Dragonfruit is a young-adult fantasy about a girl, Hanalei, trying to make amends due to her father’s past actions. When Hanalei was young, she was a page to the Princess, mother of her friend Samahit (referred to as Sam). During a foreign visit, Hanalei and the Princess were poisoned. Both enter a deep sleep and the only remedy is dragonfruit, an egg of a sea dragon. At the time, dragonfruit was only secured for Sam’s mother. But desperate to save his daughter’s life, Hanalei’s father steals the dragonfruit and he gives it to Hanalei. Hanalei awakens, but she and her father are forced out of the kingdom as exiles.
At eighteen, Hanalei returns to the kingdom via a dragon hunter’s ship. Hanalei has spent years studying dragons and her knowledge can be useful to find other dragonfruit. She reunites with Sam and as the novel progresses, they develop romantic feelings for one another.
Along with a group of friends and allies, they go on a journey to find dragonfruit to give to Sam’s mother who is still in a deep sleep. But using the dragonfruit comes at a price. (Hanalei’s father died not too long after Hanalei woke from her deep sleep.) How many other sacrifices are going to be made to cure Sam’s mother? Is there another way to cure her?
Overall, this was an interesting and engaging fantasy. However, I felt the ending did not quite resolve everything, particularly on a personal level. There was also a sub plot surrounding Sam’s cousin that I found a little odd. On the plus side, there were some interesting conversations between Hanalei and Sam about the relationship between faith and science in addition to how the gods (they are a culture who believes in many gods, not one) care about their problems and if they intervene to grant them their prayers.
Rating: 4/5
Next Novel to Review: Love’s a Mystery in Hazardville, CT