The Sky King

by Polly Holyoke Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

Overview

In this soaring adventure for fans of Skandar and the Unicorn Thief and Wings of Fire, a new kind of monster launches an attack on the empire of Prekalt. Who can Kiesandra and her skysteed turn to for help in this life-and-death battle?

****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.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Action packed, superbly paced." —Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2024-02-17
Humans and skysteeds work together against the Foul Ones in this sequel to Skyriders (2023).

The Skyforce prevailed in the Battle of a Thousand Chimerae but at a terrible cost. Now the Emperor asks Kie and N’Rah to travel to the Makar Mountains to locate the Sky King and ask him to renew the Great Alliance, which allows wild skysteeds to bind with humans to replenish the Skyforce and fight the chimerae that continue to menace Prekalt. Prince Shayn and Princess Halla, courier Topar, Capt. Nerone, and cadet Ruden—familiar characters to those who’ve read the previous book—join the secret mission. The stakes are high: If they cannot save the Home Herd from the carnivorous desert birds called vultiren and convince the Sky King to allow their species to join forces, Prekalt is likely doomed. Without sacrificing any excitement, this entry, which will best be appreciated by returning fans who are familiar with this world, goes into more depth of feeling than the previous book. Kie learns to process her grief over previous losses and to accept her role as the Nexara (the one who can communicate with all skysteeds), and the skysteeds themselves, especially N’Rah, come to the forefront with their own individual stories. Ultimately, after a tremendous battle against the vultiren, the story sets up for a third book. Human characters are diverse in appearance.

An action-packed, superbly paced second book that raises the stakes and shows the cost of loss. (cast of characters) (Fantasy. 9-13)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178321195
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Series:	Skyriders , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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