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Dragon Heart: A Fantasy Novel
In Dragon Heart, Cecelia Holland, America's most distinguished historical novelist steps fully into the realm of fantasy and makes it her own.
Where the Cape of the Winds juts into the endless sea, there is Castle Ocean, and therein dwells the royal family that has ruled it from time immemorial. But an eastern Empire has risen, and its forces have reached the castle. King Reymarro is dead in battle, and by the new treaty, Queen Marioza must marry one of the Emperor's brothers. While Marioza delays, her youngest son, Jeon, goes on a journey in search of his mute twin, Tirza, who needs to be present for the wedding.
As Jeon and Tirza return by sea, their ship is attacked by a powerful dragon, red as blood and big as the ship. Thrown into the water, Tirza clings to the dragon, and after an underwater journey, finds herself alone with the creature in an inland sea pool. Surprisingly, she is able to talk to the beast, and understand it.
So begins a saga of violence, destruction, and death, of love and monsters, human and otherwise.
Where the Cape of the Winds juts into the endless sea, there is Castle Ocean, and therein dwells the royal family that has ruled it from time immemorial. But an eastern Empire has risen, and its forces have reached the castle. King Reymarro is dead in battle, and by the new treaty, Queen Marioza must marry one of the Emperor's brothers. While Marioza delays, her youngest son, Jeon, goes on a journey in search of his mute twin, Tirza, who needs to be present for the wedding.
As Jeon and Tirza return by sea, their ship is attacked by a powerful dragon, red as blood and big as the ship. Thrown into the water, Tirza clings to the dragon, and after an underwater journey, finds herself alone with the creature in an inland sea pool. Surprisingly, she is able to talk to the beast, and understand it.
So begins a saga of violence, destruction, and death, of love and monsters, human and otherwise.
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
15 people are currently reading
897 people want to read
About the author
Cecelia Holland
81 books211 followersPen name used by Elizabeth Eliot Carter.
Cecelia Holland is one of the world's most highly acclaimed and respected historical novelists, ranked by many alongside other giants in that field such as Mary Renault and Larry McMurtry. Over the span of her thirty year career, she's written almost thirty historical novels, including The Firedrake, Rakessy, Two Ravens, Ghost on the Steppe, Death of Attila, Hammer For Princes, The King's Road, Pillar of the Sky, The Lords of Vaumartin, Pacific Street, Sea Beggars, The Earl, The King in Winter, The Belt of Gold, The Serpent Dreamer, The High City, Kings of the North, and a series of fantasy novels, including The Soul Thief, The Witches Kitchen, The Serpent Dreamer, and Varanger. She also wrote the well-known science fiction novel Floating Worlds, which was nominated for a Locus Award in 1975. Her most recent book is a new fantasy novel, Dragon Heart.
Cecelia Holland is one of the world's most highly acclaimed and respected historical novelists, ranked by many alongside other giants in that field such as Mary Renault and Larry McMurtry. Over the span of her thirty year career, she's written almost thirty historical novels, including The Firedrake, Rakessy, Two Ravens, Ghost on the Steppe, Death of Attila, Hammer For Princes, The King's Road, Pillar of the Sky, The Lords of Vaumartin, Pacific Street, Sea Beggars, The Earl, The King in Winter, The Belt of Gold, The Serpent Dreamer, The High City, Kings of the North, and a series of fantasy novels, including The Soul Thief, The Witches Kitchen, The Serpent Dreamer, and Varanger. She also wrote the well-known science fiction novel Floating Worlds, which was nominated for a Locus Award in 1975. Her most recent book is a new fantasy novel, Dragon Heart.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
September 10, 2015
2.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/09/10/b...
Dragon Heart has a delectable premise, touting a princess, a dragon, and a castle by the sea. Its cover and description also suggests a traditional epic fantasy, but with an author who is a renowned historical fiction novelist at the helm, you just know there will be more to it than that. Indeed, the book definitely turned out a lot different than I expected, though perhaps not in the way I would have liked. I wish I could give it a more positive review, but the truth is, after a strong start the story quickly lost its steam.
This novel actually centers upon the lives of five siblings, though for most of the beginning we are led to believe that youngest daughter Tirza would be the main protagonist. Mute and simple Tirza is in truth a lot more than she seems, but the royal family has sent her away to a monastery nonetheless, where she can be hidden away and forgotten. Outside her world though, things are changing. The Empire of the east grows more powerful every day, and under a new treaty, Tirza’s mother the widow Queen Marioza must marry one of the emperor’s brothers.
The book begins with Tirza’s twin brother Jeon arriving at the monastery to fetch her for the wedding. But as the two siblings return home by sea, their ship is attacked by an enormous red dragon. Tirza ends up being taken by the dragon and is then held captive in its secret lagoon. To her amazement, she discovers that the beast understands her when she talks to it in her strange language of growls and screeches. Forming an attachment, the dragon vows to hunt down and recapture her if she ever slips its grasp, though Tirza is undeterred and one day manages to escape, fleeing back to her family at Castle Ocean.
All this happens in the first chapter, and alas, it was probably the most interesting chapter in the book. The dragon appears early, which was a high point for me, but it was just too good to last. After this, you won’t see the creature again for a good long time, and even then the nature of its bond with Tirza is never quite explored. Their relationship baffles me. Is it friendship or Stockholm syndrome? How is it that the two of them are able to communicate? Where did the deeper connection between them come from? Truth be told though, probably the less said about that overtly sexual scene involving Tirza and the dragon tongue-bath, the better.
