Dragon Slippers

When Creel’s scheming aunt gives her to the local dragon--in hopes that a wealthy young nobleman will come along to rescue and marry her--this independent, resourceful, and clever maiden is having none of it. Creel is no damsel in distress. She promptly makes peace with the dragon, rescues herself, and sets off for the city to earn her own living as a skilled seamstress and embroideress.

But a dragon’s gift has irrevocably entangled the unwitting young woman in a web of intrigue and danger, with an evil power that could cause destruction for dragons and humans alike.

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I loved Dragon Slippers when I read it as a young teen. It was one of the first mainstream fantasy books I read when I began getting my own books from the library. show more Dragon Slippers captivated me with its imaginative, exciting world and characters, and it became one of my favorite books. I loved many things about it, and though I didn't love others, my love for it overall cancelled those out. For some reason, I later decided I didn't like it as much as I did at first, after reading other, better books. I've thought that ever since--but I've always liked this book and author, and I still count Dragon Slippers as a great book worthy of recommendation.

I never meant to reread Dragon Slippers this year. But I got it from the library to take a book photo for my Instagram account, wrote an engaging summary--and remembered why I adored the book so much when I was a young teen. I never, ever read books on impulse--instead, I plan my reading schedule months ahead. But I couldn't ignore the pull to read this book as it sat in my room for weeks. So I caved and reread it. And I loved it again! Even though I had dislikes as well, there were so many things I adored that it didn’t affect my enjoyment too much. Especially now that I knew what to expect.

***

I enjoyed the refreshingly different, imaginative world of Dragon Slippers. The setting definitely has elements of a typical fantasy kingdom, but the author does it so well. Creel’s home country has a rich, Scandinavian-inspired culture, and neighboring countries are developed as well with their own unique attributes that feel realistic and believable The kingdom is complete with deities and a religion that seeps into the story as a natural part of the characters’ beliefs and life--it never feels shoved in with an infodump. There’s also a slight element of magic that also feels natural and organic. (More on both those things at the end of this review!) I very much enjoyed the vivid setting, including Creel’s rural village; the dynamic, exciting capital city; and the wide-open natural spaces and beautiful lands of her world.

And then there are the dragons. Oh, these dragons!! I adore them! These aren’t your typical fantasy dragons--instead of hoarding gold and jewels, they have more sophisticated tastes. It's delightful and incredibly unique! Spoilers ahead: Creel meets more than one dragon over the course of the book, and each dragon has a vivid, endearing, well-developed personality that leaps off the page--and the same is true of the human characters. The dragons feel like real people, only with decidedly dragon-ish quirks and attributes. I love how the author portrays their human-like qualities that are sometimes hilarious, or at other times deeply sorrowful--while also powerfully conveying their incredibly terrifying strength and fierce nature. Face to face with a dragon, I’d be terrified, and so is everyone else in the book--Creel included, even at some points after she becomes comfortable with them. I love watching Creel change her assumptions about dragons--and become drawn into their affairs as she befriends them, something which becomes crucial later on.

As I just touched on, the characters of Dragon Slippers are fabulous. I loved Creel and each one of her friends--all of whom are well-rounded, complex, lifelike, and enjoyable to be around. And I detest each of her enemies, who are equally well-written. The characters are so vividly, observantly, and honestly written that they feel like real people I’ve met--because they have attributes of people in the real world, from the spoiled brat of a girl to the laughing young man. The supporting characters are just as vivid as the main characters.

And the relationships between the characters were wonderful as well! I think my favorite has to be the sweet, faithful friendship between Creel and Shardas. Every young woman should have a wise, fatherly dragon to take care of her, support her, and advise her. I definitely want one, after reading Dragon Slippers again! While reading the chapters about their friendship, I was overcome by warm, lovely, happy, secure feelings as I watched their almost familial friendship unfold. And then there’s a certain young prince--I love Creel’s friendship with him! I have to admit he’s quite dashing in a sweet, down-to-earth way (as are several of this author’s other heroes), but what I love best about him is his good nature and frequent laughter. I can’t blame Creel for being sweet on him--or him for feeling the same way in return, though she’s too humble to know it. I think he appreciates how she treats him as a person and not a prince, unafraid to talk or joke with him, or to speak her mind. Finally, the relationships between the female characters are fabulous. The female friendships are realistic and wholesome, and I loved watching Creel become fast friends with the other girls she works with, each of whom was unique and adorable--I especially loved the vivacious Marta. I also enjoyed Creel’s loving memories of her sweet mother, and how she wants to make her mother proud and fulfill her mother’s life ambition. And then there are the antagonistic females . . . The enmity between Creel and two insufferable girls felt just as real and relatable as the friendships. Creel isn’t the type to be catty or turn on other girls, but when another girl hates her, you can bet she fights back--sometimes physically, when it’s necessary.

