The adventure continues in this exciting sequel to Anya and the Dragon; a dangerous monster lurks beneath the city and only Anya can keep him from taking her friends’ magic—and their lives. Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

It’s been a year since a violent Viking terrorized the small village of Zmeyreka and Anya and her foolish friend Ivan saved a friendly dragon from being sacrificed for his magic.

But things still aren’t safe in the kingdom of Kievan Rus’.

After embarking on a journey to bring her papa home from war, Anya discovers a powerful forest creature terrorizing travellers. But she soon learns that he’s not the monster the kingdom should fear. There’s an even greater evil that lurks under the city.

Can Anya stop the monster, save her papa, and find her way home? Or, will the secrets of Kiev leave Anya and her friends trapped beneath the city forever?

It has been a year since Anya’s father was supposed to return home so Anya, her friend Ivan and the dragon Håkon go to bring him home from the war. They are sidetracked on their trip when the mysterious Lena sends them to Kiev after turning Håkon into a human to keep him safe. Arriving in Kiev they are drawn into a hunt for the Nightingale, a creature that is terrorizing the nearby woods but they soon learn that he is not the real danger. There is a dark evil lurking in the caverns beneath the city.

This is a delightful sequel to Anya and the Dragon. The characters continue to grow and change. Anya learns more about her Jewish heritage, Ivan learns more about his mother’s past and they all learn that many beings they thought were myths are not. And we find that the war into which Anya’s father was sent to fight, might be more mysterious than imagined.  While these are written for middle school readers as a target audience these are equally enjoyable for adult readers.  For those for whom it might make difference, Ivan gets a crush on another boy which is treated as commonplace as Anya’s sort of crush on a young man in Kiev. Highly recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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