Customer Reviews

The Dragon Heir

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A lot of times, when a new author emerges in the world of fiction, it seems like every good idea they've ever had -- 20 or 30 or 40 years of dreaming -- finds its way into that brilliant debut. Then, when it's time for the sequel... well, there's not much left. And that's why I'm so amazed that Cinda Chima's books just keep getting better.

The Dragon Heir is the third and final book of the Heir series, which started out following young Jack Swift as he found out that he was born to be a warrior fighting in the name of wizard politics. Now full war is breaking out among the magical guilds, and the wizards are determined to put everyone back in their place.

But we're not just following Jack anymore -- in each book of the Heir series, Chima writes from a new character's point of view. It's a technique that seems, well, incredibly simple, but it creates a slew of unique perspectives that engrosses you immediately. In The Dragon Heir, we see the world through the eyes of Jason Haley and Madison Moss, who were supporting characters in The Wizard Heir but could probably carry a series by themselves.

All of the characters in Chima's books are incredibly well-developed. There's the perfect combination of magic and teenage problems (Does he really love me? And how come things blow up whenever he's around?) that makes young adult fantasy so appealing, even to those of us who have already inched into full adulthood. The best example of this comes when the characters are finally forced to reveal some of their secrets to the non-magical people around them (the muggles, if you will). Most series just make sure that situation never happens, but Chima's characters handle it with the pitch-perfect amount of shock, logic and intelligence (My son is a WHAT?!). They behave like real people, and it makes you wonder why Spider-man didn't fess up to Aunt May a lot sooner.

Each of the Heir books has been better than the last, and The Dragon Heir ties it all together with a conclusion that just seems to fit. It doesn't have some of the brilliant moments of suspense that The Wizard Heir had, but it weaves layers of plot and intrigue in a way that is elegant instead of muddled. You might figure out the ending -- maybe -- but you'll feel smart for getting it.

The Dragon Heir stands on its own as a great read, but why would you want to do that? You'll love all three.

I started reading the Heir books after finishing the last Harry Potter book last summer, and I enjoyed them. With this book, however, I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters, and I couldn't tell Jason and Seph apart--they just seemed like the same character. And the dialogue is all plot-related, ruining the chances of much character development. The book just doesn't flow as well as I was hoping it would. It's worth a read, but it's my least favorite in the trilogy.

How many times and in how many different ways can one celebrate Christmas in one year? Book 2 ends with celebrating Christmas in England. In this book Madison is walking around as Christmas getting close and then a few pages later tells us what happened with Seph... getting sick before Christmas and then going to England for Christmas and then coming back after Christmas... Then again it is Christmas and Jack's father comes over to Trinity to celebrate Christmas and then again, and again and again it was Christmas... I think probably it was Christmas when she was writing this book. There are so many "Time" mistakes I wonder if anyone ever read this book before publishing it.

The Dragon Heir was a suberb ending to a magnificent trilogy. Cinda Williams Chima is an amazing writer does not recieve nearly enough recognition for this series. The heir triology is a one of a kind read. The world Chima creates will suck a person in and leave them breathless. The characters are well rounded and have deep meaningful personality. Even inch of the book is there for a reason to give the readers a loyal and complete finish to the series. Those expecting a climactic final battle will not be dissapointed. The reader will find themselves flipping page after page until they realize it's 4am and they should probably get some sleep. I would reccomend this book to any fantasy lover.

Warning: Here there be spoilers (semi-mild)!

I'm usually a calm reader when I read books. I might weep a little or laugh aloud on occasion, but I rarely wind up acting like I did when I finished The Dragon Heir. My chest was so constricted I could hardly breathe. I was grateful my parents didn't wake up because I was breathing so loudly. The last battle had me shaking like a leaf.

Cinda Chima's latest novel is a jewel rivaling the Dragonheart itself. From start to finish I treasured every last moment with some of my favorite characters in all fiction-dom, from their greatest highs to their worst lows.

