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Elementals #3
Battle Born
Though Anders and his friends have delayed a war between ice wolves and scorch dragons, their mission is far from over. With adults on both sides looking for them, they’ve sought refuge in Cloudhaven, a forbidden stronghold that could hold the key to saving their home.
Meanwhile, Holbard has been ravaged, and its citizens are reeling. Many have been forced into bleak camps outside the city, and food is running short.
To rebuild Vallen and unite scorch dragons, ice wolves, and humans, Anders and Rayna must put everything on the line…before the damage done is beyond repair. But the price of peace may hit closer to home than they could’ve ever imagined.
Meanwhile, Holbard has been ravaged, and its citizens are reeling. Many have been forced into bleak camps outside the city, and food is running short.
To rebuild Vallen and unite scorch dragons, ice wolves, and humans, Anders and Rayna must put everything on the line…before the damage done is beyond repair. But the price of peace may hit closer to home than they could’ve ever imagined.
166 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 2, 2020
63 people are currently reading
2415 people want to read
About the author
Amie Kaufman
36 books13.3k followersAmie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of young adult fiction. Her multi-award winning work is slated for publication in over 30 countries, and is in development for film and TV. Raised in Australia and occasionally Ireland, Amie has degrees in history, literature, law and conflict resolution. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and daughter, their rescue dog, and an extremely large personal library. She is the host of the podcasts Amie Kaufman on Writing, and Pub Dates.
You can sign up for her newsletter to see what she's working on, hear when she releases a new book, and be automatically entered for giveaways: https://amiekaufman.substack.com/
You can sign up for her newsletter to see what she's working on, hear when she releases a new book, and be automatically entered for giveaways: https://amiekaufman.substack.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
November 23, 2021
The 3rd and final episode in the Elementals trilogy, Battle Born by Aussie author Amie Kaufman was every bit as good as the first two, with a brilliant conclusion to this one. Twins Anders and Rayna, wolf and dragon, have done all in their limited power to stop the war between the ice wolves and scorch dragons, but it’s now time for the finale. As they sheltered in Cloudhaven where their mother Drifa had worked, their plan was simple but dangerous. Could they finally engineer peace between the three warring factions – ice wolves, scorch dragons and humans? An excellent trilogy, aimed at middle grade, but adults will enjoy it as well. Highly recommended.
February 9, 2021
Wonderful ending for a great cast of characters win a well built world.
June 28, 2020
So ends the Elementals trilogy and it was satisfying and much fun. Amie Kaufman created such a whimsical and rich world that focuses the most on family and togetherness.
Battle Born did a great job wrapping up everything while still enriching us, the reader, with more to learn and see. One of the best aspects of this series has always been the characters and this finale was no different. Every character had a purpose, a drive, a reason to help. It was so heart warming to watch this found family take on so much together. I will say I was still left wanting a little more from this world. It seems so massive and we only just scraped the surface, so I really hope we get to discover more in the future.
The Elementals was Amie's first venture as a solo author and she executed it wonderfully. Here is hoping we get more stories from Amie, just Amie. That's not saying I don't want more of her collaborations with other authors because I do.
Ice Wolves - 4/5
Scorch Dragons - 4/5
Battle Born - 4/5
Elementals Trilogy - 12/15
Battle Born did a great job wrapping up everything while still enriching us, the reader, with more to learn and see. One of the best aspects of this series has always been the characters and this finale was no different. Every character had a purpose, a drive, a reason to help. It was so heart warming to watch this found family take on so much together. I will say I was still left wanting a little more from this world. It seems so massive and we only just scraped the surface, so I really hope we get to discover more in the future.
The Elementals was Amie's first venture as a solo author and she executed it wonderfully. Here is hoping we get more stories from Amie, just Amie. That's not saying I don't want more of her collaborations with other authors because I do.
Ice Wolves - 4/5
Scorch Dragons - 4/5
Battle Born - 4/5
Elementals Trilogy - 12/15
September 22, 2020
What an amazing end to a fantastic trilogy. This book took me through every single emotion. I was completely thrown by the villain of this story but I thought back through and found out that it all made sense in the end.
June 19, 2020
I was really satisfied with the conclusion of this story. I love the twins and thought the uniting of characters in the last book in the trilogy worked really well. Good enjoyable read. 4 stars.
November 18, 2020
This is such a wholesome middle grade series with a good message, fun characters, and neat use of magic. I think I'll try to reread the trilogy together next winter.
July 10, 2020
Reading Method: Physical Book (Purchased Hardcover)
Reading Time: 2 Hours
Very disappointing conclusion to the Elementals trilogy for me unfortunately.
This story was definitely and clearly written in two halves. For the first half of the book we spend all of our time with the now combined and large group of wolf, dragon and human students who have gathered together in Cloudhaven. We follow them as they start to become closer and put aside their differences and learned animosity to explore the secrets behind Cloudhaven and explore and aid the Holberd refugee camp and try and figure out how to prevent all out conflict between humans, wolves and dragons.
While I enjoyed this section of the book, it basically didn't advance the overall plot whatsoever and didn't resolve any of the ongoing plot points from the first two books. For an already short book (My book only has 251 pages no matter what GoodReads page count says) having half of it devoted to basically nothing truly important in the grand scheme of things was a big problem.
