Dragon's Keep (Janet Lee Carey)

Dragon's Keep
Janet Lee Carey
Magic Carpet Books
Fiction, YA Fantasy
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: Princess Rosalind Pendragon was born to rule Wylde Island, and more. Twenty-one generations ago, the wizard Merlin himself spoke a prophecy of her birth, foretelling great power and glory... but even the stars can be read wrong, it seems. For Rose was born with a hideous disfigurment, a dragon's claw in place of her ring finger. Only her mother, Queen Gweneth, knows the dreadful secret - the girl has worn long gloves her whole life - but if Rose is to ever wed, let alone wear the crown, she must be perfect. As healer after healer fails to dispell the curse, the queen grows more and more desperate to heal her child, to the point of smothering her beneath mountains of expectations and frustrated dreams. Meanwhile, the countryside is plagued by killers and rogues, not to mention black witches and the great, fiery dragons from the isle of Dragon's Keep. Witches, wars, and murders await as Rosalind struggles to find the truth behind Merlin's prophecy and save her home.

REVIEW: Dragon's Keep starts out slow and builds its action in fits and starts. In between, Rosalind's character is fleshed out remarkably well, as is the superstition-riddled world she lives in. Carey's dragon culture - it's no spoiler that dragons come into play as more than incidental marauders - is also nicely dealt with. A certain stubborn obtuseness keeps Rose (and some other key characters) from connecting vital dots until nearly the last minute, but this isn't the first case of Plot-Extending Stupidity I've read, nor is it the worst by far. The whole book has a nicely dark feel to it, in Rose's angst and seemingly futile hopes of fulfilling impossible expectations. Overall, I found it a nice, fairly fast read, a bit different than the average fantasy tale. If there is a sequel - and, naturally, there's every hint of one at the end - I expect I'll give it a try.