Dragonfly
Book 1
Dragonfly is a complex coming-of-age fantasy novel in which three friends learn who they are and who they want to be.
Part Western, part time portal story, Noel Schmidt’s engaging and action-packed fantasy novel Dragonfly defies easy categorization.
Dakota, who has a dragonfly-shaped birthmark, is in the eighth grade. Her father drinks to avoid his grief over the death of her mother. Filled with questions about herself and her mother, Dakota spends her time with her two best friends, Gill and Raleigh, picking weeds in a bean field. The field owners treat the trio like family, supporting Dakota through her self-discovery. They also rally to fight alongside her when evil threatens the world: Beyond Dakota’s everyday struggles rages a long war between the Netherworld and the Centurions and Guardians. Since her birth, the forces of good have been watching Dakota and waiting for her to come into her own.
The story begins in medias res with a battle scene involving its central cast, after which the story slows to establish its stakes more clearly and develop its characters via peeks into their backgrounds. Information such as that Gill, like Dakota, struggles with loss (in her case, of a brother) is introduced. Still, despite such instances of development, the chapters are short and move at a swift pace.
The theme of friendship is prominent, and Dakota’s relationships with Gill and Raleigh give her a sense of belonging. They play off one another and challenge each other well, as when Gill takes the surprising stance that a man accused of theft and murder might be innocent of those crimes. Through their teamwork, solutions are found and resolutions achieved. They also work through self-discovery together, facing issues ranging from identity to loss. Indeed, the narrative builds in complexity as Dakota and her friends learn more about who they are and who they want to be.
The book’s tension roils around unknown factors, including who is a friend and who is a foe. Forces of good and evil clash across its dual timelines in 1869 and 1979. Magic is integral to the story too: It features enchanted locks and books, portals through time, and people who can split themselves into “twins,” though the latter factor is underexplained. Still, the book works toward an exciting ending, maintaining suspense throughout via its chases, captures, escapes, and gunfights. Interest is generated in the story to come.
In the intriguing fantasy novel Dragonfly, a girl comes into her own while confronting the evil plaguing her world.
Reviewed by
Shari Marshall
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
