The futuristic but dystopian city of Drakopolis was built by humans aided by domesticated dragons. Thirteen-year-old Abel, right after the events of City of Speed, finds himself and his family banished from the city to the frontier town of Glassblower’s Gulch. There, however, the only dragons in town belong to the sheriff and her bully of a deputy, who rule without mercy. The only “justice” in town consists of facing a captured wild dragon in the ring of a “dragon rodeo,” in a battle where only one will win freedom.
Abel’s older brother Silas is a lieutenant deputy, struggling between his obligations to his job and the injustice he sees in the town. Abel’s older sister Lina’s reputation as a troublemaker and member of a “kin,” an illegal gang, has preceded her, and she’s sent to work in the town’s sewers. Abel himself just wants to stay out of trouble—until he helps his new friend Kayda (who happens to have two moms) rescue a baby wyvern. A very illegal wyvern that spits acid and is growing at a tremendous rate.
Abel needs to call on his friends back in Drakopolis (Roa, who is nonbinary, Arvin, who is gender creative, and Topher) for help. But the town’s communications aren’t working, and Abel must get creative to send a message through. Can they bring justice to a ruthless land? And will the secret they discover change the world forever?
As with the rest of the series, the book has a cyberpunk, Pokémon-meets-Game-of-Thrones vibe (with a dash of Wild West in this volume), geared to middle-grade readers. The constant action should delight those who love fast-paced books—but there’s also solid worldbuilding, well-developed characters, a well-structured plot, and thoughtful themes of justice, friendship, and family (by birth and choice) that elevate it above many other adventure tales. The family theme is developed even further in this volume than the others, but is kept from cloying by a heap of action and a dash of humor. There are also hints of crushes between Abel and Arvin and between Roa and Topher.
Author Alex London (a gay dad himself) has also created a wonderful zoological range of dragons that is just pure fun and should have great appeal to kids (a la Pokémon)—and Abel’s new wyvern is a delightful blend of fearsome and adorable.
Although this is the third book in the series, there’s a clear hook for at least one more volume, which I eagerly await. As much as I have enjoyed reading this series, though, I have to ask: When will someone bring it to the screen? It feels perfect for a television series, either animated or live action.
