The Dragon Heir [Paperback]

Cinda Williams Chima (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2009

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 make her 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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 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
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Cinda Williams Chima made her debut as a young adult author with theWarrior Heir.Cinda is a graduate of the University of Akron, where she now teaches. A freelance writer, she has published more than one hundred reviews, feature articles, and essays in local and national media. Her nutrition column appears regularly in the Taste section ofThe Plain Dealer.Ms. Chima lives in Ohio with her husband and two sons.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book; Reprint edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423110714
• ISBN-13: 978-1423110712
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Adventure & Thrillers
  • #95 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

More About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima began writing romance novels in middle school, which were often confiscated by her teachers. Her Heir Chronicles young adult contemporary fantasy series includes The Warrior Heir (2006), The Wizard Heir (2007), and The Dragon Heir (2008), all from Hyperion, with two more books forthcoming.
Chima's YA high fantasy Seven Realms series launched with The Demon King (2009), followed by The Exiled Queen (September, 2010) The Gray Wolf Throne (2011) and The Crimson Crown (2012.)
Chima's books have received starred reviews in Kirkus and VOYA, among others. They have been named Booksense and Indie Next picks, an International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, to the Kirkus Best YA list, and the VOYA Editors' Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and Perfect Tens lists.
Chima was a recipient of the 2008 Lit Award for Fiction from the Cleveland Lit and was named a Cleveland Magazine Interesting Person 2009. She lives in Ohio with her family, and is always working on her next novel.