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Minoan Wings #1
Dragonfly Song
A gripping upper-middle-grade fantasy set in Bronze-Age Crete from Nim's Island author Wendy Orr The girl has had many selves in her short life. The first she remembers is Aissa, the daughter of Mama and Dada, sister to Zufi who watched the goats. Then the Bull King's raiders came, and Mama said, "Don't make a sound till I come back." And when the villagers found her she was silent as stone, because Mama never came back again. So the villagers cursed her as back luck and made her No-Name, lowest of the servants to the Lady, the island's priestess. But there were whispers, as she grew, of another of the Lady's rejected first daughter, born imperfect with two extra thumbs. The silent girl looks at the scars on her wrists and wonders, but she has more pressing concerns. The villagers blame her bad luck for the tribute the Bull King now demands of two youths given each spring to dance with his bulls and die for his god's glory. And the servants hate and fear the unnatural way the animals all come to her. For Aissa, though, this bond with creatures of fur and scale is the first clue in finding the true self that no one else can give to her, or take away. Wendy Orr, the author of Nim's Island , introduces a resourceful and resilient heroine for slightly older readers. Inspired by an archeological trip to the island of Crete, where frescoes show figures leaping over the backs of bulls, Orr weaves an intriguing mythological portrayal of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization. Lyrically written and refreshingly unpredictable, Dragonfly Song suggests a fascinating origin for the legend of the Minotaur and his dark tribute.
408 pages, Hardcover
First published March 9, 2017
12 people are currently reading
1122 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Orr
63 books208 followersI’m an author, but I could never have started writing books if I hadn’t loved reading them first. Reading isn’t just one of my favourite things to do; it’s one of the most important things in my life. I can’t imagine a world in which I couldn’t read, every day. That’s why I always read to my children every day, just as my parents used to read to me. Stories can be exciting, sad, funny, scary or comforting, but the most amazing thing about them is that they take us into new worlds and teach us something more about ourselves, all at the same time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
July 31, 2016
Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr is beautifully written and different: it is an historical novel set 4,000 years ago and written in prose and verse. The switch between verse and prose is seamless. A gripping story of a girl who must discover who she is and how to use her gifts as she is sent as tribute to another land. Inspired by mythology and set in ancient Crete. I will be putting this on my textbook list.
June 22, 2016
Orr's latest novel has the sweeping majesty of an epic novel and the thrill of mid grade fantasy that will win leagues of young new fans. Powerful, eloquent and moving, Dragonfly Song is a story you will never want to leave. Keep an eye out for my full review and interview with Wendy, coming to Boomerang Blogs, here: http://blog.boomerangbooks.com.au/aut...
August 8, 2016
A fabulous, gripping read, written in a beautiful, lyrical style. The adventures of Aissa, the main character, carried me from moments of anguish and anger to satisfying triumph. I couldn't put this book down.
October 25, 2017
Aissa was born with an extra thumb on each wrist, which her mother the priestess claims makes her an "imperfect" child, not fit to follow in her footsteps of singing to the snakes. When the chief takes it upon himself to remove the child's imperfections, he ends up dying the very next day. The priestess sees this as a bad omen and summons her wise-woman to take the baby away and offer her to the God's. Keyla instead takes Aissa to farmers, where she is happy living with Mama, Dada and her sister Zufi until raiders attack the farmhouse. Sensing the danger, Mama hides Aissa, telling her to stay quiet, "don't make a sound." Aissa is so very young and takes Mama's words literally and doesn't speak a word again. Mute and alone, Aissa is finally rescued and unfortunately given to an unsympathetic Aunt, who feels she's cursed, and abandon's her at the priestesses Great Hall. Aissa is to become a servant in the Lady's kitchen. Meanwhile, The Bull King has come to the island with an offer to the Lady and her new chief, in return for supplies and one thirteen-year-old boy and girl as tributes in his bull dances each year, he will provide protection from the Raiders. If the tributes can survive, they will be returned to the island and no further tributes will be selected. At the age of twelve, Aissa is cast out of the kitchen by the other staff for being seen as bad luck. Left all alone, she see's her only means of survival to offer herself as the next tribute for the Bull King.
Dragonfly Song is written in two parts, Book One chronicles Aissa's early life and events leading to her decision to become a tribute to the Bull King. Aissa deals with lots of loss at an early age, and even becomes a slave within the priestesses Hall where she is further bullied, spit on, teased and given the nickname of No Name. When she somehow summons dragonflies around her, she is banished, left to starve and ends up hiding among the rocks surrounding the sanctuary. She spends her days spying on the villagers, the priestess performing her snake singing and scavenging for food. Aissa's one longing is to be free and I wanted this for her as well. Dragonfly Song is written in both free verse and prose, which I thought was an interesting choice at first, yet Orr's transitions come together smoothly, developing Aissa's character and giving insights into her inner thoughts. Aissa was so resilient and even a bit silently rebellious, which I really appreciated about her character. My favorite moment occurred after she was bullied by two of the servants and her new outfit ruined, Aissa then snuck into the Lady's washroom where she took a long luxurious warm bath, despite what the consequences would be if she were caught. Kindness was something Aissa never received in her first twelve years of life, and even when she does receive some from fellow tribute Luki or the goat herder's daughter, it's foreign and something she shy's away from. Yet, despite everything she grows into this strong girl determined to win her freedom and show everyone what she is capable of.
The second part of the story begins with Aissa traveling to the Bull King's island and her training to become an acrobat in the bull-dancing games. Things don't necessarily get easier for her there but she does make friendships and everyone shares in the desire to make it out of the games alive. And oh how the games were dangerous. Essentially, they grab this charging bull by the horns and try to flip over their back without getting impaled, all to honor the Bull King. Thrilling to say the least. The second part of the book went by very quickly, and before I knew it was over, but what a fascinating look at the Minoan civilization's culture, religious practices, with the priestess performing her snake singing, the ways that they celebrated the changing of seasons and the practice of offering tributes to King Minos.
*In exchange for an honest review, a review copy was received from the publisher for free.*
Dragonfly Song is written in two parts, Book One chronicles Aissa's early life and events leading to her decision to become a tribute to the Bull King. Aissa deals with lots of loss at an early age, and even becomes a slave within the priestesses Hall where she is further bullied, spit on, teased and given the nickname of No Name. When she somehow summons dragonflies around her, she is banished, left to starve and ends up hiding among the rocks surrounding the sanctuary. She spends her days spying on the villagers, the priestess performing her snake singing and scavenging for food. Aissa's one longing is to be free and I wanted this for her as well. Dragonfly Song is written in both free verse and prose, which I thought was an interesting choice at first, yet Orr's transitions come together smoothly, developing Aissa's character and giving insights into her inner thoughts. Aissa was so resilient and even a bit silently rebellious, which I really appreciated about her character. My favorite moment occurred after she was bullied by two of the servants and her new outfit ruined, Aissa then snuck into the Lady's washroom where she took a long luxurious warm bath, despite what the consequences would be if she were caught. Kindness was something Aissa never received in her first twelve years of life, and even when she does receive some from fellow tribute Luki or the goat herder's daughter, it's foreign and something she shy's away from. Yet, despite everything she grows into this strong girl determined to win her freedom and show everyone what she is capable of.
The second part of the story begins with Aissa traveling to the Bull King's island and her training to become an acrobat in the bull-dancing games. Things don't necessarily get easier for her there but she does make friendships and everyone shares in the desire to make it out of the games alive. And oh how the games were dangerous. Essentially, they grab this charging bull by the horns and try to flip over their back without getting impaled, all to honor the Bull King. Thrilling to say the least. The second part of the book went by very quickly, and before I knew it was over, but what a fascinating look at the Minoan civilization's culture, religious practices, with the priestess performing her snake singing, the ways that they celebrated the changing of seasons and the practice of offering tributes to King Minos.
*In exchange for an honest review, a review copy was received from the publisher for free.*
June 30, 2016
I received a copy of this title from Allen & Unwin for review.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Bad-luck girl Aissa has been mute ever since her family were overtaken by raiders. Despite being an outcast servant, Aissa believes that she can dance on the Bull King's island and win freedom for her people.
One of the first things you notice about the physical print copy of this book is its size - at first glance, it looks like a right hefty bit of work. Don't be scared off by this however, because a good chunk of the story is told in verse. When raiders attack her family home and her mother tells Aissa to keep quiet until she returns, a very young Aissa seems to take this instruction quite literally, resulting in her selective mutism. The verse sections of the novel deftly give poetic voice to Aissa's inner feelings and experiences, in a way that might, in a more typically formatted novel, happen through dialogue or introspection.
The book is split into two parts. The first, much longer, section details Aissa's upbringing as the "cursed child" of her island and the ways in which she tries to carve out a life for herself in an openly hostile environment. We learn here about some special talents that Aissa possesses, but doesn't fully understand or recognise, and as readers, we are also privy to information about Aissa's family heritage of which she herself is unaware.
The second part of the book takes place on the Bull King's island and moves much more quickly than the first section. This part of the book is quite action packed compared to the story set on Aissa's home island and deals with Aissa finding her true calling and tying up loose ends regarding her identity.
There is plenty to get one's teeth into here for fans of historical fiction who are looking for something set in a past a bit more distant than Victorian times. The culture, rituals and daily lives of the people of this time and place are really brought to life through Orr's writing and the addition of verse certainly adds in building the atmosphere. I'd have to recommend Dragonfly Song as the perfect way to escape on an adventure if you aren't lucky enough to be travelling somewhere exotic yourself.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Bad-luck girl Aissa has been mute ever since her family were overtaken by raiders. Despite being an outcast servant, Aissa believes that she can dance on the Bull King's island and win freedom for her people.
One of the first things you notice about the physical print copy of this book is its size - at first glance, it looks like a right hefty bit of work. Don't be scared off by this however, because a good chunk of the story is told in verse. When raiders attack her family home and her mother tells Aissa to keep quiet until she returns, a very young Aissa seems to take this instruction quite literally, resulting in her selective mutism. The verse sections of the novel deftly give poetic voice to Aissa's inner feelings and experiences, in a way that might, in a more typically formatted novel, happen through dialogue or introspection.
The book is split into two parts. The first, much longer, section details Aissa's upbringing as the "cursed child" of her island and the ways in which she tries to carve out a life for herself in an openly hostile environment. We learn here about some special talents that Aissa possesses, but doesn't fully understand or recognise, and as readers, we are also privy to information about Aissa's family heritage of which she herself is unaware.
The second part of the book takes place on the Bull King's island and moves much more quickly than the first section. This part of the book is quite action packed compared to the story set on Aissa's home island and deals with Aissa finding her true calling and tying up loose ends regarding her identity.
There is plenty to get one's teeth into here for fans of historical fiction who are looking for something set in a past a bit more distant than Victorian times. The culture, rituals and daily lives of the people of this time and place are really brought to life through Orr's writing and the addition of verse certainly adds in building the atmosphere. I'd have to recommend Dragonfly Song as the perfect way to escape on an adventure if you aren't lucky enough to be travelling somewhere exotic yourself.
Read
October 2, 2016Sometimes you read a book that bowls you over — for me, Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr (author of Nim’s Island among many other titles) is definitely one of those books.
Dragonfly Song is Junior fiction and what I would describe as “legendary history”, i.e. it draws on what we know of real history, but also invokes the stuff of legends, in this case those of Bronze Age Greece/Crete, and includes at least a hint of magic.
The book tells the story of Aissa, the daughter of a priestess-queen who is cast out at birth and must learn to survive in life’s school of hard knocks. Later, she is selected by lot as a tribute to the Minoan kingdom of Crete where she must learn to “dance with the bulls” — or die.
The story is well written and well researched, but what makes it special is the “voice” and character of Aissa. I also loved the way the story is told, in a mix of prose and poetry — or at least prose that is poetic in form. It’s also a book with a great deal of what I call “heart”, which comprises both the integrity of the characters and the emotional depth of the story.
In short, I think Dragonfly Song is wonderful: I loved it.
If you enjoy historical fiction by writers such as Rosemary Sutcliff or Gillian Bradshaw, or fantasy works such as those by Patricia McKillip, Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, Tamora Pierce's "Lioness" series, or my own Thornspell, then you may enjoy Dragonfly Song, too.
Dragonfly Song is Junior fiction and what I would describe as “legendary history”, i.e. it draws on what we know of real history, but also invokes the stuff of legends, in this case those of Bronze Age Greece/Crete, and includes at least a hint of magic.
The book tells the story of Aissa, the daughter of a priestess-queen who is cast out at birth and must learn to survive in life’s school of hard knocks. Later, she is selected by lot as a tribute to the Minoan kingdom of Crete where she must learn to “dance with the bulls” — or die.
The story is well written and well researched, but what makes it special is the “voice” and character of Aissa. I also loved the way the story is told, in a mix of prose and poetry — or at least prose that is poetic in form. It’s also a book with a great deal of what I call “heart”, which comprises both the integrity of the characters and the emotional depth of the story.
In short, I think Dragonfly Song is wonderful: I loved it.
If you enjoy historical fiction by writers such as Rosemary Sutcliff or Gillian Bradshaw, or fantasy works such as those by Patricia McKillip, Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, Tamora Pierce's "Lioness" series, or my own Thornspell, then you may enjoy Dragonfly Song, too.
October 17, 2017
This is a unique middle grade story.
I love Greek mythology so I loved how this story was done in the style of a traditional Greek epic. A lot of the story was told in verse, like the epic poems The Odyssey or The Illiad. This style may be unusual for many young readers, but it will expose them to a traditional style of writing. Orr does a great job of weaving verse in with the prose of the story. Many other aspects of Greek mythology also appear in the story, such as sacrifice and animal imagery.
Though Aissa’s story is happening centuries ago, she still faces issues that contemporary children have to deal with. Young readers could relate to her problems with bullies. She is bullied by Half-One and Half-Two and is eventually kicked out of the servants circle.
I really enjoyed this story. However, if I read it when I was in elementary school, I don’t think I would have liked it as much. This story would be a great introduction to the Ancient Greek style for young readers, if they also have some guidance from an adult.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.
I love Greek mythology so I loved how this story was done in the style of a traditional Greek epic. A lot of the story was told in verse, like the epic poems The Odyssey or The Illiad. This style may be unusual for many young readers, but it will expose them to a traditional style of writing. Orr does a great job of weaving verse in with the prose of the story. Many other aspects of Greek mythology also appear in the story, such as sacrifice and animal imagery.
Though Aissa’s story is happening centuries ago, she still faces issues that contemporary children have to deal with. Young readers could relate to her problems with bullies. She is bullied by Half-One and Half-Two and is eventually kicked out of the servants circle.
I really enjoyed this story. However, if I read it when I was in elementary school, I don’t think I would have liked it as much. This story would be a great introduction to the Ancient Greek style for young readers, if they also have some guidance from an adult.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.
August 24, 2017
I had the absolute pleasure of being able to read a prepublication review copy of "Dragonfly Song" by Wendy Orr in anticipation of its October release date by Pajama Press. I generally don't like free verse so I was pleasantly surprised how well the author integrates it seamlessly into her story making you feel like without it the story would not be complete. Being on maternity leave with a three week old and a toddler my days are generally a blur; but once I picked up this book and started it I could not put it down!! The story is intriguing and the writing is exquisite; sucking you in from the very first page. The absolute perfect book; closing the back cover leaves you sighing with contentment at how completely she finishes the story.
September 14, 2016
Full disclosure: I *really* wanted to love this book, because I love Wendy. So I began with huge amounts of trepidation, consoling myself by thinking, "If I don't like it, I just won't review it." I started it last night ... And mainlined it this morning from 4:30 am onwards. This book got me in the "emotion place" big time. I read most of it with my hand on my heart. I loved the Nim books but my favourite Wendy Orr has always been Peeling the Onion. This book affected me every bit as much as that one. I fully expect I'll read it again soon because I feel like there's so much more to discover. With huge relief, I highly recommend it.
May 19, 2023
I read this book for a reading challenge, and it was only my stubbornness to not find another book set in ancient Greece that made me finish. I am not this book's target audience, at least when it comes to age, but I love Bronze Age history, so I was intrigued. There was thankfully little in the way of historical inaccuracies or anachronisms. It's the one thing this book did consistently well. You always sensed while reading that you were in a much more archaic time than most people think of when they think of ancient Greece (if you thought of Zeus and white temples, you're over a millennium too modern for this setting).