Once we get back to Castle Ocean, there were some elements that I liked. We are introduced to the rest of Tirza’s family, starting with Queen Marioza, who is clearly a force to be reckoned with. The emperor has already tried to make her marry one of his brothers, whom she promptly put in the grave. Unfortunately, this next suitor isn’t going to be so easy to get rid of, but her children trust that she will find a way. In addition to the twins Tirza and Jeon, there are also second and third daughters Casea and Mervaly as well as oldest son and heir Luka. Each one of the royal children end up playing a role in the ensuing political storm, which had its moments.
Problem was, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and didn’t really care about any of them. Quite simply, there were just too many to keep track of and not enough time to truly get to know anyone. In addition to the royal family, we also occasionally got the points-of-view of an imperial soldier named Pal Dawd as well as a village girl named Amillee. It was too much and too fast, almost like Holland was trying to cram all the dynamics and complexities of Game of Thrones into this tiny package which comes in at just under 300 pages. While certainly ambitious, this tale regrettably falls quite short of its mark.
Most tellingly, the thing that most frustrated me about this book was how it left me cold. Whether they affect me positively or negatively, most stories usually leave me with a sense of resolution or fulfillment. On the other hand, after reading Dragon Heart my mind drew a complete blank. I didn’t even wholly dislike this novel, but I can’t give it more than a middling rating. I definitely felt like there was so much the book could have achieved. Unfortunately for me, it just never quite got there.
Dragon Heart has a delectable premise, touting a princess, a dragon, and a castle by the sea. Its cover and description also suggests a traditional epic fantasy, but with an author who is a renowned historical fiction novelist at the helm, you just know there will be more to it than that. Indeed, the book definitely turned out a lot different than I expected, though perhaps not in the way I would have liked. I wish I could give it a more positive review, but the truth is, after a strong start the story quickly lost its steam.
This novel actually centers upon the lives of five siblings, though for most of the beginning we are led to believe that youngest daughter Tirza would be the main protagonist. Mute and simple Tirza is in truth a lot more than she seems, but the royal family has sent her away to a monastery nonetheless, where she can be hidden away and forgotten. Outside her world though, things are changing. The Empire of the east grows more powerful every day, and under a new treaty, Tirza’s mother the widow Queen Marioza must marry one of the emperor’s brothers.
The book begins with Tirza’s twin brother Jeon arriving at the monastery to fetch her for the wedding. But as the two siblings return home by sea, their ship is attacked by an enormous red dragon. Tirza ends up being taken by the dragon and is then held captive in its secret lagoon. To her amazement, she discovers that the beast understands her when she talks to it in her strange language of growls and screeches. Forming an attachment, the dragon vows to hunt down and recapture her if she ever slips its grasp, though Tirza is undeterred and one day manages to escape, fleeing back to her family at Castle Ocean.
All this happens in the first chapter, and alas, it was probably the most interesting chapter in the book. The dragon appears early, which was a high point for me, but it was just too good to last. After this, you won’t see the creature again for a good long time, and even then the nature of its bond with Tirza is never quite explored. Their relationship baffles me. Is it friendship or Stockholm syndrome? How is it that the two of them are able to communicate? Where did the deeper connection between them come from? Truth be told though, probably the less said about that overtly sexual scene involving Tirza and the dragon tongue-bath, the better.
Once we get back to Castle Ocean, there were some elements that I liked. We are introduced to the rest of Tirza’s family, starting with Queen Marioza, who is clearly a force to be reckoned with. The emperor has already tried to make her marry one of his brothers, whom she promptly put in the grave. Unfortunately, this next suitor isn’t going to be so easy to get rid of, but her children trust that she will find a way. In addition to the twins Tirza and Jeon, there are also second and third daughters Casea and Mervaly as well as oldest son and heir Luka. Each one of the royal children end up playing a role in the ensuing political storm, which had its moments.
Problem was, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and didn’t really care about any of them. Quite simply, there were just too many to keep track of and not enough time to truly get to know anyone. In addition to the royal family, we also occasionally got the points-of-view of an imperial soldier named Pal Dawd as well as a village girl named Amillee. It was too much and too fast, almost like Holland was trying to cram all the dynamics and complexities of Game of Thrones into this tiny package which comes in at just under 300 pages. While certainly ambitious, this tale regrettably falls quite short of its mark.
Most tellingly, the thing that most frustrated me about this book was how it left me cold. Whether they affect me positively or negatively, most stories usually leave me with a sense of resolution or fulfillment. On the other hand, after reading Dragon Heart my mind drew a complete blank. I didn’t even wholly dislike this novel, but I can’t give it more than a middling rating. I definitely felt like there was so much the book could have achieved. Unfortunately for me, it just never quite got there.
August 21, 2015
I hate to negatively review books, but with this one, I was so disappointed I felt I had to say something. I loved the first part of this book, with Tirza and the dragon. Once they part ways, the story, for me, fell apart. I loved the cover, and loved the title, and felt that somehow, this should be a dragon story. It wasn't. It wasn't really even Tirza's story. Very disappointing.
September 6, 2015
...I'm very impressed with this novel. It is so tightly written and so well paced that I can't really find anything negative to say about it. Dragon Heart is one of those fantasies you can enjoy without committing to a sprawling series or a single huge tome. I have no idea if Holland planned sequels. It is not impossible to write more in this setting, but the story in Dragon Heart doesn't require it. Some readers may find it a bit too concise, preferring to spend more time with the many point of view characters. I feel Holland has the skill to give them depth in the short time we spend with them.In less than 300 pages, Holland packs everything a good fantasy needs. Something more than a few fantasy authors should take note of.
