Having missed a good deal of time from the Serpentine, whilst detained in another country during her adventures in the previous book, Illeth finds herself the "tailer" of her class - the last to be promoted to Apprentice - and subjected to a traditional rite of running across the bridge while the others cheerfully throw vegetables at her. It's not the most severe hazing, to be sure, and everyone is well aware to take care not to injure her, so it is shocking and baffling when there's an accidental pileup and she finds her forehead gashed and bleeding. No one can identify anything sharp, either thrown or on anyone's person, so the cut is a mystery.
Meanwhile, Illeth's friend and fellow Dragon Dancer, Santeel Dun Troot, has begun apprenticing to the Serpentine's doctor and between the dancing and drilling and the studying and tending to the sick, she's been a bit run-down as of late. In time, Illeth discovers that her friend has been more than just fatigued by her increased responsibilities - and that her attempt at a solution to her tiredness is not only dangerous and making things worse for herself, but could be related to Illeth's "accident" in her tailer ceremony.
Illeth's first commission as an Apprentice is to find something that's wrong in the city surrounding the Serpentine, determine a solution, and file a report on it. It seems to be a very run-of-the-mill first assignment that Master Traskeer enjoys assigning to newly-incoming Apprentices. Illeth, however, puts thought and research into it and will find much more attention than simply being filed away in the archives.
Meanwhile, Aurue, a unique dragon in the Serpentine, who is both scaleless and, as a result, the fastest and most agile flier of the bunch, is being pressured by the dragons to take a rider. But instead of choosing one, he summons Illeth to ask for her suggestion. He isn't familiar with men, but he trusts her opinions, so he wants her to suggest a rider for him. As he explains to Illeth, he would have selected her, but Taresscon, the leader of the dragons, says that only female dragons are allowed to have female riders. Illeth will have to devise a way to ferret out which of Master Traskeer's candidates are the most suitable to ride Aurue... but how?
And, as if all that wasn't enough, the governor of the Freesand demands Illeth's return, claiming her to be his own daughter. With the current state of political matters, the Serpentine Academy can hardly refuse him and Illeth finds that she has to accede to his demand, at least until a way out can be managed. Her friends hatch a plan to allow her to return home, but if that doesn't succeed, she'll have to wait a year and a half until she's legally an adult.
I said above that I realize just how much took place in the first volume, which is true, but Daughter of the Serpentine continues the trend, providing an interesting story with a whole lot of action and intrigue.
I really like Illeth as a character, but she seems to be such an odd dichotomy; she's underprivileged, last to get into the school, last to advance to the rank of Apprentice in her class. What she is, however, is plucky, dedicated, sincere and genuinely kind and, at the end of the day, when all the chips fall where they may, Illeth comes out ahead. I look forward to seeing her progression as the Dragoneer Academy series continues, but I have to admit that I hope she manages to become a more mature character without losing these endearing traits that cement her as a likeable underdog, making her victories, big and small, that much more satisfying.
