Scorch Dragons

Elementals #2

by Amie Kaufman

After the fateful battle between the ice wolves and the scorch dragons, Anders and his twin sister, Rayna, have been reunited. But there’s no time for celebrating. In the mountains of Drekhelm, Anders and his wolf friend Lisabet are perceived as threats, and only the leader of the dragons can keep them safe.

When the temperature starts to drop all over Vallen, they learn the wolves have stolen a weather-altering artifact called the Snowstone, and every dragon, including Rayna, is now in deathly danger. Desperate to broker peace, Anders enlists the help of a few new flame-breathing friends to stop the wolves’ next plan of attack.

Together, these former rivals must go on a dangerous quest to find the scattered pieces of the Sun Scepter, the only artifact that can counteract the Snowstone. Because if either device goes unchecked, all hope for a truce will be lost.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Dragons, Adventure, Magic, Fiction, Young Adult

368 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 2019

About the author

Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her multi-award winning work is slated for publication in over 30 countries, and is in development for film and TV. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and daughter, their rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library. She is the host of the podcasts Amie Kaufman on Writing, and Pub Dates.

You can sign up for her newsletter to see what she's working on, hear when she releases a new book, and be automatically entered for giveaways: https://amiekaufman.substack.com/

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Anders and his twin, Rayna, finally reunited in among the dragons of Drekhelm, the only thing keeping Anders and Lisabet, both wolves, safe, was what Anders had done to save the dragons’ lives. With the leader of the dragons, Lief - Drekleid and head of the Finskol – in their corner, both Anders and Rayna knew it was up to them to find a way for peace between the wolves and the dragons. It had been ten years since the great battle where many lives had been lost, but if the war which was looming was allowed to start, many more lives would be lost. With the stealing of the Snowstone by the wolves, it was up to the youngsters to find the Sun Scepter which would counter-balance the two weathers and keep everyone safe.

As Anders and Rayna, along with Lisabet and Ellukka began the quest to search for the Sun Scepter, the danger from the Dragonmeet council, as well as the wolf pack on Holbard was high. But they knew it had to be done.

Scorch Dragons is the 2nd in the Elementals trilogy by Aussie author Amie Kaufman and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The main characters are twelve years old, so this is obviously a young adult novel, but there’s plenty of intrigue to keep this reader (who hasn’t been 12 years old for a long time) very interested. Highly recommended.

[Yodamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adventure dragons against wolves then there is a mixing that wakes up many on both sides

[Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard · Rating 5 out of 5]

GIVE ME THEM DRAGONS

RTC

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard for me to say, because:

A) I adore Amie Kaufman - she's honestly one of my favourite authors! And -
B) I loved Ice Wolves, it was one of my favourite reads of last year!

I mean, the friendships in this book were as endearing as ever - as where Reyna and Anders' utterly precious sibling bond, but, I just feel like this one, in my opinion, lacked the adventure and excitement and surprise that Ice Wolves held! I mean, I adore wolves and dragons, but still, I just found this as a whole to be underwhelming. Like, I felt the plot didn't really get moving until half way through and sure there were a few revelations that were announced regarding Anders and Reyna that made me "oh, you can't do that! My heart!" - but even that didn't have me engaged wholly in the story.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the important work about the impact of societal traumas, the damage done by propaganda, and the difficulty and necessity of healing is being done in Middle Grade, pass it on.

Also I SERIOUSLY want to go to this school.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great follow up! I loved the twists and I still love this world!

[Bec (becklebooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a 3.5 for the first half but I really loved how the friendships blossomed and really enjoyed the evidence of that in the last half. So I'm upping it to a 4 stars and I'm excited to continue on when the next book is out! :)

[Brittany McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun follow-on book to set the stride going into book 3.

The politics of the world are in place, some significant reveals occur, and we learn more about the abilities and more about artifacts and lineages.

Although this is obviously targeted to the middle-grade audience, its vibrant characters make it enjoyable for all ages.

I did wish that we had more shifting, but it was building up for a powerful end to the trilogy.

Also these covers are so much fun!

4 Stars

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scorch Dragons continued the incredibly fun journey that started in Ice Wolves in flying colors. Scorch Dragons does take a while to get truly going story wise but when it does it takes off. I have truly grown to love this world and characters and am sad that I only have one book left in the series.

