Dawn of the Dragons

Mancusi, Mari. Dawn of the Dragons
September 2, 2025 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Netgalley

Set five years before New Dragon City, this book alternates between the experiences of Lucas, who lives in a small town, and Cinder, a young dragon. Cinder and her brother Flame are being raised by their mother, the queen of their band of dragons, after their father is killed when rogue dragons try to take their territory. When Cinder gets separated in new territory from her family, she is rescued by Lucas. Lucas and his friends Jace and Jacinda Alvarez are interested in dragons, but it isn't until their friend Noah Miller (the main character in New Dragon City, 2022) and his father raise the alarm that the dragons are back that they take the existence of the creatures seriously. Lucas is missing his dog, Max, and his mother, father, and sister think that his grief is manifesting itself in an unhealthy interest in dragons. This isn't the case; Lucas has met Cinder, fed her beef jerky, and even brought her home overnight, since the two could speak telepathically. Sadly, Cinder accidentally sets fire to Lucas' house, which his parents think is suspicious, and they want Lucas to get counseling. When people start to show up in town, buying beef jerky and watching a video of Cinder and Lucas, he's worried that he has caused a problem. For her part, Cinder tries to convince the dragon council that humans are good and want to help. She plans to bring a gift to Lucas' town and explain the help that the dragons need. Unfortunately, Cinder's idea of a gift ends up being a horse, Mr. Bean, who is beloved by the town. Even though Lucas tries to explain, the townspeople are angry, and the event ends with another fire caused by Cinder. When Flare goes down to eat his sister's gift (why should it go to waste?), he is captured. Special agedne Gerda visits Lucas and his family and tells them that they should just stay put, and that things will be okay. When Lucas sees a video of Flare in captivity, he knows this isn't the case. After he and his friends save Flare, they fly to talk to Cinder's mother, and are able to convince the dragons that the humans don't mean them harm. Unfortunately, the rogue dragons are also loose on the world, and humans are scared. They want to attack any dragons that come near. Eventually, Lucas and his family relocate to the new territory of the dragons, and are eventually joined by Noah and his father. 

Strengths: Even though this went back and forth from Cinder to Lucas' viewpoint, it wasn't confusing at all, and I am often very confused by fantasy books. Mancusi's writing makes me believe that Cinder showed up, Lucas thought to feed her beef jerky, and the two just hit it off! The fact that there has been talk in the wider society about a dragon uprising is simmering in the background, so it's not too much of a surprise when the "dragon peepers" show up, and are alarmed by Cinder's gift. There's just enough about Lucas' life in his town to make it sad when he has to leave. This is a fast-paced story with some suspense as well as a satisfying "pet dragon" aspect to it. The first book has circulated well, so I will definitely buy a copy of this. 
Weaknesses: It's been a while since I read New Dragon City, so I had some trouble figuring out how Noah and his father figured in to the storyline. 
What I really think: This is a little more problematic than pet dragon books like Durst's Spark or Downing's Hatching Magic, and has some elements of Martin's The Edge of Extinction. Mancusi's fans will want to take a look, and I enjoyed the fact that you can really read either book in the series first.