FLYING BLIND by Deborah Cooke

FLYING BLIND by Deborah Cooke

FLYING BLIND is the premiere book in Deborah Cooke’s new YA series –The Dragon Diaries. The Young Adult companion to her Dragonfire series, The Dragon Diaries focuses on the lives and adventures of the children born from the firestorms in the adult series. 15 year old-Zoe Sorennson and the other teen dragons take us on an adventure of growing up dragon in world of humans and other shapeshifting beings.

Zoe Sorensson, the daughter of Eric, the leader of the Pyr, is the only female dragon in existence, and therefore, her destiny-awaits. As the only female dragon, she is the Wyvern of the Pyr-blessed with powers and dreams, that she must interpret, and decipher. The symbolic messages give way to warnings and educate the young Pyr, about the past, the present and their future. But her position as the Wyvern comes without a handbook or instructions. There have only been a few known Wyvern in the history of the Pyr and the last Wyvern was killed shortly before Zoe was born.

As a frustrated teen, Zoe is like any typical teenage girl-waiting for her period, her boobs and a boy to notice. Basically-puberty. But when her best friend Meagan (a human) is attacked by a group of girls, Zoe sees red, and without warning, her dragon powers emerge. A partially formed claw and a dragon eye, are all that is needed to invoke fear into the other students. When her father, the all-knowing leader of the Pyr, senses her shift, she is sent to Dragon Boot Camp, to learn about the ways of the Pyr. But Zoe sees Spring Break at the Minnesota boot camp as an opportunity to explore the possibility of a relationship with Nick, the young dragon, she presumes to be her destined mate. Little does she know, that along with fellow dragons Nick, Garrett, Liam,-Isabelle, the young adopted and human daughter of Rafferty, is also present, and there is something going on between Nick and Isabelle.

When the young dragons depart for camp, Nick’s human cousin-Jared, arrives and offers to drive Zoe on his Ducati motorcycle. Jared’s presence has a calming influence on Zoe, and allows the young female a chance to explore her powers and her ability to sense the presence and location of other dragons. Upon arrival at their cabin, another young male, claiming to be the son of a long lost dragon, vies for Zoe’s attention. The arrival of Adrian, affects the others like a plague. When Jared announces that he must leave and head back to town, he warns Zoe that Adrian isn’t at all what he appears. Thinking Jared is jealous of Adrian’s attraction to Zoe, she places the warning on the back burner, to look at a later time.

Boot Camp is not without its’ adventures and mysteries. A test of Pyr knowledge and a puzzle, of sorts, to solve push the young dragons to examine their powers and skills in fighting. But Zoe senses that something isn’t right, and when she is continually plagued by a dream and a vision, surrounding another young man, with a partially formed wing, she searches for clues. As the Wyvern and Oracle for the Pyr, Zoe is expected to analyze and solve whatever is ailing her friends, but a darkness seems to engulf the cabin, and its’ source of power radiates throughout. Without prior knowledge into her abilities as the Wyvern, Zoe fumbles with the messages that are sent to her in dreams, and inadvertently releases the spirit of the young man who dogs her nocturnal adventures. Kohana‘s shapeshifting abilities become apparent when the Pyr fight to save their own.

It is not until Jared returns, that the identity of the mage is revealed. A secretive group of humans, who want to eliminate all the supernatural shape-shifting beings, and their current target are the Pyr. When Jared aids the others in their fight with the Mage, he too, reveals his true identity, but one without the evil desire to rid the world of dragons. When Adrian suddenly disappears during a dragon battle in the air, Zoe realizes that he was sent as a decoy to keep the young dragons occupied. Seeking answers to their questions, Zoe dreams about blood and dragon scales, until she finally discovers, that the Mage have abducted their fathers, in a plot to rid the world of Pyr.

With her abilities to teleport in dreams and shift between species, Zoe sets out to rescue the adult dragons, but not before she and Jared make a connection. Finally realizing, that Nick is most likely not her destined mate, as Pyr cannot join with one of their own kind, Zoe resigns herself with the knowledge, that she may forever be a virgin within the hierarchy of the Pyr. As the blessed Wyvern, she will be expected to remain chaste and pure, as part of her ability to dream.

Flying Blind in an easy read. Without prior knowledge and information from Deborah Cooke’s Dragonfire series, most of the storyline still flows. Written as part of the Young Adult series, Flying Blind references much of the Pyr history and dragon lore from the adult series, that is necessary to keep the reader informed and aware. Most YA books and series, focus on the teen angst of broken hearts and parental control, and Flying Blind touches the surface, without drowning in the emotional turmoil of teen crushes and loss. If you are a fan of Deborah Cooke’s Dragonfire series, The Dragon Diaries are an interesting addition that references our favorite dragons from her adult storylines. The Dragon Diaries focus on the next generation of Pyr, and how they survive in a world of humans, who are aware of their existence, but, are not allowed to know, just who among their friends, is a dragon or something more powerful. Another great series by Deborah Cooke.  Next instalment-Winging It. 

LINKS:
AMAZON Kindle
AMAZON books
KOBO
B&N NOOK

Reviewed by Sandy