Scorch Dragons picks up pretty much immediately where Ice Wolves ended. We see our main characters trying to deal with the fallout of their actions and coping with their new environment. Now Like I said in the beginning of this review, Scorch Dragons takes awhile to get the story going, however that is because we the readers are now in the dragon's territory. It was really nice to see how the dragons operate compared to how the wolves do. Were also introduced to a couple new characters on the dragon side and like with the wolves, they are all wonderful. Amie Kaufman really took these characters and made them all have purpose. Not one character is under utilized. She also didn't forget about the characters that we got to know in Ice Wolves, they themselves were given ample page time. Now that was something I appreciated very much.

The plot of Scorch Dragons took on a more road trip style compared to its predecessor. This road trip plot line also used the Scavenger Hunt type riddle me this mechanic which I crave and live for. So we got to see more of Vallen then just Holbard. Their was a lot more history we got to learn and unearth. As we have only one book left, I am a little saddened we won't be able to visit or learn about some of the other Elementals, so I truly hope Amie will come back to this world in the future.

Now minus not being able to really get into the other Elementals of this world. I would say my only tiny gripe I have with this book is that the chapters ran quite long. Now I love me some long chapters, but for a middle grade they seemed to long. Like one chapter clocked into I believe 54 pages. Now for me now that is fine, but me when I was middle grade age with my raging ADHD, I would have not fared well. Again that is a minor quip, nothing major. I still had such a blast with this book.

Well it is time to see how it all comes to an end.

[Chillysbuchwelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cover:
Einfach nur total cool und absolut passend. 😍

Meinung:
Der schreibstill der Autorin ist super einfach gehalten, da es sich hier um ein Kinderfantasybuch handelt, dadurch bin ich quasi durch die Seiten geflogen.

Wir lesen wieder aus der Perspektive des zwölfjährigen Anders.
Anders ist ein Eiswolf und seine Zwillingsschwester Rayna ein Feuerdrache, beide Fraktionen sind seit vielen Jahren verfeindet, was für die beiden eine große Herausforderung darstellt.
Die beiden Zwillinge wollen unbedingt einen erneuten Krieg der Eiswölfe und Feuerdrache vermeiden.
Da sich ihr vertrauen gegen die eingefahrenen Erwachsenen dahingegen in Grenzen hält, versuchen sie es auf eigene Faust zusammen mit ihren Freunden.

In diesen zweiten Teil lernen wir die Drachen und ihr Zuhause etwas besser kennen.
Ich habe mich darauf gefreut, muss aber sagen, das es mir hier an vielen Stellen an Beschreibungen und liebe zum Detail gefehlt hat.
Auch wenn die Geschichte grundsätzlich spannend ist, gibt es immer wieder sehr langatmige Szenen und es geht hin und her, sodass man das Gefühl hatte, zwischenzeitlich auf der Stelle zu treten.
Wie schon im ersten Band war das letzte Drittel dann wieder richtig gut und macht durch das leider plötzliche Ende richtig Lust auf das Finale.

Fazit:
Amie Kaufman hat mich mit ihren sehr leichten Schreibstil direkt wieder abgeholt und schnell meine Erinnerungen an Band 1 hochgeholt.
Das Setting fand ich wieder sehr interessant, wobei es mir hier an Liebe zum Detail hier und da etwas gefehlt hat.
Die Autorin zeigt hier ganz toll auf, wie wichtig es ist, einander zuzuhören und zunächst kennenzulernen, statt auf Vorurteile zu Vertrauen.
Das Thema Freundschaft ist hier wieder sehr groß geschrieben, was ich total schön fand.
Die Geschichte war wieder spannend, doch zwischenzeitlich gab es einige längen und es ging einfach nicht voran.
Ein Fantasybuch für Kinder, welches auch Erwachsenen viel Freude bereiten kann.
Ich bin schon gespannt auf das Finale und gebe eine Leseempfehlung.💖

[Dreximgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the second book in this trilogy. Anders and Rayna are such compelling characters and I really liked getting to know the side characters more. It will be interesting to see what happens from here.

