A New York Times bestselling hilarious fantasy adventure from the author of the Story Thieves series! When a girl accidentally summons an ancient, cranky dragon, she strikes a deal to learn the forbidden magic she needs to save her mother.

Ciara lives in the village of Skael under the thumb of the Warden (ugh), who enforces the rule of the Emperor (double ugh). When she kinda-sorta gets her mom arrested for possessing a book written by an apprentice of the legendary Dragon Mage, Ciara accidentally uses the maybe-dangerous, definitely-forbidden book to summon one very cranky dragon.

Scorch is none too pleased to find out he's been asleep for a thousand years, only to be awoken by a tiny and very annoying human who claims to have found his apprentice Bianca's journal. Now, Scorch is stuck in a world he barely recognizes, with no sign of Bianca or his friend the Dragon Mage, and a brand-new apprentice who is way too eager to learn magic.

The only problem is, according to Ciara, nobody but the Emperor is allowed to use magic. Well, there are a few other problems, like the fact that the Warden's soldiers are after Ciara, and she and Scorch can't stop bickering long enough to make a plan. But if they find a way to work together, they just may be able to rescue Ciara's mom and unravel the lies of the Empire.