Lightningborn:

Storm Dragons #1

by Julie Kagawa

In a world in the clouds where only the rich own dragons, a poor boy named Remy finds a wild baby dragon—believed to be extinct—and becomes the focus of an evil pirate’s vengeance.

REMY spends his days trying to survive the mean streets of Cutthroat Wedge—one of the many islands floating in the gravitational pull of the magical Maelstrom raging below. But his life changes forever when a violent storm brings a baby dragon to his doorstep, and he feels a bond he has never felt with anyone. Remy names the dragon Storm and vows to protect this new friend, no matter the cost. 

GEM longs for the day when she call herself a true mage. That is, if she can convince her teachers and peers that just because she’s a princess doesn’t mean she’s lazy and spoiled. But when Gem learns that the floating islands that make up her kingdom are rapidly sinking into the Maelstrom, she makes it her mission to save her world. Against the king’s wishes, she accesses forbidden research and discovers the secret to saving humanity may lie in a True Dragon—a dragon capable of intelligent thought and able to cast and use magic. But True Dragons are extinct . . . aren’t they?

Remy’s and Gem’s lives will never be the same when their fates collide, thanks to Storm. With an evil pirate mage named Jhaeros determined to claim the rare dragon for himself, the two must learn to trust in each other as they team up with a shifty pirate captain and her crew, stand together against impossible odds, and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure, Young Adult, Pirates

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2024

Reviews

[megs_bookrack]

ARC received!! Thank you so much, Disney!!!



A Middle Grade Dragon Fantasy penned by Julie Kagawa. Say no more, I'm sold. Super stoked to check this one out. How freaking adorable is this cover!?

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finished this book, I immediately ran to my parents to put the next one on hold and was devastated to find out that it was not yet published. It’s fast-paced from the start, and is exciting, adventurous, and sweet. It is sad at parts, but eventually pulls itself back together. Remy, an orphan, is kind and caring for Storm, who is smart, and Gem is brave and smart as well. As they struggle to save Storm (and themselves) from an enraged sky pirate, they make friends and enemies, and they form a friendship among themselves. I can’t wait to keep reading this series.

[Emma Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not much differentiates this book from the standard MG fare. I thought my thirteen-year-old sister might like this one more than I did, but she read the first chapter or so and lost interest.

This book is obviously meant to set up a series, and the series world has a lot of cool elements (for example: sky pirates!!). But I honestly think the epilogue of this book should have been the beginning. The book is all preamble, and I don’t know if it should be, even as a series opener.

Thank you to Disney Books for a review copy!

[Kallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pick by my 8 year old, who wanted a dragon adventure. This was just what she was hoping for, though the ending outraged her as it is clearly a setup for the next book. The characters are fun and easily understandable. There is a lot of reference to alcohol though, which I found unusual in a kid's book. This was easy enough for the third grader to read aloud, with a few new words here and there she needed help with. We'll probably check out the next book later on.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kid says 5 stars! 🤩

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kingdom of floating islands is in danger. The magic-loaded stones that keep each island afloat are failing, and the islands are in danger of falling into the huge maelstrom below. For now the king and his council are keeping the issue secret, but the king's daughter Gem knows, and she thinks they should be seeking out the Ancient Ones. The Ancient Ones are legendary sentient dragons, capable of deeper thought and speech, and masters of magic, unlike the ordinary dragons used for transport and battle beasts. The king thinks they don't have time to chase legends, but Gem has heard of a former knight who saw them. So she takes her dragon, Cloud, and sets out for the outskirts to find this Sir Bartello with hopes he can help them find the Ancient Ones.
Remy is a street rat who has grown up scrabbling to survive on Cutthroat Wedge, where the riffraff of the kingdom end up. He's just working on surviving when he stumbles across a baby dragon in a storm. The next day word is spreading around Cutthroat Wedge that the notorious pirate Jhaeros is offering a reward for his lost dragon. Remy may not know much, but he knows the dragon does not belong to Jhaeros (it has not tattoo) and he can't hand over Storm to such a man. With the help of gruff local storyteller, Bart, Remy is trying to hide Storm from Jhaeros and everyone eager for his reward. But Jhaeros isn't just a pirate, he's also a mage, and a powerful one at that. What hope does a street rat and a washed up old man have against someone like him?
Before long Remy and Gem's paths will cross, and the princess and the street rat will have to work together to save the kingdom and the dragons they both care about.

