THE LAST EMBER

What do an orphan who delivers milk and a high-society science whiz have in common? Possibly the destruction of the entire Kingdom of Glaucus, if some are to be believed.

When Eva Alexander turns 12, her wealthy father allows her to choose something from the upscale Bronsworth’s Department Store. Although he was thinking of jewelry, Eva chooses what she thinks is an egg-shaped piece of rubibium, a “highly unstable explosive” substance that fascinates her chemistry-minded brain. In a less-savory part of Porttown, 13-year-old Dusty, who resides at St. Ichabod’s Dairy Production and Home for Delinquent Boys, is tasked by the Thieves’ Union with finding Eva’s gift. The two are on a collision course that involves testing a friendship, traversing a secret dungeon, and nearly blowing up a cryptoecologist (a scientist who believes that many legendary creatures are real). All that for a mineral? Of course not—it’s all about the egg of an aerimander, a dragonlike creature that’s supposed to be extinct. Dodd’s debut novel is fantasy done right: Fans of The Princess Bride and Terry Pratchett’s work will devour this series opener, thanks to the lush worldbuilding and wry humor permeating every page. And while the story will have readers grinning, it still explores difficult topics like poverty and war with grace and dignity. Eva is a queer girl with “deep copper-brown skin” and wavy black hair. “Spindly” Dusty is pale and freckled.

Egg-cellent storytelling; readers will be eager for the second book.