The second half of the book ended up being all about finalizing their big plan to bring peace to Vallen and all of the artifact gathering, traveling around Vallen and meeting plus conversing with all of the important characters and leaders of the various groups that come with it. This is also the section where we finally clear up all of the mystery surrounding Anders' and Reyna's parents, Felix and Drifa and also what happened to Sigrid after the second battle of Holberd. Unfortunately what should have been a very touching and meaningful moment felt extremely rushed and glossed over which was really disappointing after the author had built up their eventual reunion with Drifa from book one.
Finally, I really did not like the method Anders used to bring together all 3 sides to try and create peace between them. It just seemed highly unrealistic and unlikely to succeed to me so I couldn't even find very much satisfaction with the conclusion of the series.
The only saving grace of this story for me personally was how much I enjoyed the interactions of the group at Cloudhaven along with the exploration they did and the mysteries that they both succeeded at solving and were attempting to solve. As much as it didn't progress the plot at all I have grown to love the interactions and the friendships that grew between all of the different students
Reading Time: 2 Hours
Very disappointing conclusion to the Elementals trilogy for me unfortunately.
This story was definitely and clearly written in two halves. For the first half of the book we spend all of our time with the now combined and large group of wolf, dragon and human students who have gathered together in Cloudhaven. We follow them as they start to become closer and put aside their differences and learned animosity to explore the secrets behind Cloudhaven and explore and aid the Holberd refugee camp and try and figure out how to prevent all out conflict between humans, wolves and dragons.
While I enjoyed this section of the book, it basically didn't advance the overall plot whatsoever and didn't resolve any of the ongoing plot points from the first two books. For an already short book (My book only has 251 pages no matter what GoodReads page count says) having half of it devoted to basically nothing truly important in the grand scheme of things was a big problem.
The second half of the book ended up being all about finalizing their big plan to bring peace to Vallen and all of the artifact gathering, traveling around Vallen and meeting plus conversing with all of the important characters and leaders of the various groups that come with it. This is also the section where we finally clear up all of the mystery surrounding Anders' and Reyna's parents, Felix and Drifa and also what happened to Sigrid after the second battle of Holberd. Unfortunately what should have been a very touching and meaningful moment felt extremely rushed and glossed over which was really disappointing after the author had built up their eventual reunion with Drifa from book one.
Finally, I really did not like the method Anders used to bring together all 3 sides to try and create peace between them. It just seemed highly unrealistic and unlikely to succeed to me so I couldn't even find very much satisfaction with the conclusion of the series.
The only saving grace of this story for me personally was how much I enjoyed the interactions of the group at Cloudhaven along with the exploration they did and the mysteries that they both succeeded at solving and were attempting to solve. As much as it didn't progress the plot at all I have grown to love the interactions and the friendships that grew between all of the different students
June 13, 2020
This book is a satisfying conclusion to the Elementals trilogy. After the destructive events of the previous book, all the children are in shock about the damage they inadvertently inflicted, tired and hopeless about what to do next. They have managed to escape to Cloudhaven, the early home of the dragons which is a magical entity in itself, which initially permits only Reyna and Anders to properly enter the premises. After taking some time to rest and take stock, they are back in the game, looking for allies, searching for their parents, attempting to understand Cloudhaven and its workings, trying to find a means to unite humans, wolves and dragons. It's an action-packed race to the finish with time being of the utmost essence. The mixed band of Elementals split up into smaller units to do the various tasks that need to be accomplished, picking up some human allies along the way. There is some suspicion as to who was behind the supposed dragon fire, and the reveal as to who is behind the entire escalation of hostility between wolves and dragons is not surprising, but it's very saddening. The final confrontation scene is very well done, and I found the artefacts used - one in particular - to be quite interesting.
The series gives a very good message about different communities working together and learning to deal with each others' differences.
The series gives a very good message about different communities working together and learning to deal with each others' differences.
August 11, 2023
This book-- actually this whole series was too amazing for me even to have words for it. Definitely earned a spot as one of my favorite series, and I'm pretty picky, so that's saying something! 😄 I loved this series soooooo much, it's the perfect blend of magic, friendship, adventure and suspense. It's more than that, but to describe it in detail, I would need a whole book. I love these books so incredibly much❣
October 28, 2020
Anders und Rayna verstecken sind mit ihren Freunden in der weißen Zuflucht, nachdem die Situation zwischen den Eiswölfen und den Feuerdrachen eskaliert ist und es zu einem Kampf gekommen ist. Dabei wurde Vallens Hauptstadt Holbard fast völlig zerstört. Die Menschen sind davon wenig begeistert und dementsprechend schlecht auf die Eiswölfe und die Feuerdrachen zu sprechen. Die Freunde sehen nur eine Chance, das ganz wieder gerade zu biegen, die 3 Parteien müssen sich versöhnen. Keine einfache Aufgabe für die Freunde.
Bei diesem Hörbuch handelt es sich um den 3. und letzten Teil der Beast Changers Reihe. Das Hörbuch ist 5 Stunden und 8 Minuten lang und wird von Julian Greis vorgelesen, der bereits Teil 1 und 2 vorgelesen hat. Seine Stimme gefällt mir wirklich sehr gut, er liest toll vor.
Auch der letzten Teil hat mir wieder ganz toll gefallen. Die Charaktere haben sich sehr gut entwickelt und sind an ihren Problemen gewachsen. Dieses Mal geht es vor allem darum, für Frieden zwischen den Menschen, Eiswölfen und Feuerdrachen zu sorgen. Das hat die Autorin sehr spannend umgesetzt.
