Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Dragon's Bait
Book Review: Dragon's Bait Review --by Michelle
Summary: 4 Stars
It was supposed to be a normal day. Alys usually stayed in the shop while her horribly sick father rested but today was no ordinary day. Today she was stuck on a stake in the middle of nowhere awaiting her doom, which happened to be the man eating dragon. How this came to be is simple. Inquisitor Atherton, a very sneaky, evil man falsely accused poor Alys of being a witch. At her 15 minute trial, a man named Gower, who had probably arranged all of this nonsense, his wife Una, and daughter Etta told of fake times when they had seen Alys bewitch things. Una said she saw Alys make a goat go dry, and Gower says she saw her creating a thunders storm and people actually believed them, and so she was sent to the mountain. Alys does get away from the stake and there is only one thing stuck on her mind....REVENGE. But she can only do it with the help of the handsome Sederline, who happens to be a man, a dragon, and whatever animal you can think of. So Sederline and Alys are off seeking revenge, on the four people who ruined Alys's life.
Dragon's Bait is a book full of witty characters and sweet revenge. Similar to something like the Salem accusations, this book is about witches. The story is well written, and has just the right amount of description. Compared to the author's other books, this has got to be one of my favorites. At first you might think this book is boring, but by the third page, the suspense keeps you going. I hope once you read it, you will agree.
Book Review: Great Fantasy!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I read this book for the second time and I have to say that it really is worth reading. Though short, there is a lesson to the story that is very helpful to life in general. Selendrile and Alys are also two memorable, unique characters. Fantasy genre lovers should definitely read this book. And if you like this one, also read Companions of the Night.Book Review: Great!
Summary: 5 Stars
I really loved this book and literally coulsn't put it down to the point where I read it in one sitting. The book was overall very enjoyable.Book Review: HoHum!
Summary: 3 Stars
Same old stuff, and using too much from the old-timey Bram Stoker junk. Make something new about these nightpeople instead of recycling the same old same old.Book Review: Hook! Line! Sinker! "Bait" had me hooked!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, so the title of this review is corny. But the book is wonderful; another of Vande Velde's recent publishings which, in my opinion, ever topple the last one in excellence. In this book, fifteen year old Alys is learning how to fend for herself; her frail father is barely recovering from the winter's sickness while she must learn his tin-making trade to keep them both alive.
All this comes crashing down upon her ears when she is accused of witchcraft (of which she is innocent) by her scheming neighbors, plotting to take her father's land from her. The clever inquistor from a neighboring village incriminates her before her friends can step in. Soon, Alys finds herself as "Dragon's Bait," left as food for a fearsome dragon that ravages the nearby countryside.
But Alys is in for a suprise. The dragon is capable of many transformations; including that of a human. Instead of adding her to his menu, he spares her life, and inevitably becomes her aly, if not her friend.
Alys is infuriated by the dragon (who speaks with her in his human form; that of a handsome seventeen year old youth) who seems to have no use for her--except that he is willing to help her get her revenge. And as she soon learns, revenge is something that the dragon, Selendrile, is very good at.
But is revenge what Alys really wants? A witty funny novel about revenge and its cost and spoils.
WAIT! DON'T STOP NOW! There is something very important that I would like to tell you about this book. I fear that I have doomed it into being serious; THIS BOOK IS FUNNY! Well, it has dark under-tones, but it is witty, clever, and fast-paced fantasy.
Vande Velde demonstrates her skilled capacity for fantasy in this novel. Her strong heroine and handsome dragon companion make an endearing cast for her novel. THE PROBLEM! This book is like a small chocolate; you savor it for as long as you can, yet you still find yourself craving for more afterward.
So what do you think? Even if you hated everything I had to say, I would say, give it a try! Even the anti-fantasy reader will enjoy this morsel of a novel! If you like Vande Velde, I would reccomend her other books, like Heir Apparent (I wrote a review for that also--check it out!)
So...happy reading!