About the Book

Title: Diego’s Dragon, Book 2: Dragons of the Dark RiftAuthor: Kevin Gerard | Publication Date: April 6, 2015 | Publisher: Crying Cougar Press | Pages: 214 | Recommended Ages: 10+

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A Prophecy, an Ancient Calendar, and a Battle for Earth’s Survival. The turning of the 26,000 year cycle is approaching. The fifth sun promises a time of peace for all creatures. Magnifico, Estrella, and the Sol Dragones eagerly await the new age. Vipero hopes to alter the ancient prophecy. He orders the Dragons of the Dark Rift to find and eliminate the Sol Dragones. If they succeed, nothing will stop him from destroying Diego’s world and claiming ownership of Sol, a star with unlimited spiritual power. Diego and Racquel travel with their dragons to the Dark Rift, the entrance to the magical realm known as the Xibalba. Together with the Sol Dragones, they battle Vipero’s immense army in a fight to save or shift the Mayan prediction. The fate of earth depends on victory or defeat, and Diego is the key. His choice – to betray Magnifico or stay true to the Sol Dragones – will determine the outcome of the conflict.

My Review

This second book of the Diego’s Dragon series seemed very different from the first, but I think it was just a matter of perspective.  Whereas the first leant heavily on Diego’s adventures and discovery of his link with Magnifico, which I remember enjoying very much (and you can read my review here), the second book is mainly involved with the dragons’ world… or should I say universe?  Diego’s experiences at home (and school, and in training at the horse park, where he is invisible to the riders) are a little disjointed, but eventually become more smoothly integrated with the desperate need to train him up to play his role in the goings-on in the Dark Rift.

It’s a pacy book, with lots of names (I liked the credit given to the kids who’d named dragons in a competition) and multiple baddies, which was confusing until I realised the hierachy.  Maybe I was being slow, since I read the first quarter of the book one afternoon, then a day later I raced through the rest, partly because it was a real page turner, and partly because I couldn’t bear to have my kindle die on me and have to wait a few days till I could recharge it!  So, yes, the urgency was because of the writing – a real “cannot put it down” book.  I definitely enjoyed the second two-thirds more than the first, maybe because of the more settled setting in Space made a more tantalising tale.  There’s a lot of fighting, but maybe dragons ripping each other apart or burning each other to cinders doesn’t count as violence, since it’s definitely fantasy.  They are all-action dragons with some neat moves, and Diego learns to use some really cool powers to aid Magnifico and his friends.

A note for readers outside the US, Mexico and Latin America: there are a lot a Spanish words used in passing.  It could be daunting, or you might learn some useful foreign words, since there is a glossary at the back.

A great story, excitingly told, and some lingering thoughts that the tale may not yet be over, even if the prophecy does appear to have been fulfilled.

I was given a free ecopy as part of a Book Review Blitz with MDBR

Diego’s Dragon No 2 – Dragons of the Dark Rift, by Kevin Gerard

My Confession

It was only after I’d written this review and wondered why I couldn’t find my review of Diego’s Dragon Book 1, that I discovered I haven’t read it!  I mixed it up with J A Blackburn’s Dragon Defender!  That could be why I couldn’t remember some of the detail of Diego’s life, but it is uncanny how close the rest of the story fits with J A Blackburn’s first book.  I hope the two series diverge after that – I’ll tell you when I’ve read more of the Dragon Defense League.

Book Review | Dragons of the Dark Rift by Kevin Gerard
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2 thoughts on “Book Review | Dragons of the Dark Rift by Kevin Gerard

  • 21 July, 2015 at 10:45 pm
    Permalink

    Hi, Jemima! Stopping by from the Kid Lit Linky Hop to say howdy and give some blog love. Your confession is a hoot. Thanks for a smile and lovely review!

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