Ich mochte die gesamte Reihe und kann sie auch älteren Hörern empfehlen. Von mir gibt es die volle Punktzahl.
Bei diesem Hörbuch handelt es sich um den 3. und letzten Teil der Beast Changers Reihe. Das Hörbuch ist 5 Stunden und 8 Minuten lang und wird von Julian Greis vorgelesen, der bereits Teil 1 und 2 vorgelesen hat. Seine Stimme gefällt mir wirklich sehr gut, er liest toll vor.
Auch der letzten Teil hat mir wieder ganz toll gefallen. Die Charaktere haben sich sehr gut entwickelt und sind an ihren Problemen gewachsen. Dieses Mal geht es vor allem darum, für Frieden zwischen den Menschen, Eiswölfen und Feuerdrachen zu sorgen. Das hat die Autorin sehr spannend umgesetzt.
Ich mochte die gesamte Reihe und kann sie auch älteren Hörern empfehlen. Von mir gibt es die volle Punktzahl.
June 15, 2020
This was a satisfying conclusion to a charming middle grade fantasy series about diversity and inclusion. It had a really heartwarming message and I enjoyed seeing the kids solving puzzles, going on adventures, bringing people together to talk through their problems.
I do wish it had been 50-100 pages longer, so we could learn more about artifacts and to let the resolution sit and simmer a while longer. (In general I wish we'd got more info about the artifacts and magic system!)
This series reads at the younger end of the middle grade spectrum, so would be perfect for those 8-10 year old fantasy readers in your life!
I do wish it had been 50-100 pages longer, so we could learn more about artifacts and to let the resolution sit and simmer a while longer. (In general I wish we'd got more info about the artifacts and magic system!)
This series reads at the younger end of the middle grade spectrum, so would be perfect for those 8-10 year old fantasy readers in your life!
February 20, 2024
What a wonderful finale and a great series! Could not wait to see how Anders and Rayna will stop the war and reinstall peace in Vallen city and at what cost … let’s also take a minute to admire the friendships between these kids…
July 16, 2020
If you're expecting a bunch of action scenes, nope. I liked how it was written though. And finally had closure with Drifa. It was definitely entertaining.
December 15, 2020
Sometimes you just need a middle-grade book to rest your brain. This trilogy was nice.
September 3, 2023
Solid ending to the series. I appreciated the surprises, and the hopeful ending. We could use a few of those artifacts in our world today!
October 8, 2024
While I think the ending may have been a bit too easy, I did really enjoy this book and the series.
Another hit by Amie Kaufman
Another hit by Amie Kaufman
Read
January 7, 2025Finished this with JP last night.
November 22, 2021
Nothing really happened that's exiting in this book in my opinion
August 18, 2023
A pretty good ending and I loved the book but some things I wanted to happen really badly just didn’t happen
September 23, 2024
The battle between the dragons and the wolves destroyed the city of Holbard driving all the human refugees out into the countryside to survive with what little they could carry. The dragons have retreated to the eyrie, the wolves have set up their own military camp up the river while Rayna and Anders little band are holed up in Cloudhaven.
Cloudhaven could be a wonderful place to live if the twins could just get it let their friends in.
Meanwhile on their secret forays to the ruins of Holbard and the refugee camps, the gang keep finding more of their friends and other lost children to bring back to the sanctuary until the is more than 50 of them. Since the secrets of Cloudhaven are slowly being revealed, the next step toward peace is to try and get the human, wolf and dragon leaders to talk to each other.
Wish they’d been about more about the wonders of Cloudhaven. Maybe some future stories from there.
Fave scenes: Rayna’s fruit tart, the ‘baby birds’, talking to the major, Ferdie & Sakaria’s near mishap and the mirrow meeting.
Cloudhaven could be a wonderful place to live if the twins could just get it let their friends in.
Meanwhile on their secret forays to the ruins of Holbard and the refugee camps, the gang keep finding more of their friends and other lost children to bring back to the sanctuary until the is more than 50 of them. Since the secrets of Cloudhaven are slowly being revealed, the next step toward peace is to try and get the human, wolf and dragon leaders to talk to each other.
Wish they’d been about more about the wonders of Cloudhaven. Maybe some future stories from there.
Fave scenes: Rayna’s fruit tart, the ‘baby birds’, talking to the major, Ferdie & Sakaria’s near mishap and the mirrow meeting.
October 8, 2020
This book was a little underwhelming. It was only 166 pages (on my kindle), so it was really short, and it felt like everything was just kind of surface-level. I enjoyed the first two books, but I was hoping for a lot more from this one.
December 10, 2023
Though a tad rushed, this conclusion to the trilogy was full of heart and magic. I enjoyed myself immensely.
December 17, 2025
Very low four stars; a very solid conclusion to the trilogy!
As with the other two books, I really enjoyed the author’s writing style! She has a great way of words that really works with middle-grade, and it kept the pacing pretty consistent, too. My only complaints are pretty minor. First off, the chapters are still a little on the long side, although they’re better than last book. And secondly, this book unfortunately fell just a bit into a common middle-grade pitfall of describing scenes that happened and rushing through what could be good character building and necessary filler to make the story feel complete. For example, the characters would leave Cloudhaven to go on a mission, and instead of describing that scene, the author would just say they left and move to the next scene. While that’s not inherently a bad thing, it does lose those more trivial but grounding moments that really made the story more believable and real, so I definitely missed them.
