THE MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY

THE MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY by Jaleigh Johnson

The Mark of the Dragonfly is an interesting read that mainly falls on the dystopian side with a bit of fantasy mixed in.

Piper is from The Merrow Kingdom, a place where mainly "scrappers" reside. Every full moon brings meteor showers that somehow deposit articles from other worlds along a fifty mile stretch of land. It is illegal to be out in the storms because of the danger, but afterwards it's game on to collect whatever items of value can be found and sold.

During one such meteor storm, it is discovered that a young friend of Piper's is missing. Thinking he can get a headstart on everyone, he goes to the fields during the shower to try and collect the items of value first. Unaware of the danger he is in, Piper pursues him. Finding him, they shelter together during the storm, but soon become aware they aren't the only ones out in the shower. A small caravan is traveling through, clearly not from their area. When the caravan is struck by falling debris, Piper runs out to lend a hand. What she finds is a young girl still alive in the wreckage. Taking her home, she discovers the girl has a coveted dragonfly tattoo on her arm. This signifies that she is from the Dragonfly Territories and is under the care and protection of King Aron. What this ultimately means is a monetary reward if Piper can return her home. When the girl, Anna, wakes up in Piper's home, she has no recollection who she is or where she's from. The only thing she knows to do is beg Piper to keep her safe from the "wolf." The necessity of this request is solidified when a man shows up at Piper's house looking for the girl. The book launches from here into an action packed adventure of trying to return Anna to The DragonflyTerritories aboard the 401, an impossible train to stowaway on and one where a ticket costs more than a year's wages, but Piper's not the type of person to let a few obstacles in life get in her way. It's here that she'll meet some interesting characters that she will have to determine if they are friend or foe

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but there are a couple of areas to be aware.

HEADS UP- It is clear that the people worship a goddess of some sort. There is not any deep explanation about her. They will just periodically mention her in passing and swear by her.

-Piper takes Anna to a sarnun which is a creature that has telekinetic and telepathic abilities. They can touch an item or person and have visions of where they are from, etc.

-There is a light amount of magic involved. The magic typically increases mechanical abilities.

- SPOILER ALERT There is a boy who shapeshifts from a human into a flying creature. There is one time that he is injured while in the creature form. When he shapeshifts back he is naked. There is no detail about this, just that Piper quickly covers him up.