Jaime's Review of Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

From Goodreads.
Wilde Island is in an uproar after the recent death of its king. The uneasy pact between dragons, fairies, and humans is fraying, and a bloodthirsty witch hunter with a hidden agenda whips villages into frenzies with wild accusations. Tess, a blacksmith’s daughter from a tiny hamlet near the mysterious Dragonswood, finds herself caught in the crosshairs of fate when she is accused of witchery and has to flee for her life along with her two best friends.

Not even Tess’s power to see the future can help the girls as they set off on their desperate journey, but she keeps having visions of a man wielding a sword. And when she finally meets him, Tess has no idea how to handle the magnetic attraction she feels for him, or the elusive call she hears from the heart of the Dragonswood.

In this epic romance, an ancient prophecy comes true in a way neither dragon, fairy, nor human would have predicted.

Jaime’s review….

When I read the synopsis for Dragonswood a few months back I really wanted to read this book and I absolutely loved the cover! I thought fairies, dragons, and humans in a story set in for lack of a better word olden times sounded extremely interesting. Well my friends it was! I really liked this book I’m not going to say love or gush about it though. I didn’t feel a strong connection with Dragonswood like I have with some other books.

The story was written very well and the details were extremely good I could imagine the spider webs in the trees and see the scales on the dragons. I also found the story to be pretty predictable but that didn’t stop me from reading. I didn’t figure everything out. I really enjoyed the strength of the MC Tess in a world where women were considered second class citizens only worth what their looks could gain their father’s in money or power; she stood out as an individual who wanted her own life her own way. That did get her into trouble but it also made her grow as a person. The love interest known as Garth Huntsman was very charming and sweet I didn’t fall head over heels for him and swoon like I do for the boys in other books. Oh well can’t fall for them all right?

My absolute favorite part of this story was the dragons! I wish there would have been more parts with them in the book! I loved their wisdom and their humor and how even they liked the humans they still saw them as hairless worms. Lord Kahlil the ancient dragon was definitely my favorite!

To end I chose a scene that I thought was cute and funny, it’s where Tess is trying to figure out if she can trust Garth Huntsman or not and she has climbed a tree to think.

“Tess?” Garth’s head was thrown back to peer up at me in the branches.”Why scurry up a tree? The stew will be ready soon. Won’t you come down?”

I gripped my knife. Why had I trusted him? I knew better than to trust a man. “You’re angry with me.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Don’t lie; I know anger when I see it.” He looked so small standing far below. Like a grounded blackbird.

Seagull trotted up to him and whinnied. Garth patted her neck. “Now see, you have Seagull worried.”

“Tell her I am happy up here in the tree.”

“She is happy up there in the tree, Seagull.”

I smiled a little. “Tell her I am tired of sudden anger, of punching fists, black eyes, cuts, and bruises.”

“She is tired of sudden anger, fists—“

“Punching fists,” I corrected.

“Of punching fists, black eyes, cuts, and bruises.”

Seagull huffed and nodded. Garth and I laughed.

“Will you come down now and have some dinner?”

“You go ahead and eat. You must be famished.” I felt gnawing hunger but would not admit it. The man did not obey. Instead he climbed. My breath caught. What was he doing?

Garth positioned himself on a thick branch across from me and slightly lower so his head was not quite as high as mine.

“This is my tree,” I said.

He poked a pinecone. “So you own it?”

The rest of this scene had me cracking up J

Dragonswood is out in stores now so if you want to read a good story with dragons and fairies I suggest you pick it up!

You can get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or The Book Depository. And make sure to add it to your Goodreads lists!

Thank you Penguin for an Advance Readers Copy!