Rise of the Shadowfire (City of Dragons #2)
Jaimal Yogis
Illustrated by Vivian Truong
Graphix
Published October 17, 2023
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About Rise of the Shadowfire (City of Dragons #2)
Grace and friends return for a new adventure in this second installment of the bestselling City of Dragons series!
Ever since the battle in Hong Kong, Grace and her friends have been trying to find a way to get to Paris. When Nate suddenly appears and whisks Grace away to the Dragon King’s lair, she learns that Daijiang and his underlings are searching for an ancient relic that will let them subjugate the dragons, and Grace needs to find it first!
With Grace’s burgeoning Hùnxuè powers, the team must get to Paris and stop Daijiang’s plan. But their new ally, Dr. Kim, may not be all she appears, and Daijiang has formidable allies of his a strangely familiar accomplice and a terrifying, powerful dragon that could threaten all of Paris.
My Review
Grace’s adventure continues in the second book in the City of Dragons series, picking up soon after the first book ends. The fast-paced race to save Nate the dragon and stop Daijiang’s plan is punctuated by goofy moments between Grace and her friends. They struggle over whom to trust, especially adults since they were badly betrayed in the past. Grace and her dragon, Nate, share some tender moments, too.
This was a fun read. The story begins in Hong Kong, but the characters travel to Paris during the story, so it was fun seeing scenes in both places. I thought there was a good balance between the serious and silly elements of the story. The bright colors of the panels add to the overall upbeat storytelling. I especially loved the illustrations showing tender moments between Grace and Nate. Those were so sweet.
I can’t find anything definitive on when the third book in the series will be released. There’s a two-year gap between the release of book one and book two in the series, so I would guess that the third one could come out in the fall of 2025.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Representation
Grace is Chinese American and biracial. Her mom is white, and her dad is Chinese American. Her friend Ramesh is Indian, and her friend James is Black and Australian.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
None.
Spiritual Content
References to spiritual forces and an immortal enemy. Dragons exist in the story and have magical abilities.
Violent Content
Situations of peril. Bad guys chase Grace and her friends, threatening to harm them. Something explodes. A shadowy dragon-like figure attacks Grace’s friends. A dragon uses magic to fight others.
Drug Content
References to research using dragon blood.
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