The Last Keeper

The Dream Keeper Saga #5

by Kathryn Butler

Book 5 Concludes the Dream Keeper Saga

After a worldwide quest to save the planet from Eymah and his nightmares, Lily is now racing to escape the dark caverns of the Realm. Joined by Keisha, Adam, and their magical friends, she fights Eymah’s monsters in an unrelenting battle of ice and fire. When she meets an elder centaur along the way, Lily learns about an ancient scroll that foretells the last keeper—one who prepares the way for the arrival of the prince. Could it really be her? In her final fight to defend the earth and the Realm, Lily relies on her faith in Pax - that he will return and make all things new.

Genres: Fantasy, Christian Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure

381 pages, Paperback

Published February 18, 2025

About the author

Kathryn Butler (MD, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons) is a trauma surgeon turned author and homeschooling mom. Her books Between Life and Death: A Gospel-Centered Guide on End-of-Life Medical Care, and Glimmers of Grace: A Doctor's Reflections on Faith, Suffering, and the Goodness of God, reflect upon faith and medicine. She is also the author of The Dream Keeper Saga, a middle grade adventure series with Christian themes. She lives in the woods of Massachusetts, where she loves to read stories with her kids, explore the outdoors, and chase dragons from her kitchen.

Reviews

[Grace Pickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last in the series. Didn’t end quite like I expected, and seemed a little sudden, but thinking back, it does fit well. Haven’t read the others recently enough to review the whole series.

[Serenity · Rating 5 out of 5]

I waited a whole year to read this. The wait was worth it. It was a wonderful ending to a wonderful series.

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughters are enjoying this series. A little too allegorical for me. But a good family read nonetheless. A fitting conclusion to the saga.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great series overall. Her words are encouraging for the Christian walk. However it wasn’t easy to accept the ending as it was more centered on the characters and less on the Christ figure.

[Megan Gamble · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I loved the others but I had to give this one a four star rating because I thought that if it was supposed to be like an allegory it would’ve had Pax stopping Eymah but overall it wasn’t that bad

[Richard Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful. Read the final chapter with my girls and we all loved the whole Saga. Such a fitting end to a wonderful story.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now that the breech into the human world is shut, Lily, Keisha, Adam, and Cedric must find their way out of the caverns and continue their quest to stop Eymah and his minions. They make their way out only to find that much of the Realm is covered in a strange ice that freezes everyone and everything in its path, everywhere they turn is under attack, and it seems their only hope is to find a special pearl in a mythical location that may help Lily break the ice’s hold on the Realm. As they seek to do the impossible, will Lily and others remember to rely on Pax for help and hope in the midst of such bleak circumstances?

I was only going to give this 3 or 4 stars until I got to the end. Up until then it felt like a pretty average quest adventure. I was a little overwhelmed by the number of characters there were to keep straight...I think we might be approaching the 30s now with named characters, and I felt like I needed a character guide at times. Lily has moments when she remembers what she’s learned about Pax, and then realistically, she sometimes forgets and gets obsessed with trying to do things in her own strength. She's harder to be around in the latter moments. I liked the King Arthur, Camelot, and Avalon elements that Butler wove into the story (she does this with several other story characters too…Robin Hood and his merry men are briefly in this book too…it has to do with the Realm and stories and dreams and how those overlap). Anyway, it felt like a pretty average quest/adventure fantasy with Christian allegorical elements...but then that ending. Butler employs such beautiful imagery and does a wonderful job of showing the good King’s final kingdom coming, overcoming death, and bringing about ultimate peace…it immediately bumped up my rating to 5 stars. There were several points in this story where it reminded me of C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle, which is understandable as both have allegorical elements and both are showing an ultimate showdown between good and evil. I know this may ruffle some feathers, but what Butler pulled off in this book is what I wanted Lewis to pull off in The Last Battle. It was masterfully done, and gives such a beautiful vision of the kingdom coming fully. That earned all the stars, and ended the series on a big high point for me.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are numerous battles and fatalities (none gory or gross, just sobering), but the ending shows that the souls who believed in Pax are not truly dead.
Ethnic diversity: Lily is Irish American, Keisha is a person of color (I can’t remember her exact ethnic background), I believe Adam is white, other characters are fantasy creatures.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: Whole cities are being frozen. Lily, Keisha, and others are feeling a lot of pressure to save the whole Realm, especially Lily with people saying she’s the last keeper foretold and such.

[Emily Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful and satisfying end to a series I’ve come to truly love! The Last Keeper wraps up The Dream Keeper Saga with powerful Christian themes that are both strong and biblically accurate—something that’s so rare and refreshing in the fantasy genre. The allegorical elements were woven in so naturally, and I found myself deeply moved by the truths shining through the story.

The characters are lovable and memorable, and I’ve become so attached to them over the course of the saga. The fantasy world Kathryn Butler created is absolutely enchanting—whimsical, creative, and full of charm without ever losing its depth.

That said, I did have a couple of small gripes. Throughout the series, I couldn’t help but notice strong similarities to The Chronicles of Narnia—a little too strong at times, which occasionally pulled me out of the story. And in this particular book, the pacing felt a bit uneven. The first half moved slowly, which made the second half feel a little rushed in contrast. The final battle especially felt like it wrapped up too quickly and easily, considering the buildup throughout the series.

Still, those are minor complaints in the grand scheme of such a meaningful and well-crafted series. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a wholesome, faith-filled fantasy adventure with heart, imagination, and truth at its core. I’ll miss these characters and this world!

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of my daughter’s favorite book series, and we are a bit sad to see it end. The Last Keeper (The Dream Keeper Saga Book 5), Volume 5 by Kathryn Butler, is published by Crossway Publishers. If you know me, it is one of my favorite go-to publishers for trusted Christian books. I would recommend this Christian fiction book for preteen and up.

As always, beautiful cover and story! My daughter shares: The book was fabulous! I love the covers, they are all so pretty! This book was amazing, it was Lily’s last quest to save the world from the Eymahs. Her friends Adam and Keisha join her as well as her creative creature friends. I like all characters, especially Cedric. I love how this book brings in the good vs. bad. In my perspective, I see Christians vs. non-Christians and all the trickery that happens. Pax seems to represent God in the story. I have really enjoyed this all whole series and would definitely highly recommend you read them. Great for preteens and up!

Couple of the highlights I made in the book I liked:

“Pax please help us, you cured and the Realm of the Blight; I know you can fix this, too. A lump formed in her throat. But even if you don’t fix this, I trust you.”

“Do as I have called you. Share the truth. Then she heard her father’s words in her mind: It has to be you.”

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story, the last in The Dreamkeeper Saga. Even though I haven’t read any of the first 4 stories, I didn’t feel especially disadvantaged. Butler writes with solid pace; there’s always something going on and there are so many crazy creatures and things that it didn’t take me long to get rivetted. I can imagine the middle grade target audience would love this story.

Lily, Adam and Keisha, 3 young teens are called off to another adventure to save the Realm. At times the sense of believability of what three youngsters do and get involved in is stretched somewhat. But, hey, it’s fiction.

The Christian message is prominent throughout and Prince pax, I’m presuming is a Jesus type. On the dark side we have Magnus and Eyman who are evil personified and quite scary. They may frighten some younger readers.

There are examples of the miraculous which I loved and the message of the ‘truth setting you free’ being prominent.

I hope that many middle graders are encouraged to follow Jesus because of reading this and others in the Saga.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not the kind of book that I am drawn to, not a fan of fantasy, adventure, I enjoy Amish fiction and historical fiction. I felt lost as to some of the symbolism and it there was a reader's guide included.it think that would have helped a great deal. I understand the basic themes. It seemed like too much fantasy and too many characters. I have always loved to read about Robin Hood but I wanted new characters. It would a good book for a child who likes fantasy.

[Elizabeth Tso · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sad this series is over.
I’ve enjoyed every one and it’s one of my favourite sets of books published in recent years.
Imaginative and fun. Yet filled with danger and many hints of the true Biblical story the themes are pulled from.
Can’t wait for my kids to be older and read them as well.

[Christine Barth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was pretty nonstop battle and you really need to refresh yourself on characters before starting because they aren't reintroduced.

Reminded me a lot of CS Lewis' Last Battle...Further up and farther in.

[Samantha Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible conclusion to the Dreamkeeper Saga!

[PottWab Regional Library]

A

[Graham McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire series of the Dreamkeeper saga was so much fun to read and I was sad that I finished the last book. Kathryn Butler is an amazing writer! I recommend anything she writes.

[Val Emhof · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent ending to this series … the kids warned me and yet … I’m still crying in the best beautiful way possible .

[Marshall Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. The ending was a bit confusing though