The problems with this book are many, but I'll try to only mention the major ones. The biggest issue is the writing style itself. The novel is written in a strange present tense, omniscient narrator style that makes everything feel passive and disconnected. For example, instead of "the bull charges at her," the book says "the bull is charging at her." Nothing is shown, everything is told. Because of this, there was little emotional connection built up and therefore little pay-off. The most mundane of activities - picking asparagus - is described exactly like the most intense of moments - a child being exiled. I wasn't even initially aware that the narrator was omniscient: outside of the prologue, the first 136 pages are entirely from Aissa's perspective. Suddenly in the middle of chapter 10 the narration follows another character, Luki, to give his thoughts for one page before jumping back to Aissa. It never felt intentional. It felt like the author wanted us to know these things, but instead of revealing them naturally she breaks continuity to tell us.
In addition to the strange narrator voice, the book itself is written alternately between prose and "poetry." I put poetry in quotes because there is nothing poetic about these sections. For example, here's a few lines of a verse from the book and a random sentence that I arranged to look like poetry. Can you spot the difference?
And though the sea goddess
welcomed her once,
when Aissa returns
her flowers and shells
have been scattered and smashed.
From one full moon
to the next,
Aissa stays close to town,
wandering
in the loop of river,
barley field,
and olive grove.
There is no difference. The poetry sections have some run-on sentences, but there is ultimately no difference. The times that it switches between prose and poetry seem entirely random. At first I thought the poetry sections were supposed to be for more intense moments, but not even that is consistent. (The emotional climax of the book was in prose. Poetry was used all the way up to the moment.)
Most all my complaints so far have been of a technical nature. How's the actual story? After all, a good plot and likeable characters cover a multitude of writing sins. Sadly, there is an interesting idea here. I described the book to a friend as the product of a person reading A Child Called It while watching a documentary on Greek mystery cults and then having a fever dream. The result should at least be interesting, but we never get any depth for any of the characters. Aissa is sad and scared. For the whole book. The entire island is full of child-abusing jerks, except for the two people who randomly like Aissa for some reason. Over half of this book (the first 15 chapters out of 28!) is just Aissa being beaten, spat at, starved, cursed, mocked, and shunned. It destroys not just the pacing of the book; it's actively unpleasant to read. There isn't even really a point to them. She never grows because of the abuse outside of learning to run and hide. There's no development. Aissa is shuffled through the plot by one deus ex machina moment after the other - and I mean that far more literally than is usual. She makes virtually no decisions, and is just told what to do in nearly every scene. The back of the book says that "Aissa is determined to take destiny into her own scarred hands." Whoever wrote that didn't read this book!
I couldn't even follow why major plot points occurred. I can't get into this in any detail without delving into spoilers, so I'll leave it vague. There was a major section that splits the book into two (Book 1 and Book 2). I read through the section twice, and then the next chapter after it recapped what happened, and I still have no clue what occurred or, more importantly, WHY.
I'm really bashing on this book, I know, but it frustrates me. There is good here. I debated quite a bit between giving it 2 or 3 stars. The setting is done really well, which isn't easy with such an ancient time and place. The narrative style sometimes worked well, especially when describing the acrobatics and bull dances. It's the one place where a fast, rushed, confused pace really works. The religions and cultures described were also not looked down on in that annoying, pretentious, "we let snakes live with us because we just don't know any better" kind of way. They were treated seriously while not being idealized. But the characters and plot are so empty and the writing so unpleasant that I can't recommend the book, no matter the positives.
[As a bonus complaint, this book has the single worst map I have ever found in any book. It has no relation to the island as described in the book (such as the mountainous regions in the north, when there are no mountains on the map at all). The size of the island fluctuated, too. Sometimes it'd take a day to cross only part of the island; other times, it could be walked across in a matter of hours.]
The problems with this book are many, but I'll try to only mention the major ones. The biggest issue is the writing style itself. The novel is written in a strange present tense, omniscient narrator style that makes everything feel passive and disconnected. For example, instead of "the bull charges at her," the book says "the bull is charging at her." Nothing is shown, everything is told. Because of this, there was little emotional connection built up and therefore little pay-off. The most mundane of activities - picking asparagus - is described exactly like the most intense of moments - a child being exiled. I wasn't even initially aware that the narrator was omniscient: outside of the prologue, the first 136 pages are entirely from Aissa's perspective. Suddenly in the middle of chapter 10 the narration follows another character, Luki, to give his thoughts for one page before jumping back to Aissa. It never felt intentional. It felt like the author wanted us to know these things, but instead of revealing them naturally she breaks continuity to tell us.
In addition to the strange narrator voice, the book itself is written alternately between prose and "poetry." I put poetry in quotes because there is nothing poetic about these sections. For example, here's a few lines of a verse from the book and a random sentence that I arranged to look like poetry. Can you spot the difference?
And though the sea goddess
welcomed her once,
when Aissa returns
her flowers and shells
have been scattered and smashed.
From one full moon
to the next,
Aissa stays close to town,
wandering
in the loop of river,
barley field,
and olive grove.
There is no difference. The poetry sections have some run-on sentences, but there is ultimately no difference. The times that it switches between prose and poetry seem entirely random. At first I thought the poetry sections were supposed to be for more intense moments, but not even that is consistent. (The emotional climax of the book was in prose. Poetry was used all the way up to the moment.)
Most all my complaints so far have been of a technical nature. How's the actual story? After all, a good plot and likeable characters cover a multitude of writing sins. Sadly, there is an interesting idea here. I described the book to a friend as the product of a person reading A Child Called It while watching a documentary on Greek mystery cults and then having a fever dream. The result should at least be interesting, but we never get any depth for any of the characters. Aissa is sad and scared. For the whole book. The entire island is full of child-abusing jerks, except for the two people who randomly like Aissa for some reason. Over half of this book (the first 15 chapters out of 28!) is just Aissa being beaten, spat at, starved, cursed, mocked, and shunned. It destroys not just the pacing of the book; it's actively unpleasant to read. There isn't even really a point to them. She never grows because of the abuse outside of learning to run and hide. There's no development. Aissa is shuffled through the plot by one deus ex machina moment after the other - and I mean that far more literally than is usual. She makes virtually no decisions, and is just told what to do in nearly every scene. The back of the book says that "Aissa is determined to take destiny into her own scarred hands." Whoever wrote that didn't read this book!
