowned.

Strong-willed Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet, wants more for herself than a husband and a house to keep. But in times like these wanting more can be dangerous. Accused of witchery, Tess and her two friends are forced to flee the violent witch hunter. As their pursuer draws ever closer they find shelter with a huntsman in the outskirts of the forbidden Dragonswood sanctuary. But staying with the mysterious huntsman poses risks of its own: Tess does not know how to handle the attraction she feels for him—or resist the elusive call that draws her deeper onto the heart of Dragonswood.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Dragons, Romance, Magic, Young Adult Fantasy, Fairies

407 pages, Hardcover

First published January 5, 2012

About the author

~Things are never what they seem. Find the lost inside the dream ~
Janet Lee Carey is the award-winning author of nine Children's and YA novels. Her YA fantasy is critically acclaimed: "Verdict: This is quite simply fantasy at its best–original, beautiful, amazing, and deeply moving.” School Library Journal starred review. Janet links each new book with a charitable organization empowering readers to make a difference in the world. She tours in US and abroad presenting at schools, children’s book festivals, and conferences.

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Reviews

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragonswood is a solid teen fantasy that lacks just a little bit of that special something that makes you want to treasure and read a book over and over again.

The story is set in 12th century Wilde Island (England?) The narrator, 17-year old Tess, is a daughter of an abusive blacksmith. Tess dreams of being free of her father and living alone somewhere alone and supporting herself. But those are not the right times for such dreams. Single women are open for abuse and accusations of witchery. For now, Tess finds sanctuary from her father's fists in nearby Drangonswood, a vast piece of land that is surrounded by walls to protect dragons and fey living within them, no human is allowed there. When a witch hunter enters Tess' village, the girl is the easiest target for prosecutions. She flees and starts a journey of figuring out the reasons for her strange attraction to Deagonswood and her role in a prophecy promising a peaceful union among humans, fey and dragons.

I think that something that I mentioned earlier is that while being a perfectly fine, very well realized historical fantasy with a strong heroine and an interesting cast of characters (magic, or otherwise), the story reads a tad old-fashioned. It is less mature than I prefer and than what is popular right now, less passionate, less edgy. Imagine Juliet Marillier books, but slightly less compelling.

Dragonswood was enjoyable enough to read, but I am not craving more of it.

[Nafiza · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book until about 3:30 in morning. I could have stopped, I wanted to stop but I felt compelled to see where this trainwreck was going to ultimately end up. Before I went to bed, I gave it two stars but when I woke up this morning and immediately thought of this book (ergh) I realized that rather than it "being okay," to me, I just didn't like it. Stick with me till the end and I shall explain to you the reasons why.

I have read the first book in what I would loosely term a series though not really. And that novel was okay. Not exactly my cup of tea but not as disappointing as this one. The setting is the same and the dragons are the same but the protagonists are different. Anyway. Let's talk about the book.

One of the earliest things that made me shake my head in incomprehension was the main character's "flaw." While she was being tortured ( tortured! ) by the witch hunters, she, unable to handle the pain, tells the names of the two friends who accompanied her into Dragonswood. While she was being tortured, mind you. This apparently makes her a less than nice person because how dare you tell the names of the friends who are not being tortured and are snug, if a bit scared, in their own houses while you are in a freaking dungeon being hurt horrendously. Then the "love interest" proceeds to judge her because of her "failure" to be strong in the face of excruciating pain and wow, my mind, it just sat back and mused at the utter stupidity of it all. These people are judging Tess without there being a single awareness of their own roles, as friends, where Tess is concerned. She is supposed to protect them even when her fingers are being torn off but these women didn't even make the slightest attempt to help her escape.

Well. Okay. There was that mindfuckery involved. Then we move on to the bit that bothered me the most about this novel. The inconsistency in Tess's character. Her ear looks like a cauliflower from her father's beatings. The father also broke her hand and gave her black eyes and understandably enough, she is not too keen on men.

...

Or so she says. Over and over, again and again. Only she doesn't actually act that way once the love interest enters the picture. There's a particular scene that really enraged me. Garth, the love interest, returns from wherever he had gone (this is never specified) and the dogs run outside, almost besides themselves with excitement. Tess says that she "barely restrains herself from doing the same" which effectively equalizes her to the freaking dogs. All she lacked was a tail. She goes on and on about marriage and how she's opposed to it and how "wedlock" means that the man would wed the wife and lock her away and then, almost in the same breath, she would go on and on about Garth, about how she was in love with him and how she would do anything for him.

There is no consistency in her feelings about men and I find Carey's portrayal of an abused victim to be in poor taste and utterly infuriating to the woman in me. Actually, all her female characters are cast in the same mould. There's another wtfery moment when we find out that the witch hunter is not hunting witches, oh no, she (it's a woman, make the woman a villain, why don't you?) is going around killing innocent half-fey girls because she doesn't want them to marry the man she loves, the crown prince.

What the fuck?

And this murderess gets her man in the end and a crown. She becomes the freaking queen when I would have tossed her in a goal and thrown away the keep in an abyss for good measure. Because seriously? Ugh.

There's something very sloppy about this whole novel. Apart from the issues I had it with where women and their portrayals are concerned - oh yes, the best friends, you know, the names Tess gave up because she's horrible like that? - they are ultimately proven to be weak-willed and just...yeah - there was no world building to speak of. There was no fleshing out of characters, hell, they seemed as tasteless and flat as cardboard. The plot was predictable and the love interest a huge bastard who did not redeem himself in any satisfactory way by the conclusion. And Tess...wow, she just earned herself a place in the hallowed hall of Heroines Who Make Me Want to Hurl.

If I were you, I'd skip this one and go read something else.

[Mara YA Mood Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Underrated anti-trope in the realm of Arthurian Legend!! I would label this as NA, a clean NA but it was really refreshing!

Dragons, Faeries, Uther Pendragon’s descendants and witches come together brilliantly in this exceptionally written tale. I highly recommend and can be read as a standalone.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dragonswood is a dark alluring powerfully epic high fantasy filled with wonderfully delicious hidden secrets, intrigue, and enchanting mystical realms that will leave readers breathless. From the start, it is deeply compelling and masterfully written, filled with wonderfully developed characters and dangerous action-packed trials facing them. Carey exudes stunning world building skills and introduces a unique spin on fulfilled prophecies. It is a lively mystical tale unlike any other that has come before it. Vastly fascinating and cleverly suspenseful, with the perfect harmonious blend of paranormal and fantasy.