Oh, and also the author needed to stop title-dropping multiple times per paragraph at the end. The first time was actually really cool, but then the moment was ruined when Anders kept repeating the phrase. That’s a small nitpick, but title drops are veery noticeable and can seriously break the mood if used incorrectly, so I felt it important enough to comment on.
Other than that, the plot was pretty good for this one. Adding the humans in after not talking about them really at all last book did feel a bit jarring, but that idea was put in our heads in book one, so I can’t be too mad about it. I really like that the final conflict was resolved without a battle. Sure, fighting would have made for a cool end to the story, but it’s good that the book stuck to its themes and still delivered a satisfying conclusion. I was very impressed overall with that aspect.
Unfortunately, the characters were the weakest part of the book by far, in my opinion.
Anders has been demoted to a fine lead. His arc was basically concluded already after book two, but of course this is the book where he thinks about his own development the most, so it feels a little strained. He’s still an alright main character, but he’s now really lacking in flaws, which makes him pretty flat.
Rayna kind of faded to the background in this book, which was pretty disappointing to me. I was hoping to see more of her. What we did see was good, but enter wasn’t really anything substantial for he that Anders didn’t also feel and explain, so I still feel we should have gotten more of her.
Lizabet was weird in this one. She’s never been my favorite of the side characters, but in this book the author tried to do something with her relationship with her mother, Sigrid, and it just felt off. I appreciate the effort to make her more interesting as a person, but her entire ‘arc’ felt predictable and brushed over. I wish it’d gotten more focus, if the author really wanted to keep it.
The other side characters were all pretty good. Most of them didn’t really get much time or focus, but when they showed up they were consistent, and I do like that the beginning had some bumps. Unfortunately, there were a LOT of background/side characters in this book, so it did get hard to keep track of them all. I wish so,e of the new ones, like those humans I mentioned earlier who came out of nowhere, had more distinct personalities to differentiate them.
Hayn and Leif remained fun, wholesome mentor figures throughout the book. I really like that yhey both kept faith in the main cast the whole time, and Hayn’s familial bond with the twins was super sweet.
Drifa’s plot was a little weird, but I do appreciate that the book committed to killing her off. Generally, orphans finding out they aren’t actually orphans after they’ve won the big battle feels cheap and plot-convenience-y to me, so I’m glad this story didn’t go that route.
The only real villain was Sigrid, who I have mixed feelings on. The idea of her going insane is pretty interesting, but I’m not sure it was foreshadowed or set up very well at all. The final showdown with her in the sub levels of Cloudhaven also felt a little underwhelming. Much like with Drifa, I’m glad the author committed to killing her off, but I was hoping for more somehow with her subplot. Maybe that’s on me, though.
Aside from her, the threat of the general Dragonmeet, wolf pack, and vague human army were enough to make a good driving force for the story.
Overall, I really loved this trilogy! I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good adventure story with a unique magic system.
SERIES RATINGS:
Ice Wolves: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Scorch Dragons: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Battle Born: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As with the other two books, I really enjoyed the author’s writing style! She has a great way of words that really works with middle-grade, and it kept the pacing pretty consistent, too. My only complaints are pretty minor. First off, the chapters are still a little on the long side, although they’re better than last book. And secondly, this book unfortunately fell just a bit into a common middle-grade pitfall of describing scenes that happened and rushing through what could be good character building and necessary filler to make the story feel complete. For example, the characters would leave Cloudhaven to go on a mission, and instead of describing that scene, the author would just say they left and move to the next scene. While that’s not inherently a bad thing, it does lose those more trivial but grounding moments that really made the story more believable and real, so I definitely missed them.
Oh, and also the author needed to stop title-dropping multiple times per paragraph at the end. The first time was actually really cool, but then the moment was ruined when Anders kept repeating the phrase. That’s a small nitpick, but title drops are veery noticeable and can seriously break the mood if used incorrectly, so I felt it important enough to comment on.
Other than that, the plot was pretty good for this one. Adding the humans in after not talking about them really at all last book did feel a bit jarring, but that idea was put in our heads in book one, so I can’t be too mad about it. I really like that the final conflict was resolved without a battle. Sure, fighting would have made for a cool end to the story, but it’s good that the book stuck to its themes and still delivered a satisfying conclusion. I was very impressed overall with that aspect.
Unfortunately, the characters were the weakest part of the book by far, in my opinion.
Anders has been demoted to a fine lead. His arc was basically concluded already after book two, but of course this is the book where he thinks about his own development the most, so it feels a little strained. He’s still an alright main character, but he’s now really lacking in flaws, which makes him pretty flat.
Rayna kind of faded to the background in this book, which was pretty disappointing to me. I was hoping to see more of her. What we did see was good, but enter wasn’t really anything substantial for he that Anders didn’t also feel and explain, so I still feel we should have gotten more of her.
Lizabet was weird in this one. She’s never been my favorite of the side characters, but in this book the author tried to do something with her relationship with her mother, Sigrid, and it just felt off. I appreciate the effort to make her more interesting as a person, but her entire ‘arc’ felt predictable and brushed over. I wish it’d gotten more focus, if the author really wanted to keep it.
