Jessica Day George is one of those good authors that makes cliche work.  She wrote Dragon Slippers, filled with (as the name suggests) dragons, alchemy, and a very attractive prince.

We follow the journey of Creelisel Carlbrun, otherwise known as Creel, as she faces a dragon and barters with him to win a pair of new shoes, as well as her freedom.  She then runs away from her family to pursue a career in clothworking, namely dressmaking and embroidery in the biggest city in Feravel.

She meets many more dragons along the way, and unsurprisingly, a perfectly friendly prince.

When someone steals Creel’s slippers, a dragon war breaks out, and it is up to Creel to save the day.

This story centers on fantasy, but it definitely has good real life points as well.  Creel has realistic issues, such as finding who your friends really are and where your loyalties lie.  Of course, a dragon war might not happen in real life, but the experience brings to view values like courage.

While there are many cliche stories such as these, George has the skill to pull it off, bringing emotion and thought to the reader.  The story is not very complex, but is nonetheless a great read.