The Shadow Gate is the second book in LL MacRae’s Dragon Spirits fantasy trilogy. I loved the first book, The Iron Crown, and a return to MacRae’s colourful fantasy world of Tassar was long overdue.

The Iron Crown left me with lots of questions as a reader. The mysterious Myr have returned to Tassar, a blight on everything they touch, and Queen Surayo is determined to end this threat. She tasks her Inquisitors Torsten and Varlot to seek out a powerful Myrish artefact in Marlrush Fortress so she can use its power against its creators. Meanwhile, Apollo is reluctantly persuaded by Nadja, another Inquisitor in Torsten’s service, to locate the magical Citrine Key. This mission gives Apollo an opportunity to redeem himself after previously failing to follow Queen Surayo’s instructions (as explained in the prequel novella, The Citrine Key). They are accompanied by the priestess Selys and Fenn, who is now adjusting to his bond with the dragon Hassen.

Elsewhere, Calidra tries to rebuild her estranged relationship with her sister Malora, who is also Apollo’s wife, and their daughter Renys. They set out on their own journey, Malora seeking to regain her blessing from the dragon Chyram, whilst Calidra’s partner Jisyel is hoping the same dragon spirit will lift her curse.

Despite the size of the cast, MacRae also introduces a new major character. Young Kaio is struggling with the responsibility of managing his seafaring pirate warband, which rules the seaport city state of Segandis. I really enjoyed Kaio’s storyline. The sea dragon spirit of Neros killed his family, thrusting him into a leadership role long before he was ready. You can feel the tension in Kaio’s shoulders as he tries to keep other warbands in check and maintain his powerbase. I also loved the Middle Eastern feel of the setting for this part of the story and how Segandis’ inhabitants have a different outlook on life, with their rather ambivalent attitude towards Queen Surayo and the Porsenthian Empire.

The whole set up means there are lots of interwoven story strands in this book, MacRae taking a similar approach to the structure of The Iron Crown. Where I think The Shadow Gate improves on the previous book is there’s a much clearer set of goals for each group. This gives the story more of a hook and a sense of purpose right from the start. There’s also a lot more conflict between the different sets of characters this time round, driven by having competing goals, which makes their dynamic far more compelling.

In particular, I enjoyed Fenn’s story. He’s determined to regain his lost memories, desperate to find out who he is and learn whether he has a family waiting for him somewhere. There were times when I found myself wondering whether Fenn was being selfish, setting this goal above everything else that was happening in Tassar. Yet at the same time his struggle made me relate to him more. Is it realistic to expect our characters to always behave as the hero? MacRae doesn’t play to that stereotype with any of her characters. They’re still ordinary people, trying to do their best in extraordinary circumstances, and this is one of my favourite aspects of this series.

As the carefully plotted book unfolds, the connections between the various groups of characters are slowly revealed. After a steady build up in the first half, the second half speeds along nicely with plenty of twists and turns. There’s also a lot more action in this book. In particular, the scenes where the different dragon spirits clash are spectacular and vivid, displaying some of MacRae’s best writing.
I thought this book succeeded in the difficult task of improving on every aspect that made The Iron Crown such a good read. Overall, the stakes are greater this time round and as a result this is a darker tale, although MacRae is careful not to take this aspect too far. I think the Dragon Spirits series is one which is equally suitable for older children and adults alike, with plenty of depth in both its characters and the world they inhabit. The overriding pleasure of these books comes from the sense of escapism they offer. After my previous read had been a relentlessly dark and intense book, The Shadow Gate was just what I needed. The final instalment, The Broken Sword, has now been released, so I’m looking forward to picking that up soon so I can find out how it all ends.