The other side characters were all pretty good. Most of them didn’t really get much time or focus, but when they showed up they were consistent, and I do like that the beginning had some bumps. Unfortunately, there were a LOT of background/side characters in this book, so it did get hard to keep track of them all. I wish so,e of the new ones, like those humans I mentioned earlier who came out of nowhere, had more distinct personalities to differentiate them.
Hayn and Leif remained fun, wholesome mentor figures throughout the book. I really like that yhey both kept faith in the main cast the whole time, and Hayn’s familial bond with the twins was super sweet.
Drifa’s plot was a little weird, but I do appreciate that the book committed to killing her off. Generally, orphans finding out they aren’t actually orphans after they’ve won the big battle feels cheap and plot-convenience-y to me, so I’m glad this story didn’t go that route.
The only real villain was Sigrid, who I have mixed feelings on. The idea of her going insane is pretty interesting, but I’m not sure it was foreshadowed or set up very well at all. The final showdown with her in the sub levels of Cloudhaven also felt a little underwhelming. Much like with Drifa, I’m glad the author committed to killing her off, but I was hoping for more somehow with her subplot. Maybe that’s on me, though.
Aside from her, the threat of the general Dragonmeet, wolf pack, and vague human army were enough to make a good driving force for the story.
Overall, I really loved this trilogy! I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good adventure story with a unique magic system.
SERIES RATINGS:
Ice Wolves: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Scorch Dragons: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Battle Born: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2021
Battle Born by Amie Kaufman: Middle-grade. Secondary-World Fantasy. Adventure. Action. Friends. Family. Single POV. Shapeshifting. Humans. Dragons. Wolves. Accountability. Unity. Leadership. Artefacts. Subterfuge.
I have enjoyed this series, and I think this book gives it a good farewell.
In the same way that Ice Wolves introduced us to the wolves, and Scorch Dragons to the dragons, Battle Born introduces us to the humans.
In Battle Born, characters familiar and new face new challenges. As they retreat to Cloudhaven to take stock of their new situation, new secrets and mysteries are unveiled, and ever side; dragons, wolves and humans are preparing to fight. With the distinction of Holbard, Anders and his friends seek a way to help everyone and prevent a war before more people are hurt.
As for things I liked about this book, I loved that Holbard was left in devastation; buildings destroy, families torn up, and homes not safe. It was a realistic turn-of-events that raised the stakes and the empathy you feel for different characters.
I also loved the sense of unity that develops between Anders, his shapeshifting friends and the new human characters; people we've seen in passing, but are now given the chance to know. They're awesome. I liked that Anders still had this connection to his street-raised family, and how they were providers, friends, and each others families.
Cloudhaven was perhaps my favourite part of this entire series. It would have been cool to have more adventures up there with the characters, but in any case, what was written was very enjoyable.
Stylistic/technical comments: the highs and lows of the plot were average, and while this is still entertaining and engaging, the stakes and emotional input of characters could have been higher. The cool behaviour descriptions evident in Book 1 are also absent from this title, unfortunately. There was shapeshifting, but with little to no behavioural descriptions; perhaps this is why the emotional input I picked up from characters wasn't as powerful. I didn't notice any no spelling or grammar mistakes, and the plot was solid without oversights or plot holes. Overall, I enjoyed it. Though, the last line
How much I liked it: 4 stars
Ideas - World-Building: 5 stars
Ideas - Plot: 4 stars
Character Depth: 4 stars
Animal Characterisation: N/A.
Execution: 5 stars
I have enjoyed this series, and I think this book gives it a good farewell.
In the same way that Ice Wolves introduced us to the wolves, and Scorch Dragons to the dragons, Battle Born introduces us to the humans.
In Battle Born, characters familiar and new face new challenges. As they retreat to Cloudhaven to take stock of their new situation, new secrets and mysteries are unveiled, and ever side; dragons, wolves and humans are preparing to fight. With the distinction of Holbard, Anders and his friends seek a way to help everyone and prevent a war before more people are hurt.
As for things I liked about this book, I loved that Holbard was left in devastation; buildings destroy, families torn up, and homes not safe. It was a realistic turn-of-events that raised the stakes and the empathy you feel for different characters.
I also loved the sense of unity that develops between Anders, his shapeshifting friends and the new human characters; people we've seen in passing, but are now given the chance to know. They're awesome. I liked that Anders still had this connection to his street-raised family, and how they were providers, friends, and each others families.
Cloudhaven was perhaps my favourite part of this entire series. It would have been cool to have more adventures up there with the characters, but in any case, what was written was very enjoyable.
Stylistic/technical comments: the highs and lows of the plot were average, and while this is still entertaining and engaging, the stakes and emotional input of characters could have been higher. The cool behaviour descriptions evident in Book 1 are also absent from this title, unfortunately. There was shapeshifting, but with little to no behavioural descriptions; perhaps this is why the emotional input I picked up from characters wasn't as powerful. I didn't notice any no spelling or grammar mistakes, and the plot was solid without oversights or plot holes. Overall, I enjoyed it. Though, the last line
How much I liked it: 4 stars
Ideas - World-Building: 5 stars
Ideas - Plot: 4 stars
Character Depth: 4 stars
Animal Characterisation: N/A.
