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The Callenlas Chronicles #2
The First Skyrider
Farm-boy Cairn can hardly believe it when he is chosen to train as a rider for Star-King Elior. Far from home in the mountains, where dragons lurk and war threatens, Cairn strives to become a great rider of Callenlas. Does he have what it takes after all? And what is his friend Arunae hiding? Find out in this second novel of The Callenlas Chronicles.
384 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 22, 2026
This is a temporary review because I just wanted to jot some thoughts down.
This was so good!!! It definitely took me a little while to become fully invested but the ending was delightful. This book reminded me a lot of Harry Potter, just because of the school element.
Content
Some mentions of idiot and maybe stupid
Some violence in battle. Cairn gets his arm cut open in battle. Kids sneak out disobediently from school.
This was so good!!! It definitely took me a little while to become fully invested but the ending was delightful. This book reminded me a lot of Harry Potter, just because of the school element.
Content
Some mentions of idiot and maybe stupid
Some violence in battle. Cairn gets his arm cut open in battle. Kids sneak out disobediently from school.
April 16, 2026
Loved the story, better than the first one!
March 11, 2026
I enjoyed Book 2 in this series. The fantasy school setting is always so much fun. But there's much more to this book than the main character striving for career success. He must face his shortcomings and decide, as King Elior repeats again and again, who he is serving.
Cairn is a farm boy from a small town. Through the sponsorship of his elderly and bereaved governor, he gets the opportunity to attend one of King Elior's renowned schools. His dream is to become a rider, which in Callenlas, is kind of like a knight. These are the armed warriors who fight to defend the country and protect the king. Cairn wants more than to simply farm the land and raise a family. He wants a life of adventure and glory in the king's service. He admires King Elior as a wise and kind ruler and wants to serve him with his whole heart.
When Cairn arrives at the school, he quickly realizes that he's way out of his league. His fellow schoolmates are from rich and powerful families. He's quickly labeled as a charity case, and he strives to prove that he belongs there. He makes friends with a group of three other students, one of whom he admires in a romantic way, but it's all very tasteful and sweet.
I don't want to spoil the plot, but I feel like this is a wonderful series for upper middle-graders and young adults who loved Harry Potter and Percy Jackson but crave something less dark. The A Plot chronicles Cairn's school journey, how well he performs in his classes and asks the overarching question, "Will he qualify as a rider?" The B Plot follows his inner journey. He must face his selfishness and desire for glory. He must learn what it truly means to serve a king, what it truly means to be noble. As a parent, this is definitely the kind of theme I want my boys thinking about.
Plus, there are dragons.
Cairn is a farm boy from a small town. Through the sponsorship of his elderly and bereaved governor, he gets the opportunity to attend one of King Elior's renowned schools. His dream is to become a rider, which in Callenlas, is kind of like a knight. These are the armed warriors who fight to defend the country and protect the king. Cairn wants more than to simply farm the land and raise a family. He wants a life of adventure and glory in the king's service. He admires King Elior as a wise and kind ruler and wants to serve him with his whole heart.
When Cairn arrives at the school, he quickly realizes that he's way out of his league. His fellow schoolmates are from rich and powerful families. He's quickly labeled as a charity case, and he strives to prove that he belongs there. He makes friends with a group of three other students, one of whom he admires in a romantic way, but it's all very tasteful and sweet.
I don't want to spoil the plot, but I feel like this is a wonderful series for upper middle-graders and young adults who loved Harry Potter and Percy Jackson but crave something less dark. The A Plot chronicles Cairn's school journey, how well he performs in his classes and asks the overarching question, "Will he qualify as a rider?" The B Plot follows his inner journey. He must face his selfishness and desire for glory. He must learn what it truly means to serve a king, what it truly means to be noble. As a parent, this is definitely the kind of theme I want my boys thinking about.
Plus, there are dragons.
June 17, 2026
In this young adult fantasy, we journey alongside a thirteen-year-old farm boy named Cairn. Leaving the familiar fields of his home behind, he embarks on an adventure to a school, tucked away in the mountains, where he dreams of becoming a rider of Callenlas, serving the wise and powerful Star-King Elior. However, everything changes when Cairn’s friend stumbles upon a wounded dragon, challenging everything he ever learned about these magnificent creatures. Could it be possible that dragons could be tamed, and ridden as well?
