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Ever After High: Dragon Games: The Junior Novel
After being set free from her mirror prison, the Evil Queen comes up with a wickedly hexcellent plan to infiltrate Ever After High. Can she finally convince her daughter, Raven Queen, to accept her fairytale destiny and join her in being evil? Meanwhile a new litter of baby dragons is born and before long the Dragon Games are back at Ever After High, but the reinstatement of the games is all part of the Evil Queen's master plan. Can Raven, Apple, Darling, and the rest of the gang stand up to the Evil Queen? One thing is for sure...Ever After High will never be the same! Let the Dragon Games begin!
©2016 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.
©2016 Mattel. All Rights Reserved.
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2016
17 people are currently reading
503 people want to read
About the author
Stacia Deutsch
127 books114 followers#1 New York Times Best Selling Author, Stacia Deutsch has written more than 300 books.
In addition to her award-winning creative chapter book series entitled Blast to the Past, Stacia has also ghostwritten for a popular girls' mystery series, published non-fiction texts, and penned a young adult romantic comedy called In the Stars. She has also penned popular titles for Girls who Code Books 1 & 2 and several Spirit: Riding Free books.
Additionally, Stacia has written junior movie tie-in novelizations for summer blockbuster films, including HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, the New York Times Best Seller: CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS JR. MOVIE NOVEL, and THE SMURFS MOVIE NOVELS.
Check out Stacia's website for more titles!
A bit more about me:
✥ Lives on a Ranch with 4 horses, 2 cats, 2 dogs and a lot of lizards
✥ Has an Masters in Fine Arts from Western State Colorado in Genre Fiction
✥ Was recently awarded a Doctor of Divinity honorary degree from Hebrew Union College
✥ Grew up in Denver, lived in Cincinnati, and now lives in California
Find her at www.staciadeutsch.com.
Email: staciadeutsch.writes@gmail.com
Twitter: @staciadeutsch, www.facebook/staciadeutsch, and www.instagram.com/staciadeutsch_writes/
Stacia lives in Temecula, California.
In addition to her award-winning creative chapter book series entitled Blast to the Past, Stacia has also ghostwritten for a popular girls' mystery series, published non-fiction texts, and penned a young adult romantic comedy called In the Stars. She has also penned popular titles for Girls who Code Books 1 & 2 and several Spirit: Riding Free books.
Additionally, Stacia has written junior movie tie-in novelizations for summer blockbuster films, including HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, the New York Times Best Seller: CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS JR. MOVIE NOVEL, and THE SMURFS MOVIE NOVELS.
Check out Stacia's website for more titles!
A bit more about me:
✥ Lives on a Ranch with 4 horses, 2 cats, 2 dogs and a lot of lizards
✥ Has an Masters in Fine Arts from Western State Colorado in Genre Fiction
✥ Was recently awarded a Doctor of Divinity honorary degree from Hebrew Union College
✥ Grew up in Denver, lived in Cincinnati, and now lives in California
Find her at www.staciadeutsch.com.
Email: staciadeutsch.writes@gmail.com
Twitter: @staciadeutsch, www.facebook/staciadeutsch, and www.instagram.com/staciadeutsch_writes/
Stacia lives in Temecula, California.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 28, 2016
3.8 stars.
The Ever After High series is my joy. I just right love this modern and clever mix of fairy-tales characters and puns and references!
I will always read new installment in the eahverse!
And I liked this Dragon Games! But--it felt like the series by Shannon Hale (I have not already read the one by Susan Selfors because I want to have something of EAH for next year) is told by an adult narrator (the books are longer and more complex) and this is told by the daughter of the narrator, Brooke Page (which is a nice thing per se, anyway). My only complaint, and it is not a little one however, is that the book is TOO short. It could have been better with more (Brooke) Pages! Sure, it has less storylines than in the first EAH series, where we can read about the personal stories of more main characters, but here the central events also are summed up.
Well, overall it is a funny and hexciting story nonetheless!
And my favorite character here (after Goldie Lockes) is Jillian Beanstalk, daughter of Jack for obvious reasons, eh eh eh.
May 30, 2018
This was my least favorite of the Ever After High books. I felt that it didn't stick to Snow White's and Apple White's true characters. They aren't supposed to be selfish and looking out for themselves. It just kind of ruined the book for me.
June 21, 2025
Dragon Games: Ever After High (Updated)
As Raven rushes down the halls of EAH, the students come up to her requesting her help. Her spells have come a long way. Cedar has a splinter, Blondie’s Mirror Pad is broke, and Daring’s teeth are blackened from eating burnt dragon roasted marshmallows. Raven is grateful when Apple offers to take-over.
