Review: The Mark of the Dragonfly

Review: The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson

Piper has never seen the Mark of the Dragonfly until she finds the girl amid the wreckage of a caravan in the Meteor Fields. The girl doesn't remember a thing about her life, but the intricate tattoo on her arm is proof that she's from the Dragonfly Territories and that she's protected by the king. Which means a reward for Piper if she can get the girl home. The one sure way to the Territories is the 401, a great old beauty of a train. But a ticket costs more coin than Piper could make in a year. And stowing away is a difficult prospect--everyone knows that getting past the peculiar green-eyed boy who stands guard is nearly impossible. Life for Piper just turned dangerous. A little bit magical. And very exciting, if she can manage to survive the journey.
-summary and cover via Goodreads


Plot: When I began this book I didn't really have any idea of what it was about. I don't remember ever reading a review for it, no one I know IRL had read it, and I hadn't done much research about it beforehand. I just went into the library, remembered having seen it at the bookstore awhile back, thought the cover was pretty, and thought it would be neat to try. I'm very glad I did! I'm not going to tell you much about the plot, because I think not knowing much about it when you go into it is a good thing. I think I would list this as a Fantasy book, but I'm not entirely sure about that. I found it in the YA area at the library, but online I see it's listed as MG, don't totally know what it is then. In my opinion, probably upper-MG, lower-YA. The plot of this book in one word? AMAZING! And there is a twist in this book that was just... Wow! Totally did not predict it!

Characters: LOVE! Piper is one of the best main characters I have read ever! Unlike some characters in books, she just feels like a very real person that you relate to, even when you don't totally agree with what she's doing. And Gee. Gee was just wonderful and I love him. And Anna? She's the kind of character you just want to hug! And the other characters were all just wonderful, too! The only thing is that I felt sometimes the characters acted older than their age (Piper and Gee are both thirteen from what I remember from it.), but I excuse that with the fact that the lives they have liven have made them that way.

The cover: Very pretty! The cover is what drew me to this book in the first place! :)

Overall: I got this book on a Saturday afternoon, began it that night, and finished it the following day. I don't often read a book that fast, but when I do it's because I'm loving it! I'm very glad that I gave this book a try, and would gladly read more books with these characters in it! I highly encourage all of you who have not read it, to fix that immediately! If you're a Fantasy fan or just want something different, this is a book you need to try! (And by the way, a lot of this book takes place on a train! Which is awesome.)

I checked this book out from my library.

Authors website: http://www.jaleighjohnson.com/
Age Range: Middle Grade
Series?: I don't think it's a series, but  I think a companion book is releasing eventually!
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers