Fun, cute read about a penniless farm girl named Creel who is sent to a dragon’s cave by her aunt in the desperate hope that she’s rescued by (and married to) a brave knight. Little does she know that she will meet several dragons, journey to the King’s Seat, and use her skills at embroidery to earn her own keep and more.
So there’s nothing terribly deep or unique about this book (and perhaps this is nit-picky but I found myself doubting the realistic-ness of a medieval, fantasy world where it’s completely normal for royalty to immediately accept and treat certain commoners as equals), but it also made one of my favorite things about this book possible: the friendly, “normal” teenage relationship between Creel, the shopgirls, and the two princes and their bodyguards. What a perfect “group of friends” they make in a modern sense – hanging out, going out for tea, and shopping at the market – besides doing the normal fantasy save-the-kingdom kind of stuff. I also enjoyed the twist on dragons and their collected “hoard”. George’s dragons are as individual as humans, with a variety of personalities, temperaments, and social skills. Creel and the dragon Shardas’ friendship is very sweet. And I don’t always read sequels, but I couldn’t wait to read the sequel after I was finished. I’ve also read George’s second book, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, and it may have been better written, but I found Dragon Slippers (her first) much more fun.
