Found

Magic Thief #3

by Sarah Prineas

Never turn your back on a dragon!

Sneaking out of prison isn't easy, unless you are a thief, or a wizard. Luckily, Conn is both! Trouble is, once he's out, where does he go? His home is a pile of rubble since he blew it up doing magic. His master, the wizard Nevery, is not happy with him. Worst of all, Conn's been exiled, and staying in the city will mean his death.

But Wellmet is in danger from an evil predator coming to destroy the city, and Conn must set off on a quest to fight it. Suddenly, a huge shadow looms over him and he is swept away by something more awesome than his wildest imaginings. Is Conn brave enough to answer magic's call, or is he really just a thief at heart?

Sarah Prineas's incredible world explodes with adventure—a place where cities run on living magic and heroes come from the most surprising places.

Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Middle Grade, Adventure, Young Adult, Childrens, Fiction

358 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Coming in April 2021 from Philomel, Trouble in the Stars! It's a middle grade science fiction adventure about a shapeshifter kid.

And Dragonfell is out in paperback in April 2020.

Happy reading!

My website: www.sarah-prineas.com

Reviews

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve had a chance to peruse my review of the first two books in this series, you’ll know that I loved them both and that same level of enjoyment was extended to this final book in the series. It is not easy to write three books that maintain the same high level of excitement from readers, yet Sarah does it flawlessly. In fact, I was very sorry to finish and wished she was continuing it!

In this final installment of the The Magic Theif series, the magic takes a firmer grip on Conn in this story and I found my eyes tripping over themselves in the final few chapters to find out what happens! Action and adventure are intertwined in a way that never lets you go. And yet, despite the speedy rollercoaster, Sarah doesn’t loosen her grip on a character-driven story. The two combine for a successful and satisfying conclusion to this excellent trilogy.

The wonderful thing about a series is the way that readers get to know places and characters. If the intensity of the plot twists can keep you in its grip, you have the opportunity to explore all the nooks and crannies of the world and see into all the hidden places within a character. This series is exactly that type of read - it stays with you long after you have put the books away on your shelf.

Sarah Prineas has been put on my ‘must buy everything she ever writes’ list. How lovely for both myself and my children!

[Hallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From an LJ post:

Then I went off to my bed and the rest of The Magic Thief: Found, which was just wonderful. It's younger than YA, and still has one of the most interesting magics (you can't really call it a system of magic, which is part of the interest) I've read in ages. And the development in this (the third) book is just perfect - as you might guess from the subtitle, but that of course, could be referring to anything. Conn continues to be a wonder - as well as the understated depictions of his emotional responses I've mentioned before, I was very taken with his blend of complete clarity and totally blinkered vision in this one. He sees so clearly what needs to be done, and simply can't imagine others - those in positions of authority especially - not getting it once they've had the chance to see it themselves. And another chance. And another. His dawning recognition that they were really going to exact the punishment imposed on him despite the massive, immediate crisis facing the city was brilliant.

Aside from that, I love - lovelovelove - the quiet and unselfconscious way in which there's playing with expected gender roles. There's disruption of a lot of expectations, for that matter. The family of Nevery, Benet and Conn is so delightful and the ties between them so delicately varied: Nevery's treating Conn as an equal to the extent he doesn't notice he's literally starving; Benet's nurturing care for Conn, which is all shown physically, while he rarely calls him anything other than 'you' (with the odd desperate attempt to protect him by violence when needed), and Conn's worry that either of them will get in trouble for helping him, along with his ability to quietly disobey Nevery if it's a question of something he knows he just has to do, for example(s). And poor Ro! (Though she's got to kick stupid Argent hard, soon.) And Kerrn. She's been so antagonistic to Conn, for obvious reasons, but when her sense of duty and loyalty to the commands of her ruler finally came into unavoidable conflict with her sense of justice - not to mention commonsense - she doesn't disappoint. Oh, and the reveal about another character, and the way it affects the question of social injustice? Win.

I was mentally comparing it to a few adult fantasies I've read (nothing written by *anyone* who'll be reading this!) and it's the lightness of touch with which the reader (Magic Thief reader, that is) is given a cooking, knitting bruiser of a bodyguard, or a tough-as-nails (female) captain of the guard that really impresses. Or the unexpected joy of discovering why Conn has been a Chosen One - not that I'm going to spoil that. Not all adult fantasies thump their chests and say "Look at me - *I'm* transgressing gender - or race, or class - stereotypes", of course. But I'm still not going to miss the opportunity to point out complexities and meaningful subversions in my non-adult book reading, either!

Finally, even if it didn't have all these (and more) delights, it's got awesome dragons. They're anything but cute, but I still defy any reader not to melt over Pip. "The cave dragon spoke. Its voice rumbled up through the stone step and into me. TALLENNAR Inside the knapsack, the tiny dragon squeaked - Pip!" It's a biting, escaping thief of a tiny dragon - does that suggest anyone for whom it might be a perfect match?

[Haddayr · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I really liked best about this book and all the books was the voice. Conn has a strong presence. I also liked how he just refuses to go along with what he is told and he finds his own way. My son LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. As I read it, his eyes grew bigger and bigger as he dramatically clutched the covers under his chin in suspense and awe.

If Prineas does not publish the very last book I shall never forgive her, and more to the point, neither will my son.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um, I wanted to like this book, but there were just so many problems.

The author borrows so much so completely, none of it feels very fresh or clever. First, Nevery was a bit of a Merlin from Sword in the Stone, then he transformed into a grumpy Dumbledore, then the series suddenly became How to Train Your Dragon (the books, not the movies), so Nevery was superfluous. I'm focusing on Nevery because I had big hope for him, but they were never realized.

The writing itself stalls out quite often, too -- enough to make me wonder if maybe the author was working with an unforgiving deadline.

And the ending -- well, that was pretty much completely unsatisfactory because it was pretty much completely non-existent.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a massive confession. I feel if this is the end of the series utterly cheated. I have no closure, I felt it was a bit of a weak ending and I just... feel like the whole series was wrapped up way to quickly.

I am glad that there was more of Conn and the wizard in this book. I felt it was missing from the second one and it made me sad. But I am still a bit disappointed in the ending.

That said, there were a few sections that weren't explained very well and I felt I missed out on something. But other then that if this was just another book in a series I'd love it.

EDIT: A new book has been released. I shall see if I can amend my opinion.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

The third book in the fabulous Magic Thief series builds to an incredibly exciting climax that finishes the trilogy arc perfectly. The ending was beautiful and poignant and just right.

I'm really hoping to read more Conn adventures in the future!

[connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really didn't remember much of this series other than a general wholesome vibe nice

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

On to the next in the series.

[Christa Schönmann Abbühl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the third book even better than the first two! Maybe because it was all new to me? I love where this is going, and how we learn about the magic and where it comes from. I love the way Conn relates to others, always true to himself and the magic. I was deeply touched by Nevery‘s grief close to the end. Sniff.

Now I have to switch to ebook, or buy the last two books in audio format, too... Decisions, decisions.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good installment in a fun series.

[Jasmine Giacomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy howdy. I loved this book. Very much the sort of fantasy I enjoy reading. By mistake, I picked up book three, while believing it was book one (not having a memory of book one's cover, I overlooked the significance of the word FOUND on the cover in my book-selecting frenzy - silly me). Once home, I realized by looking at the first pages that I had skipped searching for The Magic Thief and The Magic Thief: Lost, and jumped to the end of the trilogy.

However, happily, Ms. Prineas was kind enough to let Conn have the occasional flashback, and I soon fit right in to his world, gleaning relevant facts from books one and two. I had the oddest impression that the first bit of the story, where Conn lurks in the dark, waiting to pick Nevery's pocket, was perhaps a throwback to the beginning of book one. Whether or not this is the case, I did pick up a lovely sense of cycle and repetition that in no way overwhelmed the narrative, and instead gave it excellent touches of continuity and closure (see beginning and end of book for a good example).

The concepts in this book were amazingly entertaining. What is magic? Where does it come from? How do cities begin? What is Arhionvar, and what is its motive? Why has Wellmet always been so divided? (this wasn't ever stated outright, and might have been touched on in earlier books, but there were plenty of delicate hints in this book to make me believe that there was more than just a cultural divide where the river flowed)

While Conn is the youngest character in the book, he's crucial to the plot, not least of which is in his interconnectivity between various disparate groups of adults. Without him, they'd never speak to each other or learn different perspectives. He is the medium through which the book's plot unfolds, and he personifies communication, despite the fact that he's notorious for not speaking at all.

