The Void Dragon

The Shattered Lands #2

by Annabel Campbell

The next installment in the fantasy series from "exciting new voice in epic fantasy" (Publishers Weekly) Annabel Campbell, where a mage bereft of her powers must find out if she is destined to save the world or destroy it. Perfect for fans of Andrea Stewart, James Islington, and Samantha Shannon.

Genres: Fantasy, Adult

Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 13, 2026

About the author

Annabel writes fantasy with fierce female characters and disaster wizards, and believes everything is improved by dragons.

She has a PhD in cardiovascular science, and when not making things up for a living, she works as a Medical Writer.

Her other joys are red wine, playing games, or showing you too many pictures of her dog.

Reviews

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Political instability, elite conspiracies, and brewing regional tensions - basically my three selling points in an epic fantasy. Add into that an outcast with mysterious magic and a disaster mage mentor.

The writing style is addictive and the magic reminiscent of something from Sanderson’s standalone books. It is fast-paced and ends on a cliffhanger that makes you desperate for the finale. 

The series explores systemic inequality, discrimination against outgroups, and the mechanics of political subjugation and rising autocracy. Its commentary is what the reader takes from it with characters with varying motivations and ambitions who rub against each other in friendships, romances, apprentices and mentors, and reluctant allies.

I must admit that the ending of this book is what brought this down a star - it had one of my most hated plot conveniences which I obviously won’t be spoiling. It just took away some of the emotional stakes and impact. Suffice to say, it resulted in annoyance and worry about how this will play out in the finale. I would still recommend the books though, especially as this type of convenience is regularly used.

Did I mention there are dragons?
3.5 stars.🌟

Physical arc gifted by Orbit.

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[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Void Dragon raises the bar on the already exciting Shattered Lands series. The stakes ratchet up as does the action with additional characters and even more of the world encountered by the main characters that were introduced in The Outcast Mage. Readers who enjoyed the start of the series will find this book's style similar. Though we have more dragons in this book, they aren't the dragons of most dragon-rider academia stories. There are twists and turns and the players reshuffling with different sides and new motivations coming to light. Favorite characters become even more complex and politics and power struggles are even larger looming. The plot gets more and more complicated all the way to the epilogue and I am looking forward to following these characters into the next phase of this epic story. I would say that this was a successful sophomore entry into the series, keeping the momentum of the first book and, in the end, making me crave the next book for more.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Orbit Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

[Chelsea Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Void Dragon is a fantastic, action-packed continuation of the story that began in The Outcast Mage. Following Naila as she flees to the great library of Awasef while grappling with a dangerous, hungry new power inside her makes for a gripping hook. Annabel Campbell excels at balancing high-stakes political conspiracies, civil war tensions, and pure dragonfire. The "friends turned to rivals" dynamic with Haelius adds incredible emotional weight to the plot. My only minor complaint is that the middle section slows down slightly under the weight of heavy lore setup. Even so, the magical duels and fierce character development make this a stellar, enchanting sequel!