Dragon’s Keep
by Janet Lee Carey
Published by Harcourt
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Reviewed by Carrie Spellman
In this young adult fantasy, Rosalind’s fate was written in the stars, read by Merlin, some 600 years before she was born. Rosalind’s ancestor, Evaine, was the younger sister of King Arthur. Evaine married an outlaw, was banished to Wilde Island, and erased from family history.
Three things are said of the twenty-first queen of Wilde Island; “She shall redeem the name Pendragon. End war with the wave of her hand. And restore the glory of Wilde Island.”
The way her mother sees it, with England in the midst of civil war Rosalind will marry Prince Henry, future king of England, thereby fulfilling all aspects of the prophecy. But what if Rosalind and Henry don’t get along? Not that they’ve even heard from the Queen of England, though they assume she is aware of the prophecy. Then there’s Rosalind’s ring finger. It’s a dragon’s claw. So far she and her mother have hidden it behind golden gloves, but that won’t work forever. They MUST find a cure soon—a cure that is hard to find when potential healers aren’t told what the exact problem is.
When an envoy from England comes to Wilde Island, things start looking up a little, especially after they slay the dragon that has been harassing the Island forever. What should be one of the most triumphant moments in their history turns horrifying when the dragon’s mate returns to punish the people, and takes a special interest in Rosalind. Before long, Rosalind’s life will never be the same, and it doesn’t look like the prophecy could ever be fulfilled.
There is so much more to this book! So many more levels and layers to the story! Rosalind may be a Princess with a dragon’s claw in a faraway time and place, but her relationship with her mother is something you could see in anyone’s life. Her desire to be normal and accepted are the same things every teenager experiences. So while the circumstances aren’t something we experience everyday, the people in them, and their reactions to them, are completely realistic and relatable.
Armchair Interviews says: Part fairy tale, part mythology, part legend, all around fantastic!