12 Days of Teen Lit: Two Dueling Dragons!

Just 2 Days to Go!  And so, for the almost last day of the 12 Days of Teen Lit we presents: 

Two Dueling Dragons! 

Firelight by Sophie Jordan. When sixteen-year-old Jacinda, who can change into a dragon, is forced to move away from her community of shapeshifters and start a more normal life, she falls in love with a boy who proves to be her most dangerous enemy.

Seraphina : a novel by Rachel Hartman. In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents.

Dragon's Heart

I read the first three parts of this series many years ago. I thoroughly enjoy dragon stories. I was so excited when I found out Jane Yolen had written another Pit Dragon Chronicle.

While I did enjoy this installment, I found that it was harder to become involved with the story. Perhaps it was the number of years that had passed or that the dragons were not as big a part of the tale that made it harder for me to read the book.

It felt as if the characters had become estranged to me and I had to get to know them all over again. Perhaps, I should have read the last novel before this one. At any rate, I had to work with this one. But Yolen is such a good author that I knew that I wanted to finish Dragon's Heart.

Jakkin and Akki have both grown up and dramatically changed. They have discovered something that could have an extremely dramatic effect on the population of Austar IV. It is both exciting and could be dangerous, especially to the dragons of Austar.

I think that anyone who has read the first three in the Chronicles will want to read Dragon's Heart as well. I do not know whether there will be further stories in the series, but even though it was a little harder to read Dragon's Heart, I find that I am hoping that Jane Yolen will write others so I can find out how both the dragons and the humans progress with their new found talents.

Eon, Dragoneye Reborn

First of all, let it be known that I LOVE dragon stories! So of course, when I saw the cover of this book and read the dust jacket, I had to read it. What a wonderful novel, it exceeded my expectation of a good read.

I always enjoy the idea of a strong female in a predominately male society. Naturally the catch is that Eon must keep the secret that "he" is a she. Eon is put forth as a candidate to become a Dragoneye, an apprentice to one of twelve very special dragons. Eon also has an extra ability, she can "see" all twelve dragons. Her training is exhausting and extremely hard, however, she and her master are determined to make through to the end.

Goodman, does a masterful job in describing Eon's trials as she trains and gains the skills she will need to succeed. The rich descriptions made me feel as if I was by Eon's side and was witnessing the action for myself. The characters are interesting and engaging, even the ones that I did not like. This is a fast paced book with a great mix of martial arts, magic and drama. I cannot wait until the second book comes out. I gather it is in 2010, I just do not know if I can wait that long!

This is a big book, 531 pages long, but reads so fast and enjoyably that you are done before you know it. It was definitely a page turned and I regretted that it had to end. I would most certainly recommend Eon to any reader that likes action, interesting characters and a good plot.