Full Random Comments review
Full Random Comments review
September 11, 2015
Won this book in the First Reads giveaway.
It was okay. The writing is good enough for me to be interested in the authors other work. I just don't think I'm really into medieval style high fantasy that is full of castle politics. Like other reviewers, I was kind of disappointed that the book didn't focus more on Tirza. I found myself skimming parts that were from the POV of Oto or his family members.
Also, there is no reason given for why Tirza doesn't have some form of communication with her family, like writing or drawing. Do her written words or pictures come out gibberish like her spoken words?
It was okay. The writing is good enough for me to be interested in the authors other work. I just don't think I'm really into medieval style high fantasy that is full of castle politics. Like other reviewers, I was kind of disappointed that the book didn't focus more on Tirza. I found myself skimming parts that were from the POV of Oto or his family members.
Also, there is no reason given for why Tirza doesn't have some form of communication with her family, like writing or drawing. Do her written words or pictures come out gibberish like her spoken words?
October 2, 2015
I got this book free from Goodreads First Reads. It has a dragon on the cover; what's not to like? Sadly, I wanted to enjoy this book more than I actually did.
The dragon appears only in the first chapter and at the very end of the book. There's a questionable scene of him licking Tirza that reads as sexual abuse, or at least harassment. There's one main plot - "the Empire wants control of the castle/kingdom" - but the narrative keeps jumping off at angles to itself, much as the royals keep haring off doing everyone's business except their own: protecting the kingdom from the Empire! It's not even clear whether the castle is trying to protect the locals, or if it's a danger to everyone. Nobody seems to be consistently characterized, or else they weren't properly introduced to begin with. There were several places where I felt someone was acting out of character, characters introduced as mature and independent seem to devolve into unthinking children, and pretty much none of the deaths are mourned at all. Worse, nobody seems to be actively working toward any long-term goals at all! Why don't they just keep killing the Empire's representatives, if that's what's going to happen anyway?
I'm willing to put the typos down to this being an uncorrected proof, but I think the questionable word choices and awkward turns of phrase should have been fixed in the editing stage.
The dragon appears only in the first chapter and at the very end of the book. There's a questionable scene of him licking Tirza that reads as sexual abuse, or at least harassment. There's one main plot - "the Empire wants control of the castle/kingdom" - but the narrative keeps jumping off at angles to itself, much as the royals keep haring off doing everyone's business except their own: protecting the kingdom from the Empire! It's not even clear whether the castle is trying to protect the locals, or if it's a danger to everyone. Nobody seems to be consistently characterized, or else they weren't properly introduced to begin with. There were several places where I felt someone was acting out of character, characters introduced as mature and independent seem to devolve into unthinking children, and pretty much none of the deaths are mourned at all. Worse, nobody seems to be actively working toward any long-term goals at all! Why don't they just keep killing the Empire's representatives, if that's what's going to happen anyway?
I'm willing to put the typos down to this being an uncorrected proof, but I think the questionable word choices and awkward turns of phrase should have been fixed in the editing stage.
November 1, 2016
Great adventure, lots of conflict. A five star read.
April 2, 2020
BIG OL' CW FOR SEXUAL ASSUALT. 2.25/5, rounded down.
Middle third was probably the best bit. The first and final thirds were not very appealing to read. It's fairly light on the fantasy, but goes pretty hard on the ye olde medieval fantasy setting. There was a bunch of cool one-off comments about some of the fantasy elements on it, and makes me think this was supposed to at least contain more, be that a longer novel or more books following.
The majority of the characters were assholes.
The ending kind of just ends, and doesn't wrap up in any meaningful way.
And the titular dragon? Only appears in the first and last chapters.
Was not a fan.
(book bingo's off to a great start)
Middle third was probably the best bit. The first and final thirds were not very appealing to read. It's fairly light on the fantasy, but goes pretty hard on the ye olde medieval fantasy setting. There was a bunch of cool one-off comments about some of the fantasy elements on it, and makes me think this was supposed to at least contain more, be that a longer novel or more books following.
The majority of the characters were assholes.
The ending kind of just ends, and doesn't wrap up in any meaningful way.
And the titular dragon? Only appears in the first and last chapters.
Was not a fan.
(book bingo's off to a great start)
July 3, 2019
Based on the title, the cover and the synopsis, I expected a tale about a dragon. After the first chapter, it was a tale of human conquest - one ruler vs. another. Yawn. After three chapters, I gave up.
January 6, 2016
Jeon's sister Tirza has always been a strange creature. She understands those around her, but when she tries to respond, everything comes out sounding like animals noises. Her family still loves her, but her life is full of frustration due to her inability to communicate. DRAGON HEART opens with Jeon bringing Tirza home after banishment to a faraway convent. On the ship ride home they are mysteriously attacked and events lead to Tirza finding herself in a secluded cove that belongs to a sea dragon.
While Tirza cannot speak with her fellow humans, she discovers that she can communicate with the dragon, who demands stories in exchange for him not eating her. Their relationship is a strange one, and despite her escape it's easy to believe that isn't the last we'll see of the dragon.
The majority of the story is set at Castle Ocean, where Tirza and Jeon's widowed mother is forced to marry a brother of the current Emperor, the marriage making him king of Castle Ocean. The nasty Archduke brings with him his two scheming sons and the machinations begin as Jeon and his family resist the takeover by outsiders.
