YA Dystopian Book Feature
Shadow of the Dragon
Title: Shadow Of The
Dragon
Author: Kyra Dune
Genre: YA Dystopian
Fantasy
Micayta’s world has long been gripped in the thrall
of an endless winter that grows worse with the passing of time. Life is a
constant struggle. Then catastrophe strikes the small town in which she lives,
thrusting Micayta and her brother Pytaki alone into the snow laden countryside.
To keep herself and her brother alive will take all the strength that she has.
Then a mysterious stranger appears to complicate
matters. Tech has an amazing story to tell, but is any of it true? Old wounds
and betrayals make Micayta slow to trust, but without Tech she and her brother
will never make it across the countryside alive. Through bandits, wolves, and
snowstorms, the three struggle their way to the city of Phadra. But the real
danger lies within the city walls, where Micayta becomes a player in a deadly
game with a dark-eyed mage.
Nothing is what it seems.
As the truth unravels, Micayta finds herself drawn
into a struggle much bigger than she ever dreamed. Choices must be made and
sides taken. But the question of who to trust is one not easily answered.
Micayta will have to open her heart and find a way to let someone else in, or
the flames that destroyed her home will consume the world.
Excerpt
A shadow drew Micayta’s eyes to the sky
and for a moment she could only stare up in confusion at what seemed to be a
large cloud floating slowly by. But as far as she could remember, there had
never been clouds at night and certainly none so large, hanging so low over the
rooftops.
Then a building almost directly across the
street exploded in a ball of flames, raining debris down on the street. Micayta
stumbled back with a cry, the sudden sight and sound shocking her out of her
stupor. She turned to run down a narrow alley between two buildings.
Pale moonlight glinted off crimson scales.
Another explosion rolled through the night
and Micayta lost her footing on a patch of ice. She went down hard on the
frosted ground. Her knee cracked against the ground and she cried out. For a
moment, she lay panting with her face pressed against the ice. The scent of
charred wood came to her on the wind, mixed with another, fouler scent that she
could not place. Holding her knee, Micayta rolled over on her back and looked
straight up into the face of a nightmare.
Two long, black horns curved back from a
reptilian face covered in crimson scales; sharp spikes ran all down a
serpentine neck that was mottled with a faded shade of orange; clawed feet
gripped the edge of the bakery roof; two leathery wings cast a dark shadow over
the alley. The dragon’s black eyes gazed at something over the rooftops,
seemingly oblivious to Micayta’s presence below.
About The
Author
Kyra Dune
was born in Oklahoma, but spent most of her life travelling with her family.
She is the author of more than twenty fantasy novels, including: Shadow of the Dragon, Elfblood, and Firebrand. As a child, her favorite
stories were those that told of ordinary children being whisked away to magical
lands. She has yet to find her own secret wardrobe or rabbit hole, but she
hasn’t given up the search. You never know what might be
waiting over the next rainbow.
