The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Drake Hall

Series: The Secrets of Ormdale #2

Author: Christina Baehr

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Cozy

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Edith’s ancient home is full of secrets…and dragons are the least of them.

As the new dragon keeper in the hidden valley of Ormdale, Edith expects her first dragon mating season to involve venomous bites and amorous wyverns.

She doesn’t expect to find herself growing closer to an inconveniently appealing suitor next door, or to stumble upon a dragon poacher lurking in the outbuildings, or to uncover a family scandal in the Abbey.

Fortunately, Edith has a mentor to help her sort things out, the spellbinding Helena Drake of Drake Hall. Or does Helena harbour secrets of her own?

For Edith, the dragons were always going to be the easy part. – summary from Goodreads

Drake Hall is a wonderful addition to the Secrets of Ormdale series, and expanded on Edith’s story in new and unique ways!

I am loving this series so far! It is so, so good. I love the dragons, characters, and amazing setting!

Edith stood out once again! She is such a unique character, and I love her narration. She started to go through some character growth in this book. She was really working on recognizing the needs to the servants and trying to help them.

There was a new character, who I greatly enjoyed. He’s Janushek, and he comes into the story starting as a thief. Edith hires him to work at the estate, and he quickly grows into an important figure in Edith’s life. I love the friendship that sparks between the two, and how they challenge each other.

I also love all the other servants. They are such strong background characters, and they make the world that much more believable.

Simon was amazing! I love his quiet and caring demeanor. He and Edith have such a good relationship, and I love how they understand each other. We got a little bit more of his background and home life, which I enjoyed.

The relationship is definitely growing between Simon and Edith, and you can tell this is going to be very slow burn. But it’s also friends to lovers, which I adore.

Gwendolyn is definitely one of my favorites! I love her so much, and I love getting more of her backstory in this book. Through this character, you can definitely see how being a Dragon Keeper can be so repressive for some. It shows a fuller picture of the world.

Helena Drake was also a new character, and it is Simon’s mother. I found her intriguing, and it’s important to know her character to understand Simon. She takes on the role of Edith’s mentor, but you can tell, a little, that she is keeping secrets. I don’t know how I feel about her quite yet, but she is an important figure to know to understand Ormdale.

Edith’s family remains amazing! I absolutely love her mother! She is one of the best literary mothers I have ever seen, and I love her relationship with Edith. I also love Edith’s father and brother, and seeing Una and Violet come out of their shells a little more under the tutelage of Edith’s mother is amazing! I can’t wait to see where their stories go.

The dragons were amazing! I love all the dragons and the way they are incorporated into the story. It feels rooted in history and reality in such a nice way. The historical elements were also amazing, but the dragons steal the show.

There were also some cozy adventures that I enjoyed. Edith is still trying to solve the mysteries of Ormdale and of her family. This deepened the story and kept me engaged, while remaining cozy!

Drake Hall is a cozy addition to Edith’s story, with growing friendships, dragons, and new adventures!

Quotes:

“‘Courage is love defying fear.’”