DragonKeeper Chronicles #2: Dragonquest by Donita Paul

My name is Toopka, and I'm thankful that Kale has agreed to be my guardian. It's exciting to leave my life on the streets to go on a real adventure. Kale is the Dragon Keeper, and she's become the Wizard Fenworth's "princess", or is it apprentice? We've traveled to The Bog, so Kale can tame Regidor, the new meech dragon. We narrowly escaped an attack by giant spiders, and Fenworth wants us to go on a quest to understand the evil Wizard Risto's plans. We've been joined by two of Paladin's other followers, and they say we need to rescue one of Risto's prisoners first. Can it really be Kale's mother? Although I've loved being part of Kale's quest, none of us imagined we'd find ourselves in the middle of an all-out war. And how can our little force stand up to an army of dragons?

You can probably read this book without reading book one, but you'll miss the back stories. The meech dragon was different from dragons found in other books. Regidor was five weeks old with a tail and scaly skin, but he walked, talked, and dressed like a regular character. He provided unexpected surprises as the book moved along, and the conflict focused on finding a second meech dragon. Religion was at the core of the book, as the characters put their trust in Wulder, their god. Kale often doubted her own abilities and worth, but she was reminded that Wulder had put his faith in her. Her misgivings conflicted with Wulder's judgement and plan. Kale's interactions with Bardon were the most entertaining, as they hadn't gotten along well back at The Hall. He was not accepted into knight training, so he was more bitter from the start. However, he began to display new abilities and developed a close connection to Kale. Kale didn't understand it either and felt uncomfortable. This led to awkward and funny situations. Toopka was another wonderful character, as her enthusiasm to help created mixed emotions from Kale. Overall, some readers find the religious focus of the plot hard to accept, but I haven't found it to be a problem. The adventure includes some fighting and killing, but it's not overly described. There's no goriness. I recommend you give the book a shot.