Book Review: DRAGON'S TONGUE, by Laura J. Underwood

[Teresa Edgerton]

This is a fast-paced tale of magic and music (the author herself is a musician and instrument-maker, who can be spotted sometimes at conventions playing the beautiful harp that she made herself). For the most part light-hearted and adventurous, DRAGON'S TONGUE also has its darker moments, courtesy of a truly despicable and utterly ruthless villain and his (literally) blood-thirsty demon slave.

When Alaric Braidwine, talented bard and fledgling magician, first comes to the school at Dun Gealach, he is an earnest youth determined to make up for his somewhat limited training by applying himself to his magical studies, staying out of trouble, and avoiding "those who would gladly lead a good man's son into a host of immoral temptations." Unfortunately for these excellent intentions, he almost immediately falls in with the flamboyant, outrageously-talented (often purely outrageous) Fenelon Greenfyn, who no sooner meets Alaric than he begins to lead him into just the sort of situations his father warned him against.

Meanwhile, the blood mage Tane Dornan has discovered that Alaric holds information (in the form of a song) which could lead Tane to the legendary Dragon's Tongue -- by means of which the blood mage hopes to raise himself to godlike powers. Accordingly, he sends the aforementioned demon, Vagner, to kidnap the young magician/bard. Alas for Alaric: Had he been able to lead the sort of blameless life he originally intended, he might have stayed anonymous and secure inside the walls of the school, but as companion (and soon apprentice) to that chronic rule-breaker and attention-grabber Fenelon he hasn't a chance! Before he knows it, he is embroiled in a series of dangerous escapades, one peril leading to the next, one catastrophe averted only to see Alaric and his friends plunged into even worse difficulties. As if that weren't enough, the music-loving demon develops a fondness for the hapless youth -- an attraction which, for all its advantages in terms of keeping Alaric alive, proves as inconvenient and embarrassing as one might expect.

Although these adventures play out against a complex backdrop of history, magical lore, and legends, Laura Underwood's straight-forward style keeps the plot moving, and her sense of humor further enlivens the tale. Nevertheless be warned: there are some blood-curdling moments.