This book was a disappointment. Holland is no newcomer so it was a surprise to find a disjointed, confusing, and incomplete novel. I'm not sure a sequel could fix this mess.
The story starts out promisingly enough. Joen and Tirza are likable characters, and their siblings are good people despite their privileged upbringing. Holland's presentation of the setting was lovely and convincing, from the sandy and rocky shores to the castle built from the caves on the cliffs above the town. Her lovely prose makes it easy to visualize where Jeon and Tirza live. The setting is easily the best part of the book. One wishes she could have translated it to the rest of the novel.
DRAGON HEART is told from a rotational PoV through all the major characters, so we get to see the story from the viewpoint of about a dozen people. Since it's a short book, this made it hard to really get to know any of the characters, as we couldn't see deeply into their personality and motivations. Frequent PoV shifts made the protagonists boring and the antagonists almost comical in their stereotype. For instance, the nasty Archduke bit his finance's hand; his son Oto would go around telling everyone that they had to obey him. Another obvious question was: Tirza could have made up a sign language with her family in order to communicate, even something rudimentary, but there was nothing. The characterization was inconsistent with the subtlety of the worldbuilding.
Since we don't really understand the characters we don't really understand why they do the things they do, and the result is a storyline with a confusing plot. I can't tell you much without revealing spoilers, but by the end everything is turned upside-down and ends abruptly. We hardly see the dragon of which the book is titled. So many questions were left unanswered. I was left scratching my head. I won't be passing this book along to my dragon-loving daughter.
Recommended Age: 16+
Language: None
Violence: A few fights with bloody detail
Sex: Referenced with some detail
***Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com***
While Tirza cannot speak with her fellow humans, she discovers that she can communicate with the dragon, who demands stories in exchange for him not eating her. Their relationship is a strange one, and despite her escape it's easy to believe that isn't the last we'll see of the dragon.
The majority of the story is set at Castle Ocean, where Tirza and Jeon's widowed mother is forced to marry a brother of the current Emperor, the marriage making him king of Castle Ocean. The nasty Archduke brings with him his two scheming sons and the machinations begin as Jeon and his family resist the takeover by outsiders.
This book was a disappointment. Holland is no newcomer so it was a surprise to find a disjointed, confusing, and incomplete novel. I'm not sure a sequel could fix this mess.
The story starts out promisingly enough. Joen and Tirza are likable characters, and their siblings are good people despite their privileged upbringing. Holland's presentation of the setting was lovely and convincing, from the sandy and rocky shores to the castle built from the caves on the cliffs above the town. Her lovely prose makes it easy to visualize where Jeon and Tirza live. The setting is easily the best part of the book. One wishes she could have translated it to the rest of the novel.
DRAGON HEART is told from a rotational PoV through all the major characters, so we get to see the story from the viewpoint of about a dozen people. Since it's a short book, this made it hard to really get to know any of the characters, as we couldn't see deeply into their personality and motivations. Frequent PoV shifts made the protagonists boring and the antagonists almost comical in their stereotype. For instance, the nasty Archduke bit his finance's hand; his son Oto would go around telling everyone that they had to obey him. Another obvious question was: Tirza could have made up a sign language with her family in order to communicate, even something rudimentary, but there was nothing. The characterization was inconsistent with the subtlety of the worldbuilding.
Since we don't really understand the characters we don't really understand why they do the things they do, and the result is a storyline with a confusing plot. I can't tell you much without revealing spoilers, but by the end everything is turned upside-down and ends abruptly. We hardly see the dragon of which the book is titled. So many questions were left unanswered. I was left scratching my head. I won't be passing this book along to my dragon-loving daughter.
Recommended Age: 16+
Language: None
Violence: A few fights with bloody detail
Sex: Referenced with some detail
***Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com***
September 26, 2015
The cover and title gave me one impression of what the story would be about, but I found something else in the read.
An ancient kingdom is under siege from the larger Imperial forces. The sea kingdom's army has been broken and their king killed. The queen must remarry into the Imperial family to take over the rule benevolently, but she's not willing to go quietly . Nor are her large collection (5) of children each of which gets their own point of view scenes. So the struggle is set for rule of the sea kingdom as they all try different approaches to rid their home of the invaders.
I usually enjoy political themes in fantasy. I'm a huge fan of epic. There is plenty of strife here and plenty of treachery. I just couldn't get attached to the queen or any of her five children. Besides those six family members, we also saw the story through the eyes of three of the imperial overseers, several soldiers, and several townsfolk. It just seemed to have too many points of view. Perhaps if there had been less characters showcased and more time spent among fewer characters, I could have grown to care about any of them. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but many characters didn't make it to the end. Just when I started to possibly like any of them ... gone.
I also had the impression from the title and cover that the dragon occupied a large part of the story. To my surprise, that's soon left behind, hardly to reappear until the very last pages.
There were hints that the sea kingdom's royal family weren't ordinary humans, but nothing ever came of that. A brief mention of webbing between toes and nothing else. The castle itself made a great non-living character, but that wasn't used to its full potential, either. There was a little talk of a curse, which also got short shift and was never filled out fully. Very little fantasy and a lot of political maneuvering. You really need characters to hate or love with that kind of story, which I just didn't feel this had. The Imperial overseers provided proper reasons to hate them, but as I didn't love or root for the queen or her children, it was flat for me.
I received my copy from the publisher.