Tess, the heroine, finds herself at a cross roads with fate and faces the question of how to shoulder the destiny that lies ahead of her and how to survive the outcome that may befall. The world surrounding Tess visions becomes desperate, as they keep showing a mysterious man wielding a sword. This raises many questions as to who he is and what part he has to play in this epic battle. Carey's characters are brightly vivid with a twinge of darkness and beautifully developed, while still possessing hidden flaws of their own. Tess, for example, is a strong and loyal heroine and friend, yet even she will falter a bit in the way of betraying her friends to a degree. It paints the perfect portrait of not being perfect, yet still possessing likable and desirable characteristics that readers will find appealing.

The romance between Tess and Garth is wildly daring and is exquisitely heart pounding, fueled by a strong magnetic attraction that builds and builds, pulling towards destiny and each other. It is handled in such a truly magical and splendid way, that readers will fall hopelessly in love with these two. It's just so natural and pleasing. Dragonswood is an action-packed, highly intense story that will leave readers clamoring for more of the fantasy and the developing mythos as unpredicted twists and turns become more and more evident in the journey. It is such a riveting fantastical story that will surely hook readers. Fans of Scott Tracey's Witch Eyes , Amber Argyle's Witch Song , or even the intriguing writing style of Tamora Pierce will be sure to enjoy this novel.

Readers will definitely not want to miss out on this high epic tale of fantasy, filled with talking dragons who's status as lords are vastly important to the mythos and magical realms in which they live in or precarious little faeries they'll be introduced to along the journey. It is sure to remind them, that it's not necessarily the destination that makes the story worth telling, but the journey along the way.

[Whitley Birks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragonswood is a strange little novel that starts out well enough, then splinters off into various fragments of stories. As it keeps going, it suffers under its own weight as it tries to reconcile the many different plot threads running through it. Any one of these different threads would make for a decent novel alone, but when they’re all crammed together, none of them have enough weight to actually be interesting.

THE GOOD
Roughly the first half of this book is decent, if meandering. The focus remains on Tess and her desire to help out her friends, since all of them are on the run and accused of being witches. Tess is responsible for the whole mess, so she feels responsible for putting it to rights. That’s perfectly fine and cohesive. There’s not much that actually happens, but there’s plenty of things that have the potential to develop, so I was willing to be patient and see how it turned out.

Tess herself, in the first half, is a good character. She’s resourceful and determined, and she’s properly paranoid for a girl on the run from a maniacal witch hunter. I liked her friends as well; they made a good little team of friends.

THE BAD
The second half of the novel, oh dear. Where to begin. As soon as Tess leaves to find the fairies, everything pulls apart. For the last half, we’re introduced to so many different plot elements that it’s hard to tell which ones are supposed to be important. Turns out, none of them are. We follow one plot for a while, get distracted by a different plot and follow that instead, then another, then another. Tess gets jerked here and there, changing her motivations and goals in an instant. Huge ideas are introduced, then simply used as a vehicle to take her to the next temporary plot. It’s extremely hard to follow, and some of the ideas don’t even make sense. Bad guys aren’t given enough weight to be properly threatening, and the closest thing we have to a climax is one person giving a speech that ends up fixing everything. Um…riveting?

The world-building here felt very lackluster as well. Like the plot, it’s very much split into halves, with the first half being in the ‘normal’ world of 12th century Ireland (ish) and the second half being a world of dragons and fairies. Except these two worlds exist at the same time, on the same island, openly. Everyone knows fairies are real, but their existence doesn’t change anything from the generic old-time-y historical feel. It’s just “12th century. Oh, and also dragons, because I guess why not?”

Tess in the second half of the novel grated on me. She abandoned her tough and paranoid persona of the first half and devolved into just a typical YA romance lead.

It’s very easy to tell who in this novel is good or bad. Simply look for anyone with modern-day morals and sensibilities. Tess is very much a second-wave feminist, which would be find if only she didn’t live in the 12th century. There’s ways to have a character believe that she shouldn’t be property without having her also sound like a modern teenager stuck in the past. When the love interest shows up, he shares all her ideals with her, to the letter and without so much as flinching. There’s even a line about bear-baiting, shoved in just so that Tess can say she doesn’t like it, because heaven forbid she be a product of her environment in any possible way.

THE UGLY
I was very unhappy with the amount of domestic abuse displayed in this novel. It wasn’t treated with any amount of grace, and it was only brought up when Tess wanted to harp on how much she expected the Male Lead to hit her, so she could be shocked when he didn’t. If domestic abuse exists solely so that one character can be praised for not hitting a woman, then it shouldn’t be included at all.

Same goes for torture. There are some graphic depictions of torture at the start of the novel, but they have no lasting consequences or impact on the character. Even though she repeatedly references her damaged thumbs (from thumbscrews), she’s able to use her hands just the same as ever, and she only experiences emotional trauma when faced with the person who tortured her. Why even include it all?

[Miss Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars.

I want to start by commenting on how weird it is that I find 3-star, slightly-critical reviews easier to write than 5-star ones. I read this 5-star book last week and I still am not entirely sure what to say.

So like many other novels, Dragonswood ended up being different than what I expected. It's not that there's anything particularly wrong with the novel; it's more that I just didn't find it very enjoyable. For one thing, Dragonswood is very oddly paced and plotted. What is this novel about? A girl accused of witchcraft running from her persecutors? A mysterious wood made up of dragons, fairies and witches that is now endangered? An imposter seizing control of the island? A half-fey child trying to usurp power from the royal family? WHAT, exactly?! All of these elements came together in a very sloppy sort of way, in my opinion. The plot changed directions so many times and it wasn't until about halfway through the novel that one unified plot came together. Judging by the other reviews, I'm one of the only reader who has noticed this. But Dragonswood, for this main reason, was a very disjointed and odd read.

