Firebred

Storm Dragons #2

by Julie Kagawa

Newfound friends must overcome countless danger in a quest to save the world in this epic sequel of the Storm Dragons saga!

REMY has come a long way from his life as a scrappy orphan on Cutthroat Wedge. Still on the run from the evil pirate Jhaeros, Remy and his dragon, Storm, set out to find a True Dragon, the only creature old enough to understand why the magic that powers their floating islands is dying. After a confession from a long-forgotten sky knight about the remote location of a True Dragon, Remy is more determined than ever to help save the day. But this is easier said than done when an ancient force has done everything in its power to keep that True Dragon hidden.

GEM is ready to harness magic to protect her friends, but training is impossible now that she’s far away from the College of Magic. That is, until she teams up with the surly wizard Lysander aboard the Queen’s Blade, forming a begrudging partnership and beginning a journey to master magic. As Gem grows stronger, so does her desire to live up to her title as the princess by halting the kingdom’s impending doom. But what good is revealing the truth about the dire state of the world if nobody will listen?

To save their realm, Remy, Gem, and Storm must evade the king’s guards, discover the hidden truths about the past, and face down a vengeful villain none of them saw coming. Together they will discover who they are, what it means to be a good friend, and what it takes to be a hero.

Genres: Fantasy, Dragons, Middle Grade, Adventure, Action, Magic

336 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Taylor G · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was less memorable then the first book I enjoyed it though
It was a bit hard to get through the middle and I got it bit lost but that was probably my fault
I will be reading the next one when it come out!

[R2 Ireland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is definitely taking a LOTR twist, so now it's LOTR, Eragon, and Harry Potter.
Oh, and pirates.
Maybe a little Aladdin for the first book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My tween's review: It's got everything! Adventure, death, bravery, sadness, and comedy.

[Rowan S · Rating 5 out of 5]

just wish it was not such a Clif hanger .

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Gemillia, Gem to her friends, is continuing her quest to find the True Dragons and discover a way to save the kingdom of floating islands from falling into the Maelstrom below as the magical gems keeping them afloat are failing. Her faithful dragon, Cloud, along with her new friends Remy, Storm the young True Dragon he rescued, Sir Bart, pirate Captain Cutlass, Cutlass’ ship mage Lysander, and the rest of the crew have joined her on her quest. They are currently venturing into some of the stormier parts of the skies to see if they can find the island where Sir Bart was marooned for many years and where he met a True Dragon. But Sir Bart is not sure he has the strength to return and face what he left there. But for the good of the kingdom, he must. And what they find on the island will surprise them all and send their quest in directions no one could have predicted.

Gem, Cloud, Remy, Storm and gang are off on one more impossible quest after another in this one, and it was fun to tag along now that they know each other better. We get to learn the origin of the floating islands and the Maelstrom, why there are so few True Dragons, why nasty Jhaeros is after them, what happened to Bart when he was marooned and turned a sky knight into a sorry drunk. Gem gets some magic lessons from Lysander, which are usually entertaining. The 2nd half of the book sees the group get a further quest after finding Bart’s island they have to find the machine dwarves made that should fix the crystals but its whereabouts are only known on the island of elves that itself is hidden in a different phase of reality and can only be reached by dragon magic. The worldbuilding in this one gets all the stars. It is so imaginative and well thought out. I’m glad that there is another book in this series coming.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are several battles and perilous circumstances. 3 dragons die, 1 from old age and 2 as a result of battles. A ship gets damaged and some people fall overboard, but all people are mostly ok. No gory wounds or anything described. We learn about civil wars that decimated the elf population.
Ethnic diversity: Imaginary world and ethnicities.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Bart’s trauma is explained but he makes great strides in healing and getting to a healthier place in this book. Some of the True Dragons are very prejudiced against humans and bitter about an accident that happened in the distant past and think the answer is to wipe out all humans.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storm Dragons is not simply a rehash of every other dragon series. Rather, it is a unique mixture of magic, sentient and verbal dragons, pirates who sail their ships sail airborne from one floating island country to another and those who ride dragons in order to protect the kingdom’s citizens. The world-building is well done with elements being revealed throughout the action rather than simply stacked up in the first few chapters in a less exciting way. Firebred continues the Storm Dragons series with main characters Princess Gem, Remy and their dragons Cloud and Storm, magician Lysander, and pirate captain Cutlass striving to correct the magic drain on the crystals that keep the island worlds safely suspended in the air above the massive swirling Maelstrom.

