The Wearle

December 5, 2016
D’Lacey’s Last Dragon Chronicles explored a time after dragons ceased to exist on Earth; in this prehistoric fantasy, which begins the Erth Dragons series, he follows the struggles of the initial dragon colonists who traveled to this planet from Ki:mera. Gabrial, a young dragon, wants to prove himself worthy of guarding the new hatchlings, but when disaster strikes, he’s stripped of his name and responsibilities. As Gabrial attempts to redeem himself, a bold human boy named Ren discovers a dragon hatchling, which brings him into conflict with his own community. As Gabrial and Ren’s stories collide, they attempt to save their peoples from a conflict that could destroy all of them. As in the Last Dragon Chronicles, there is a preponderance of G names where dragons are concerned, as well as odd stylistic choices that include the mid-word colons of dragonspeak (“i:mage,” “De:allus”) and the human, or “Hom,” terms for animals: instead of horses, rabbits, and butterflies, there are whinneys, hoppers, and flutterflies. Newcomers may be distracted by the linguistic quirks, but this remains a rousing adventure with sweeping aerial action scenes and a tense mystery at its center. Ages 8–12.

October 15, 2016
Young dragon Gabrial and young human Ren cross paths, uncover a hidden evil, and unravel a mystery.Gabrial is excited to battle an older, more experienced dragon for the honor of helping raise Grystina's new hatchlings, though his second heart belongs to another. During the fight, the mountain Grystina and her wearlings are sheltering in explodes--and Gabrial is unjustly blamed for Grystina's subsequent death and the assumed death of her son. The narrative switches to Ren, a 12-year old human, who's fascinated with the "skalers" though they've driven his people from their mountain home. Pale-skinned Ren dares to cross the "scorch line" into dragon territory, coming upon Grystina and her wearlings moments before she's killed. She has just enough time to transfer a part of herself to Ren, who saves her son. What follows is a lot of shady business among dragonkind, though members of both species make rash and illogical decisions. Truths are revealed, but not everyone lives to learn them. Both protagonists can be impetuous but are still sympathetic, and a new character introduced in the final pages promises intrigue in future volumes. The creative spin on the intersection of dragon history and prehistoric humans is interesting and the action engaging. Enjoyable but not exceptional fare for d'Lacey's fans and readers of Tui T. Sutherland's dragon books. (list of characters, glossary)(Fantasy. 10-14)

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December 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-An inspirational new dragon series from d'Lacey. The Wearle are a group of dragons who have come to Earth, seeking the remains of an old colony and laying claim to the mountains as their new domain. To keep the unwanted out, they burn a boundary into the ground and set up patrols. The dragons are referred to as "skalers" by the Kaal, the tribal group that shares the area, and an uneasy existence is established between the two cultures. The people of the Kaal hate the dragons and fear the borderlines, except for Ren. Ren is different. He's fascinated by the dragons and looks for as many chances as possible to observe their behavior. Eventually, he discovers a way to cross the boundary without being detected. Gabrial is a blue dragon who lost his father in the first colony. He is assigned to protect a young mother and her offspring but is punished when his failure proves fatal. Gabrial is now desperate to reclaim his honor. Soon, the paths of Gabrial and Ren collide in ways neither could ever imagine, as they dare to challenge the biases in both their worlds to show the commonality between man and dragon. A list of characters and a glossary are included to aid readers' navigation through this new realm. VERDICT An exciting read for dragon lovers and fans of d'Lacey's "The Last Dragon Chronicles" and Tui T. Sutherland's "Wings of Fire" series.-Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2016
Grades 4-8 Dragons from Ki: mera have journeyed to Erth and established an uneasy peace with the native hom (human) Kaal tribe, each keeping to themselves for the most part. But 12-year-old Ren Whitehair is fascinated with the skalers (dragons) and ends up hidden near a birthing female, who has two babies as a mountain crumbles around her. One dragonlet is saved by its tribe, and Ren tries to help the other. Meanwhile, the Kaal are plotting a new strike against the skalers, and the dragons themselves are dealing with their own internal betrayals. In this series opener, d'Lacey presents high fantasy with dragons as main characters, developing parallel stories about younger members of society (Ren and a dragon named Gabrial) who are committed to peace and forgiveness but have little standing in their respective tribes. Rich in betrayal and adventure, with a style that brings to mind Lloyd Alexander or Susan Cooper, try this with fans of Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon series or perhaps Anne McCaffrey's Pern books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
Young dragon Gabrial is desperate to prove his worth to his clan, but when an accident kills a mother and her hatchling, Gabrial is blamed. Meanwhile, human boy Ren, fascinated by dragons, sneaks into their domain and rescues the presumed-dead hatchling. Through Gabrial and Ren's alternating perspectives, D'Lacey establishes an intriguing dragon society and weaves a well-crafted mystery that sets the stage for future installments. Glos.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)