As far as characters go, everyone was fairly ordinary. I'm getting annoyed, though, at every single female character in a medieval setting being a caricature of a modern, 'enlightened' woman. If I read one more novel about a girl bitching about marriage and being a man's 'property,' I'm gonna lose it. THAT IS NOT AN ACCURATE REPRESENTATION OF HISTORY! Were there medieval trailblazer women who went against the norm? Sure, but it's like the handful of them have all been cast over and over and over again as protagonists in these novels! Take a hint from Juliet Marillier, who knows how to tow the line right down the middle: her heroines want more out of life and strive to be more than simpleton housewives, yet they're not against love and marriage if the right guy comes along. So when they do meet Wonderful Love Interest, they don't sound like a bunch of hypocrites. But poor Tess spends about 1/3 of the novel bitching about men, then all of the sudden decides she's in love. It was rather sudden. And kind of silly, given her numerous protestations. On the subject of Tess, also, I didn't really connect with her. I think the author was of the idea that making Tess the victim of parental abuse would somehow make her a more sympathetic character...it didn't. Because by the third chapter, she's completely removed from that situation and never faces it again, so in the long-run, it seemed like a rather pointless move. Tess is also one of the most jaded characters I've seen in a while in YA lit, and while I'm actually intrigued by jaded and cynical characters (for obvious reasons, hur dur dur), in this situation, I felt like the author was shooting for 'jaded' and ended up with 'annoying.'
But even saying that, I still felt bad for Tess and I cared enough about her story to see this through to the end. And if Tess annoyed me at times, the supporting cast of characters was near infuriating. Tess' two friends Meg and Poppy end up on the run as well after Tess is forced - under torture - to out them as 'witches.' Okay, I'm sure this was the author's intention, but it absolutely infuriated me how much Tess was blamed and scapegoated for what happened. I almost gave up on the whole thing after Mr Wonderful Love Interest began to blame and belittle Tess for her 'mistake' and tried to guilt her into 'setting it right.' To use Biff's vocabulary, that guy is one big butthead.
So why am I giving this novel 3 stars? Well, because with all its faults, Dragonswood still did at least half of what I expect books to do: it entertained me, and I was thoroughly interested in what was going to happen next. Even if I was never 100% on board with the rather sloppy plot or 100% rooting for the characters, I was entertained. Also, I liked Janet Lee Carey's writing style and I like her historical fantasy setting of Wilde Island, which supposedly borders England.
Dragonswood is a decent read, and while I do recommend it, I'm not in any hurry to schedule a re-read.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting...Bewitching..Captivating.

The beautiful cover definitely and undeniably matches the story. It has that certain pull that compels and draws readers into the heart of Dragonswood. Fey folks, mighty dragons and humans all together in one magical tale.

" In the enchanted woodland wild,
The Prince shall wed a Fairy child.
Dragon, Human and Fairy,
Their union will be bound by three.

And when these lovers intertwine,
Three races in one child combine.
Dragon, Fey and Humankind,
Bound in one bloodline."

On Wilde Island, The kingdom mourns the dead Pendragon King. The regent is patronizing a ruthless witch-hunt hoping to eradicate all the half-fey maidens on the island. Tess, daughter of a cruel blacksmith, has visions of future but she doesn't foresee that she'll be accused of witchcraft and be tortured. She escaped and forced to flee with her two best friends. While hiding, a handsome and mysterious warden from the Dragonswood, Garth Hunstman offered them shelter. They didn't know that he is the younger prince in disguise. Along the way, Tess falls in love with Garth and soon she learned that she's a half-fey making things interesting.

How far should should they go to fulfill the ancient prophecy that will bring peace among dragons, humans and fairies?

One of the best historical, fantasy, and romantic tale of the year and has the best cover for YA.

[Uzoma · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know when a book has all the things that would theoretically make it the best book ever, but then it just...flops? yeah, that was this book for me. I love dragons, medieval tales, the fae folk, witches, and female main characters too! Yet a book with all these things disappointed me so horribly that it near brought me to tears once I realized it was supposed to be a companion novel to one of my childhood favorites "Dragonskeep." So what made it bad?

1. The characters were inconsistent.

2. The dialogue was terrible.

3. There seemed to be no-or pitifully small- motivation for the things the characters did.

4. The pacing got on my nerves.

5. The conflict was ill defined so I had no idea what I was supposed to be rooting for.

6. Tess...annoyed me.

7. ALSO, what was up with the random italicized phrases of what Tess had said in a previous speech anytime Garth did something that matched her "Perfect husband" list. YES, we can tell that he's the chosen love-interest, stop forcing it down our throats!

A part of me wonders why I didn't rate this book as a 1 out of 5...did I mention that it had a lot of the things that I loved? Because it did, it just didn't synthesize properly.

P.s THE DRAGONS. That was it! THE DRAGONS were the sole saving grace in this book.

[Barbara Senteney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a lot of adventure and may not be for everyone, but if you love a lot going on in a story the way I do this is the book for you.
Our main characters= Tess who is just a simple rural girl, who loves nothing more then scaling the wall to escape into the Dragonwood forest and draw pictures of all she sees there. Fairies will o wisp . dragons, flowers, whatever might catch her eye. Meg and Tom a married couple that are friends with Tess, and Poppy who is beautiful but somewhat flighty.
Prince Arden who is to be King and his brother Prince Bion who disappears with the treasure.
Tess is accused of witchcraft and under duress of torture she accuses her friends Meg and Poppy of also being in league with the devil.
Lady Adele the Witch Hunter sends Tess to the dunking seat to see if she is truly a witch. With the aid of a dragon and a large turtle she escapes with Meg and Poppy, but Tom is captured. In Dragonwood the meet Garth the protector of the Kings forest.
Lord Sachmoore wants Prince Arden to marry his daughter, the Fae want him to marry a half Fae half Human, but Sachmoore is whispering things in Prince Arden's ear, setting brother against brother. He is a total bad guy and has no redeeming qualities.
Garth takes in 4 people running from the Witch Hunter, and so the adventure begins.
The Dragons are also stars of our story. I gave this story 5 stars because I loved and enjoyed it.

[elise]

DNF @ 18.3%

[Mel (Daily Prophecy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look. At. That. Cover.

Bloody gorgeous.

& I loved the inside too <3 Review coming soon!


Looking for something sweet with a strong heroin? This is the book you want to read. I must admit that I fell in love with the cover, but the inside is just as pretty!

“Even if he was a thief, he was my thief. I could not push him away anymore.”

Summary.
This story is all about Tess, a daughter from a blacksmith and a woman with no backbone. Her father is abusive, but Tess still remains strong, determined and intelligent. She never wants to get married, because she doesn't want to became her mother. If she will ever find a husband, he must agree with all the terms she came up with. Such as: allowing her to go to the Dragonwoods. She is drawn to the woods, although it's forbidden to enter.

That's the reason she is accused of witch craft and she is tortured. She told the witch hunter that her best friends Meg and Poppy went with her into the woods. The three girls must flee and they live in the forest. Not the safest place, with all the dragons and faeries in it. Still, Tess isn't afraid and she is always trying to make the best of it. She feels really guilty for betraying her friends and she wants to do anything in the world to make it right.

