To see my full non-spoiler review: https://christianlovingbooks.blogspot.com/2018/07/dragonspell.html ( )

Average book that I was expecting a bit more from; there were some parts I liked, but other things dragged it down for me and in the end it just came out as "okay."

Kale is an ex-slave who is excited about getting to move one step up in life; becoming a servant. But a chain of unexpected events throws her from her path, and she finds herself instead part of a questing party to find a rare dragon egg and save it from an evil wizard.

A lot about this book is just standard. Most parts are pretty obviously gleaned from other popular fantasy, with a few admittedly pleasant twists. There are dragons, and others of the "seven high races" that have barely concealed similarities to elves, dwarves, faeries, humans, and other generic fantasy races. The quest is fairly ho-hum, with a bit of danger but little that really draws you in and makes you feel what the characters are feeling. They're all nice and everything, but nothing makes the book really rise above an average level.

The final straw for me, however, was the Christian overtones of the book. In the past, I've cheerfully read Narnia and other books that incorporate some religious messages and symbols. And I'm not saying this book was bad about it; it certainly could have been worse. But as a nonreligious person, it just absolutely kills the story for me when the characters actually take a couple of entire pages aside here and there to preach the author's religious views, just changing the names of God and Jesus. It's a poorly concealed tactic; why not just come right out and say what you're trying to? And when Paladin (Jesus) actually becomes a main character that fights off evil with his aura and teaches Kale about his love and justness, well, then it's just a bit ridiculous.

Fantasy young adult books are not really the proper place for teaching people about your faith, especially not when you pretend that that isn't what you're doing. A good story at least has to be attached to it (as was the case with most of Narnia), and this book just kept my attention enough to possibly make me want to read the sequel to see if it might get better. ( )

Kale is not just young, she's only known one kind of life. After spending her short lifetime with a race that shows little or no affection, she finds her abrupt transition from village slave to a member of a quest ameliorated by the friends she makes along the way.

I'm a tad puzzled at the "minor" dragons, wondering if they remain the same size as indicated in this book. But, I've already got the next title, so I hope to find out soon! ( )

a young girl finds a dragons egg and is sent to the Hall of Learning to serve under Paladin, the earthly representative of Wulder, the one true God. She gets caught up on a quest before she ever gets to the hall and ends up saving a special dragon egg.

This lady is a Christian and she sets her fantasy in a world very similar to ours in regards to God and satan. This was geared towards children and not really toward adults. Had a hard time paying attention because it was simplified". I doubt I'll be reading any more of her YA stuff.

Not bad, just not written with adults in mind." ( )

This is a great book for any fantasy lover.
I'm going to say that right now. If you are not a Christian, that does not exclude you from these great books, but if you are a Christian, they're that much better.
Kale is the proverbial orphan, down-on-her luck and unconfident in herself. She found a rare dragon egg in her home town, and is now on her way to deliver it to the great scholars of Wulder (a great creator parallel to God) for them to take care of. She is bright, lovable and sweet, and but she also can be clumsy, unconfident to the point of crippling herself, and over-dependant on her feelings rather than the council of older and wiser people.
She is waylayed on her journey and told she must travel another path, and along the way she discovers secrets about her family and her abilities that she never knew before, learning to know Wulder and Paladin (A Jesus equivalent) in the process.
This is a very richly imagined world, with dragons as well as Doneels, O'rants, and Emerlindians (all races you will soon learn to know and love). It is wonderfully written and a fantastic start to a series I have read many, many times over the past few years. When it comes to Christian fantasy this is some of the best I've found.
For those of you who like romance, this series does have some. By the end of the series - well, I won't spoil it, but SOMEONE might just be married. For those who don't like romance, this book has none and the books that do have it are not overpowering. A wonderful, well-balanced book for any reader, I completely and whole-heartedly reccomend these books to any who is interested!

This review is also on my blog, Read Till Dawn. ( )