Book Review: Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

Dragonswood
By Janet Lee Carey
Publisher: Dial
Publish Date: January 5, 2012
Format: Hardback, pp 416
Age Demographic: Young Adult
b&n // amazon

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.

*Summary taken from Goodreads.

❝My Thoughts❞

Dragonswood is a dark alluring powerfully epic high fantasy filled with wonderfully delicious hidden secrets, intrigue, and enchanting mystical realms that will leave readers breathless. From the start, it is deeply compelling and masterfully written, filled with wonderfully developed characters and dangerous action-packed trials facing them. Carey exudes stunning world building skills and introduces a unique spin on fulfilled prophecies. It is a lively mystical tale unlike any other that has come before it. Vastly fascinating and cleverly suspenseful, with the perfect harmonious blend of paranormal and fantasy.

Tess, the heroine, finds herself at a cross roads with fate and faces the question of how to shoulder the destiny that lies ahead of her and how to survive the outcome that may befall. The world surrounding Tess visions becomes desperate, as they keep showing a mysterious man wielding a sword. This raises many questions as to who he is and what part he has to play in this epic battle. Carey's characters are brightly vivid with a twinge of darkness and beautifully developed, while still possessing hidden flaws of their own. Tess, for example, is a strong and loyal heroine and friend, yet even she will falter a bit in the way of betraying her friends to a degree. It paints the perfect portrait of not being perfect, yet still possessing likable and desirable characteristics that readers will find appealing.

The romance between Tess and Garth is wildly daring and is exquisitely heart pounding, fueled by a strong magnetic attraction that builds and builds, pulling towards destiny and each other. It is handled in such a truly magical and splendid way, that readers will fall hopelessly in love with these two. It's just so natural and pleasing. Dragonswood is an action-packed, highly intense story that will leave readers clamoring for more of the fantasy and the developing mythos as unpredicted twists and turns become more and more evident in the journey. It is such a riveting fantastical story that will surely hook readers. Fans of Scott Tracey's Witch Eyes, Amber Argyle's Witch Song, or even the intriguing writing style of Tamora Pierce will be sure to enjoy this novel.

Readers will definitely not want to miss out on this high epic tale of fantasy, filled with talking dragons who's status as lords are vastly important to the mythos and magical realms in which they live in or precarious little faeries they'll be introduced to along the journey. It is sure to remind them, that it's not necessarily the destination that makes the story worth telling, but the journey along the way.

{ This ARC was provided by ATW ARC Tours, in exchange for an honest review which I have provided. No money exchanged hands, I review books for fun because I love to read. I am not interested in monetary gain. Any piece of this ARC that was/wasn't quoted, is not part of the finished product and should not be perceived as such.}