It’s “Visitor’s Day” and Raven has a meeting with her mother in her mirror prison. Nevermore is guarding the door and they go to the tower attic together. Raven says she *should* tell her she used an evil spell on her roommate (Apple) but she didn’t. Her mother tells her she knows she’s been using her spells to help people and wonders where she went wrong. Raven tells that being evil just isn’t her, but her mother tells her to harness it before it’s too late. Raven says its different now. They can choise their own destiny. The Queen says it’s better to be feared than forgotten and that will never change.
The Queen says if Raven gets her out of there, she’ll show her. They’ll rule side by side. They’ll take over EAH. Raven says she won’t hurt her friends. She never wants to be like the Evil Queen. As she says this anger courses through her and her fists ball. Nevermore then pops into the room and Raven realizes her mother was trying to trick her into freeing her and tells her nice try. The Queen hisses at Nevermore and she turns over some paint cans. Grimm hears and declares visiting hours over. The Queen threatens she’ll find a way to break the mirror and EAH will face more than 7 years of bad luck.
Holly and Poppy offer to get the paint off Nevermore and groom her. It turns out to be more than they bargained for and after this they wind out creating home-made armor for themselves. Apple receives a call from her mother (Snow) whose upset because Apple’s popularity is down thirteen percent. She suggests that Apple find a way to make Raven do something more evil. Even tho Apple tells her Raven isn’t like that. Snow says she named her Apple because eating that apple was the best thing that ever happened to her. She says she needs to consider her destiny.
And sometimes destiny needs a push. Apple says she’ll think about it. Later that night, Apple can’t sleep. She goes to the mirror and asked it why is life the unfairest after all. Then an apple appears and there’s a whisper that says “Follow me!” So, she follows it to an enchanted tree and finds herself in the attic tower in front of the same mirror Raven spoke to her mother. The Queen manipulates Apple by making her resentment come out for what Raven took and accusing her of not being like her mother. She hurls the apple at the glass and releases the Queen from her prison.
The Queen realizes she can’t just walk into the school so she transforms herself to a high school student and calls herself “Mira Shards”. Apple introduces her by saying they went to neighboring camp (to the others). Mira and Raven have an instant connection. Nevermore is the only one who sees Mira for who she really is and she causes havoc in the Castleteria. Grimm scolds Raven who says it won’t happen again.
Mira and Raven become fast friends. Nevermore gets away from Holly and Poppy and they find what use to be the old dragon arena when looking for her. Raven finds out that her mom and Apple’s mom use to be the best dragon riders in the games. The Queen is sad when Raven says she’s not trying to ride because she doesn’t want to be anything like her mother. There’s one dragon left from back in their day (named Legend) and just then she births a bunch of eggs.
When Raven tries a spell to warm them, the Evil Queen intensifies the spell making the babies hatch and turning them evil. Everyone is looking at Raven like she’s the reason (not knowing). Some of the students adopt the babies and they have special abilities (ice, fire, cotton-candy).
. Meanwhile Mira “persuades” Nevermore to let her ride her. Little does she know, she’s noticed by Snow who sees Blondie’s mirror cast about the dragons. Not long after, Snow announces the restoration of Dragon Games, She announces Lizzie and Ashlyn as the designers of the Dragon Games wear. She shows Apple and Raven their special outfits, credits Apple for the idea, and then shows them the new and improved Dragon Center and Arena.
Snow White calls Mira’s real identity out and everyone is shocked (which leads to running and screaming). Raven rushes in and tells her mother to stand down. As Faybelle watches she thinks if only she’d known before now. The Queen says she means no harm and she wants her friends to their friends. Raven says no tricks. The Queen says no tricks. She did the crime. She’ll do the time and she changes Hopper into a frog.Then she turns herself in to the Queen.
Faybelle sees she’s not sincere when she looks at her. The Queen tells Raven it was all for her but Raven pulls away. She says she’ll miss the dragon games and for a minute Snow turns nostalgic over the memories. The Evil Queen says she could coach a team and they could have a re-match. Snow agrees to this and gives her a temporary pardon. Snow announces that she and the Evil Queen will be their coaches. They’ll choose captains and teams the next day.
