Kira has led a sheltered life, brought up by her widowed father, whom she adores. When he is arrested and imprisoned for a murder he allegedly committed 18 years before, she is devastated. So when she overhears an ex-student of her father's planning to visit the prison, Kira decides to go, too. However, the student - Arun - is not who she thinks he is, and she soon learns that her father has not always been the man of integrity she has known for fifteen years.
Caught in a rebellion against the Lord High Councillor who would return the country to Wizard Rule, Kira finds that there is one more lesson she has to learn - about herself. Success depends on her, but is she willing to make the sacrifice it will require?
I don't know if it's the time this book was written, but I found it hearkening back to books I read in middle school, both in tone and in character. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's a far cry from what typical YA is like these days.
While the protagonist is 15, I really couldn't tell you much about her character. She is more of an observer in place of the reader than a character in her own right. At the beginning of the book, she seemed to barely know anything that was going on around her (despite being 15), seemingly needing everything explained to her piecemeal so that the reader would also know what was happening. She had no thoughts, no opinions, and even her stubbornness seemed dependent on whether those around her would acquiesce or not. This may have been largely a symptom of the 3rd person limited perspective, but it still didn't excuse her having no personality.
The writing style in general was very simplistic. Not too many descriptions of locations or people gave it an older feel, more of a fairy tale than I'd expected. And even when talking about dragons I didn't really have a good idea of their shape. Are they your typical Western style, Chinese style, something totally new? Not story-breaking, but not as memorable either. I never felt like I was in their world, or with people with motivations. Just players going about their roles in typical fantasy environments.
Overall, this book was nice, quaint maybe, but not memorable. You won't be clamoring to know more about Kira and her world, but you won't be struggling to find enjoyment either. There's nothing great, but nothing terrible. Women don't have a huge role in general, but both Kira and the titular Dragon Queen are important players, so there's that. It's a nice stand-alone fantasy to fill an afternoon or two.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
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