I adore this series so much and look forward to every new instalment. Great, fun and adventurous. The Waterstones editions in particular are an absolute treat.

I quite enjoyed this book. I loved all the dragons and the inclusion of the new characters. I was a bit worried of the crossover between the worlds but thankfully it was unfounded. Still amazing storyline.

Another thrilling adventure with familiar faces and new friends! Jam packed with twists and turns from start to finish. The dragon and human realms colliding was super exciting - can’t wait to see how this new world will pan out!

Thankyou to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book. This is one of my favourite series, the characters and the storyline never disappoint and each book gets better. I liked the fact that this installment brought in new characters and took the story in a new direction. It was fast paced and i flew through it. I cannot wait for what comes next.

DRAGON RISING is the fourth book in the <em>Dragon Realm</em> series, and the start of a new arc. It is another action packed entry, full of magical worlds, danger, and incredible places. There's a new threat to the dragon and human worlds as strange things happens - dragon sightings in the human world and vanishing landscapes in the dragon.

There are some classic fantasy tropes that I love but are rarely seen these days (or at least it feels that way.) The one that had me squealing (and in a coffee shop just to maximise how many confused stares I got!) was the fact there is a magical sword complete with riddle-bound instructions. The constraints on and the consequences of using the sword works so well within the book.

We get to meet new characters (as well as returning to old favourites.) We have two new humans, Lola, a Hawaiian-Chinese surfer, and Jordan, a Brit and son of a scientist. The injection of new humans was another great way of making this entry feel like the start of a new adventure, rather than a repeat of the previous. Plus the reveal of which dragons they bonded with? I was so surprised (in the best way!)

I have yelled about this on twitter and to friends but the opening to chapter 22? BRILLIANT. It is a masterclass in creating tension while also setting the scene in barely any words (17 to be precise!) It's so succinct and yet that works so well by immediately putting you on edge with the incongruous images presented.

The ending sets up a very interesting premise for the next (and final!!) book in the series, DRAGON DESTINY. Roll on September.

Another fantastic read from the great Tsangs!
Can Billy and his friends (new and old) save the world and the dragon realm? Facing dangers, loss of powers and evil enemies, this is a fast paced adventure for 9-13 year olds.

Revisiting old friends was an absolute pleasure and these books never disappoint. Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review.

It was simply wonderful to rejoin Billy and his friends on a new adventure in Dragon Rising. The story felt fresh and interesting and the introduction of new characters (and fresh peril) made it an exciting read. Packed with as much action and adventure as the earlier books, the new addition to the Dragon Legend series gave a small glimpse into the real lives of our four heroes, which helped to add depth to their characters. I have no doubt the many fans in my classroom of this series will thoroughly enjoy returning to the dragon realm and meeting new friends and adversaries. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

We love dragons in this house (I was told I had to put that in) , apparently according to my young listeners it was great and like a movie. There were cheers and near tears. We drew Dragon pictures and coloured them in. Apparently the only problem was that I couldn't read it quick enough. I read this over the course of a weekend and was only allowed to stop for essential breaks. The kids LOVED it ! Actually I enjoyed it too.

DRAGON RISING is so much fun. Billy returns to California, slightly lost and isolated after departing from his dragon Spark and his international friends Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei, but of course this doesn't last when a dragon emerges from the waves near his home. Shenanigans ensue in a high-octane, high-stakes, action-packed adventure jammed between interesting new lore of the dragon world and the message of friendship and family.

As Billy and his friends re-group to unravel the mystery of the blending of worlds, they make two new friends in Lola, another American girl and Billy's new neighbour, and Jordan, a British boy who has his own set of problems. The new characters are great, and they freshened up the friendship group and prevented the dynamic from going stale. I also loved the return of some of the side character dragons from the previous books.

If anything I think the villain came out of nowhere; I would've preferred a more organic build-up rather than what we got. But very much reminiscent of the DRAGON LEGEND ending, everything changes for Billy and his friends, and I was shocked at how it ended!

Another fantastic book in the DRAGON REALM series. Looking forward to the next one!

