The Hidden Dragon

by Melissa Marr

A sea-faring girl and her friends take on pirates and grown-ups, and bond with dragons, as they work to make the world a better place, in this spellbinding fantasy by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr.

Otter (short for Ottilie) is a girl who is most comfortable on her family's ship, the Tempest, where she and her fathers collect the dragon hides that protect the queen's guards. But all is not well in the kingdom, and it's not clear if the queen is to blame. The streets are full of homeless kids, and now one of them, a street-smart boy called London, has stowed away on the Tempest. He befriends Otter, and soon they realize that the fate of the kingdom needs to be in the hands of the kids. For in every tight spot--during pirate attacks and navigating the magical land of the Netherwhere, where they get ship-wrecked--it is the quick-witted kids who save the day. As they work to fight injustice and protect the defenseless, they earn the respect of the realm's most magical creatures--dragons and gargoyles--who all bond together as a force for good. Melissa Marr spins another fabulous fantasy, centered on family and friends, and introduces readers to the most splendid magical creatures.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Dragons, Pirates, Adventure, Magic, Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published February 14, 2023

About the author

Melissa Marr writes fiction for adults, teens, and children. Her books have been translated into 28 languages and been bestsellers in the US (NY Times, LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal) as well as overseas. Wicked Lovely, her debut novel, was an instant New York Times bestseller and evolved into an internationally bestselling multi-book series with a myriad of accolades.

In 2024 she released a queer fantasy (Remedial Magic via Bramble), a picturebook about a wee one and his two moms (Family is Family via Penguin), and a DC Comics graphic novel about teen Harley & Ivy (The Strange Adventures of Harleen & Harley).

An Illumicrate edition of 6 Wicked Lovely books will release in 2025.

If she's not writing, you can find her in a kayak or on a trail with her wife.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for young readers, (or for old people who are young at heart) who enjoy stories of dragons, orphans, sailors, pirates and a variety of magical creatures. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kelsey Griffin. The narration was as much a delight as the book itself.

[Caryn - iam.caryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly enjoyable and fun adventure.

I sat down to read this and read the whole thing in one sitting. I was having such a fun time with it that I couldn’t stop!

My fellow middle grade readers will be completely enchanted by this story.

*Disclaimer* I received a complimentary audiobook from PRH Audio. An honest review was provided.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got two chapters in and the protagonist, Otter has two dads.
DNF

[erebus K Rushworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is for the Audiobook version narrated by Kelsey Griffin (not in Goodreads catalogue at time of review)

Otterlie (known to her friends as Otter) is a seafaring lass and her dads are the Captain and First-Mate on a ship that is on Queen's business in a part of the ocean that is renowned for being infested with hungry and magical creatures. She's not so good at being on land because it makes her a little queasy moving about on a surface that doesn't move, but she seems to have a special affinity with the sea's secrets. In a city where the street urchins are so many that they have built themselves an underground society, and men catch and load them onto ships to be taken who-knows-where, Otter covers for a lad who stows away on board her ship.

This is a story of friendship and magic for young (10+) readers, and there are hints all through it of something nasty going on behind the scenes. Through a magical gate the children can get access to a (Peter Pan-like) alternate world called the Netherwhere; a land of magical creatures who do not trust adults.

The Glass Queen retains the services of Otterlie's dads' ship, but also a group of alchemists who work to uncover magical secrets, and a group of "Ward Workers" called the Ravens who weave protective spells around the Queen and those she cares for. As the pickpockets of the underworld petition the Queen for her help to look after the city's orphans, Otter is making some incredibly risky decisions herself, to try and save her ship from sinking or being torn apart by monsters. Little does she know, her fathers have been keeping something from her.

The conclusion of this story is really satisfying, but there are enough loose threads that I'm psyched to see if there are sequels in the works. This is a promising story.. and it feels like it's only the first chapter.

Edit-- I have looked up other works by this author and have found a 2021 book called The Hidden Knife. It appears to be set in the same world/universe and the author promised a book in '22-'23 with the working title The Thief's Coin>. As this book contains a stow-away pickpocket, who has gold coins on him, I assume this is probably that book. I'll read the Hidden Knife as soon as I get a spare mo :)

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Hidden Knife so I was excited to see there was another book in the same world. This adventure story starts similarly but different at the same time. It follows London who we briefly met in the first book. He is a young boy who has been living as a thief after his mother was sent away and is looking for passage on a ship to try and start somewhere new and hopefully find his family. He ends up a stowaway on a ship and is found by Otter who is the daughter of the Captain and his first mate. She has always felt most at home on the sea and can communicate with the dragons that live in the sea. The ship they are sailing is sponsored by the Queen since they are harvesting the sloughed off hides of the dragons to be used as armour.

Running parallel to this story is that of Sofia and Florie, two more thieves that live below the city with lots of other kids who have been left homeless and missing their families. Florie has taken it upon himself to help these kids and makes sure everyone gets fed and has clothes and somewhere safe to sleep but it’s getting harder and harder as more kids need his help. Florie has a plan though to send Sofia to speak with the Queen herself to help these kids and get back the education and future they deserve.