An ancient kingdom is under siege from the larger Imperial forces. The sea kingdom's army has been broken and their king killed. The queen must remarry into the Imperial family to take over the rule benevolently, but she's not willing to go quietly . Nor are her large collection (5) of children each of which gets their own point of view scenes. So the struggle is set for rule of the sea kingdom as they all try different approaches to rid their home of the invaders.
I usually enjoy political themes in fantasy. I'm a huge fan of epic. There is plenty of strife here and plenty of treachery. I just couldn't get attached to the queen or any of her five children. Besides those six family members, we also saw the story through the eyes of three of the imperial overseers, several soldiers, and several townsfolk. It just seemed to have too many points of view. Perhaps if there had been less characters showcased and more time spent among fewer characters, I could have grown to care about any of them. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but many characters didn't make it to the end. Just when I started to possibly like any of them ... gone.
I also had the impression from the title and cover that the dragon occupied a large part of the story. To my surprise, that's soon left behind, hardly to reappear until the very last pages.
There were hints that the sea kingdom's royal family weren't ordinary humans, but nothing ever came of that. A brief mention of webbing between toes and nothing else. The castle itself made a great non-living character, but that wasn't used to its full potential, either. There was a little talk of a curse, which also got short shift and was never filled out fully. Very little fantasy and a lot of political maneuvering. You really need characters to hate or love with that kind of story, which I just didn't feel this had. The Imperial overseers provided proper reasons to hate them, but as I didn't love or root for the queen or her children, it was flat for me.
I received my copy from the publisher.
October 4, 2015
Previously published at TheQwillery.com
I was really looking forward to this book. I'm a hug fan of historical fiction and was excited to see how Cecelia Holland would translate her skills into writing a fantasy story. From the back cover description I got the idea that Holland was looking to modernize a fairytale with the talk of a sea side castle, princess, princes and dragon. Sadly, I was disappointed.
Holland does a wonderful job at creating atmosphere and world-building for her story. I enjoyed getting wrapped up in her evocative descriptions--the 'haunted' castle was my favorite part of the book. However, I did find some of her names for people and places a bit boring, almost as if they were placeholders that were never properly named. The best example is Castle Ocean, I cringed every time I read it.
The characters started out interesting and compelling but I quickly lost interest in them as the story progressed. I never felt engaged with their struggles or desires. Holland focused on far too many characters for me to find one that I liked and felt satisfied knowing. There's the Queen, her five children, as well as the antagonist and some villagers. For such a small book, less than 300 pages, I think there were too many POV characters. Even the dragon that starts out strong in the beginning fades away until later, and his relationship with Tirza was far too familiar. It became uncomfortable.
Holland's Dragon Heart is a boring fairytale. She attempted to modernize it and give it a Game of Thrones feel with so many POV characters, but unfortunately it came out weak and strange at times. Although there isn't an issue with language, there are acts of violence and minor sexual situations involving a dragon's tongue so it would only be appropriate for adults.
I was really looking forward to this book. I'm a hug fan of historical fiction and was excited to see how Cecelia Holland would translate her skills into writing a fantasy story. From the back cover description I got the idea that Holland was looking to modernize a fairytale with the talk of a sea side castle, princess, princes and dragon. Sadly, I was disappointed.
Holland does a wonderful job at creating atmosphere and world-building for her story. I enjoyed getting wrapped up in her evocative descriptions--the 'haunted' castle was my favorite part of the book. However, I did find some of her names for people and places a bit boring, almost as if they were placeholders that were never properly named. The best example is Castle Ocean, I cringed every time I read it.
The characters started out interesting and compelling but I quickly lost interest in them as the story progressed. I never felt engaged with their struggles or desires. Holland focused on far too many characters for me to find one that I liked and felt satisfied knowing. There's the Queen, her five children, as well as the antagonist and some villagers. For such a small book, less than 300 pages, I think there were too many POV characters. Even the dragon that starts out strong in the beginning fades away until later, and his relationship with Tirza was far too familiar. It became uncomfortable.
Holland's Dragon Heart is a boring fairytale. She attempted to modernize it and give it a Game of Thrones feel with so many POV characters, but unfortunately it came out weak and strange at times. Although there isn't an issue with language, there are acts of violence and minor sexual situations involving a dragon's tongue so it would only be appropriate for adults.
July 27, 2018
Disappointing.
It started well - Princess Tirza, an unfortunate mute, and her brother Jeon are travelling home when their ship is attacked by a dragon. Tirza survives, but is captured by the dragon, and well, that was the good part.
So Tirza and the dragon can talk to each other. And the dragon loves hearing Tirza tell stories. And um, assaults her? There's a gross scene in there I don't really want to talk about. The dragon will hardly feature again, and there are so many questions - how can it even talk to Tirza? Anyway the princess runs away, eventually making it back to Castle Ocean, where the Imperials are making a move on her family's crown.
To control Castle Ocean the Empire has sent a noble, escorted by a small army, to marry the queen. The queen, princes Luka and Jeon, and princesses Casea, Mervaly and Tirza are all opposed to the marriage, the queen killed the last husband the Emperor sent her.
Oh - there are several instances where the Queen's red-haired family are implied to be not quite human, some kind of human / sea creature hybrid, but that's never really gotten into.
Anyway, the eldest prince sets up a trap for the usurpers to their throne, and with the help of the villagers manage to defeat a portion of the army, and return to the castle as victors. And then, after proving himself a worthy king, allows his enemies and their army to continue to live in the castle with them. So many alarm bells went off that my head is still ringing.
At one point one of the Castle Ocean princesses just walks out of the castle (and the story) holding the hands of a sargaent of the Empire's army. So yeah. I should have taken that as a cue to leave the book myself.
