by: Kaci Hill

Dancing Word Reviewer           

 

Title: Raising Dragons

Author: Bryan Davis

Publisher: Living Ink Books

ISBN: 0-89957-170-0

Genre: Inspirational/Fantasy

 

I had the privilege of reading all three Dragons in our Midst books in the space of a week.  For me, it’s much like The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and other series that won’t actually end until book four, in this case, Tears of a Dragon.   

 

As a whole, the series has pleasantly surprised me. I read these after the interview Annie hosted with Davis. His words impressed me enough that I decided to read the books. I really didn’t mean to read all of Raising Dragons in a single, scarcely interrupted day (I think I came out of my trance for dinner), but the best of books never allow you the freedom of putting them down and catching your breath.

 

For Raising Dragons, I came in with my own expectations, and Bryan Davis deftly leveled all of them.  In short, a boy named Billy learns his father was a dragon. There’s also a pretty girl named Bonnie who has dragon wings and is being hunted down by a dragon slayer. By the end of book one, Billy and I both had as many new questions as we did answers for the old ones.

 

But I must compliment Davis on his use of language, before I go any further. The distinctions between the different characters simply by their speech patterns may be a small thing, but I noticed, and it was no easy task, I’m sure. Second, the way Davis entwines Arthurian legends with history and mixes the modern with the ancient simply fascinated me. I have a copy one of the Arthur legends, and now that I’ve read this series, I’m feeling a draw for more of King Arthur and the old medieval tales.

 

Now that I’ve finished raving, I must go back to the aesthetic, impartial review.  Bryan Davis’ characters are very well-developed, and their struggles are very real.  Despite their unusual predicament, I could relate to them, dragons included.

 

The ending set book two up perfectly.  Now the ball is rolling, the dragons are in place, the villain named, and he has a plan.  Don’t think it ends here; the adventure’s only begun.