Review: The Last Rift Dragon by Shami Stovall | The Knights of the Silver Fog, Book 1

Name: The Last Rift Dragon
Author: Shami Stovall
ISBN: 9781957613376

The air tingled as we breathed it in. It felt alive with power.

Some fantasy worlds require pages of explanation before you begin to feel at home in them. Bridgehaven isn't one of those places. From the moment I stepped into Shami Stovall's The Last Rift Dragon, I was swept into a world of silver fog, magical gyfts, loyal friendships, dangerous secrets, and some very important dragons.

This is the first book in The Knights of the Silver Fog series, and it didn't take long for Richter Whitlock and his determination to protect the last dragons of Bridgehaven to pull me into his story. Stovall gives readers plenty of magic and adventure, but there's also heart, humor, mystery, and a wonderful sense that something bigger is always waiting just around the corner.

I'm delighted to be joining the Goddess Fish Promotions Review Tour for The Last Rift Dragon today. Keep reading for my thoughts, an excerpt that offers a fascinating glimpse into the magic of Bridgehaven, and a giveaway!

The Last Rift Dragon by Shami Stovall | The Knights of the Silver Fog, Book 1

The Last Rift Dragon
By Shami Stovall
Series: The Knights of the Silver Fog, Book 1
Published by Capital Station Books on July 2026
Genres: YA Fantasy, Young Adult
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 376

The City of Bridgehaven is under attack.

The nation to the west intends to murder Bridgehaven’s last three remaining dragons, rendering them extinct. They’ll stop at nothing to crush the eggs, flay the dragons, and burn Bridgehaven to the ground.

But Richter Whitlock is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen. He joins the Knights of the Silver Fog—individuals dedicated to protecting Bridgehaven, and the dragons, at all costs—in the hopes of caring for a fragile dragon egg, so that one day he may bond and fight back.

But there are traitors in Bridgehaven, and enemies are circling close.

If Richter hopes to save his home, and his egg, he’ll have to master his magic, learn to craft magitech, and become one of the greatest Knights anyone has ever seen…

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Reader Info at a Glance

Best For	Readers who enjoy dragon-centered fantasy, inventive magic, loyal friendships, witty humor, and high-stakes adventure
Pacing	Fast-paced and immersive, with world-building woven naturally into the action
Themes	Loyalty, friendship, family, courage, responsibility, and protecting what matters
Series Reading	Book 1 of The Knights of the Silver Fog series; an excellent starting point for a new fantasy adventure
Overall Feel	Adventurous • Magical • Witty • Heartfelt • High-stakes
Rating	CAWPILE Rating: 9.1 / 10 Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Curious how I rate books? Read my full rating system here.

Quick Take: The Last Rift Dragon is a fast-paced, immersive fantasy that combines dragons, inventive magic, loyal friendships, witty humor, and plenty of danger. Shami Stovall builds the fascinating world of Bridgehaven without slowing the adventure to explain it, making this an easy book to fall into-and a very difficult one to put down.

Things to Know: Contains fantasy battle violence and some blood, but the violence is not overly graphic and fits naturally within the story.

Now let's get into what made this book so memorable for me.

My Thoughts

I adore Shami Stovall's writing style. She can take something as familiar as fantasy and dragons and make it feel completely her own. One of the things I appreciated most about The Last Rift Dragon is how naturally she builds her world. Rather than spending chapter after chapter explaining Bridgehaven, its history, the magical system, or every detail we might eventually need, Stovall gives us information when it matters. We jump right into the story and learn as we go, yet I never felt lost or as though I needed to backtrack to understand something. It simply works.

Richter Whitlock is a hero with heart. He genuinely cares about the dragons and their eggs, but he also cares deeply about his home and the people around him. That made it easy for me to care about what happened to Bridgehaven, too. In fact, Bridgehaven becomes almost a character in its own right as the story progresses.

I especially enjoyed Richter's relationships with Zilvio Underveil and Valex "Lex" Thorn. Zilvio may technically be Richter's butler, but he's so much more than that. He has devoted his life to Richter's family and its legacy. Lex, meanwhile, has gone from stableboy to squire and then to family when Richter claims him as such and grants him land so his best friend can train alongside him as a knight. These relationships give the story warmth and heart amid all the danger.

And then there are the dragons. Dragons can make or break a fantasy novel for me depending on how they're written, and Stovall gives these magnificent creatures the attention they deserve. They aren't simply impressive creatures added to make the fantasy world more exciting; they're integral to Bridgehaven, its magic, and its survival. With the air dragons already extinct, only two earth dragons and one storm dragon remain, along with just seven earth dragon eggs. Suddenly, every dragon-and every egg-matters.

When treachery strikes, the battle for Bridgehaven begins in earnest. I'm not going to tell you what happens from there. You need to read this one for yourself.

I think the sarcastic humor and witty dialogue will captivate young adult readers just as much as the magic, dragons, mystery, and epic battles. As I said earlier, Stovall drops us directly into this tale of deception and struggle, and the momentum carries right through to the end. It's one of those books where you think you'll read just a little bit more, only to realize an hour has passed and you're still turning pages.

Don't be surprised if you finish The Last Rift Dragon in a couple of days and then find yourself checking Shami Stovall's website for news about Dragon Fog, book two.

Final Thoughts

With memorable characters, clever humor, fascinating magic, and dragons that truly matter to the world around them, The Last Rift Dragon is a fantastic start to The Knights of the Silver Fog series. Shami Stovall makes an intricate fantasy world remarkably easy to enter-and very difficult to leave. I flew through this one and am already looking forward to returning to Bridgehaven in Dragon Fog.

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy immersive YA fantasy, loyal friendships, inventive magic, epic battles, and, of course, dragons.

Excerpt

To give you a feel for the writing style, here's a brief excerpt:

"Come." I motioned to the western road. "We'll take the seventeenth bridge."

Lex didn't even respond. He just ran.

All around us, the world was waking up. Merchants were pulling carts to the market, fishermen were prepping their boats, and craftsmen were already in their shops, tinkering away. The sky over Bridgehaven was the color of steel, the sun still creeping its way over the horizon, but the pulse of Bridgehaven already beat steadily.

The streets shimmered with a thin veil of silver fog swirling around the cobblestones. The air tingled as we breathed it in. It felt alive with power.

And it really was.

Whenever humans inhaled silver fog, magic became a permanent part of them, and they gained an innate magical ability-a gyft. The longer they breathed it, the stronger the magic gyft in their body became. I had been breathing the fog my whole life, as had most people in Bridgehaven. Gyfts were one of the sacred blessings from dragons.

Because… the silver fog came from a dragon's breath.

Before we wrap up, here's a little more about the author behind the book.