Long story short, in the end - even though the 'good guys' won - it still felt incredibly disappointing. And I guess that's the key emotion I felt from Chapter 2 onwards. Disappointed.
It started well - Princess Tirza, an unfortunate mute, and her brother Jeon are travelling home when their ship is attacked by a dragon. Tirza survives, but is captured by the dragon, and well, that was the good part.
So Tirza and the dragon can talk to each other. And the dragon loves hearing Tirza tell stories. And um, assaults her? There's a gross scene in there I don't really want to talk about. The dragon will hardly feature again, and there are so many questions - how can it even talk to Tirza? Anyway the princess runs away, eventually making it back to Castle Ocean, where the Imperials are making a move on her family's crown.
To control Castle Ocean the Empire has sent a noble, escorted by a small army, to marry the queen. The queen, princes Luka and Jeon, and princesses Casea, Mervaly and Tirza are all opposed to the marriage, the queen killed the last husband the Emperor sent her.
Oh - there are several instances where the Queen's red-haired family are implied to be not quite human, some kind of human / sea creature hybrid, but that's never really gotten into.
Anyway, the eldest prince sets up a trap for the usurpers to their throne, and with the help of the villagers manage to defeat a portion of the army, and return to the castle as victors. And then, after proving himself a worthy king, allows his enemies and their army to continue to live in the castle with them. So many alarm bells went off that my head is still ringing.
At one point one of the Castle Ocean princesses just walks out of the castle (and the story) holding the hands of a sargaent of the Empire's army. So yeah. I should have taken that as a cue to leave the book myself.
Long story short, in the end - even though the 'good guys' won - it still felt incredibly disappointing. And I guess that's the key emotion I felt from Chapter 2 onwards. Disappointed.
November 3, 2015
Overall, I found this book incredibly disappointing. I wanted to like it, and even though I decided early on that it wasn't any good, there were aspects of it that kept me reading in hopes that it might improve. It did not. Rather, it continued on in this mediocre state, woven entirely of the very very good and the very very bad.
the good
1. There is a dragon.
2. The protagonist is a mute princess, who the dragon holds captive/befriends (it's complicated).
3. Good family relationships -- mostly between siblings, but the mother is also present and loved, and they reminisce some about their father.
4. The author is not afraid to kill off key characters.
5. The premise? Brilliant. The execution...
the bad
1. The dragon appears in the very beginning of the book, then is hardly mentioned at all throughout most of the rest of the book while the focus switches to the princes and their convoluted battle with the emperor's sons for the crown.
2. Why hasn't the mute princess learned to write, or to communicate through gestures or drawing? Why isn't this addressed?
3. The death scenes are described matter-of-factly, and tend to be rather gruesome.
4. There are two or three very sensual scenes that were all entirely unnecessary -- not only did the author give too much detail, but in each case the whole paragraph or even entire scene could have been left out. They were not at all necessary to the plot or character development.
5. My biggest issue with this book is that it should have been 100-200 pages longer. It was far too choppy.
Originally posted on poetree.
the good
1. There is a dragon.
2. The protagonist is a mute princess, who the dragon holds captive/befriends (it's complicated).
3. Good family relationships -- mostly between siblings, but the mother is also present and loved, and they reminisce some about their father.
4. The author is not afraid to kill off key characters.
5. The premise? Brilliant. The execution...
the bad
1. The dragon appears in the very beginning of the book, then is hardly mentioned at all throughout most of the rest of the book while the focus switches to the princes and their convoluted battle with the emperor's sons for the crown.
2. Why hasn't the mute princess learned to write, or to communicate through gestures or drawing? Why isn't this addressed?
3. The death scenes are described matter-of-factly, and tend to be rather gruesome.
4. There are two or three very sensual scenes that were all entirely unnecessary -- not only did the author give too much detail, but in each case the whole paragraph or even entire scene could have been left out. They were not at all necessary to the plot or character development.
5. My biggest issue with this book is that it should have been 100-200 pages longer. It was far too choppy.
Originally posted on poetree.
July 5, 2019
2.5 stars
Light novel. Queen Marioza lost her husband fighting the Empire of the East. She had five children: Luka, Mervaly, Casea, and the twins Jeon and Tirza. Tirza can't communicate - she's speaks in shrieks and whistles - though it's revealed to .
Early on, Tirza is lost at sea, where she meets Tirza eventually escapes and returns home, where she gets embroidered in human politics: the prince of the Empire came with two sons, and expects to marry Queen Marioza. After Queen Marioza Eventually, the siblings .
I didn't expect how dark this book could be - but it didn't feel dark. It felt mythological, with the castle and Mervaly . Or Jeon killing the black bull by . The ending wasn't a happy one either, but it felt right.
It's not an epic fantasy - it really is about that small patch of land - but it's an interesting one.
Light novel. Queen Marioza lost her husband fighting the Empire of the East. She had five children: Luka, Mervaly, Casea, and the twins Jeon and Tirza. Tirza can't communicate - she's speaks in shrieks and whistles - though it's revealed to .
Early on, Tirza is lost at sea, where she meets Tirza eventually escapes and returns home, where she gets embroidered in human politics: the prince of the Empire came with two sons, and expects to marry Queen Marioza. After Queen Marioza Eventually, the siblings .
I didn't expect how dark this book could be - but it didn't feel dark. It felt mythological, with the castle and Mervaly . Or Jeon killing the black bull by . The ending wasn't a happy one either, but it felt right.
