Tigerpetal Press : Book Review: Fire Star

The Last Dragon Chronicles Book 3: Fire Star by Chris D’Lacey

I liked it; it was good

Book 3! I remember the first time I bought this book. I was in third grade and the Scholastic book fair came through my school. I bought it for my brother; he was so excited.

Read: November 13 – November 17, 2023

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Audience: Children
Book contains: breaking the laws of physics, kidnapping, religious judgement, character death

Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca

Squirrels, Dragons, …Aliens!?

Having signed his contract with Apple Tree Publishing, David has enough money for his trip to the Arctic after all. The tale begins with two polar bears on the ice, both characters in David’s new Arctic Saga—or so he thinks. Ever since his Snigger story, David has had the suspicion that the veil between reality and what he puts on a page is thin. Only now does he realize how thin that veil really is.

If the last book was moving away from the grounded approach of book 1, this book has been launched into the stratosphere. It almost seems to shift more into the realm of Science Fiction than Fantasy, and the blend is something quite unique. I love to see more of David’s writing, which we get in this book, and it’s fun to have Gwillana the sybil back as our antagonist right away.

As for how I read this book…. No read along for this book either. I worked through it the old-fashioned way!

Third person yet again, but what’s different about this book is that David, the main character, isn’t even on page (aside from a letter he wrote) until page 57. Up until that point, the story follows two male polar bears as they trek across the Arctic, and Number 42 Wayward Crescent, where Liz and Lucy still reside after David’s departure to the north.

This book gives David less of a spotlight, but he’s no less the main character, seeing as everything revolves around him. Unfortunately, a lot of the conflict that arises is due to an embargo on information. Since receiving the Tooth of Ragnar, David has been sworn to secrecy, meaning he can’t tell Liz, Lucy, or even Zanna about it without incurring the wrath of Ragnar. At the same time Gwillana is watching his every move, so even David can’t know everything.

After Liz taking a backseat in the last book, this time, it’s Lucy’s turn. She’s still a major player in the story, but she’s been set aside for a large chunk. Meanwhile, Henry’s vast array of knowledge is a godsend to David—both in research for his book and in world-saving critical information gathering. Not that Henry knows the second bit. We meet a whole bunch of new characters as well in this book, and I can safely say that book 3 is a transference from Earth to stars. The rest of the series seems like it’ll only get more fantastical from here.

The writing style remains consistent with the previous books. The descriptions still incite vivid mental imagery and whimsical visions. Again, there are some words that are less common, which offers a great teaching moment for children wanting to expand their vocabularies. Context generally takes care of the meaning, but in this day and age, it’s also very simple to go that extra step and Google definitions.

With how many turns this series takes, I can understand how it may not be in everyone’s interest to continue. Nonetheless, I still highly recommend continuing this series because of the importance it puts on environmental health, and the interesting lessons it can help teach children about wildlife, dark matter, and the power of thought.

The Last Dragon Chronicles Book 3: Fire Star by Chris D’Lacey

Squirrels, Dragons, …Aliens!?

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