The beginning made me sad, because I was worried about how much pressure was being put on Seph and what it led him to do. I also was sad because of Maddie's multiple predicaments. I really related to her on a lot of leves: I've been separated from the one I love, I struggle with college, I was persecuted in high school for being strange, artistic, a lot of things. I've also had many a Mr. Wrong harass me-though not about my property. On that note, I was surprised that Booker Mountain didn't have some sort of magical property to it which was why Brice really wanted it-it.

But for all my feeling bad for Maddie, her troubles kind of gave the book a grounding in reality that would have been lost had it all been about the Weir War-she had such real problems and worked through them. It not only reminds the reader that this is "our" world we're reading about, but it also makes the average person feel they can handle the hell life hands them because it she could, on top of the Weir pounding on her door every night. lol

On top of the wonderful characters, the pacing of the story throughout the middle was great, and it wasn't too difficult to follow the multiple points of view- Barber and Brice and The Roses and D'Orsay and "Auuggghhh!!!!" It was just so much to handle yet you pulled it off. I've never seen so many "dark sides" in a story. Haha. It was only fitting that they'd wind up half wiping themselves out FOR the people in the Sanctuary. I'll bet there's thousands of stories you could still write about the people who aren't happy with the way things were resolved.

I thought the ending was a little rushed-but that may have been my reading. It just seemed that Maddie and Jason got to the wall and BOOM! I was on the last page. However, I was delighted with the last line: "fear of dragons can't last forever." It leaves the story open to more, but for the time being it's over, though I'm hoping it's not really over!

Though it's hard to decide, overall I think I preferred The Wizard Heir the most; but that had a lot to do with the fact I never seem to like the "last" book the best. I also would have probably enjoyed The Dragon Heir better if I'd been able to just read it straight through like Wizard Heir-you know that physically painful "tearing your eyes from the page" feeling you get because everyone keeps interrupting you in the middle of a good book? I had that happen too many times this time around. I also like The Dragon Heir more than The Warrior Heir, because it just got so deep and rich with everything coming together. Overall I wasn't disappointed at all. I got an awesome rush from the book, and when it all comes down that what really makes a book worth a read or not, and it remains one of my favorite books.

I never thought that I'd read a book that I hated, but unfortunately after reading this I have. The ending was terrible and seemed as though she just wanted to be done and move on. A serious waste of money and a serious let down which, up to this point had been one of my favorite series. My advice? Take your money else where.

I rated this 3 stars because I really liked the storyline for this book. However, there were also a lot of things that I didn't like about this book. These things didn't bother me enough to give it only 1 or 2 stars, but they are definite issues.

First, the point of view changed way too much in this book. They story was told from almost every character's POV at one point or another. Jason and Madison got the most time, but Jack, Ellen, Seph, Leesha, Warren Barber, D'Orsay, Dr. Longbranch, etc., all got at least half a chapter or more devoted to their POV. Maybe this is just a matter of personal preference, but jumping around like that was really distracting for me. I wouldn't have minded two or three characters, but it felt like the author shifted the POV every few pages when there really wasn't much reason to do that.

Ok, now for the story itself...

***Spoilers***

I really liked Jason's character in this book. He was the underpowered/under-rated wizard of the bunch, but had a strong drive and motivation to be on the front lines. He was portrayed as something of a bad boy, a little shady and willing to bend the rules a little. But his character was not written to its fullest potential. Especially towards the end of the book. His relationship with Leesha was permanently marred by her betrayal, and even after she apologized for it Jason refused to go back to the way things had been in the first half of the book. While I don't have a problem with that, it is something that wasn't explored or explained well. We never really see inside Jason's head and find out what he is really thinking. And then when his character is killed, it's just like "Oh well, he died." Leesha is the only character to respond in any way to Jason's death, and even then it is not dwelt upon. More time is spent on Ellen's wound than Jason's death. So little was said about it that I was half expecting to have him miraculously come back to life via the Deus Ex Lady Aiden. As it was, his death felt unnecessary and pointless.

Madison Moss... I genuinely began hating this character by chapter 4 or 5. Chima attempted to convey a self-sacrificing character but it ended up being a lying, whiny brat. In the beginning, she can't stay away from Seph but being near him causes him to get sick. So rather than telling him about the magic issue and finding some way to fix it, she shuns Seph, eventually going back to her home on Brooker Mountain. She never shows any trust in her friends, either in this situation or when her siblings are put in danger by Warren Barber. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm getting really tired of poorly written, angsty traitors who constantly think, "Oh they're such good friends. It's a good thing they don't know that I'm really about to put a knife in their back." Oh, and I totally figured out her role in the end of the book by about the half-way point. Predictability?