Execution: 5 stars
May 17, 2021
Por alguna extraña razón me esperaba más de esta serie, quizá porque el primer libro me gustó bastante. A pesar de que su premisa no era novedosa si tenía elementos muy buenos que con un buen desarrollo podría dar lugar a una estupenda serie. Pero la serie ya finaliza con este volumen y la sensación que tengo es que todo se ha quedado a medio cocer. Quizá es porque el libro está orientado hacia un público más infantil que juvenil que no hay gran desarrollo de los personajes o nada de acción, salvo unos momentos puntuales. O quizá no hay ninguna escusa: el libro es muy soso.
El protagonista principal, Anders, sigue siendo el niño lobo que puede lanzar hielo/fuego. Su hermana gemela Rayna, que es un dragón, carece de un poder especial. A estas alturas resulta extraño que la autora no diera más protagonista a la hermana, y si bien se ve que en ciertos momentos los dos son necesarios, es el punto de vista de Anders, el principal. Todos lo ven como el jefe.
Los personajes secundarios están ahí pero poco más, hay tantos que no da tiempo a empatizar con ninguno. Los adultos no destacan mucho, salvo quizá el tío de los gemelos.
La trama se divide en dos partes. La primera es la reunión de todos: dragones, lobos y humanos en la forma de un grupo de niños que deben sobrevivir a los desastres que han causado los adultos. Aquí no pasa nada de nada. No hay desarrollo, no hay aventura, no hay elementos que destaquen, no hay rivalidades... no hay nada interesante. Y eso es un problema porque es la mitad del libro.
En la otra mitad hay un poco más de movimiento pero no se ha añade nada de intriga, emoción o aventura. Se podría decir que todo es demasiado soso.
La forma en la que se soluciona todo es bastante cuestionable, pero hay que pensar que este es un libro juvenil o más bien infantil así que no puedo esperar algo que se podría dar en cualquier novela fantástica épica.
Como lectura no está mal, sirve para pasar un buen rato y seguramente a los más pequeños de la casa les gustará aunque a los adultos puede que no tanto.
¿Lo recomendaría? Como lectura de aventuras, diría que no porque no hay nada interesante en él, pero si quieres leer un libro políticamente correcto, la respuesta es sí.
No sé si leeré algo de Kaufman en un tiempo. Este último me ha dejado un poco decepcionada para elegir algo de ella en un futuro próximo.
Opinión completa
El protagonista principal, Anders, sigue siendo el niño lobo que puede lanzar hielo/fuego. Su hermana gemela Rayna, que es un dragón, carece de un poder especial. A estas alturas resulta extraño que la autora no diera más protagonista a la hermana, y si bien se ve que en ciertos momentos los dos son necesarios, es el punto de vista de Anders, el principal. Todos lo ven como el jefe.
Los personajes secundarios están ahí pero poco más, hay tantos que no da tiempo a empatizar con ninguno. Los adultos no destacan mucho, salvo quizá el tío de los gemelos.
La trama se divide en dos partes. La primera es la reunión de todos: dragones, lobos y humanos en la forma de un grupo de niños que deben sobrevivir a los desastres que han causado los adultos. Aquí no pasa nada de nada. No hay desarrollo, no hay aventura, no hay elementos que destaquen, no hay rivalidades... no hay nada interesante. Y eso es un problema porque es la mitad del libro.
En la otra mitad hay un poco más de movimiento pero no se ha añade nada de intriga, emoción o aventura. Se podría decir que todo es demasiado soso.
La forma en la que se soluciona todo es bastante cuestionable, pero hay que pensar que este es un libro juvenil o más bien infantil así que no puedo esperar algo que se podría dar en cualquier novela fantástica épica.
Como lectura no está mal, sirve para pasar un buen rato y seguramente a los más pequeños de la casa les gustará aunque a los adultos puede que no tanto.
¿Lo recomendaría? Como lectura de aventuras, diría que no porque no hay nada interesante en él, pero si quieres leer un libro políticamente correcto, la respuesta es sí.
No sé si leeré algo de Kaufman en un tiempo. Este último me ha dejado un poco decepcionada para elegir algo de ella en un futuro próximo.
Opinión completa
August 6, 2022
Nachdem Holbard dem Boden gleichgemacht wurde, spitzt sich die Lage zu. Die Menschen fühlen sich im Stich gelassen, die Eiswölfe fühlen sich hintergangen und die Drachen fühlen sich zu Unrecht beschuldigt. Die Zwillingsgeschwister Anders und Rayna sowie ihre Freunde verstecken sich an einem besonderen Ort. Dort werden sie ebenfalls mit Differenzen konfrontiert, doch sie merken schnell, dass es ein Vorteil ist, dass alle so verschieden sind. Sie erkennen die Stärken eines jeden einzelnen und können ihre Kräfte bündeln, um sich gegen den Krieg zu stellen.
Das Cover gefällt mir wieder gut und passt auch gut zur Reihe. Anders und Rayne vereint auf einem Cover. Der Schreibstil ist einfach, kindgerecht und flüssig. Ich bin regelrecht durch die Seiten geflogen.
Anders Entwicklung ist gut gelungen. Seine Schwester Rayna entwickelt sich ebenfalls sehr gut. Sie sind beide starke Helden, die als Beispiel vorangehen. Sie sind Kinder von einem Drachen und einem Eiswolf und sind bei den Menschen aufgewachsen. Daher kennen sie alle drei Seiten und können jede Seite verstehen.