Later, Snow shows Apple her secret weapon-A Booking Glass-. If the Evil Queen is reformed, Snow looks just and pure. If not she’ll use the mirror to recapture her. Then she’ll look like heroine. Only we see that the Booking Glass is just like the ones Daring buys in bulk. Ashlyn asks Raven if she’s going to join the team. Raven says no. She’s not trying to be involved with whatever it is her mother’s scheme is.
Faybelle goes to the Queen with the request of being Dragon Games captain. She wants to be like the Queen and have popularity, power, and respect. And since she heard Raven say no way she’d be in the Games. She takes Rumple (who she’s turned into a frog) and offers to share her dark magic with Fayebelle. Then she tells her the plan, The Evil Queen sees Raven putting Nevermore in the stable for the night and does a spell to cause Raven and Nevermore to fall asleep.
When Raven wakes up Nevermore isn’t there and she looks all over the school. Then all of a sudden she knows where she is. She doesn’t notice Faybelle has turned the step librians into snails with her new magic. Faybelle puts them in a jar. The Evil Queen’s first choice for her team is Apple. Apple is about to protest but fears the Evil Queen will tell the story of how she released her. Darling is chosen for the captain of Team Light.
Apple chooses Ashlyn, Melody and Maddie. Darling chooses Poppy, Holly, and Raven. Only Raven says she’s not there to play. So, Darling chooses Lizzie. Raven demands to know where Nevermore is and then sees the Queen is keeping her prisoner in a very high tower. The Evil Queen has Faybelle bring her Nevermore and she sends Faybelle to get the Booking Glass while Snow is distracted and explains the rules.
Basically, it’s basketball played on dragons. Snow and the Evil Queen give the audience a demonstration of how the game is played. All the while, Blondie is reporting it on her Mirror Cast show. While sitting next to Daring, the Booking Glass mirror gets switched. After the “show” Nevermore runs back to Raven (spell worn off). Raven leaves to take care of Nevermore. Faybelle follows. Faybelle then sprinkles some magic powder on Never more’s food. Nevermore falls asleep without eating it, but Faybelle knows the rest of the animals will. It turns out the powder was growth powder but all their parts aren’t growing at the same rate. Still, Faybelle reports back to the Evil Queen that the mission was successful.
Snow is astonished to see how much the dragons have grown. She says they have to stop the games. The Evil Queen reminds her of the words “They have to give the people what they want” So, Snow caves. The Evil Queen instructs her team they have to win by any means necessary. During the second half, Darling is injured and has to be taken off the field.
Apple gets upset because people -her friends- are getting hurt. The Queen says they have to get Raven to take the field. Then she’ll get her happily ever after. Without Darling, the Light Team doesn’t have enough players. Snow is about to forefeit but Raven appears on Nevermore dressed and ready to play (as the Evil Queen knew she would). Daring has the Booking Mirror but doesn’t know it. He rubs the gems to clean them and opens up Miri. He says “Rapture! A delicious meal” (about his snack of cotton candy, a hot dog, and popcorn) but the mirror reads it as “Capture delicious meal!) and when he looks up, his food is gone and has been sent to the mirror prison.
During the game, Apple comments to Raven doesn’t this feel right. Raven says nothing about this feels right. Her mother is out and Darling is hurt. Apple asks doesn’t that make her mad. She says yeah, she is mad. She’s mad that Apple is her friend but doesn’t listen to her and is selfish and only cares about what she wants. Apple goes back and tells the Queen it’s not working. Apple won’t turn evil. The Queen says it’s enough that people think she is. Then she cast another spell on Nevermore.
Nevermore starts burping blue flames and Faybelle says she’s trying to burn down the school. Snow White blames the Evil Queen and calls on the Booking Glass but it just breaks. The Queen holds up her mirror but it breaks. Daring says he has one but then he says his mirror should capture his portrait and the mirror captures him and sends him to mirror prison. Daring thinks its cool, then is confused, but then is appeased when he sees his cotton candy. The Evil Queen has Snow apprehended.
The Queen request the keys to power “temporarily” so she can “restore order”. Grimm just hands them over. We find out this Milton Grimm is fake. Raven realizes that Apple let her mother out, tells her that they aren’t on the same page anymore, and then she needs to choose a side. Darling discovers that Daring's left his hand mirror, which she finds unlike of him. She doesn’t realize he’s in the mirror. Apple is heartbroken and tries to call her mother. The Evil Queen has her tied up. She switches the staff’s minds with creatures and then turns Snow into a snake.
