GARDEN OF THE PURPLE DRAGON

In this glacially paced sequel to Dragon Keeper (2005), Ping fusses, fumes, frets and eventually proves herself worthy of caring for the newly hatched dragon she’s been given. Recaptured by Imperial troops after a few months in hiding, Ping and her purple, puppy-like charge find themselves (supposedly) back in the Emperor’s good graces and (also supposedly) safe from the murderous Necromancer—who is inexplicably alive after falling down a cliff in the first episode, and still out to render the dragonling into an elixir of immortality. Many chapters of hand-wringing ensue as Ping chews on various, mostly fancied, failures. Eventually, she sets out to find her lost family—a quest that ends anticlimactically but at least jump-starts a chain of revelations and betrayals that culminate in a second, if even more obviously inconclusive, face-off with the Necromancer. A map’s magical appearance at the end leads in to volume three (already out in Australia), and at least one more chance for the author to make good on the opener’s promise. (Fantasy. 11-13)