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R. Silva

Expands the World of the First Book

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2020

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The sequel to The Dragon With The Chocolate Heart puts the spotlight on Silke, the orphan refugee who has learned every street and alley in the city of Drachensburg and whose skill with stories brings in the customers at the Chocolate Heart, where she works part time alongside her best friend, the dragon Aventurine.

Silke is a storyteller, and she is determined to be the hero of her own story. But when the Crown Princess recruits her for a spying mission during at visit from they mysterious fairy court, Silke finds herself facing the darkest fears from her past, and the mission quickly unravels around her.

It's great to see this world from Silke's point of view, and the addition of the fairies expands the world quite a bit. The fairies are quite frightening in spite of the lack of bloody violence in the story. Their magic is powerful, but their ruthlessness and manipulativeness make them truly dangerous foes for Silke, who must battle the traumatic memories of her past even as she deals with the fairies.

The emphasis on the power and skill of diplomacy is another great aspect of the book, and the climactic battle of wits is clever and fun.

And, as with the first book, all of the lore of chocolate is given lavish and loving detail

Amazon Customer

Was worried about this sequel

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018

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The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart is one of my very favorite books of all time, so I was wary of this sequel. While I liked Silke well enough as a side-kick, I really wondered whether she could carry her own story. As it turns out, yes, she can, and her story is even more heartbreaking than Aventurine's. Burgis does a masterful job of burying her protagonist so deep in problems that you wonder if the entire kingdom is going to collapse, only to have Silke figure it all out in the nick of time. I lost a lot of sleep because I just had to read to the end!

CAW

Fantastic!

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2019

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After reading the first book, The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart, my grand daughter texted me to please get the next book! My 10 year old grand daughter just loves these books - she cannot wait until the third one comes out in November, 2019! Totally transported her to another realm in reading!

stuardessa

Lighthearted Dragon Fantasy

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2020

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This sequel to The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart gives Silke a chance to shine. A fantasy about family, friendship, and finding your place in the world.

Jen

Great story for everyone with strong female characters

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2019

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We bought this book for our 8 year old daughter after reading the first book in the series. They are both SO good! They leave us on the edge of our seats each night wondering and trying to predict what will happen next. Big brother (10) has been reading them with us and also thinks they’re great books.

Kristiana Sfirlea

Did not disappoint!

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2018

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I loved Silke so much in the first book, and this sequel starring her as the main protagonist did not disappoint! Still full of amazing chocolate, wonderful friendships, and adventure. Kudos, Stephanie Burgis!

Sonya Maree

Still a great story...

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2018

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This is a great story, but it’s not quite as good as the original.

michelle g.

Strong girl-power fantasy about protecting those you love

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2018

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Children's, and Stephanie Burgis for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Silke, a young girl with a talent for spinning stories, who winds up involved in a power struggle between the royal family of Drachenburg and the royal elves of Elfenwald. Silke was orphaned when her parents were stolen by faries in Elfenwald six years earlier and currently lives a ragamuffin life along the beach with her brother, selling used clothing in the town market. Her only comfort comes from the kitchen of a fine chocolate shop and her best friend who is half-dragon. Seems like the start of something good, especially since I was a big fan of the Dealing with Dragons series. While the book starts off a touch slowly, when Silke is brought in by the Crown Princess and asked to be a spy, things really pick up.

Silke is plucky, intuitive, and loyal, but she needs to believe in herself. As she gains strength and is determined to figure out why the fairies have really come to Drachenburg, she becomes a more solid and likeable character. She takes the job as a spy because she wants more than the life of the refugee camp, but quickly realizes that corseted court life also isn’t her style. What she realizes in the castle, is that home is where the heart is, and her heart is with the family she has built in the chocolate kitchen, including Aventurine, the dragon. While hired to spy for the Crown Princess, in the end, she fights to save her family and her friends.

A solid, strong female protagonist story. I didn’t even realize that it was the second book in a series and feel it can stand on its own just fine. My only beef is that the title doesn't work for me as this book is about Silke and not Aventurine.

Top reviews from other countries

Asha Hartland

This book is just SO good!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2018

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When I saw there was a sequel to "The Dragon With A Chocolate Heart" coming out, I squeaked and immediately put it on pre-order. And I’m so glad I did, because this book is just SO good.

I definitely loved the first book in this series. This sequel follows Silke, Aventurine’s best friend, and is written from her perspective. Silke was engaging, funny, witty, and realistic in the first book, but in this book I just utterly fell in love with her. The plot is much less focused on The Chocolate Heart (the chocolate shop where Aventurine works), but instead follows Silke as she is hired to investigate a mysterious delegation of fairies visiting the royal family – and her attempts to find out what happened to her parents so long ago.

It’s hinted at, in the first book, that Silke’s background is less than happy, and she and her brother live parentless in the dodgy end of the city, but it’s not until this book that the extent of this is seen. Silke’s life has made her street-smart, hard, and quick, and has tested her gift for story-telling. She appears at first glance to be your typical kind of smooth-talking, self-sufficient rogue sidekick, but in this book we get to see right to her heart, and it’s the greatest portrayal of a flawed character I’ve seen in children’s literature.

I love Silke so much, okay? She worries; she over-plans; she fantasises about situations and is disappointed by the way things turn out in reality. She’s constantly seeking approval, whether from her brother, or the Princess, or the people at The Chocolate Heart, but she hates that she wants that approval. She finds it hard to believe that people love her as much as they clearly do. I have never seen imposter syndrome written about so vividly and so well. Silke is angry. She’s powerful and smart. She loves fiercely and would do anything to protect her chosen few. She’s so, so clever, and so, so afraid of being found out.

I would read "The Adventures of Silke Putting The Washing On". I’d read "Silke Goes To The Supermarket". I’d read "Shh, Silke Is Sleeping". I just love her.

This, of course, is not to say that this plot isn’t wonderful too. Stephanie’s writing shines, as always, with what I’m coming to understand is her trademark charm and masterful control of pacing. The story absolutely rollicks through the fairy visit, and comes together with a glorious set-piece ending that I would love to see animated. There’s plenty of that gorgeous chocolate, too, and found family (in more than one sense). There’s space for a whole series of books in this world, and I hope to see them!

If you have a child, buy them these books. If you’re not a child but you still love MG, then buy them anyway!

Roberta Reads

One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2018

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One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. A wonderful, magical tale of how a girl without any magic saves the kingdom. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to spoil anyone’s enjoyment. I’d recommend it to children and adults.

Lis

Fabulous story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2019

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Loved this book, great entertaining middle grade series for kids who love dragons and adventure

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