Raven pretends to accept her mother’s offer to rule with her. She asks Darling if she knows of a place to meet that the Evil Queen won’t know about and Darling tells her she knows of a place in the Enchanted Forest. Only Faybelle is listening. Darling comes with Ashlyn, Maddie, Holly and Poppy with their dragons. Faybelle reports back to the Queen that Raven’s run away and is in the Enchanted Forest. The Queen sends Faybelle to find her. Enraged the Queen plunges the school in eternal darkness. The faculty is turned into animals. Darling introduces them to Featherly and Deerla and heals Darling’s injured ankle. Apple now regrets getting involved with the Evil Queen and the Queen says she’s expelling Apple, but before she goes … she offers her a black poisoned apple.
Apple doesn’t take it and she kicks her right out the window. Now Apple heads off to find Raven but the Queen ahs planned this too. Faybelle follows with the poisoned apple. The pixies lead Apple to Raven and she apologizes. They agree they need to stop her mom. When the girls sit down and have fruit, Faybelle slips the poison apple in the fruit basket and Apple eats it. Faybelle comes in with the evil dragons but in the end, she’s run back to the school when he forest pixies lend Raven their magic by creating a hazardous border to block them from attacking at night. Apple is placed in a box and given a bouquet of flowers. They say that only Daring can free Apple. The mirror hears free Daring and he’s released.
Some of the other students sneak out and join the others in the Enchanted Forest. Surprisingly when Daring tries to kiss Apple, his kiss doesn’t wake her. Raven abruptly rushes off to see her mother. The students get a Mirror Cast from the Evil Queen saying that she’s leaving their kingdom because Raven agreed to join her if she’d leave that Kingdom alone. Faybelle is hurt after finding out Raven was who the Queen wanted all along and leaves. Darling is the one that gets the poison apple unstuck from Appple’s throat.
Apple confesses to everyone she helped the Evil Queen. Faybelle shows up and switches sides. She helps them unlock the Booking glass to get back at the Queen. The Evil Queen test Raven when she sees her staring out the window. She tells her to throw the teacher creatures into a void-she creates- but instead Raven sends a spell at her. The Evil Queen expects as much, so she cages Raven and Nevermore. Raven spots Apple and her friends riding dragons coming back for her in the distance.
*The Evil Queen leads the evil dragons to attack Apple and company. When Apple comes face-to-face with the Evil Queen, she has a go at trapping the Evil Queen, but the booking glass is snatched out of Apple's hands at the last minute. The Evil Queen is vengeful having been trapped there for a century, so she agrees on sending Apple there. Raven swoops in and sends the booking glass flying out of the Evil Queen's hand and catches it. She passes it to Apple and they have a final battle with the Evil Queen. Raven conjoins her strength with it of the booking glass against the Evil Queen's.
The Evil Queen is then sent back to Mirror Prison and the curse inflicted upon Ever After High is lifted. his time when she visits, her mother congratulates her on defeating her, saying she'll never escape her evil fate. It has come to Raven's attention that she is late for a dragon games match, so she steps out onto the field with Apple.* (EAH wiki)
My Thoughts:
This was fun! The Evil Queen had some good moments in this, which I liked on the scale of wickedness. I thought the creation of "Mira Shards" was clever. And using Apple's insecurities and anger against her to free herself I thought was well played for a manipulation. As well as using the turning of the school and the potential threat to Raven's friends as a means to make Raven herself turn.
You kind of want to feel a little sympathy for the Evil Queen though because even though she's going about this all wrong to get her daughter's love, it just kind of feels like that's the only way she knows to have any kind of connection at all with Raven. The only real way she knows to relate to her is through being evil. As we see when she's proud of her at the end of the book for using her magic even more powerfully then than the Queen herself. I know.
I know. Raven isn't interested in being anything like her mother, but would it kill her on occasion to just maybe not harm anyone with her magic but do something on the prankish side with her mother? This could give them a well-needed bonding moment. I bet if she took an interest-just a slight bit-things would improve with them.
If you read some of the Queen's diary some of her magic really wasn't all *that* bad. It had a slightly mischievous kind of feel to it. I don't always like how Raven acts real standoffish to her mother. I'm not saying she has to follow in her footsteps, but maybe just let her teach you a thing or two. Or maybe this would just be a lead on. But in the episode, she did find humor in Mira's spell on the Gingerbread Coach.
I also felt a little sorry for Faybelle. It's never good when you give someone 100 percent dedication and you find out they've played and made a fool of you. BUT I hope this is the push Faybelle needs as a character to push her truly dark. She's way too some timey in these books. Always WANTING to be the bad girl but not quite.
I was surprised at Snow White in this. She seems to be almost as bad as the Evil Queen. She puts pressure on Apple when she sees she isn't popular. Despite her doing well in school. She doesn't seem to really care about what Apple wants. Just her status. She even tries to buy Apple's popularity with the addition of the new Dragon stadium. I didn't really like this version of Snow White. She just seemed selfish.
And speaking of surprises if Daring Charming isn't Apple's Prince Charming then who is? Not that I'm *that* surprised by this because Apple and Daring just don't have any romantic chemistry to me in the least. It kinda just feels like they're forced together because it's expected.
The Dragons were cute! Although why other than Nevermore weren't they given lil cutesy names? Nevermore was cute as well as smart. She sensed the Evil Queen WAY before anyone else. How is it animals can always on shows sniff out evil?
Another question I had was if Nevermore and Legend are the only Dragons at the school and Legend was pregnant. I guess every magical high school has to have some kind of sport. Basically, the Dragon Games are basketball games played in the air with Dragons. It's cooler to watch the Dragon Games (on Netflix) "Shatter the Mirror" & "Hatch the Dragons" than to read pages of play by plays being described of the actual plays in the game. (If your more visual which I am).
But not a bad story. I was thinking if the Booking Glass mirror shattered is the Queen stuck in there forever? But on second thought it's just one mirror. Cute to have it be called Miri (Siri). The Dragon Games also introduces the new "Power Princess" Ever After High theme song, which is pretty good! And speaking of Netflix what is literally UP with the Evil Queen's hair? That updo of hers has GOT TO GO! I know there's a spell for that.
Rating: 7
As Raven rushes down the halls of EAH, the students come up to her requesting her help. Her spells have come a long way. Cedar has a splinter, Blondie’s Mirror Pad is broke, and Daring’s teeth are blackened from eating burnt dragon roasted marshmallows. Raven is grateful when Apple offers to take-over.
It’s “Visitor’s Day” and Raven has a meeting with her mother in her mirror prison. Nevermore is guarding the door and they go to the tower attic together. Raven says she *should* tell her she used an evil spell on her roommate (Apple) but she didn’t. Her mother tells her she knows she’s been using her spells to help people and wonders where she went wrong. Raven tells that being evil just isn’t her, but her mother tells her to harness it before it’s too late. Raven says its different now. They can choise their own destiny. The Queen says it’s better to be feared than forgotten and that will never change.
The Queen says if Raven gets her out of there, she’ll show her. They’ll rule side by side. They’ll take over EAH. Raven says she won’t hurt her friends. She never wants to be like the Evil Queen. As she says this anger courses through her and her fists ball. Nevermore then pops into the room and Raven realizes her mother was trying to trick her into freeing her and tells her nice try. The Queen hisses at Nevermore and she turns over some paint cans. Grimm hears and declares visiting hours over. The Queen threatens she’ll find a way to break the mirror and EAH will face more than 7 years of bad luck.
Holly and Poppy offer to get the paint off Nevermore and groom her. It turns out to be more than they bargained for and after this they wind out creating home-made armor for themselves. Apple receives a call from her mother (Snow) whose upset because Apple’s popularity is down thirteen percent. She suggests that Apple find a way to make Raven do something more evil. Even tho Apple tells her Raven isn’t like that. Snow says she named her Apple because eating that apple was the best thing that ever happened to her. She says she needs to consider her destiny.
And sometimes destiny needs a push. Apple says she’ll think about it. Later that night, Apple can’t sleep. She goes to the mirror and asked it why is life the unfairest after all. Then an apple appears and there’s a whisper that says “Follow me!” So, she follows it to an enchanted tree and finds herself in the attic tower in front of the same mirror Raven spoke to her mother. The Queen manipulates Apple by making her resentment come out for what Raven took and accusing her of not being like her mother. She hurls the apple at the glass and releases the Queen from her prison.
The Queen realizes she can’t just walk into the school so she transforms herself to a high school student and calls herself “Mira Shards”. Apple introduces her by saying they went to neighboring camp (to the others). Mira and Raven have an instant connection. Nevermore is the only one who sees Mira for who she really is and she causes havoc in the Castleteria. Grimm scolds Raven who says it won’t happen again.
Mira and Raven become fast friends. Nevermore gets away from Holly and Poppy and they find what use to be the old dragon arena when looking for her. Raven finds out that her mom and Apple’s mom use to be the best dragon riders in the games. The Queen is sad when Raven says she’s not trying to ride because she doesn’t want to be anything like her mother. There’s one dragon left from back in their day (named Legend) and just then she births a bunch of eggs.
