THE SKY KING (SKYRIDERS), by Polly Holyoke, Viking Books for Young Readers, May 7, 2024, Paperback, $9.99 (ages 8-12)
A girl and her skysteed must form an alliance with an elusive leader, in the second book of Polly Holyoke’s Skyriders series, The Sky King.
Fresh from their victory over the frightening chimerae monsters, Kie and N’Rah are looking forward to a quiet life on her uncle’s orchard, far from the turmoil of the capital city. They miss the friends they made there, but as sky couriers, their job keeps them busy.
Then Kie unexpectedly receives a message from the emperor himself! He has an urgent mission for Kie and N’Rah—they need to find the Sky King, the elusive ruler of the wild skysteeds that soar across the land. After losing so many fighters in the Battle of a Thousand Chimerae, the empire is in desperate need of a hundreds of winged horses for their soldiers to ride. The wild herds are the only source, but bitter betrayals in the past have made the Sky King distrustful of humans.
Kie’s unique gift of communicating with all skysteeds makes her the best person for the job, but it would take a miracle for the Sky King to trust a young girl. Then a new threat emerges in the form of huge birds of prey called vultiren. With the fearsome creatures heading straight for the wild skysteeds’ hidden refuge, Kie must convince the Sky King to ally with her—before their world is destroyed forever. —Synopsis provided by Viking Books for Young Readers
We are well into summer, and you may be looking for a new book/series to entice your middle reader. If so, Polly Holyoke’s Skyriders series may just be the thing you’re looking for.
The Sky King is the second book in this fantasy series about skysteeds (think horses with wings) and their riders. These books — Skyriders and The Sky King — definitely need to be read in order, but their relatively short length for fantasies — just over 300 pages — make them doable lengths to read this July/August.
The Skyriders series is built around the skyriders and their skysteeds (winged horses that can speak to those they bond with through their minds) and mystical, creepy creatures like the three-headed chimerae (bloodgoat, lion and sand dragon merged together by dark, binding magic) and vultiren (massive vulture-like birds with sharp talons and bad attitudes).
As with the first book in the series, The Sky King features lots of flying and action. It also features lots of skysteeds — old and new. Themes of themes of communication, empathy and equity are built in naturally and push the story forward.
The Sky King does feel a bit like a second act, leaving lots of room for what I assume will likely be a big crescendo in the following book/s. Be aware there is some violence and gore. However, it’s never gratuitous. This is a fun series to really sink your teeth into.
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