Dragon Rising - Katie & Kevin Tsang

 

Book 4 in the Dragon Realm series sees Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei back home after their adventures with their dragons over the summer.  It’s Billy we see first, who is finding it difficult to be home, unable to talk about any of what happened, and finding that surfing is the best way for him to get some headspace.  He has found a quiet cove near his home where he is usually able to surf solo; however, on this particular morning, he is shocked to find a water-dragon rearing out of the ocean and is even more shocked when he discovers that there is somebody there to witness it: a girl called Lola who is new to the area.  Billy is quick to contact Spark and the four friends, as well as Lola, are soon back in the Dragon Realm where they discover that some incredibly strange things are happening which could have disastrous consequences for both the dragon and the human worlds.  But can the friends and their dragons get to the truth before it’s too late?

I have a confession to make: I wasn't a huge fan of dragon books … until a book called Dragon Mountain arrived on my iPad during lockdown (April 2020 to be exact).  Initially hesitant, I began reading and was completely and utterly hooked!  So much so, I gobbled it up in one sitting, absolutely adored it and was desperate for a second instalment even before book 1 had been released!  Since then, I have been a complete convert and have waited rather impatiently for every instalment! So imagine my excitement when I realised last weekend that Dragon Rising was available on NetGalley!  I was there in an instant and headed straight in.

It was so good to be back with Billy and to see how difficult it was for him to be back home and unable to talk about everything he had been through over the summer – imagine having the most amazing, life-changing experience and not being able to tell a soul about it!  I’d want to shout it from the rooftops!  On top of that, missing his friends (both human and dragon) must make him feel as though part of him is missing.  Surfing is what grounds him at home and so this is how he is spending his time, loosing himself in the water.  The emergence of a dragon in his hometown comes as a complete shock to him and his immediate reaction is to protect Lola and also to try to hide everything from her.  However, we quickly see that she is not to be fobbed off easily!

This book takes on a slightly different feel with the dragon and the human worlds colliding.  At first, it feels subtle, with only the water-dragon appearing, but, as the book progresses, it quickly becomes apparent that things are much worse than the team first thought it was.  We see familiar friends back in the form of Goldie and Midnight (2 characters I’ve loved in precious books), as well as the introduction of new ones (both dragon and human).  Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fe show us their unique personalities once again and I really enjoy being reminded of the different elements they bring to the team.  Lola is a strong and feisty addition to the group; her determination to know exactly what is going on means that Billy can’t fob her off and it’s this attitude, along with her bravery, that makes her wonderful to meet.

In the previous three books, we have found ourselves largely in the dragon realm; the shift in Dragon Rising is one I enjoyed and found, at some points, scarily believable!  The thought of dragons appearing in our world is both terrifying and intriguing.  I won’t say any more as I don’t want to spoil the plot, but I definitely found the latter part of the book utterly gripping and a rollercoaster of an adventure – trust me when I say it’s breath-taking and unputdownable!  The end of the book will leave you exhausted and absolutely wanting more!

When I began reading Dragon Rising, I thought that this was going to be the final book in the series so was completely torn between gobbling it up as I was desperate to know what was going to happen, and savouring it as I didn’t want to say to goodbye to everybody.  Thankfully, Katie has been able to allay my fears and has reassured me that she and Kevin are currently writing book 5 – phew! 

This is a hugely popular series in school, and I know that excitement is building about Dragon Rising (I may have increased that somewhat when children heard I was reading it!).  This is an unputdownable fourth book in an utterly addictive series that will make you want to heart-bond with your own dragon!