Love the relationship of riders to dragons, the growing magical ability of Gem and the strengthening bond between Remy and Storm. The sarcasm of Lysander keeps things from getting too “touchy-feely” and the no nonsense attitude of Cutlass also adds some extra zip to the cast.

Text is free of profanity, sexual content and the violence level is perfectly appropriate to fantasy for those in grades 4-8. Many in those lower grades may be intimidated by the 300+ pages but the non-stop action and steady reveal of new pieces to the puzzle of repairing the crystals should encourage them to reach the cliffhanger leading to the 3rd and final book in the series.

Note: I did not read the series opener, Lightningborn, but was able to enjoy this book 2 without any difficulty.

Thanks for the eARC, NetGalley and Disney Hyperion.

[Karen Cohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in the Storm Dragons series is almost everything I could have hoped for. The continuing story of Remy and his True Dragon partner Storm is a fast-paced story, perhaps a bit more serious than Book 1. Remy, Storm, and Gem, along with Bart and the captain and crew of the pirate ship they've hired for transportation are looking for other True Dragons, so Storm can find out about his heritage - oh, and save their world in the process. This volume includes Bart's back story, as well as a quest to find the long-missing elves and dwarves, who used to populate the world along with humans and dragons. Firebred is a wonderful story about helping your friends, overcoming past mistakes, and doing what's best for everyone, not just yourself. It's appropriate for upper elementary students, and entertaining enough for adults.

I quite enjoyed right up to the finale, when it just... ends. Abruptly. Yes, there's a third book due out next year, but even so, this one builds to a crescendo, and then crashes. It's certainly worth reading, but look out for that feel of incompleteness. For me, the abrupt ending disrupted the tone of the book. It may not bother others at all.

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

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Actual rating: 3.5 stars)
Although this book was the first of three books by Kagawa that I read this month and the ninth that I have read from her overall, I simply could not get into the story. I really struggled to connect with the characters which perplexed me because not only have I not had that trouble with other books that I have read from her but I also did not have that trouble when I read the first book in this series. This struggle to connect also contributed to a struggle to keep details about the book in my mind. Unfortunately, this lack of engagement has contributed to my decision to DNF the series.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gem and Remy have come so far since Cutthroat Wedge, and they are on their way to find a True Dragon and help their world stay afloat and out of the maelstrom. But this is not a easy trip it is one full of action and suspense, and maneuvering through a ranging storm that no other Captain would even try.
This book is full of suspense and I do not want to add spoilers. But this is a wonderful book not only finding a true dragon is is also about finding your true self.
review book was provided by Edelweiss

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great sequel to Lightningborn. It picks up right where the first book ends. We get to find out more about the True Dragons and Bart's past. I love the expansion of the world building in this book and each of the characters that we were introduced to in the first book. The story did get a bit tough emotionally with some conversation about death, which focused on 2 dragons that Bart was close to both of which are described on page. And we do see the emotional impact that has on both Bart and Storm.

Otherwise this was another fun pirate adventure story. Captain Cutlass continues to be great character and we also get to see more of Lysander as he interacts with Gem. Storm is absolutely adorable and I love his interactions with Remy. I will absolutely be reading book 3 in this series when it comes out!

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remy, Gem, and Storm must find the island Sir Bartello was stranded on in order to speak with the True Dragon that lives there. They hope that the True Dragon will be able to tell them how to save the storm crystals from failing. Of course things don't go to plan, and they end up finding more than they thought. Not all myths are false. #Edelweiss+

[Ashley Wendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fun an action-packed little dragon series! It’s well written, face paced, characters you will love and reminds me a bit of some older middle grade fantasy that was just funny & fun!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Disney Publishing Worldwide and Disney Hyperion for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was great! It was lacking some of the descriptive wit of the first one but it made up for it in the stories told by jack and the experience of the boat. I love this otherworldly Pangea concept!

[Lexi Pichardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It lost some of the original ideas that made the first book better and the second a little more confusing.

[Toast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book full of adventure while upping the stakes! I'm really enjoying this series and excited for the next book.

[Bethe Hadden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m still really loving this series: With its dragons, sky pirates, and floating islands. I’m excited to see how it all ends.

[Cassie Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second book! My 7 year old is waiting impatiently for the third!