Amaterasu Reads: Review: Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

When I first came across the idea of this book, I thought it was brilliant. What if Dragons were to live in present time? What conflict will such ancient creatures bring to a modern world? Well look no further because Carrie Vaughn's novel will tell you how the world is.

Title: Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
Pages: 309
Release Date: March 16th 2010
Published by: HarperTeen
Source: Bought
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary (from Goodreads):

On one side of the border lies the modern world: the internet, homecoming dances, cell phones. On the other side dwell the ancient monsters who spark humanity's deepest fears: dragons.

Seventeen-year-old Kay Wyatt knows she's breaking the law by rock climbing near the border, but she'd rather have an adventure than follow the rules. When the dragon Artegal unexpectedly saves her life, the rules are abruptly shattered, and a secret friendship grows between them.

But suspicion and terror are the legacy of human and dragon interactions, and the fragile truce that has maintained peace between the species is unraveling. As tensions mount and battles begin, Kay and Artegal are caught in the middle. Can their friendship change the course of a war?

I must have gotten used to the fact that dragons in the novels I've read shape shift. The dragons in Carrie Vaughn's book do not. They're just like what we've read in myths, big, scaly, beautiful, flying creatures. People fear them. Why not when they're enormous in size and they breathe fire? But one girl who found herself at the wrong side of the border, Kay, realized that dragons aren't as fearsome as people thought they were. And she had to make people understand that one important fact, or there will be war.

Though Kay is the type of person who feels like the weight of the entire world is on her shoulders, she's a heroine you will love. Responsible, sometimes reckless but overall a good daughter and a great friend. The friendship Kay has forged with Artegal is beautiful. Unconventional, maybe. Unlikely, but it's the differences between them that made them closer to each other. It's like Romeo and Juliet without the romance. Two beings who are entirely different from each other. Kay must have loved Artegal, but not in a way people would thought of lovers. It's something else entirely. The friendship they share, though fragile, is deep and strong. I think I loved Artegal more than I loved Jon and Sal.

Voices of Dragon is a great blend of the old and the new. Who would have thought dragons will be able to create political, social, security complications on a worldwide scale?

What made a distinct impression on me while I was reading this book is man's fear of not being "in charge", of not being the strongest. One has to be superior than the other. One has to rule, the other has to submit. Is the world really that harsh? That immediately, when something or someone threatens the "power" you hold, you will retaliate and do whatever it is to eradicate them. Granted, Dragons are big, powerful, they can be destructive, but maybe if man isn't so quick to judge, to think of the worst of someone, or immediately view them as a threat, then conflicts of epic proportions will not happen.

Although I'm still not sure how the 'sacrifice' angle in this book worked, and how such a simple thing can be the solution to a big problem, Voices of Dragons is a great read over all.

Voices of Dragons is unlike anything I've read in a long time. Carrie Vaughn wove such a lovely tale, not just focusing on friendship and first love, but she was also able to integrate dragons into the story. It's not just about Kay losing her virginity or taking her relationship with Jon to a deeper level. It's also a tale of friendship between two different beings, and knowing that it could work, no matter how hard it may be, as long as they give each other the chance to understand how different the other is and learn to appreciate it instead of being afraid.

Definitely a recommended read!

Content (plot, story flow, character):