Helpful Score: 3
Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com
Seventeen-year-old Kay enjoys hiking, climbing, talking on her cell phone, and spending time with a dragon.
Yes, a dragon.
In Vaughn's brilliant combination of modern day convenience and old world fantasy, VOICES OF DRAGONS pulls the reader into a believable tale of one girl and a dragon against the evil machinations of an intolerant government.
Though I guessed where the story was going, I still enjoyed the journey. I had no trouble believing dragons and cell phones could exist together and completely fell in love with the imagination Vaughn displayed in this novel.
However, I did have one huge problem - the ending.
It ended without resolution. Nothing was certain, things were on shaky ground, and the characters were about to begin a whole new adventure I wasn't even sure would work. I wanted more. This could have been the intention all along to set up for a sequel, but it made me angry, frustrated, and I felt cheated to be left with no certainties at the end. Would they be accepted? Would there be war? Had they fixed anything? I have no idea!
Will I read the next book? You bet! I have to know what happened, but I feel Vaughn should have given us a better ending by at least resolving (for certain) one of the major issues left hanging at the end of this book.
Seventeen-year-old Kay enjoys hiking, climbing, talking on her cell phone, and spending time with a dragon.
Yes, a dragon.
In Vaughn's brilliant combination of modern day convenience and old world fantasy, VOICES OF DRAGONS pulls the reader into a believable tale of one girl and a dragon against the evil machinations of an intolerant government.
Though I guessed where the story was going, I still enjoyed the journey. I had no trouble believing dragons and cell phones could exist together and completely fell in love with the imagination Vaughn displayed in this novel.
However, I did have one huge problem - the ending.
It ended without resolution. Nothing was certain, things were on shaky ground, and the characters were about to begin a whole new adventure I wasn't even sure would work. I wanted more. This could have been the intention all along to set up for a sequel, but it made me angry, frustrated, and I felt cheated to be left with no certainties at the end. Would they be accepted? Would there be war? Had they fixed anything? I have no idea!
Will I read the next book? You bet! I have to know what happened, but I feel Vaughn should have given us a better ending by at least resolving (for certain) one of the major issues left hanging at the end of this book.
Helpful Score: 2
VOICES OF DRAGONS, Carrie Vaughn's YA debut, is a fascinating blend of modernity and the ageless awe of dragons. From the start, I was effortlessly pulled into Kay's world and greatly enjoyed this unique tale that melds new with old.
The greatest strength of this book is in its world-building. Carrie Vaughn easily creates for us readers a world in which it is natural for humans and dragons to coexist in an uneasy sort of peace. The presence of dragons is smoothly intertwined with our own history.
While the plot is comparatively simple and even a little slow at points, Vaughn's depiction of the dragons is enough to hold our attention despite the plot's conventionality. Artegal, through Kay's eyes, is an astonishingly complex character, with the dangerous majesty of that mysterious race. In comparison, Kay is relatively unextaordinary: she rarely gets a strong, standout voice.
But that was okay by me for this book. Carrie Vaughn is an accomplished writer whose smooth prose can make even the most basic story elements shine. VOICES OF DRAGONS is unlike anything I've read before, and not only will I pounce on the sequel when it comes out, this book has also reawakened my interest with dragons in literature. Check it out: I dare you!
The greatest strength of this book is in its world-building. Carrie Vaughn easily creates for us readers a world in which it is natural for humans and dragons to coexist in an uneasy sort of peace. The presence of dragons is smoothly intertwined with our own history.
While the plot is comparatively simple and even a little slow at points, Vaughn's depiction of the dragons is enough to hold our attention despite the plot's conventionality. Artegal, through Kay's eyes, is an astonishingly complex character, with the dangerous majesty of that mysterious race. In comparison, Kay is relatively unextaordinary: she rarely gets a strong, standout voice.
But that was okay by me for this book. Carrie Vaughn is an accomplished writer whose smooth prose can make even the most basic story elements shine. VOICES OF DRAGONS is unlike anything I've read before, and not only will I pounce on the sequel when it comes out, this book has also reawakened my interest with dragons in literature. Check it out: I dare you!
Helpful Score: 2
I have read all of Vaughn's adult Kitty Norville series, when I saw she has written a young adult novel I was excited to read it. This is her debut young adult novel and it is a very good book.
During World War II the bombs that were dropped awoke the dragons and a great war ensued. Finally a treaty was signed giving humans and dragons separate territories. Kay lives in this world sixty years later; humans and dragons have had no contact and her home town is on the border of Dragon territory. Then one day while out rock-climbing she falls and lands in a river and is washed up on the Dragon side. There she meets a dragon, Artegal, who is as curious about her as she is about him. They become friends. But then things go wrong. A human plane crashes in Dragon territory, and it may not have been an accident. Are the humans trying to start a war with Dragonkind? Can Kay and Artegal do anything to influence both races?
