A Darkening of Dragons

by S.A. Patrick

Overview

Embark on an epic, dragon-filled adventure where music has the power of enchantment in Book One of the Songs of Magic trilogy.

Thirteen-year-old piper, Patch Brightwater, is a boy in disgrace. Thrown in jail for playing a forbidden spell, he is no one's idea of a hero. But then he discovers a deadly truth—the evil Piper responsible for the disappearance of human and dragon children is on the loose!

With the help of Wren, a girl cursed to live as a rat, and Barver, a fire-breathing dracogriff, Patch must stop the Piper of Hamelyn from plunging the human and dragon worlds into utter war and chaos.

S. A. Patrick's debut children's novel is a brilliant retelling of one of the darkest legends of all time, "The Piper of Hamelyn." Combining folklore with the very best of modern storytelling, A Darkening of Dragons will delight young fans of fantasy who are hungry for sprawling perilous quests, friendships forged on the road, and inventive magic systems to thrill the imagination.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682633762
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	04/05/2022
Series:	Songs of Magic
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	653,208
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Seth Alan Patrick was born in Belfast. When he was a child, he wanted to write video games, become an author, and have magical powers. The first two came true. If he ever does get magical powers, he hopes people like dragons and griffins because there'll suddenly be a lot of them around. A Darkening of Dragons is his first book for children.

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2022

Gr 4–7—Patrick presents an extended version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin tale in this British series import. This version takes place 10 years after the Piper of "Hamelyn" was imprisoned by eight members of the Pipers' Council for using his pipers' training to make both children and young dragons vanish, nearly causing a war with the Dragon Territories. The past seems to be repeating itself when Patch, a disgraced student of the piping school at Tiviscan Castle, is imprisoned for 510 years after using the same dance tune to earn food and shelter. Patch finds unlikely friends in Wren, a girl who has been cursed into a rat, and the dracogriff Barver, whose impressive battle techniques help them out of numerous scrapes. Patch and his friends uncover clues to Hamelyn's motivations that lead to further adventures. Except for gender and age, no characters are given physical descriptions, including skin tones. Patrick's story is told in third-person limited, usually from Patch's point of view, but occasionally from Wren's. Patch's escapades seem to telescope one out of another, introducing more places like an abbey and a witch's hut where Hamelyn's old adversaries now dwell, and the castle where Underath the sorcerer cursed Wren. Despite the ever-expanding Piper world, the story stays focused on Patch, Wren, and Barker. VERDICT An engaging fairy-tale adventure that would pair well with Jessica Khoury's "The Mystwick School of Musicraft" series. Suitable for most libraries.—Caitlin Augusta

School Library Journal

2022-01-11
This story begins where the legend of the Pied Piper left off.

The Hamelyn Piper, as he is known in this story, is languishing in a dungeon after luring hundreds of human and dragon children away from their homes and families, never to be seen again. Thirteen-year-old Patch Brightwater is a Piper determined to use his Piping for good, until one ill-advised outburst sends him on the run. Illegally playing his Pipe for food and lodging, he lands in a rat-infested village and puts his skills to the test. When his Piping goes awry, he ends up in prison with the Hamelyn Piper in the cell next to him. An attack on the Hamelyn Piper by a darkness of dragons—so called because they darken the sky—leads Patch on a quest to break a curse, find the missing human and dragon children, and keep obsidiac, a dangerously powerful magical substance, from falling into the wrong hands. He is joined in his adventures by Wren Cobble, a girl turned into a rat by an angry sorcerer, and dracogriff Barver Knopferkerkle, who is part dragon and part griffin. Filled with adventure, magic, and humor, this multilayered story makes for a rich read. The promise of a sequel will satisfy those who are left wanting more by the sudden ending. All of the human characters are presumed White.

Fans of epic, worldbuilding fantasy will find this lengthy narrative worth the trip. (Fantasy. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews

"Patch’s rich fantasy world is steeped in whimsy and magic. . . . the novel maintains a swift pace for its entirety, filled with surprises and the introduction of new people that pique continual interest."—Foreword Reviews


"Patrick's clever, compelling story is set apart by the incredibly rich history and mythology of its world. It is by turns dark and funny, and the interspecies friendships ring warm and true."—Booklist

"Filled with adventure, magic, and humor, this multilayered story makes for a rich read. The promise of a sequel will satisfy those who are left wanting more by the sudden ending."—Kirkus Reviews
 
"An engaging fairy-tale adventure. . . ."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher