Voices of Dragons

This is one of those fantasy books written in present day, that is so reasonable you believe it could actually happen. Well, if you can believe dragons coming out of hibernation after WWII. The premise of the story is dragons come out of hibernation(for lack of a better description) and they forge an uneasy peace with humans. They have their territory, and we have ours. The story is written from the perspective of a teenage girl, who is normal, no magic powers or anything and she reacts to a series of events like you or I would. I do not want to give up any spoilers in my review, but I recommend this book to anyone from teens on up male or female. I really loved this book and want to read more from this author, and hope she writes more of this story in another book or 20! Also, there are no vampires in this book, don't know why someone tagged it with vampires and werewolves, none of that here, just dragons and people.

What a wonderful book! I read it in one sitting and find that I know I will read it again. It is going into my personal library for another reading later. I can only hope that Carrie Vaughn will think about a sequel. This may be considered a young adult novel, but I feel it is definitely a book for ALL ages! Thank you, Carrie, for giving us an incredible "ride"!

Carrie Vaughn's newest work brings a breath of fresh air to my personal library. I've been reading so many paranormal fantasies of late (from YA to adult) that I didn't think there was much "new" stuff out there. Sure, there are lots of books about dragons. But this isn't so much a book about an imaginary world where dragons are real as it is a charming book about the value of friendship, even if it be an inter-species friendship between a teenage girl & a dragon. Vaughn weaves a marvelous story with a smattering of teenage angst, a bit of political intrigue reminiscent of the Cold War, & enough adventure to keep the reader anxious for more. Although this is currently a stand-alone story, the author leaves us wanting more of this amazing world. Hopefully she will find the time to make her idea for a sequel into a reality for us.

There are precious few dragon books in the world, and even less that are worth a read through. I'm quite happy to say that Voices of Dragons is able to stand with other dragon books in both quality and the ability to engage readers. The plot has been discussed already by other reviews, so I'll keep this short and sweet. For those who like dragons of the "temeraire" variety (in terms of intelligence and the fact that the dragons are actual characters-not just beasts of burden) than you can't go wrong with this book.

VOICES OF DRAGONS CARRIE VAUGHN YA Fantasy HarperTeen Rating: 5 Enchantments Wow. Following in the footsteps of the great dragon writer, Anne McCaffrey, Carrie Vaughn created a fantastic new world and beautiful young adult story in VOICES OF DRAGONS. Combining a modern world with creatures we normally reserve for mythological places, Ms. Vaughn gave us what many readers search high and low for: real life with a touch of fantasy. Kay Wyatt is our heroine of the story and probably one of the best aspects of the book. She is a well rounded character and very relatable. Not overly gorgeous or full of angst, Kay allows us to delve into the story with her and join in her adventures. Seventeen and feeling the pressures of teenaged life, Kay escapes to nature when she needs to clear her head. Hiking and rock climbing are her passions, the exhilaration of feeling free enough to calm any frazzled nerves. More than that, her outdoors activities end up serving another purpose. Coupled with fate, they lead her over the border to Dragon and to Artegal, with whom communication is strictly forbidden. While Kay discovers that dragons may not be as evil as humans think, the rest of her normal life still has to go on. Her best friend, Tam, goes out of her way to encourage the budding romance between Kay and Jon. Caught in the middle of the peer pressure to take their relationship farther than either are really prepared for, the two navigate confusing and rocky waters while still managing to find comfort in the presence of one another. Unlike many new young adult stories hitting the market, Ms. Vaughn allows Kay and Jon to have a simple and fairly innocent romance. It was refreshing in a way because it kept the story light and sweet in terms of that aspect of the book. As Kay learns more and more about the dragon, Artegal, she soon learns that there is no reason why humans and dragons cannot once again be friends and allies. As fate would have it, however, right around the time she comes to this conclusion, the military decides to start testing its borders with Dragon. As Kay struggles to keep both sides at bay and encourage talk between the two nations, she must learn how far she is willing to go and how much of herself she is really willing to sacrifice. VOICES OF DRAGONS was a fantastic story. As mentioned previously, Ms. Vaughn's work easily stands proudly next to some of the best dragon stories out there. With clear writing and beautiful imagery, the author manages to really pull the reader into the story and allow us to take part in the adventure. Although one would expect the main dragon in the story to be brilliantly hued and perfect in every way, Vaughn gives him more of a grey appearance and allows him to have his own quirks. She allows us to use our imaginations while still giving large depth and robustness to something as simple as the color grey. There are a number of traits that make VOICES OF DRAGONS a winner, but the two that had the most imp