Skyriders (Skyriders #1)
by Polly Holyoke (Author)
An Amazon Best Book of the Month!
Wings of Fire meets Skandar and the Unicorn Thief in this epic fantasy adventure set in a world where human and skysteed share a deep bond of friendship and love. When monsters emerge to attack the empire, it's up to Kiesandra and her beloved winged horse N'Rah to prove to herself and the imperial army that she has what it takes to lead them to victory . . . and survival.
Thirteen-year-old Kiesandra's best friend isn't human, but that doesn't stop her from sharing jokes and secrets with her winged horse, N'Rah. She, like every other person with a skysteed, can communicate with N'Rah through her mind. Their bond is critical when one day, monsters from long ago reemerge to ravage a nearby village. No one knows how to fight the fearsome chimerae except Kie's uncle . . . and now Kie. Injured in the battle, Uncle Dug makes her promise to bring his attack plan and weapons to the capital. Kie reluctantly agrees. At the palace, she and N'Rah attempt to gain the trust of the royals and train the army in Dug's lessons. But how can a young girl and her skysteed convince anyone that only they know how to defeat the deadly monsters? Buzzing with action, heart, and friendship, this first book in the Skyriders series show that kids can achieve the impossible--especially with flying horses on their side.
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Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Kiesandra Torsun--a 13-year-old who's able to communicate telepathically with N'Rah, the winged horse skysteed with which she's magically bonded--serves as a junior sky courier in the mountains of the Empire. While her uncle Dugs has trained her in the lost art of combatting three-headed monsters called chimerae, which terrorized the Empire centuries ago, Kie isn't interested in becoming a fighter, especially not of monsters thought long gone. But when the chimerae unexpectedly return, Kie travels to the capital with her family's manual on chimerae tactics to warn the emperor that the skyfighters' modern techniques won't work against the beasts. Though few will listen to a junior courier from a small village, Kie finds allies in young Prince Shayn and others in the royal family. Moreover, her unique ability to communicate with all skysteeds, not just her own, proves invaluable, and her stubborn but compassionate nature continues garnering support, which might just save the day when further danger rears its head. In this invigorating adventure, Holyoke (The Neptune Promise) offers a warmhearted tale that emphasizes communication and empathy without neglecting tension and danger, while plotlines surrounding the Empire's class- and race-based inequity provide additional fodder for conversation. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV002270 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
Fantasy
Fantasy fiction
Monsters
Human-animal communication
Novels
Winged horses
