This is a really nice book - in the beginning.

The idea of everything is amazingly old, and yet so fresh. The way the author portrays things isn't so special, and yet you really do end up feeling connected to the characters - sometimes.

I guessed a lot of the plots pretty much before they'd started. I guess after a month or so of reading the pretty much unpredictable (for me, anyways) HP series I am ready for a lot of things. I guessed that the dragon stone was an egg even when Ping found it in the dragon pit.

I felt personally that the end was unsatisfying, simply because I'd guessed everything before it happened. The things I hadn't guessed seemed to have been made up on the spot and difficult to comprehend, and though the book ended as if to say "That part's over, now for the next", I didn't really feel as though many loose ends had been tied up. As I was reading I was simply stacking up little mysteries, such as the Emporer biting his fingernails being mentioned more than once. Unless I just missed the cause of this in a moment of haste, or failed to read between the lines when the reason was indicated, I couldn't figure out why this was so. As for a lot of the other little things in the book, I thought the same.

But through and through the book, reading it until the last few pages, I really thought this was a nice, heart-warming tale. Gruesome in some parts, and some things unexpected apart from the author's want to make everything predictable due to Ping's abilities, I loved it. I love reading about different people's take on dragons especially, but unicorns, pegasus, pheonixes etc. and this Chinese Dragon Keeper take on it all was an interesting and enjoyable read.

Overall I recommend this, for the beginning and middle. I don't doubt the next book will be great as well, and I can't wait to read it! ( )

A solid start - especially after trudging through the Tawney Man series. I love how the characters in part one are being slowly developed and explored. For me, this fills a major gap in Hobb's writing and is a welcome relief. I think the pacing of the story suffers a little, but I have confidence that will resolve itself as the series progresses! ( )

This book was just adorable. A former slave girl, her dragon and her rat going off on adventures in ancient China. It's just all I could ever ask for in a book.

I loved the dragon. Talking dragons are the beest, and even better when they are cute and friendly like this one. I also liked Ping a lot: her resourcefulness reminded me of Mosca Mye, another fave children's book heroine of mine.

The ending was sad, but I guess in a good way, and I can't hardly wait to read the next book. Reading this was the perfet way to spend a Friday night. ( )

Nos encontramos en la antigua China, durante el dominio de la dinastía Han. Una niña esclava salva la vida a un viejo dragón, y los dos escapan de su cruel amo transportando una misteriosa y valiosa piedra, que debe ser protegida. Nuestros protagonistas emprenden un viaje épico a través de China, en el que tendrán que sortear peligros, enfrentarse al emperador, a los habitantes de otros pueblos y, sobre todo, huir de un despiadado cazador cuyo propósito es apoderarse de la piedra al precio que sea.

Cool story bro needs more dragons ( )