Fantasy: Girl who runs away and communicates with dragons

[Sarah]

I purchased a book in a bookstore around 2000 that was fairly newly published, I believe. It was a fantasy book, but I don't think it was necessarily young adult. It could have been. All I remember about the cover was it was dark, maybe black or dark blue...I have no clue about the title...

The plot was about a young girl living in a castle. I don't think(?) she was a princess, but was wealthy. I forget why she ran away, but I think something happened to before she did, like she started her menstrual cycle for the first time... But when she did run away, she met dragons and she could talk to them, but it was like they talked to her in her mind, I believe. I think there were a few of these dragons with her. Two or three maybe.

Anyway, the book was very boring. I didn't end up finishing it and gave it away to a friend who likes fantasy that I went to school with. Can't remember the title at all and it's been bugging me for awhile.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Hmm, I'm guessing that it is not _Iron Dragon's Daughter_ (specifically not linked, ever-so-helpful people), because that's nihilistic tale, and heroine was not wealthy/in a castle. But did have mind-talking dragons, and ran away from her problems with one.

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀]

It could be Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede. I don't think there's anything about menstruation in it, but she does run away from home and ends up living with dragons.
I do think it's probably Iron Dragon's Daughter though.

[Kris]

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede for Rory's suggestion.

Thanks for the heads up, Justanotherbiblophile. :)

[Tess]

I'd look into The Girl Who Heard Dragons by Anne McCaffrey. It's a short story set in the Dragonriders of Pern world.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

I'd vote against _The Girl Who Heard Dragons_. I don't recall _Dealing with Dragons_ as particularly related to this query, but it's been a few years since I read it.

[Rachel]

Is it Dragon's Keep?

[Melanti]

There's some more vague similarities to another Pern book - Dragonsong
She lives in a big keep rather than a castle, and she's not precisely wealthy, but her father is a the head guy in the keep and she's somewhat privileged in various ways and runs away after she cuts her hand.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

On the Dragonsong suggestion, (view spoiler)[she runs away because the cut on her hand is allowed to heal wrong and she can no longer play music. She was a musician in a world where the "bards" were also the teachers. The first "dragons" she meets up with (and eventually tames several of) were called firelizards, because they were basically tiny dragons. (hide spoiler)] If that raises any memories, then I'd say that's your book.

[Shanna_redwind]

Maybe The Elvenbane?

[BookWoman]

The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley?

[Rainbowheart]

Are you still looking for this one, Sarah?

[Kelly]

Susan Fletcher's The Dragon Kyn? (I don't remember the other titles...it may be the first one)\

[Rosa]

Flight of the Dragon Kyn for the link.

[Rainbowheart]

Still looking, Sarah?