Book Details
Title: Sir Callie and the Dragon's Roost
Series: Sir Callie, Book #2
Author: Esme Symes-Smith
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Genre(s): Middle Grade, LGBT, Fantasy
Pages: 400
Bookshop Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9780593485828
Title: Sir Callie and the Dragon's Roost
Series: Sir Callie, Book #2
Author: Esme Symes-Smith
Publisher: Labyrinth Road
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Genre(s): Middle Grade, LGBT, Fantasy
Pages: 400
Bookshop Purchase Link: https://bookshop.org/a/67041/9780593485828
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Reading Details
Finish Date: November 4, 2023
Format: Physical
Representation: Nonbinary, Gay, Sapphic, Queer, Questioning
Trigger/Content Warnings: Bullying, Death, Transphobia, Violence
Finish Date: November 4, 2023
Format: Physical
Representation: Nonbinary, Gay, Sapphic, Queer, Questioning
Trigger/Content Warnings: Bullying, Death, Transphobia, Violence
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Rating: 5/5
Favorite Scene:
The conversation about words!
Review:
I have raved about Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston since I finished it the first time. And I’ll be doing much the same with this book as well. I’ve got a minor obsession with this series and I adored being allowed to receive an advance copy of the book and being accepted onto a tour for this book.
I struggle very hard to put all my thoughts together for this book. This book gave me so many emotions and thoughts that it was very hard to remember them all. I’m sure there are things that I’m going to forget in this review and I apologize. Because I want everyone to know all the amazing thoughts I have about this book. Especially since, unlike many other books I’ve read, I really don’t remember any negatives from this book. I adored every second of it, even the parts that left me emotional and with a tight chest.
One of Esme’s greatest strengths is that they write the characters so well. These characters are learning a lot of new information and are confronted with a lot of difficult choices. They keep doing what they believe is the best option but they are also (I hesitate to use the word children when referring to them) young so there are limits to their knowledge and what they can accomplish. They are young and they’ve been traumatized and lied to by the people they were supposed to be able to trust. So they struggle to consider all choices and to realize what all can and cannot be done. They are strong though and determined to fix the mess made by the adults.
The characters that I loved so much from the first book are even more amazing in this book! They all get more depth to their characters and stories and we get introduced to Teo (xe/xem)! These characters grow and develop in this book much the same way many of them did in the first. They are fully fleshed-out characters who are trying to heal from their traumatic experiences while also trying to stop a war and figure out who they are as well. It’s a lot for them to handle but they have people who love them and want the best for them, even if they don’t fully believe that. Which is understandable considering what they’ve been through. I worry about one in particular because I worry that they are too sunken into a feeling and that it will be one hell of a journey to get them to realize that.
The settings in this book are absolutely marvelous!!! Helston is…a place. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone so I won’t say much, but we do get some more information about what Helston is like post-Peran. We also travel outside of Helston in this book into the Roost. The Roost honestly sounds like an absolutely gorgeous place and I want to move in there. The people we are introduced to in there are even better, for the most part!
There are a few messages that carry through from the previous book into this one. One being that family isn’t necessarily who you are born to. Another message is that winning doesn’t necessarily look the way you may expect it to. And that people and situations aren’t exactly black-and-white. One of the things that is repeated throughout (not 100% sure whether it should be referred to as a message, but probably) is that the children should have a say in what is going on because it involves them too. And when not taken into consideration, they are willing to fight to have their voices and opinions heard. This is a very, very rough wording of what I’m trying to get across, but I think it gets the idea. They want to be involved because it concerns them. Even if that means that they have to fight for themselves when no one else appears to be willing too.
Esme writes gut-wrenching emotions very well. They’ve made me cry with both of their books. The sheer emotions that are in this book is astronomical. There were so many moments where I was on the edge of my seat because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next or if everything was going to be okay. The shock I got from some of these scenes was unreal and I absolutely loved every twist and turn of this story!
Marking as a spoiler, because I’m pretty sure it is. I absolutely adore Kensa in this book. Xe just appears to be trying very hard to keep xyr people safe. Xe is struggling but is still trying! I don’t know if this is true or not, I’ll admit I trust very few adults in this book, but I want to believe that it is. I want to believe that xyr has Callie and their friends’ best interests at heart.
I was also glad to discover that the magic system got a little more depth to it in this book as well! I’m not one who needs a full magical system, but I like little notes and information when possible. Slight spoiler warning so tagging it here. We learn that magic needs (rough paraphrasing here) light and air and freedom to grow and be accessible. I really liked that fact! Plus it feels a little like what you would expect from any hobby. It needs room and freedom and nourishment to properly grow, it can’t thrive in darkness.
