I recommend that you find your way to a local bookshop and pick up a copy of this thrilling fantasy novel. In the first chapter you will meet the heroine of the story, Alice TodHunter Moon on a beach attending the midsummer circle for the first time. All the children who are over 12 from the PathFinder village are there and they are told about the secrets of the Ancient PathFinders, who are their ancestors. Hidden in the shadows, there is a woman called Mitza Dradden-mora Draa. You don't know anything about her, but you suspect that she is bad.
Dan Moon (Alice's father and the leader of the PathFinders) has timed the ceremony perfectly so that as it ends the sun is just rising over the sea. At that moment everyone looks up into the sky and they see a Dragon Boat sailing through the air. If you have read the "Septimus Heap" novels you will remember that Tod (as Alice is known in the rest of the book) thought she was dreaming when she looked out of her bedroom window and saw a Dragon Boat right at the very end of the final novel "Fyre". Now she realises that they really do exist, and in this story you will find out what happens on a Dragon Boat.
The next day, Dan Moon goes out fishing… And does not return. Then one of Tod's friends disappears from the village. Tod starts to investigate, and her adventure begins…
I love the way Angie Sage has written the book in 12 parts, each containing short chapters. It makes the story flow really quickly, and although different things are happening it never gets confusing. The landscapes and settings are described beautifully, so that you can almost feel the atmosphere and imagine that you are there. Once I had read the short opening chapter I was utterly gripped by the story. The other thing that I love about Angie Sage's writing is the way she names her characters; in this novel you meet a dramatic new character called "Snow Princess Driffa, the Most High and Bountiful".
This is an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy novels. It follows on from the Septimus Heap series, although there is a gap of 7 years since the end of "Fyre" – if you enjoyed that series, you should definitely read this to discover what happens to Septimus, Marcia, Beetle and their friends next.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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