Conn's character was in full flower in this third book, and I found him amazingly consistent and true to himself. This is a strong point of the author, I see, as her other major characters are easily recognized by their behaviour and attitude as much as by their appearance or location. Strong characters always make me love a book, along with brain-fizzingly awesome magical concepts and strong settings. Kerrn, Nevery and Benet were favorites. The little dragon, Pip, was the least developed, most likely because it couldn't communicate, and thus felt pretty random as an addition to the plot. It struck me as little more than a device to make Conn's magic sporadic throughout the remainder of the book.

The pages that were notes from one character to another were an entertaining addition, and I enjoyed seeing the characters' personalities come through in their own writing. Way to get around the single-perspective limitation that first person POV brings. Personally, I heartily dislike first-person for precisely this reason: it's so limiting, like a baldly artificial attempt to draw out the story simply by withholding information from the only character whose perspective the reader is exposed to. However, the connection with younger readers is fostered by this more direct link to a character's inner thoughts, so there is a positive trade-off. But it's my firm opinion that first-person POV isn't something an author outside of YA/MG/romance genres needs to use. (You see what I did there.)

Happily giving The Magic Thief: Found five of five stars, for including a great set of literary tools, and not overdoing any of them. Excellent balance, superb storytelling.

[Jc Melgar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente libro, contiene un buen sistema de magia, personajes bien definidos.
Final abierto, como siempre muy emotivo, les enseña a los lectores que nuestros orígenes no definen nuestro camino, pero que todas las experiencias nos hacen ser quien somos.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am still debating on how many stars I should give this last book of the installment.
(btw, I just found out that even though it might not get published for another two years, the author has written a fourth book of the series !!!)
I wish I could give it a 3.5 but since Goodreads doesn't support that system I would have to give it a 4.

I'm afraid this series does not have a very strong satisfied ending...
but I guess I can't say for sure until I read the fourth book that will or will not be published.


Although I knew from start that Conn did not have friends like Hermione and Ronn from "Harry Potter" or Annabeth and Grover from "Percy Jackson" who are more of his age and who understand him and goes through trouble together, I was disappointed and sad while Conn had go through most of hard work all on his own.
It must have felt like the whole weight of the world was depended on him.


*mild spoiler alert ! *

Many of the characters from the first book just disappeared without a trace.
And I still don't know how and why the cat "lady" came to live with Conn at Heartseas yet.
Where did the underlore go? wasn't he imprisoned?
I was hoping there was a significant explanations behind all this but there wasn't.


But I just loved the concept of how the "magic" was a being itself and it's goal was not to destroy all things that are happy, it simply wanted to be happy "with" others, because it was lonely.
And sacrifice of Conn was not forgotten. I am very curious as to what the next book will be about.


favorite passage
"For a moment, behind my closed eyes, I saw the city as the magic saw it. A rolling black plain with a line of glowing slowsilver running through the middle of it where the river was, and the patches of warmth and life - that was the city and it's people. The magic knew people lived in Wellmet, and it wanted to protect them. It couldn't tell one person from another;they were just points of warmth in the darkness. only the wizards stood out like twinkling stars in a black sky, noticeable to the magic because of their locus stones. Before I found Nevery, I'd been a patch of cold to the magic because I'd been more alone than anybody else in the city. Maybe the magic had found me after my mother'd been killed and Crowe'd had a word out on me, when I'd been trying to sleep in a freezing doorway in the Twilight. Maybe it'd known I was wizard, and it had saved me, so I could save it. The magic was alone too.

[Manny · Rating 5 out of 5]

After years and years of re-reading book one, a thought suddenly occurred to me,
"there might be more!"

when I first read book one all those years ago, there had been no word about a sequel, but sure enough, I google searched the series yesterday, and not only is there a book two, but a book three and a nearly finished book four! Not only that, but my online library happened to have copies of both book two and book three available to borrow.

My opinion of the internet has certainly improved a bit. ^.^

Any way, I read book one, book two, and book three all back to back which pretty much took up my entire weekend, sleep time included, and caused me to fail a quiz in physics as well as turn in 3 incomplete papers and sleep through my first class.
I have no regrets. ^.^

Anyway, I may have things a bit run together, but the gist of things is this,

Conn once again, must save the world.
All the evils from book one and two are nothing compared with what he must face, or what he must give up to do so.
He makes more friends, more reasons to live, and more enemies, which to him, boils down to more ways to die.
Plot twists happen at regular intervals, and he very nearly dies rather often.
in short, this book holds with the theme of the others,
humor, intrigue, rebellion, rule breaking, heroism, and a little bit of magic.

