Dragon Daughter: Legends of the Sky #1

By Author / Illustrator

Liz Flanagan

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

Publisher

UCLan Publishing

ISBN

9781915235640

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-11-2023

Synopsis

On the island of Arcosi, dragons and their riders used to rule the skies. But now they are only legends, found in bedtime stories, on beautiful murals and ancient jewellery. Then servant girl Milla witnesses a murder and finds herself caring for the last four dragon eggs. Forced to keep them secret amidst the growing tensions in the city, she begins to fear that the island's ruler, Duke Olvar, isn't all that he seems. But how can Milla and her friends keep the eggs safe when it means endangering everything she's ever loved?

Fiery friendships, forgotten family and the struggle for power collide as Milla's fight to save the dragons leads her to discover her own hidden past. Originally published by DFB in 2018. Cover art by Joe Todd-Stanton.

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Reviews

What is there not to like about this delightful story? It's got a map of the fictional island at the beginning of the book (I still love a map in a children's book, even though I'm an adult!) and dragons... not just one, but four beautifully describe mythical creatures.

On the beautiful island of Arcosi, dragons used to rule the skies with their riders. Sadly, now they are thought to be only legends, told in bedtimes stories or found on jewellery. Then Milla, a servant girl in the Yellow House that belongs to Nestan and his family, witnesses a murder and finds herself caring for the last four dragon eggs. She has to keep them a secret until they have hatched and bonded with their new riders/carers, but who can she trust? Who will help keep the dragons safe and help them thrive and make Arcosi a magical island once again?

With the help of her friends, Milla goes on a adventurous quest that is full of secrets and lies. A quest that not only will save the future of the dragons, but also one where she eventually finds out who she is for the first time.

Dragon Daughter is full of action and adventure, coupled with dragons and mystery. The author, through her wonderful descriptions, bring these magnificent, magical creatures alive and helps make the reader engage with the story.

With 357 magical, well-written, manageable chapters, the story is suitable for all level of readers from 9+ that love fantasy books. I would also recommend it for book clubs as its contents (politics, racism, power struggles, trust, secrets, friendship and love) offer scope for lots of debate and discussion.

As you may be able to tell, I have such a soft spot for dragon stories and this tale is just wonderful. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down! I'm looking forward to the next in the series, Rise of the Shadow Dragons.

368 pages / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian.