Princess Rosalind is born with a horrible disfigurement - a Dragon Claw Finger to replace her ring finger. Rosalind hides this abomination away by wearing gloves until her mother, the Queen, finds a cure. Princess Rosalind was the much awaited child that would fulfill her Mother's quest to provide the 21st Pendragon queen of Merlin's prophecy that will bring peace to England.
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The story opens with Rosalind's Mother scraping down the dragon's claw which is obviously a regular ritual that Rosalind must succumb to. Later on, Wilde Island is attacked by Dragons and a dragon carries away Rosalind's close friend. Rosalind is wracked with sorrow but her mother shows a cold heartlessness. The Queen focuses on bringing in healers from across the lands to find a cure for Rosalind's ailment so that Rosalind can be a normal girl and marry royalty, securing the Pendragon lineage.
One day, the Queen brings Rosalind to a cave where a witch awaits them. It is revealed that the Queen had drunk the slime of a dragon's egg in order to conceive Rosalind. Rosalind also learns that she may not be the prophecied queen after all, because she is imperfect. Distraught by the truth, she runs away. In the forest, she finds a dragon and she and the dragon seem mesmerized by each other. The dragon ultimately leaves her be. Her mother and the witch find her again and they force her to undergo a surgery that involves cutting off the blood circulation of her finger to kill the flesh. But the entire ordeal only worsens the problem.
The Dragon attacks continue sporadically with the weather. One day, a Lord arrives on a ship carrying an impressive cargo - a dead dragon. Rosalind meets the Lord's son, Kye, who is saddened at the kill must to Rosalind' surprise. The Queen immediately forces Rosalind to make herself look as appealing as possible so that the Lord can report to his empress that she is a viable candidate to marry the Prince. At the festivities to celebrate the slaying of the dragon, the villages show their bloodlust and hatred of dragons by kicking the corpse and singing victorious songs. Suddenly, the dragon's mate returns to the village. It is revealed that the slayed dragon was a mother carrying dragon eggs. The dragon's mate sets his wife on fire and takes the eggs away by using a fishing boat tied to its claw. He tows all eggs except one back to Dragon's Keep where the dragon's lair is.
Over the next few weeks, Rosalind and Kye get to know each other and Rosalind develops feelings for Kye. During an outing in the woods, however, Rosalind takes a tumble and injures herself. Wolves surround her and Kye rescues her. As he is trying to treat her wounds, her glove falls off and Kye sees her abomination of a finger. His treatment towards her completely changes. Rosalind sees that her Mother has observed the entire thing and fears that her Mother will find some way to kill Kye for what he knows.
One day, a dragon appears out of nowhere and takes Rosalind claiming her as one of his own. Her mother cannot protest for fear the dragon will reveal the secret. The dragon carries Rosalind to Dragon's Keep. Rosalind learns to live the way of the dragon. The dragon finds her abomination of a finger the only thing beautiful about her. It is revealed that the dragon kidnapped Rosalind to be the nursemaid to his pips because they killed the mother.
One day, Rosalind's rescue party arrives lead by a Knight. But, the Knight refuses to leave without also finding the prophecied sceptor of the mythical Queen Evaine. These are orders from Rosalind's mother who believes this will help secure Rosalind on her throne. Before they can create a plan, the dragon returns and knocks out the Knight. Rosalind strikes a bargain in exchange for the Knight's life and peace from any further dragon attacks. In return, she will stay on the island and nurse the pups until they are grown, never speaking a word to a human again to safeguard the secret of the existence of the pups. The dragon agrees and brings Rosalind to her Mother where the message is delivered.
Rosalind spends the next years as nursemaid, learning the Dragon Tongue language. One day, one of Rosalind's closest servants find her way to Dragon's Keep and relates the tragic story that the Queen has died and Wilde Island is threatened to be usurped by another. The girl entreats Rosie's help but Rosie cannot answer. The servent ends up leaving without Rosie's help. A few days later, however, Rosie's Dragon master dies from sickness of spirit and "health", releasing Rosie from her bind. Rosie and the pips, now grown, part ways, with Rosie returning to Wilde Island.
Eventually, Rosie will confront the usurper and reclaim her rightful throne. She will undergo a trial and be accuse of being a witch. She will be saved Kye.
Best part of story, including ending:
I like that Rosie was willing to live on the island to keep her people safe.
Best scene in story:
My favorite scene is the moment of redemption when Rosie, who is about to be hung for a witch, is proven to be a heroine.
Opinion about the main character:
I like the main character's determination and how she grew from a girl who was ashamed of herself to a girl who was proud of everything about herself, down to her dragon's claw.
