There are certain authors and series that I will happily drop everything for when I know that there is a new book to read, and Katie and Kevin Tsang's Dragon Realm series most definitely falls into that category. Having read an early copy of Dragon Mountain way back in April 2020, I've been gripped by the series, so discovering that the highly anticipated Dragon City was available on NetGalley this morning meant that I had no other choice but to abandon all plans, ignore my family and rejoin Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling Fei on their continuing adventures.
If you remember, Dragon Legend left us on quite the cliff-hanger, with the quartet arriving, rather bewildered, in Dragon City, and that is where we join them at the beginning of book 3. They are trying desperately to get by without being noticed by the dragons, in particular their old adversary the Dragon of Death who rules supreme in this world. Life is completely different 5000 years in the future where dragons rule over humans. It's a scary place for Billy and his friends who have been separated from their dragons; however, they are determined to find them again. Having found a long-abandoned underground train in which to stay, they begin to work out how they are going to locate their dragons. They believe that attending the five thousand year anniversary will help them out but this only causes more problems which, in the end, leads them to entering the grand tournament which holds the promise of the winning human being bonded with Death's Shadow. What will they do and how will they survive? To know that, I'm afraid you'll have to read the book!
I know that when coming back to a series it can take time to reacquaint yourself with the characters and past plots, but chapter 2 does a wonderful job of weaving a recap into the plot whilst also telling us that Billy and his friends are currently working as dragon groomers (not a job I'd particularly want having read the consequences!). It means that you are straight back into the action without having to remember what happened previously.
It was so good to be reunited with Billy and his friends who have some tough times ahead of them. I don't want to give too much away but their strength of character and their individual skills are most definitely challenged in this book. It was also good to see characters like Goldie making an appearance as well as some old adversaries, but there are also a host of new characters for you to enjoy (and perhaps hate as well!). Midnight was a particular favourite - young but brave and feisty!
Whilst it's wonderful to be back with the characters, I believe that it's the plot of Dragon City which is the real pull in this book and, without giving anything away, I have to prepare you for a rollercoaster of a journey with excitement, tension and the most unexpected twists; I can guarantee you a gripping visit to Dragon City and one you won't want to leave until you've read the final page. I experienced every emotion possible during the course of the book (and yes, I'm warning you that I cried on more than one occasion!) and was quite unprepared for the effect the plot would have on me - you have been warned!
I know that the next book will be the final in the series (if my memory serves me well) and I'm both excited and nervous about it: excited because I can't wait to see what's next for our friends and their dragons, but also sad that it will be last we see of them.
Released on the 2nd September, I know that Dragon City will be just as big a hit as Dragon Mountain and Dragon legend, and I already know that there will be a huge scramble for it at school next term!
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