Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

Target Audience: Teens/Young Adults
Genre: Fantasy

In a world filled with Vampires, Werewolves and ghosts i'm always really, really happy to find a book that has a completely different subject matter while still being utterly compelling.

I am well aware that this is by no way the first book in which a human befriends a dragon but it is the first i've read set in the modern world and i was absolutely astounded.

Kay is a seventeen year old girl who loves to climb/hike and all that other dangerous out-doorsy stuff. On one lone hiking trip she she has an accident and is rescued by a young dragon called Artegal (who is a sweety i might add). What starts is a budding and beautiful friendship that defies everything she has ever been taught. Are dragons really as terrifying as people made out? Can they really be held responsible for the last dragon/human war? Just as Kay begins to learn more however, other people seem to have grown tired of the truce and events occur that threaten not only their growing friendship, but the rest of the world.

I have to say the plot was genius, and it took so many twists and turns and drew off several old myths and legends from the past. Despite the mythical subject matter, the story is told with such realism i found it easy to believe that their could be some truth in it. There was even some elements from WW2 drawn in, with the idea that the atomic bombs woke the dragons from deep slumber, which i found fascinating.

The characters were amazing as well. I loved Kay and Artegal and how their relationship developed. Kay was a different sort of girl, she didn't follow the crowd and didn't listen to advice most of the time (and in this case it turns out to be a good thing).

I wasn't too keen on her friend Tam purely because she sends the wrong message out to girls with this one quote "Seventeen is way to old to still be a Virgin"...Excuse me? No it ain't. At first i was a bit worried by this but then i realied that this became a major part of the plot and it was a clever way of introducing the subject. (You'll see what i mean when you read it!) Ultimately, lets just say being a Virgin is most definately not a bad thing in this book. Tam did however grow on me in the end, she turned out to be a loyal friend despite the obnoxious attitude.

There were some events in this that did make me gasp and want to cry as well. And i have to admit it was completely unpredictable and the ending will really make you hope there's a sequel. I LOVE DRAGONS!!!