The Coming of Dragons by A. J. Lake is eleven years old (just like me!) and is the first book in the Darkest Age Trilogy. I picked it up because it had Dragons in the title, but it was the first page that made me want to read more:

“The times were broken like a smashed lamp — tribe fighting tribe; pirates holding the North Sea to ransom, wave by wave; a new God usurping older lore. And in this brokenness, wicked seeds were sown; an ancient evil power gathered to the whisper of dark charms.

And that is how Torment came.”

Doesn’t that make a shiver run up and down your scales?

The Coming of Dragons begins with Edmund, an 11-year-old prince on his first sea voyage who has to keep his identity secret; even from Elspeth, the ship captain’s daughter. Both children are caught in a sudden, and violent, storm that is tearing Elspeth’s father’s ship to pieces. While the rest of the crew fights to hold the ship together, Edmund looks up into the rain and sees Torment—a dragon who was locked away in the ice to the north long, long ago—breathing his fire in the dark, stormy sky. At first Edmund thinks he’s seeing things, but later on he finds out that Torment couldn’t just escape from his prison, he had to be called!

Edmund and Elspeth survive the storm, but find themselves washed ashore in a land held captive by a man who can use the eyes of anyone to hunt down the two children and the ancient, magical treasure they’ve been entrusted with. Edmund and Elspeth must be careful at all times because anyone and everyone could be a spy!

One of my favorite things about this book is that the story switches between Edmund’s and Elspeth’s point of view. I like Elspeth because she’s more comfortable on a ship that she is on land. The way she feels about the sea is the way I feel about flying! Edmund is really good with a bow and arrow and has a gift that is too often seen as a curse.

I also like that both of the characters come from very different backgrounds. They have unique strengths and weaknesses that will help and hinder them as they try to make their way home.

Even though Dragons are in the title of the book, they don’t play a big part in this chapter of the series. But, when there is a dragon is a scene…BIG THINGS HAPPEN! What you will find in The Coming of Dragons are lots of realistic characters and scenery that makes the story feel more like history than fantasy.

The Coming of Dragons  is 240 pages, and ends with a cliffhanger, so you’ll want to have book two: The Book of the Sword on hand right away! I don’t have the third book, The Circle of Stone yet, but my friend Jen found a copy online. We’re both excited for it to arrive.

The Darkest Age trilogy was completed in 2009, so it may be a bit of a treasure hunt to find them in print. Check with your librarian to see if they have it, or you can ask mom or dad to look online. If you like reading e-books, we found the series on Kindle, Nook, and iBooks.

I give The Coming of Dragons 4 out of 5 dark chocolate eggs. I think readers between 10 and 12 would like it best. Once you’ve finished, be sure to come back and tell me how many chocolate eggs (or gold stars) you would give it!

Until next time!

Wambi

Note: No goods or services were exchanged for this review. The thoughts and opinions are solely the author’s.