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For her daughter’s fifteenth birthday, Jessica takes Keeley on a mother-daughter hike in the Great Smoky Mountains. Near the top of a ridge, they’re surprised by a strange bird blocking the trail. Keeley immediately decides that it’s a dragon, which Jessica thinks is
impossible. Dragon or not, though, it seems to be in pain, and Keeley wants to help it—no matter how dangerous it might be.
The dragon invades Jessica’s mind with a series of pictures, showing its mother getting shot down by a rocket launcher. The baby dragon has chosen Jessica as its guardian, so she decides to get it to a cave where it can hide until they figure out what to do.
Drew McGregor is sent into the mountains to find some unknown animal for the military. But when he left on his mission, he didn’t expect to find his long-dead brother’s high school girlfriend, Jessica, with a child who looks suspiciously like the McGregors.
Also in the woods are a camp of civilians called Keepers of the Treasure and a gang of survivalists. They’re all surrounding the strange, bird-like creature—and Jessica and her daughter are right in the middle of it all, where things could get deadly. Suddenly, Drew’s mission switches from capturing an animal to getting Jessica and Keeley out alive.
While reading Keepers of Legend, I found it very easy to suspend my belief and imagine dragons flying around in the Great Smoky Mountains, which is where I happen to live. The story is warm and inviting, and it’s filled with characters that I’d be comfortable hanging around with. It’s also refreshing to see a mother-daughter relationship that’s so full of love and respect.
Along with a soft-hearted story, the plot is often fast-paced and stirring, leaving you anxious for the baby dragon and its safety. I don’t normally like stories about dragons, but Ms. Hutton managed to make me believe that the impossible might just be possible after all.
So, the next time I step out into my back yard, I’ll look to the skies to see if I can catch a glimpse of a flying dragon. At the same time, I’ll also keep my eye out for the next dragon story by Cheryel Hutton.
