Book Review
Title: Dust of Death (Dragon School #17)
Author: Sarah K. L. Wilson
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Rating: ****
Review: So, I had some issues with pacing in Dragon Piper and the fact I hate Jalla as a character lowered my rating, but this is my first-time reading Dust of Death and the final 4 books in the series. IN the aftermath of the battle of Vanika, Ephretti, Dax and Lenora are going to stay behind and care for the people while Hubric, Amel and the Baojang army head into the warrens where there could be hundreds of Ifrits waiting for them. Since Amel has been healed of Silla’s effects she has been standing up to Jalla and I know she isn’t going to hand over the Pipe or bend to her will as she did before when she was less confident in her own abilities.
While the dragon riders and the Baojang army prepare to enter the warrens and the unknown things ahead, Jalla takes Amel aside and asks for the pipe back and Amel does hand it over. However, her visions are trying to tell her that something bigger might be happening and she decides that she will be weary of Baojang and even Rakturan until the war is over. The pipe is returned to Amel when Jalla is frustrated that she can’t use it, meaning my theory about the pipe only working for the one that pulled it from it’s hiding place was correct as Amel pulled it out and only Amel has been able to use it. After entering the warrens, Amel is being pulled in the political movement of Baojang as Jalla orders her to kill the Serpent Prince and later the same Prince offers her marriage in return for killing Jalla and she refused but to Baojang she is nothing but a possession to be sold and bought at the whim of the owner. However, Raolcan does manage to get one of the hubs working and starts moving the soldiers through the Leedris City as Raolcan fears that if he changes the hub’s destination it might break.
However, an Ifrit is frozen at the hub but awakens as soon as Raolcan starts directing the magic towards the hub. The Baojang soldiers try to hold it off or fight it but it only results in their deaths, Amel tries calling the dragons but they are held up in a narrower part of the warrens so there is nothing they can do. In a twist the pieces of the puzzles come together when Amel sees Ifrits rising from the places where the Baojang soldiers are dying. She finally connects the bags of dust and knives found on various assassins and the words of the Magikas who said at the healing arches, that if the arches magic can’t be used to summon the Ifrits then blood will work in it’s place and too late Amel realises they have walked into a trap. She also realises in this moment when the wild dragons come to save her from the Ifrits that what the other nations wants is the dragons as only the Dominion has the pact with the dragons. However, Amel and the other riders know the dragons belong only to themselves and can’t be given.
As the finally manage to get through the Leedris City, they have walked from one battle to another as the city is already in chaos with the Baojang army fighting the Magikas and dragons battling in the skies. Amel isn’t sure what she can’t do in this situation as she hates violence but has to choose the path that has the least death and yet deals the biggest blow to their enemy when Leng’s dragon appears, only without his rider and Amel fears the worst. Amel rushes in wanting to save Leng only to encounter Iskaris with a supposed traitor. When it is revealed to be Jalla, Amel is relieved but she also knows she has to save Jalla or the Baojang army would fall under the control of the Serpent Prince and Amel knows he can’t be trusted, so she agrees to take Jalla’s place in the punishment and hopes that Raolcan will be able to get free of the bonds in time to save her. As it seems Amel is in a dangerous situation both Leng and Rakturan arrive to save the day and in offering her life in exchange for Jalla’s she has freed herself from being a slave but now she is her blood sister and is worried about what that implies but they have bigger things to worry about now. Overall, the change in Jalla at the end of this book made me start to like her but only a little but I can’t wait to see how this series ends.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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