The Dragon Heir

I finished last year with The Crimson Crown, another book by Cinda Wiliams Chima, so it seems fitting for the first completed book of this year also be one of hers. This is the third book in the Heir Chronicles, tales of wizards, warriors, enchanter and a dragon. All the same characters are back: Jack and Ellen, the warrior heirs, Seph, the wizard heir; Jason, the angry young man out for revenge and Madison Moss, the elicitor. Each has a role to play in trying to save the Dragonstone from falling into the wrong hands. The guilds are at war and this group of teenagers are set to defend both the magical and non-magical of Trinity. Madison and Seph are trying to figure out how to be couple, seeing as how being around her is making Seph incredibly sick. She is also trying to protect her little brother and sister while trying to heed her grandmother's warning to stay away from the magic folk. Seph, Jack and Ellen are trying to keep the wizards from getting into Trinity to reclaim the stone that Jason has stolen from Raven's Ghyll. No one knows how to harness the power of the stone and the key to their survival depends on that power. Their trusty sidekicks, Will and Fitch stand by their sides in the heat of the battle that will decide the fate of them all. Not to be forgotten is the ghost army that fights with the warriors, some who will not make it out of this one alive (dead?)  I love this series, the way each book has woven itself into the next. The characters are well written and interesting. No one is safe from death, so their is a sense of dread that weaves through the series as well. Oh, and did I mention, this one has a dragon? I know their is a fourth book, but I don't think it continues with these characters, so I'll have to say goodbye to the gang from Trinity for now and start on the new pile of books stacked on my dining room table. 4 days left of vacation and I plan to make the most of it... Happy reading my friends and a happy, healthy new year! May 2014 be filled with adventure and good books.