Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey

Princess Rosalind is the beautiful descendant of the exiled line of Pendragons, destined to restore her family and end a war, or so Merlin’s prophecy foretells. Her home, Wilde Island is a place ravaged by a dragon and convicts shipped from the mainland. But Rosalind has a dreadful secret that weighs heavy on her, born with a curse – a dragon’s claw upon her left hand, she has kept it hidden by her mother’s ingeniously created fashion for high born women to wear gloves and only show their hands to their husbands.

Desperately the queen searches for a cure, afraid to let her only child get close to anyone lest she reveal the secret and be burned as a witch. But in Rosalind’s 16th year their hopes for a cure are shattered when the dragon, Lord Faul, carries the princess away and sets her foretold destiny in motion.

Narrated by the lyrical and expressive voice of Bianca Amato, this compelling tale, full of magic, wonder and 12th century realities is a delight. The convincing balance of strength and weakness in Rosalind’s character as she grows from child into womanhood, the fanatical drive of the queen to find a cure and the power and compassion of the dragon add up to make a fantastic page turning tale that will enchantment readers of all ages.

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