Voices of Dragons Book

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 inter actions, 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?

In her young-adult debut, New York Times bestselling author Carrie Vaughn presents a distinctly twenty-first-century tale of myths and machines, and an alliance that crosses a seemingly unbridgeable divide.

Publishers Weekly

Ancient myths come into conflict with modern technology in Vaughn's (the KittyNorville series) first YA novel. Although she's always lived in Silver River, Mont., on the border between human territory and the mountains ceded to the dragons after the last war, Kay has never seen a dragon up close. And for good reason: treaties forbid all contact. That changes when Kay meets Artegal, a dragon as curious about humans as Kay is about his species. Mutual interest blossoms into genuine friendship, in defiance of decades of border patrols and saber-rattling. Soon, they go from secret talks to secret flights, reviving long-lost traditions from when dragons and humans were friends, but while Kay and Artegal are bonding, others only want war between the species. Vaughn's story is charming and fast paced with a strong, likable heroine, although the narrative can hopscotch from moment to moment, focusing on Kay and Artegal to the detriment of the supporting characters; the abrupt ending blatantly sets up a sequel. Despite those drawbacks, there's plenty to enjoy in this girl-and-her-dragon twist on the forbidden friendship theme. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)