Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey

For six hundred years Pendragon kings and queens ruled Wilde Islands, though none in England recognised their lineage. King Arthur's younger sister, Evaine, was the first queen of the Isle.


Title: Dragon's Keep
Author: Janet Lee Carey
ISBN: 978-0152064013
Publisher:Magic Carpet Books/2008
Pages: 320 pages

It has been prophesized that the twenty first queen of Wilde Isle would redeem the name Pendragon bringing peace and prosprity.

In Wilde Island, a princess Rosalind is born after many obstacles, to the queen. She is a beautiful princess but with a flaw. She has a dragon's claw as one her fingers. Her mother, the queen keeps it always hidden with a pair of golden gloves. She herself wears another pair to give company to the princess. And anyone who has seen the clawed hand dies mysteriously.

The queen is very protective of her only child. She tries various cure for the girl, always failing in her efforts. Wilde Island is always getting attacked by Dragons. And Rosalind gets kidnaped by a dragon one day. The only thing that saves her from becoming the dragon's meal is her dragon clawed finger. The dragon thinks it is the only beautiful thing about her. However, the dragon makes her toil looking after his children. In their midst, she has nothing to hide. She accepts herself, flaws and all. She also learns what a parents love is towards ones children. Rosalind finds love and she also finds peace for her people. As prophesized. And it is her flaw, that saves pendragon.

In this book, we read another aspect of dragons, that they can be gentle and good too. With a sense of fairness. Human beings are flawed in their thinking but Dragons accept each living being with flaws and all.

Dragon's claw is a simple enough tale with simple words. At places I found the language not really upto the mark. Not that it had to be literary masterpiece. It is book which young readers would enjoy.