This was a lot of fun. The pacing was spot on, and there was just the right mix of action with character and world building. And what an imaginative world with floating islands and magic schools and dragons and pirates and a huge lightning storm all mixed together! It also addresses some tougher issues, like the disparity in access to opportunities and education between rich and poor, how loss can impact someone, how greed can corrupt, what can drive various people to become pirates in that world, and more. So there's fun to be had and meatier topics to chew on. I can't wait for more. This book doesn't resolve much; it brings all the main characters together and fleshes out the world and problems in it, so I am eager for the next one.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are some battles with some people being injured and possibly killed. This is more implied than described much as the main characters are involved in a high stakes mission during the battle. Some injuries and perilous circumstances that happen to main characters are a bit described. The death of a pet dragon in the past comes up. Storms strike people, ships, and places with magical lightning all the time. Jhaeros uses magic to hurt others at times.
Ethnic diversity: It's a different world with different ethnicities. Characters are described with a variety of skin tones.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Gem disobeys her father for what she believes is the greater good, but in doing so she puts herself in some perilous circumstances. Thankfully, she meets a mostly-kind pirate captain who takes her in literally out of the storm. There's a kidnapping and imprisonment of a dragon and human against their will.

[james hoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all I would like to thank "Disney publishing group" and Edelweiss for sending me this book thank you. Oh my gosh what a great start to the series. The vibes I got were "Skylanders" (Which are characters in a game) crossed with "How to train your dragon". I know this comes out next year but I'm completely hooked on what will happen next.


Characters

Remy - I admire his background he gives me the vibes of Aladdin.

Storm - Super cute (I love Dragons)

Bart - Someone who is a good actor (I won't say more you need to read the book.)

Gem - Smart and knows what she needs to do. However, doesn't warm up to people quickly.

The King (Gem's Father) - Classic ruler as well as wanting what's best for his daughter.

Jaheros - Gives me vibes of "Blackbeard" from "Pirates of the Caribbean".

Captain Cutlass - Good but runs a tight ship as well as smart and not a fool. (Need to find out her real name soon I hope)

Ferus - Untrustworthy

There are other characters in the book but I don't want to give it all away you need to read the book to find out.

[Cassie Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 stars from me but 5 stars from my 7-year-old so we'll go with that! Heck, I probably would have given it 5 actually just out of sheer appreciation for any good middle grade fiction that isn't either just the whole Captain Underpants-ish style or just actually YA marketed as middle grade. When I was that age it was SO hard as an "advanced" reader to find good books and sadly that hasn't changed THAT much although it's definitely better.

So this one was a breath of fresh air that my son and I really enjoyed reading out loud. Some reviews criticize this as too much exposition/set up for the next book and while I can kind of see that it worked for me for the most part. Character work was good and I liked the change in perspective between Gem and Remy. Looking forward to the second book!

From my son: I liked Storm. All the characters are good. It was really exciting! I am looking forward to the next book. I can't believe there are only two!

[Shelby904 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saved the best for last. Storm dragon, lightning born was my favorite SSYR a book this year.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for our Battle of the Books competition. It is a fast paced dragon fantasy book geared for middle grade students.

[Julia Pika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley & Disney Publishing Worldwide for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fun adventure involving a thief finding a dragon and a princess looking for a solution to her kingdom's troubles.

I'd like to rate this higher but the book just feels very... cookie-cutter, almost. It serves its purpose as a decent adventure story with dragons but the writing nor characters are anything to write home about. It doesn't really offer anything new to the table and checks all the boxes...a boy and his dragon, a princess, pirates, sorcerers, mysterious secrets. Grumpy old wise man, too. Kids who like Wings of Fire and Eragon will like this book though.

