1 of 1 copy available
STOP. Don’t read any further. There are magic spells in this book, and the Emperor has forbidden anyone from learning magic, because it’s way too dangerous! If you try one of the spells, any number of terrible things might happen (or so the Emperor says).
Don’t be like Ciara, a twelve-year-old girl living in the tiny village of Skael. When she used a spell from within this book, she ended up summoning a dragon. A DRAGON! Those things breathe fire! From their mouths! She’s obviously doomed.
And don’t listen if Ciara tells you that dragons won’t hurt humans, and that they even once taught us magic, a thousand years ago. Definitely don’t pay any attention to the fact that the dragon she summoned, Scorch, might be willing to help rescue Ciara’s mother and free her village from the Emperor and his Warden, because it’s all obviously a big lie. So put this book down, and forget about it. Magic is just way too dangerous. After all, you wouldn’t want to summon your own dragon, would you?
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
April 1, 2025 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593813195
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593813195
- File size: 6336 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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February 1, 2025
Can a 12-year-old girl and a dragon awakened from a 1,000-year nap save the world? In the Draconic Empire, magic is forbidden outside the imperial bloodline. Any other magic use will summon the Revenants, who killed the dragons and the mighty Dragon Mage a millennium ago. Or will it? Five years ago, Ciara found Dragon Mage apprentice Bianca's magical journal. Bianca's exuberant, irreverent entries describe a warm ("She's a hugger"), generous mage with "tawny-brown skin" who wanted dragons to teach all humans to use magic. Living in a mining village that's been devastated by its cruel Warden's greed and the Skael Cough that killed her father, Ciara yearns for magical assistance. Then, with the journal's help, she accidentally wakens a long-sleeping dragon. Can Scorch, who was Bianca's magister, teach Ciara magic so she can save both her town and her ailing mother? With the Warden willing to ravage and kill for the journal, the cliffhanger ending promises more peril to come. This fast-paced adventure's hilariously dry humor may not prepare readers for the utter despair of other elements of the story. The characters are memorable and sympathetic, especially impulsive, brave Ciara, who's cued white, and snarky, protective Scorch, both of whom are guilt-ridden for different reasons. They share the main narration, sometimes confusingly switching viewpoints within scenes. Avid fantasy readers will appreciate the complex magic system. Alternately humorous and heartrending, this lively fantasy will have wide appeal. (Draconic spells)(Fantasy. 9-12)COPYRIGHT(2025) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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March 1, 2025
Grades 4-6 Hints of a thousand-year-old catastrophe emerge when young Ciara discovers in an old tower both a surprisingly interactive old diary and Scorch the dragon, newly awakened from a long sleep. Reluctantly agreeing to teach the child elementary magic before flying off to find out what happened to his fellow dragons, the grumpy drake finds that his new student is a quick study but bad at following orders--and is also pursued by a ruthless Warden working the townsfolk to death in nearby mines. While setting the stage for backstory revelations and a large-scale conflict to come, this series opener features a properly tumultuous climactic rescue. The pairing of a rousingly stubborn, budding mage with a gruff but kindhearted teacher who occasionally breathes fire is undeniably entertaining, and well before ending on a cliff-hanger, the author makes it clear that none of this should be taken too seriously. After all, as he has one character declare: "Real magic isn't the friends we made along the way. It's much more about shooting giant fireballs from your fingers."COPYRIGHT(2025) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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