When Raven tries a spell to warm them, the Evil Queen intensifies the spell making the babies hatch and turning them evil. Everyone is looking at Raven like she’s the reason (not knowing). Some of the students adopt the babies and they have special abilities (ice, fire, cotton-candy).
. Meanwhile Mira “persuades” Nevermore to let her ride her. Little does she know, she’s noticed by Snow who sees Blondie’s mirror cast about the dragons. Not long after, Snow announces the restoration of Dragon Games, She announces Lizzie and Ashlyn as the designers of the Dragon Games wear. She shows Apple and Raven their special outfits, credits Apple for the idea, and then shows them the new and improved Dragon Center and Arena.
Snow White calls Mira’s real identity out and everyone is shocked (which leads to running and screaming). Raven rushes in and tells her mother to stand down. As Faybelle watches she thinks if only she’d known before now. The Queen says she means no harm and she wants her friends to their friends. Raven says no tricks. The Queen says no tricks. She did the crime. She’ll do the time and she changes Hopper into a frog.Then she turns herself in to the Queen.
Faybelle sees she’s not sincere when she looks at her. The Queen tells Raven it was all for her but Raven pulls away. She says she’ll miss the dragon games and for a minute Snow turns nostalgic over the memories. The Evil Queen says she could coach a team and they could have a re-match. Snow agrees to this and gives her a temporary pardon. Snow announces that she and the Evil Queen will be their coaches. They’ll choose captains and teams the next day.
Later, Snow shows Apple her secret weapon-A Booking Glass-. If the Evil Queen is reformed, Snow looks just and pure. If not she’ll use the mirror to recapture her. Then she’ll look like heroine. Only we see that the Booking Glass is just like the ones Daring buys in bulk. Ashlyn asks Raven if she’s going to join the team. Raven says no. She’s not trying to be involved with whatever it is her mother’s scheme is.
Faybelle goes to the Queen with the request of being Dragon Games captain. She wants to be like the Queen and have popularity, power, and respect. And since she heard Raven say no way she’d be in the Games. She takes Rumple (who she’s turned into a frog) and offers to share her dark magic with Fayebelle. Then she tells her the plan, The Evil Queen sees Raven putting Nevermore in the stable for the night and does a spell to cause Raven and Nevermore to fall asleep.
When Raven wakes up Nevermore isn’t there and she looks all over the school. Then all of a sudden she knows where she is. She doesn’t notice Faybelle has turned the step librians into snails with her new magic. Faybelle puts them in a jar. The Evil Queen’s first choice for her team is Apple. Apple is about to protest but fears the Evil Queen will tell the story of how she released her. Darling is chosen for the captain of Team Light.
Apple chooses Ashlyn, Melody and Maddie. Darling chooses Poppy, Holly, and Raven. Only Raven says she’s not there to play. So, Darling chooses Lizzie. Raven demands to know where Nevermore is and then sees the Queen is keeping her prisoner in a very high tower. The Evil Queen has Faybelle bring her Nevermore and she sends Faybelle to get the Booking Glass while Snow is distracted and explains the rules.
Basically, it’s basketball played on dragons. Snow and the Evil Queen give the audience a demonstration of how the game is played. All the while, Blondie is reporting it on her Mirror Cast show. While sitting next to Daring, the Booking Glass mirror gets switched. After the “show” Nevermore runs back to Raven (spell worn off). Raven leaves to take care of Nevermore. Faybelle follows. Faybelle then sprinkles some magic powder on Never more’s food. Nevermore falls asleep without eating it, but Faybelle knows the rest of the animals will. It turns out the powder was growth powder but all their parts aren’t growing at the same rate. Still, Faybelle reports back to the Evil Queen that the mission was successful.
Snow is astonished to see how much the dragons have grown. She says they have to stop the games. The Evil Queen reminds her of the words “They have to give the people what they want” So, Snow caves. The Evil Queen instructs her team they have to win by any means necessary. During the second half, Darling is injured and has to be taken off the field.
Apple gets upset because people -her friends- are getting hurt. The Queen says they have to get Raven to take the field. Then she’ll get her happily ever after. Without Darling, the Light Team doesn’t have enough players. Snow is about to forefeit but Raven appears on Nevermore dressed and ready to play (as the Evil Queen knew she would). Daring has the Booking Mirror but doesn’t know it. He rubs the gems to clean them and opens up Miri. He says “Rapture! A delicious meal” (about his snack of cotton candy, a hot dog, and popcorn) but the mirror reads it as “Capture delicious meal!) and when he looks up, his food is gone and has been sent to the mirror prison.
