Dragon Castle

Dragon Castle
by Joseph Bruchac

352 pages
Published June 9, 2011

Young Prince Rashko is frustrated with his family - no one does any thinking but him! The kingdom and castle seem to be in the hands of fools. So when Rashko's parents mysteriously disappear and the evil Baron Temny parks his army outside the castle walls, it is up to the young prince to save the day. But there is more to this castle and its history than meets the eye, and Rashko will have to embrace his ancestry, harness a dragon, and use his sword-fighting skills to stop the baron and save the kingdom. Along the way, he realizes that his family is not quite as stupid as he always thought.

Master storyteller Joseph Bruchac, known for his smart, gripping Native American books, here combines his signature action and adventure with a large dose of humor, which just brings this story to a whole new level.

* * *

Just from the title, I had high expectations of this book. Some of them were met, others were not.

First, I have to say, I expected there to be more of the dragon than there was. I hoped to see lots of it, instead of just a little bit near the end. Also, the alternating story lines got to me just a bit. Yes, I enjoyed each of them, but for every single chapter to switch! I felt like I was just getting into one story when I was ripped out of it and flung into the other.

However, Rashko was a good character. I loved the way he thought his parents and brother were fools, when anyone apart from himself could tell they just handled things differently. I loved the little story of the way the king handled a merchant who was overcharging the people.

I loved the setting, and the idea of a castle growing right out of the rocks.

3/5 stars