Secret of the Water Dragon

Drake and the Dragon Masters are back in the third installment of the Dragon Masters series. This time, someone’s trying to steal the Dragon Stone. This book centers on Bo and his dragon, Shu, as the group races to find out what happened to the Dragon Stone. The Dragon Masters discover that one of their own might be harboring a dark secret. 

Secret of the Water Dragon hones in on the overarching plot that was introduced in the first two books. This time, the evil wizard Maldred has sent out his dark magic and has put a spell over Bo’s home kingdom. Emperor Song, once kind and just, blackmails Bo into bringing him the Dragon Stone by kidnapping Bo’s family. It is only when Drake and Bo realize that Shu’s dragon powers can help wash away enchantments that Bo’s kingdom is freed from Maldred’s clutches. 

Secret of the Water Dragon helps increase the stakes as the Dragon Masters start to understand that their enemy, Maldred, draws near. They must race against the clock in order to have all the Dragon Masters bonded with their dragons before anything truly terrible arises. At the end of the book,  another wizard, Diego, falls into a deep slumber, and only Shu is able to wake him, thanks to Shu and Bo’s bond. As Diego awakens, he notes that he’s seen yet another dragon, which will have readers eager to read the next book, Power of the Fire Dragon. Young readers will find this plot thread compelling and will want to find out what happens next. However, because the plots build on each other, the books should be read in order. 

Bo’s kingdom is much like Dragon Master Ana’s in the way that they both fulfill certain regional stereotypes. If Ana’s home was like Egypt, then Bo’s is a loose understanding of East Asian countries like Japan and China. The raven guards from Bo’s kingdom who try to steal the Dragon Stone are depicted in the artwork as ninjas. Much like Ana’s story, this is not a very creative way of making Bo’s world, but it falls in line with usual fantasy tropes that are not within King Arthur’s England. 

Family and connections to home have been the most prominent themes in the Dragon Masters Series thus far. Ana, Drake, and Bo have all expressed how much they love and miss their families. Plus, Bo’s loyalty to his friends has been put to the test when his family’s lives are on the line. These books are a good way to present the differences between family by blood and found families, as the Dragon Masters find themselves becoming even closer friends after this incident. For instance, Drake offers to go with Bo to his home kingdom because he wants to help him and doesn’t want him to be alone.  

West’s Dragon Masters are fun and heartwarming books filled with friendship. In addition, the characters have the courage to do the right thing, even in the face of adversity. And of course, there are cool dragons and evil wizards. The Dragon Masters Series takes readers on adventures in fantastical worlds. 

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• The thief who is after the Dragon Stone presumably fights with Simon, the guard who’s watching over the Dragon Stone. The fight scene isn’t shown, but Drake describes, “When they got to Griffith’s office, Simon the guard was conked out on the floor!”  

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• None 

Supernatural 

• This series deals with magic and dragons. As the opening lines detail, “Griffith [the wizard] and the Dragon Masters were in the Training Room, hidden beneath King Roland’s castle. A magical stone called the Dragon Stone had chosen Drake, Bo, Rori, and Ana to work with dragons. Griffith was their teacher.”  
• Someone attempted to steal the Dragon Stone. Griffith explains that this would be bad because “someone could use the main stone to control the dragons. Or even to form a dragon army.” 
• Drake and Griffith catch Bo with the Dragon Stone. “Bo was reading aloud from a book. The words sounded magical, like something a wizard would say.” Griffith uses his powers to stop Bo. “Suddenly, sparks shot out from the corner of the room. They hit the book Bo was holding and it fell to the ground.”  
• Outside of King Roland’s castle, Rori and Ana encounter one of the Raven Guard, a group of skilled fighters. They report back to Griffith, Bo, and Drake. Rori and Ana speak over each other, saying, “He had a red crystal! And he shone it in our eyes . . . Then he was asking us stuff! And we gave him answers! Somehow he made us tell the truth, even though we did not want to. I think the crystal was magic!” 
• Each of the Dragon Masters has to bond with their dragons, which comes to a climax when their piece of the Dragon Stone glows and they can finally communicate telepathically with their dragon. Bo experiences this, and he says, “Shu is speaking to me —  inside my head!” 
• Bo’s dragon, Shu, uses her magical powers to remove the evil spell over Emperor Song’s mind. “A misty blue cloud floated from [Shu’s] mouth. Emperor Song looked up at it, terrified. He froze as a light blue mist rained down on his head. The look on his face changed. He looked peaceful.” This brings Emperor Song back to being a peaceful emperor. Shu explains that she has a special power that can “wash away any spell.” 
• The evil wizard Maldred’s magical red orbs attack Emperor Song’s palace and guards, as well as the Dragons and their Dragon Masters. The Dragon Masters are fighting against Maldred’s forces and are trying to protect Emperor Song and his people, attempting to break the spell. Drake says, “Another red ball zoomed toward Bo. Bam! The orb burst. Worm had used the power of his mind to destroy them. Blast! Shu tried hitting one of the glowing balls with a jet of water.” This sequence continues for a couple of pages. 

Spiritual Content  

• None