During the game, Apple comments to Raven doesn’t this feel right. Raven says nothing about this feels right. Her mother is out and Darling is hurt. Apple asks doesn’t that make her mad. She says yeah, she is mad. She’s mad that Apple is her friend but doesn’t listen to her and is selfish and only cares about what she wants. Apple goes back and tells the Queen it’s not working. Apple won’t turn evil. The Queen says it’s enough that people think she is. Then she cast another spell on Nevermore.
Nevermore starts burping blue flames and Faybelle says she’s trying to burn down the school. Snow White blames the Evil Queen and calls on the Booking Glass but it just breaks. The Queen holds up her mirror but it breaks. Daring says he has one but then he says his mirror should capture his portrait and the mirror captures him and sends him to mirror prison. Daring thinks its cool, then is confused, but then is appeased when he sees his cotton candy. The Evil Queen has Snow apprehended.
The Queen request the keys to power “temporarily” so she can “restore order”. Grimm just hands them over. We find out this Milton Grimm is fake. Raven realizes that Apple let her mother out, tells her that they aren’t on the same page anymore, and then she needs to choose a side. Darling discovers that Daring's left his hand mirror, which she finds unlike of him. She doesn’t realize he’s in the mirror. Apple is heartbroken and tries to call her mother. The Evil Queen has her tied up. She switches the staff’s minds with creatures and then turns Snow into a snake.
Raven pretends to accept her mother’s offer to rule with her. She asks Darling if she knows of a place to meet that the Evil Queen won’t know about and Darling tells her she knows of a place in the Enchanted Forest. Only Faybelle is listening. Darling comes with Ashlyn, Maddie, Holly and Poppy with their dragons. Faybelle reports back to the Queen that Raven’s run away and is in the Enchanted Forest. The Queen sends Faybelle to find her. Enraged the Queen plunges the school in eternal darkness. The faculty is turned into animals. Darling introduces them to Featherly and Deerla and heals Darling’s injured ankle. Apple now regrets getting involved with the Evil Queen and the Queen says she’s expelling Apple, but before she goes … she offers her a black poisoned apple.
Apple doesn’t take it and she kicks her right out the window. Now Apple heads off to find Raven but the Queen ahs planned this too. Faybelle follows with the poisoned apple. The pixies lead Apple to Raven and she apologizes. They agree they need to stop her mom. When the girls sit down and have fruit, Faybelle slips the poison apple in the fruit basket and Apple eats it. Faybelle comes in with the evil dragons but in the end, she’s run back to the school when he forest pixies lend Raven their magic by creating a hazardous border to block them from attacking at night. Apple is placed in a box and given a bouquet of flowers. They say that only Daring can free Apple. The mirror hears free Daring and he’s released.
Some of the other students sneak out and join the others in the Enchanted Forest. Surprisingly when Daring tries to kiss Apple, his kiss doesn’t wake her. Raven abruptly rushes off to see her mother. The students get a Mirror Cast from the Evil Queen saying that she’s leaving their kingdom because Raven agreed to join her if she’d leave that Kingdom alone. Faybelle is hurt after finding out Raven was who the Queen wanted all along and leaves. Darling is the one that gets the poison apple unstuck from Appple’s throat.
Apple confesses to everyone she helped the Evil Queen. Faybelle shows up and switches sides. She helps them unlock the Booking glass to get back at the Queen. The Evil Queen test Raven when she sees her staring out the window. She tells her to throw the teacher creatures into a void-she creates- but instead Raven sends a spell at her. The Evil Queen expects as much, so she cages Raven and Nevermore. Raven spots Apple and her friends riding dragons coming back for her in the distance.
*The Evil Queen leads the evil dragons to attack Apple and company. When Apple comes face-to-face with the Evil Queen, she has a go at trapping the Evil Queen, but the booking glass is snatched out of Apple's hands at the last minute. The Evil Queen is vengeful having been trapped there for a century, so she agrees on sending Apple there. Raven swoops in and sends the booking glass flying out of the Evil Queen's hand and catches it. She passes it to Apple and they have a final battle with the Evil Queen. Raven conjoins her strength with it of the booking glass against the Evil Queen's.