One day, they get to meet Garth. He is a woodsman and he offers them shelter in his house. Tess 'met' him before in one of her fire visions and she doesn't know what to think of him. Is he a friend or an enemy? Perhaps Garth is not the person he pretends to be.. And perhaps Tess is more than just a girl.

Conclusion.
Tess is a wonderful girl. Very loyal to her friends. Even when she is desperately looking for affection, she never backs away from her own opinion. When she finds out about a secret her mother kept from her, her whole world changes. She finally understand her desire to be in the Dragonwoods.
Garth was also a nice character, even when I couldn't read his mind. He felt distant in the beginning, but that's what makes him so interesting. He is mysterious and I liked how I got to know him better. He grew on me.
Poppy was a bit 'dumb'. She was very sweet and described as incredibly handsome, but she wasn't bright. I loved the fact that she followed her heart, though.

This story has every element you could ask for. I love the feeling this book gave me. There are dragons and fairies. There is magic and romance. The story tackles a difficult subject (abusive father), but manages to show us that you have to fight. Never let anyone bring you down. The words are flowing and it's such a smooth and easy writing. I certainly can't wait to read other books from this author.

Definitely read this one if you like fairytales! This book has the same feeling to it.

[Kat Heckenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several of the other reviews on here, including the three-stars. Several of them speak of the pace "slowing down" too much in the middle. I have to say--I'm SO tired of books having to feel like ohmygoddangerdanger from cover to cover. Intensity is great, it really is. But what happened to story? What happened to having time to actually enjoy a setting? Why does "pace" have to be "fast" all the time?

I loved the world-building. I loved the dragons. I loved the voice of the writing. (<-Let me repeat that one!) I loved the characterization. I loved the fairy magic. I loved the "plant and pay-off" throughout the story.

My *only* gripe is *one* instance where I thought things went a little too easily, but I won't mention where because it's a major spoiler. I forgive the author completely though because I adored everything else about the book.

To be honest, I got this book used from the "for sale" shelf at my library. I figured I'd spend $1, have an okay read (can't be the best book if it's only been out for six months and taken off the library shelf already, right?) and donate it back. Nope. Keeping it!


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[Zuleeza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also available on my blog, Qwerty

Well, this review had to be short otherwise I run a risk of not finishing my assignment (Boo meeee!!!)

I wish I'd take shorter time to finish this book because it is truly a very charming book. It is that kind of story I would tell my nieces and nephews (as I'm still riding solo ::forever alone::) as bedtime stories. I never thought I'd long for this but yeah, I wish there was more romance because the love story was very sweet, I felt like I want to push Garth and Tess towards each other and yell "What are you waiting for? Just get married already!!"

The story was quite predictable as well but I didn't mind it that much because the writing is very smooth. The prologue was written ridiculously well but that didn't hold true for the rest of the book, probably because the author had to conform to the lighter tone as the story progresses.

But I must say, as much as I admire Tess for her bravery and loyalty, she's not the ass-kicking heroine our Young Adult market is currently flooded with (it's refreshing, believe me). But the story was told in a very traditional way, found in countless other Fantasy books. So, I think it is a good read but it will not be too memorable.

[Imani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5
Overall it was a good read! It was a simple, pleasant fairytale that had all the characteristics of a classic story. I liked it.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE FAERYS VIEW

Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey was an absolute delight to read. I spent the entire day reading it and then late into the night until I sighed in contentment at the last page. This doesn’t mean that I don’t foresee a sequel in the future, though! I absolutely Loved this novel!

Tess lives with her mother and blacksmith father in the small village of Harrowton on Wilde Island, the year is 1192. Tess’s life is one of physical & emotional abuse by her drunken father. The only time she can get away from the oppressiveness of her home is to steal into the nearby Dragonswood which is illegal. Nobody is allowed into Dragonswood which is a sanctuary for the Dragons and the fey. The late Queen Rosalind deemed it a sanctuary and it is surrounded by a wall and patrolled by Woodward’s who are favored and live in Dragonswood itself. The surrounding villages are in chaos and hungry for the meat that Dragonswood holds but not because of their lack of entrance into the woods but because of the evil Lord Sackmore who is in charge of the realm since the King died but has his own nefarious plans to carry out while waiting for Prince Arden to return from the Crusades and come claim the throne. There is a younger prince, Prince Bion, but for him to step up and take control would seem as if he were trying to usurp he’s brothers birthright. It is said that all of Pendragon Castle’s heirs have dragon scales somewhere on their bodies, making them special.

And then there’s the ancient prophecy:

In the enchanted Woodland wild,The Prince shall wed a Fairy child,
Dragon, Human, and Fairy,
Their union will be bound by three.
And when these lovers intertwine,
Three races in one child combine.
Dragon, Fey, and Humankind
Bound in one bloodline


Tess’s mother has had one stillbirth after another and it’s the day after Tess loses her little brother Adam when Lady Adela rides in with all her knights. At first in awe of the woman who rides like a man and runs her own life without a man to tell her what to do, it isn’t long before Lady Adela stirs up the crowd to point out potential witches. Lady Adela had been abducted by witches who hobbled her and put out her eye years back, since then she has been on a vendetta against them. The Queen had the Fey make her a glass eye which is said to have magical powers. When she turns that eye on Tess the story begins.

Forced to flee with her two best friends, Meg-married at 14 years old and mother to 3 year old Alice and Poppy, gorgeous with the power to hold men’s attention. Their journey through Dragonswood is difficult and frightening. Tess has a secret power, she sees visions in fire and when the 3 girls come across the man in the visions she is at first very frightened-he’s a Woodward. Garth the Woodward or Garth Huntsman as he likes to be called is of course gorgeous and also kind-hearted. He offers the girls shelter and does much more to help them. Tess is of course drawn to him and on occasion she feels his affection for her. Tess is frightened because she keeps hearing voices telling her to go North and she feels compelled to go but not before she makes things right with her friends.

Dragonswood is full of the mystical yet still a wondrous historical novel. I grew to love each character as they were so well defined; each with a distinctive personality and voice. The world building was spectacular; I could picture myself traveling through Dragonswood and beyond in all its fantastic glory. Told in Tess’s perspective, I never felt like I didn’t know what the other girls where thinking yet the mysteries and sub-plots were excellent and surprising. An amazing and captivating book that gets a One-Sit-Read from me, I’ll definitely read it again and I will recommend this book to everyone I know. It's a gem and I want everyone to experience it!

