DRAGON LEGEND

Magically gifted friends and their dragons struggle against the darkness.

A thorough recap of the events in Dragon Mountain (2020) opens this sequel, welcoming readers new to the series. Billy Chan and his friends Charlotte, Dylan, and Ling-Fei are bonded to their dragons, enabling them with special gifts to protect the dragon and human realms from the tyranny of the Dragon of Death. The group, with the addition of JJ, whose grandfather runs their summer Chinese language camp, is now in the Dragon Realm, where they are bent on rescuing kidnapped Dylan and collecting the rest of the magical pearls to prevent the Dragon of Death from consolidating his power. Gathering each pearl entails a perilous mission, which demands they quickly rise to the occasion. From monstrous worms to human-eating fish, the plot is action-packed but carefully balanced with character development. Billy’s dragon Spark’s inner conflict adds another dimension as she fights her growing hunger for dark magic. JJ also adds to the complexity, as he questions where he truly belongs. The fast-paced narrative draws readers in with increasing challenges for the young people to defeat their foe. Be warned, this volume ends on a particularly perilous cliffhanger. The first book establishes the multinational cast’s identities, including biracial (White American/Hong Kong Chinese) Billy, White American Charlotte, White Irish Dylan, and Chinese Ling-Fei and JJ.

Plenty of escalating action will have readers clamoring for the next installment.