Great! I was expecting kind of a light-read kids' novel, but it was kind of dark. There were some weird plot inconsistencies, but the main character was strong and likable. The ending was a little cutesy for me, but tied up the story nicely. I loved the imagery and charm of this story. Well done. ( )

Maybe 3.5. Compelling, but very teen. And each plot twist after page 300 was predictable. ( )

Not exactly my taste, but great for those who like medieval settings, fairies, dragons, and the like. Also, I did appreciate the main character being an independent girl in no need of saving. ( )

I had a hard time enjoying Dragonswood. The writing was meh--large swathes of prose were static and unvarying (Meaning sentence structure progressed like this. And then there was another sentence like this. It was followed by another sentence like this) and the major plot points were pretty visible. I was disappointed to anticipate each twist or reveal, though it was interesting to look at what characters other than the main one said as they were keeping secrets from the main character. Out narrator misinterpreted various actions and speech, but we knew what was actually going on.

I also disliked how the romances played out. Tess' was well developed, but it felt like the other two women who were married by the end were just shoved gracelessly into their partners' arms. The secondary romances felt trite. Additionally, I understand that the epilogue was necessary in order to set up Ms. Carey's next book, but I disliked the stereotypical "look a baby, she's a mother!" scene. There was not a strong reason to include that in the story.

(Unnecessary side note, at Tess' wedding I thought, "And who says the marriage plot is dead?" and laughed.)

On the whole, I'm disappointed to have spent $10 on Dragonswood. It was a perfectly acceptable way to while away an evening, but I wish I hadn't paid so much to do so. ( )

love it. and I would love to read more