WHY did Chima suddenly make Linda and Leander expendable characters? They are never shown after the sneak attack on Raven's Ghylle! What's up with that? WHY did Jack kill a 14 year old kid and then show no remorse? Why is Wizards Fire so dangerous, but Seph has no lingering affects after using it?

The end itself is predictable, but extremely rushed. It felt like the end of the Transformers movies where the battle is over, there is a sunset shot of the main characters, and the credits roll. No time is spent on Leesha's feelings now that Jason is gone. It felt like Chima got within five pages of her limit and just decided to end it. UGh!

***Spoiler End***

While I think there are some good things about this book, it could have been so much better. I'd definitely recommend it to fans who want to finish the series, but just be warned not to have your expectations too high!

I'll ask the one single most question that's burning a hole through my mind.. What happened to Leander and Linda?! Like seriously, they disappeared 100 pages before the end and we never mentioned again until the 2 sentences at the end! This is why I rate it a 1 star. It would've been fine if they explained why they were tied up and decided to leave the entire war up to Seph, Jack and Ellen but NO! Nothing. This was such a good series up until the last 100 pages. Now it just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Ok here we go.

***********************Spoiler Alert***********************

for those that want to read the book first refrain from reading this

The book: was entirely too rushed. It felt as though there was a constant buzz of activity yet nothing really or truly resolved. The ending, just happened. It just, happened. There was so much time spent into developing character non-feelings(because they all decieved each other a lot) that in the end you were more like.. "Um.. so.. what just happened?"

I had the audiobook and listened intently. Here you have Jason who wants to badly avenge the murders of his father and friends by getting rid of D'Orsay. Which I can kinda understand, I really can. Then you get in depth into his feelings, which you hadn't really had the chance in "The Wizard Heir." He's less of the character, less animated and more rushed than he was in the previous book as well. As though he was a stepping stone to a "better" character. So Jason pretty much gets the boot. The only key time you really get to know him or get a better is when he's escaping Warren Barber from trying to murder him. So I feel, the way his character was handled in this book, was done poorly. Jason was previously led to be an outgoing, intelligent young man with personal problems. He had a tendency to shoulder things and act as though he was being tough but not so obnoxiously as a jock might do. He was smart, mind you. I loved his character in "The Wizard Heir," so it goes to reason that when he died in SUCH AN ANTICLIMATIC FASHION I was really kinda annoyed and angry. He died. Pretty much that simply put too. Brooks, who was a known side character and relatively developed got a better death. Even Devereax D'Orsay(who was a snot nosed sheltered wizard that had less text time than Jason) who was attempting to kill Ellen got a better death. Their sentences for their deaths were longer. Jason's mentioning of his death was so short I secretly hoped that he lived, right up until the burial. No one but Alicia really mourned and her character had developed greatly. So that's my disappointment with my favorite character's death. He. Just. Died. And then it was like "So anyway.."

(a personal opinion developed on the author is that the author is not very good at coping with death or has not had much of it experienced in her life. I noticed this in "The Wizard Heir". None of the characters really mourn death)