Die Geschichte gefällt mir wirklich gut. Ich liebe die Friedensbotschaft und die Gleichberechtigung, die in dem Buch thematisiert werden. Es geht nicht darum einen Schuldigen zu finden, sondern eine Welt für alle, in der jeder gleichberechtigt leben kann, zu schaffen. Es geht darum eine Heimat zu schaffen, die für Wölfe, Drachen und Menschen ist.
Bei dem Ende bin ich zwiegespalten. Auf der einen Seite finde ich das Finale toll, weil es unblutig und ohne Kampf abgelaufen ist. Es fokussiert sich auf den Frieden und einen Kompromiss. Auf der anderen Seite finde ich das Ende zu schnell herbeigeführt und zu schnell abgehandelt. Es lief zum Schluss alles zu aalglatt ab. Und das finde ich schade, denn die Geschichte erstreckt sich über 3 Bände und dann läuft das Ende ohne Zwischenfall ab. Das hat für mich leider nicht so ganz zur Geschichte gepasst. Vor allem wenn man bedenkt wie engstirnig alle Parteien sind. Daher gibt es einen Punkt Abzug.
Die Geschichte hat mir wirklich gefallen. Ich mag die Idee der Geschichte von den zwei Geschwistern, die einen Wandel herbeiführen. Ich mag auch das Zusammenleben von Menschen, Drachen und Wölfen. Und auch das Setting ist einfach nur wunderschön und naturgetreu. Wer eine Geschichte über Gestaltwandler sucht, wird hier fündig.
Das Cover gefällt mir wieder gut und passt auch gut zur Reihe. Anders und Rayne vereint auf einem Cover. Der Schreibstil ist einfach, kindgerecht und flüssig. Ich bin regelrecht durch die Seiten geflogen.
Anders Entwicklung ist gut gelungen. Seine Schwester Rayna entwickelt sich ebenfalls sehr gut. Sie sind beide starke Helden, die als Beispiel vorangehen. Sie sind Kinder von einem Drachen und einem Eiswolf und sind bei den Menschen aufgewachsen. Daher kennen sie alle drei Seiten und können jede Seite verstehen.
Die Geschichte gefällt mir wirklich gut. Ich liebe die Friedensbotschaft und die Gleichberechtigung, die in dem Buch thematisiert werden. Es geht nicht darum einen Schuldigen zu finden, sondern eine Welt für alle, in der jeder gleichberechtigt leben kann, zu schaffen. Es geht darum eine Heimat zu schaffen, die für Wölfe, Drachen und Menschen ist.
Bei dem Ende bin ich zwiegespalten. Auf der einen Seite finde ich das Finale toll, weil es unblutig und ohne Kampf abgelaufen ist. Es fokussiert sich auf den Frieden und einen Kompromiss. Auf der anderen Seite finde ich das Ende zu schnell herbeigeführt und zu schnell abgehandelt. Es lief zum Schluss alles zu aalglatt ab. Und das finde ich schade, denn die Geschichte erstreckt sich über 3 Bände und dann läuft das Ende ohne Zwischenfall ab. Das hat für mich leider nicht so ganz zur Geschichte gepasst. Vor allem wenn man bedenkt wie engstirnig alle Parteien sind. Daher gibt es einen Punkt Abzug.
Die Geschichte hat mir wirklich gefallen. Ich mag die Idee der Geschichte von den zwei Geschwistern, die einen Wandel herbeiführen. Ich mag auch das Zusammenleben von Menschen, Drachen und Wölfen. Und auch das Setting ist einfach nur wunderschön und naturgetreu. Wer eine Geschichte über Gestaltwandler sucht, wird hier fündig.
May 29, 2021
There must be a way for dragons, wolves, and humans to live together in peace. However, that's become more difficult following the battle in Holbard. The wolves don't trust us, because they think we're working with the dragons. The dragons don't trust us, because my twin brother Anders is a wolf. Our mixed group of survivors must find a safe place to hide, but we can't figure out how to get Cloudhaven to allow anyone besides Anders and I to enter. The war escalated when our mother was accused of murdering our father, but we know that can't be true. Someone has been pitting the dragons against the wolves, and there is evidence the destruction in the harbor wasn't caused by dragon fire, as it appeared. We haven't seen our mother since we were two, but it feels like she's the key to ending the conflict.
You should read the first two books before reading this conclusion to the series. I hadn't read the second one in over a year, and I wish I could've better remembered the previous events. I was still able to enjoy the story, and the series came to a satisfying conclusion. The war between the dragons and wolves was like a feud, as it had become a way of life. They had forgotten that things used to be different, as they did everything they could to stay separated. Humans were seen as lesser creatures and ended up caught in the middle. The positive message displayed by the main characters was that communication was more effective than fighting. The leaders of the dragons and wolves were dead set against it, and the reaction of the human leader was unexpected. The overall message was about appreciating diversity and differences and learning to live together. Being different didn't make one group better than another. While it's hard to believe a book with dragons, wolves, and titled Battle Born didn't contain much action, this book was still entertaining, and the plot moved along nicely. I recommend you give the whole series a shot.