[Saille · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion of the series did a nice job of building suspense, and wrapping the story up. Unlike book 2, book 3 includes bits and pieces of the previous story, just in case you've forgotten, and as such, could conceivably be read stand-alone.

The series in general lends itself very well to audio. It is written in first person, and Connwaer (Conn) thinks/talks very descriptively. Tastes, smells, sights are all described in ways easily accessible to the listener, placing us firmly within the story.

The themes in this series are suitable for ages 5-12. Good vs Evil, redemption, friendship, family. Conn talks about getting the "fluff beat out of him", but that's about as descriptive as it gets. There are some battles, but again, not graphic. And there are consequences to Conn's occasional rash decisions. For a self-reader, this is slightly older, as there is more advanced vocabulary. For a 8 yo reading at a late 2nd/early 3rd grade level, he came across words occasionally that he didn't know in either print or oral.

All in all, this series has been a joy to listen to and read, for both myself and the children. And in fact, they're wanting to listen to it all over again - first time we've had a book with that status!

[Marie Sorensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is predictable that in this age of Harry Potter afterglow, with its attendant post novel rollouts, that Prineas' trilogy would have similar elements of the orphan boy, the caring mentor, dependable friends, wizardry, magic, evil to fight, and a sacrifice to be made. But...I had to hone in to find those because Prineas does an admirable job of crafting "original" characters. Certainly the characters are well-drawn, well-developed, and unique to themselves. And the twist in story plot at the end was unexpected and well done. Kudos. And the author seems to get better and better with Found being the most engaging, hard-to-put-down novel of the three. For family reading (or listening-I can't wait to hear the audio version of Found as the reader of the past two in the series has been so superb)and delightful wordsmithing, this is a real, rare, and delightful gem. 5 Stars!!!

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Prineas has penned a magnificent conclusion to her irresistible Magic Thief trilogy, which features the guttersnipe thief-turned-wizard Connwaer, his wizard mentor Nevery and his royal friend Rowan.

Conn, in exile after the literal pyrotechnics of The Magic Thief: Lost, nonetheless conspires with Nevery to come up with a defense against the encroaching evil magic of Arionvar. To tell much more would be to spoil this novel. Let’s just say that Conn heads out to find a new locus magicalicus stone and discovers it in the most unlikely spot. How he and Nevery end up protecting the city of Wellmet and its living magic makes for a most entrancing tale.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seri ini makin seru dan penuh kejutan. Walaupun Conn dianggap banyak membuat masalah tapi dia juga anak yang paling berdedikasi menyelamatkan kotanya. Walaupun di buku pertama di sebutkan bahwa naga telah punah, di buku ketiga ini mereka kembali muncul dan membuka takbir misteri tentang sihir.

Konflik buku ini masih berlanjut dari buku pertama dan kedua. Di ceritakan masih dari POV Conn, diary Nevery dan Rowan kita di bawa ke perjalanan panjang penuh lika liku Conn untuk mencari batu sihirnya yang ke-2. Dan well.. Buku ini penuh kejutan hohoho.. Penasaran dengan tambahan buku ke-4 karena seri ini aslinya di sebut sebagai trilogi. Ini adalah seri yang seru, menggambarkan sihir sebagai makhluk hidup dan bisa dijelaskan secara ilmiah. Karakter-karakternya juga cukup kompleks walaupun ini adalah buku anak-anak.

[raafi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Akhir cerita yang epik!

Aku selalu berharap hidupku adalah seputar mempelajari sihir, memiliki hewan peliharaan naga, bercengkerama dengannya sembari membaca kitab-kitab sihir, bertemu dengan musuh yang tidak sepaham dan menggunakan objek tongkat atau batu dalam melakukan hal-hal sihir untuk melawan si musuh. Aku sangat ingin hidup seperti itu.

Inilah yang lagi-lagi membuatku menomor-satukan buku-buku bergenre ini. Ketika kehidupan sehari-hari hanyalah kenyataan yang membosankan, kau harus punya alternatif untuk keluar darinya agar kau harus tetap hidup. Serius deh, yang belum suka dengan genre semacam ini, semoga lekas dibukakan mata hatinya. Naif ya!

