A reluctant rider. A dragon egg given up for dead. A bond that could end an entire Age. Nika is a farmer's daughter, more used to feeding goats than holding a sword. When she tricks her way into the trials to join the fabled Dragonspire, home of the dragonriders, it's with only one thing on her mind: to find her beloved Aunt Goura, who went missing there years before. Except there's no sign of Goura, and Nika soon finds herself with a choice. She can follow orders, protect her future in the Spire, and keep searching for her aunt - or she can save a black dragon egg deemed too weak to survive. Whatever path Nika takes will have consequences. With sabotage on the inside and enemies massing without, Dragonspire is under threat for the first time in centuries. Nika can stand aside and let the Spire fend for itself - or, when the dragonriders fight to protect their world from dark magic, she can be one of them. SHADOW DRAGON is the first book in the Dread Queen's War, an epic fantasy set in an ancient world of high technology and elemental magic. If you love action, intrigue, found family - and dragons! - grab your copy and join the riders of the Spire today!