I couldn't even follow why major plot points occurred. I can't get into this in any detail without delving into spoilers, so I'll leave it vague. There was a major section that splits the book into two (Book 1 and Book 2). I read through the section twice, and then the next chapter after it recapped what happened, and I still have no clue what occurred or, more importantly, WHY.
I'm really bashing on this book, I know, but it frustrates me. There is good here. I debated quite a bit between giving it 2 or 3 stars. The setting is done really well, which isn't easy with such an ancient time and place. The narrative style sometimes worked well, especially when describing the acrobatics and bull dances. It's the one place where a fast, rushed, confused pace really works. The religions and cultures described were also not looked down on in that annoying, pretentious, "we let snakes live with us because we just don't know any better" kind of way. They were treated seriously while not being idealized. But the characters and plot are so empty and the writing so unpleasant that I can't recommend the book, no matter the positives.
[As a bonus complaint, this book has the single worst map I have ever found in any book. It has no relation to the island as described in the book (such as the mountainous regions in the north, when there are no mountains on the map at all). The size of the island fluctuated, too. Sometimes it'd take a day to cross only part of the island; other times, it could be walked across in a matter of hours.]
November 15, 2020
For a middle grade novel, this was very eloquent and deep. The imagery was absolutely beautiful. Throughout the entire book, I felt like I was sitting around a fire listening to the story of my ancestors. Parts were very sad to me, but I really think that's more my kind momma heart hurting for the lost or unwanted children. For the intended audience I feel like while it might be sad, it will be fleeting. 4 stars
September 8, 2021
The imagery was beautiful, and had an enchanting mixture of prose and verse. I was a little bit confused sometimes about the characters and the poetry, but an awesome book nonetheless
December 11, 2017
Orr, Wendy Dragonfly Song, 393 pages. Pajama Press, 2017. $18. Content: PG (some injuries, some bullying)
Aissa lives as a slave in the house of the Lady of their island. She has not spoken a word since her mother told her to be silent and to hide from the raiders until she returned. But Mother never came back and now Aissa is taunted and teased and is considered the lowest of the island, and even bad luck. She doesn’t know, however, that she is actually the Lady’s unwanted, supposedly cursed daughter. Though she was supposed to be killed, instead Kelya, the Lady’s handmaid, gave her to the fisher couple to raise as their own. The whole island was upended, however, when the Bull King claims them as his own. Each year they must send a large tribute, which includes a girl and a boy to perform in his annual games. This year Aissa is old enough to train. Though she was not selected, she feels that it is her destiny to go – how the gods will arrange that, she knows not.
At first I was thinking, well, let’s get Aissa to the Bull King’s land and get her into training already, but by the end, I was glad that I was able to connect with Aissa through knowing about her and her struggles – that made the triumph all that sweeter. Aissa’s story will not be the kind of book where students pick it up and share it with each other. Only a few students at this level are emotionally mature enough as readers to appreciate her story. What should happen is teachers need to read this and adopt it to read together as a class. With the poetry of Aissa’s thoughts combined with all of the other elements of story, this would be a rich classroom experience.
EL, MS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
Aissa lives as a slave in the house of the Lady of their island. She has not spoken a word since her mother told her to be silent and to hide from the raiders until she returned. But Mother never came back and now Aissa is taunted and teased and is considered the lowest of the island, and even bad luck. She doesn’t know, however, that she is actually the Lady’s unwanted, supposedly cursed daughter. Though she was supposed to be killed, instead Kelya, the Lady’s handmaid, gave her to the fisher couple to raise as their own. The whole island was upended, however, when the Bull King claims them as his own. Each year they must send a large tribute, which includes a girl and a boy to perform in his annual games. This year Aissa is old enough to train. Though she was not selected, she feels that it is her destiny to go – how the gods will arrange that, she knows not.
At first I was thinking, well, let’s get Aissa to the Bull King’s land and get her into training already, but by the end, I was glad that I was able to connect with Aissa through knowing about her and her struggles – that made the triumph all that sweeter. Aissa’s story will not be the kind of book where students pick it up and share it with each other. Only a few students at this level are emotionally mature enough as readers to appreciate her story. What should happen is teachers need to read this and adopt it to read together as a class. With the poetry of Aissa’s thoughts combined with all of the other elements of story, this would be a rich classroom experience.
EL, MS – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
May 16, 2017
This was a fascinating story steeped in ancient Minoan history and culture. Abandoned at birth because of a minor physical defect, her mother, the priestess of a small Aegean island, Aissa is raised by poor goatherds until the hamlet is attacked by raiders, where she loses the power of speech Rescued after the event she is eventually left at the cities gates where she becomes the lowliest slave, a symbol of bad luck and the butt of repeated victimisation and abuse. However, Aissa gradually discovers her gifts and ability to call animals, though none will acknolwedge it. The island must pay a tribute every year to the Bull King from a distant and powerful land - two 12 year olds to face the bulls as offerings to the gods as bull dancers. At the last moment Aissa finds herself on board ship with Luki, the only islander to have shown her kindness. In her new home Aissa develops the skills of an athlete but also demonstrates her power and is brought into the palace to train as a priestess. Read the book to discover her, and Luki's fate.