I enjoyed the high-seas adventure aspect of the book and loved that we were reunited briefly with Algernon, Vicky, Milan and Merry but wish there was more with them since I was already invested from the beginning. Here’s hoping there’s more stories to come in this series.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the same world as the Hidden Knife, this shorter novel follows the mystery of a girl who can talk to animals that, legally, don't exist. She finds a stowaway, but there's a disaster, and she must find the courage to learn the truth if she wants to save her fathers and the rest of the crew. Meanwhile, there's a thief who sneaks into the castle and informs the queen that she has literally no idea what's going on in the kingdom, but honestly, that's more of a continuation of the Hidden Knife that happens to be taking place at the same time as the sailing story.

If you haven't read my review of the Hidden Knife yet, now might be a good time to do so. I liked this book better in many ways. I knew what the goal was, and the plot all fit together nicely for some fascinating reveals. The thief storyline felt like the author saying "I'm so in love with this aspect of my worldbuilding," though. Could have worked that in better so it didn't feel so contrived and suddenly convenient. This book also doesn't totally make sense as a standalone without the Hidden Knife, so it's a bit of a bummer they were published separately (although, I'd probably have rated this one lower if it were part of Vicky's story because it would have gotten overwhelmed in the chaos of that book).

[Patrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Middle-Grade Action and Adventure book. It is very well written, I listened to the audio book. It is in a world, that is in turmoil, in the Glass City where unbeknownst to the Queen; children are being snatched and put on "relocation" ships. To avoid being snatched, a young man, London, stows away on a trading vessel; where he befriends the daughter of the captain, Otter.
In the Glass City, there are no longer any teachers or schools. Children are trying to fend for themselves without parent or guardian around them any longer. Sofia a young thief is trying to save as many orphans as she can and bring them back to her "thief house" the House of Florence. Something must be done to "fix" the current circumstances. Flori, the head of the House of Florence, gambles on Sofia's likeness to a trusted aide to the Queen to get an audience with her; in order to address the situations in the Glass City.

As an older adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I recommend it to those who enjoy a short-story and fantasy from the perspective of a children.

[Erin Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otter is the most comfortable at sea with her fathers on their ship "Tempest", where they do secret work for the Queen. The kingdom is not at rest, though; there is a growing society of homeless children underneath the surface of the cities, and they are blaming the Queen. When street kid London stows away on the Tempest, he gets caught up in the political turmoil coming to a head.
The prologue sets up the fantasy aspects of the book, with the first chapters grounded in a society that feels more 'normal' until everything is fully integrated. Otter and London are both likeable characters who have great people around them. Characters feel like people - they have fully realized lives, even if we only see snippets of them. There is a lot of richness here that could expand into more books set in this universe.
"The Hidden Dragon" is somewhat slower paced than other middle-grades titles. It wasn't boring, but the tension wasn't at a fever pitch the entire story. In other words, I could put it down, but not for long.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hidden Dragon: lower middle-grade adventure/fantasy. Plot moved too fast to develop any serious tension, and the various threads weren't very well-integrated, but younger readers daunted by the length of a full novel may find this more accessible. Points for the casual inclusion of Otter having two dads.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

For some reason, sea-faring books, along with circus books, are an even harder sell than fantasy, even though I loved Jacques' Castaways of the Flying Dutchman and Schultz's Hook's Revenge. Dragons usually do fairly well though, so I'm debating.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this much better than the companion, "The Hidden Knife". I felt like the plot had fewer easy solution moments, and the characters were all likeable. The author does tend to overstate the themes and ideas, but it is for children, so it might help them to understand.

[Liza]

I honestly felt like I was missing so many things while reading this book. I was confused by the city and how Otter's dad seemed pretty chill about London stowing aboard despite them doing secret things for the crown

[Reader Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how it jumped back a forth through the main characters stories. I enjoyed the way the author wove the separate characters together. The story fell a bit flat in the end for me. It left me with some questions unanswered and felt a little rushed.

[Gem · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh it was ok

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in this series is great. Otter is fantastic and I love the dragons.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, full of adventure, high seas, dragons and intrigue it really was quite a fast moving tale - maybe a little much to follow two different characters. But I had fun reading it.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was precious, joyful, adventurous, and I want to live in this world!

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. Like my tween daughter said - kinda predictable.

[Thistle]

There was nothing wrong with this book other than I was too old for it. Worldbuilding seemed nice (set in a magic world with dragons and other magical creatures living under the sea), but the writing was too basic for adult-me to get into it. The book is meant for younger readers though, so can't fault it for that.

[Kae C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a heartwarming story of a girl who feels lost finding exactly where she belongs. It was a quick read intended to get me out of a slump and it did just that!

[Lindsey Kult · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world building and action were great! Unfortunately there are so many questions left unanswered. I was surprised when the credits said the audiobook was unabridged because it felt like there were big chunks of plot missing.