The protagonist, Creel, was definitely one of my favorite aspects of the book. I loved her. She’s relatable and down-to-earth; both clumsy and graceful; talented and hard-working; funny and sweet. She’s incredibly brave in the face of danger, but it surprises even her. Creel is truly strong yet truly feminine, something that’s refreshing and enjoyable for me. She’s fierce, adventurous, and independent, but she doesn’t have an attitude, and she enjoys her typically feminine career in dressmaking and embroidery--and she’s good at it, too. I love how she doesn’t apologize for her typically feminine traits, while still being able to hold her own in every situation.

***

Of course I didn't love everything. I love the first half of the book the best. Rereading it now, I recalled how jarred I was by the unexpected twists and turns of the book--in a bad way. Several times, it took off in a wildly different direction, and it was hard to follow. It gave me figurative whiplash and confused me a lot. But that wasn't the case when rereading it, because I knew approximately what would happen--so I enjoyed it much more.

The intense events and dragon battle in the second half of the book still aren't my favorite, but at least I wasn't jarred by them this time--I was able to follow the action and enjoy it pretty well, since I knew what would happen. I definitely prefer the sweet, fun parts with Creel, her new friends, and her embroidery.

But even though I disliked a couple of things, there's so much to love!! I enjoyed the rest of the book so very much. A solid 4 stars overall.

I recommend Dragon Slippers to fans of kingdom fantasy, fairy tales, strong female characters, and (of course) dragons. It will greatly appeal to fans of Ella Enchanted or Shannon Hale. Guys and girls alike will enjoy this tale equally (there's very cool embroidery and very cool dragons, plus a few swords), and so will many different ages--from preteens to teens to adults (the main characters are mostly in their late teens, with great adult supporting characters as well).

I also recommend some of the author's other books (though I haven't read her more recent ones). Tuesdays at the Castle will always be my favorite, and with each series by this author, I like the first book much more than the others (Dragon Slippers included).

Content Summary:

It's age appropriate for preteens and up, but a sensitive preteen or teenager might want to wait. It's perfect for a young adult/teen audience and for upper juvenile fiction readers who don't mind some violence.

-- Quite a bit of violence, mostly violent destruction caused by dragons and their fire, plus some sword battles (including wounds) and instances of two girls fighting each other with hands and fists.
-- Clean romance and relatively frequent verbal flirting, with one undescribed kiss at the end.
-- The young female protagonist gets into a dicey situation early in the book--a group of less-than-honorable young men intend to harm her when she's far away from help. It's subtly written and would go over the head of a younger reader, who wouldn't realize what she's actually afraid of. Someone rescues her in the nick of time, but not before the young men tackle her and hold her down as she kicks and screams for help (seemingly in vain).
-- This book definitely contains some magic, including a spell performed by the characters. They always use the term “alchemy” for the magic, but they call it a spell when they practice it, and it's the same as magic, even if they don't call it that. (The spell involves herbs and other substances in a set formula.) The late, dear friend of a major character was an alchemist, and the other characters use his laboratory and books to replicate one of his spells.
-- Many references to gods as an organic part of the worldbuilding and the characters' beliefs. There are three deities (called the Triunity), with different attributes, and the book explains it at one point in detail. The gods are part of the setting and the characters mindset and beliefs, but they don't affect the plot. There is brief mention of chapel services and buildings of worship, a natural part of life in the kindgom's culture. The main characters swear by the gods and invoke them regularly. The female protagonist sincerely prays to the different gods to help her in bad situations, and she also bargains with them (making empty promises, I noticed).
-- As for language, I noticed at least one instance of b***dy. See previous paragraph for language involving this world's gods. The characters often invoke the gods and swear by them, though not often enough to annoy me. show less

I loved this book so much! Jessica Day George sets up a whole world and has dragons inhabit it. Creel (best name ever) is a heroine that kids will cheer for and her friendships with the dragons and her fight to keep them safe was heart warming.

"Dragon Slippers" has Creel dealing with the death of her mother which has her and her brother living with their aunt and uncle. Like many fairy-tale relatives, Creel's aunt kind of sucks. She decides that the only way that the family will be able to live is if Creel catches the eye of a knight or lord after he saves her from a dragon. Problem is that there doesn't seem to be any dragons around. Creel's aunt decides to just make her stay in a cave (that a dragon used to live) with the hope that show more is enough to entice someone. Too bad though a dragon really does live in the cave and after Creel's relatives leave her there to be eaten, she is taken inside and gets to meet a dragon. They come to an arrangement and she ends up being let go with some shoes that she loves and is determined to make her way to the King's Seat in order to get a job working as a seamstress. Along the way Creel meets more dragons.