Beautifully told with a combination of prose and free verse, Wendy Orr has crafted a fictional tale that represents life and times in a superstitious Aegean and encompasses several social classes - slave, farmer, fisherman and priesthood - to present a rounded and fulfilling story of struggle, perseverance and strength of character. Although shortlisted for the 2017 CBCA Book of the Year Younger Readers category this novel crosses over and could be equally enjoyed across middle school. It also has potential as reading material to support Ancient history studies, though girls ware more likely to relate to the trials and tribulations of the main character
Beautifully told with a combination of prose and free verse, Wendy Orr has crafted a fictional tale that represents life and times in a superstitious Aegean and encompasses several social classes - slave, farmer, fisherman and priesthood - to present a rounded and fulfilling story of struggle, perseverance and strength of character. Although shortlisted for the 2017 CBCA Book of the Year Younger Readers category this novel crosses over and could be equally enjoyed across middle school. It also has potential as reading material to support Ancient history studies, though girls ware more likely to relate to the trials and tribulations of the main character
September 14, 2016
This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.
A little girl is left under a bush with no voice after raiders take her adoptive family. She is the only one to survive – and so she is relegated to the bottom of society and bullied mercilessly. Her one chance at escape is to take part in the Bull Dancing – but it is a perilous task that no one seems to know how to prepare for.
Nooo! Past me, why did you not write notes on what you enjoyed about this novel? I could have sworn I had some notes sitting in my draft folder. Ah well. I can tell you that this was an excellent example of teenage fiction, and I really enjoyed it.
I snatched this novel from the top of a new pile of bookies that came in, and devoured it. I wanted something light and easy to read and this fit the bill. I curled up on a warm couch and read it in one breathless sitting. I didn’t know what would happen next, and what horrific things would be justified in speaking to a ‘cursed one’.
Something I didn’t enjoy about this novel were the poetry sections. I’m never a fan of poetry anyway, and here, the poetry tried to be good (in fact, it might have been good poetry, I’m not a connoisseur) but for me it distracted from the otherwise beautiful prose of the story.
I’ll be keeping this novel for future generations. I felt that it had real potential as both a teaching tool (bullying is bad), but also a great storyline that didn’t turn out how I expected it to. I’ll be giving this 4 stars, not 5, only because I probably won’t reread it.
A little girl is left under a bush with no voice after raiders take her adoptive family. She is the only one to survive – and so she is relegated to the bottom of society and bullied mercilessly. Her one chance at escape is to take part in the Bull Dancing – but it is a perilous task that no one seems to know how to prepare for.
Nooo! Past me, why did you not write notes on what you enjoyed about this novel? I could have sworn I had some notes sitting in my draft folder. Ah well. I can tell you that this was an excellent example of teenage fiction, and I really enjoyed it.
I snatched this novel from the top of a new pile of bookies that came in, and devoured it. I wanted something light and easy to read and this fit the bill. I curled up on a warm couch and read it in one breathless sitting. I didn’t know what would happen next, and what horrific things would be justified in speaking to a ‘cursed one’.
Something I didn’t enjoy about this novel were the poetry sections. I’m never a fan of poetry anyway, and here, the poetry tried to be good (in fact, it might have been good poetry, I’m not a connoisseur) but for me it distracted from the otherwise beautiful prose of the story.
I’ll be keeping this novel for future generations. I felt that it had real potential as both a teaching tool (bullying is bad), but also a great storyline that didn’t turn out how I expected it to. I’ll be giving this 4 stars, not 5, only because I probably won’t reread it.
July 26, 2017
This book has been shortlisted for the Australian Children's Book Council Younger Readers book of the Year.
This is the last of the younger reader books I've read. It took me a bit to get going with it, but once I did I really enjoyed it. Wendy Orr uses a stream of conciousness style to let the reader know what Aissa is thinking and at times I found it broke the flow of the story. Once I settled into these almost verse like interludes occuring I found I really enjoyed the book.
I love that Orr presented a complex story to the reader. Aissa's journey takes many twists and turns and things don't always happen the way you think they will. More importantly, Orr creates strong female characters with resilence, perseverance and intelligence as their strengths. She doesn't shy away from portraying life as hard and cruel for those who have the misfortune to be at the bottom of the totem pole in a community. But her characters triumph despite their hardship and they usually do it without losing the kindness and humanity they are imbued with. Dragonfly Song is a stron book that treats it's reader as an intelligent being, worthy of a good story.
This is the last of the younger reader books I've read. It took me a bit to get going with it, but once I did I really enjoyed it. Wendy Orr uses a stream of conciousness style to let the reader know what Aissa is thinking and at times I found it broke the flow of the story. Once I settled into these almost verse like interludes occuring I found I really enjoyed the book.
I love that Orr presented a complex story to the reader. Aissa's journey takes many twists and turns and things don't always happen the way you think they will. More importantly, Orr creates strong female characters with resilence, perseverance and intelligence as their strengths. She doesn't shy away from portraying life as hard and cruel for those who have the misfortune to be at the bottom of the totem pole in a community. But her characters triumph despite their hardship and they usually do it without losing the kindness and humanity they are imbued with. Dragonfly Song is a stron book that treats it's reader as an intelligent being, worthy of a good story.
October 26, 2016
This is an engrossing and beautifully written tween or YA novel about the first thirteen years in the life of a Bronze Age girl.
Wendy Orr has chosen to slip between verse and prose as she tells this tale. The decision is an inspired one because for the early section we are looking through the eyes of a baby and then a 4 year old child, and in the later part through the eyes of a voiceless girl. So here a more intuitive use of language is ideal rather than formal sentence structures. The verse makes the experience more intimate; more like the thoughts and impressions of a non-verbal person. And it's also used to great effect in painting the harsh but beautiful landscape, the bustling and brutal island civilisation in all its poetry.
