Spell of the Shadow Dragon

by Debra Chapoton

An epic sci-fi fantasy young adult novel.

400 years after the colonization of a planet plagued by dragons, 17-year-old Presley Bergo is on her way to the marriage market with eight others. All will be forced to find a mate from a rival empire or else be sent to the Frozen Abyss.

One of her companions is Gus, an Ascendor with special powers he’s been teaching Presley … all while falling in love. Now they’re looking for a chance to run away together before they reach the market. But in the space of a few moments, their lives are turned upside down when a shadow dragon swoops in.

205 pages, Paperback

Published May 10, 2021

About the author

With over 100 books to her name, Debra Chapoton is a master at writing Christian fiction and non-fiction. Writing under the pen name Marlisa Kriscott, she crafts heartwarming second-chance teacher romances, while under her own name, she transports readers into swoon-worthy Highlander tales (Loved by a Highlander series) and rugged cowboy love stories (Unbridled Hearts, Faithful Hearts, and Broken Spur Ranch series).
But her imagination doesn’t stop at romance—Debra's young adult novels plunge into the thrilling worlds of sci-fi, paranormal mysteries, time travel, dystopian futures, and parallel realities. She also pens insightful non-fiction works such as Sunday School lessons and delightful children’s books, making her a true literary chameleon.
Raised with a love for codes and intricate puzzles, Debra’s passion for storytelling goes beyond words; she seamlessly weaves secrets and hidden clues into her novels, adding layers of intrigue. With a career as a high school Spanish and English teacher, she draws inspiration from her students’ personalities, bringing authentic voices to her characters.

Reviews

[Emily Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gus and Presley . . .

On a planet plagued by dragons, 17-year-old Presley Bergo is one of several being sent to the marriage market to find a mate or be sent away.

Gus, an Ascendor with special powers, is one of those heading to the market. He had been teaching Presley some skills as they began to fall in love. They wanted to be together but were snatched up for a new unwanted fate. Those not grabbed as prey by perytons are unlucky enough to catch the attention of the very dragon they had hoped to avoid. Will Presley and Gus ever find each other again? Will Gus’ powers be unlocked in time to change their fate?

[Rukshy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spell of the Shadow Dragon is the start of a new fantasy series set in a dystopian society. Gus and Presley have fallen in love but live in a world where marriage is a commodity and they are sent of to other realms. They decide to run away to escape this, but a dragon sets up a chain of events that will change their lives together. Overall, this is a really meaty action packed world, with a fascinating plot and great characters. I look forward to more from this author. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a great fantasy novel with a great take on dragons, I enjoyed getting to know the characters in the story. It had a unique premise and I enjoyed reading this.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[MGB · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the world goes to hell, what do you do? What the remaining population did was send three spaceships to the far reaches of the universe. They do find the same planet - the new earth, but at drastically different times. If you arrive without the ability to implement the latest technology you end up with old style settlements trying to eke out an existence. They discover a world with dramatically different creatures and have to some how come up with their new existence.

A pleasant read as young people take the lead in finding a new way.

[Debra Chapoton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to write an epic sci-fi fantasy novel based on a future Christian event, but not have that event be a part of the story. Sounds impossible. My train of thought: what if the Rapture takes place and all Christians are removed from Earth? What's next? The Tribulation: plagues, wars, the Anti-Christ. But I didn't want to write about any of that. I thought what if a bunch of billionaires built spaceships to escape the Tribulation? Then everyone who left Earth and colonized a new planet would be pretty much God-less ... no, scratch that ... some would be from other religions. Would they retain those religions as a part of their new society? How would that work? Would Christianity somehow pop up anyway? And what if the only planet to support life that they could reach was already inhabited by a kind of dinosaur? Make that a dragon. One that casts spells over humans. A bunch more 'what ifs' and SPELL OF THE SHADOW DRAGON practically wrote itself. It was great fun, full of interesting good and bad people, new customs like the marriage market, challenging settings like the Frozen Abyss, and some time/space anomalies - the original earthlings end up living hundreds of years (think Old Testament times) and their descendants have unusual synchronous abilities.
I wanted it to be a mash-up of Game of Thrones (without the R-rated stuff or the undead) and Left Behind. I think I got something else entirely. I hope you like it. There's a prequel and sequel (CURSE OF THE WINTER DRAGON) for those interested. The story starts 400 years after they left Earth and the new society is still rather primitive. They would have advanced better if they hadn't lost all that knowledge stored on computers. Someone engraved the important stuff onto copper plates ... but where did those disappear to?

[Amy Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnetic story

Chapoton pens a well-written, interesting story in Spell of the Shadow Dragon. I have read work from this author before, and I really enjoyed it. The characters were detailed and very realistic. This author brings the story to life. It’s one of those embraceable stories. The twists and turns in the story along with the characterizations while building this story in multiple layers was very created. This author has a great imagination and I'm glad it's being shared with stories. This author is a great storyteller. The story brings the reader on a superb journey. There was great chemistry between Presley and Gus, both intense and emotional. Action-packed and it takes the reader on a superb adventure. This read is so engrossing that it brings you right in the middle of the story. This read is more than just words on a page. Spell of the Shadow Dragon is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.

[Tami Willard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written from multiple POVs. Must read in order. The time period is the future on another planet. A group of men,along with their children that have come of age, head out to go to the marriage market. Unfortunately, there's a lot of obstacles and dangers along the way. This book takes you along with them as they try to survive and find their way back to each other and safety. How many survive and make it back in yet to be determined.

I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.