The Dragon Heir (Heir Series #3) by Cinda Williams Chima

From the Publisher

The covenant that was meant to keep the wizard wars at bay has been stolen, and Trinity must prepare for attack.  Everyone is doing their part — Seph is monitoring the Weirwalls; Jack and Ellen are training their ghostly army; even Anaweir Will and Fitch are setting booby traps around the town's perimeter.  But to Jason Haley, it seems like everyone wants to keep him out of the action.  He may not be the most powerful wizard in Trinity, but he's prepared to fight for his friends.  When Jason finds a powerful talisman —a huge opal called the Dragonheart—buried in a cave, his role takes on new importance.  The stone seems to sing to Jason's very soul — showing him that he is meant for more than anyone guessed.  Trinity's guardians take the stone away after they realize that it may be a weapon powerful enough to save them all.  Without any significant power of his own, and now without the stone, what can Jason possibly do to help the people he cares about — and to prove his mettle?

Madison Moss can feel the beating heart of the opal, too.  The desire for it surges through her, drawing her to it.  But Maddie has other things besides the Dragonheart on her mind.  She has a secret.  Ever since absorbing the magical blow that was meant to kill Seph, she's been leaking dark powers.  Although Maddie herself is immune to magic, what would her friends think if they knew what kind of evil lay within her?  Trinity's enemies are as enthusiastic about her powers as she is frightened.  They think they can use her to get to the Dragonheart — and they'll use anyone Maddie cares about to makeher steal the stone for them.

Moral compasses spin out of control as a final battle storms through what was once a sanctuary for the gifted.  With so much to lose, what will Jason and Maddie be willing to fight for — and what will they sacrifice?  Every man is for himself in this thrilling conclusion to the Heir trilogy.

Children's Literature

In the aftermath of a magical attack, Madison Moss has a lot on her mind. Since she absorbed a blow meant to kill her boyfriend Seph, she is experiencing some very strange aftereffects. Then she receives word that she must return home to Appalachia to take care of her siblings. Returning home, though, she finds that her very home is threatened and she must protect it and her family. Meanwhile, Jason has found the Dragonheart, a powerful talisman. As Jason and Seph try to protect Trinity while Madison deals with her problems at home, their enemies plot to gain the Dragonheart. While the entire book is a well-written, traditional fantasy, the sections with Madison are particularly engaging. Her family situation is one not usually seen in fantasy and it provides a refreshing counterpoint to the fantastic elements of the story. Madison is such a strong character that she almost lessens the interest the reader might have in the other characters. Still, the reader will enjoy following the adventures of Madison and her friends in the conclusion to the "Heir" trilogy. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck

VOYA

Jason Haley has to find a way to make a difference. Discovering the dragon's hoard might be the ticket, but Leander Hastings makes Jason take the amulets, sword, and most important, the Dragonheart, to Trinity, Ohio, for safe keeping. Ever since Madison Moss took the hit of dark magic intended for Seph McCauley, she has had terrifying nightmares, and her touch makes Seph ill. Warren Barber, Claude and Devereaux D'Orsay, and the heads of the White and Red Roses seek to control the Dragonheart stone, the source of power for the magical guilds. As unlikely alliances form and Weir converge on Trinity, the stage is set for the final battle. The thrilling Heir Trilogy concludes with this beautifully directed tale of color and character, smells and spells. The backstory of the Dragonheart and the creation of the guilds are complex. Characters are developed in depth rather than breadth, giving the tale an even greater richness than the first two novels. Some characters surprise with their actions-or lack thereof-giving the tale an unpredictability often not found in fantasy. With almost each chapter comes a change in focus, and yet each thread pulls together from across the globe to center in Trinity, creating a Weirweb destined to draw in readers. Reviewer: Melissa Moore

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up

In this final installment in the trilogy, Chima spins a finely structured tale that roars to a satisfying conclusion. For readers new to the series, there is considerable work to be done sorting out the plot and the relationships among the various characters, but after a while the power of the story takes over. The wizarding world is fractured and at war with itself. The only hope for peace lies in those few unaffiliated gifted ones (wizards, warriors, enchanters) in the sanctuary of the town of Trinity. As the novel opens, one of these characters, Jason, steals into the hold of another faction and walks out with a mysterious magical object that appears to be extremely powerful: the Dragonheart. When he brings it back to Trinity, the town and its treasure become the focus of the other factions. The action is largely propelled by the emotional needs and weaknesses of the characters, and not simply by their magical abilities. Madison Moss, whose ability to absorb magic enabled her to save her wizard boyfriend, is now a danger to Seph because she keeps leaking the toxic magic that she absorbed. Her fear that this will be discovered, along with her family problems, leads to her making decisions that put her and others in mortal danger. Maddie, along with Jason and Seph, is the central emotional focus, and it is the details of their lives that make the extraordinary plot twists exciting and compelling. Fans of the first two books are sure to love this one.-Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City

Kirkus Reviews

Centuries of wizardly scheming, slavery and slaughter reap apocalyptic fallout in this final volume of Chima's trilogy. As the wizard Houses lay siege, magical refugees flock to the sanctuary of sleepy Trinity, Ohio, where adolescent wizards and warriors assume most of the burden of protecting the town, torn between the savage world of magic and the demands of school and family. Smuggling the immensely powerful Dragonheart talisman into Trinity triggers a cascade of heroism, intrigue, courage, deception, sacrifice and betrayal, as six increasingly desperate teenagers seek to master it before everything they love is destroyed. Heroes and villains alike are swayed by achingly human motivations into disastrous choices with devastating consequences. The graphic violence and the shifting narrative push this into YA territory, but it is anchored there by the agonizing withdrawal of adult support and the overwhelming sense that these young people are abruptly forced to take responsibility for a world they had no hand in creating. The resolution is-like the end of childhood itself-tentatively hopeful, if not triumphant. A superlative accomplishment. (Fantasy. YA)

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