The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Valley of Dragons

Series: The Secrets of Ormdale #5

Author: Christina Baehr

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Cozy

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

In this suspenseful and joyous conclusion to the bestselling series, Edith must free herself and those she loves from the final secrets of Ormdale.

September, 1899. Edith and her friends have everything they need to ransom Simon back, while hope and change seems to be in the air of Ormdale at last.

But then a surprising invitation from her past leads to a disturbing clue to the identity of the mysterious Barrington. Meanwhile, Dr Farley issues a sinister ultimatum.

Now, Edith must decide not only where her own future might lie, but the future of England’s last Dragon Keepers. – summary from Goodreads

Valley of Dragons was a wonderful conclusion to Edith’s story with action, romance, secrets coming to light, and, of course, dragons!

This book was amazing! I thoroughly loved the ending and where all the characters ended up.

I think I will start with my favorite part of the book: Edith and Simon finally got together! This has been being set-up since the beginning of the series, so I am so glad it has actually happened. I won’t say it was an easy ride for them to get together, though, and I actually appreciated that. They had to fight for and choose each other. It made it that much more impactful and special. They are both so caring and kind to the other, and I loved seeing them grow, both as individuals and a couple to be what they need.

There was another small romance, which I liked a lot too. It was between Janushek and Lily, and while they are not the main focus, what I saw of them was adorable. They fit each other nicely. I’m also glad Hanna and Janushek did not get together. I think Hanna took the position of sister for Janushek, which I enjoyed, and it brought out a different side of Janushek. Hanna is as amazing as ever! She is so sweet and kind- she is too pure for this world!

Edith explored more of her mother’s family this book. This was an interesting side of the book and got us some answers to that side of Edith’s family. This part of the family also connected to other events in the series, which was such a good plot twist and one I was not expecting. I loved her aunt and uncle. They were a little shy, but they were interesting and cared for Edith.

I love Edith’s family! Edith’s family is the best, and we get some growth from her parents. I have liked her parents since the beginning, but I realized after reading this book, that in the other books they never really changed. This book had them going through changes and maybe behaving a little more realistically. They were still lovely parents, and I loved their relationship with Edith. They were so loving and supportive.

Simon’s family life was a big topic in this book. I never fully disliked Helena, and by the end of the book I liked her more. I felt so bad for her. There is a lot of drama and secrets surrounding Simon’s family, which makes for an interesting read.

Gwendolyn wasn’t in this book a lot, but I did love the scenes with her in it. Gwen will always be one of my favorites and I love seeing her grow and come into her own.

Meredith also made another reappearance towards the end of the book, and I just love her! She is annoying and maybe not the best person in the world, but I can’t help but enjoy her character! Tallentire made an appearance as well, which is always fun. He is a fun character and I love his spunky personality.

Everything was wrapped up neatly in this book. This book was almost 500 pages long, and a lot happened. And I did like how everything was wrapped up. The Welsh made a reappearance, and I liked how Edith worked on being forgiving.

Like I mentioned above, there was a lot going on this book. Edith traveled and visited her mother’s side of the family many times. There were the secrets of Simon’s family, family drama, dragons, and an attack on the Abbey. It was an adventurous book, that was engrossing and had a perfect ending!

Speaking of dragons, I loved how Simon’s story ended pertaining to the dragons and that Edith got her Welsh dragon! I love the dragons in this series so much! They are absolutely wonderful and Christina had them fit into this world so well.

I really enjoyed how all the Worm Wardens came together at the end of the book. I can’t wait to see where this goes next.

As always, I loved the historical elements! The different technologies meshing with the dragons was well done, and the historical facts were interesting and deepened my understanding of history.

This ending was so sweet, and I loved it! It was the perfect, cozy ending to this series!

Valley of Dragons is an engaging conclusion to Edith’s story with romance, adventure, and dragons!

Quotes:

“‘Perhaps he was not deliberately cruel to her. But don’t you think there is a kind of self-absorption that is the same as cruelty in the end, in its effect on others?’”

“‘Love is patient and kind. It keeps no record of wrongs. It doesn’t old things over you- obligations and debts. It isn’t a ledger. And it has things it needs- but it isn’t just need. It isn’t a hunger that can never be filled. It fills, and warms, and makes it more yourself, not less.’”