The Dragon Stone. (The Dream Keeper Saga #1) Kathryn L. Butler. 2022. 240 pages. [Source: Review copy]
First sentence: Lily McKinley trudged into the house, plodded to the kitchen, and froze. On the counter in front of her, with its barbed tail curled like a question mark, a dragon gobbled her mother's Crock-Pot chili.
Lily's world is falling apart. I was tempted to say seemingly falling part. But that wouldn't be true. No doubt, it is. Her father has died--or at least been reported so, no body found. Her mother is stressed, stressed, super-stressed. Her grandmother has dementia--or presumably so. Her mom is carrying the weight of the world, and Lily is trying to do her share--more than her share. She can no longer "afford" to daydream or let her imagination run away with her. So when she sees a DRAGON in her kitchen, well, she's flabbergasted, scared, and worried. Worried that her imagination is at play again. How could there be an actual real life dragon in her kitchen??? Her mother can't handle dragons! Her grandmother, well, she's too fragile. So once again, Lily feels the pressure to handle something on her own. And this dragon in the kitchen, well, it's just the start. Things only get weirder from here...
Lily soon finds herself NOT in this world but swept away to a fantasy realm where she, Lily, may be called upon to save the world...or at least do her share in saving the world. And it all has something to do with a STONE necklace that her father left for her. This stone is magical--not just because of who gave it to her--but because of its origin. It is from Eden. There were twelve stones, I think, and twelve keepers to protect the stones??? Anyway, the realm is in trouble and Lily (and her ever-growing company) are needed. But beware a betrayer may be in her midst.
I really enjoyed this one! I was super skeptical when I requested it for review. I didn't know how it would hold up. Would it be good? entertaining? something that I could actually recommend? Christian publishers and Christian authors aren't particularly well known for doing children's fantasy--C.S. Lewis excluded. But to be fair, the Narnia books were published in the 1950s. But I really enjoyed this one. I found it a compelling read. I enjoyed all the characters introduced. I thought the story was well-written.
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