Bamboo Kingdom #3: Journey to the Dragon Mountain

Bamboo Kingdom #3

by Erin Hunter

Explore the secrets of the Bamboo Kingdom in the third installment of this thrilling new series from bestselling Warriors author Erin Hunter, perfect for fans of Wings of Fire and Endling.

The triplets of the Bamboo Kingdom are ready to step into their roles as Dragon Speakers.

But in order to fulfill their destiny, they first need to find each other. With Ghost stuck performing as wicked Sunset's right-hand man and Rain and Leaf separated across far-flung corners of the land, a reunion feels impossible.

Sunset's plans to rule the Bamboo Kingdom are only becoming more nefarious.

If the siblings are going to make it all the way across the Bamboo Kingdom to the Dragon Mountain, they're going to need to face their greatest fears. But little do they know that help can come from the unlikeliest of places--and that fate, one way or another, always finds a way.

Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Middle Grade, Fiction, Adventure, Ebooks, Audiobook

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2023

About the author

Erin Hunter is the pseudonym of five people: Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Tui T. Sutherland, Gillian Philip, and Inbali Iserles, as well as editor Victoria Holmes. Together, they write the Warriors series as well as the Seekers and Survivors series. Erin Hunter is working on a new series now called Bravelands.

Erin Hunter is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having a great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior, shaped by her interest in astronomy and standing stones.

Reviews

[Tommy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING! First, Sunset is actually Dusk's (The Real Sunsets) Brother. And Dusk killed the real Sunset and framed him. Then Leaf almost dies. And all 3 of the triplets are together and they get powers to speak to the great dragon!

[books_by_brunette · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Wyprawa do Smoczej Góry" to kolejny tom serii przygód naszych pandek - Ulewy, Łodygi i Ducha. Przygód tych mają one całkiem sporo - w Bambusowym Królestwie kryją się różne niespodzianki, nie wszystkie są jednak przyjemne...
Z racji tego, że jest to już 3 tom serii, nie chcę Wam za dużo zdradzać, co konkretnie się w tej części dzieje, dlatego po szerszy opis zapraszam do posta z pierwszą recenzją (możecie też przy okazji zahaczyć o opinię drugiego tomu).

🐼 Przy okazji lektury ostatniej części trochę narzekałam na obecną nudę i brak rozwinięcia niektórych wątków. Ten tom mnie jednak pod wieloma względami pozytywnie zaskoczył.
Przygody naszych zwierzęcych bohaterów jak zawsze angażują czytelnika od pierwszych stron, a dzięki przyjemnemu i lekkiemu stylowi pisania, samą książkę czyta się błyskawicznie. Mimo że są to pozycje skierowane raczej do młodszych odbiorców, nie są infantylne, dzięki czemu ja również mogłam się na nich świetnie bawić. Po ostatnim szkolnym napięciu, książka zdecydowanie pomogła mi się odstresować.

🐼 Sugerując się tytułem, myślałam, że główna oś fabuły będzie skupiała się właśnie na wyprawie do Smoczej Góry, dostajemy jednak zupełnie inną historię z wieloma różnymi wątkami (które są zdecydowanie lepiej przeprowadzone niż w poprzedniej części), sama wyprawa odbywa się dopiero na końcu książki, co troszkę mnie zawiodło.
Byłam też nieco zdziwiona, że w przygotowaniu są już kolejne tomy - dla mnie historia pandek mogłaby się zakończyć właśnie w tej książce. Nie wiem, czy kontynuowanie serii nie będzie już takie "na siłę".
🐼 Mimo tych paru minusów (które nawet ciężko nazwać minusami) mogę Wam niezmiennie tę serię polecać. Spodobać się może zwłaszcza młodszym czytelnikom, fanom przygodówek i książek ze zwierzęcymi bohaterami. W tym przedświątecznym okresie warto też zwrócić uwagę na ten tytuł pod kątem książkowego prezentu - ta pozycja będzie świetnie wyglądać pod choinką!

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

The triplets of prophecy still seem far from discovering their roles as Dragon Speakers. Ghost is stuck under the paw of the false Dragon Speaker, Sunset, and still isn't sure what he believes. His adopted sister Shiver still has faith in him, though. Leaf thinks she has found the final triplet in Pepper, and they, along with Leaf's faithful pal Dasher, are trying to find Rain who was driven off by Sunset. Rain and Peony are stuck at the bottom of a pit, being tortured by Sunset's minions and trying to find a way to escape. Will the three separated siblings ever find each other? Will Sunset's reign of terror never end?

