"exciting finish"

They may be siblings, but the dragons are as different from one another as night is from day. AuRon the scale- less grey wants nothing to do with humans as he prefers isolation with his mate. Wistala the female believes dragons and humans can live in harmony together. Copper lives in the Lavadome at the bottom of a dormant volcano; as the Tyr emperor of the Upper World and Protector of the Grand Alliance. He believes dragons are superior to humans.

He forms an alliance with the crumbling Hypatian Empire, providing a dragon protector to each province. The Hypatian increasingly become dependent on the dragons to maintain and even expand their power. AuRon and his mate Natasatch are appointed Protectors of Darius, the only dragons King Nef will accept. Darius was part of the old Ghioz Empire and the Hypatians fear he will withdraw from the Grand Alliance; an act they oppose. AuRon's mate convinces him to take the position while the Tyr's crippled qeen asks Wistala to be the Queen-Consort as she fears there is a plot a foot to dispose Copper. After being on the job awhile Wistala agrees with the assessment of her brother's mate, but no one has made a hint of a move so far.

The fifth and final Age of Fire fantasy has the three dragon siblings going their separate ways but the threat to one is perceived as a menace to all so they reunite as part of the Grand Alliance. AuRon still has not forgiven his brother for what he did when they were hatchlings, but finds to his surprise that blood is thicker than resentment most of the time. This is an exciting finish filled with numerous escapades, but it will be much more fulfilling by reading the previous entries to better understand how the dragon threesome got to the point where they must rely on one another or their species becomes extinct.

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted November 30, 2009

Summary

The author of the national bestselling Vampire Earth series presents the fiery fifth book in his epic dragons saga.

Scattered across a continent, three dragon siblings are among the last of a dying breed—the final hope for their species' survival.

Wistala, sister to the Copper who is now Emperor of the Upper World, has long thought humans the equal of dragons. She leads the Firemaids, fierce female fighting dragons who support the Hominids of Hypatia. Which puts her at odds with both her brothers, for the Copper has no use for the humans he now dominates and AuRon, the rare scale-less grey, would isolate himself and his family from both the world of men and the world of dragons. But as the Copper's empire roils with war, greed, and treachery, the time is fast approaching when Wistala will have to choose who to stand with—and fight for...