I didn't find this one nearly as charming as the first. Jakkin is involved in politics in this installment, and boy do we know it, as he complains about it constantly. Not very much fun to read. I thought the first 1/3 fine and the last 2/3s dragged.The author made choices at the end about who lives and who dies and I must say, I am surprised. It can be so hard to kill off characters.

Let me be first be petty & complain about the cover art. ...Actually, it's indicative of the level of skill inside the book.First, that woman does NOT want to be there. If the male model looked this smug & ugly, I wouldn't want to be pressed against him, either. She's here, she's going to get paid, then she's leaving. She doesn't have to be *happy.*Second, this art work screams "I have no idea how to draw hands or feet!!" ...or lower torsos. There is definitely something wrong with her hips & hi...

This is the second of four books in Yolen's Pit Dragon Trilogy. It continues where the previous book left off. Last time, Jakkin had pretty narrow concerns; survive, get a dragon, get out of bond. Now he's starting to learn that the wider world is relevant to his life. I still can't tell if Yolen's depiction of prostitution is progressive or regressive, partly because sex is only ever brought up as innuendo. On the one hand, there's no stigma associated with working at a "baggery" (where attract...

Sequel to Dragon's Blood, which I recently had to scan for offensive material at the request of a parent. Some situations are not appropriate for elementary--the Baggeries, their name of houses of ill repute are seen as an acceptable place of occupation for young girls. This is actually an incidental part in son otherwise entertaining fantasy world involving Jakkin, a young dragon trainer who seeks his lost love in the city of Rokk, where she is working underground with the rebel forces.

Bah!! I'm not sure what I'm going to rate this. I liked it, I didn't get it, great prose, the ending was shit, the author dropped a bomb that makes me want to pick up the next one. It's all over the place. Reviewing is hard. [Edit: I eventually picked up the next one and ended up donating the series in disappointment. Nothing about the trajectory of the story worked for me. I’d recommend just the first book then moving on with life from there.]

¨Hearts Blood¨ by Jane Yolen was definitely not as good as the first. was like how it gets into the planets politics more and sorta keeps hearts blood in the book but it is very anti-climatic in different ways. It was a story that sorta kept tripping over its self and had a horrible ending that ended very quickly. I also dislike some of the choices for the books plot which made the story choppy and skeptical. One thing i liked about this book for certain though is how they include star ships, gu...

This second book was better than the first, but good grief, the ending was weird. Interesting and sort of artsy, but weird. Heart's Blood addressed some of the bad stuff inherent to the fictional world--the class system, indentured servitude, etc., but also didn't address the casual acceptance of plenty of other bad stuff. (Eugenics, etc.) And dear effing god, the sexism burned all the way through. It was absolutely ridiculous.

I really enjoyed the rescue Akki mission and the on the run parts of the story. The only thing that disappointed me was them killing Hearts Blood at at the end of the book I cried when I read that part and I am one to not cry normally when reading. To me that felt more like the end of the series and there is still one book left so now I am wondering how that will go with Hearts Blood now gone

I would have given this 2 1/2 stars. Heart's Blood continues the story of Dragon's Blood. Here the story becomes involved in the politics of the planet, and Jakkin's relationship with his dragon and Akki develops. Although still imaginative, I found the story a bit clumsy and the dialogue often choppy, or out of character. I found myself thinking, 'would he really have said all that or that way?'Also, I did not like many of the plot choices. I did not like the ending which was too abrupt and rat...

This should have been about political intrigue and rebellion and spying, but instead is about dumb teenagers who don't understand what they're doing and who don't care about the larger picture doing impulsive and stupid things without considering the consequences.On one hand, they're teenagers, so at least their characterization is realistic and understandable.But on the other hand... Jakkin's childishness seems petty, his ignorance less a product of his upbringing and more a lack of concern abo...

I like this series (Dragons? Yay!). These dragons aren't as telepathic as those in Anne McCaffrey's Pern series; their thoughts are more pictures and feelings than speech, but they do communicate, after a fashion, with their Trainers. Mix in a little inter-Galactic politics and rebellion, and you have fuel for some great storylines.There were some errors in my Kindle text, listed here: p. 6, Jakkin won dered / wondered ; p. 9, Oh for God's sake / Oh, for ; p. 15, She houghed once and (Every dict...

Okay, I remember this plot even less than the first one! That's why I go back and reread childhood favorites, I guess ;) It's still quite good. The main character, Jakkin, grows up some, and much of the advice he gets on how to operate in the adult world resonates with me, so I feel I must have absorbed and adopted it myself.One of Yolen's strengths is that she illustrates the scenes with enough detail of the right kind that you feel like you really are there experiencing it. Her characters are

It was pretty boring and slow before the goal of the book completely changed and it just got confusing. Things went from dragon fights to saving Akki from rebels to running from the government.

Where Yolen's earlier Dragon's Blood tells a story of a boy and his (elephantine, fire-breathing) dog, Heart's Blood cracks the world open like a dragon's egg, and pulls no punches in doing so. The series' curious blend of fantasy and science fiction falls somewhat to the wayside as one of the few urban areas of Austar IV, the Rokk, is revealed to Jakkin - seedy underbelly and all. From the Major Pits to the Stews, and from secret rebel extremist bars to the mountains beyond Sarkkhan's farm, Yol...

I don't know how to rate or review this book. There was nothing really bad about it save for the ending seemed pretty abrupt and.....idk, just sudden I guess. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about Heart's Blood. It was written well, but in a sense, I feel as if I have no idea what the purpose of the story was. I don't know. As I said, I finished this book and can't figure out how I feel about it. My true rating on it is more of a 3.5 stars.I likely won't read any of the others in this series.

I enjoyed the introduction of the political element, though it was so simplistic - and the conclusion undermines it so effectively - I'm not sure it was worth it. The end was not what I expected at all, which I have mixed feelings about. I feel like it pulled the rug out from under my feet, changing the thrust of the story altogether. It will be interesting to see if the other books make that shift worth it.The most frustrating element was Akki's shift from a smart, capable young woman to a help...

This story was rather disappointing. Possibly I would have been into it if I'd known about it back in middle school when I kept re-reading Dragon's Blood, but as an adult, I couldn't see past the mess.Akki remains utterly undeveloped. We get two new named female character, but Dr. Henkky and Akki never speak, and the other two female characters (Kkarina and someone whose name I've forgotten, as she's only in one scene) speak only about men to one another, so another Bechdel fail. (I should possi...

I read this as a middle-schooler I think so it was weird connecting what I remembered from then (not much) to what I experienced this time around. I think it's probably perfect for the age it was written for, since I was an avid reader and loved them. But as an adult, momentous things seemed to happen too easily and too fast, so that the didn't have the weight attached to them that I felt like they *should*. The ending was very weird. And, intriguing. I actually do want to read the next book, be...

Jakkin's dragon, Heart's Blood, is now a champion of several small fights in the pits, but is taking time off for breeding. Unexpectedly, Jakkin gets word that his friend Akki is in trouble and needs his help. Jakkin longs to set off immediately for the city, where Akki has gotten involved in rebel activity -- but there are the hatchlings to consider...This continues the story started in Dragon's Blood, and expands into the politics of Jakkin's home planet. It's a pretty quick read, but of cours...

Similarly to McAffrey, Yolen pushes the question of freedom, commitment, and sacrifice within a self-contained world that is as hampered by it's natural brutality, (Dark After, never after, is an oft repreated phrase talking about the dangers of being caught outside in the freezing cold) and the violent history of a prisoner colony trying to grow towards civilization. there's a lot to work with here and Yolen does a great job. Oh yeah. And there are dragons!