Book Review: Lady Dragon Tela Du ~ Kendra E. Ardnek

Two girls with one face
Two girls with twisted fate
One in purple, one in red
One shall speak the other’s death
Who shall win their final war?
Lady Dragon or Tela Du?

Amber, the Lady Dragon, has been promised a fifty-year reign over Rizkaland and nothing can stop her from claiming it. But when you've lived six thousand years, fifty is such a pitiful number. Only one person can keep her from making this reign permanent - the Tela Du, a girl who shall share Amber's face.

The last thing Petra wants is a magical world interrupting her plans for a normal life, let alone an ultimate battle against the Lady Dragon with only one prophesied survivor. She has her childhood best friend, Reuben, at her side, but she's not sure if he's more of a help or a hindrance right now. Though she'd much prefer to just return home and forget about this whole crazy affair, things change when she discovers that the world has surprising connections to her own family - including her sister who disappeared without a trace two years before. Still, Rizkaland can't possibly expect her to risk her very life, can it?

**Warning!  This review my contain spoilers if you have not read Water Princess, Fire Prince.**

  My Review

I very much enjoyed Water Princess, Fire Prince, so it was delightful to return to Rizkaland in its sequel, Lady Dragon, Tela Du.  Once again Kendra wove spiritual truths, life lessons, humor and love together with wonderful characters in her unique fantasy world.

  The scenery made me laugh a lot.  Like, seriously, the colors of the foliage?  I am not making fun of it!!  Not at all!  Sometimes I'm just amused by the most random things and the mental picture of trees and grass and bushes in bright pink and yellow and blue had me laughing.

  There weren't as many different animals in Lady Dragon, Tela Du as were in Water Princess, Fire Prince, but we did have to chance to learn more about the animals on the Isle of Taking Beasts, and their different gifts are quite remarkable!!

  But the people were the best part.

  Petra was well written.  Yes she annoyed me at times, but that was because of her personality (which is quite different from mine) not because of how she was written.  Her attempts to shut others out and her resentment of Ashley irritated me, but I admired her strength and commitment when she finally accepted her rule as the Tela Du.

  I adored Reuben.  He was a boy after my own heart.  Not only do we have similar personalities, but we also share a lot of the same interests.  If I had read Narnia when I was younger (I didn't read it until I was 16), I also would have sat in closets waiting for it to take me to Narnia.  But his strength and courage, his unwavering support of Petra, and his amusing and unfailing sense of humor were my favorite things about him.  And his incredulity when he learned that Andrew Stevenson was the Fire Prince, had me in stitches.

  My heart bled for Ashley.  Losing her parents and then being thrust into an unknown world and having to live with someone who disliked and resented her as much as Petra did, that's pretty tough!  But her unfailing sweetness and faith were beautiful.  And her awe of the Arden and Eaglechaser parents was adorable!

  Summer and Tyler were quite amusing.  It was great to finally meet some of the Ten and to learn how all the different characters are intertwined.

  Amber.  Amber is rather an interesting character.  I loved delving into her backstory and learning about the girl behind the Dragon.

  And Granite.  He was my favorite character.  I find Granite even more intriguing then Amber because he isn't evil like her.  They didn't fall together.  So seeing the "good vs. evil" byplay between the two of them was very, very interesting.

  And then there's Laura.  What can I even say about her?  She is such a fantastic, amazing, complex character.  We didn't see many different sides of her in Water Princess, Fire Prince, but she is very prominent in Lady Dragon, Tela Du, and we see more facets of her character.  Powerful, angry (she's scary then!) and at times hurting so much that you just want to reach through the book and give her a hug.  There is so much sadness, pain and loneliness in her life, but also a lot of love and happiness.

  While Water Princess, Fire Prince is my personal favorite of the Rizkaland Series, Lady Dragon, Tela Du is an excellent story that I would recommend to readers of Christian Fantasy who are over 15 years of age.

Author Bio:  Kendra E. Ardnek is a homeschool graduate who picked up a pen at an early age and never put it down.  The eldest of four, she makes her home in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her parents, younger siblings, giant herd of giraffes, and honor guard of nutcrackers.

  You can visit Kendra on her BLOG, and OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

  You can buy Lady Dragon, Tela Du on Kindle HERE, and in paperback HERE.  A Kindle copy of Water Princess, Fire Prince, the first book in The Rizkaland Legends, is also free until the 23rd.

Snow!

  Last night while Mum, Mel and I were watching our episodes of Kdrama, we took a break and I went to check on something.  I chanced to look out the window and.......IT WAS SNOWING!!!!!!!!  As I have mentioned before, snowfalls always turn me into a 5 year old again.  I was hooting an hollering (as loud as I dared because everyone else was sleeping) and grabbed the camera.  Oh and it was about 10:45 pm.

I know, there is hardly anything out there, but it was still snow.

It didn't stick, except on the mountains.