Ulasan selengkapnya: http://bibliough.blogspot.com/2015/04...

[Hirondelle (not getting notifications) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is adorable. And good in all its details (apart from the river geography on the peninsula map. Yikes. Go see it).

But it makes me feel decades too old for it - in a good way, not in a dated cultural reference way, but still, I just feel too old to appreciate it as it should be appreciated. There is still plenty there for an adult to enjoy though.

I really wish this will get translated, it´s a perfect series to buy for pre-teen boys (girls are a little bit easier to buy books for).

[William]

Once more, gutterboy/wizard Connwaer comes to the aid of his beloved city of Wellmet, striving against odds to save the city, its people and its Magic. And once again, author Sarah Prineas creates a delightful tale with her beautiful, skillful storytelling. I don't know whether this is the last of The Magic Thief books. If so, the series goes out with a flourish.

[Elevetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. I really liked this one a lot. 8+. Now where is book 4? Fall 2014!!! Ha ha very funny.
.........
You're not kidding, are you?
Frell.

[Sophie Hunter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really get this book but that was probably beacuse it was the third bok but the characters weren't relateable, funny or cutesy. I was just impossible to attach to the characters

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Once a thief, always a thief" may be true, but since he picked a wizard's pocket in the mean streets of Wellmet, Connwaer has become so much more than that: not just a wizard, but maybe the wizard who can talk to the magic that keeps the city alive. And the city needs him more than ever, with a predatory magic headed its way, spreading dread and darkness. If only Conn had a locus magicalicus – a stone that connects a wizard to the magic – but he still hasn't found one to replace the one he sacrificed to save the city two books ago. With a sentence of death hanging over his head and ditto headed toward Wellmet, Conn sets out on a quest for a new locus stone. Along the way, he makes discoveries that will shake up the beliefs of the wizarding establishment back home, even more than his already disputed claim that the city's magic is a living being.

As perilous as his journey to collect that stone may be, he faces danger even more dire on his return. Like, for starters, a hanging scaffold. The magisters, the duchess and her guard won't give him any credit for already saving the city twice, and for personally saving the guard captain's life at great risk to his own. They're firm in their belief that he's just a liar, a thief, and a rascal whose pyrotechnic stunts have endangered the city. If only they knew that the city's survival now depends on setting off the biggest blast yet – and that he must live but only, perhaps, to sacrifice himself.

Is that spoiling too much? I don't know. Just try to wrap your head around the fact that, in the middle of this book, the hero finds himself standing on a wooden box with a noose around his neck, only moments away from having the box jerked out from under him, while no one will listen to his claim that the city is about to be attacked. And then, with inspired timing, the attack arrives and the danger becomes so, so much worse. You don't expect cutely illustrated children's books to hit you with the force this one does, with still ongoing and ever expanding feats of world building, growing suspense, creeping horror, bureaucratic frustration, high-flying excitement and moving acts of love. And since the cover art gives it away, I don't feel it counts as a spoiler if I add that it has dragons. What are you doing, sitting there? Go out and get this book!

This is the third book in the "Magic Thief" series of which, after I read the first book, I immediately rushed back to the bookstore and bought books 2 and 3. Prineas works in juvenile fiction spanning the science fiction and fantasy genres, including other titles I'd be interested in reading. Book 4 of this series is titled Home.

[Blank · Rating 5 out of 5]

cerita

Buku ini menceritakan tentang asal usul sihir, bagaimana sebuah sihir terbentuk dan apakah naga, sebagai satu - satunya makhluk ajaib di seri ini, sudah punah atau belum.
Sedari awal seri, saya paling menyukai intermezzo saat membaca surat / jurnal yang ditulis oleh Nevery maupun Rowan. Dan disini, Sarah menggunakan formula tersebut untuk menyampaikan bagian penting dari cerita dan menurut saya, ini sangat menarik.
Saya kaget waktu mengetahui volume ini ternyata mengakhiri trilogi kisah Conn dan sumber Sihir Jahat ( kelupaan siapa namanya ), kenapa kok kaget ? Karena saya punya buku keempat, dan sudah masuk ke waiting list saya. Saya kira bakalan dilanjut ke seri 4 juga.
Sebagai akhir dari suatu trilogi, novel ini memberikan penutup yang sempurna. Penulis memutuskan untuk mengakhiri buku ini dengan akhir yang bahagia, mungkin karena sebenarnya buku ini lebih ditujukan ke anak2 sehingga tidak cocok kalau diakhiri dengan akhir yang menyedihkan.

karakter

Tidak ada karakter manusia baru disini, namun, kita bisa melihat bagaimana hubungan seluruh karakter - karakter tersebut berkembang.

[Amalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's safe to say when you finish the second book of a series, look at your clock and realize there is exactly 20 minutes before the library closes and you can go get the 3rd book and then you don't set it down until you finish reading it 3 hours later that you really enjoyed the book. All the different details thigh out the first two books are wielded together very very well. I was about to punch the book twice because of the idiocy of the people around Conn and what happens in the chapters after the climax of the book, but it was amazing. I think someone that has read the first two books can infer from the title that Conn finds his new locus magicalicus. However, that is quite the journey and so unexpected in its ending that it really makes the book so great! Totally worth a late night of reading and would recommend this book to anyone who is interested and enjoys fantasy books.

[Stefanny Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 star
Ahhhhh seruuuuuu!!!
Untung udah punya buku ke 3nya dan langsung slesai dalam 3x baca!
Tapi ternyata ceritanya masih belum kelar dan ada buku ke 4 nya yg gak diterjemahin BIP haduhhh

Intinya ceritanya ini seru bangettttt
Kalian bakal ngikutin petualangan Connwaer si penyihir pencuri, mencari batu sihir milik dia sendiri dan upaya dia meyakinkan para tetua2 kota Wellmet yg kolot dan nyepelekan dia. Meski di awal ceritanya agak lambat tapi setelah itu bakal seru banget dan gak bisa berhenti baca.
Keteguhan karakter Conn dan juga keras kepalanya dia selalu bawa dia ke masalah2 yg gak terduga. Aku awalnya sebel banget sama si Kapten Kerrn itu tapi dari pertengahan buku ke 2 dan di buku ke 3 ini bakal ada perubahn (kalian baca sendiri)

Yang jelas baca buku ini bener2 seru bgt !!
Yang suka buku middle grade fantasi dengan karakter heronya sebagai pencuri kayak Peter Nimble bakal suka sama buku ini juga deh!

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, as I did the other books, but a lot of the explanations of the magic and stuff didn't really make sense to me, so I was sort of trying to follow Conn confusedly as he figured things out. Which, I admit, was probably because I read this too fast...like gobbling down food so quickly that you almost choke on it or something.

I'm sure if I read it slower, I would have understood all of the connections with the worldbuilding and the magic system and everything, but I didn't.

It was still cool, though! And there were dragons...which I really love. And all of my dear characters and everything. I remember being very frustrated by the ending of this book when I first read it, but apparently there is a fourth book, so if I read that, we shall see if I am less confused and if it makes more sense to me.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an exciting finale to the series, though again, it lacked some of the detailing we found in book 1. What I especially like about this series is that people, even when their better natures are engaged, continue to act in accordance with their basic characters. Conn returns, and hunts for a new way to allow him to talk to the magic of Wellmeet-- but things won't be easy. Still, we learn a lot more about how magic works in this world, and what makes it work, and what happens when the magic previously in Desh makes it to Wellmeet. I still love the characters (especially Benet), and I love that this isn't 'easy'.
After what the invading magic did to Wellmeet and Desh, I'm not entirely comfortable with the ending, but I guess you can't expect rational thought from a bodiless magic!
I would love some more cozier stories set in Wellmeet though.

[Tarry DW Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 3rd and final book of the trilogy, Con has officially been, not only exiled, but sentenced to death for his continued use of the forbidden pyrotechnics as well as his non-compliance of listening to the Ministers of Magic. He refuses to give up or deny what he knows about magic: that is a living & breathing thing, and that there's an evil magic set on destroying every other magic is can in order to take control of the city. But Con finds the answer and, in the end, sacrifices himself to save all that he loves in Welmet.

A great adolescent book with such a great storyline & details that it strongly encourages the use of the imagination and the idea of thinking outside the box!

This has been SUCH a great trilogy to read with my boys, we have all loved it and were sad to see the end come.