Nisareen's Reviews > Deadly Declaration

“You are more than you understand. To succeed, you must let go of what you know and become what you are meant to be.” - Ophelia

Sometimes to avoid being hunted, you have to be the hunter.

Raegan has spent the summer away from the Academy in her half dragon form as she tries to come to terms with Enzo’s betrayal and Malina’s revelations. During this time she becomes aware that she is being followed, her dragon picking up the same scent each time. However she is unable to ascertain who or what they are. When she returns to the Academy, Raegan is angry to learn that Enzo has been kept on and despite his attempts, she refuses to allow him to explain his reasons for working for Malina.

“You can hate me all you want, Raegan, but it only gives me hope. You can’t have hate without love and I will fight for as long as it takes.”

Reagan finally comes face to face with JayLeigh, the dragon shifter who was following her over the summer. JayLeigh explains that she was sent by their clan leader, Marek Skye, to check in on Raegan. She urges Raegan to accompany her to Drakken where she can be trained to access her full dragon at Dray Academy.

“I don’t know about your other two sides, but I do know that your dragon is suffering being on its own. Dragons need clans and from what I can tell your circle is too small to satisfy its pack needs. The happier your dragon, the more she will do for you when you need her.” - JayLeigh

Headmaster Stone hopes that by sending Raegan to Drakken, she will convince Marek to return to Earth and help them to defeat Malina. Raegan’s journey to Drakken leads to some startling revelations that will later lead to heartbreak and betrayal, resulting in a battle that will have far reaching consequences.

Deadly Declaration is the second instalment of the Veil Academy series that sees Raegan travel to Drakken in an effort to tap into her dragon powers. New faces are introduced and friendships formed in the previous book grow deeper. Some villains get their comeuppance, some remain elusive. This was definitely a more tense instalment than the first. Malina is a menacing power hungry and remorseless antagonist whose presence steals every scene. I hope we’ll learn more about her background in the next book as I feel that the author has only touched upon the tip of the iceberg as yet.

JayLeigh and Marek were welcome additions to the series. JayLeigh added to the comic relief along with Gemma. I also liked the interaction between Marek and Raegan and I’m looking forward to seeing their father/daughter bond deepening.

This was an engaging sequel and I’m looking forward to exploring what the author has in mind in the third instalment. Ideal for fans of urban fantasy, dragons, witches, seers, vampires, sorcerers, gargoyles, doyens and magical realms.