Backyard Dragons - Lee French

                Backyard Dragons is the second book in the Spirit Knight series and having read the first book and enjoyed it I looked forward to reading this one. It did not disappoint. Claire, the only female Spirit Knight, continues on her path of discovering exactly what being a knight entails, all while learning to deal with her new adoptive family, finding what type of animal is her “sprite” (soul-bonded companion), and trying to help her boyfriend, Drew, out of a bit of a pickle. Claire has matured quite a bit since the first book and embraces being a knight, even the tasks that leave her bloody and bruised. The character is well written in that her maturity didn’t just happen all at once. As a reader you can see it come about gradually and with believability. She’s likeable and I was rooting her on throughout the book. On the flip side, the author shows Justin’s weaknesses even though he is a knight and Claire’s mentor. Their bond is one of admiration, respect and, ultimately, love. My favorite character by far is little Enion, Claire’s tiny sprite who is a dragon. I look forward to reading more about Enion’s growth, both physically and emotionally, in future books.

 I really enjoy this writer’s style. It’s entertaining and easy to read. There are lessons to be learned throughout the book but they aren’t preachy, rather done so subtly you barely know they are there. This book is aimed at young adults but I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to the next one in the series. The setting is modern times with a dash of magic thrown in that keeps the reader’s imagination thirsting for more of Lee French’s world. I read this on my ereader and it formatted well with excellent editing. The cover is intriguing and gels with the story well. This is definitely worth the read!