Dragonfriend by Marc Secchia is the story of Hualiama, often just called Lia, who was thrown off a dragonship and rescued by a little dragonet. Unfortunately, she landed on an island forbidden to humans, so of course one of Lia's goals is to get off the island alive. Then there is the matter of revenge on Ra'aba, who is responsible for her fall and for the exile of her family (the family of the rightful king). Lia always dreamed of dragons, flying with them, even falling in love with one. When she gets to meet Flicker - a dragonet - and becomes fast friends with him, it seems like there is more to her dreams than Lia could have ever imagined.

I like that Dragonfriend by Marc Secchia is a longer book, and not just a short story without depth. While I wished that some parts of the plot were more developed, I found that the story was moving along at almost the right pace. Some parts of the plot were predictable, but other parts were rather different from what you would expect, so you could never be 100% sure about what would happen to the characters. In this fantasy novel, the reader is taken on a truly fantastic journey - similar to other dragon stories, and yet very different. I would definitely recommend the book to people who enjoy well written fantasy that draws you into a different world. It is not easy to put down this book as the writing flows smoothly, and the characters are very charismatic.

Lia instinctively knows that there is more to her life than simply being the ward of the King of Fra’anior. Fighting back against Ra’aba, the evil Captain of the Royal Guard who is removing the royal family to exile, is just the beginning of Lia’s amazing adventures in Dragonfriend: Book 1 by Marc Secchia. Saved from death in the Cloudlands by Flicker, a feisty little dragonet, Lia soon discovers her lifelong fascination with dragons is more than just childish dreams. Lia becomes friends with Flicker and the Ancient Dragon Amaryllion who lives in the dragon’s holy mountain, Ha’athior, and learns to speak Dragonish. Through this relationship, Lia discovers that there is some secret to her background that is to play an important role in the coming battle against Ra’aba who has allied with renegade dragons to take over Fra’anior. After spending time training with the warrior monks at a monastery dedicated to the Great Dragon and saving the life of the Tourmaline Dragon, Lia embarks on a quest with him to find the dragoness who has the answers Lia craves – who were her real parents and why is she so attracted to the beautiful beasts that rule the air?

Amazing detail and astounding complexity immerse you in the floating island-world set in the Cloudlands that is the home of humans and dragons. Dragonfriend, Book 1 of the Dragonfriend series by Marc Secchia, takes you to this mythical setting with fabulous creatures and multifaceted characters where you can experience love, loss, hope, despair and countless other emotions. Tremendously rich and wonderfully creative, Dragonfriend explores a wide range of feelings and human traits from a unique perspective, leaving you breathless with excitement and moved with emotion. This is truly a story to savor and enjoy again and again as you look forward with great anticipation to the follow-up book, Dragonlove.