So since Jason was the stepping stone who gets to be the target character? Madison Moss. I simply dislike her character. She's not really agreeable to anyone. The ONLY way that she's tolerable is when she gets her way. God forbid she doesn't. She's mouthy, pretty disrespectful and a know-it-all(and what she doesn't know she refuses to gain knowledge about or! even better is in denial). You spend a lot of time in the boondocks in a mountainous town that's so small everyone gossips about you. She's so extremely selfcentered that everything has to be about her. So yeah, she has some family problems. She goes to deal with them. Sorta, just leaves Seph in the dust without so much as caring about his feelings on the situation. Nor does she really talk about her "problem" of making him sick. Surely, no one can help her out, she's probably too good for that anyway. Likes playing the helpless self pitying damsel, which is what she is. I got the very "Oh poor me" vibe out of her. So, she goes home, complains about it subtley but has to deal with it because she's the responsible one. I had a mother like her and she could have packed up her siblings, moved to stay with her cousin or what have you and her mom would have been cool with it. It wasn't as if the mother took care of the kids anyway. Probably would have been grateful NOT to take care of them. And the whole Booker Mountain thing seemed amazingly insignifigant to me. Like words talked about to fill the page in comparison to the doom happening in Trinity. In the end after the dragonheart thing with Lady Aiden then the basic coverage of characters towards the end. Seph and Maddie are going back to Booker Mountain and she's like, "WHY HAVEN'T YOU TAUGHT ME ANYTHING!?" Like everyone should stop everything and attend to her. I greatly disliked her character and the unthought of stupidity the character continued throughout the book. But I guess she was raised not to have a lick of sense on Booker Mountain.

Best developed character in the series: Alicia Middleton. From conniving troll wench to heartfelt character of emotions conveyed through text. You really got to know her.

Least played characters from previous books: Linda, Leander and Seph. Linda and Leander stormed a castle and left the apocolypse to the kids. Seph was stressed out and did his best to attempt to save those he loved. "Druggies" don't do that, to those of you that posted he was a drug abuser. Seph honestly did so, with an actual purpose to help as many people as possible and keep as many people as possible safe. I commended his efforts. Despite knowing this much? He was still an underplayed character for the role he had.

Will, Fitch, Jack and Ellen all had pretty decent roles and for the amount of read time they had, it was well suited.

Character that got the best death: Brooks

Most anticlimatic deaths for their role: Jason Haley and Warren Barber. They just.. died.

The author has officially posted that she has signed a contract for three new books. One is for the seventh realm series. The other two are for the Heir series. Supposedly to be "The Sorcerer Heir" and "The Enchanter Heir." I'm not entirely sure how this will come into play into the rest of the books and must admit to reluctance if she doesn't take her time. This concludes my rant, hope you enjoyed.

The Heir Trilogy is one of the best, most underrated YA series I've stumbled across in recent years. I picked up The Warrior Heir blindly, and was delighted from page one. That enthusiasm has only grown throughout the series, and by the time I closed the cover on the third and final book in the trilogy, my only regret was that there were no more adventures to look forward to.

In The Dragon Heir, Cinda Williams Chima concludes her broad saga, which weaves the magical and everyday worlds into one complex and fascinating story. Readers are once again treated to action following warrior Jack and wizard Seph -- the main hero figures of the previous two books -- but much of the focus of the third book is on the mysterious Dragon Heir. In an interesting twist, Chima doesn't reveal who the title character is until late in the story, leaving readers to guess who will pick up the reigns and champion the power of the Dragonheart stone and rule over the Weir guilds.

The journey to that point in the story is a long one, though. Chima fills the final installation of her series with battles and conflicts, and cranks the tension up to an almost uncomfortable level at times. The key characters suffer at the hands of their enemies, as well as their responsibilities and values. Smaller players from previous Heir books like Madison and Jason have a more important presence in this book, and readers learn more about Elicitors and some of the other mysteries hinted at in previous plots.

The storyline is rich, but the character relationships are what really sold me on the series. That continues to be true in The Dragon Heir. I love the relationship between Ellen and Jack, as well as the growth of characters like Leesha and Jason. However, I thought the absence of most of the adult characters in the book was a little odd. In such a critical time in the storyline, it was strange to lose the guidance and oversight of seasoned Weir leaders like Hastings and Linda -- although their absence did allow the series' central characters to step up and take center stage in the fray. I thought the ending was very satisfying (although not necessarily a "happily ever after" -- have some tissues on hand!) and admire Chima's creative and in my opinion, unexpected conclusion to a complicated plot.

All in all, I'd rank The Heir Trilogy among revered YA fantasy series such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. The writing is second to none. The atmosphere and world-building is fantastic and well developed, while remaining believable. And most importantly, Chima writes characters that are multidimensional and likeable. I have recommended the books to many people, and will continue to share them in the future. But only with people who I know will return them -- this is a series I know I will read again.