There are some really cool things about this book. The characterization is excellent; the characters are likable and engaging. Kay and Artegal are the highlight characters, but the side characters are all well done. The history behind the Dragons is very well done, believable and creative. Vaughn is an excellent writer, and as with her adult novels, the writing is easy to read, engaging, and personable. There is a lot of action and a lot of thought that went into the story. I also can't help but wonder if the story is a bit political given the whole war theme.
There are a couple things that bugged me. First and foremost was the ending. I guess it ended okay, but it took so much of the story to set up the relationship between Kay and Artegal that their journey felt rushed. Then the ending leaves things wide open. I wanted to know what Kay and Artgel did when they reached their destination. On her blog Vaughn mentions that she has an idea for a sequel book, but that plans for the book are not in the near future. So, for now, we will not get any further story about Kay and Artegel.
The other thing that bothered me was how much time was spent angsting over sex. As an adult I thought it was silly how much time Kay spent debating whether or not she wanted to have sex with her boyfriend. I also thought the pressure her girlfriend put on her to have sex was silly. Then I tried to think back to high school/college and I realized that back then we did spend a lot of time talking about sex. And, for me and others, whether or not to have sex was a huge decision. I remember going through many of the thought processes that Kay went through. So, in a way it is good that this was discussed throughout the book. I liked that Kay had morals and was resistant to peer pressure in this area; it's a good example for young adults. But, adults reading the book should be warned, quite a bit of the book is devoted to Kay's struggle about whether or not to have sex...as an adult I found these parts kind of boring.
Overall this was a great read, I loved the characters and the story. I was disappointed that the set-up took so long and that the story ended abruptly. I also rolled my eyes a few times over how much discussion was devoted to decisions around sex; but as a young adult I would've found this content interesting. I am hoping that Vaughn writes a sequel to this because I really want to know more about what happens to Kay and Artegal. Vaughn continues to be an excellent writer and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
During World War II the bombs that were dropped awoke the dragons and a great war ensued. Finally a treaty was signed giving humans and dragons separate territories. Kay lives in this world sixty years later; humans and dragons have had no contact and her home town is on the border of Dragon territory. Then one day while out rock-climbing she falls and lands in a river and is washed up on the Dragon side. There she meets a dragon, Artegal, who is as curious about her as she is about him. They become friends. But then things go wrong. A human plane crashes in Dragon territory, and it may not have been an accident. Are the humans trying to start a war with Dragonkind? Can Kay and Artegal do anything to influence both races?
There are some really cool things about this book. The characterization is excellent; the characters are likable and engaging. Kay and Artegal are the highlight characters, but the side characters are all well done. The history behind the Dragons is very well done, believable and creative. Vaughn is an excellent writer, and as with her adult novels, the writing is easy to read, engaging, and personable. There is a lot of action and a lot of thought that went into the story. I also can't help but wonder if the story is a bit political given the whole war theme.
There are a couple things that bugged me. First and foremost was the ending. I guess it ended okay, but it took so much of the story to set up the relationship between Kay and Artegal that their journey felt rushed. Then the ending leaves things wide open. I wanted to know what Kay and Artgel did when they reached their destination. On her blog Vaughn mentions that she has an idea for a sequel book, but that plans for the book are not in the near future. So, for now, we will not get any further story about Kay and Artegel.
The other thing that bothered me was how much time was spent angsting over sex. As an adult I thought it was silly how much time Kay spent debating whether or not she wanted to have sex with her boyfriend. I also thought the pressure her girlfriend put on her to have sex was silly. Then I tried to think back to high school/college and I realized that back then we did spend a lot of time talking about sex. And, for me and others, whether or not to have sex was a huge decision. I remember going through many of the thought processes that Kay went through. So, in a way it is good that this was discussed throughout the book. I liked that Kay had morals and was resistant to peer pressure in this area; it's a good example for young adults. But, adults reading the book should be warned, quite a bit of the book is devoted to Kay's struggle about whether or not to have sex...as an adult I found these parts kind of boring.
Overall this was a great read, I loved the characters and the story. I was disappointed that the set-up took so long and that the story ended abruptly. I also rolled my eyes a few times over how much discussion was devoted to decisions around sex; but as a young adult I would've found this content interesting. I am hoping that Vaughn writes a sequel to this because I really want to know more about what happens to Kay and Artegal. Vaughn continues to be an excellent writer and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.
