This richly imagined and highly action packed middle grade fantasy novel is based on Filipino legend and folklore. Twelve year old Tani was prophesied at birth to stop the Great Bakunawa from devouring the moon but when her serpent companion refuses to hatch, she barters for one from a stranger, not realizing the horrible price she must pay. As she and her friends embark on a quest to rescue her sister, she encounters a stunning array of Filipino mythological creatures.

I loved Tani’s character arc and just how engaging this story was. Loved the found family and Tani’s joy in finding friends and allies in the most surprising of places.

There were two points that were used “for the plot” that as an adult, had me a little put off as I dont think it was resolved as satisfactory as I would have hoped.

Nonetheless this was still a really fun read and highly recommend it for any middle grade shelf.

This adventure is everything it promises. There is danger, betrayal, hard work, forgiveness, excitement, and intense battles. Tani is an inspiring character doing everything she can to prove herself and then must decide if she will go against it all to prove her true potential. She then must work with a friend and a rival to see if there is any hope to set things right after unintended consequences arrive.

This is a stand-alone fantasy that includes elements of Filipino folklore. Action-packed with a spunky heroine, this will be a quick read for many kids.

𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦.

This is, by far, my most favorite book this year! I devoured this book just as the Great Bakunawa did to the moons - quick and relentless. I was just in awe of the story that celebrates Philippine myth & folklore. The author has crafted a story that will make you wonder and ponder.

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 - 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘸𝘢?

Meet Tanikala. Tani lives in a secret village called 𝘒𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘯 where every child born under the Warrior's star are given a bakunawa egg at birth and start warrior training at the age of ten. This practice happens for hundreds of years to protect the moons from the Great Bakunawa. The 𝘔𝘢𝘩𝘪𝘬𝘢 has casted an enchantment on the Moon Eater - it can only break free every one hundred years. And the only way to stop the Great Bakunawa is to have serpents of their own to fight with. Thus, the rise of the Serpent Riders.

Tani's thirst for a bakunawa of her own has led her to take actions that have put harm to the village and her sister, Ligaya. Tani secretly ventured away from the village in an attempt to save her sister. Along the way, she met her fellow novices. Together, they fought mythical creatures and befriended majestic ones. And discovered more about themselves.

𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦.

This story has plenty of twists to make you ooh and aah! I was blown away with the many revelations! And I ultimately admired Tani more.

This is no doubt a 5⭐ read!

Thank you @netgalley @bloomsburychildrens for this ARC!

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it!

Kids like heroes. Kids like myths. Whether it's Star Wars, Lord of the rings, or Percy Jackson. Kids like dragons. Wings of Fire, Pern, Inkheart. How to train your dragon

For the last 5 years, I've had the honor of being the adult in the room for a class on Dragonology, where gifted kids come together and talk about all these things and learn a bit about cultural anthropology.

. It is WONDERFUL to see this book, based on Filipino legends of the Bakunawa, a winged serpent that can eat the moon. The cultural background shines through in the story of Tani, who has been trained, since birth, to be the one who can stop the great Bakunawa. Except...her personal egg never hatches. How can she fulfill her role if she can't ride a Bakunawa? When Tani's sister is taken, she finds herself in a new role....

The legend unfolds beautifully. A lot of kids will see themselves in Tani's frustrations, in Kiri's tentativeness and anxiety, in Bato's aggression. As the three journey to save Tani's sister, which is not only a compelling adventure but a WONDERFUL introduction to Filipino mythology, Tani needs to find herself, find her true role...and save more than just her sister. While there is little doubt that Tani, will, indeed, save her sister and find a way to save the moon and her people, the HOW is much less clear, and that makes the book an extremely compelling read.

I look forward to recommending this book to my students. It is a brilliant example of the dragon rider and dragons as companions. It is a brilliant example of the hero's journey. And it is a beautiful book with vivid writing that paints a picture. I hope it encourages students of ALL cultural backgrounds to look into Filipino mythology and see the connections.

This book deserves adoption in school and community libraries and would be an admirable unit study.