I’ve not previously read anything by this author, so this was my introduction to the world. The story moves along at a good pace, and it’s a good choice if you’re looking for an easy, uncomplicated read. The characters were portrayed in a straightforward manner. I got more sense of teenage angst than I’d expected going in, though fortunately not so much as to lose my sympathy for the characters.

All in all, a quick fun read with a “young” feel to it.

Book Review – A Keeper’s Tale by JA Andrews
A Keeper’s Tale by JA Andrews is the tale of a boy living in the shadow of his older brother, a girl running away from her past and a dragon seeking revenge.

The Bad Stuff: There were one or two places in this story where the description had been dumped in a block of information. This could have been worked into the story better and revealed over a few pages, rather than clumped together in one piece. There were also one or two spots later in the story where the actions became a little stunted. I.e. He did this, then he did that, sort of thing, but it was very limited and other than that, there wasn’t really anything I didn’t like.

The Good Stuff: This book was a freebie for signing up to JA Andrews blog and I was very pleasantly surprized by it. Other than the couple of points noted above, it was well written. In fact, there were parts in the beginning section that I really loved because they were so well written. The story is definitely geared towards YA and fits well into this genre. The story is quite clever in my opinion with some great dialogue. The metaphors and similes are original and the characters are likeable.

Overall this is a quick, fun read. I really enjoyed it and therefore I’m going to give this one a dragon roaring 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks.
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A Keeper’s Tale
By JA Andrews

A Keeper’s Tale is a wonderful story about a young man, Tomkins Thornhewn, the son of a Duke and the paper handler for the Marshwell’s Keep, which is his families kingdom. He defies reality and without formal training, goes to kill a dragon with his granduncle Horace’s sword, the Scalebreaker, to show that he is worthy of an honorable deed. Tomkin Thornhewn of Marshwell, with the aid of Lissa of Greentree -also known as the Dragon Lady, work together to try to survive the wrath of a dragon.
This smart dragon, Vorath, is a beautiful bright sparling golden orange and brighter than the sun. He could spew fire at a moment’s notice as all dragons can do. Vorath has returned to the Cobreth Castle ruins in Marshwell to avenge his mother’s death by Tomkin’s granduncle Horace.
Lissa of Greentree believes that she has made a deal with the dragon to be able to hide out in the castle with him. She had run away from her father in hopes of avoiding a marriage between her and Tomkin and just wanted to live a peaceful life.
Tomkin hears about the dragon from a villager and decides to make the journey to Cobreth Castle for an adventure. Little does Tomkin know that he is supposed to marry Lissa when he crahes into her in the castle. Together they learn of the dragon’s desire for destruction and try to escape their prison with no hope of success.vvv
This quick-paced tale leaves all to the imagination until the very end of the story. I would put this tale on my list of must read stories for readers who like tales about dragons and adventures. This book was a gift for a review and I have it online. ( )

Charming and Humorous Tale

This is a cute tale of adventure simply written, with dragons, magic, bald sheep, and old ruined castles. The main characters are fierce in personality and determination, yet flawed. I quite adored Tomkin and his naïveté, but my fave character was Wink, the Kobold. The best scene was the kitchen scene and the hijinks. I'm not sure what age the characters were supposed to be, but they were old enough to marry. They seemed whiny at times, but when I think about it, they behaved exactly as two teenagers would who are shouldered with too much responsibility.

Reader Rated for ages 10 ( )

A Keeper's Tale: The Story of Tomkin and the Dragon by J.A. Andrews is a story about Tomkin Thornhewn, and his boredom with his role in life. He decides to seek out a dragon he heard tale of.

This is a wonderful story of courage and romance. I loved the way Andrews told this story. I was sucked in from the start. I'll definitely be reading more of her work. ( )