Book 4 in the Dragon Realm series sees Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fei back home after their adventures with their dragons over the summer. It’s Billy we see first, who is finding it difficult to be home, unable to talk about any of what happened, and finding that surfing is the best way for him to get some headspace. He has found a quiet cove near his home where he is usually able to surf solo; however, on this particular morning, he is shocked to find a water-dragon rearing out of the ocean and is even more shocked when he discovers that there is somebody there to witness it: a girl called Lola who is new to the area. Billy is quick to contact Spark and the four friends, as well as Lola, are soon back in the Dragon Realm where they discover that some incredibly strange things are happening which could have disastrous consequences for both the dragon and the human worlds. But can the friends and their dragons get to the truth before it’s too late?

I have a confession to make: I wasn't a huge fan of dragon books … until a book called Dragon Mountain arrived on my iPad during lockdown (April 2020 to be exact). Initially hesitant, I began reading and was completely and utterly hooked! So much so, I gobbled it up in one sitting, absolutely adored it and was desperate for a second instalment even before book 1 had been released! Since then, I have been a complete convert and have waited rather impatiently for every instalment! So imagine my excitement when I realised last weekend that Dragon Rising was available on NetGalley! I was there in an instant and headed straight in.

It was so good to be back with Billy and to see how difficult it was for him to be back home and unable to talk about everything he had been through over the summer – imagine having the most amazing, life-changing experience and not being able to tell a soul about it! I’d want to shout it from the rooftops! On top of that, missing his friends (both human and dragon) must make him feel as though part of him is missing. Surfing is what grounds him at home and so this is how he is spending his time, loosing himself in the water. The emergence of a dragon in his hometown comes as a complete shock to him and his immediate reaction is to protect Lola and also to try to hide everything from her. However, we quickly see that she is not to be fobbed off easily!

This book takes on a slightly different feel with the dragon and the human worlds colliding. At first, it feels subtle, with only the water-dragon appearing, but, as the book progresses, it quickly becomes apparent that things are much worse than the team first thought it was. We see familiar friends back in the form of Goldie and Midnight (2 characters I’ve loved in precious books), as well as the introduction of new ones (both dragon and human). Billy, Dylan, Charlotte and Ling-Fe show us their unique personalities once again and I really enjoy being reminded of the different elements they bring to the team. Lola is a strong and feisty addition to the group; her determination to know exactly what is going on means that Billy can’t fob her off and it’s this attitude, along with her bravery, that makes her wonderful to meet.

In the previous three books, we have found ourselves largely in the dragon realm; the shift in Dragon Rising is one I enjoyed and found, at some points, scarily believable! The thought of dragons appearing in our world is both terrifying and intriguing. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to spoil the plot, but I definitely found the latter part of the book utterly gripping and a rollercoaster of an adventure – trust me when I say it’s breath-taking and unputdownable! The end of the book will leave you exhausted and absolutely wanting more!

When I began reading Dragon Rising, I thought that this was going to be the final book in the series so was completely torn between gobbling it up as I was desperate to know what was going to happen, and savouring it as I didn’t want to say to goodbye to everybody. Thankfully, Katie has been able to allay my fears and has reassured me that she and Kevin are currently writing book 5 – phew!

This is a hugely popular series in school, and I know that excitement is building about Dragon Rising (I may have increased that somewhat when children heard I was reading it!). This is an unputdownable fourth book in an utterly addictive series that will make you want to heart-bond with your own dragon!

Well that was a ride a minute! New friends, new foes, a whole load of action packed goodness and some incredible messages about kindness and looking after our world! These Dragon books just keep shining! Billy and his crew are back to save the world and each other but not before they have to contend with a mysterious sword and some MASSIVE dragon problems. I missed these guys!!

Warning: contains spoilers for Book 3.

When I hear that the writer, or writers, of a series I love is going to add an additional, unexpected title, when I have anticipated it being a certain number of books long, I always have mixed feelings in response. Yes, I am thrilled that there will be more of the adventure to enjoy but sometimes I am disappointed that the original idea just hasn’t stretched to a bonus story.

For fans of the Dragon Realm series – and there are a great many of us – that possible disappointment is not going to be an issue. Here is a fabulous start to a new sequence of stories that follow on from what seemed to be a neat and tidy finish to Book 3, Dragon City. With new characters thrown in to the mix – both human and dragon – and a new threat to both species, this is a book which packs a punch and leaves the reader begging for more at its conclusion.

Before all of that though, we start by reacquainting ourselves with Billy, three weeks after he and his friends returned home following their previous adventures. Missing them terribly, Billy is passing his time hanging out online with them or surfing alone as he now has a lot less in common with his former childhood friends and has left them behind. Heading to the beach, he reaches a small cove that is known only unto him, and sends a message to his heart bonded dragon, Spark, through their deep connection before wading out into the waves.

Enjoying the freedom of the water, Billy’s attention is drawn to some odd-looking, dark waves which unsettle him. Sending a second message to Spark, he tells her that something weird is happening and turns to swim back to shore. Before he reaches the safety of dry land, however, an enormous, aggressive dragon rises out of the water, blasting the cliffs with its energy and Billy notices a girl standing knee-deep in the water looking on in amazement. Yelling to her to get out of the water, Billy joins her and with the dragon now nowhere to be seen, tries to persuade her that the dragon was no more than a large shark.

But the girl is not stupid, and she is keen to discover just what is going on. When Billy and Spark arrange to meet, she turns up uninvited and before long finds herself meeting Billy’s other friends and being transported to the Dragon Realm. Here, it is clear that things are very wrong when Spark and fellow dragon Tank tell the children about parts of the landscape mysteriously vanishing – entire lakes and mountains. What or who is behind this, and can Billy and his friends put a stop to it before it is too late?

There is a risk of introducing new characters to a well-established group diluting the strength of the familiar friendships but that is most definitely not the case here. Lola (the girl from the cove) is bold and inquisitive, and is not going to be satisfied until she knows exactly what is going on and has a large slice of the action. In her joining the others, she makes up for her lack of experience in her bravery, determination and curiosity and it will be interesting to see how she grows in Book 5, as well as the other new characters.

Although, in effect, this is the start of a new series, I would strongly advise readers to start with Book 1 in order to fully understand what has come so far. Yes, all of the backstory is covered but trying to squeeze a summary of three books into a new one along with its own story means that much of the detail is lost, so that while I found it useful to prompt my memory, I’m not sure that new readers would fully understand what has happened before. With this being such a well-written series of books, I’m not sure why you would miss any out and deny yourself the pleasure of reading each in turn.

Publishing March 17th, this is perfect for readers in Year 5 upwards and is one that I am thrilled to have had an advance read of courtesy of NetGalley and publisher Simon and Schuster, to whom I am extremely grateful.

Dragon Rising is the fourth Dragon Realm adventure by Katie & Kevin Tsang. I keep saying each new book in the series is my favourite, but this one really is! Fast-paced, imaginative and full of wonderful characters, these stories would make absolutely brilliant films.

After his adventures in Dragon City and a fantastic time at camp in China, Billy is at home in California. Life is back to normal – well as normal as it can be when you’re heart bonded with a dragon and can communicate with it telepathically. He misses the dragons and his friends – Charlotte, Dylan & Ling-Fei.

Surfing at his secret beach is the only place Billy feels even close to the joy and freedom he feels when flying with Spark, his dragon. That is, until he sees a giant, turquoise sea dragon in the Human Realm! Billy has to get in touch with the others and find out what’s going on.

With new friends, Lola and Jordan, they discover unusual portals between the Dragon and Human realms. They set off in search of the sanguinem gladio (The Blood Sword), aiming to put a stop to the power-hungry villain who wants to channel the magic of the dragons to create his own superpowers.

Along with the Great Four, it is fantastic to meet the Thunder Clan again. Midnight is the most charming little dragon, full of energy and enthusiasm. Thunder and Lightning share their wisdom and pull everyone together in purpose and friendship. As the two realms collide, so do science and magic – the children must use their knowledge and courage to save the Human Realm before it is completely destroyed.