SPOIL FREE SUMMARY
When Mella ends up with with a dragon egg, she feels its her responsibility to reunite the egg with its kind. Roger, a squire invites himself along and together they head to the nesting grounds. But along the way they face many problems.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Mella tends to her own tame dragons on her family's property. She is a dragon keeper, but these dragons are not big or dangerous.
Roger is a young man who stays at the Inn that Mella's family owns. He is enthusiastic, curious and helps Mella often on their journey.
Gwyn is a man who ends up giving Mella and Roger a place to stay. He also ends up as an ally against an enemy.
PACING
We don't start fast, which I don't think is always necessary. We learn of Mella's home and her role as a dragon keeper. Then we meet Roger and his master.
We don't start on the actual journey to return the egg until chapter six.
There are chapters with cliff hanger endings that help with pacing. Also some mysterious moments like when Roger's master, Damien seems satisfied about something we know nothing about.
MELLA'S MOTIVATIONS
In the beginning Mella has an obligation towards dragons. She seems to like her tame dragons enough, but at the same time feels she has no choice in the matter.
We flash back to her waking up at night because of the dragons, and her Gran says she will be a dragon keeper. But it's not exactly a happy memory.
And earlier, when her Ma says she has a way with dragons, Mella avoids being touched by her. As though she is not quite sure she wants to accept the mantle.
ROGER & MELLA
Their relationship isn't exactly harmonious in the beginning. Mella doesn't even want Roger along and is shocked that he is eager to help her. And the first time he makes a mistake, Mella yells at him. To his credit, Roger forgives her without being asked.
And when they get kidnapped, Mella blames him for having a wealthy father. So their relationship is definitely a rocky one.
Mella comes off slightly annoying at times, but its never to the point where I truly despised her. It's just that Roger never deserves the mistreatment, since he goes out of his way to help her.
GRAN & PA
Mella mentions briefly that her Gran was superstitious and her Pa disagreed with her. Oddly enough, Mella seems more at odds with her Pa (not her Gran for pushing this responsibility on her).
She says he doesn't believe in anything beyond the inn they run. It's as if Mella has dreams we don't really get to learn about it, and a struggling relationship with her father that is never addressed.
DRAGON SONG
Early on, both Mella and Roger have different versions of the same childrens' rhyme about dragons and King Coel. They mention it later near the climax, but it doesn't seem that important.
ROGER'S ROLE-SPOILERS
Roger proves crucial to the plot multiple times. When he and Mella are tied up, he is the one who manages to get loose. He climbs a tree to retrieve a lost lamb (from being kidnapped by a hawk) and ends up earning a stranger's trust.
Also, he helps reveal information about the dragons to the reader, asking if tame dragons are related to wild ones. Which was something I was confused about until then.
REVENGE ON A THIEF-SPOILERS
After Mella and Roger manage to subdue their captor, instead of just running off, they decide to get revenge. Turns out he steals everything he sells, so they burn all of his fabrics, ect.
I think it was supposed to be bold, and perhaps fuel the thief's desire for revenge later. But I kind of felt it was unnecessary. I would have thought they would just have bolted and been glad to escape. Or perhaps they might have addressed regret when he came after them.
THE TRUTH
After Mella and Roger escape from their captor, they seek shelter with man they meet. But when their captor shows up, he tells a story about them being runaways. And suddenly they find themselves in the frightening position of proving him wrong.
SPLIT UP
Turns out that their kidnapper is threatening the man who took them in. But Mella knows her priority has to be with the egg. Roger again plays an important role, going after Gwyn to protect him. Also there is some suspense regarding it, because Mella does not witness what happens.
ROGER'S SECRET-SPOILERS
Near the climax of the book, we finally learn the truth about Roger when an army is seen invading. He admits they are looking for him, because his father is the king.
The few times he changed personality, suddenly seeming confident and commanding, now makes sense. But I thought it was strange that his other skills are not necessarily one a prince would have, like climbing trees. I kind of wished there was a lack of certain skills that would have made it obvious he wasn't what he seemed.
Not that there aren't hints, like when he says his father wanted him to join the army and go of and get killed like his brother. But couldn't he have simply been a nobleman's son?
YOU'RE WHO?
When Mella finds out who Roger really is, I expected her to be angry. I mean, they had grown close over the trip. I wanted her to doubt him more. She is putting her life on the line after all.
I expect this was to be the end of their relationship arc. She was supposed to trust him completely as opposed to before.
And afterwards, I thought perhaps she would think more seriously about how their relationship would be now that he was no longer an equal. But not much thought seems to have gone into that matter.
CLIMAX
Thanks to Mella, they find the dragons hatching grounds. A dragon they meet is surprisingly friendly when she sees the egg. But others, not so much. Mella has to stand up to the dragons while revealing a horrible truth about the fate of the dragon's father. Roger reveals a secret and Mella has to trust him.
CONCLUSION
Mella and Roger's relationship develops over the course of the book, from acquaintances who have to learn to work together and respect one another to friends who trust each other completely.
Mella's character arc allows her to become confident while Roger eventually reveals himself to be confident and competent. Although perhaps revealing who he is isn't exactly an arc.
Both have unique roles that are important to the plot. Oddly enough, I felt Roger came off as more important.
My only gripe is last I wish the characters themselves were slightly deeper. I never quite got why Mella had negative feelings towards being a dragon keeper. She never knew she would have to go on a dangerous journey, so why did she feel this way when her Gran was still alive, or at the beginning of the story?
And why was Roger's relationship with his father was such a struggle?
I give “Dragon's Egg” three stars.
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