Cradle Magic

Dragon Defenders of Destia Part II #3

by Ava Richardson

To save her home, Winnie must find the courage to embrace her destiny…Safely back in Destia, Winnie is eager to continue her studies, and deepen her understanding of lifeforce magic. But when King Francis sends Winnie on a rescue mission to free an imprisoned mage delegation, she is thrust back into a world of danger and adventure. Only Winnie and her magic can save the lost mages… assuming she can find the courage to face Aramys and his sinister shifters. With her dragon, Kygo, at her side, Winnie must call upon every ounce of her magical powers. But her rescue mission reveals an even greater threat when she discovers the true extent of Aramy’s monstrous scheme. And if he succeeds, every human in Fantis will be in grave in danger. Her only hope to stop him is to unearth the secrets of the cradle, a source of power strong enough to counter the greatest magic. Battle looms on the horizon. The final conflict draws near…Winnie and Kygo are running out of time to defeat Aramys, and save their kingdom.

334 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 29, 2024

About the author

Ava Richardson writes epic page-turning Young Adult Fantasy books. She creates lovable characters and drops them into intricate worlds that are barely contained within your eReader. Ava has written 21 YA dragon fantasy series, including her bestselling series Return of the Darkening and her recent series, Destia's Dragon Shifter War.

She grew up on a steady diet of fantasy and science fiction books handed down from her two big brothers – and despite being dog-eared and missing pages, she loved escaping into the magical worlds that those authors created. Her favorites were the ones about dragons; where they’d swoop, dive and soar through the skies of these enchanted lands.

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book three of the Destia’s Dragon Shifter (Dragon Defenders of Destia) series and Winnie may have just made it safely back to Destia, with Henry and two of the mages from the delegation that went to Fantis. She is unhappy with how slowly the king is moving plans ahead, to try and rescue the rest of the delegation, but is looking forward to getting back to her books and her studies, especially when she gets to meet a famous mage. King Francis has other plans however, and sends her on a rescue mission with his own personal guard, as well as Henry and Eva, along with their dragons, hoping they will have more luck in getting through the shield separating their lands in such a small group. Her new knowledge of lifeforce magic may be the edge needed to defeat Aramys and his monstrous shifters. Winnie’s only clue was from Aramys’ enslaved dragon, to find the cradle of magic within the old country, but locating any evidence of its location has proven to be impossible.

Her dragon Kygo is by her side, even as he protests the presence of Eva’s dragon Perrell and those of the king’s guard, hating those who have allowed themselves to be slaves or pets of humans, something he has refused to be. He is the only one left of his wild family and misses those times. They will have to rely on other packs of wild dragons to find what they seek, as they find out that Aramys has expanded his evil plans and every dragon and human in Fantis and further afield, are in danger of becoming one of his experiments. Her attempts become fractured as danger splits their group and her worries for Henry increase. One of their options ends up lost in a confrontation with some of these monstrous creatures. She feels a failure yet again, with deaths on her hands, until the eighth clan leader comes to her aid. Aramys is planning to release a wave of his twisted magic all over the land and they must stop him, or see all dragons enslaved with innocent humans. A nice touch of romance along the way and an understanding from Kygo for other dragons and their choices to be wild and free, or work with humans as pack or war dragons. It is that former pack dragon who will give them their first lead to the cradle and any hope of gaining the power to stop Aramys one and for all. Lots of adventure and danger for Winnie and the others in this final conflict, as the balance of good and evil end up on a knives edge.

I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Luc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winnie is slowly settling back in Destia, after her close encounter with death and the waking up in Destia with her people minus the delegation.

She, Henry, Kygo, and 4, of the King's Royal Guards, are introduced, to each other, by the King who tasks them with the mission of mounting an operation that will free the rest of the held Destians.

Upon their return from the mission, where they learned of new elements that directly threatens the safety and well being of Every man, woman and dragon from both neighboring countries by the planned actions of Artemis, the deranged shifter, the King must make certain difficult decisions that will directly implicate and affect the Royal Guards, the King, Henry, his family, Winnie and Kygo but also Eva and her Dragon Perrel.

The last clue to destroying Artemis resides in the words uttered by Artemis's Dragon before he was totally subdued by the dark Shifter where he spoke of the Dragons, cradle with magic and other elements that make no sense to Winnie after searching the entire library and finding nothing that mentions those elements,anywhere. That is where Perrel will play a crucial role

This author uses her gift to capture the attention of the reader, by creating a great series that is filled with action, deductions, suspicions and precarious situations, fear, sorrow, camaraderie , learning and openness of mind that has the reader wanting to continue reading the plot, on and on and on, without putting the book down.

The plot is gripping, making this book a page turner that I rate 5 Stars and Highly recommend. This is, in my view one of the best series that I have had the pleasure to read in 2024.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winnie is back home, but she can't relax. The other people in the delegation to Fantis are still being held and are in all probability facing death. When the king says that they only way to reach them before it's too late is to send in a small group of people and dragons to stop Aramys from performing a hideous experiment that would affect every person and dragon in the two countries, she knows that she has to do something, not matter how fearful she is or feels that she isn't really capable.
Great way to end this series. Kygo finally understands why other dragons make the choices they do and Winnie finally realizes just how capable she is. Oh and there is a touch of romance.
A really excellent read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[MarryAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for the last book in this series.