I really like this one.  If you look hard enough, you can see the Russian Olive trees.

  Oh and I posted a VERY good Plum Cake recipe over on my other blog.  Zwetschgen Datschi

A Very Exciting Day...

  Today was a day that I have been looking forward to for a month.  Today, I had the great privilege of meeting up with Maeve Daley and her family.  They were traveling coming right past our place, so we met up a a nearby truck stop.  We were able to hang out for 2 hours and we had a lot of fun.  And I we got pictures!!  Mum and I took Jill with us so that Maeve's younger sisters had someone to talk to.  They had a lot of fun too!!

Maeve, Me, Jill, Clare and Fiona.

  Thank you Maeve for suggesting it and thank you Mum, and Mr. and Mrs. Daley for allowing it!!

Q&A Tag

  I have been tagged by both Nimrodel and Fawnabelle.  And Fawna, I want to know why I am being punished?  ;)  Just kidding!!  Thank you for tagging me girls!

    Rules:
  Link to the blogger(s) who have nominated you.
  Answer the Questions you were given.
  Nominate 10 bloggers.
  Write out your 10 questions.
  Let them know they've been tagged.

    Nimrodel's Questions
1. Do you play a sport?  Is there a sport you want to learn?
  No I do not play a sport...unless you call wrangling your younger siblings a sport.  Then yes I do....and I'm quite proficient at it as well!!

  There are several sports I would like to learn.  Tae Kwan Do.  Archery.  Skiing.   Fencing.  (No Fawna, I am not coping you!)  The first for self-defense, the others for amusement.

2. Sunrise or Sunset?  Why?
  It's hard to chose!  Watching the world come to life is so much fun, but watching the Sun sink lower and lower and paint colors that know one else can, is amazing as well.

3. What was your dream job as a little kid?
  Ooooo.  You know, I don't really know!  I didn't really have one.

4. What was that last movie you watched that you really liked?
  Movie?  The last movie I watched that I really liked, would ahve to be Prince Caspian which I watch in July.

5. What songs are stuck in your head?
  SHINee ~ Fly High.  From the OST of a k-drama I have not seen.
  Ooo-de-lally ~ Disney's Robin Hood.  Can you sing it with your tongue touching the roof of your mouth the whole time?
  Celtic Woman ~ Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  Because I was listening to Christmas music and  heard that song, and then last night Melody said something about making lists.....

6. What is something that makes you feel nostalgic?
  Candlelight.  Canning in the Autumn.

7. If you were granted an extra hour to be added to your day (so you have 25 hours) what would you spend the hour doing?
  Probably reading or catching up with friends.

8. What is one of the most embarrassing moments you are willing to share?
  One time we were at a stamping party and one of my older sister's friends was wearing these bright red glittery flats.  She said how someone told her, "Those make me think of Dorothy", I thought she said "dorky" and so I said "I don't think they are dorky!".  Then she repeated herself.  At 11-12 I found it pretty embarrassing!

9. If you could customize your car license plate (for most U.S. readers, that means picking any combanation of 5-7 numbers or letters) what would you like your license plate to say?
  41104ME  A reference to my favorite Bible verse, Isaiah 41:10.

10. Rivers, lakes, streams, ponds or the ocean?
  They are all so much fun!!  But if I had to have one on or adjoining my property, I would choose a lake or large pond.  Then I could go skating on it in the winter, and swimming and boating in the summer.



  Fawnabelle's Questions

1. What is your favorite thing about fall?
  The nippy wind blowing in your face.  The gorgeous colors that paint the mountainside.  The honk of geese as they head south.

2. How do you eat a cupcake? (Trust me, there are several ways...)
  In public, I peel the wrapper away and eat it daintily trying not to get frosting on my nose.  In private, I usually take the wrapper all the way off, turn it upside down, and eat it from the bottom down saving the frosting for the end.

3. How do you prefer your cookies?  Crispy?  Gooey?  Half-baked?  RAW?!
  Crisp or gooey, depending on the type.

4.  Is there a traditional food and/or dessert that your family makes for the holidays?  What is it?  (Can I have the recipe?)
  Well, I try to make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread every season.

5. What is your favorite soup?
  Does thick, chunky Stew (my specialty) count?  Otherwise, Sour Cream Potato Chive Soup.

6. What do you eat for breakfast during the holidays?  Anything special?
  Well this year we started having special breakfasts of Ice Cream and another dessert (doughnuts, pudding pie, fruit bars, cheesecake bars, etc.) on Half-Birthdays, but during the Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year holiday season, no, we don't really.  Oh wait, we do on Christmas morning.  We have pancakes with maple syrup.  (Drenched in it in my case!)

7. Do you carve out your pumpkins to decorate your porch during Halloween time?
  Nope.  We don't celebrate Halloween.

8.  Are you excited to eat all the delicious foods waiting for us in these coming winter months?!
  YES!!  For the second year in a row, we are going to make November a 'Pumpkin Month' where we make a pumpkin dish (dessert or other) every day!!

9.  Does it snow where you live?  About how much snow do you get?
  Yes.  We generally get an average of 2 ft. of snow every winter.  Some years we get more.

10. Do you make your hot cocoa special?  Any extra marshmallows or whipped cream?  Powdered cinnamon?!  Does anyone drink champurrado?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
  Yes.  Yes.  No.  No.  For Hot Cocoa, I like to drink Blue Diamond Chocolate Almond Milk heated with Caramel Sauce and Guittard's White Chocolate (melted in a little cream) mix in and Whipped Cream on top.


  Now, I'm not going to nominate 10 for the same reason that Fawnabelle gave.  But here are the ones that I do nominate.

Clare

Maeve

Keturah

Rachel

Tazzie (you can either answer them in the comments, or borrow my blog)

and...... *snickers* Fawnabelle!!  (giving back what you gave!!)


    My 10 Questions
  1. What is your favorite flavor and brand of Ice Cream.
  2. Have you ever seen the ocean?
  3. Have you ever gone water skiing?
  4. What is your favorite memory connected with summer?
  5. What is your favorite winter activity?
  6. Who is your favorite actor?
  7. What movie is a go-to for your family?
  8. Have you ever played around in the rain until you were soaking wet?
  9. You are sitting by a tree, a bear appears 20 yards from you.  He hasn't seen you yet.  What will you do?  (the tree is climbable (by humans) and it is a grizzly.)
  10. And now, of the gentlemen below, whose looks do you prefer?

Ji Chang Wook

via Pinterest

Lee Min Ho

via Pinterest

Enjoy girls!!

Books I Read In September 2016

Titles that have nothing before them are books that I read for the first time.

Titles with this ** before them, are books that I re-read.

 Titles with # before them, are books that I read out loud to my little siblings.

Titles in ( ), are books borrowed from the Library.

(Fairest) ~ Gail Carson Levine

Honor Bright ~ Laura Howe Richards

** Hans Brinker ~ Mary Mapes Dodge

** Ella Enchanted ~ Gail Carson Levine

** The Princess Spy ~ Melanie Dickerson

Operation Mistletoe ~ Elizabeth Maddrey

Finding Love in Sun Valley Idaho ~ Angela Ruth Strong

The Princess Test ~ Gail Carson Levine

Yukon Cowboy ~ Debra Clopton

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep ~ Gail Carson Levine

Lassie Come Home ~ Eric Knight

** Chip of the Flying U ~ B.M. Bower

(Cinder) ~ Marissa Meyer

** Love Is A Gentle Stranger ~ June Masters Bacher 

** Love's Silent Song ~ June Masters Bacher

** Diary of A Loving Heart ~ June Masters Bacher

** Love Leads Home ~ June Masters Bacher

** Love Follows the Heart ~ June Masters Bacher

Treasure Island ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Sticky Notes ~ Sherri Schoeborn Murray

Maid to Love ~ Jennifer Johnson

** The Bronze Bow ~ Elizabeth George Speare

Ovind ~ Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

Miss Fairfax of Virginia ~ St. George Rathbone

Mary Jane in New England ~ Clara Ingram Judson

The Women Who Came In the Mayflower ~ Annie Russell Marble

(Blind Date Bride) ~ Jillian Hart

Yes, I know I read a lot of books last month!!

Braids

  This morning Jenny and I were sitting on the sofa laughing at how different our hair is in color.  First I was twisting a chunk of her hair around a chunk of mine, then I braided it.  Here is the result.  Jenny is the blonde, I'm the brown.  And yes, I do realize that this is the first picture of me to ever be on my blog.

This is the first picture, taken indoors.

Second picture, taken outside.

Country Life

Country life is beautiful.

Coyotes and crickets singing you to sleep.

The smell of fresh cut hay on a balmy summer evening or crisp clear morning.

Fields of sun ripened wheat waving around you.

Laying of your back and watching fluffy white clouds sailing above you with nothing to obstruct the view.

Deep blue night skies full of sparkling stars.  "Summer skies dripping rhinestones".

The smell of rain wet earth during a thunderstorm.

Clear views of the moon.  Have you ever looked the moon through a pair of strong binoculars?

Running out barefoot to bring in the laundry when it starts to rain.

Spectacular sunrises and stunning sunsets.

Spending over two hours on a Friday morning watching close to 1500 cows walk past on their way down from summer pasture.  Chatting and laughing with the cowboys and girls driving them.

Rolling and standing round bales on end.  It's really a lot of fun!

 Being lulled to sleep by the sound of raindrops pattering on the hollyhock leaves outside your window.

Country life is beautiful.

Disclaimer: Yes I do realize that not all people who live in the country are able to experiance these things.

Yes I realize that you can do some of these things in the city as well.