Dragonfriend by Marc Secchia

If I were given the opportunity to see one mythical creature in reality it would, without a shadow of a doubt, be a dragon. Through ancient folklore to modern fantasy literature and the sometimes great, sometimes not, cinematic incarnations, dragons have always fascinated me.  In the past I have often been  disappointed by the various versions that lurk on numerous pages - spoilt, I think, by the great Anne McCaffrey and her Pern series, when I was a teenager. So it was a nice surprise to read 'Dragonfriend' by Marc Secchia.

To start with the world building is beautiful, so complete and descriptive that it is easy to imagine yourself there. This applies to dragon world perspective just as much as it does to the human. The story follows Hualiama, a young royal ward who is left for dead (not a plot spoiler as it happens right at the beginning!) but is rescued by a dragonet named Flicker. He is a first-rate character, fully developed, good fun and intelligent. Flicker aids Hualiama on her journey to discover the reasons for her betrayal and her destiny. This is a gripping quest with Lia being helped by a brotherhood of warrior monks and a giant dragon that she eventually befriends. Intrigue follows Lia until everything culminates in the obligatory battle.

Billed as a young adult novel 'Dragonfriend' does not really come across that way though Lia does have a few screaming teenager moments. One thing I did find infuriating was the constant swapping between the character's full name, Hualiama, and the more informal Lia, which often happened from one sentence to the next and then back again on the following - far too frequent! Also, with Flicker the writing flows easily but with the arrival of Grandion it loses its way a little and becomes slightly laboured. I did like the monks and their beliefs as they combined well with the action and were completely plausible. The plot is fairly cliched but, as it was well written, this was not a problem.

With a good sense of balance between action and discovery, dragon and human viewpoints, intrigue and a glorious world this made for a fun read and one I would recommend to young and old alike.