Creel was hilarious. I loved her up front saying she's not special, she can't spin straw into gold and isn't fair to look upon (subtle shade being thrown at the girl in Rumpelstiltskin and Snow White) but she does know how to sew. Her traveling to the King's Seat is fraught with danger and she is saved by another dragon (Shardas) when some bandits seem hell-bent on assaulting and stealing from her. Creel eventually gets to the King's Seat and realizes her working in a store for someone else isn't all it's cracked up to be. She meets one princes, a princess, and makes a ton of new friends. She also realizes that first impressions of people can be wrong and cause damage down the line. She doesn't know what the slippers do and it is odd at first that no dragon wants to tell Creel about them, but we know that they are special in some way. When it is eventually revealed why the slippers are so special and what they do I thought it was a wonderful reveal.

I loved the dragons in this one and how all of them collect certain things (like shoes, glass windows, dogs) and laughed at all of them throwing shade about hoarding gold (who would want to do that?)

The secondary characters such as Luka (one of the princes) and some of her fellow shop assistants shine. I thought there were some humorous bits and nothing too scandalous. I also think that there are some great villains in this one (no spoilers) that will have everyone hollering for their downfall.

The writing was really good. Nothing too complicated that would confuse children and it held my interest as an adult. I also loved how Creel realizes that the history that was told about dragons and one of the founders of the kingdom was based on a lie. I do think the flow gets a bit funky in the end, it just seemed at a certain point the book was in a holding pattern and nothing was happening.

The world building was great. We can imagine the kingdom, the warring families, and where the dragons that Creel meets are located.

The ending was so good and I was happy that I got an excerpt to read from "Dragon Slippers #2." show less

Poor Creel. She can't believe her aunt wants to sacrifice her to the local dragon. It's a ploy to lure a heroic knight so that he will fight the dragon, marry Creel out of chivalrous obligation, and lift the entire family out of poverty. Creel isn't worried. After all, nobody has seen a dragon in centuries.
But when the beast actually appears, Creel not only bargains with him for her life, she also ends up with a rare bit of treasure from his hoard, not gold or jewels, but a pair of simple blue slippers-or so she thinks. It's not until later that Creel learns a shocking truth: She possesses not just any pair of shoes, but ones that could be used to save her kingdom, which is on the verge of war, or destroy it.

What an absolute delight this book was. Charming and fresh for all that it's yet another tale of a poor girl and a dragon- oh, and there's a prince involved. Some of the conceits are just hilarious, especially around the dragons' hoards. The characters are lovable and the situations strain one's credulity in a comfortable fashion. The heroine is one of my favorite plucky young girls, and her clever ideas go a long way towards excusing her ignorance about her own slippers. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book, though I was confused for some of the book about Creel's age because on the front cover, she looks about 10 but then is noted to be around sixteen in the actual text, and I ended up with this weird dichotomous sense of her age.

There was a good blend of plot, world building, and character development, to keep me interested and intrigued.

This is the first book in the Dragon Slippers series and was a fantastic YA adventure fantasy. I loved the characters, the magic, and the dragons a ton.

Creel is offered as a sacrifice to a dragon because her aunt wants a noble boy to come and rescue her and make the family rich. The dragon however can’t be bothered with Creel and offers her a counter deal. When Creel chooses a pair of beautiful blue slippers in exchange for leaving the dragon alone she has no idea of the events she has triggered.

This book was very well written, flowed nicely, and was easy to read. I really enjoyed Creel and many of the side characters as well. Creel is a strong heroine that is still fairly realistic and I really engaged with her and admired her.

The show more story is also very entertaining and well done. I loved the dragons a ton!

Overall this was a very fun read that I enjoyed immensely! I would recommend to those who enjoy fantasy adventure and dragons. I do think this book is geared a bit more toward young women/girls but there are some great male characters in here too. I definitely plan on continuing the series to see what Creel and Luka get into next! show less

Wow. That is a _great_ story. The characters are fascinating - they develop, or the reader's understanding of them develops, in quick sequence - I'm thinking particularly of the people in Derda's shop. The gimmick with the shoes is weird and wonderful, and the final twist - and the post-final twist to that - is excellent. I only got the first one of the series out of the library, because I've been having to return books unread - so I need to go to the library tomorrow! More please quick.