Book Review
Title: Initiate (Dragon School #2)
Author: Sarah K. L. Wilson
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Rating: *****
Review: After seeing Amel complete her first flight I was sucked straight back into the world I had come to love, so I couldn’t wait to jump into book 2 all over again. We re-join Amel s an Inducted meaning up a rank within he school but things are rapidly around them although we don’t know why just yet. Most students are excited about the Magikas coming to visit the school but if I remember correctly they are serving a much larger purpose and this is reinforced when Savette says she can’t be a dragon rider anymore because of something happening outside the school. Since their bonding, Amel and Raolcan, have already become extremely close and Amel sleeps by his side almost every night as she feels a lot safer with him than in the dorms, where Starie continue to berate her at every turn.
We see more of Amel’s curious nature which marks her as a purple rider and when Leng returns injured and gives her a message, she learns the true purpose of the purple riders. Purple riders are messengers and by law, Amel can’t give the message to anyone except the Dominion envoy or another Purple rider and Leng is the only one. She has to hold on to the message without reading it or losing it until Leng can take it back or she can deliver it. That evening they receive a message from the Dominar, the ruler of the Dominion that all dragon rider who has passed their first flight will no longer learn at the school but in the field as war is mentioned although briefly meaning they group are going to be divided up among their colours and will learn on the job. Amel is already doing that as she carries Leng’s message and gets some help in locating the Dominion’s Envoy but before she can pass it along, Savette pulls her aside ready to tell her the truth of why she can’t be a dragon rider anymore.
The students are informed they will be leaving Dragon school for the next year and Starie and Amel are placed in the same group which Starie despised but Amel is charged with carrying the injured Leng on their journey to the Ruby Isles. He is awake partially during the flight where he warns Amel to be wary around the Magikas as something is happening with them. Amel knows something bigger is happening as before she delivered Leng’s message, Savette asked to read it claiming her life depended on it but since she wouldn’t tell Amel the exact reason Amel refused to break her duty, even when Savette attacked her for it. Savette then disappears and Amel is worried for her but her duty as an inducted Purple comes before friendship and any other loyalty she has. We can also see Amel’s feelings for Leng slowly growing as she spends more and more time with him. After a few days of travelling Leng isn’t getting better, in fact, he is getting worse as he develops a fever and Grandis Leman asks the Magikas for help. However, Amel overhears them plotting to keep Leng dazed until they can kill him and take his dragon to be bonded for them and Amel knows it is up to her and Raolcan to prevent that from happening.
Starie also seems to be wrapped up in the plot with the Magikas although Amel can’t work out how or why just yet. We get our first battle scene as Amel uncovers a plot to start a war for control of the Dominion. It seems that Savette was given as a bride to the Lord of Baojang to ensure peace but Starie was also a candidate and she wanted to be chosen in order to start a war for Baojang to control the Dominion but that has failed and they are turned to plan B. They kill several of the group by Leng and Amel manage to escape with their dragons but she has no idea where to go or what their initial orders were but Raolcan reassures her, he will get her to where she needs to be butt he threat of the Magikas and Starie is over them as they won’t be far behind with dragons of their own. The second book in the Dragon School series was definitely a step up from the first as we don’t have as much exposition to deal with and we also get some action which ramps up the pace dramatically and I can’t wait to read more.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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