THE FAERY SAYS MY WINGS CARRIED ME FAR FAR AWAY!

Thank you to ATWT and the publisher for allowing me to review this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an advanced reading copy of this book to review through the Librarything Early Reviewer's program. This was an absolutely stunning book. I loved it from page one and couldn't put it down, I was sad when I finished it because I wanted to read more. This is the second book written by Carey that takes place in this world, but the story is a separate story from the first book (Dragon's Keep) and stand very well on it's own. I never read the first book but now I really want to.

Tess is a blacksmith's daughter in a small town. Tess is drawn to the Dragonswood forest (which she is forbidden to enter) and occasionally has visions of the future when she looks into fire. Her father is abusive and Tess flees to the woods at night to escape him. When a noblewoman arrives in town Tess is intrigued but not concerned; that is until Tess and her friends are accused of witchcraft and forced to flee. The adventure will lead Tess deep into Dragonswood and into intrigue and adventure beyond her wildest imagination.

I loved this book. The book kind of goes through two phases the first part has a very medieval feel to it with witch hunts and humanity living somewhat in misery and fear of the unknown; there is the occasional appearance by a wondrous dragon but they aren't a huge part of the story. As Tess spends time with Garth and her friends in Dragonswood the tone of the story changes. The story becomes more about magic, intrigue between magical races, and prophecies. I loved both parts of the story and enjoyed the classical fantasy feel to this story; it really reminded me of Robin McKinely's The Hero and the Crown.

Tess is a plucky young girl; she is strong and not afraid to stand up for herself. I admired her, although she comes off as a bit standoffish at points, you can really tell that she has used that armor to protect her from her abusive father. I love how Tess has decided on what type of man she would want to marry. Then as the story progresses and she spends time with Garth she occasionally makes a mental note of how he matches up with some aspect on her list. Garth is a wonderful character; caring,mysterious, and tough in his own right he is a perfect match for Tess and loved watching learn about each other and slowly fall in love with each other.

Tess's two friends are also wonderful characters. You can't help but feel for Tess's friend who is a young mother and loves her husband but is forced to flee him; I was drawn in to that story as well. Tess's other friend is cursed with a beauty that blinds and captivates men and she also has an excellent and engaging side story.

The writing was wonderfully done, the descriptions are beautiful and writing flows nicely. I enjoyed the writing style a lot and found the story to be incredible engaging. The book wraps everything up nicely with an epilogue that shows how things end up for all of the characters involved. There are perfect measures of happiness, heartbreak, humor, and adventure in this story.

Overall I absolutely adored this book. It was a wonderful medieval fantasy with dragons, fairies, witch hunts, love, adventure, humor, and magic. It reminded me a lot of McKinely's The Hero and the Crown, so fans of that book should definitely check this out. This isn't your typical fantasy about a plucky young girl who wants to buck tradition to make it on her own, this story is about so much more. It completely captured my heart and was incredibly well written and engaging. So what are you waiting for?! Go read it now!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, you should know, this book is a standalone. Yes! A standalone! With a conclusion and a brief glimpse into the future and the only waiting you have to deal with is the amount of time it takes you to get to the last page. Standalones make me happy. Don’t get me wrong; I love the series books too, but sometimes you want to sit down to read a book and then when it ends, you can think back on it fondly without stressing about what’s going to happen next. You can have that peace of mind with Dragonswood.

Second, the dragons and the fae! Real, fire-breathing, ‘they will kill you if you offend them’ dragons. I loved the dragon parts. Also quite liked the fae parts, as short as they were. Janet portrays the fae the way I’ve always imagined them. They are not to be trifled with and if you get too caught up in them, they’ll steal your life away. Also, never eat or drink anything they offer you. That’s fae-relations 101 right there.

Third, Tess is awesome. The life she had to lead before being accused of witchcraft, the things she does for her friends, the way she stands for them, wary and ready to attack at the first sign of trouble — the girl’s a badass. She’s not afraid to cut you if you deserve it. She’s also not afraid to give her direct and honest opinion to anyone who asks, in an age where obedience in women was expected and if not given, beaten out of them. When she meets ‘the man wielding the sword’, things start to change for her, but she never completely loses her guard or her edge. You forget that she’s just a girl, only 17 years old, and has never been on her own before. She’s making most of this up on the fly. There were times I worried about her, about who she could trust, and what she was doing, but she’s a survivor. She’s a great heroine.

Now I know I was all about the standalone aspect of this book earlier, but I’d love it if Janet carried on in this world, maybe following someone else’s adventure. Say, a second generation book? I don’t often ask for those. I even quit some series when it starts second generation because I just don’t care to continue on when it comes to some people’s kids, so you know it’s a big deal when I do ask for it. There’s a reason for it, though, and I really want to see what comes of that.

Overall, the fantasy and history in this book combine to create a wondrous tale of a girl who finds out she’s more than she thought and her journey to becoming exactly who she needs to be. It reminded me of Anne McCaffrey’s early work, especially when you factor in the dragons. (And if you haven’t read Anne McCaffrey, we can’t be friends until you do. Sorry.)

By the way, DON’T READ THE GOODREADS SUMMARY. It basically spoils everything. Seriously, it’s so much better if you aren’t spoiled going into the book.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drag­onswood is about a girl named Tess who sees vision of the future when look­ing into the fires. After her baby brother’s death, accu­sa­tions cause Tess to be accused as a witch. Tor­tured, and with her death immi­nent, Tess is forced to flee her home. Along with Tess are her two best friends, whom have no choice but to come with her on the jour­ney. The girls are forced to hide, and even­tu­ally stum­ble upon the Drag­onswood guardian Garth. Garth is the man Tess has seen in her visions, and she is as afraid as she is drawn to him initially.

Soon, Garth and Tess begin a quest to help Tess make amends for some of the wrongs she has done, and Tess quickly dis­cov­ers that Garth is exactly the type of man she has looked for. She soon learns how­ever, the man she’s falling in love with is not all that he seems, and that the prob­lems of the King­dom are closer to her then she ever thought…

Drag­onswood is a story that I really wanted to like, how­ever I could never quite fall in love with the way I’d planned to. Tess never really con­nects to her pow­ers and becomes the strong character I'd been looking for. There were many moments where I would’ve liked her to fight more, and stand up for her­self only to see that she was being pushed around once again. Garth is a much more inter­est­ing char­ac­ter, with just the right amount of mys­tery applied to him. Despite this, much of his char­ac­ter was pre­dictable, and it was with­out shock when I dis­cov­ered what he had been up to. Tess’s friends seemed to act as more of a dis­trac­tion than any­thing else, and I usu­ally found them more annoy­ing than endearing.

