Review by Ian Keogh

Na’ya and Allis scored a considerable victory in the opening Weirn Book, but now Na’ya’s getting nightmares every night, which leads to her wondering if they did after all completely defeat the evil in the woods. Meanwhile the school has been renovated to feature some new features, including a spellcasting range.

In the first book of this supernatural fantasy series Allis provided the viewpoint, with Na’ya a close friends, but for The Ghost and the Stolen Dragon the roles are reversed. The proactive Na’ya is the more interesting personality for wearing her heart on her sleeve, and Svetlana Chmakova’s character-rich illustration brings this out, an early example being when she knows the truth, but chooses not to disclose it. She’s still convinced she’s going to become a dragon, and having the means almost within her reach is what sparks the plot.

Chmakova’s attractive manga-influenced art defines characters, and she also designs those characters extremely well. A new addition to the cast is dragon that takes an almost human form, around for most of the book, with Chmakova’s design really memorable fusion, and assorted other mystical beings also stand out. The art’s at its best when things become weird, and that’s just as well, since weird eventually becomes the default state.

While Na’ya’s spells don’t exactly go to plan, Chmakova comes up with a good get of jail free card, and she’s soon back to her enthusiastic self, but as a few people suspect, an old threat has returned.

It’s Na’ya’s character that prevents this being too near a re-run of the first volume despite many similar moments being reworked. It’s as if after completing the first book Chmakova came up with different ideas about how things could have played out, and they turned out to be string enough for this sequel.

As with the first book, extended scary moments mean some guidance is advised for younger children, but it’s because the threat is more imaginative than the standard Disney villain, and therefore possibly more unsettling. It builds toward an excellent finale and a great epilogue, so even better than the first book, and there’s more to come.