Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
Everyone knows dragons have been extinct for over a thousand years. Everyone is wrong. At least one dragon remains, and military scientists from the Cofah Empire are experimenting with its blood, using the magical substance to power deadly new weapons that could be used to bring the world to its knees. That's a concern for Zirkander, Cas, and the rest of the Iskandians, but all Tolemek wants is to find his missing sister. The last time he saw her, their father had locked her in an asylum because of a mental illness with no cure. Now the military has taken her. What use the Cofah have for her, Tolemek can only guess, but he is certain she is in danger. He must save her before it's too late. But her fate is inexplicably tied to the dragon's, and he must find it to find her.
Tags
Is Patterns in the Dark appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 13 and up.
This military sci-fi/fantasy hybrid features moderate action violence involving weapons experimentation and dragon blood, with themes of mental illness, captivity, and a brother's desperate search for his institutionalized sister.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include captivity, mental illness, and animal harm (see the full list above).
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
Teens will enjoy the high-stakes adventure combining military intrigue, dragon mythology, and a determined hero racing to save his sister from a sinister empire.