I was first introduced to Donita K. Paul’s books quite a number of years ago when I stumbled into a book store and found a book in the clearance section. I gave the book a read and had to continue the series. That book, Dragon Quest, was the second book in the Dragon Keepers Chronicles. Perhaps one of the things I loved about Donita K. Paul was the fresh voice she brought to the fantasy genre. She imagined new creatures and beings in her fantasy world and her writing was rich with details.
Recently, I’ve been re-enjoying, Dragons of the Watch, a stand alone novel that is part of a spin-off series of books from the Dragon Keepers Chronicles. This was and still might be my favorite book in this particular world she built.
The main characters: Ellie and Bealomondore are trapped in Rumbard city which is a city once built by giants. The city is now stuck in a bottle and the former inhabitants are long gone save a bunch of wild children who haven’t aged past six and a very old giant who’s living as a hermit in the library.
During the story the main characters have to work backwards to figure out what happened to the city so they can escape all while trying to avoid the hoard of giant children determined to capture them. This inspires Ellie to tame the wild children and befriend the old giant through cookies and nurture. Bealomondore’s only focus is to leave the city, but agrees to help Ellie.
Aside from fantastic world building and tension that keeps you wondering what’ll happen next, there a sweet romance that develops between Bealomondore and Ellie that feels timeless. The pacing of the story does feel slow in the sense that a trip to the countryside and back to bake cookies does take a few chapters. But much happens in those chapters that moves the story forward and enough tension is established to keep a reader interested.
This book in particular had numerous elements that inspired me with my own book, Hidden. The love story between Ellie and Bealomondore was endearing and made me want the same sort of romance for Tully. The idea of people being trapped by events that happened in the past and needed uncovering was also intriguing. The two tales are vastly different though.
If you enjoy a clean fantasy read with sweet romance and rich world building, then check this book out today.
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K. M. Wray 