"That is why there are dragons, after all: to call forth heroes," declares Yolen. This small sentence creates a world of anticipation for adventure in "Dragonfield" and is an example of how well-chosen phrases throughout "Dragonfield" whet one's appetite for reading the story through.

Yolen relies heavily on irony to create suspense in "Dragonfield." For instance, she has already let her audience in on the existence of Aredd, and it is easy to deduce that Da has been carried off and eaten by the dragon, but the villagers and Da's family have no idea what has actually happened to him. Since they believed that all the dragons had been killed in the Dragon Wars. Thus, with each person carried away and each farm animal eaten, the suspense of the story builds, because somewhere along the line everyone must realize that a real, live dragon has returned...