You should read the first two books before reading this conclusion to the series. I hadn't read the second one in over a year, and I wish I could've better remembered the previous events. I was still able to enjoy the story, and the series came to a satisfying conclusion. The war between the dragons and wolves was like a feud, as it had become a way of life. They had forgotten that things used to be different, as they did everything they could to stay separated. Humans were seen as lesser creatures and ended up caught in the middle. The positive message displayed by the main characters was that communication was more effective than fighting. The leaders of the dragons and wolves were dead set against it, and the reaction of the human leader was unexpected. The overall message was about appreciating diversity and differences and learning to live together. Being different didn't make one group better than another. While it's hard to believe a book with dragons, wolves, and titled Battle Born didn't contain much action, this book was still entertaining, and the plot moved along nicely. I recommend you give the whole series a shot.
October 31, 2020
Ice wolf Anders, Dragon and sister Rayna, and a mix of both dragon and human friends have fled from the battle at Holbard between the three factions. Instead of preventing more bloodshed, the battle has caused more tension than ever.
Survivor camps have sprung up outside Holbard – the Ice Wolves closing ranks and preparing for battle, and the humans in shock, cold, hungry and begging their Mayor to do something.
Anders and friends have holed up in a giant entranceway in Cloudhaven, a forbidden stronghold wrapped in magic, ancient runes and traps. It’s only when they find a link to the past Cloudhaven occupants that they can move any further inside. They find what they need, but something dangerous from within finds them!
The link (through their dreams) not only leads them to answers needed, they meet someone special, giving Anders the confidence he needs. He has to bring the leaders together. After living with his growing group of friends, he knows that Dragon, Wolf and Human can live peaceably and work together for a better future.
His biggest challenge yet is to trick the leaders into facing one another – without more bloodshed. Tears will be shed along the way, as powerplays and madness are revealed and lives lost.
Tension is high in this final part of the Elementals trilogy. Anders must dig deep to finally bring the age-old hatred and prejudice between Dragon, Human and Wolf to an end. Courage, family, brave friends and their support give Anders the answers and tools he needs to attempt an almost impossible task.
Great series by an award wining and talented author who nails it every time!
Author – Amie Kaufman
Age – 9+
Survivor camps have sprung up outside Holbard – the Ice Wolves closing ranks and preparing for battle, and the humans in shock, cold, hungry and begging their Mayor to do something.
Anders and friends have holed up in a giant entranceway in Cloudhaven, a forbidden stronghold wrapped in magic, ancient runes and traps. It’s only when they find a link to the past Cloudhaven occupants that they can move any further inside. They find what they need, but something dangerous from within finds them!
The link (through their dreams) not only leads them to answers needed, they meet someone special, giving Anders the confidence he needs. He has to bring the leaders together. After living with his growing group of friends, he knows that Dragon, Wolf and Human can live peaceably and work together for a better future.
His biggest challenge yet is to trick the leaders into facing one another – without more bloodshed. Tears will be shed along the way, as powerplays and madness are revealed and lives lost.
Tension is high in this final part of the Elementals trilogy. Anders must dig deep to finally bring the age-old hatred and prejudice between Dragon, Human and Wolf to an end. Courage, family, brave friends and their support give Anders the answers and tools he needs to attempt an almost impossible task.
Great series by an award wining and talented author who nails it every time!
Author – Amie Kaufman
Age – 9+
May 3, 2021
4/5 stars. Overall I enjoyed this a lot, the magical system and the adventure in this book were amazing. I loved how there were so many cool places in Vallen they discovered. And how cool Cloudhaven was. I loved how they all worked together as a team and never gave up. They discovered new places and new people. I liked how there were dragons, wolves and humans all together. I like how the 2 main characters Anders and Rayna helped others. Some critics about this book were there were too many characters I couldn't keep up I would give this 4 stars but I'm still not sure.
So this book is about how a battle started between the wolves, dragons and humans. The dragons and wolves both destroyed their city called Holboard. With the snow stone, they were ruining Holboard so Anders and his friends decided to use the sun sceptre to stop it but it just caused bigger problems and the whole city was damaged due to this. Anders and Rayna and his friends went to Cloudhaven because they thought it was safer there and they wouldn't get caught. They needed to find a way to get Holboard to be a better city and there would be no battles between the humans, wolves, and dragons. They stayed at Cloudhaven and explored a cave where Drifa (Anders and Rayna's mother) was located. They also bring more children from the human camp because they were sick and hungry and they helped them. After they decided they didn't want to wait any longer they wanted to find a way to create peace between the wolves, dragons and humans. So Drifa helped them with that. So they could save Holboard and Vallen overall and not have battles anymore.
So this book is about how a battle started between the wolves, dragons and humans. The dragons and wolves both destroyed their city called Holboard. With the snow stone, they were ruining Holboard so Anders and his friends decided to use the sun sceptre to stop it but it just caused bigger problems and the whole city was damaged due to this. Anders and Rayna and his friends went to Cloudhaven because they thought it was safer there and they wouldn't get caught. They needed to find a way to get Holboard to be a better city and there would be no battles between the humans, wolves, and dragons. They stayed at Cloudhaven and explored a cave where Drifa (Anders and Rayna's mother) was located. They also bring more children from the human camp because they were sick and hungry and they helped them. After they decided they didn't want to wait any longer they wanted to find a way to create peace between the wolves, dragons and humans. So Drifa helped them with that. So they could save Holboard and Vallen overall and not have battles anymore.
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