Sky Battles (Dungeon Runners 2) by Kieran Larwood

What worked:

The camaraderie between Kit and his teammates sets them apart from the other competitors. Kit lacks confidence, although he wants to prove he can be a fierce, brave hero. Sandy is the team’s spell-casting mage but doesn’t know many incantations. She’s conjured a sandcastle spell before, and Kit’s grandfather gives her a staff and a second spell written on paper. Sandy’s main contribution to the group is her positivity and rosy disposition. Thorn is the third member of the team, and he’s a vegan vampire (although Kit and Sandy think he might have eaten something else during the previous competition). He’s the team’s healer but doesn’t see much action this time.

The story has humorous highlights, as you can see from Thorn being a vegan vampire. Kit shows up for his first professional Dungeon Runner competition carrying a sword and shield he made out of wood. Not very handy when battling monsters. Kit wishes the team could get a sponsor, and the only business interested is called Troll Boogers. Apparently, their snot is good for making things stick together. One of the other teams is called the Yarn Stormers, and the team members are made of living string in humanoid shapes. The Gravediggers consist of Dr. Kronkenstein and two assistants made from bits and pieces of former Dungeon Runners. They tend to fall apart in the dungeons.

What didn’t work as well:

Thorn doesn’t have much of a role this time, unless you count knitting the team uniforms with purple and orange yarn. There’s not much character or plot development in this short book, and the challenges don’t develop much drama. There are two bully-like characters, but there aren’t enough interactions to be significant. It feels like the book ends rather than builds to a big climax, which may be because it describes challenges in the first part of the overall competition.

The final verdict:

The short, quick-paced story and abundant illustrations of various monsters are perfect for emerging or reluctant middle-grade readers. It doesn’t seem to be as eventful as the first book, but I still recommend you give it a shot.

Storm Singer by Sarwat Chadda

What worked:

The author creates an imaginative world where birdlike creatures rule over the humans. The garuda call humans Worms because they’re a lower life form, barely worth worrying about. Nargis finds an injured eagle garuda named Mistral, although she likes to call him Birdy. Raptor garudas are the most powerful, and Birdy’s father was the ruler before being captured by a vulture garuda named Shamshir. As you can see, the characters live in a caste system with humans at the bottom. Normally, characters aren’t able to move to higher caste levels, but Mistral’s father has ideas that are not popular among many garudas. The sarcastic banter between Mistral and Nargis is a highlight.

Young readers will root for Nargis, as she’s an unlikely hero. She seems feeble due to her damaged leg and the fact that she must use a crutch carved by her deceased father. She’s been ostracized from her village and lives in a small hut with her Baba. Her lone friend is Arjuna, owned by the greedy, ruthless man controlling the village. Nargis has a magical ability to control the spirits, although she still needs to learn that they can’t be ordered to help. Her songs asking for help have good intentions but the spirits don’t always act as she wants. Readers will wonder why Shamshir wants her dead once he learns Nargis’s connection to her father.

The setting is very important to the events, so readers are constantly reminded of the harsh, dry, barren lands. Nargis assumes her village is worse off than most others until she discovers they’re more fortunate. Nargis and Baba have a well that provides small amounts of water, but the stream running by the village is tainted with yellow poison. Nargis and Baba use spirit singing to help their small garden survive, but everyone else struggles for food. Nargis is banished from the village and ventures into the severe terrain, which reminds readers that it’s unforgiving. The hostile environment forces all the caste groups into competition for survival, with the strongest typically surviving.

What didn’t work as well:

The crippling of Nargis’s leg is a little confusing, as she seems to move about better than expected. The author emphasizes the pain and cramping she experiences, but she’s still able to travel across rocky, hilly terrain and scale a ladder. Also, there isn’t any technology in the book; bows, arrows, spears, and clubs are used as weapons, but Shamshir has a cannon called the Dragon. It’s powerful enough to wipe out a whole village, but its power doesn’t fit the context of the overall book.

The final verdict:

Nargis’s sympathetic character highlights the book, as her story is literally spiritual. The author saves some surprises for later in the book, as Nargis learns of her father’s past history with the garudas. I recommend you give this book a shot.

Skandar and the Chaos Trials (Skandar 3) by A.F. Steadman

What worked:

The author creates uncertainty between the unicorns and their riders. Skandar and his friends are now Fledglings, third-year students at the Eyrie, but their unicorns have reached a rebellious age. They don’t always obey their riders even though they’ve become more connected during the past two years. The unicorn might decide to chase a rabbit, shoot lightning from its horns, or release sparkles from its butt. Readers should expect the unexpected. Skandar’s older sister has a forged bond with a wild unicorn and is connected to all five elements; most riders have one special element. The Weaver forges Kenna’s bond, so everyone is leery and frightened of what Kenna might do.

Skandar and the other Fledglings must pass four Chaos Trials by collecting spirit stones from each of the elements: air, fire, water, and earth. These trials break the book into separate milestones while the longer stories of helping Kenna and locating missing unicorn eggs are going on. Each trial presents different rules and challenges that might result in death or injury. In the first trial, the Fledglings must climb to the top of a mountain that seems to have a mind of its own and doesn’t want to be climbed. The Weaver adds to the danger as Skandar and Flo spot her during two of the trials. Why is she risking being seen, and does she truly want to kill Skandar, her son?

Several subplots are equally interesting. Skandar is afraid of what the forced bond with a wild unicorn might be doing to his sister, especially when he sees what her magic can do. He has an idea of how to fix the bond, but Kenna’s reaction to it is unpredictable. The missing unicorn eggs mean there won’t be any new rider ceremony for the next decade, but Bobby is expecting her younger sister to come this year. Readers don’t see much of the Weaver for most of the book, but the characters can’t figure out what she’s up to. They assume she’s behind the missing eggs, but they don’t know why she might want them. Rex Manning is now in charge of the Silver Circle, and there are concerns that he wants more power. He’s been helping Flo navigate her problems this year, which worries Skandar.

The final verdict:

This book seems to mark a pivotal moment in the series. Two important events occur as the book nears its climax that will surely have a dramatic effect on the future. I highly recommend you read this book, but you’ll enjoy it more if you start the series from the beginning.