It's not an epic fantasy - it really is about that small patch of land - but it's an interesting one.
October 18, 2015
For a book called Dragon Heart there not enough dragon in it I think.
Apart from that major grumble this is a nice enough read.
There are a bit too much viewpoint characters in my opinion, and I'd have liked a bit more in the way of world building, but overall the story is interesting once you get over the fact it's more about Castle Ocean than it is about a dragon.
Some of the names were confusing. There's one character named Broga, who is a man, but I kept forgetting who he was, because Broga sounded like a female name to me. Then there's Oto: a name that kept dragging me out of the story, because it looks wrong to me (Otto being a family name).
Because of the many different characters it was difficult to get a feel of all of them, plot often overtaking character building, but even so I had some I liked, and some I loathed. In true G.R.R. Martin tradition no one character could expect to survive just because they were made viewpoint character though, so I feared for the lives of my favorites.
I myself wasn't swept away by this story, but enjoyed it well enough. I'd advice this book to fans of plot based Fantasy, who don't mind switching back and forth between several viewpoint characters.
Apart from that major grumble this is a nice enough read.
There are a bit too much viewpoint characters in my opinion, and I'd have liked a bit more in the way of world building, but overall the story is interesting once you get over the fact it's more about Castle Ocean than it is about a dragon.
Some of the names were confusing. There's one character named Broga, who is a man, but I kept forgetting who he was, because Broga sounded like a female name to me. Then there's Oto: a name that kept dragging me out of the story, because it looks wrong to me (Otto being a family name).
Because of the many different characters it was difficult to get a feel of all of them, plot often overtaking character building, but even so I had some I liked, and some I loathed. In true G.R.R. Martin tradition no one character could expect to survive just because they were made viewpoint character though, so I feared for the lives of my favorites.
I myself wasn't swept away by this story, but enjoyed it well enough. I'd advice this book to fans of plot based Fantasy, who don't mind switching back and forth between several viewpoint characters.
October 21, 2015
Huh. I feel like I didn't "get" this book. There is a lot that I still don't understand: about the main characters, about the country, about the dragon, about a LOT of the relationships, about the magic (or not), and about how everything ended up.
This doesn't bother me much, though, because I wasn't interested enough in any of the characters to worry about them. I do not insist on liking characters; I do insist on being interested in them. The set up and descriptions of the characters was just too scanty with too much left up to the reader.
Perhaps a cleverer reader than me would understand, and perhaps a more generous one wouldn't be so squicked out by the relationship between Tirza and the dragon (Stockholm syndrome?), but that reader isn't me. I wanted to enjoy this book, but I didn't.
It was OK--it had a lot of original elements that were fun to think about--but I find myself reluctant to try another Holland book even though she is highly praised for her historical fiction.
This doesn't bother me much, though, because I wasn't interested enough in any of the characters to worry about them. I do not insist on liking characters; I do insist on being interested in them. The set up and descriptions of the characters was just too scanty with too much left up to the reader.
Perhaps a cleverer reader than me would understand, and perhaps a more generous one wouldn't be so squicked out by the relationship between Tirza and the dragon (Stockholm syndrome?), but that reader isn't me. I wanted to enjoy this book, but I didn't.
It was OK--it had a lot of original elements that were fun to think about--but I find myself reluctant to try another Holland book even though she is highly praised for her historical fiction.
November 25, 2015
Click for the full review on Weighing A Pig Doesn't Fatten It.
I started this book with the wrong expectations. The title, the text on the dust jacket, the cover art and the Kim Stanley Robinson quote on the cover – “Holland’s vision is constant, and her books keep going deeper. This time, she takes the sea dragon and the castle by the sea and plunges them right into your subconscious.” – all promise a story about, yes indeed, a dragon. That, Dragon Heart doesn’t deliver.
(...)
Holland’s prose is rather dry, but precise. The fact that she has managed to write a book about which I can’t seem to make up my mind intrigues me. Somewhere in the future, I will definitely try Floating Worlds – her 1976 science fiction novel – and one of her historical novels too.
I started this book with the wrong expectations. The title, the text on the dust jacket, the cover art and the Kim Stanley Robinson quote on the cover – “Holland’s vision is constant, and her books keep going deeper. This time, she takes the sea dragon and the castle by the sea and plunges them right into your subconscious.” – all promise a story about, yes indeed, a dragon. That, Dragon Heart doesn’t deliver.
(...)
Holland’s prose is rather dry, but precise. The fact that she has managed to write a book about which I can’t seem to make up my mind intrigues me. Somewhere in the future, I will definitely try Floating Worlds – her 1976 science fiction novel – and one of her historical novels too.
October 8, 2015
At the end of the day this book just felt pointless. It felt incredibly unsatisfying because nothing was ever really explained (either directly or indirectly). We had all these characters who felt like they had such potential and then nothing happened except they died. We know literally nothing about what happens to the castle, or the people, or Casea, or really anything. We never found out what the boar was supposed to signify (though we can have some guesses) or why the family probably had dragon in their bloodline somewhere. Nor did they seem to ever figure this out so it felt like a silly detail. Overall I finished this book without any emotional connection to anything that happened and felt like I wasted several days of my life reading it. The writing itself wasn't bad per-say, and the characterization was interesting, but everything else was boring/pointless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2015
I'm left ambivalent.
I wish I could give 3 1/2 stars.
The possibilities were great.
A royal family with some connection to the sea. Wish that had been made clearer.
An evil empire trying to take over at any cost.
People dying/being murdered left and right.
