View source for Elspeth (Shadow of the Dragon) by Kate O'Hearn

{{infobox1 
|title= Elspeth (Shadow of the Dragon)
|author= Kate O'Hearn
|reviewer= Loralei Haylock
|genre=Confident Readers 
|summary= A fun filled fantasy adventure with some good twists and surprises. A very satisfying conclusion to the ''Shadow of the Dragon''.
|rating=4 
|buy= Yes
|borrow= Yes
|pages=384 
|publisher= Hodder Children's Books
|date= May 2009
|isbn=978-0340945292 
|cover=034094529X
|aznuk=034094529X
|aznus=034094529X
}}

After avoiding Lord Dorcon through [[Kira (Shadow of the Dragon) by Kate O'Hearn|part one]] of ''Shadow of the Dragon'', Kira's nemesis finally caught up with her at Paradon's castle. The wizard used his magic to protect her, sending her through time to escape Dorcon and his Dragon Knights. But Paradon's spells have a habit of going wrong. He meant to send Kira and her family three seasons into the future but actually sent Kira, Dane and Shanks-spar three thousand seasons forwards, and Elspeth and her fox, Onnie, three thousand seasons backwards. They are safe from the evil Lord Dorcon, but in these strange worlds there are new, worse dangers to face. 

As Elspeth waits for years for her family to find her, honing her magical ability to talk to animals, Kira and the others face terrifying metal machines that fly in the air like dragons, only more deadly. A very old Paradon has been waiting for them all this time, and brings them to the safety of his mountain, but the dragons are badly injured. They have to find a way back before the soldiers of this new world reach them, not just for Elspeth, but to fulfil the prophecy and bring down the tyrannical King Arden. 

The concluding part of O'Hearn's ''Shadow of the Dragon'' story is every bit as fast-paced and exciting as the first. Taking the fantasy into a modern-day world similar to our own was an interesting twist, and the book maintains the good moral values the first promoted. 

Time travel is a difficult thing to do without tying yourself in knots, and I'm fairly sure that there was a flaw in ''Elspeth''. It bugged me for a few chapters that the future Kira arrives in is horrible as a result of the prophecy going unfulfilled, but if she goes back in time and fulfils it, that world won't exist and Paradon would have no need to wait there to send her back… But that's me, I'm a stickler for time travel paradoxes, I doubt the average eight-year-old is going to sweat the finer details. 

''Elspeth'' is a really fun fantasy adventure with enough twists and surprises to keep things fresh. Great characters, good comedy, action, adventure and dragons. What more could a young fantasy fan ask for? A very satisfying conclusion to ''Shadow of the Dragon''. 

My thanks to the publishers for sending a copy. We also have a review of [[Pegasus and The Origins of Olympus by Kate O'Hearn]].

Fans of dragons might also enjoy [[Firestorm (Dragon Orb) by Mark Robson|Firestorm by Mark Robson]].

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