[Brittney Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating: 5 stars
Date: 10/14/25 – 10/17/25

If you have scrolled through my reviews, then you may have noticed that I am a big Julie Kagawa fan, however, there are still a few of her books that I haven’t read. When I made my category list at the beginning of the year to better manage my series/potential favorite authors, I put her on there so that I could pick up those last remaining books, and the one that I was most recently able to get to was Lightingborn, the first book in her new middle grade series, Storm Dragons.

Lightingborn is set in a world of extremes because at some point in the distant past there was an event called the Shattering, where an explosion of magical force shattered the crust of this world and turned it into a series of floating islands swirling around a giant vortex of magical energy called the Maelstrom. Humanity has settled these islands, using airships to get around and dragons for the rich, although they’re not “True Dragons,” able to communicate or do magic; those are extinct. Remy is an orphan living in the Fringe, the outer ring of islands, on Cutthroat Wedge, a pirate’s haven (because yes, there’s pirates!!!) when in the middle of a spellstorm (storm from the Maelstrom with magical force), he discovers a dragon hatchling, a hatching that he quickly realizes is different when everyone starts tearing the island apart looking for it. Meanwhile, princess Gemillia (Gem) discovers something catastrophic in the capital city, something that will change their world, and goes on a quest with her dragon, Cloud, a quest that leads her to Cutthroat Wedge, where she meets Remy. The two team up with their dragons, a supposedly sky-mad fallen knight, and a red-haired pirate queen to go on the adventure of a lifetime and possibly save their world in the process.

My favorite part about this book was the world-building, something that Kagawa is known for. As I have read most of her books, I know that she loves to take an idea- fey, vampires/zombies, and the dragon-fighting order of St. George to name a few- and craft complex, engaging stories surrounding them, filling them with both familiar troupes and new concepts, and this one is no exception. We have different classes of both dragons and people, airships, pirates, and nautical monsters recontextualized for the air, and floating islands surrounding a giant magical Maelstrom, in the vein of Lovecraft. It is both familiar enough to be comforting for its target audience (middle grade) and new enough to interest them and entice them to turn the pages, which in this age of technology is a rare feat.

I also really liked the themes of classism and misinformation present in this book. As I stated above, there are different classes of both dragons and humans in this book, and we see friction between them and explore what that friction means on both the small and large scale. For the target audience that is just starting to acknowledge the concepts of their peers being in different economic classes and cultures, this is a great opportunity to start introducing this idea and exploring how it can be both beneficial and detrimental to themselves, their peer group, and society at large. However, this isn’t just true for the idea of classism but also the theme of misinformation. In this book information is being withheld, sometimes for the benefit of the individuals involved and sometimes to the detriment. Again, our target audience is just starting to realize that people keep secrets, for good and ill, and this would be a great opportunity to explore that concept, and a jumping off point to start discussion about propaganda and related topics.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I am excited to continue the series in the future. I also recommend to parents and educators who are looking for fun, appropriate stories for their children and classrooms. 5 stars!!!!!

[Susanne Krajan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remy ist ein Waisenjunge und lebt im Armutsviertel. Jeden Tag muss er zusehen, wie er an Essen kommt. Eines Tages fällt buchstäblich ein Drache vom Himmel und landet so in Remys Obhut. Wie sich herausstellt ist dieser bei einem Himmelspiraten ausgebrochen und es gibt ein saftiges Kopfgeld für denjenigen, der den Drachen zurück bringt. Auf diejenigen die ihn verstecken wartet der Tod. Für Remy stellt sich die Frage gar nicht, ob er den Drachen ausliefert. Er wird ihn um jeden Preis beschützen.

 

Gem ist die Prinzessin und erfährt, dass ihr Königreich dem Untergang geweiht ist, da die so genannten Inselkristalle ihre Wirkung verlieren. Da das Königreich aus lauter schwebenden Inseln besteht, ist dies natürlich eine wirklich kritische Situation, denn es weiß Niemand wie lange die jetzige Energie noch hält. Die Prinzessin klammert sich an eine alte Geschichte in der es um die Ältesten geht. Sie will sie finden und so ihr zukünftiges Königreich retten.