The Evil Queen is then sent back to Mirror Prison and the curse inflicted upon Ever After High is lifted. his time when she visits, her mother congratulates her on defeating her, saying she'll never escape her evil fate. It has come to Raven's attention that she is late for a dragon games match, so she steps out onto the field with Apple.* (EAH wiki)
My Thoughts:
This was fun! The Evil Queen had some good moments in this, which I liked on the scale of wickedness. I thought the creation of "Mira Shards" was clever. And using Apple's insecurities and anger against her to free herself I thought was well played for a manipulation. As well as using the turning of the school and the potential threat to Raven's friends as a means to make Raven herself turn.
You kind of want to feel a little sympathy for the Evil Queen though because even though she's going about this all wrong to get her daughter's love, it just kind of feels like that's the only way she knows to have any kind of connection at all with Raven. The only real way she knows to relate to her is through being evil. As we see when she's proud of her at the end of the book for using her magic even more powerfully then than the Queen herself. I know.
I know. Raven isn't interested in being anything like her mother, but would it kill her on occasion to just maybe not harm anyone with her magic but do something on the prankish side with her mother? This could give them a well-needed bonding moment. I bet if she took an interest-just a slight bit-things would improve with them.
If you read some of the Queen's diary some of her magic really wasn't all *that* bad. It had a slightly mischievous kind of feel to it. I don't always like how Raven acts real standoffish to her mother. I'm not saying she has to follow in her footsteps, but maybe just let her teach you a thing or two. Or maybe this would just be a lead on. But in the episode, she did find humor in Mira's spell on the Gingerbread Coach.
I also felt a little sorry for Faybelle. It's never good when you give someone 100 percent dedication and you find out they've played and made a fool of you. BUT I hope this is the push Faybelle needs as a character to push her truly dark. She's way too some timey in these books. Always WANTING to be the bad girl but not quite.
I was surprised at Snow White in this. She seems to be almost as bad as the Evil Queen. She puts pressure on Apple when she sees she isn't popular. Despite her doing well in school. She doesn't seem to really care about what Apple wants. Just her status. She even tries to buy Apple's popularity with the addition of the new Dragon stadium. I didn't really like this version of Snow White. She just seemed selfish.
And speaking of surprises if Daring Charming isn't Apple's Prince Charming then who is? Not that I'm *that* surprised by this because Apple and Daring just don't have any romantic chemistry to me in the least. It kinda just feels like they're forced together because it's expected.
The Dragons were cute! Although why other than Nevermore weren't they given lil cutesy names? Nevermore was cute as well as smart. She sensed the Evil Queen WAY before anyone else. How is it animals can always on shows sniff out evil?
Another question I had was if Nevermore and Legend are the only Dragons at the school and Legend was pregnant. I guess every magical high school has to have some kind of sport. Basically, the Dragon Games are basketball games played in the air with Dragons. It's cooler to watch the Dragon Games (on Netflix) "Shatter the Mirror" & "Hatch the Dragons" than to read pages of play by plays being described of the actual plays in the game. (If your more visual which I am).
But not a bad story. I was thinking if the Booking Glass mirror shattered is the Queen stuck in there forever? But on second thought it's just one mirror. Cute to have it be called Miri (Siri). The Dragon Games also introduces the new "Power Princess" Ever After High theme song, which is pretty good! And speaking of Netflix what is literally UP with the Evil Queen's hair? That updo of hers has GOT TO GO! I know there's a spell for that.
Rating: 7
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2017
This book was really good and I really enjoyed reading it. I love the Ever After High Series and this book was one of the better books. There were some parts that were written weird and some parts that didn't make sense based on the other books in the series and that weren't explained but I still enjoyed this book. I really want to see the movie now and see if it was as good as the book was. I would definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy the Ever After High series.
November 16, 2021
Very cute read. I loved the dynamics of how everything had to be done one way only for them to learn to follow their own paths. I Will definitely read more in this series.
November 11, 2024
they turned the kiss into CPR.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2025
I really enjoyed this one. It really resonated with me the way Raven and Apple were definitely more than casual. Something more than what meets the eye! Heh!
August 14, 2025
it's more about the evil queen being an unfit mother.
March 24, 2017
Love it
April 7, 2016
Loved this book!
May 16, 2016
I read this novel to my daughter and she loved it!
November 16, 2019
It is interesting and helps children with their imagination
January 13, 2024
I still love ever after high so much!
July 29, 2016
It is a great book to read
March 24, 2017
A very good book
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