I found the story frus­trat­ing, with the first part focus­ing on Tess’s flight from her vil­lage, and the lat­ter half focus­ing on the ancient prophecy. I wish the story would’ve been longer in some ways, with con­cerns occur­ring within the king­dom mak­ing more of an impact to the char­ac­ters in the begin­ning. I found much of the end­ing to be com­pletely infu­ri­at��ing — char­ac­ters who I’d spent much of the book hat­ing with a pas­sion are essen­tially “for­given” and rewarded and not pun­ished as the truly should have been.

[Reading Vacation · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when a book has a setting that becomes an essential character that somehow touches every last bit of the story. The mysterious Dragonswood is key in this book. While it serves as a sanctuary to dragons and fey, others are warned to keep their distance. The wood is heavily guarded and danger lurks within. There’s an uneasiness surrounding Dragonswood, and it creeps into everyone and everything on Wilde Island.

With that backdrop in place, there is unbelievable tension when Tess finds herself drawn to Dragonswood. It all heats up when Tess is accused of being a witch and she must flee or face unbelievable torture. You want more? Well, Tess can see visions. I won’t spill it here, but the WAY she sees these visions is pretty intriguing. When Tess sees a sword wielding guy in her visions, the tension within the dangerous wood multiplies by a billion! See, I told you the setting adds the spice to this one.

I can’t forget the surrounding villages. The villagers are in chaos and in a panic because the king has recently died. You wanna’ talk about some paranoia? They even consider going into Dragonswood to get food. They are willing to risk it all and enter the forbidden wood. There we go again with the awesome setting.

With magical creatures, witch hunters, dragon fights, romance, and a twisty plot, Dragonswood caught my attention and did not let go. I couldn’t stop once I got started. Yep, read it in one day. That good! The fantabulous setting in this fantasy just screams of stunning and it’s the thing that made Dragonswood so special for me.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Dragonswood , a young girl named Tess lives with an abusive father and, after being accused of witchcraft, must flee her hometown with her two friends, Poppy and Meg. Despite this, however, Tess is a bit of an outsider. Poppy is unnaturally alluring, and Meg is married to a nice, loving man. However, she feels a strong pull towards a forbidden forest known as "Dragonswood" and to a woodsman that they meet who calls himself Garth. However, both Garth and the Dragonswood harbour secrets that, when Tess learns of them, will turn everything she knows about herself and her world upside down.

I had no idea that this book was the companion novel to Dragon's Keep , which I bought and read a long time ago. The book isn't a sequel to it, however. It's distanced enough that you don't even need to make the connection between the two stories to enjoy the story. Knowing the connection is just an extra.

I loved every aspect of how this book ended. The foreshadowing were solid enough to arouse my suspicions but not too solid that I felt like it was being slammed in my face. (I won't spoil what they are, or whom they concern.) I like how Tess develops and how she is willing to do anything to help those she cares about, but also how she uses what she has learned in her past to shape her future. She doesn't make mistakes twice, and she's observant and strong. I like her, and I liked this book.

[ILoveBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a strong female main character? Tess is a wonderful character to get to know. She is strong, determined, and intelligent; all of the qualities a reader could imagine that would make her the exact antithesis of that "needs a prince to save her" female main character. Tess needs to utilize her natural intellect in order to get herself out of quite a few sticky situations.




Tess has always been drawn to the woods; the woods are not the safest place to be, it is rumored that fairies, dragons, etc... are within the woods. On a whim, Tess decides to wander into the woods and is ostracized and accused of being a witch when she emerges. She runs from the accusations and promise of possible death with her two friends, also accused of witchcraft. The story takes off from there.




Tess is a great character and her friends and love interest are pretty intriguing as well. The reader will like the love interest, though the reader may be wary like Tess of his actual intent. Tess's friends are the type the reader would love to have; they were very loyal and brave. The events of this novel were fairly fast-paced and exciting. The author infuses the plot with magic as well as doses of realism. This book is recommended to young adult/teen readers.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish now that I had not waited so long to read this. I really enjoyed reading this author and have added a few other books by her to read. Dragonswood is a nice, cozy YA fantasy that even though predictable, kept me turning the pages late into the night. There was a touch of romance that I enjoyed and was clean enough to let my young teenage daughter read. My only complaint there is that I wish we could have felt more of what Garth was feeling. I was left guessing too much about his feelings. Some books you read and even though you don't get the other characters point of view you can still feel it through the writing.

I loved the epilogue. It seems there is room for another book, possibly about Jackrun. I would love that, but this story is also fine as a stand-alone. There is a companion book to this that was written before it that I have not read yet. It would be helpful to read it first to know exactly who the characters are from the past that this book references, but it is not necessary to read it first. I will be reading that one very soon.

[Riv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly, this is a sequel to a book that I picked up a while ago but didn't really get into. Dragonswood, though, was phenomenal. It had excellent world-building, one of the best romances I've read in a while, and weaved itself into "normal" medieval times. The writing was quite good, too.

If you want some tips on how to write amazing, healthy, romance, read this.

The only draw-back was that I guessed at one of the key plot points about 100 pages in, and wasn't shocked at the "big reveal."

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book again, having read book 1 in the series now! Must read more now!

*First Read March 29th, 2012*
Oh, wow, great book! There was action, romance, and great characters, and twists and yeah, it was just so good! Loved it! Must read more!!!

[Meleofa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Fairies and dragons and enchanted woods and witch hunts. Betrayal and love and hurt and it all being better again against all odds. A lovely read.

[TheBookSmugglers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed on The Book Smugglers

For all seventeen years of her young life, Tess has been certain of just a few things: that her father is a brute that takes out his rage on his wife and daughter with his fists, that she would rather grow old alone or run away to the confines of the forbidden Dragonswood rather than be married off to any man, and that she must never ever reveal her secret ability to see the future in fire. Beyond the beatings, fear and hate Tess has for her father, the blacksmith, her family has also been torn by tragedy - her six baby sisters and brother have all died, consumed by inexplicable illness. Then, when the beautiful and fierce Lady Adela rides into Tess's small village on a crusade to expose, torture, and punish witches, Tess's small, unhappy life will be plunged into greater darkness. Tess is accused of being a witch, guilty of killing her family and hexing others, as well as consorting in the Dragonswood with Satan. Though Tess vehemently opposes these charges, she is taken away for terrifying questioning. Under Lady Adela's cruel torture, Tess betrays the names of her two best friends, Poppy and Meg, confessing that the three of them had gone into the forbidden Dragonswood.

