Editorial Review
Far away on Wilde Island, Princess Rosalind is born with a dragon claw where her ring finger should be. To hide this secret, the queen forces her to wear gloves at all times until a cure can be found, and Rosalind can fulfill the prophecy that will restore her family to its rightful throne.
But Rosalind’s flaw cannot be separated from her fate. When she is carried off by the dragon, everything she thought she knew falls apart. . . .
Includes a reader's guide.
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Customer Reviews
Almost a 'great' book 
2008-03-26
I loved the premise, and was thoroughly captured by the jacket blurb. Princess and Dragon. Prophecy and Disfigurement. How could this go wrong?
In a lot of aspects it did not. The writing is superb. The story moves along and kept me hooked till the end. The characters are well-drawn and interesting. But...
At the point where I had the story about 90% read I really felt like the moral of "Dragons' Keep" was 'Life sucks and then you die.' Now of course, the end does provide a redemption of sorts for the heroine, but I was so intent on the previous message that the redemption actually felt false. As if it didn't belong to the story. (This is so hard to explain without giving away the ending.) I think this happened for a couple of reasons. **POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT - although I'll try to be careful**
First - Rosalind's relationship with the dragon is not idyllic. She doesn't bond with the dragon in a kind and mutual fashion. In fact he tortures her in pretty much every way except sexually. And yet she ends up loving him, and I see that as Stockholm Syndrome rather than a great breakthrough on her part. Since that is never dealt with, I can't accept the happily-ever-after scenario.
Second - Rosalind is the only character who's ARC actually completes. One secondary character comes close (I won't mention names). The others all just end with out any sense of closure. This drove me nuts. I liked the other characters. I was interested in them. They needed their stories finished rather than ended.
Lastly, the jacket doesn't really give the scope of the story. Instead it picks out the elements most likely to draw in a reader without really touching on the heart of the book. "And soon... the dragon...carries her off..." from the blurb, doesn't happen until over halfway through the story. The first part is about local politics, family problems, and other issues. None of it is boring, but it keeps the story from really being all that much about the dragon himself.
A disapointment 
2008-03-01
This book should be right up my alley. but I just could not get into the characters at all. The book is just too slow paced for me. I figured everything out early and then just kind of had to wait the story out. Overall, a good concept that just did not make it in the end.
Dragons Rule! 
2008-02-08
This is a great fantasy adventure about a twelfth-century princess and her life in fulfilling a 600 year old prophecy from Merlin. I really enjoyed reading this book especially Roselind dealings with all that came into her life. This story is a compelling must-read. ^_^
Dragons Keep 2008-01-28
Dragons Keep was worth the read. I enjoyed reading it to the very end although I think it lacked a little adventure because I thought some parts were a tad slow. The author provided great detail of the setting and characters. Although this isn't a book I would normally read because I don't care for books taking place in the past it was worth picking up.
Not sure if you like fantasy? Try this 2007-11-03
What makes Dragon's Keep work for me is its approach -- a medieval fantasy written more like historical fiction than high fantasy. And yet it has that sliver of magic and magical creatures -- dragons, of course -- to spice it up. In other words, the author avoids over-doing it, and instead creates very believable characters in a believable world. I would recommend this for teen readers who aren't sure whether they like fantasy. They should give this a try. I enjoyed it, and I'm a picky reader; I've stopped reading even some very popular books because they've been clones of existing work, presented unbelievable characters and situations, or just plain overdid the fantasy cliches. This does a very good job of sticking with the heroine's struggle.
Dragons, Dragons, and more Dragons 2008-07-25
I found this book in my recommendations. I am so glad I bought it. It is a great adventure with a romance. An adult fairy tale that really is good.
Rosalind is a princess, but she has a problem. One of her fingers is a dragon's claw. Her mother has used dragon magic to have a child and this is the result. Rosalind wears gloves always. There is a prophecy that a perfect princess will regain what was lost and bring her line back into the Pendragon line. An ancestor married against the wishes of her liege and the line of that princess was exiled to Wilde Island.
Kye comes to the Island with his father to get Rosalind's father for a war against the Spanish. On the way they fight and kill a fierce dragon and bring it to the Island. Everyone calls Kye a dragonkiller.
Rosalind has feelings for the unfortunate dragon but she can't say a word during the revels that follow. Everyone is celebrating. Kye finds her and shows her an old broken dragon egg in a cave. But she is still not ready to say anything to Kye.
The dragon they have killed is the female and the male arrives to destroy all he can and retrieve the eggs she carries. In his anger and rage he sets most of the town afire and finally flies off to Dragon's Keep with his progeny.
Shortly after the king left on his mission the Dragon came back and this time he took Rosalind. Holding her in his claws he flew back to the Keep and there Rosalind learned he needed help to hatch his children. He had so much grief for the loss of his mate that at times he cried out. So began Rosalind's life on Dragon Keep until she was sure he would kill and eat her.
I found the story wonderful, full of imagination and fire. The dragons well realized and the differences between man and beast evident. I loved it and if you are looking for a good read about dragons, this is it.
A Prophecy 
2008-06-17
Dragons Keep was a great young adult novel. The character Rosalind tugs at the reader's heart as she is trapped by a 600-year-old prophecy, her over protective mother, and dragons.
Both Rosalind and her mother constantly obsess and fret over her flawed finger and constantly worry over someone seeing it. Her mother subjects her to healers, witches and claw trimming every Sunday, all in an attempt to banish Rosalind's `shame.'
During a festival; a dragon, which has been terrorizing the island for centuries, kidnaps Rosalind and forces her to take care of four baby dragons. It is this time on Dragon's Keep where Rosalind, re-named Briar, truly comes into her own.
Her perceived shame is one of beauty to the dragons, and she learns more about the war between dragons and humans; mainly the dragons' side of it. The beginnings of a new age unfolds when the dragons fly off to meet for a war council and Briar returns to her kingdom to reclaim her throne.
The book was all around great; however, the ending I felt was very rushed. It seemed as if the entire book centered around conflict with the main character struggling to find answers as well as find herself. Everything was resolved in the last 15 pages and left me feeling a little confused and wondering how the dust had settled so quickly.
A pleasant surprise 2008-06-06
I wasn't sure about this book. I'd never read anything by the same author and wasn't convinced I'd like it. But then, I'd plowed my way through both Inheritance series books and figured this couldn't be that bad. It greatly exceeded my expectations. This book is well-written, cohesive, answers the questions the read comes up with along the way, and uses foreshadowing nicely. I would definitely recommed this for a 5th-grade reader on up. Enjoy!
Disappointing 2008-05-18
The premise of this story was promising, but it failed to live up to that promise. The main characters weren't likable, the plot was fairly predictable, and the writing wasn't strong enough to make up for those deficiencies. Two thirds of the way through, I uttered the 8 deadly words: I don't care what happens to these characters.
Some things didn't make sense. First of all, where was the father when his daughter was growing up. Why did he never evince an interest in why his daughter was wearing a glove? Second, why did the dragon need the heroine to take care of his kids? Faul could have picked the plants and made a brew if his wife could have done it. There really was no reason for Rosalind to be kidnapped. And that silly promise she had to make to not talk to any human? It was contrived so that we have a heartwrenching scene between the heroine and her only friend. Sheer emotional manipulation.
I listened to this book and it was tedious. The reader was good, but the slow pace allowed me exercise all my critical faculties, unfortunately.
Dragon's Keep 2008-05-05
I thought this book was a great for a young adult book. Adults may not like it as much but kids will love it. A bit slow at first but it really picks up and is a very fun read.