[Georgann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid middle book to the series. the first third of the book was kind of blah, but then it picked up to super exciting. It is hard that the team of kids are just 12 YO children! The adults were unreasonable and harsh. While not exactly a cliff hanger ending, I definitely have to read book 3!

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5!

Really enjoyed my time listening to this one! WIll listen to book three soon!

[Akosua Karikari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so fun

[⋆˚࿔ ashmita ࣪ ִֶָ☾. · Rating 3 out of 5]

who would have thought that a stupid so stupid middle grade would make me tear up.

[Esha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This is the second book in the ‘Elementals’ series by Amie Kaufman.

Sparks and scales. This book was so fucking good. I really enjoyed the first book, ‘Ice Wolves’, but the sequel really blew my expectations away. We begin to delve more into the magic system and the world, as well as the tense history between the wolves and the dragons. All this new information made the world feel more developed, more real, and more fragile than what we saw in book one. And let’s not forget the (shocking) things we learn about Anders and Rayna! If you haven’t picked up this series please do! It’s such a fun middle-grade series with a lot of heart and adventure. I have no idea how I’ll remain sane between now and the release of book 3 in 2020. @amiekaufmanauthor can I bribe you for an ARC??

“There were times when Anders was so fascinated by the stories he heard and the new ideas that piled into his brain, and so absorbed in his lessons, that he forgot he was a wolf among dragons.” -91

“For better or worse, they’d be going to [place] in the morning. They’d just have to hope that [person] was true to his word - and that they were flying toward an ally, rather than a trap.” -150

“Tiny spires of smoke rose from faraway chimneys, and he wondered what the people living there were doing at the start of their day, whether they were thinking about the wolves or the dragons, or the battle that might come.” -280

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Amazing Book By Amie. I Couldn’t Put This Book Down. I Love Reading This Book. I Can’t Wait For The Third Book To Come Out. June Can’t Get Here Fast Enough.

Now after I finished rereading this amazing book, I can finally read the third and final book in this trilogy.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but I just felt the characters were just a little to bland. But the premise of this series is really good I just do not believe it lives up to it.

[Freydis Eiriksdottir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my, gosh!
This book is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

I loved it!
I was up past midnight reading it and I'm reading it again.

[LithePanther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Method: Physical (Owned Hardcover)
Reading Time: 3 Hours

For as much as I enjoyed the introduction of the Elementals series in the first book, Ice Wolves, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed in Scorch Dragons.

While Ice Wolves spent nearly all of its time in the city of Holbard and the Ice Wolves' Ulfar Academy, Scorch Dragons (as the name might imply) mostly takes place in the Dragon's city of Drekhelm. Drekhelm was a far less compelling and interesting location then the bustling and varied city of Holbard and had none of the character and militaristic intensity of Ulfar Academy.

In addition to the setting being a bit of a let down, other then a handful of characters like Leif, the leader of the dragons, and a few of the students that Reyna and Anders befriend, most of the people within Drekhelm get no page time or character development. I found it hard to care about most of the characters that Reyna and Anders interacted with because they just weren't on par with the characters we met in Ulfar Academy, both the good and the bad.

I did enjoy the stark contrast between how the strict, militaristic dictatorship of Ulfar Academy under Sigrid functioned compared to the loose, democratic and open leadership of Drekhelm by Leif and the members of the Dragonmeet. Throughout the story we can see how both systems have their own strengths and weaknesses and how it ends up impacting Anders, Reyna and their friends as they try to accomplish their owl goals and mission.

I really enjoyed the development and exploration of Reyna's and Anders' sibling and familial relationship throughout Scorch Dragons as they learn more and more about each other, their family and their history.

The character growth that Anders was beginning to go through in Ice Wolves continues through Scorch Dragons and he changes more and more from that scared, meek follower that he started off as to being a strong and capable leader of the group of students as he steps up and makes the decisions and takes the actions that need to be done even though he's the one furthest behind in both his studies and his control over his powers compared to everyone else.

My biggest issue with Scorch Dragons has to do with the plot. Anders, Reyna and their friends spend around half of the story following what is basically a treasure map with clues to try and find a powerful artifact. They end up solving the clues extremely quickly with hardly any challenge which I found unrealistic for a group of children. And I also felt like there were too many clues that needed to be solved - it felt like this treasure hunt went on forever. I just didn't find it very compelling or interesting.