Escaping her own trial by wit and luck, Tess and her friends must now flee their village, before the witch hunter can find them. Under the guise of lepers, the three girls leave their homes and search for help. Then, the women stumble across Garth, a woodward charged with guarding the Dragonswood for the King - and a man that Tess has seen with her firesight. Garth offers sanctuary, but Tess finds it hard to trust in his aid. She knows that Garth is hiding something - what she doesn't know, however, is that his secret, and her own secrets, will change the course of destiny for the entirety of the Wilde Island Kingdom - human, fay, and dragon alike.

Well...wow. Dragonswood is an amazingly potent novel, with rich imagery, vivid characters, and a refreshing tendency against the obvious. This is a book that could so easily have been a formulaic regurgitation of any number of pale romantic YA fey/fantasy novels on the market - but instead we get a careful, atmospheric novel that has its own happy ever after, but that comes at a price. In many ways Dragonswood is reminiscent of one of my favorite fantasy authors, Juliet Marillier. The Wilde Island kingdom - a subset of Britain (I'm assuming?) - feels very much like the isolated and magical Sevenwaters, where the fey are meddling, fickle with their favor, and utterly dangerous with their own plans and machinations. Like Sevenwaters, Wilde Island has its own potent prophecy that will change everything, though the cost of that prophecy, and the truth of its form, is deceptive. It is this prophecy that is the impetus for the story (though our protagonists hardly realize it); it is this outlawed tale that changes the destined paths of our heroes in Dragonswood.

And truly, what would a tale called Dragonswood be without those eponymous beasts? Fear not, dear readers - here be dragons. And they are wonderful. There is an intricate balance of power between the dragons, the fey, and the humans in this kingdom, and I love how the royal line (the Pendragons, naturally) is descended from dragons and takes on their appearance with scales on some part of their bodies.[2. Though, I'll admit that I wasn't aware that this actually was book 2 in a series until after reading Dragonswood - and then I found out that book 1 deals with this dragon-human heritage and that backstory. Needless to say, I've purchased that book, Dragon's Keep, and I'll be diving in very soon.] For all that these iconic creatures are very traditional in their appearance and portrayal in this novel, Ms. Carey's imaginative story and gorgeous writing make these mythologies feel fresh and exciting. In addition to featuring these different characters, there's also a loose bond to the Arthurian legend, as Merlin, the Pendragon clan, and they fey of lake and wood, all are woven into this book.

As for the characters, I both love and am skeptical regarding protagonist Tess. Something that bothers me intensely in many historical novels is the imposition of very contemporary and learned attitudes. In Tess's case, she begins the novel with the mindset of someone born a millennia later - she's fiercely independent, will bow to no man, and yearns to make her own money and way in the world. While of course this is admirable and doubtless there may have been women with these same ambitions in the twelfth century, Tess's singular defiance of convention feels false. This criticism said, as a heroine I did love that Tess is not infallible - from the opening chapters, she betrays her friends! But her actions are human and understandable, and I loved the genuine passion behind her actions, even when she makes her missteps. As for Garth, he's also somewhat contemporary and forward thinking for his time, but to a much lesser degree than Tess, and I had no trouble believing in him as a character. Like Tess, Garth is not a perfect person and guilty of any number of understandable faults - his attention to beguiling beauty, his judgmental behavior when he learns of Tess's betrayal. I love that these two characters are flawed, but ultimately with their hearts in the right place, and I love the way their stories intertwine.

What else can I say about Dragonswood? It is a beautiful, historical fantasy novel that delivers happiness without being saccharine, and introduces a haunting world where myths and legends cling desperately to their slipping power. I loved this book, and it is a shoo-in for my Notable Reads of the year - even possibly a top 10 pick.

[Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted at http://www.mycutebookshelf.com/2012/0...

Score: 3.5 stars

I had been waiting for this book so long. I dreamed about it, no lie. Just the blurb contained every single thing I could ever hope for in a book, but, sadly, Dragonswood failed to deliver in many ways. I do not regret reading this book at all, in fact, I liked it, it just failed to meet my expectations in a big way.

The book is a little slow-paced. All the events in the story take a while to happen and the actual, central plot of the story takes the stage very late into the book. The writing style also slows the reading. While I commend the author for sounding historically correct and introducing a pretty, simple prose to the book, some passages where a little awkward to read and the chapter transitions felt forced. I can only attribute this to a slightly old-fashioned style of writing , but I just wish every chapter didn't end in such an unexciting manner, with barely any cliffhangers at all.

Tess is a strong protagonist and I was really looking forward to see how she would develop independently and strong as the story progressed, but that didn't happen how I pictured it. Tess was more stubborn than actually clearly independent of thought, and there were barely any occasions in which she actually saved herself or didn't depend on someone else. Furthermore, while I loved the progression of the romance, the easy way in which Tess is enthralled by Garth went against many of the things that Tess promised herself since the beginning of the book. I didn't mind that she felt attracted to him, not at all, but the waiting on him, the subjecting to his mood shifts, the following after him, that bothered me and weakened Tess as a character. I don't think it was because she didn't live up to my "feminist standards" because I understand very well how everything can change when one falls in love with someone. It's just that Tess allowed herself to be at the beck and call of a man, even though he was a good man and never abused her, and made rash decisions in the story solely because he didn't look at her or something like that. Just because we fall in love doesn't mean we must let go of all our ideals. If Tess continued to be a strong, independent character, that didn't mean she wouldn't love Garth or be good to him, specially when said male character liked that about her. Having said that, and like I mentioned previously, the romance progressed nicely and in a believable manner that left me satisfied.

My major problems with this book were the lack of a main antagonist and a climax and the predictability of all plot-twists. The resolution of the story comes without any kind of trouble and without very little effort from any of the characters. Alliances are made between enemies without complication, what could be referred to as the "bad guy" is never actually a present threat in the story and many side-plots are conveniently left unsolved. Furthermore, the plot-twists that carried the whole of the story were easy to figure out since the beginning of the book. And, in the end, Tess's gift has little importance in the story just like her group of friends who only managed to annoy me and add unnecessary complications and drama to the story.

