{TALES OF AVALON 2} THE LAND OF TWYDELL & THE DRAGON EGG.

Along with Pen and Paper friend, Gina over at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers {the tour stops by her blog tomorrow, 16th of March}, I'm one of several bloggers who over 7 days will be participating in this Blog Tour {the full schedule of which can be found below at the bottom of the page}. Today {the 6th day of the Tour) its my pleasure to be sharing my thoughts on ...

THE LAND OF TWYDELL & THE DRAGON EGG by DAISY BOURNE.

Target Age ... YA 

Genre ... Fantasy Fiction

Publication Date ... Originally 2016 but republished in 2018.

Standalone Second Book in the Tales of Avalon series

Estimated Page Count - 85

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078BMS6QG

The Land of Twydell & the Dragon Egg, is the second book in the Tales of Avalon Series.

​What happened during Merlin’s trip to Twydell? Who, or what, did he meet? The Land of Twydell and the Dragon Egg, describes the wizard’s extraordinary adventures in Avalon’s neighbouring country and the people and creatures he meets there.

​As he flies across the countryside on his broomstick he is puzzled to see a long line of people leaving the capital of Dalton and heading towards the outlying villages. Entire families are leaving the capital. They look ragged and downcast and appear to be taking their possessions with them. As he approaches Dalton, Merlin is shocked to see billowing smoke and that large parts of the city have been destroyed by fire.

​The wizard learns that the devastation has been caused by a pair of dragons which have lived near the city for many years without any problem. King Frederrick is bewildered as to why the dragons should suddenly seek to attack the Twydellers for no apparent reason.

​Merlin agrees to help the Twydellers and sets off on an unexpected adventure which brings him in contact with dragons and other strange creatures. He also renews his friendship with an old friend and is delighted to meet new ones.

​If you like stories about magical beings then you will enjoy reading The Land of Twydell & The Dragon Egg. ... Synopsis

The leaders discussed the terrible happenings of the previous day. ... First Sentence, Chapter One: The Demise of Twydell.

"Thank you for listening to me." Merlin bowed his head in gratitude. "However, I beg you to consider that the egg may not have been taken by the Twydellers or the Kernnans. I would like to speak to your wife so that I can try to put together the pieces of this puzzle for myself."

"Very well," replied the dragon. "She is in poor spirits, and the sight of a man flying on a brush, without wings, and who can speak our language, may amuse her. On the other hand, she is so angry that she may cook you alive in her fury."... Memorable Moment, Pg 16 

My Thoughts ... The second in the Tales of Avalon series. Though enjoyable as a standalone novel I really would advise that the first book in the series, The New Land {read my thoughts on it here}, be read first as whilst there is a run down of the characters and helpful prologue at the beginning of The Land of Twydell & the Dragon Egg, there's no getting away from the fact that, if you haven't read the first instalment, you'll have missed out on some pretty impressive world building and a {literally} magical battle.

What can be read as an engaging story with enough adventure and peril to keep it ticking over nicely. That the author introduces some pretty deep themes; the plotline uncovering a history of  persecution and banishment of the magical folk of Twydell and its neighbouring country, Kerner, in an exploration of prejudices, all whilst keeping the novel age appropriate, impressive writing.

Whether introduced in The New Land OR new additions such soothsayer, Helen-Joy and the coven of witches who, thankfully were sympathetically and, for the most part, realistically portrayed, memorable, well executed characters.

Having now read the first two instalment of the series {plus the synopsis of the third book, the Exchange Of Rings, the seeds for which are cleverly sewn in this story} I can safely say the Tales of Avalon has all the trappings of a great saga.

About Daisy Bourne ... Daisy Bourne was born in England, in 1917. Nothing much is known about her real parents, except that their lives were changed dramatically by the First World War. At the age of six, Daisy was unofficially adopted by a farmer and his wife. They changed her name and took her to Canada. There are several similarities between the real Daisy Bourne and her namesake in this book. To a small child, Canada, with its heavy snowfalls, huge forests, and grizzly bears, must indeed have seemed like some kind of new world. Although Daisy loved Canada and the farm on which she lived, she was not happy and ran away. She returned to England at the age of 16. In later life, she took up farming again. She also enjoyed her garden and preserving much of its produce. This is where the similarities between the real Daisy and the character in this book end. I am proud to use my mother’s birth name as a pseudonym when writing the Tales of Avalon series. My ambition is to one day write the story of the real Daisy Bourne. In the meantime, I shall work to complete the other seven books in the Tales of Avalon series.

Follow Daisy Bourne ... ~ Website ~ FaceBook ~

Blog Tour Schedule ... ~ 10th March: Splashes Into Books ~ Rosie Writes... ~  B for bookreview ~ 11th March: Jessica Belmont ~  The bookish hermit ~ @fantasybookcraz_mum ~ 12th March: @penfoldlayla ~ Krissy's Booked ~ Jazzy Book Reviews ~ 13th March: donnasbookblog ~ Snowphiethebookworm ~ c.isfor.claire_reads ~ 14th March:  Scintilla.Info ~  The Pufflekitteh Reads, ~ Chicks, Rogues and Scandals ~ 15th March: Felicity Grace Terry ~ @enjoyingbooksagain ~ 16th March: Niki Preston ~ Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers ~