But throughout the book, I realized what was happening, and he was doing his best with what he had to work with. As I read on through the book, he grew on me. He doesn’t seem to be aware of what the villagers think of him - that after being in his tower for a decade, the girls are “ruined,” and always leave the village behind shortly after being released. She never quite loses her inner village girl, the daughter of a woodcutter who is more at home in nature than she is anywhere else.įor his part, the Dragon doesn’t do much to allay Agnieszka’s fears or concerns. Somewhere along the way, she starts learning what it means to serve him, and it isn’t anything like what she expects. She’s endlessly frustrating to the Dragon, but she’s brave, kind, selfless, and smart.

She’s plain looking, clumsy, always getting her clothes dirty/torn/messy somehow, an average cook, terrified of the Dragon, and homesick for the valley that she can see outside her window. All they have to do is let the Dragon choose one of their daughters once every 10 years.ĭespite Agnieszka (and everyone else) expecting the Dragon to choose Kasia, he doesn’t. But there’s something that keeps these families tied to the valley, and prevents them from just picking up and moving to a place that isn’t threatened by the wood.

The two countries are separated by the Wood, a terrifying and dangerous place.Īgnieszka and the other residents of the valley live simple lives, relying on the magic of the Dragon to protect them from the creeping influence of the Wood.

While I recognized many of the names as being Polish in origin (for example, Agnieszka is pronounced ag-NYESH-kah), it took me quite a few pages to make the connection between Polnya as Poland and Rosya as Russia, since I’ve only heard Poland called Polska in Polish (it’s where my father was from). Like some of my favorite fantasy stories, this one blended vague elements of the real world with fantasy. The story is clearly set a long time ago, which was evident well before the hint of years was even mentioned. And there is no way to save her.īut when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka knows - everyone knows - that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. But he demands a terrible price for his assistance: Every ten years, one young woman must be handed over to serve him without question. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep the Wood’s dark forces at bay. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Agnieszka loves her valley home in a quiet village.

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