 

Das Setting mit den schwebenden Inseln, Luftpiraten und Drachen hat mir wahnsinnig gut gefallen. Ebenso Die Magie mit Sturm und Gewittern.

 

Mit Remy und Gem gibt es zwei mutige Charaktere die wunderbar zu diesem Abenteuer passen. Mut brauchen sie nämlich definitiv für das was vor ihnen liegt. Auch Freundschaft und Vertrauen. Die Beiden erzählen die Story in wechselnde Sichten, wobei die Kapitel eine angenehme Länge haben. Gerade für jüngere Leser.

 

Sie wollen nämlich nicht nur den kleinen Drachen beschützen, sondern brauchen auch Antworten um das Königreich retten zu können. Dabei geraten sie an fiese Himmelspiraten und Leute die sich Vorteile erhoffen und andere verraten.

 

Bart ist ebenfalls sehr gut dargestellt. Er ist, wie sich herausstellt, ein ehemaliger Himmelsreiter des Königs, doch er hat seinen Mut verloren als sein Drache starb. Er hat schwer mit diesem Verlust zu kämpfen und dümpelt nun sein Dasein auf der Halsabschneider Insel. Geld verdient er indem er Geschichten über Drachen zum Besten gibt. Ich mochte ihn schon deswegen, weil er Remy geholfen hat.

 

Auch die anderen Charaktere wie der bösen Magier Jhaeros oder Captain Flinke Klinge passen ins Bild und machen die Story rund.

 

Fazit

 

Die Geschichte kann mit einem kreativen Setting und jeder Menge Abenteuer glänzen. Und natürlich mit Drachen. Mit einem gewohnten flüssigen und lebhaften Schreibstil schafft die Autorin hier einen wirklich tollen Auftakt, der Lust auf mehr macht. Ich bin gespannt was uns die Fortsetzung bringt. 4,5 Sterne

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightningborn is a great start for a middle-grade high fantasy (not portal) dragon rider story. The magic system and the worldbuilding are easy to follow and we are never confused about who is who, even when it feels like it's predictable we are hoping our predictions turn out true.

It starts with two different points of view and location, a boy (Remy) finds a baby dragon being hunted by an evil sky pirate mage. This pirate's intentions are not good and Remy will do whatever is needed to protect the dragon with the help of Bart (we learn more about him as we read). Gem, the princess has Cloud a white dragon. They belong to another perspective of this story. Her goal is to find a way to save her kingdom, to heal the crystals she must find someone who knows about the true dragons.

I love how Gem and Remy's story gets tangled and they become a team in an adventure against time to rescue more than just a baby dragon. Gem has a great personality: focused, brave, and goes against rules but for the greater good. Remy is also brave with his heart in the right place and Bart is very honorable and knowledgeable. Lightning is more than just a baby dragon.

This first book ends with a promise of a larger quest and higher stakes to solve. I will look forward to reading the rest. It's easy to read and the author's style flows well.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc.

[Julie Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing I didn't like about this story is that I have to wait so long for the next book in the series.

Ms. Kagawa launches her next YA fantasy/adventure series, Storm Dragons, with Lightningborn. Without giving away the "secret" that no one outside the royal family and their most trusted mage can share, this series is a quest to save a kingdom of floating islands that magically hover above a maelstrom. This first book is all about getting the team together who will ultimately embark upon this dangerous quest. Street rat Remy and Princess Gem each come with their own set of baggage and unshakable goal they want to achieve. There's a spark of interest there, despite their different statuses and talents. Besides the young adults, there's a cranky old storyteller, a lady pirate captain, an evil mage pirate who craves power, and dragons. The dragons are my favorite thing about the story, from the juvenile dragon (Storm) that Remy rescues from a dire fate, to Cloud, the gentle guardian and transportation for the princess. The author imbues them with as much personality as the human characters.

It's hard to talk too much about the story without giving clues away. But the climactic battle at the end is wonderfully satisfying, as is the resolution that takes us into the next story. I smiled and cheered as I read. This is YA fantasy/action adventure at its best.

[Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the juvenile rendering of a dragon on the cover hints, this is indeed a fantasy book for middle grades. The artwork should appeal to the target audience perfectly.

The book should, too. Kagwa begins a dragon series (because if the book has a dragon it, then it’s a dragon series, am I right?) featuring a boy, a girl, and a sidekick name Crusty Bart. Crusty Bart is the second clue that this is geared toward middle school students- they will love this character.

The story is good, exciting at times, often entertaining, but students who read a lot of dragon stories may have a hard time voicing their thoughts of disappointment that nothing new happens. No new world building takes place, nothing earth-shaking is developed in the story. Kagwa’s imagination seems sufficient to write the story, but not enough to really create a dragon world.

However, world-building is difficult and that doesn’t mean this is a bad book. In the contrary, fantasy lovers will enjoy this addition to the genre. Buy without hesitation.

[RileyRoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieses Buch war die Wahl meiner 8-jährigen Nichte, die sich ein Drachenabenteuer wünschte. Da ich die Autorin selber von der Plötzlich Fee Reihe kannte, die ich als Teenie geliebt habe, war ich nur allzu einverstanden. Genau das was meine Nichte sich erhofft hatte, erhielt sie auch, auch wenn das Ende sie empört hat, da es eindeutig eine Vorgeschichte für das nächste Buch darstellt.
Die Charaktere sind lustig und leicht verständlich. Es gibt jedoch viele Anspielungen auf Alkohol, was ich für ein Kinderbuch ungewöhnlich fand.
Das Buch war für die Drittklässlerin leicht genug zum Vorlesen, mit ein paar neuen Wörtern, bei denen sie hier und da Hilfe brauchte. Wir werden uns das nächste Buch wahrscheinlich später auch gemeinsam durchlesen.
Ich für meinen Teil fand die Geschichte ebenfalls vergnüglich und bin mir sicher, dass auch viele Erwachsene Spaß mit diesem Drachenabenteuer haben werden.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've picked up a Julie Kagawa book, but I've been enjoying her presence in the middle grade community. Lightningborn was another unexpected success of a book that I ended up reading for my middle grade book club: Meet Me in the Middle (you can check out the first live show here: https://youtube.com/live/H2AZZOPNS3g). Middle grade readers who are fans of fantasy series like Wings of Fire looking for a more interesting take on dragon lore should give this one a try. Set against the backdrop of a floating world, Kagawa explores themes of community, courage, duty/responsibility, greed/power, and family. There are pirates, intense action scenes, floating boats, telepathic dragons, and more. Both Remy and Gem are fully developed, interesting characters that I can't wait to see in book 2. Definitely give this one a try if you're looking for middle grade dragon options.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! The highlight of the book was the characters. I loved watching Remy form a relationship with the baby dragon. Remy reminded me a bit of Aladdin and Robin Hood in that he is street rat who has to steal to survive but he also has morals and would never steal from a friend. Gem is intelligent and responsible but also a bit of free spirit and will do things that she technically shouldn't for a good cause. I love the dragons and the pirate Captain Cutlass. The world building was a lot fun too with floating islands and airships. Between the pirates and airships it kind of gave me Treasure Planet vibes. The story is fast paced with dual perspectives. I really struggled to put this down since every chapter seemed to end on cliffhanger. I think it would be a fun book to read aloud and 100% would recommend as a fun adventure story.

