Dragonfire
by Donita K. Paul
reviewed by David Reagan 12-20-2007
Think on things that are good and beautiful. A very well know Bible principle, and the reason I liked this book so much. Mrs. Paul weaves a tale of magic and the supernatural in such a way that good is good, and evil is evil. She emphasizes serving God the way God wants, and not your own selfish desires. It is shown how easy it is to fall into the enemy's trap when we are physically and emotionally hurt. The consequences are shown, but God's forgiveness is also shown. All of this is done without spending very much time with the characters in peril. Hence, your mind is directed towards how good God is instead of how bad the characters have it.
Story wise, the plot is somewhat confusing. There is an overall war going on, but the focus is kept to where the main characters are. So it is hard to see the overall effects. The main plot is that the bad guys are rising up and the good guys need to get off their rear ends and do something about it. From there it focuses in on Kale as she helps her father find more dragons to help unite the Amaran lands, and Bardon as he goes directly to where fighting is already happening. It climaxes in big battles against the two evil wizards.
Magic in the land of Amara is essentially just energy used to manipulate the world around you. For example, pulling moisture from the air to form pools of water. It is emphasized that wizards must follow God's rules for how they use their magic. The evil wizards are the ones who don't. Magic is also seen as a direct gift from God.
In conclusion, this is a good book for young teens to adults who don't have to have something written for adults. There are many good lessons in it, and it definitely focuses your mind more on God. I read it in about four or five hours, though I am a somewhat fast reader. Be sure to read the first three in the series first.