The Hidden Kingdom
2012
- kings and rulers
- adventure and adventurers
- juvenile fiction
- fiction
- prophecies
- fantasy
- kings, queens, rulers
- prophecy
- dragons
- identity
The story
Deep in the rain forest, danger awaits... Glory knows the dragon world is wrong about her tribe. After all, she isn't "as lazy as a RainWing" -- she isn't lazy at all! Maybe she wasn't meant to be one of the dragonets of destiny, as the older dragons constantly remind her, but Glory is sharp and her venom is deadly... except, of course, no one knows it. When the dragonets seek shelter in the rain forest, Glory is devastated to find that the treetops are full of RainWings that no dragon could ever call dangerous. They nap all day and know nothing of the rest of Pyrrhia. Worst of all, they don't realize -- or care -- that RainWings are going missing from their beautiful forest. But Glory and the dragonets are determined to find the missing dragons, even if it drags the peaceful RainWing kingdom where they never wanted to be -- in the middle of the war.
What it’s like
Bright, humid rainforest in full green: canopy light filtering down in shifting gold, lush layered foliage, and a lot of warm, saturated colour, since so much of the book lives among bright rainbow-scaled dragons in the treetops. The voice is quick, funny and brisk, full of kid-level bravado and sideways humour, with short chapters that end on small cliffhangers and an easy, rolling momentum. Its mood is playful and adventurous with a warm undertow of unease, the sort of cheerful suspense that tips into worry when something feels off in the paradise. Good for a lazy weekend afternoon, a long train ride, or reading aloud to a younger reader. Violence is present but mostly off the page and skirmish-level, with a few tense battle scenes and some peril; there is no gore and no sexual content. The arc follows a sharp, underestimated young dragon learning that her own judgment and strengths count, and a group of outsiders learning to see past what they were told. It suits middle-grade readers and fantasy fans who want an energetic, big-hearted series opener with a gentle, sunlit feel.
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