Emberclaw

Lam’s riveting finale to her Dragon Scales duology (after Dragonfall) combines drama, romance, and high-stakes political intrigue. Magnes, once the last male dragon, has gone insane, murdered a Chancellor, and acquired a dragon claw relic that enhances his power so he can rule all of Lumet. Now a thief named Arcady, who’s been separated from their bonded dragon, Everen, enrolls in the University of Vatra to improve their magical abilities and scour the school’s library for proof that their grandfather, who was scapegoated and put to death, was not actually the detested Plaguebringer. When the university reinstates trials of magic, Arcady is surprised to be competing against their nemesis, Sorin, Magnes’s reluctant spy at the school. Meanwhile, Everen, once imprisoned in the dragon world of Vere Celene, is released to fulfill a murky prophecy: “As above, so below. As what was, so shall become. Whatever you do, remember this: you must not wake the Dreamer.” If the Dreamer, a giant serpent sleeping between worlds, does awaken, it would bring the apocalypse. Lam’s character-driven plotting and intricate dragon lore continue to delight and the stakes ramp up enough to make this a satisfying conclusion. Series fans will not be disappointed. (Mar.)