Vivian Vande Velde MJF Books Fiction, YA Fantasy Themes: Dragons, Girl Power ****
Description
Young Alys's life falls apart when a spiteful neighbor accuses her of witchcraft. Friends become foes, her father dies suddenly from the shock, and
the entire town where she grew up turns their backs on her. Instead of the traditional stake-burning, however, the Inquisitor orders her chained out as
bait for a dragon seen in the area, killing two birds with one stone. Alys frees herself from her bonds, but, with nowhere to go, decides that death by
dragon is better than the alternatives.
Oddly enough, the dragon doesn't want to eat her. Instead, he offers to help her get the one thing she truly wants anymore: revenge.
Review
This is a short tale with a nice point about the merits of revenge. I liked it. The dragon was written as a dragon, not just a scaled human. Even when
in his human manifestation, his actions, speech patterns and thought processes constantly remind the reader, and Alys, that this is not just another boy.
I found the ending abrupt, but otherwise the story was enjoyable.
Selwyn thought things couldn't get any worse when Anora, the most beautiful girl in town, chose to marry the arrogant Farold instead of him. When Farold
is found dead - stabbed in the back with Selwyn's knife - he finds out that things can indeed get worse. Hastily judged and condemned, sealed in the crypt
with Farold's body, Selwyn faces a slow and terrifying death.
Instead, he finds - or, rather, is found by - the witch Elswyth.
Bargaining away years of his life, Selwyn gets her to agree to use her magic to disguise him, so he can return home and figure out who the real killer was
and clear his name, not to mention the honor of his family. But the more he learns, the longer the suspect list grows, and the less he realizes he knew about
his closest friends, his lifelong neighbors, and even his greatest rival Farold.
Review
This is a fast-reading blend of mystery and fantasy, but feels a bit hollow and shallow. Selwyn's a bumbler and a fool, which makes him frustrating to
follow as an amateur investigator. Farold, returned to life by the witch to help him in his investigation, is often no help at all; it's quickly clear why
the suspect list is so long. Never friends in life, the two nonetheless must work together, though I never really felt the partnership click as I think I was
supposed to. At times, the story gets silly, especially when Seldyn must disguise himself as a young woman (and stumbles into an embarrassing family secret),
and I never really felt the urgency of the mystery. The conclusion seems obvious, as well, and doesn't quite ring true, for all that I saw it coming a mile
away. It's not a bad little tale, and at times it was kind of fun, but I didn't find it particularly memorable.
