A Darkening of Dragons (Songs of Magic, #1)
by S.A. PatrickPublished by: Peachtree Publishing Company on April 1, 2022
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Humor
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Three accidental heroes encounter one legendary villain in an epic dragon-filled adventure just right for young fans of Terry Pratchett, J.R.R. Tolkien, and How to Train Your Dragon!
13-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 of Hamelyn 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 from sparking the biggest battle of them all.
S.A. Patrick’s debut children’s novel is a vivid retelling of one of the darkest legends of all time – the Piper of Hamelyn. Combining fairy tale lore with the very best of modern storytelling and empowerment, A Darkening of Dragons takes fantasy fans on a journey filled with adventure, magic, and the delight of finding friends in unexpected places. Perfect for fans of The Hobbit, Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books, and How to Train Your Dragon.
Content Tags:
Perfect for readers who want:
- A world filled with magic, adventure, and the unexpected.
- A retelling of the Piper of Hamelyn . . . with dragons?
- A super lovable squad of characters that’s as brave as they are funny.
- Dracogriffs! In case DRAGONS wasn’t enough. (And let’s be honest, it should have been.)
- Fast-paced adventure with plenty of plot twists.
Many thanks to Peachtree Publishing Company and Rockstar Book Tours for an ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes are taken from an unfinished product and may differ from the final version.
Contrary to what you might believe, given this title and the cover, I did not pick this book up due to its association with dragons. True, that’s certainly a point in its favor, but that wasn’t actually the deciding factor. This book had actually been previously recommended to me by several people, and I just hadn’t been able to get my hands on it. That happens sometimes when you spend a lot of time with British people. They come with lots of book recommendations in hand but not the actual book. Figures. Needless to say, given everything, I jumped on the opportunity to read this one!
A Darkening of Dragons is a fast-paced, magical middle grade adventure with quirky, funny characters that will win your heart, high stakes, lots of plot twists, and a gripping voice.
Something about this book felt very familiar, and I never have been able to place exactly what it is. I know for sure I haven’t read the book before. My suspicion is that Patrick manages to capture the most popular, comforting aspects of other books (the magic, the banter, the squad, the . . . dragons?) that even though this is a unique world, it feels comfortable and lived in right off the bat. Long story short, I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to continue this series! Can’t recommend this one enough for fans of middle grade fantasy.
Enter a world filled with magic, mystery, and adventure with a very clever retelling of the Piper of Hamelyn.
There’s also a bit of a shoutout to the Man in the Iron Mask, too. I’ll admit, that one’s done in a bit of a heavy-handed way that had me guessing the big “twist” the moment it came up. I suspect anyone that’s seen the movie will do so, too, though I doubt that’s a problem with most of the target audience for this book.
Anyway, I digress! This world! First, there are Pipers, who can weave songs that have different effects, which is super cool. Especially since you can battle as a Piper. Unfortunately, there was this villain called the Piper of Hamelyn that used his song to steal a group of children . . . and a group of baby dragons. For purposes no one understands nor really cares because there’s not exactly a good reason to steal babies. So Pipers are seen as really suspicious now, and there are tons of restrictions placed on them.
What I love about this world is that it’s incredibly dark but feels ridiculously light. I think it’s the narrative tone the book is written in combined with the general humor sprinkled throughout. I mean, there’s definitely death and darkness in this book, but it didn’t have the feel of a dark fantasy, even though it kind of is. It’s actually a really neat trick that I’m not entirely sure how Patrick manages to pull off, but I love it!
No, thought Patch. It wasn’t a flock. That wasn’t the right word.
The right word depended on the creatures inquestion: a flock of birds, a swarm of bees, or a pack of dogs. There was a word especially for dragons too, and until now Patch hadn’t understood why that word had been chosen, instead of something more appropriate for fire-breathers. Surely, he’d always thought, a burning of dragons would make more sense? Or a firestorm?
But seeing the dark cloud approach, blocking out more and more light, he understood at last why the right word was darkness.
A darkness of dragons was coming.
Speaking of the Piper of Hamelyn . . . what even is up with him, hmmm? That’s the million-dollar mystery!
And it is a mystery. As far as anyone knows, the Piper of Hamelyn has been locked in the prison for years, and they feel relatively safe knowing that. But . . . how safe should they feel? Our plucky young protagonist, Patch, is finding out that things may not be quite as they seem.
While there’s plenty of action and adventure in this book, the mystery is really what grabbed me. Most of us know the story of the Piper of Hamelyn, but Patrick gives it a dark, almost ominous twist that I’m still not entirely sure how it’s going to turn out. I don’t even have any guesses. Which just makes me want to finish the series all the more, because I need to know what this endgame is.
So, needless to say, this book has a little bit of everything. If the adventure doesn’t get you, the mystery likely will, and vice versa.
“We, um, killed two of their colleagues,” said Patch. “I guess it annoyed them.”
“Ah,” said Erner. “I suppose it would.”
I have utterly fallen in LOVE with this squad of characters. And how could I not?!
