I started reading The Dragon Keeper by Mindy Mejia a couple weeks after rereading The Hunger Games. Despite the title, it's about the kind of dragons you see in fantasy novels. Rather, it's about a reptile zookeeper at the Zoo of America and a Komodo dragon, a kind of reptile originally from Indonesia. Initially, the main character of The Dragon Keeper, Meg Yancy, reminded me of a grown-up version of Katniss, the main character from The Hunger Games. Both are kinda grumpy with other people. Both have a hard time making friends and have a way of pissing off mentors of bosses.
However, the more I read The Dragon Keeper, the more I liked Meg, despite the fact that I was sure she was written to be an anti-heroine who was hard to like. I liked Meg's friendship with Gemma, one of her fellow zookeepers who was the complete opposite of Meg. I loved how fiercely protective Meg was of Jata, the Komodo dragon under care. And, most of all, I was amused by Meg's relationships with Chuck, her boss, and Antonio, the suave head veterinarian who fancies himself a ladies' man. I can't tell you too much about Meg's relationship with Antonio without spoiling it. Chuck, however, comes across as harried and a little distracted, when he doesn't notice that Meg always signs her name as Meg and not Megan.
As an added bonus, one of my cats loved The Dragon Keeper. Normally, Spencer Pants is more interested in napping and eating, so it was a pleasant surprise when he meandered over to check out the book when it arrived.
I'm giving this 4 paws up, for Jata and especially Meg's relations with Gemma, Antonio, and Chuck. New, $18.95. Order here.
A note about our review policies: 1 paw up means it was irredeemably bad and you shouldn't read it. 2 paws up means it wasn't terrible. 3 paws up means it was good. 4 paws up means it was really good.