Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul is about pride. Tipper Schope, a young princess, must transport and protect three powerful statues while her country is about to be invaded. Tipper must then overcome her fear in order to become the queen her country needs.
Dragons of the Valley is written in the third person and switches perspectives between both of the two main characters, Tipper and Bealomondore, and a minor one who observes the mysterious and eccentric Wizard Fenworth. Tipper and Bealomondore have a close friendship formed through the tough experiences they have shared. However, Tipper falls in love with Paladin, a man who humbly acts as the mouthpiece of God and loves Tipper as well.
Her country still recovering from an attempted revolution by an evil wizard, Tipper has to move the three magical statues to safety while spies roam the land in preparation for an invasion from a resource-depleted kingdom. Bealomondore goes with Tipper and is faced with the decision of whether or not to become a warrior. When her father disappears, Tipper is torn between searching for her father and staying to protect the statues. She and Bealomondore decide to seek Tippers father, so they leave the statues with Wizard Fenworth. During their search, they encounter an evil creature called the Grawl. After they finally find Tippers father spying on the enemy, they race to try to protect their unprepared country from invasion and convince the prideful king, Tippers grandfather, to listen to Paladin.
Tipper tries to do the best she can with the situations thrust upon her, but her pride and rebellious nature often overrule her common sense. Her prideful decision to ignore good advice at one point causes her to break her ankle, which causes many delays in her search for her father. Proverbs 11:2 says, When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Both Tipper and her grandfather discover the prophetic truth of this verse.
As a fan of Donita K. Paul, I was excited to read this book but was slightly disappointed with it. The plot was somewhat generic fantasy and did not rise to her usual standards. The characters were fairly flat and were not fully developed. Paul also needed better descriptions of the Grawl, the main antagonist. This book would be great for preteens and young teens, but I would not recommend it for any older fans of fantasy. Nathan Sturgis, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com