As a protagonist, Patch is quite fun to travel with. He’s a good kid with a good heart, which is slightly problematic in a world such as this. He wants to help people, but sometimes that means disobeying orders or refusing to do the things he’s told. That takes a lot of courage. Plus, he’s resourceful and loyal, which are always good characteristics in a protagonist.
Then there’s Wren, who is no slouch herself. Sure, she’s cursed into a rat, but she’s got a sharp tongue (or, I suppose, since she signs, sharp . . . claws?). In any case, she’s a very strong female character who would be easy to look up to. She’s not without fault (and who of us are?), but she does her best to do the right thing, and she stands up for her friends. Her fierceness is also very admirable, even in the face of danger.
Then there’s Erner, who’s caught between a rock and a hard place. Officially, he’s in training for an elite force of Pipers and needs to bring Patch back for breaking the law. Unofficially, he’s Patch’s friend and really just wants to help him. Quite the dilemma to be in. Erner struggles with what he wants to do, what he feels is right, and what his role as a Piper tells him is right, and it’s a very interesting personal struggle.
Then, of course, there’s Barver. And more on him below. Because he deserves his own little section entirely.
Barver raised a hang. “I want to clarify the rules of engagement,” he said. “Is fire breathing okay?”
“Feel free,” said Madder.
“And am I allowed to eat anyone who attacks us?”
“Absolutely,” said Madder, with a sly grin.
Patch and Wren stared at Barver. The dracogriff shrugged. “I’m kidding!” he said, although they weren’t sure if he was.
Just when you thought nothing could get cooler than dragons . . . Patrick goes ahead and introduces the DRACOGRIFF.
Not just any dracogriff, either, but one in particular named Barver. Which means nothing to you, of course, because you haven’t read the book yet, you silly bookwyrm. But I’ll tell you why Barver should matter to you: Because. He’s. Awesome. Duh.
Barver has the level of suave that we all pray for on our most trying days. As part dragon and part griffon, he doesn’t exactly fit in anywhere and has been an outcast for most of his life. Still, he’s made the best of it and doesn’t let other people’s attitudes get under his skin. Quite tough skin it is, indeed, and that’s not just the dragon side of him, either.
“They’re the windows to the soul?” said the leader.
Barver shook his head and put the gag back over the man’s mouth. “Tastiest part of the face,” he said. The leader let out a muffled squeal and started hopping toward the trees, falling over every few hops. Barver watched him go, with a look of pure satisfaction.
There are some really unique facets of this story, including the use of this world’s version of sign language and also curses.
. . . and I realize, as I type this, that those two things don’t intrinsically have anything to do with each other except being really cool plot points, so ignore any strange implications that might be there which I definitely did not intend. What I meant is simply that there are so many cool things in this world!
As someone who grew up with American Sign Language (though never learning it particularly well), I’m always excited to see some form of non-verbal speech in books. This one’s a bit unique in that the main impetus for using it is that one character has been cursed into a rat. Which is a bummer. Also, the sign language itself is generally used by pirates and not always entirely practical, which is hilarious, but it gets the job done.
But back to the curses. As if Pipers aren’t enough (and they are), there’s also other forms of magic in this world. In particular, witchcraft! Which includes all sorts of spells and also curses, and while this book only barely touches on it, I have a feeling this will come up more in the rest of the series and I absolutely cannot wait!
She gave him a brisk nod and sat facing him, eager to begin.
“Yes. No,” said Patch, thumbs up, then thumbs down. “Hurry up. Slow down. Come over here. Go away.” With each example, he gave Wren enough time to mimic the sign he was showing her. “Keep going. You’re an idiot. Pass the rum.” Next he made a throat-slitting motion. “Kill,” he said.
“Lots of variants of kill, actually. Lots. That’s pirates and mercenaries for you, I suppose. Kill quickly. Kill everyone. Don’t kill anyone.” He thought for a second. “That last one’s probably not used much. Let’s see . . . Don’t do that here. I’m bleeding. You’re bleeding. Please stop the bleeding. You’re on fire. The ship is on fire. The ship is sinking. Oh no it’s a shark. Maybe we should murder the captain.“
Wren studiously copied each action, deep in concentration. Patch continued. “You smell terrible. Run away. If you do that again I’ll kill you. The eyes are important for that one,” said Patch. “Otherwise it’s a bit too much like Pass the rum. I expect that’s caused a few fights in its time. Anyway, that should give you the flavor of it. What do you think?”
Yes, kill everyone, oh no it’s a shark, signed Wren.
“Well,” said Patch. “It’s a start.”
About S.A. Patrick
S. A. 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. He lives in England.
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I told you to read this two years ago!! Good to know that you have finally caved and read it and that you liked it. I think I loved Barver most and the idea of the Dracogriff. Also, I loved how they explained why a group of dragons is called a Darkness. It’s so cool. I haven’t actually read the sequel yet but maybe I should. At some point. And maybe read Darkness of Dragons again first? I remember there were some things that bugged me but I cannot remember which ones they were…
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Weeeell, I DID say that it had been previously recommended to me! xD Not my fault! (Okay, maybe a little bit my fault.) Definitely read A Darkening of Dragons first! And then the sequels. And then tell me how good they are so I can live vicariously through you and be utterly jealous!