‘I have been looking forward to Deborah Rose Green’s sequel to Dragon Pearls, and I was not disappointed. We find our heroine, Elizabeth Gwin, two years on, now settled as queen of the Pearl Dragons, on the island of Opscurio in the Mythical Romani, “…the home of dragons and magic.” Here the author has created an evocative, vivid imaginary landscape of verdant trees and gentle skies that feels like a tropical paradise. Elizabeth is attended by her stern guard dragon, Steady, who seems to represent tradition and order, and counselled by the gentle dragon, Jeffrey, a bat-sized creature who can grant wishes, “for a steep price.” This peaceful existence is suddenly disrupted by the appearance of Cleopatra Keren Dranra, a powerful, vengeful daughter of Grenite, king of the trolls, who had been killed in battle by Elizabeth.
Cleo’s arrival draws Elizabeth into a dangerous quest to find and bring back Cleo’s sister and in doing so, can she remove a curse that stands between Elizabeth and her true love? Through intricate twists and turns of the narrative and colourful and detailed imagery the reader is drawn into an emotional turmoil of unfulfilled love, guilt, separation, grief, and fear. With this second novel, the author is cultivating a distinctive style as well as developing her craft, adding complexity to her characters and creating greater emotional depth. The apparently delicate and sensitive Elizabeth shows unyielding determination and a courageous heart, while her arch-nemesis, Cleo betrays just a hint of compassion, which could be her undoing, despite her powerful, malevolent façade.
A great read with a compelling plot whose well-written characters navigate surprisingly and yet comfortably between a mythical world of dragons and trolls and the real world of modern America’
Crown My Heart review by David Lockett
Reviewed on Amazon, 28th September 2020