This book had so much promise, and though, like I said before, I don't regret at all having read it, this book is not the instant favorite I thought it would be. It is an enjoyable and nicely crafted fantasy story, but it just needed a little bit more of something to be the epic and wonderful book it was supposed to be.

[Joy (joyous reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about Tess – a blacksmith’s daughter who has suffered through most of her life in the hands of her father. And through the nights when the bruises and broken bones were the most painful, she would escape to Dragonswood – a forbidden place inhabited by dragons and faes. Suspected of witchcraft, she was taken by hunters led by Lady Adela to be tortured into submission. She was left with no choice but to give up the names of her friends, who then were forced to escape and hide from the clutches of the witch hunter. This led them right into the cottage of Garth Huntsman – a warden of the Dragonswood who were often aloof and sometimes enigmatic. The series of events that followed unearthed a prophecy that if came into fruition would lead to a peaceful existence between human, dragons, and fae folks. And as a true testament to any good fantasy novels, the road to fulfillment would be rife with adventure, danger and treachery with a side order of romance fit for a fairy tale.

It took me 2.5 seconds to get sucked in to this book; and it wasn’t so much as the appeal of the dragons, faeries and whatever creatures lurked in its pages but more so because of the author’s writing. Once upon a time, you couldn’t get me far away enough from historical and fantasy novels. But I seemed to have developed quite a taste for them now.

Dragonswood is as good as any other fantasy novels out there. However, I was disappointed with some of the aspects of the story. Tess’ power was a big miss. I had a hard time identifying her visions of the future as it came into fulfillment. I think the author could’ve worked it better. But perhaps I’m just the type of reader whose hands had to be held through the novel. There’s also a certain disconnection between the first part of the book and the other half. There was no smooth transition – no bridge; it was almost like reading two books in one.

The world building was stunning; none of the elements felt like it was manufactured but rather a flawless execution of a vision. There were times when I thought I was missing some character introductions and background and this is because of the fact that I’d never read the novel’s predecessor, Dragon's Keep. But do not fret; some of them didn’t really play a big factor in the novel.

There were some disturbing realities to the story; the harshest one was the acceptable practice of abuse toward women and children. And of course, what happened to women accused of witchcraft. The writing of these scenarios was almost matter-of-fact that I couldn’t help but feel mildly turned-off.

VERDICT: Dragonswood is a fantasy novel that will sate your taste for one. But don’t expect it to be epic. It had all the key elements for a good one but not enough to be swept away by being a great one. This book has been sitting in a pile of books behind another pile, so the chances of my bumping it up my reads are pretty much minimal. I insist that the author’s writing is amazing that it’s the primary reason why I fell in like with this book.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally reviewed here

Surprisingly enough, this story started out not with dragons but with witches. Tess lives with her abusive father and meek mother in a small town that becomes overthrown by witch hunters. Unfortunately, Tess is convicted of being a witch by some villagers and is forced to succumb to tests to prove her innocence. Through a dramatic turn of events, Tess escapes and goes into hiding taking her two best friends with her.


Soon after, the three girls are found hiding in a cave by a mysterious man. A man whom Tess has been having visions about for some time. Though her visions didn’t provide much insight as to who this man was or why he lives secluded in an old hunting lodge belonging to the late king. Tess and her friends are left with no choice but to put their fate into this man’s hands but Tess becomes determined to learn more about him and his dark past and they become bound as Tess learns more about herself as well.


I enjoyed this book immensely. I was intrigued in the way witchcraft was brought into the storyline and I really enjoyed the way the author tied it up with the fae story and the background of Tess and her visions.


Tess was a very strong character, she was brave and she didn’t want to be married off like other girls her age but wanted to draw, be independent and be able to run off into the woods whenever she wished, without a question from a man in her life. I liked that she had flaws to her character and wasn’t a perfect female lead, it made her more likeable. Garth was so likeable that I think I fell in love with him as soon as he was introduced. He reminded me of some of the male leads in Juliet Marillier’s books, specifically Red from Daughter of the Forest. He was calm, cool, collected but also so strong and willing to fight for what was right. The secondary characters were also wonderful contrasts for Tess, her friends started off as girls who wanted nothing more than to be married off and taken care of. Once they were all thrown into danger these girls changed and their strengths came out.


I loved the plot twists and the introduction of the fae into the already dragon ridden world that Tess lives in. It was interesting to see how strong Tess was when she was given everything she thought she wanted and how she weighed it against what it would cost her. I also adored the love story of this novel. It was not instantaneous which always makes me very happy but it was gradual and heartbreaking and strong and most importantly, it was believable. I wanted more from this love, though the author provided just enough to make it beautiful and lasting in my mind.


I liked this book significantly more than Dragon’s Keep and I recommend it to fantasy lovers who are looking for a novel that focuses on relationships of all kinds growing in a land rich in fantastical elements.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on The Authoress: Book Review and More.


Dragonswood is distinguishable to me for being (basically) the first book for me to buy on pure impulse rather than a desire nurtured and built up over several months to read it. My attraction was instantaneous and my instincts won out. Dragonswood had me captivated in the first few pages on Amazon's Quick Look. Elegantly written from the point of view of a tortured soul, I was drawn into the world with dragonlords, stolen treasure, and witch hunters.

Janet Lee Carey's writing style was simple, but elegant. It held the charms of an archaic style, but wasn't riddled with overwhelmingly abstract thoughts about life, and there was just enough detail for me to appreciate the level of research the author did, and also how much she cared about her world.

I think it was the setting that distinguished Dragonswood from all the other fantasy books I've read. I really enjoyed how it was set in history -- there were references to Arthur Pendragon and Merlin and Ireland. It was also rife with detail about how life was back in the 1100's. Dragonswood was so set in its own originality that it was hard looking up to electricity and oreos and clean water and indoor plumbing.

I loved how the entire story was character-driven, centered entirely on Tess. And Tess was a good main character. I loved her for her inability to be perfect: Janet Lee Carey brought out aspects of things that you have to deal with in life that, I think, would really hit home to a reader. Injustice, betrayal, uncertainty, determination. All these things major themes in Dragonswood and apparent in Tess's experiences.

My favorite part though? The legit romance. It's the kind that makes you want to believe in (and yearn for!) a happily ever after. While romances are generally very straight forward (sometimes even in love triangles), I was tiring of the in-your-face method of mainstream YA novels. The romance in Dragonswood was subtle, and built up slowly over the entire book. That was what made it awesome.

Dragonswood was an amazing novel. The writing, the world, the characters, the romance: everything perfectly combined to make one stunning read.