James Riley is a well-known middle grade fantasy author with an excellent track record in this demographic and genre. He can be depended upon to provide a great story with plenty of adventure. Revenants Return is the second book in The Dragon’s Apprentice series, and it has his trademark humor and pacing. That said, the reader is strongly advised to read the first book in the series. Apparently that book ends in a cliff-hanger, and this book picks up without missing a beat or providing much context. Even after a whole book with occasional references to the events of book one, I still felt I was missing a few key character backstories and plot points. This did affect my ability to enjoy this book. So, learn from my experience and start with book one for maximum reading enjoyment.
Ciara is a fearless and spicy character who definitely acts impulsively, much to the chagrin of her dragon teacher, Scorch. The thoughts of these two characters are revealed to the reader while the other characters are viewed from the third perspective. There is plentiful magic (the truth spell was particularly entertaining) and a climatic final scene with more than a few twists. For better or worse, this book ends abruptly on another cliff-hanger, which the author seems to take great glee in. This book is recommended for young readers of fantasy.
Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy Provided by the Publisher
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: References to events in the previous books (e.g. fighting, injuries, deaths); object bites a character; character prepared to defend another; verbal and implied threats of violence; memory of being shot by crossbow/arrows; character plans to knock another unconscious; attempt to hit a character; attempt to punch a character; character uses magic to drain energy from others against their will; character sees past events where a force overtakes another; reference to a family member’s death by bandits; character drains another of their magic, inflicting great pain; characters view an event from the past in which there is a creature attacks with magic, inflicting pain, dissolving the physical body as it took energy (no description); report of other falling to creatures (no description); extended scene of a fight with creatures using dragon fire, injuries, draining of energy/magic, destruction of property; character’s arm burned; character is gripped around the neck and has a hard time breathing; character hit in the head with a rock; magic force strikes a character.
Sex/Nudity: None
Mature Subject Matter:
Death (reference to).
Alcohol/Drug Use:
None
