Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Academy: Last Best Hope

Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Academy #3

by Madeleine Roux

From New York Times bestselling author Madeleine Roux and acclaimed artist Tim Probert comes the thrilling third novel in the original Dungeons & Dragons middle grade series!

Zelli Stormclash and the Danger Club have only one save their friend Bauble from the evil clutches of Elgred Morbide. There’s only one problem—the evil machinations of Morbide’s selfish plots have come to a head, and the final battle for Dungeon Academy has already begun. Deep beneath the desert, a monstrous dracolich is about to be unleashed, an evil, undead dragon bent on revenge against everything in her path.

Zelli is no longer on a rescue mission but a fated quest to save Dungeon Academy, Faerun, and all the Forgotten Realms. Our motley crew of heroes must rise to the occasion and wield the most important weapon an adventurer can hope. Against impossible odds, the Danger Club—members old and new—must take one last stand together and fight like never before . . . till the very end.

Join the Danger Club in this final tale of daring rescue, selfless sacrifice, and scale-raising adventure!

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade, Dungeons and Dragons, Fiction

Audible Audio

Published May 7, 2024

About the author

New York Times Bestselling Author of the ASYLUM series, Allison Hewitt Is Trapped, Sadie Walker Is Stranded and the upcoming House of Furies series.

MADELEINE ROUX received her BA in Creative Writing and Acting from Beloit College in 2008. In the spring of 2009, Madeleine completed an Honors Term at Beloit College, proposing, writing and presenting a full-length historical fiction novel. Shortly after, she began the experimental fiction blog Allison Hewitt Is Trapped. Allison Hewitt Is Trapped quickly spread throughout the blogosphere, bringing a unique serial fiction experience to readers.

Born in Minnesota, she now lives and works in Seattle, Washington.

Reviews

[Tanis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun series, can be enjoyed by people like me that know nothing about Dungeons and Dragons. Fast paced never ending adventure with the most adorable characters, from the Danger Club members right down to the quirky Academy librarian. Illustrated pages by Tim Probert that submerge you further into the the Dungeon Academy World, for more advanced middle-grade readers, even my grade 4 kiddo stumbled with some of the vocab/names. You could read the first book in this series 'No Humans Allowed'(1) as a stand-alone, but warning: it ends on a cliff hanger. The others have to be read in order 'Tourney of Terror'(2) and then 'Last Best Hope'(3) to make sense and to continue the story. Monsters, humans, dragons, bravery, acceptance, and being your true self. I definitely recommend.

[¸.•*¨*•Gina *A Bookwyrm in Belgium*•*¨*•.¸ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed this final volume to The Danger Clubs adventures. It is only a shame that characters like these aren't actually playable.

[ghostly_bookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

CAWPILE 7.00
4 STARS

Read for Orilium Spring Equinox Restoration Prompt- A book with a 4+ average rating.
I love this trilogy, I know it's aimed at kids but it's really compelling and the artwork throughout by Tim Probert is gorgeous.
Did I cry? Yes, and that's why it's getting 4 stars.

[ElaF · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook

[SOYAMRG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roux brings her D&D Dungeon Academy series to an exciting conclusion.

Zelli and the rest of the Danger Club are worried about Bauble and Flash, who are still in the evil necromancer Morbide's clutches. Zelli wants the academy to mount a rescue, but the professors aren’t willing to do that. When she pushes, Zelli and the rest of the Danger Club are expelled from the academy. The friends have been studying human magic and they think they can rescue Bauble and Flash themselves, especially if Tavian joins them. Soon the friends are in the territory ruled by Morbide and they learn that he is close to resurrecting the evil dragonlich, An’Kizhek, and her children. Also, Zelli has learned the history of her human family and how one of them is responsible for all the current problems. Can she set things right and save monsters and humans?

Roux builds on the previous two books in the series. While there is some backstory provided, this is not a stand alone novel. Zelli and the other Danger Club members are well defined. New characters are introduced; a few are developed. Zelli has to figure out how to fit into the monster world of her two minotaur moms as well as the human world of her adventurer mom. The plot gets pretty complicated. There is plenty of action and lots of battles. Roux does allow some of the characters to perish.

Probert’s illustrations add to the text. While the illustrations are mostly black and white, Probert uses color to add emphasis to some of the illustrations. Zelli’s moms are lesbian and Bauble is nonbinary. Fans of the first two books in the series will love this last book. It is a must have for schools where the first two books are popular.

I Recommend the series for school and public libraries serving grades three through seven where fantasy or game related books move well.

M.A.C.
Retired School Librarian

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I'm leaving some tags out, but I can't think of which.

I actually started to slow down toward the middle of this, and it's actually sort of weird that, for a "Dungeon Academy" book, they actually spend very little time in school... but I have to round my rating up to "perfect" for the ending. I HAVE to! (Spoiler why.)

There's definitely more action than in book 2, and it's not as easy to just pick up as book 1, but this book is a solid conclusion—and sorry if that's a spoiler, but it's definitely a conclusion, at least as far as *Dungeon Academy* goes—to a fun trilogy that definitely felt like it could have gone on longer than it did... I will have to dig up the interstitial books, though, which somehow escaped my attention.

The parts I don't like are mostly from the fact this is definitely the "part 2" of an arc and doesn't feel complete, since it starts with planning a rescue mission. The parts I do like are how everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) comes together in the end, how the "adults" are completely understanding (but have to put on the show of being in the position of responsibility), and—of course—the friends they made along the way, haha.

Recommended for readers who loved the first two books, newcomers will be a bit lost.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This concluding volume was the best of the bunch and full of messages about family, friendship, and bravery. Taken as a group of two trilogies (one middle grade, with a few younger reader chapter books interspersed), this was a fun DnD series suitable for elementary ages. They all contain interesting illustrations and differing levels of literacy learning and I’d recommend all the books to any kids looking for fantasy adventure!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun series, my 8 year old loved it! I'm not sure if there will be any more, but we will get them if there are. It was fun reading the adventures of Zelli and her monster friends. What a great way to show kids how we are not all that different from each other, no matter what outward differences we may see. Also, it's great to show kids that everyone has their own strengths and that bravery comes in many forms.

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 of Dungeon Academy. In this conclusion we see bravery and hard choices. We see people inspired to be much more than they ever thought they could be. The series is a fun read and a good conclusion, if a little sad. Overall, take the time and enjoy this little trilogy. ​

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Steph Hayward-bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the final part of this adventure trilogy. Both me and my daughter were really invested in the characters and what happened to them. Inloved how everyone finally came together to defeat the undead dragon. We were both so sad at what happened to snabble. He was our favourite.

[Lorewarden]

This was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. Despite being aimed toward 8-12 year olds (according to the cover), the story takes itself seriously with real consequences and morals, even if they are simplified for a younger audience. Part of the Forgotten Realms.

[Marissa Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely my least favorite of the trilogy. I can't say what, but this book had me dragging my feet to read it. I'm interested to see if another book is in store for the danger club because I definitely think this is a fantasy book for middle grade readers.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Could be more interesting if it more serious. The dracolich was well done.

[Becket]

Kind of bland.

[S K · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was terrible when Snabla died! I thought it was lovely at the end when it described the statue. I feel like I could really picture it!