Why a Booktrail?
Timeless – She was searching for the sea – but found a war.
Red Dragon Song
What you need to know before your trail
Arianwen has a private hunger: to stand on the shore and listen to the music of water she has only ever imagined. When a bone harp falls into her hands, its song draws her out of the forest she calls home and straight into danger. Dragons bleed in the sky. Lightning hunts the living. Wraiths wait in the wind to steal the language and life of anyone brave or foolish enough to speak in their hearing. Hers is a land riven by ancient plagues and now Ari must face them head on.
But she has never feared being alone. Until the day she meets the dragon – and its dangerous companion, Edern. He wants the storms broken – and will risk everything to do it. Ari wants only to reach the wild edge of the land. Between them, a fierce, reluctant respect ignites. Between them also, a choice: head to the sea Ari knows has answers she needs, or stand and fight for what would be lost if the skies fall.
Bold, mythic and elemental, Red Dragon Song is an epic journey of bone-deep music, binding loyalties and heartbreaking bargains. It asks whether love is balm or curse to a restless soul – and whether words in the wind can change everything. As Ari steps out of the shadows, who will she become when the sky finally answers her song?
Travel Guide
Inspiration from The Mabinogion
The Red Dragon & The White Dragon: The central dragon lore is rooted in the medieval Welsh tales of The Mabinogion.
In this legends, a ferocious red dragon (which is said to resemble the Britons) and a white dragon (representing the Saxons who are invading their land) are caught up in battle.
The wooded hillfort in Eryri (Snowdonia) is the birthplace of the Red Dragon legend. Be sure to follow the Dinas Emrys Trail where you pass a bench in the shape of a dragon. Stop at the waterfalls called Merlin’s Pools, and end up at the ruins where the red and white dragons fought beneath Vortigern’s fortress. Arianwen reaches the north, where dragons nest under the fictional Eirias Mountains, which reflect the true mountainous region of Eryri, or Snowdonia.
Penllergare Valley Woods, Swansea
Provided inspiration for Hengoed, the fictional woodland settlement where Arianwen, the main character, has lived her whole life – until now.
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park
Arianwen travels from the south of Wales to the north on foot and on horseback. Though the locations are fictionalised, they are informed by the ridged peaks and sweeping vistas of Bannau Brycheiniog.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Red Dragon Song
Destination/Location: Wales Author: Catrin Cadogan Departure: timeless
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