From the author of the emotionally devastating epic fantasy series The Spellbinders and the Gunslingers comes. .

. well, the complete opposite of that.

"Cheeky, sharp, humorous, Pratchett-esque. A bit silly, but in the best way possible.

" -Andy Peloquin, bestselling author of the Darkblade series"Delightful and fun. " -K.

E. Andrews, SPFBO 9 finalist and author of Hills of Heather and Bone______________________It begins and ends, as things do, with a girl throwing a birthday party for a dragon.

Or it would, if things were ever that simple. Generations ago, the Inquisition of the Priory of the Thrice-Dead Prophet decided that dragons were a great evil and it was their duty to banish them from the land of Nóra.

The dragons weren't (they just grew tired of the bother and migrated north), and the Inquisition didn't (they just pretended otherwise), but that's beside the point. Though evidence of dragons still existed, it remained within the realm of smugglers, ne'er-do-wells, and people with too much time and money on their hands.

. .

until a hatching egg finds its way into the hands of a young girl named Ailís. Now, with the first newborn dragon seen in generations in her company, Ailís finds herself beset by merchants, brigands, Inquisitors, and a greedy governor, and all she wants to do is throw a birthday party for her dragon.

And you thought planning a party for your kids was tough. .