⚔️ This story has such a fun fantasy school setting! We get to follow along as Cairn and his classmates take classes in swordsmanship, archery, and survival skills. As Cairn navigates the ups and downs of fitting in, we see him wrestle with his desire for honor and glory—a stark contrast to King Elior's noble call for humility and heartfelt service. Through his journey, readers can see the importance of working with a humble heart.
✨ The friendships Cairn builds with his classmates add a sweet found family element, and while there’s a sprinkle of teen romance, it remains in the backdrop rather than the central focus of the story.
🏔️ I loved learning more about the dragons! After reading the first book of the series, it was fun to explore the history of Callenlas, the dragons, and their riders. And let’s not forget about King Elior, the kind and wise Star-King—he continues to be my favorite character in the series!
Content for consideration: Mild battle violence, bullying, alcohol consumption, teen crushes.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My review reflects my honest opinion.
⚔️ This story has such a fun fantasy school setting! We get to follow along as Cairn and his classmates take classes in swordsmanship, archery, and survival skills. As Cairn navigates the ups and downs of fitting in, we see him wrestle with his desire for honor and glory—a stark contrast to King Elior's noble call for humility and heartfelt service. Through his journey, readers can see the importance of working with a humble heart.
✨ The friendships Cairn builds with his classmates add a sweet found family element, and while there’s a sprinkle of teen romance, it remains in the backdrop rather than the central focus of the story.
🏔️ I loved learning more about the dragons! After reading the first book of the series, it was fun to explore the history of Callenlas, the dragons, and their riders. And let’s not forget about King Elior, the kind and wise Star-King—he continues to be my favorite character in the series!
Content for consideration: Mild battle violence, bullying, alcohol consumption, teen crushes.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My review reflects my honest opinion.
April 26, 2025
I somewhat liked this book - it was the second in a series, The Callenlas Chronicles- but the only connection between the first and second book is the King, so they don't have to be read together at all from what I can tell.
One person reviewed this book as "if Harry Potter met How to Train Your Dragon, but better", which is partly what attracted me to the series. It's nowhere near the writing talent of JK Rowling and doesn't have a strong story. It could have had some better scenes to build the relationships between the characters, instead it just sort of told you what the relationship was. I found it lacking in details...which made it less interesting. It just fell kind of flat, in my opinion, but it would be a good pre-teen fantasy novel.
I do like the similarities between the King and Jesus and how a fantasy book was written with some Christian themes, although it wasn't directly quoting Scripture.
One person reviewed this book as "if Harry Potter met How to Train Your Dragon, but better", which is partly what attracted me to the series. It's nowhere near the writing talent of JK Rowling and doesn't have a strong story. It could have had some better scenes to build the relationships between the characters, instead it just sort of told you what the relationship was. I found it lacking in details...which made it less interesting. It just fell kind of flat, in my opinion, but it would be a good pre-teen fantasy novel.
I do like the similarities between the King and Jesus and how a fantasy book was written with some Christian themes, although it wasn't directly quoting Scripture.
February 27, 2023
After throughly enjoying the first book in the Callenlas Chronicles I waited eagerly to see if there would be a follow up book. Much to my surprise this is actually a prequel, and provides an amazing background to the dragon riders we meet in The Dark Star, and the book expands on the readers understanding of King Elior and the history of Callenlas too.
Hess’s style of writing is not only beautifully rich, especially with regards to the characters, but she weaves together an incredibly compelling story which made for a book I didn’t want to put down. The story is like if Harry Potter met How to Train your Dragon, but better! I can’t wait to see what Hess writes next.
Hess’s style of writing is not only beautifully rich, especially with regards to the characters, but she weaves together an incredibly compelling story which made for a book I didn’t want to put down. The story is like if Harry Potter met How to Train your Dragon, but better! I can’t wait to see what Hess writes next.
August 24, 2024
This was another fun adventure in the world of Callenlas. Although book 2 in the series, it is set in a different time period and follows different characters so could be enjoyed as a standalone story. The story is about farm boy Cairn as he trains to be a Rider (of horses) and ends up trying to tame a dragon. Imagine crossing a ‘school story’ with ‘how to train your dragon’ and add in some magic and battles. As with The Dark Star, I really enjoyed that the author delves deep into characters and their inner thoughts and motivations as well as having the action scenes.
I would definitely recommend this book, especially to younger teenagers.
I would definitely recommend this book, especially to younger teenagers.
January 30, 2024
This book was fantastic. I agree with an another review I read that this book was better than the first. It's so refreshing to read a book, full of action and no foul cuss word, or explicit sex. This book was so much fun to read! I highly recommend this series to anyone of any age!!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews