Dragonhaven
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Children's Books, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Teen & Young Adult
Book Type: Paperback
I really enjoyed this book. I would LOVE to write the kind of review that just blows your mind and makes you WANT to read this book, but I don't think I can do it justice. Yes, I'm a *HUGE* McKinley fan (started reading her work in 5th grade and I'm in my 30's now...!) After she branched off with some of her other works (Sunshine, though it won awards and was *interesting*, was NOT a "McKinley" book in the vein of most of her other great novels), I just wasn't sure where she was going anymore.
Dragonhaven is different than The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown (my two favorites), but it was REALLY good. I really liked the conversational tone of the narrator (a boy this time) and truly felt involved in the story (which is SUCH a neat trick of hers!) The characters are interesting, though I could have used even MORE background on a few of them; it was strange: she almost rambled about some of the extras too much - but then, later, I wanted to know them more...! I also would have liked a few more answers to WHAT happened to his mother - but I digress.
Is the book different? Yes, it is. Do ALL of your questions get answered? No - but it does come close and has a very interesting, satisfying ending.
Damn, but it made me LIKE dragons and see them in a whole new light! Lois was - for lack of a better description - very VERY cool and his relationship with her was so nurturing and amazing. The bond was really tangible.
There's a real "conservation of nature" theme - as well as some not so subtle references to how we, as humans, tend to conquer a land as well as it's inhabitants, with no real conscience as to what we're doing (i.e., the way America took land from the Indians who lived here long before we arrived... how we took over things and really didn't do such a great job of CARING about HOW we did it or who/what we hurt along the way.
This is a very interesting book for those that like the fantasy genre and McKinley in particular. She does give you a satisfying ending. It's nice to get surprisingly caught up in your characters and really want to know EVERYTHING about HOW things were pulled off the way they were. By the end, I could hardly put it down! I really hope she winds up revisiting this world again so I can find out about everything that happens AFTER the ending - and I really enjoy that! I hope YOU enjoy it, too....!
Dragonhaven is different than The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown (my two favorites), but it was REALLY good. I really liked the conversational tone of the narrator (a boy this time) and truly felt involved in the story (which is SUCH a neat trick of hers!) The characters are interesting, though I could have used even MORE background on a few of them; it was strange: she almost rambled about some of the extras too much - but then, later, I wanted to know them more...! I also would have liked a few more answers to WHAT happened to his mother - but I digress.
Is the book different? Yes, it is. Do ALL of your questions get answered? No - but it does come close and has a very interesting, satisfying ending.
Damn, but it made me LIKE dragons and see them in a whole new light! Lois was - for lack of a better description - very VERY cool and his relationship with her was so nurturing and amazing. The bond was really tangible.
There's a real "conservation of nature" theme - as well as some not so subtle references to how we, as humans, tend to conquer a land as well as it's inhabitants, with no real conscience as to what we're doing (i.e., the way America took land from the Indians who lived here long before we arrived... how we took over things and really didn't do such a great job of CARING about HOW we did it or who/what we hurt along the way.
This is a very interesting book for those that like the fantasy genre and McKinley in particular. She does give you a satisfying ending. It's nice to get surprisingly caught up in your characters and really want to know EVERYTHING about HOW things were pulled off the way they were. By the end, I could hardly put it down! I really hope she winds up revisiting this world again so I can find out about everything that happens AFTER the ending - and I really enjoy that! I hope YOU enjoy it, too....!