I really enjoyed this book, but I think it has more to do with the fact that I read the first part of Defenders of Destia as well.

I am glad we got to see Eva and Perrel. Learning more about wild dragons and the myths was quite intriguing and I would have liked more of that and less rushing (but I totally understand why they had to rush so much).
While all books were interesting and it was really easy for me to read them, I also feel like the plot was a bit dragged and there was quite a bit of filler, however, the final battle was quite fast and I feel like it was a bit unrealistic when it come to casualties, just like the rescue mission. The epilogue however was really sweet

All in all, I enjoyed this book as well as the other books, but I would have liked it to be filled with more twists and emotions.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an amazing conclusion of the series! I love the awesome characters, great world building, and the grumpy dragon, Kygo. This story is fast paced and action-packed, with an epic battle at the end. Winnie has a lot riding on her shoulders, but is determined to use Cradle magic to complete her objectives, no matter what. The only thing I didn’t care for, was the amount of guilt she consistently felt. This book is action-packed, with danger, dragons, delegation, magic, risk, Life force and Cradle magic, family, shifters, mages, calling orb, friends, septigil seals, council, allies, and battle!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cradle Magic by Ava Richardson is the perfect conclusion to her newest coming of age trilogy. It perfectly ties together all the previous storylines and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. The characters, face challenges, old and new and learn about themselves in the process. All of this woven with Ava Richardson signature blend of magic, dragons, and their riders. It’ll be interesting to see what her next book will be now that she has finished Cradle Magic.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christina Luberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action, suspense, adventure, secrets and more. Winnie with her dragon Kygo needs to stop Aramy, but can they? She is a mage, but is learning how to be a warrior. Can she use both to defeat Aramy? Can she also find the cradle magic to sto the destruction of Fantis and Destia? Get ready for a book that will keep you at the edge.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[martina h · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winnie and Kygo are sent by King Francis back into Fantis to free the remaining delegates, and to maybe stop a war. Along the way, they join forces with friends old and new and realize that what seems impossible becomes possible with faith and belief! Truly an exciting conclusion to a wonderful series!!!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merhlynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series! A Grand Finale Indeed!

Ava did an amazing job with this series! My favorite part was Winnie working with Eva as a duo. Honestly, I was hoping for a bit more, but had to remind myself that this was Winnie’s story and shouldn’t be hijacked.

Great job Ava! Loved this series!

[Sam Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant!

Stunning conclusion to the Dragon Defenders of Destia - Dragon Shifter War trilogy. Brilliant characters and a truly superb, well worked, storyline. Not just for young adults!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cleocutie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winnie and Kygo are once against thrust into danger again when a mission turns out to be far more complicated than they thought. Their adventures continue to keep you interested and I love seeing what they are up to next.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!

Another killer series from Ava Richardson.
This series had a wonderfully unique magic system and it was such a pleasure revisiting Destia!

[ginger kemper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Destia Part II Series

Ava Richardson has discovered a fantasyland that is incomparable. The only thing that beats it are the characters she’s introduced us to.

[Shelly Kowalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I really enjoyed this series! The characters are so easy to love and the dragons even more! Thank you for hours of entertainment!!

[Rebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Cradle Magic** is the thrilling third book in the **Destia's Dragon Shifter War** series (Dragon Defenders of Destia Part II) by Ava Richardson. This installment spotlights the exceptional heroine, Winifred “Winnie” Peters, a 16-year-old mage who, despite her youth and lack of combat training, repeatedly steps out of her comfort zone to do the right thing.

Unlike traditional dragon riders, Winnie is more at home in a library, but her accidental bond with Kygo, the dragon she was imprisoned with in **Hybrid Magic**, propels her into a series of courageous and compassionate acts. Her journey culminates in **Cradle Magic**, where she must thwart the villain Aramys's plan to turn everyone into hybrid dragon shifters. Her quest involves uncovering the secrets of cradle magic, crucial for preventing the destruction of the Fantis and Destia populations.

The narrative takes readers to Diama, the invisible city of the eighth family of Fantis, where Winnie learns to harness life force magic to confront Aramys. The final battle in Lan Garon, the capital city of Fantis, sees Winnie and Kygo risking everything to save their loved ones.

Ava Richardson crafts a heroine worthy of admiration, making Winnie’s bravery and growth a highlight of the series. The compelling conclusion in **Cradle Magic** left me so impressed that I had to read the first two books, **Hybrid Magic** and **Life Force Magic**, to fully appreciate the depth of this epic tale.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cradle Magic continues the story of Winnie as she learns to deal with her life force magic and being a bonded rider. She joins up with old friends, as well as new, to battle the evil coming out of their old war opponent. Along the way, she learns many new things and forms, new friendships. And, of course, spoiler alert, good triumphs over evil. Well worth the read to Ava Richardson's fans and to anyone who has read the previous books. If you have never read any of the series, I highly recommend you go back to the first one that starts with Eva's story. Definitely recommend this book and anything by this author!
Genre(s): fantasy, dragon, dragon riders
Bad Language: none
Intimate Scenes/Reference: One mild kiss
Violence: some, but nothing gory or graphic
Substance Abuse: none
Mental Health: mild anxiety and dealing with anger
Addiction: none.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.