Sir Callie and the Dragon's Roost

Sir Callie, Book 2

By: Esme Symes-Smith

Narrated by: Dani Martineck, Esme Symes-Smith

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

The battle is won, but the war is far from over. In this thrilling sequel, a twelve-year-old nonbinary hopeful knight fights for the heart of their kingdom in a magical medieval world filled with dragons, shape-shifters, and witches.

Thanks to Callie and their friends, Helston seems to be changing for the better: Boys are allowed to explore their magic, and girls are permitted to train as warriors. Callie is an official Helston page, Willow in on track to become king, and Elowen and Edwyn are finally safe and free of their father. Everything is…perfect.

Except it isn’t.

Not in Helston, where every step forward is accompanied by a storm of opposition. Even Queen Ewella and Sir Nick are struggling against the wave of fear and anti-magical sentiment growing daily, while the encroaching threat from across the bridge looms.

Callie isn’t foolish; they notice the suspicious glances thrown Neal’s way and hear the doubtful murmurs following Willow. They know what people think about them, too. Tolerance is not the same as acceptance, and when the fragile peace finally shatters, Callie and their friends have no choice but to leave their home and run.

On the other side of the bridge, old secrets are revealed and new allegiances are formed that will throw into question everything Callie thought they knew about their world. Including what it means to be a hero.

©2023 Esme Symes-Smith (P)2023 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Exciting plot twists and a cliffhanger ending heighten anticipation for the next entry. A suspenseful fantasy quest driven by social themes." —Kirkus Reviews

Loved it!

So amazing that I’m sad I have to wait for the third book. Heartwarming emotional story had me crying multiple times

Middle grade queer fantasy novel about oppression, magic, and dragons?? Count me in!

Eeeeeeep!!! I have so many things to say, I don’t even know where to start! This book was AMAZING, easily twice as good as the first and then some.

First off: the character development! Seeing Edwyn’s healing process is almost harder than seeing him be abused. He’s just so…raw, shattered, resilient not because he wants to be, but because he has no choice other than to keep pushing. Elowen, on the other hand, is full of fire. I don’t want to spoil anything major, but I’m dying to know where her anger will take her in book three. Willow is really coming into his own, too!! He’s really embracing his magic and himself as a whole, becoming the kind of leader he wants to be, not just the one he’s told. And then, of course, there’s Callie, our favorite knight in shining armor, cooping with the growing realization that all the stories that fueled their dreams for so long aren’t as black and white as they were always told. Gotta love some moral ambiguity slowly chipping away a character’s sense of self until they don’t know who they can trust anymore.

Another thing that made this book such a hit for me was how freaking GAY it was. Obviously the first book is also hella queer, exploring gender norms through metaphors of magic and through literal situations, too. In this one, though, while it still addresses bigotry, there’s a lot of emphasis on the beauty of free gender expression and queer identity. It’s not just okay to be yourself unapologetically, but it’s GOOD. Powerful. Freeing. Everyone deserves to feel that level of self acceptance. Teo and their brood especially melted my heart. Again, no spoilers, but xe is pretty much my new favorite character.

TLDR: Epic read! Full of plot twists that get a little convoluted at times, but over all make for an entertaining read! Awesome cast, solid word building, gay af. Can’t wait for the next book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!