[Karen Cohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remy and Gem are children from the opposite ends of their society; Remy is an orphan, forced to beg and steal to survive, while Gem is a princess, heir to the throne. Remy is in the right (or wrong) place just as a baby dragon escapes from a pirate, and, having found him, Remy will do anything for Storm, as he names the dragon - even seek help from Crusty Bart, the old drunk who tells dragon tales in the tavern. Gem is on a search for information to save their world; the floating islands the comprise their land are sinking, and only one man, Sir Bartello, may have the information she needs to find the True Dragons, who may know how to fix the storm crystals that keep their islands afloat in the sky. Their quest brings them together, in the first book of a fun and fast-paced series. Recommended for readers middle school to adult.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC via Netgalley from the Publisher, though all thoughts are my own.
This was a great beginning to a series about an unlikely group of people who find themselves together, including two dragons, and certainly has caught my interest.

I'm really excited to see how things will go, and I, of course, adore all of the Dragons mentioned. I am picturing Cloud as looking similar to Falkor (from the Neverending story), though with much brighter colors, and can't wait to see fellow fan interpretations of Cloud as well as Storm

Full of adventure, surprises, pirates, Dragons, and magic, I'm so glad I read this book and has quite an interesting cliffhanger.

Trigger warnings: violence, death, kidnapping, imprisonment, poverty

[Isel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it.
I wasn't expecting the MCs to be that young though. Is there going to be a time skip?
The king not wanting to find the True Dragons makes me think that humans did something to the dragons. Jhaeros makes me think it has to do with the crystals... Did they kill the dragons to get their magic crystals?
Speaking of Jhaeros I'm thinking the guy got some of those powers he wanted. He did take an attack head on by Storm and survived... Plus he was being a creep...
And does Storm not remember where he came from? I know he was young but he seemed pretty smart from the beginning...?
Looking forward to the next book.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this middle grade novel from Julie Kagawa. While I do not know whether this is her first middle grade novel or not, I have appreciated her writing in several of her young adult novels. Kagawa built an intricate fantasy world while keeping it understandable for middle grade readers and relatable as well. I did notice a little bit of stilted language in some of the chapters from the female main characters, usually when her father spoke to her, but that did not last long or play a significant part.
I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

[Jan farnworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightningborn is the first in a series of books by Julie Kagawa called Storm Dragons. The series title tells you that storms and the magic surrounding these kinds of dragons are involved. Our tale is told from alternating points of view between a princess and an orphaned boy. The two views will collide, and eventually, they will have the same goal: save the island before they crash into a monster and rescue the baby dragon from a power-hungry pirate. What I like most about this story is that Julie Kagawa knows how to write dragons, whether in a young adult fantasy or a younger middle-grade series. She lays out the world’s magic in easy-to-understand language; the simple world-building is intriguing and leaves room for exploration in the future book of the series. I don’t know how many books are in this new series, but I am eager to see what other kind of storm dragons we get to meet.

[A Menagerie of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this aloud to my children and they loved. It's a great book. Clean. No, craziness. We can't wait for the next book. This was a great story for children. Especially, if they love Dragons. But I absolutely loved that there was no adult content in this story for children. Keep children's books clean and intended for children.

[Leigh Gaddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great!! A lucky library find. The characters are GREAT. Intriguing new world. Dragons. Real villain, if a little Supreme Evil-ish objectives. The solid dialog and real life issues/consequences pulled me in. Solid fantasy adventure, probably older middle grade. Perhaps 10 and up, but a strong younger reader will do just fine.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your typical dragon ‘rescue-them-from-the-villain’ story

Easy read.

Great set-up for a dragon series.

If this is not a middle-grade story, I’ll be expecting for more.

Great read overall. Feels like Eragon but grade-schooler vibes.

Ms Julie, here I am waiting for your next major YA or your next fantasy book.

[Ranelle Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This was a Fantastic book!
Took a few chapters to get into. Could be the fact it was a book I chose to read while waiting for another book in a series I was reading. I figured sticking to dragon theme would help. Eventually it took. I couldn’t put it down. Trust me. If u love dragons, you’ll love it!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors has taken on a different magical world and I loved its action filled chapters as well as the characters who brought this new series to life so vividly.

Now book two hopefully will come out within the next year or so.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fantasy series debut has everything that readers could want: magic, used for both good and ill; dragons; a quest; a rebellious and brave princess; life-and-death adventure; and a cliffhanger ending.