I am going back to one of my favorite topics in literature with today’s book, The Candlestone, which is the second book in the series Dragons In Our Midst by Bryan Davis. It continues the story of Billy and Bonnie as they continue adjusting to their new world. Billy is still trying to adjust to the idea of being a half-dragon and that his father is an actual dragon while Bonnie is still trying to come to terms with her missing mom and being adopted by Walter’s family. Everything changes though when days before her adoption is finalized Bonnie’s dad shows up and claims to be able to save her mother but only with Bonnie’s help. Though reluctant to trust him Bonnie goes with him anyway in an attempt to help her mother. Billy, Walter, Professor Hamilton and Billy’s mom start investigating Bonnie’s dad anyway as they also don’t trust his motives with him having previously worked with the slayers. Upon finding out that things are not what they seem they head out to rescue Bonnie only to discover that there is way more to what is going on than any of them are aware of. In the process, Bonnie finds her faith tested and Billy must learn to have faith, even when it seems difficult to do so.
I feel like this is a good book but not one that will ever be a favorite of mine. Which is weird considering it is about dragons. I think this is primarily due to the way dragons are presented in the book. They are presented primarily as creatures that are inherently sinful and must work to be redeemed due to what they are. I don’t like this idea but I also know that this only used as a plot device in order to further the Christian themes that are present as it implies the dragons can only be redeemed through faith in Christ. It feels like this book is just a little pushy on that theme which I don’t like very much. I don’t mind the theme of Christianity being present, in fact that doesn’t actually bother me at all, but I do mind it being a little pushy. Outside of that it is actually a really good story and I find it extremely intriguing. The concepts it introduces to this world about being able to transluminate things and storing them inside the candlestone are rather interesting and somewhat unique actually. I don’t think I have come across this idea before so it was a fairly unique element. At the same time I felt like this could have been explored more in depth, but I have to acknowledge this is a story for teenagers and they would have probably lost interest if it had been. One of the other things that I liked about this book is about how it focuses on doing the right thing. There are several points in the story where different characters are faced with a choice about what to do. Either do something that only helps them and their close family or do something that helps the innocent. One time it was a choice about doing the honorable thing or the dishonorable thing. The reason I like this is because these are the kinds of plot devices that drive character development and I rather like to watch how characters grow and develop over the course of a book or series of books. In this case, I think Bonnie and Billy show a lot of growth and development throughout this book. Overall, it is a good book and I would give it four out of five stars.
As I have previously said this book was a young adult fantasy book so I think it would probably hold the most appeal to readers who prefer that genre and age range. I am not entirely sure if it would hold a lot of appeal for readers who don’t enjoy fantasy though. The book is primarily young adult but I don’t see why it might not appeal to adults as well as the book is pretty good. However, I don’t think it would be overly appropriate for younger readers as there is some minor violence and discrimination present in the book. One thing I want to add is that this book is also a Christian fantasy book which may deter some readers as well. I know that not everyone is comfortable with that being such an overt theme in a book. Either way, it is a good book and if you decide to try it feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.