Lionborn and the Secret of Dark Rider | Awareness Tour

Lionborn and the Secret of Dark Rider Awareness Tour is presented in partnership* with Sharique Zea and The Children’s Book Review.

Return to the magical realm of Arborea for a thrilling new adventure in Sharique Zea’s Lionborn and the Secret of Dark Rider!

Fionn Hurley is back in Arborea, where a dangerous new threat is emerging, and his connection to the magical realm may run deeper than he ever imagined. As the mystery unfolds, Fionn must learn to trust his instincts, believe in his own strength, and rely on the friendships that help him face whatever comes next. Blending fast-paced fantasy adventure with themes of resilience and self-discovery, Sharique Zea shows young readers how facing challenges can help us grow stronger and more confident in who we are.

Exciting, thought-provoking, and immersive, this is a strong sequel that fans are sure to enjoy. 

—The Children’s Book Review

Readers who join us on this virtual book tour can enter for a chance to win one of 10 signed paperback copies of Lionborn and the Secret of Dark Rider by Sharique Zea, with one grand prize winner also receiving a $50 Amazon gift card.

Whether you have a young reader who loves magical adventures or stories about finding courage, building confidence, and discovering the power of true friendship, this is a giveaway you won’t want to miss. Enter below for your chance to win!

Lionborn and the Secret of Dark Rider
Virtual Tour Dates

Lionborn and the Secret of Dark Rider Giveaway

About the Book

Lionborn and the Secret of Dark Rider

Written by Sharique Zea

Illustrated by Manuel Šumberac

Ages: 10-14 | Pages: 238

Publisher: Silverhush Press (2026) | ISBN13: 978-1-0669013-5-7

Publisher’s Synopsis: Some enemies seek power. This one seeks Fionn Hurley—but heroes don’t fall, they rise roaring.

Fionn Hurley thought life between London and the magical realm of Arborea couldn’t surprise him anymore. He was wrong. When his bonded shadow-beast whisks him back to Arborea and straight into a burning village, he fears that a banished enemy has returned.

As Fionn and his friends at Arborea’s school of magic wrestle with unpredictable powers, intense magical training, and a baby dragon who depends on him, unsettling clues surface: an aunt who suddenly can’t stand him and visions that suggest his ties to Arborea run deeper than he ever believed.

With enemies closing in, Fionn realizes there’s only one way to track the real threat before it finds him first: earn a coveted place on a magical investigations team.

The thrilling second book in the Lionborn series — a fast-paced middle-grade fantasy adventure packed with magic, courage and friendship, and the next step in Fionn’s journey from uncertainty to confidence.

Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, Skandar, and the Amari series.

One of those rare fantasy books that readers 10 and up race through in a single sitting.

Buy the Book

About the Author

Sharique Zea was born in Ranchi, Eastern India, and grew up in a home where books were part of everyday life. With a headmaster for a father and a college professor for a mother, he spent countless hours in his local library, where his imagination took root in tales of magic, courage, and faraway worlds.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from St. Xavier’s College and an Executive MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur, one of India’s leading management institutions. Now based in London, Sharique works as a Chartered Accountant, balancing financials by day and building fantasy worlds by night. When he is not writing, he’s reading, collecting story ideas, or chasing that same sense of wonder that first drew him into fiction.

For more information, visit www.shariquezea.com.

Thanks for following along with us on Sharique Zea’s Lionborn and the Secret of Dark Rider awareness tour!