I love this series! Book 1 did a great job at starting to establish the characters and show what they were fighting for. Book 2 then showed the aftermath of book 1 as well as what happened after the start of Book 2. Esme didn’t shy away from the nitty gritty details of the war between Helston and Dumoor. The way people change when confronted with a situation where they feel like they are losing control of everything. I adore these books and I cannot wait until I get the chance to read book 3! Labyrinth Road, Penguin Random House, please send me a copy!
Favorite Scene:
The conversation about words!
Review:
I have raved about Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston since I finished it the first time. And I’ll be doing much the same with this book as well. I’ve got a minor obsession with this series and I adored being allowed to receive an advance copy of the book and being accepted onto a tour for this book.
I struggle very hard to put all my thoughts together for this book. This book gave me so many emotions and thoughts that it was very hard to remember them all. I’m sure there are things that I’m going to forget in this review and I apologize. Because I want everyone to know all the amazing thoughts I have about this book. Especially since, unlike many other books I’ve read, I really don’t remember any negatives from this book. I adored every second of it, even the parts that left me emotional and with a tight chest.
One of Esme’s greatest strengths is that they write the characters so well. These characters are learning a lot of new information and are confronted with a lot of difficult choices. They keep doing what they believe is the best option but they are also (I hesitate to use the word children when referring to them) young so there are limits to their knowledge and what they can accomplish. They are young and they’ve been traumatized and lied to by the people they were supposed to be able to trust. So they struggle to consider all choices and to realize what all can and cannot be done. They are strong though and determined to fix the mess made by the adults.
The characters that I loved so much from the first book are even more amazing in this book! They all get more depth to their characters and stories and we get introduced to Teo (xe/xem)! These characters grow and develop in this book much the same way many of them did in the first. They are fully fleshed-out characters who are trying to heal from their traumatic experiences while also trying to stop a war and figure out who they are as well. It’s a lot for them to handle but they have people who love them and want the best for them, even if they don’t fully believe that. Which is understandable considering what they’ve been through. I worry about one in particular because I worry that they are too sunken into a feeling and that it will be one hell of a journey to get them to realize that.
The settings in this book are absolutely marvelous!!! Helston is…a place. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone so I won’t say much, but we do get some more information about what Helston is like post-Peran. We also travel outside of Helston in this book into the Roost. The Roost honestly sounds like an absolutely gorgeous place and I want to move in there. The people we are introduced to in there are even better, for the most part!
There are a few messages that carry through from the previous book into this one. One being that family isn’t necessarily who you are born to. Another message is that winning doesn’t necessarily look the way you may expect it to. And that people and situations aren’t exactly black-and-white. One of the things that is repeated throughout (not 100% sure whether it should be referred to as a message, but probably) is that the children should have a say in what is going on because it involves them too. And when not taken into consideration, they are willing to fight to have their voices and opinions heard. This is a very, very rough wording of what I’m trying to get across, but I think it gets the idea. They want to be involved because it concerns them. Even if that means that they have to fight for themselves when no one else appears to be willing too.
Esme writes gut-wrenching emotions very well. They’ve made me cry with both of their books. The sheer emotions that are in this book is astronomical. There were so many moments where I was on the edge of my seat because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next or if everything was going to be okay. The shock I got from some of these scenes was unreal and I absolutely loved every twist and turn of this story!
Marking as a spoiler, because I’m pretty sure it is. I absolutely adore Kensa in this book. Xe just appears to be trying very hard to keep xyr people safe. Xe is struggling but is still trying! I don’t know if this is true or not, I’ll admit I trust very few adults in this book, but I want to believe that it is. I want to believe that xyr has Callie and their friends’ best interests at heart.
I was also glad to discover that the magic system got a little more depth to it in this book as well! I’m not one who needs a full magical system, but I like little notes and information when possible. Slight spoiler warning so tagging it here. We learn that magic needs (rough paraphrasing here) light and air and freedom to grow and be accessible. I really liked that fact! Plus it feels a little like what you would expect from any hobby. It needs room and freedom and nourishment to properly grow, it can’t thrive in darkness.
I love this series! Book 1 did a great job at starting to establish the characters and show what they were fighting for. Book 2 then showed the aftermath of book 1 as well as what happened after the start of Book 2. Esme didn’t shy away from the nitty gritty details of the war between Helston and Dumoor. The way people change when confronted with a situation where they feel like they are losing control of everything. I adore these books and I cannot wait until I get the chance to read book 3! Labyrinth Road, Penguin Random House, please send me a copy!
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