Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Chaotic warring dragon tale with unique linguistic focus.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In A WAR OF WYVERNS, Vivien is back in London incognito, working for Dr. Hollingsworth and the rebellion, learning to translate the language of the elusive Hebridean wyverns from an explorer's journal. Dr. Hollingsworth insists the wyverns are the key to winning the war against the Bulgarian dragons who have allied with the power-hungry prime minister and her Guardians. When Vivian sees Guardians harassing an injured baby dragon on the street, she's arrested and dragged to the Scottish isles, then forced to help with the war effort. Vivien is desperate to escape, not just because the Bulgarian dragons are out to kill all humans no matter what the prime minister says, but because her quarry is so close. This is the land of the Hebridean wyverns and she must find them and convince them to fight.
Is It Any Good?
This warring dragon sequel is a sensitive exploration of language, but otherwise chaotic with too many characters and too little character depth. The main character, Vivien, is worth rooting for this time, much more than in Book 1. She's more confident in her linguistic skills and is finding her voice as a rebel, but her emotional range is lacking. And she mourns her lost love, then despises him for keeping secrets, then doesn't despise him and it's unclear why. It's also hard to understand why Dr. Hollingsworth keeps secrets from Vivien. They seem to exist just to add conflict without much cause, and conflict doesn't mean depth, just a lot of yelling and hurt feelings.
A War of Wyverns feels like it finally grows wings when Vivien and friends meet the wyverns. Their cultural exchange is both fascinating and touching. But that's not until nearly the halfway point of the story, and it only lasts three chapters. Before and after, Vivien rushes from London to the enemy camp to various camps of kids and rebels with many names swirling around and true connections among characters hard to come by. And then the dragon carnage begins and adds to the chaos. This series is commendable for its ambitious scope and unique linguistic focus, but it needs fewer and better characters and a more grounded story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about languages in A War of Wyverns. The author is a British linguist with degrees in French and Italian. How does the author's curiosity about languages permeate the story? What have you learned about translating and studying languages from this series?
For families who speak more than one language, are there some things better said in one language than another? In Chapter 12, Vivien says, "Is it possible that there are languages you can have deeper thoughts in? Languages that allow you to think about things differently, because they have more words, more meanings for ideas that don't exist in others?" Do you ever feel that way?
How does Vivien show integrity in her choices about the wyvern language? Why do others not agree with her? What would you do in the same situation?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Activism , Adventures , Fantasy ( Dragons )
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Curiosity , Empathy , Humility , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HarperCollins Publishers
- Publication date : January 6, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 18
- Number of pages : 368
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : January 19, 2026
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