AustLit

'Wings of Fire meets Jurassic Park in this action-adventure middle grade debut series by Skye Melki-Wegner about five outcasts―and former enemies―who are the only hope to save their warring kingdoms from impending doom.

'"My favorite middle grade book of the year.” ―New York Times-bestselling author Amie Kaufman

'Battle rages between the dinosaur kingdoms of Cretacea.

'When the Fallen Star struck, it brought death and despair, ash and toxic rain. But some dinosaurs survived . . . and were changed. Their minds grew alert. They learned to speak. To dream. To wage war.

'As the two remaining dinosaur kingdoms fight for territory, Eleri, the disgraced son of a prince, is exiled from his home for saving an enemy soldier. Banished to the merciless Deadlands, a terrifying desert full of tar pits, poisonous gas, and ruthless carnivores, he must join forces with a group of questionable allies―including the enemy soldier he saved―to avoid becoming prey.

'When Eleri and his fellow exiles discover the horrific truth behind the war, the unlikely heroes must do all they can to save their kingdoms from a lurking predator. . . and a secret plot that might destroy them all.' (Publication summary)

'As bloody battle rages on between the two surviving dinosaur kingdoms, Eleri and his fellow outcasts, newly exiled from their herds, are searching for evidence to prove a mass conspiracy―a conniving cabal of carnivores have manipulated the herbivore kingdoms into war, so they can feast on the slain. But after their temporary home is discovered by a vengeful pack of raptors, the exiles must flee and soon find themselves trapped inside the Fire Peak: the volcanic heart of the dreaded Carrion Kingdom.

'Before they have a chance to escape, they discover a cavern of imprisoned herbivores, who are being picked apart―literally―one by one. Can the outcasts stage an elaborate heist to free the prisoners and gather proof of the Carrion Kingdom’s vicious plans in one fell swoop?' (Publication summary)

'The future of war-torn Cretacea hangs in the balance, in this exhilarating finale to The Deadlands series.

'Having dealt the Carrion Kingdom a devastating blow, the heroic outcasts return home to face the herds that cast them out. But Eleri’s treacherous brother is now Lord of the Battlefield, and the outcasts are condemned to die as traitors. Meanwhile, an Army of Beasts is marching towards the Mountain Kingdom, hellbent on revenge. With enemies on all sides, how will the exiles survive long enough to convince their kingdoms of the real threat, and prevent a massacre?' (Publication summary)