The plot moved smoothly and purposefully to a logical and satisfying conclusion with plenty of action along the way. There's much to think about and we see human nature at its worst, or just about. But the telling is sympathetic and we are left with a sense that civilisations are ours to make as we choose. And both courage and kindness can make a positive difference.
Wendy Orr has chosen to slip between verse and prose as she tells this tale. The decision is an inspired one because for the early section we are looking through the eyes of a baby and then a 4 year old child, and in the later part through the eyes of a voiceless girl. So here a more intuitive use of language is ideal rather than formal sentence structures. The verse makes the experience more intimate; more like the thoughts and impressions of a non-verbal person. And it's also used to great effect in painting the harsh but beautiful landscape, the bustling and brutal island civilisation in all its poetry.
The plot moved smoothly and purposefully to a logical and satisfying conclusion with plenty of action along the way. There's much to think about and we see human nature at its worst, or just about. But the telling is sympathetic and we are left with a sense that civilisations are ours to make as we choose. And both courage and kindness can make a positive difference.
November 29, 2017
Dragonfly Song
Wendy Orr
~historical fiction, childrens, Minoan era, rejection, acceptance, determination, Bull Dancers, magic
Aissa is the firstborn daughter of the island's Priestess...but she's born with a minor deformity and should have been cast from the cliffs. Instead, the wise woman who takes her places her with a family that had just lost a baby. When she loses her adoptive family to raiders, she is dumped at the gates to the Great Hall...mute and unknown. She becomes No-Name, a slave of slaves - despised and spat upon by all.
The Bull King of the far-off Minoan-esque empire demands tribute from the island: food, animals, gold, and a boy and a girl of 13 to become Bull Dancers. When she comes of age, No-Name sees her chance to leave her life of an outcast behind...if she can be picked as one of the Bull King's tributes.
This story is told part in narrative verse and part in prose. There is a lot of despair with tiny moments of hope in the first part of the book. There is confusion and triumph and hard choices in the second part.
What choices does a slave girl really have? And how can she discover her voice?
Very good book!
Wendy Orr
~historical fiction, childrens, Minoan era, rejection, acceptance, determination, Bull Dancers, magic
Aissa is the firstborn daughter of the island's Priestess...but she's born with a minor deformity and should have been cast from the cliffs. Instead, the wise woman who takes her places her with a family that had just lost a baby. When she loses her adoptive family to raiders, she is dumped at the gates to the Great Hall...mute and unknown. She becomes No-Name, a slave of slaves - despised and spat upon by all.
The Bull King of the far-off Minoan-esque empire demands tribute from the island: food, animals, gold, and a boy and a girl of 13 to become Bull Dancers. When she comes of age, No-Name sees her chance to leave her life of an outcast behind...if she can be picked as one of the Bull King's tributes.
This story is told part in narrative verse and part in prose. There is a lot of despair with tiny moments of hope in the first part of the book. There is confusion and triumph and hard choices in the second part.
What choices does a slave girl really have? And how can she discover her voice?
Very good book!
May 5, 2017
I must admit, I enjoyed this book, it is about a young girl who doesn't have a lot of luck growing up back thousands of years ago in Crete. She is however destined for more out of life then she starts out getting. And so with this book we get some historical fiction, generous sprinklings of mythology and a good dollop of action later on in the story...so I was always hopeful of a good read with all these ingredients.
Why the dropped stars? From a personal point of view, and know others will give more credence or praise for this, but the regular sporadic use of poetry and verse put me off. That's just me. I also, and reason I selected this book was to share a little with my young son (8) as he loves anything with Greek mythology in it. But he never got into or showed any interest in this, but aware this is aimed more at YA then him, so meant I read majority of this on my own.
So a well written, interesting read and one that has introduced me to a good author I will keep an eye on.
Why the dropped stars? From a personal point of view, and know others will give more credence or praise for this, but the regular sporadic use of poetry and verse put me off. That's just me. I also, and reason I selected this book was to share a little with my young son (8) as he loves anything with Greek mythology in it. But he never got into or showed any interest in this, but aware this is aimed more at YA then him, so meant I read majority of this on my own.
So a well written, interesting read and one that has introduced me to a good author I will keep an eye on.
June 24, 2017
I was interested to read this because I had loved Mary Renault's The King Must Die, but the attitude was more like Poul Anderson's The Dancer From Atlantis, which showed the pleasant, laid-back civilisation of ancient Crete - and, in this one, the impressive technology, including the plumbing.
The author has done her research thoroughly and where bits were missing, such as information about bull dancing, she has made intelligent guesses from what she did know. (As someone who used to live on a dairy farm, she knows more about bulls and their behaviour than Mary Renault!).
For the author's own thoughts on the world of Aissa, here is an interview with her on my blog.
https://suebursztynski.blogspot.com.a...
The author has done her research thoroughly and where bits were missing, such as information about bull dancing, she has made intelligent guesses from what she did know. (As someone who used to live on a dairy farm, she knows more about bulls and their behaviour than Mary Renault!).
For the author's own thoughts on the world of Aissa, here is an interview with her on my blog.
https://suebursztynski.blogspot.com.a...
August 28, 2017
What an incredible storyteller Wendy is. This story had me hooked from the beginning. From the main characters entry into the world and her life from that point on, to the setting, the time period, the format. The whole story had me riveted. I read the last two chapters over breakfast one morning. As I closed the book at the end of the last chapter, tears streamed down my cheeks. Happy tears. I wanted to read the book all over again and not move on to the next on my 'To Be Read' pile. Perhaps I shall.
June 25, 2017
An unexpectedly fantastic read! At first, the passages of free verse were disconcerting but as the story grew, they wove their way expertly into the fabric of the tale. Aissa's blend of innocence and determination is powerful to read; Luki's kindness and humble aspirations a perfect foil. It was easy to invest in these characters.
December 15, 2017
I finished this book at a cracking pace. I literally devoured it. Wendy Orr's writing is exquisite. Moving, deeply connected and a great story. The pacing slows about half way through but you appreciate the time taken by the time you finish.
March 8, 2017
Beautiful, wonderful and stunning. I loved loved loved the history in this book An excellent read that inspires me deeply.
August 10, 2017
Really Good
September 12, 2018
Loved this book! The story and characters were fascinating and I especially liked the mix of prose and verse. Historical fantasy at its best.
August 31, 2025
I was blown away by the beauty of this book. I was curious because not many historical fiction books take place in the Bronze-Age. At times this reads more like fantasy. That was part of the beauty of the book. Remembering how tied to myth people of the time probably were. The weaving between myth and historical fiction was as beautiful as the moments the book switchs from prose to free verse poetry. This is a children’s book but doesn’t feel like it. I think this is an amazing coming of age novel. It’s one I plan to read with my children when they are preteens. I do not think you need to be a child to enjoy this book. For me this is the kind of book I will struggle to recommend freely because I loved it too much. It would hurt my soul to know a friend read it and didn’t love it.
June 3, 2025
This was a fun read set in ancient times. Aissa is the protagonist of this story, and the author did a good job of making her sympathetic. I will also say I thought the poetry set in the style of ancient epic poems was pretty clever, too. It appears a lot in the book, which makes the 400 page length shorter than it appears at first glance.
I will say this book mentions Aissa menstruating several times, so while this book is appropriate for 11+, I can see boys being uncomfortable about it. However, the book is clean with no profanity or other adult topics.
I will say this book mentions Aissa menstruating several times, so while this book is appropriate for 11+, I can see boys being uncomfortable about it. However, the book is clean with no profanity or other adult topics.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2021
AAAAAAAAAAA
I need more!
I need more!
November 6, 2017
This was kind of a hard book to review, mostly because it almost falls between genres. It's classed as an upper Middle-Grade historical fantasy, which, that's not wrong . . .
I felt like it had more of a classic children's fiction feel to it. It's coming-of-age, and also a sort of epic hero's journey, straddling children's lit and YA in a way that's often done more by adult literary works. It touches on many 'big ideas': deformity, religion/society, acceptance, adoption, trauma, bullying, disability, purpose/identity, fate . . . The format is creative and unique. The story arc stretches from the MC's birth to age 14 and is told in omniscient third person varying with passages in verse.
I'm not sure if there was a meaning to the alternating styles; at some points, I thought the dreamlike verse passages were meant to show the MC's perspective in a closer, almost experiential or sensory format as an infant, a toddler, a mute child . . . but then that didn't necessarily carry through, so perhaps it was more to craft an atmosphere for the story.
The setting is the ancient Mediterranean, and the story picks up on legends of bull dancing. The world feels distinct, grounded and natural, without heavy-handed world-building. It's a world of gods and priestesses, sacrifice and death and surrender. Humans seem very small within it, and as a children's book, it's challenging rather than comforting. There's death and violence and loss, handled in a very matter-of-fact manner, so I'd recommend it for maybe ages 10+, depending on the child. It's not gratuitously violent or graphic, but it's a raw-edged ancient world where killing a deformed child, having pets eaten by wild animals, beating slaves - including children - and sacrificing people as well as animals to the gods is just part of life.
I was very kindly sent a hardcover edition via the Goodreads Giveaways program, and the book production is lovely. It has a bold, graphic cover with some nice foil accents, a printed board cover (which I prefer for kids books due to the durability), fully illustrated internal section pages, and pleasant, spacious typesetting.
Confident, mature young readers will find this an engaging, challenging and meaningful read with an inspiring story arc and some lovely writing. Hesitant readers and very young readers will probably find it a struggle. I'd give it 5/5 as a product, 4/5 as a literary work and 3/5 as kid's entertainment.
I felt like it had more of a classic children's fiction feel to it. It's coming-of-age, and also a sort of epic hero's journey, straddling children's lit and YA in a way that's often done more by adult literary works. It touches on many 'big ideas': deformity, religion/society, acceptance, adoption, trauma, bullying, disability, purpose/identity, fate . . . The format is creative and unique. The story arc stretches from the MC's birth to age 14 and is told in omniscient third person varying with passages in verse.
I'm not sure if there was a meaning to the alternating styles; at some points, I thought the dreamlike verse passages were meant to show the MC's perspective in a closer, almost experiential or sensory format as an infant, a toddler, a mute child . . . but then that didn't necessarily carry through, so perhaps it was more to craft an atmosphere for the story.
The setting is the ancient Mediterranean, and the story picks up on legends of bull dancing. The world feels distinct, grounded and natural, without heavy-handed world-building. It's a world of gods and priestesses, sacrifice and death and surrender. Humans seem very small within it, and as a children's book, it's challenging rather than comforting. There's death and violence and loss, handled in a very matter-of-fact manner, so I'd recommend it for maybe ages 10+, depending on the child. It's not gratuitously violent or graphic, but it's a raw-edged ancient world where killing a deformed child, having pets eaten by wild animals, beating slaves - including children - and sacrificing people as well as animals to the gods is just part of life.
I was very kindly sent a hardcover edition via the Goodreads Giveaways program, and the book production is lovely. It has a bold, graphic cover with some nice foil accents, a printed board cover (which I prefer for kids books due to the durability), fully illustrated internal section pages, and pleasant, spacious typesetting.
Confident, mature young readers will find this an engaging, challenging and meaningful read with an inspiring story arc and some lovely writing. Hesitant readers and very young readers will probably find it a struggle. I'd give it 5/5 as a product, 4/5 as a literary work and 3/5 as kid's entertainment.
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