The Dragon of Trelian
The Trelian trilogy, Book 1
Michelle Knudsen
Candlewick Press
Fiction, MG Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: When orphan boy Calen was chosen as apprentice to the mage Serek, he imagined a life of power and wonders and mysteries and greatness. Instead, the stony old man sets him to endless drudgery, practicing a scant few spells and potions and researching the dullest of subjects, nothing ever being good enough. Calen isn't even particularly talented at magic, hard as he tries, which is probably why Serek won't teach him anything useful. So of course he dawdled when sent to the gardens of their current castle home in Trelian... which is how he met Meg, better known as Princess Meglynne.
With her sister Maerlie set to be married - a marriage that will end a century-long blood feud, no less - the whole castle is buzzing with excitement. Meg just had to get some time to herself, sneaking off to watch the prince's entourage arrive from a favorite vantage point, but she found a boy already there: Calen, apprentice to the court mage. She knows she should be more careful, but something in her trusts him from the moment they meet... trusts him enough to share a secret she hasn't even told her own sisters. Meg found a young dragon in the woods, and is hiding it in a cave, lest the castlefolk kill it. More, she's realized that she can sense the dragon Jakl, almost glimpsing its mind, even when they're apart.
At first, Calen is just helping Meg learn more about dragons, and what their unusual bond may mean; with the animals so rare these days, only Serek's private library offers any true knowledge of them. But when they discover a plot to disrupt the royal wedding, the princess and the apprentice mage may be the only ones who can stop not only a murder, but a terrible darkness that will devour both kingdoms, and the rest of their world along with them.
REVIEW: A princess, a dragon, a young mage, a quasi-medieval world... The Dragon of Trelian is a tale composed of familiar fantasy parts, but that doesn't necessarily make it bad. Meg struggles with some temper issues (not helped when she realizes that she and her dragon share energy), but truly loves her family and her friends even as she keeps Jakl secret from them. Calen, naturally, isn't quite as talentless as he thinks, but his confidence hasn't been helped by a master who has already written him off as a mediocre-at-best prospect; his friendship with Meg and mission to learn more about Jakl gives him a sense of purpose and accomplishment, even as it draws him into deeper danger and trouble. The heroes face some genuine hardship both physical and emotional, particularly Meg, whose first experience with a genuine crush complicates matters almost as much as her conflicted emotions about bonding with Jakl; she's a girl who values her privacy and independence, and reconciling herself to always having a dragon in her head takes some doing. Nobody comes off as excessively dull or stupid, and enemies aren't always as easy to identify as one might expect. If the setting's a bit generic and peripheral characters flat, well, it isn't trying to be Tolkien, but a fantasy adventure to engage younger readers. Since this is the first in a trilogy, there are some givens in how things wrap up (such as who is and is not in mortal peril), though the climax still plays out with intensity and urgency. For all that I've seen several tales with similar elements, it's still a decent and enjoyable read for what it is.
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