This book wraps up several plot lines while also opening the door for other adventures. I continue to like all the different Asian creatures Hunter has included in the cast, a pangolin shows up in this book, and I can't think of another middle grade fiction book that includes one of them. The adventures in the story take the characters from the southern jungles of Asia all the way up to the frozen mountains of Mongolia-ish area (where the snow leopards live). All 3 triplets have unique personalities and have shown character growth over these first 3 books. Sunset is a nasty character and it was good to finally see him reap what he had sown and have his lies uncovered. We finally get to meet the dragon in this book and it was interesting. For me, the setting is the best part of these books and the Asian animals that populate it. The plot line is decent, and I can see why Hunter's cat series are so popular.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are several battles with animals biting and scratching each other. Several get seriously wounded and there are fatalities. Wounds aren't described in much detail. A past murder is uncovered.
Ethnic diversity: Characters come from a variety of Asian biomes.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Sunset is basically a cult leader and uses psychological tricks, outright lies, and more to manipulate others. All 3 triplets individually see visions of parental figures who have died leading them in a certain direction.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bamboo Kingdom, Book 3: Journey to the Dragon Mountain is the 3rd book in the Bamboo Kingdom series. And it represents a turning point in the series. Rain, Leaf and Ghost finally all come together. It's revealed that the former Dragon Speaker, Sunset Deepwood, had been dead the whole time. The Panda who had killed him then assumed his identity was his own brother, Dusk, who ends up dying himself. Shadowhunter the tiger also dies. Now the stage is set for Brawnshanks the monkey, who until now, I had seen as a lackey of Dusk, to become the true villain of the series. Rain, Leaf and Ghost, who are all now officially the new Dragon Speakers have their work cut out for them. This was just a great book, and I can't wait to read what happens next.

[mysilicielka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dobrze pamiętam, jacy uroczy i niewinni byli bohaterowie tej serii w pierwszym jej tomie. Słodkie pandy jedzące, turlające się, jedzące, śpiewające i znowu jedzące. A teraz, w "Wyprawie do Smoczej Góry"? Ile to już uczt je ominęło, ile kilometrów przeszły i ile walk stoczyły...

Najnowsza część "Bambusowego królestwa" nie zwalnia tempa. Powieść jest pełna emocji i akcji. Bohaterowie stawiają dzielnie czoła najgorszym wyzwaniom. Zrobiło się dużo mroczniej i poważniej - nie zawsze byłam taka pewna, czy wszyscy dotrwają do końca.

Polecam serię młodym czytelnikom. Zespół Erin Hunter stworzył opowieść pełną fantastycznej zwierzęcej mitologii. Mnie zainteresowała, wciągnęła, zaskoczyła. Warta przeczytania.

[Taco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, with some confusion like how the bamboo magically cured Shadowhunter when he was injured for so long before Dasher showed up and how Pebble was able to communicate with Rain at the end, but it was an amazing book that taught a valuable lesson about how multiple versions of "God" are all the same and the right answer. I loved the world-building and finally seeing the Great Dragon, and I'm excited to read the next three books!

This is way better than the new Warrior Cats books. Can't wait to read more of this and Bravelands! 🐼🦁

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took months to get through because we read so many books aloud, but my son has loved this series, and this book was action packed. I thought it resolved well, but I see there are two more in the series! 😂 Guess we’ll keep going—he adores the animal characters, the intrigue, the loyalty and betrayal, etc. So much going on in these books! I think she 12+ could read these alone understand all the political intrigue amongst the animals, but it’s perfect to read aloud to a 10 year old.

[Wolfburrito95 · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book whose series started off so promising, this was a slog to get through. It does improve from its terrible predecessor, but not by much. After all, its namesake doesn't happen until 75 PAGES ARE LEFT. And I'm not done with it yet, but I'll be keeping track of how much of those pages are spent travelling. A more detailed review is coming soon.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. It was the most epic one in my opinion. The major plot twist surrounding Dusk/Sunset made this book even more interesting!

[Worm of the Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Erin Hunter never ceases to entertain me. Can’t wait for the next book in the series.

[MistyWish]

DNF

[Ben Grim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

[Dee ;)]

my library doesnt have the next one😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[Victor]

I kept thinking about it when I couldn't read it, I wanted to get back to it. The twist was dumb but I'm so excited for the next one! In short, a compulsively readable kid's book.

[Zuz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jak dotąd najlepsza część serii

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[Tayler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a stupidly engaging as all of Erin Hunter's books honestly, sure it's predictable and silly, but the characters are enjoyable and simple to care about, even when they make stupid decisions.

[Wielki Wojownik Wielki Wojownik à · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ale to było urocze i wzruszyłam się nawet 2 razy. Warto było czekać!

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wszystkie 3 tomy są bardzo przyjemnie i leciutko napisane. W trakcie czytania można zauważyć dużo przekazów mówiących: każdy jest wyjątkowy, i ma swoje zdolności i talenty.

[Krys · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Alex T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now THIS is a good mid-arc finale!

Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...

[Bernadette Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly a better hunter series than bravelands but the jury's still out

[Mothlight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this one. It's interesting because this feels like it would tie off a trilogy, buttttt... well, it's Erin Hunter, so I'm sure there will be about 20 more.

[lion ♡]

no one gonna talk about them EATING up that imposter 😻😻

[Scarlett Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book. For me, the second one is better though.

[Kat Kunz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this series keeps getting worse and worse. I am not going to finish the series!