A castle that is alive and seemingly sentient.
A potentially fascinating young woman who cannot speak, but has somehow never worked out any form of communication with anyone, even her siblings.
And a dragon. A character of great ambiguity. Is he evil? Good? Amoral?
So many pieces, but the whole couldn't contain them satisfactorily for me.
I think this might have worked better as several stories with each covering one aspect of the story-line.
I wish I could give 3 1/2 stars.
The possibilities were great.
A royal family with some connection to the sea. Wish that had been made clearer.
An evil empire trying to take over at any cost.
People dying/being murdered left and right.
A castle that is alive and seemingly sentient.
A potentially fascinating young woman who cannot speak, but has somehow never worked out any form of communication with anyone, even her siblings.
And a dragon. A character of great ambiguity. Is he evil? Good? Amoral?
So many pieces, but the whole couldn't contain them satisfactorily for me.
I think this might have worked better as several stories with each covering one aspect of the story-line.
December 20, 2017
Dragon Heart started off very strongly and it felt original/unique when it came to its writing. When the main character interacts with the dragon. I feel as if that was my favorite part. However when the main character leaves and makes her way back to her kingdom was still good too. Yet when the book carries on to the politics of the realm, that's when the book feels a little disjointed. The main kingdom is at war and politics are good however makes question what was the whole point the dragon aspect? maybe it could have have been two separate books that would connect, that might have worked better??? Then ending felt complete enough but not fully. two stars for it being just an okay book.
September 21, 2015
Mckillip and Martin influences are strong with this one. The story was too thinly spread, I feel like it could have been great. If the author stuck to the girl and dragon part, possibly minus the tongue-molesting. Will not be reaching for a book by this author again. The words were dry and clunky. I just couldn't see the story taking place in my head.
October 10, 2015
This book was very uneven. The sexual tension was out of place and unrelated to the flow of novel. Why no one could communicate with the mute sister was never explained. It just lacked the substance that historical fantasy fiction that is usually expected from an experienced author. Cover does not depict dragon as he is described in book.
September 13, 2015
I liked the beginning of it, though then after she escapes the dragon and get's back home, it lost my interest to be honest. When the dragon come's back and she leaves with him was great.I feel like the story would have been better without all the murder's and backstabbing each other..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2015
I am disappointed. The dragon isn't in much of the first half I read after tongue-raping the MC for reasons I don't understand. Otherwise it's mostly political plot of fighting between nobles and writing that just didn't work for me.
October 24, 2015
Too implausible for enjoyment.
September 12, 2015
Read too much like a fable to my tastes. The titular dragon was disappointing, and the plot didn't engage me.
October 12, 2015
For a book that had a dragon on the cover and in the title, I kind of expected him to be a bigger part of the story.
December 6, 2015
Fantasy with tantalizing glimpses not well-developed. Very somber.
November 23, 2018
I'm surprised this book is so poorly rated because i really enjoyed it. Many people seem to be miffed that the book varied from the synopsis on the back cover or that they had judged it to be some sort of dragonfest based on the cover art. If i could figure out everything in a book by the 3 or 4 paragraphs on the back cover then why would i want to read it? Anyway, this is far from the standard fantasy story and i think that's a good thing. It has flaws, (BEWARE!-POTENTIAL SPOILERS) such as: Why hasn't Tirza or one of her sibs figured out some method of communication? (simply writing comes to mind) - Luka not having interest in killing Oto or Broga is believable but Oto and Broga not killing Jeon or at least locking him up is stretching it - Many characters personalities were a bit uneven: Oto (maybe the stress of it all), Jeon (he's just a kid) - Many things were kind of mysterious and unexplained: The castle (magical?), a giant pig?, some characters walking off into the sunset in the middle of the book? - Lastly, the book is quite short (under 300 pgs) BUT, these things made this book so very different and quirky from the norm, which was cool. I kind of expected something similar to what happened in the end but the journey there was quite twisty and unpredictable with some interesting methods of death along the way. It kept my interest throughout and i'm glad i read it. Too bad alot of people may be turned away by it's low rating. Different can be wonderful. Give it a try. Nice job Ms. Holland!
April 15, 2019
This book is good and have good caracters and a fashinating story. You get to see their world and feel them in a few strikes of Cecilia's pen and she creates a very vivid world. The name fits even if the dragon comes strong in the start and are very present but than is mainly gone. #e find the focus moving to the counterpieces of a small costal kingdom and the big empire making demand on it's royal family. This is more of a political fantasy story than a dragon story.
I feel like the cover and it's backside is cheating me a bit cause apart from the first encounter the dragon seams nonexistent and what we're really reading about is a small kingdoms rebellion. Miss from the marketing side really cause this book is good and intresting. I like that we've a girl that can't speak so people understand her as a main caracter in the start and later more of a minor caracter (that is alsy whom the backside focusing on her somehow make things wrong). A few snippets of what the dragon was doing that reminded us more clearly before paage 200 or so would be enough to make it a part of this story in a diffirent way. Still a good book with a good story.
I feel like the cover and it's backside is cheating me a bit cause apart from the first encounter the dragon seams nonexistent and what we're really reading about is a small kingdoms rebellion. Miss from the marketing side really cause this book is good and intresting. I like that we've a girl that can't speak so people understand her as a main caracter in the start and later more of a minor caracter (that is alsy whom the backside focusing on her somehow make things wrong). A few snippets of what the dragon was doing that reminded us more clearly before paage 200 or so would be enough to make it a part of this story in a diffirent way. Still a good book with a good story.
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