Rise of the Dragons #1 by Angie Sage

My name is Joss, and the egg of a silver dragon actually rolled down a hill and landed at my feet. Silvers are very rare, and Lysander is growing unbelievably quickly. I think it has something to do with quicksilver. He just started flying, and he even carried me on his back. However, we were attacked by Edward Lennix and his Raptor, but somehow Lysander escaped through a portal to another world. We returned right away, but I must be more careful about keeping my dragon a secret. My sister Allie and I will ride him away someday where we can live freely. Allie thinks I messed up our plans when a mysterious traveler found me, but the woman knows all about dragons. She bought us from the Zolls so we can go live with her. Allie doesn't trust the woman, and I’m starting to realize I probably should have listened.

I randomly found this book at my local library. The story is told from three different settings. There's Joss and his sister, the Lennix family, and then a modern setting with a girl named Sirin. The modern setting is referred to as the Lost World, although that's not clear until the portal is breached. It took awhile to understand how Sirin's story fit into the dragon plot, but it finally got there in the last chapter. Consequently, her story felt more like a distraction in this book, but it will clearly become a key element in the sequel. D'Mara Lennix is a wonderful villain, as she plays the role of cold, despicable matriarch. She sometimes presents a kind persona the same way a spider traps prey in its net. An interesting twist is her relationship with her husband. The man resents her condescending and controlling behavior, and the friction makes the husband unpredictable. Their kids are mostly following in their parents' footsteps, but they each have distinct personalities. Their behaviors display the clear dysfunction found in the family. Overall, I enjoyed the book more than I anticipated, and I plan on reading the sequel whenever it gets published.