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Although the end of Dragon Slippers was more than satisfying, it is always a comfort to pick up a sequel and reunite with much-loved characters. Dragon Flight picks up where Slippers left off. Jessica Day George continues the story that has captured so many hearts, firing the imagination with dragon politics and human growth.
In Dragon Slippers we met Creel, a headstrong young woman with a renowned talent for creative sewing and original embroidery. Unwittingly caught up in the realm’s intrigues, Creel found herself in the unique position of bringing the dragons and the king together to join forces against a common enemy in a messy war. Deaths - and reprieves from them - were strongly alluded to in book one. Opening shortly after that war, we find our old friends in Dragon Flight - some thriving, some mourning, and some, assumed to have perished, are resting and healing on a secluded beach.
Now there is a new terror on the horizon, calling for the farm girl-turned-heroine to offer her dragon expertise again for king and country. She sets aside her cloth and her ribbons and walks out the door of her now-thriving shop in the King’s seat, off to do her part in the new adventure.
A neighboring kingdom is intent on invading, and has been breeding dragons for the war, much like our world’s men use horses or elephants. The female dragons are made to live in the hatchery, laying hundreds of eggs, while the males are trained as fighting mounts. Fired by this indignation - oh, and the impending invasion, of course - young Creel musters what forces she can to try to save the day. It is up to Creel to rescue the dragons once again. Unfortunately, she is walking into a situation that is not at all what she expected. It is much, much worse, and infinitely more dangerous.
As a parent of a daughter, one thing that is especially enjoyable about Creel is her glowing self-assurance. There is none of the “why me?” attitude popularized in so many fantasy novels - Garion, eat your heart out! She has the intelligence and the creativity to back her strong position, but she also has the humility to ask for help when she needs it. The only time she falters is in the presence of her friend Prince Luka. But then, any girl would fumble and blush when seeing the boy she has a crush on - all the more if the boy in question is a prince. It only serves to make her easier to relate to and cheer for.
Like the book before it, Dragon Flight is fast-paced and emotionally intelligent with a strong dose good humor and morality. Although written for the young tween/teen set, anyone who has a fondness for dragons and magic and good versus evil stories will get lost in the tale of Creel and her dragons.
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Dragon Flight