Once again Amie Kaufman continued to wow me with her descriptions and imagery of some of the major locations that Anders and Reyna visit throughout the story. I could picture some of these places so clearly in my head and they made me wish I could visit them myself with how beautiful and awe inspiring she made them sound.

[ℓуηη_σƒ_νєℓαяιѕ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I typically fail to connect with middle-grades, which makes me sad. I've failed to find ones that capture your attention and remind you of why you enjoyed reading as a kid (like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson). But then I picked of Ice Wolves, the first book in this trilogy and was rivted !

I was totally taken aback on how much I absolutely loved it! I was afraid I'd never find a middle-grade I could love, but I adored it and couldn't wait to find the time to pick up the sequel, hopeful I'd enjoy it just as much.

I can tell you Scorch Dragons didn't fail to live up to my expectations 🙌 This didn't suffer from middle-book-syndrome at all (maybe middle-grades just are immune to that hehe) even though it was a "journey" type plot which in less capable hands could be boring. But I was just as hooked reading this scavenger-hunt journey as I was the first one! I just love these characters, new and old, and just the beauty of friendship 💗💖

I loved learning more about Rayna & Anders parentage, which was fascinating!! Their father was Hayn's twin brother, Felix, and their mom was the dragonsmith, Drifta 😱 And I can't wait to see what else they uncover as they hunt for answers about their mom's last known whereabouts.

Honestly I just want to settle down and binge the final book after the way this one ended!! But first I need to get my hands on a copy 😧 But I highly, highly recommend this series!!

[Lloyd Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written and enjoyable, yet slow sequel, with an underwhelming ending.

I feel the book splits into 4 quarters. The first was a great start to a book, setting things up, building connections and really filling me with anticipation for a thrilling adventure. The next two quarters were honestly a host of mini missions that were too shot to add excitement or real fear for the main characters, but dragged on waaay too long making the book become a sort of series of slightly inconvenient events and not much else.

That of course would be forgiven by a show stopper ending which would leave my jaw open and have me rushing to grab the next book . . . However that sadly was not the case. The ending was kind of quick and I never really felt any sense of, well anything :/ I never felt that the characters were in any real danger, and I never felt anxious about the positions they found themselves in, which I think the writer could have easily added which would have dramatically improved the book.

Alas, the ending was left open, and I can only hope that the third book will tie off the series in a way that improves my view on this book.

3 stars but could be setting up a fiery ending

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: violence, death of a parent (in the past).

It took me a staggeringly long time to read this, and I honestly can't pinpoint why because whenever I was reading, I enjoyed what I was reading. I just had ZERO motivation to actually pick it up and everything about picking it up felt like an extreme struggle. I think at the end of the day, middle grade fantasy is just NOT my thing (hell, fantasy is barely my thing full stop) and that the whole global pandemic situation is making everything in my reading habits more extreme than usual and I ended up on the struggle bus.

So, like, this was FINE. But it also wasn't for me. It's entirely possible your mileage may vary (and, in fact, that MINE would vary if I'd read it at any other point in my lifetime...)

[Fornia]

Yes i read middle grade, what about it?
i actually love a good middle-grade as a palate cleanser because 1. there's very little romance. sometimes guys and gals can just be friends, y'all
2. minimal amounts of gore/death [gore doesn't really bother me, it can just get gratuitous very fast]
3. they're funny! pjo is the best example of this, but middle grade relies on genuine good humor to make the readers laugh. it's not all grimdark or innuendo all the time

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book was a bit of a letdown. I lost interest halfway through, and it just didn’t capture the magic that it’s predecessor contained. One might find motivation to continue the trilogy simply to discover how the war between the two parties is resolved, but it is lacking in many areas.

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

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I love this series so far.

The pack mentality is awesome

The characters are adorable

The world is beautiful

[Lanaya Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic series. The 2nd book is just as good as the first. My 11 year old and I have been reading them together and are both equally engaged. Great world building, unique and unpredictable plot, racially diverse characters, age appropriate and fast-paced adventure!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this even more than the first one. Can't wait for book 3!

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good sequel to a middle grade series which I think was good for middle grade (and probably would have appealed to me when I was younger), but didn't do it for me like other Amie Kaufman books.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was too linear...very early middle grades