Dragonfly

by Julia Golding

Overview

Princess Taoshira is appalled when she is ordered to marry Prince Ramil ac Burinholt in order to unite their lands. And Ramil's not too pleased either. They hate each other on sight.So when she and Ramil are kidnapped, they fear there's no escape - either from their kidnappers or from each other.Can they put aside their differences long enough to survive ambush, unarmed combat, brainwashing and imprisonment? And will the people they meet on their extraordinary adventure - including a circus strongman, a daring rebel leader, a sinister master of spies and the best female fighter they have ever seen - help them or betray them to the enemy..?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780957053977
Publisher:	Frost Wolf
Publication date:	04/24/2014
Series:	Dragonfly and the Glass Swallow , #1
Edition description:	2nd Revised ed.
Pages:	412
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.84(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Julia Golding is a multi-award winning writer for children and young adults. She also writes as Joss Stirling (Finding Sky) and Eve Edwards (YA historical).

Former British diplomat and Oxfam policy adviser, she has now published over thirty books in genres ranging from historical adventure to fantasy. Read carefully and you'll spot all sorts of material from her diplomatic and Oxfam careers popping up in unexpected places. She has a doctorate in English literature from doctorate in English literature from Oxford.

Studying for this prompted her to write her first novel, 'The Diamond of Drury Lane', set in 1790 and told by her intrepid heroine, Cat Royal. It went on to win the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2006 and the Nestle Children's Book Prize 2006 (formerly known as the Smarties Prize). In the US, 'Secret of the Sirens' won the honor book medal of the Green Earth Book Award. 'Dragonfly' won the 2012 Beehive Book Award, Young Adult Division, given by the Children's Literature Association of Utah and voted on by readers in schools and public libraries.

Over half a million of her books have been sold worldwide in many languages.

Editorial Reviews

Golding, who penned the Cat Royal series, proves in this first title in a new series that she is equally as adept with fantasy as she is with mystery. Trouble is brewing in the Known Worlds. King Lagan ac Burinholt, desperately hoping to gain allies, arranges a marriage between his son, Ramil, and Taoshira, Fourth Crown Princess of the Blue Crescent Islands. The betrothed pair loathe each other on sight, but after they are both kidnapped, the story takes off. Descriptions of the Known Worlds are vivid and include intricate religions and fascinating political machinations. It is clear from the start that Rami and Tashi will fall in love, and their evolving relationship powers the story. The cast of characters is large and appealing, especially a circus strong man and a horse with immense personality. Golding ramps up the action with plenty of danger, battles, and narrow escapes, and she nicely resolves her various plot lines in a satisfying conclusion. Perfect for fans of political fantasies like Hilari Bell's Farsala Trilogy.

Booklist

Gr 8 Up—Establishing one's sense of self, working and sacrificing for a greater purpose, and accepting and understanding people's differences are all strong themes in this British import. The arranged marriage between the reserved and disciplined Princess Taoshira, 16, and the rogue Prince Ramil, 18, is not an appealing prospect to either teen. But their lands need to form a strong bond of diplomatic connections in order to fend off attacks from the bloodthirsty warlord Fergox Spearthrower, and they have been called upon to do what is right for their people. Their relationship gets off to a disastrous start and goes downhill from there. Taoshira is put off by his brash and loud behavior that fails to recognize or respect her values and traditions while Ramil finds her cold, unworthy of her title, and completely unappealing. When the two are kidnapped, a riveting adventure ensues and opposites attract. Although the arc of the love story is fairly standard, the subplots make it an engaging read for a variety of readers. Romance, trickery, graphic and bloody fight scenes, adventure, religious persecution, and politics are all a part of this compelling tale.—Genevieve Gallagher, Buford Middle School, Charlottesville, VA

School Library Journal

This familiar-feeling fantasy devotes much energy to culture creation and culture clash but disquietingly favors one over others. Taoshira, nicknamed Tashi, is the Fourth Crown Princess of the Blue Crescent Islands. Her existence is lonely and formal, as she recites ritual prayer after ritual prayer and helps rule. Prince Ramil, in the mainland nation of Gerfal, rebels against his father's plan that he wed Taoshira in a military alliance. Tashi and Ram meet, hate, spar and predictably fall in love as they survive kidnapping by a warlord, imprisonment, bandit attacks and separation. Pivotal military and romantic events seem oddly brief and anticlimactic. The Blue Crescents resemble a stylized Japan except for their inhabitants' repeatedly mentioned-almost fetishized-golden hair; Tashi, disturbingly, is an Orientalized blond who can only flourish in Ram's British/European-type country. Ram is interracial, his (dead) mother from a desert-dwelling, "dark-skinned people known as the Horse Followers," but his culture is the normative white one that the text and Tashi prefer. For large collections or critical race/gender study. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews