Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Satisfying 3rd story cycle has compelling dragon characters.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
In THE LOST CONTINENT PROPHECY, on the continent of Pantala, SilkWing dragons live in hives enslaved to HiveWings, while HiveWings do the bidding of Queen Wasp. It's been this way since the Tree Wars 50 years ago, when the HiveWings destroyed the trees and all LeafWing dragons with them—or so everyone thought. When two SilkWings escape the hives because the queen wants their rare flame silk powers, they encounter LeafWings in hiding, ready to destroy the hives in retaliation. A war is brewing among the dragons of Pantala once again, and Queen Wasp's mind control is a formidable weapon that threatens more than just one continent. It will take LeafWings, SilkWings, HiveWings, humans, and even Pyrrhia's dragons working together to save them all.
Is It Any Good?
This third series of dragon tales feels surprisingly fresh thanks to its novel setting and the attention paid to world building and the inner lives of its main dragon characters. The dragons on the continent of Pantala are curiously insect-like in their abilities and habits and are emotionally complex. Blue, the sweetest of the bunch, wants to understand everyone, even his longtime oppressors. Sundew is the fiercest, until her love for a pacifist interferes with her thirst for revenge against all HiveWings. Back on Pyrrhia, Queen Snowfall starts out as the most troubled and unlikable and has the biggest metamorphosis of all the dragons outside of a cocoon. Luna's personal story in the fifth book is the least compelling, but there's enough finale excitement to make up for it.
Each story of the five dragons has enough revelations to keep readers racing to the next. We learn about long-guarded HiveWing secrets when Clearsight's book is stolen, we learn about where and how the LeafWings have remained hidden for 50 years, we learn about the cruelest animus mom dragon of all time, we find out why humans and dragons originally fought, and we finally discover how exactly Queen Wasp controls her tribe—or does she? Each book holds its own and will keep dragon fantasy fans satisfied.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Queen Snowfall's journey to empathy in the third book, The Dangerous Gift from The Lost Continent Prophecy. In Chapter 12, Snowfall says that the magic ring "was trying to hit her over the head with a lesson about sympathy and understanding. YUCK." How did she get that lesson? Whom did she learn empathy for? How will it make her a better ruler?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Activism , Adventures , Animals ( Bugs , Wild Animals ) , Fantasy ( Dragons , Magic , Monsters ) , Friendship , Royalty ( Queens ) , Travel
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Curiosity , Empathy , Humility , Integrity , Perseverance , Self-control , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic
- Publication date : January 1, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 1680
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : March 9, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate