Second book in this series. I didn’t find it quite as good as the first one, but I’m willing to continue and see where this goes. The five young dragons who are supposed to fulfill a prophecy and end the dragon war, are on their way into the undersea kingdom of the Seawings tribe. This book is narrated by Tsunami, who feels certain that her mother the Seawing queen will gladly welcome her home. (They should have realized from Clay’s reception by the Mudwings not to expect too much). Of course it doesn’t go smoothly. Tsunami can’t communicate with the other Seawing dragons, who have their own language to use underwater. Misunderstandings abound. Everyone is suspicious of her companions, because some of them are from rival tribes. The customs and manners of the palace dragons are unfamiliar, and Tsunami quickly gets separated from her friends. She tries to fit in and please her mother, but something’s not quite right. The story quickly dives into a mess of court intrigue and a long-standing murder mystery. I have to say the ending reveal was quite clever. I was getting a tad tiresome of it all by that point, though. Some things were totally unexpected (like the sea queen being a writer who foisted her stories on everyone) and made me laugh, other plot twists I saw coming from far off.
It still bugged me a bit that the dragons talk a lot like people but oh well. And there continues to be random sudden violence. Again, didn’t bother me in this story about dragons in warring tribes, but kind of surprising seeing that the books are aimed at kids? at least the bright covers make you think so. One of the dragonets discovers she had unknowingly killed her own father in the past, and has to deal with that horrible guilt. There’s also flippant, casual mention of suicide that makes me uncomfortable. I did like how Tsunami showed some character development through the story. She starts off very brash and headstrong, but by the end has learned to curb some of her impulsiveness and take her friends’ opinions more into consideration. Sadly the other characters felt a little flat to me- but I suppose it makes sense that a story narrated by an adolescent would be completely wrapped up in that one individual. In the end, the hidden palace is attacked and our five dragonets barely escape with their lives. They do make it out, leaving the sea kingdom a bit wiser- and with an unexpected new companion.