This action-packed installment featuring dragons and their allies steers a series in captivating directions.
In a magical realm, an Earth family joins dragons to battle evil in this children’s fantasy sequel.
Nearly a year ago, the Zedmore kids, Alex, Jared, and Madison, then 12, 10, and 8, received dragon figurines that came to life, as described in Zimmermann’s Dragon Law (2020). The dragon Azurim took these whelps back to their home, Shard, a magical world—accidentally bringing the children as well. The kids bonded with their dragons, discovering magical powers in themselves. Now, the siblings are back home in Alberta, Canada, and missing their dragon friends; their parents, Lynn and Eddie, just hope life can stay normal. But a message from Azurim urgently begs for the family’s help fighting a dragon civil war, which could affect Earth as well. As humans from a special bloodline, the Zedmores have powerful magical potential, and with Earth-based government and occult groups after the family, Shard offers escape. The Zedmores agree, receiving training on Shard and joining in a dramatic, hard-fought war that looks almost hopeless. They have their new powers and aid from a great magician, plus allies on Earth join the conflict—but the forces arrayed against them are mighty. In his second volume, Zimmermann especially shines in his exciting battle scenes where all manner of creatures vividly clash: dragons, pixies, elves, trolls, Dark Folk, satyrs, and more. Readers will enjoy seeing the Zedmores develop and use their individual abilities, which are well thought out; so are the story’s lore underpinnings. Varied characters, such as an Earth stage magician who acquires real magic, intriguingly widen the scope of Book 2. Also compelling is how Azurim becomes an Aslan-like figure, giving the book more profound layers beyond the sometimes silly familial comedy among the Zedmores.
This action-packed installment featuring dragons and their allies steers a series in captivating directions.Pub Date: April 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-52-559353-6
Page Count: 366
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
An enthralling fantasy debut exploring exploitation by those in power.
Will 12-year-old Nura be able to outsmart the trickster jinn and save herself and her friends?
Nura lives in the fictional Pakistani town of Meerabagh, where she has worked mining mica to help support her family of five—her mother, herself, and her three younger siblings—since her father’s death. In the mines she has the company of her best friend, Faisal, who is teased by other kids for his stutter, and she enjoys small pleasures like splurging on gulab jamun. Although Maa wants Nura to stop working and attend school, she has no interest in classroom learning and hopes to save up to send her younger siblings to school instead so they can break the family’s cycle of poverty. Following a mining accident in which Faisal and others are lost in the rubble, Nura goes to the rescue. In her quest, she is plunged into the magical, glittering jinn realm, where nothing is as it seems. The author seamlessly weaves into the worldbuilding of the story commentary on real-life problems such as the ravages of child labor and systems that perpetuate inequities. An informative author’s note further explores present-day global cycles of oppression as well as the life-changing power of education. This action-packed story set in a Muslim community moves at a fast pace, with evocative writing that brings the fantasy world to life and lyrical imagery to describe emotions.
An enthralling fantasy debut exploring exploitation by those in power. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5795-6
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
