Rise of the Shadow Dragons (Legends of the Sky 2) by Liz Flanagan

Cover illustration © Joe Todd Stanton

Out of sheer curiosity, I recently googled how old is the first dragon story? and was absolutely stunned to find that tales and artwork of these mythical creatures have existed since several millennia BCE. Unlike other beasts that have been confined to particular regions and whose stories have slowly been lost by the people living there, dragons have appeared in one form or another in the mythologies of civilisations around the world and are still incredibly popular now as programmes such as A Game of Thrones have ably demonstrated.

In this, the second title in the Legends of the Sky trilogy, author Liz Flanagan has created a tale worthy of starring such magnificent creatures – one which is full of excitement and action and set within a brilliantly described world inhabited both by highly believable characters and dragons, all of whom are brought vividly to life through the power of her imagination. Set several years after Dragon Daughter (you can read my review for that here), we return to Arcosi, to meet a new generation of children and their dragons.

Birthdays are usually a time of great excitement and for Joe, the prospect of reaching 12 is nothing compared to his special day coinciding with Hatching Day. Visited by his cousin Milla, who has arrived bringing gifts, he sits with her on a wall to admire the view and listens as she tells him about the latest unrest in the city caused by the Brotherhood – a band of ex-soldiers laid off since the arrival of dragons rendered their jobs unnecessary. Changing the subject, Joe enthusiastically tells Milla about his vivid dreams of a purple dragon and how he believes it to be a sign that he will bond with it at the Hatching Day ceremony.

After being given more gifts, from some other friends and his parents, Joe heads to the ceremony full of excitement and certain that he will be one of those chosen by the hatchlings but when all of the baby dragons choose other children over him, he loses his temper which results in not only complete chaos but some of those present being injured. Mortified at what he has done, Joe flees the scene and, overcome with shame, hides himself away, deciding that he will not return until he has proved he has become a better person.

Discovering a hidden cave system, Joe seeks sanctuary within it and here meets Winter, who has her own reasons for wanting to avoid the company of other humans. As they grow to know one another, they explore the passages leading off the cave and soon find that someone has not only been there before them but for their own reasons has hidden two caskets there. Curious as to what they hold, Joe and Winter open them to discover unexpected treasure but with the threat of not only the Brotherhood’s desire for revenge on the rulers of the city but also the prospect of the volcano on a nearby island erupting threatening everyone in Arcosi, can Joe use what he finds to help him step up to protect those around him and regain their trust and respect?

One of the huge benefits of adulthood is that you – hopefully – come to terms with the fact that everyone makes mistakes and that, generally speaking, there is none so large that it cannot be mended. For Joe, whose heart is shattered by his perceived failure at the Hatching and who loses his temper in quite spectacular style, his inability to see that the situation in which he finds himself is not irretrievable, is one that many readers will empathise with. Too ashamed to apologise, he chooses to run away from the problem which means that even once he has calmed down he thinks it is too late to make amends. Once he finds himself in a position where he is able to show responsibility and to protect those around him, he starts to regain their trust and respect and – more importantly – his own.

Fans of Book 1 will recognise some of the recurring characters here but this would work very well as a standalone read as the key events from Dragon Daughter are covered here for new readers. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it as a solo read to confident readers in Year 5 upwards and as a shared one with slightly younger children too. Lucky enough to have an advance copy of Book 3 – The Pirate’s Dragon – already on my shelf ahead of its publication on 15th February, I cannot wait for a final return to Arcosi to see how the series finishes. Until then, my enormous thanks go to publicist Antonia Wilkinson and to UCLan Publishing for my gifted copy of this wonderful title. Rise of the Shadow Dragons is on sale now.