Name: The Choice
Rating: 4 (4 reviews)
ISBN: 9780349426433

Nora Roberts

The final thrilling instalment in the Dragon Heart Legacy

The Dragon Heart Legacy Book 3

The Choice

The conclusion of the epic trilogy from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Awakening and The Becoming. Talamh is a land of green hills, high mountains, deep forests, and seas, where magicks thrive. But portals allow for passage in and out—and ultimately, each must choose their place, and choose between good and evil, war and peace, life and death... Breen Siobhan Kelly grew up in the world of Man and was once unaware of her true nature. Now she is in Talamh, trying to heal after a terrible battle and heartbreaking losses. Her grandfather, the dark god Odran, has been defeated in his attempt to rule over Talamh, and over Breen—for now. With the enemy cast out and the portal sealed, this is a time to rest and to prepare. Breen spreads her wings and realizes a power she’s never experienced before. It’s also a time for celebrations—of her first Christmas in both Talamh and Ireland, of solstice and weddings and births—and daring to find joy again in the wake of sorrow. She rededicates herself to writing her stories, and when his duties as taoiseach permit, she is together with Keegan, who has trained her as a warrior and whom she has grown to love. It’s Keegan who’s at her side when the enemy’s witches, traitorous and power-mad, appear to her in her sleep, practicing black magick, sacrificing the innocent, and plotting a brutal destruction for Breen. And soon, united with him and with all of Talamh, she will seek out those in desperate need of rescue, and confront the darkness with every weapon she has: her sword, her magicks—and her courage...

The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 3

The whole dragon trilogy was amazing. They could turn this into a movie. Nora’s descriptions, turned it into a whole visual picture.

Cindy Mc

 is the epic conclusion of Nora Roberts’ 

 trilogy. Here we have portals to other worlds, mythical creatures, magic light and dark, and battles between good and evil on both large scale and small. There is a charming, diverse cast of characters, a couple of lovely romances, and a wonderful emphasis on family, whether bound by blood or chosen by heart. In this trilogy and her last, 

, Nora has made a radical departure from the cozy and comfortable storytelling I fell in love with as a teen. I can see where some lifelong fans of her writing might be disappointed in the shift, but I really respect it. This trilogy, and the one published before it, are stories that I would have no qualms recommending to fantasy fans who have never had much interest in Nora’s work.

Nora’s recaps are always incredibly beautiful, poetic in a way that sets the tone for the story even though the voice shifts to something more casual afterward. I wish this type of recap was a standard practice with series, especially fantasy series. It’s been Nora’s standard for years. While I love rereading her books, it’s nice that these recaps are there for when I don’t feel like taking the time to reread them before the next installment comes out.

As this is the finale of a trilogy, I’m not going to discuss any specifics of the story. Instead, I want to discuss characters. Our main character, Breen, has grown tremendously from when we were first introduced to her in The Awakening. She has found her path, her voice, herself, and she had is dedicated to staying true to that self. She is fierce, loyal, kind, and funny. I love her relationship with her best friend, Marco, who has also grown tremendously from the first book to this one. However, one thing I have to mention is what I found to be an odd lack of chemistry between Breen and her love interest. The chemistry in Nora’s romances is always palpable, but this one fell a bit flat. I think that’s in part due to her greater focus on a romance for Marco, in which there was far more believable chemistry. But Breen’s love interest, while I liked him as a character, made little sense to me in terms of romantic lead. I just never felt it, all the way through the series. Even at the very end, when things are wrapping up, I appreciated how Nora wrote it but still didn’t feel anything regarding that central romance. I found this pretty disappointing, but as I was deeply invested in the rest of the story, I gave it a pass.

I do feel like Nora is getting stronger and stronger at her battle scenes, and the build up needed to have them be impactful. The fantasy aspect of this trilogy was very strong, and I was really impressed by how well balanced a portal fantasy it truly was. We spent time in both main worlds, and I cared about what was happening in both. But the fantasy world itself was beautiful, and was the epitome of everything I consider fantasy at my core. There was magic and fey and mythical beings and dragons and so much more. Talamh has joined the ranks of the fictional places I would most love to visit, alongside Narnia and Hogwarts.

 was a great ending to a very solid fantasy trilogy. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a fantasy story with a classic, poetic feel that also includes a lot of diverse representation and a romantic subplot or two. Even when Nora puts you through the wringer during a story, you can also aways trust her to provide a happy ending. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

Celeste Richardson

The Choice is the epic conclusion of Nora Roberts’ Dragon Heart Legacy trilogy. Here we have portals to other worlds, mythical creatures, magic light and dark, and battles between good and evil on both large scale and small. There is a charming, diverse cast of characters, a couple of lovely romances, and a wonderful emphasis on family, whether bound by blood or chosen by heart. In this trilogy and her last, Chronicles of the One, Nora has made a radical departure from the cozy and comfortable storytelling I fell in love with as a teen. I can see where some lifelong fans of her writing might be disappointed in the shift, but I really respect it. This trilogy, and the one published before it, are stories that I would have no qualms recommending to fantasy fans who have never had much interest in Nora’s work.

Nora’s recaps are always incredibly beautiful, poetic in a way that sets the tone for the story even though the voice shifts to something more casual afterward. I wish this type of recap was a standard practice with series, especially fantasy series. It’s been Nora’s standard for years. While I love rereading her books, it’s nice that these recaps are there for when I don’t feel like taking the time to reread them before the next installment comes out.

As this is the finale of a trilogy, I’m not going to discuss any specifics of the story. Instead, I want to discuss characters. Our main character, Breen, has grown tremendously from when we were first introduced to her in The Awakening. She has found her path, her voice, herself, and she had is dedicated to staying true to that self. She is fierce, loyal, kind, and funny. I love her relationship with her best friend, Marco, who has also grown tremendously from the first book to this one. However, one thing I have to mention is what I found to be an odd lack of chemistry between Breen and her love interest. The chemistry in Nora’s romances is always palpable, but this one fell a bit flat. I think that’s in part due to her greater focus on a romance for Marco, in which there was far more believable chemistry. But Breen’s love interest, while I liked him as a character, made little sense to me in terms of romantic lead. I just never felt it, all the way through the series. Even at the very end, when things are wrapping up, I appreciated how Nora wrote it but still didn’t feel anything regarding that central romance. I found this pretty disappointing, but as I was deeply invested in the rest of the story, I gave it a pass.

I do feel like Nora is getting stronger and stronger at her battle scenes, and the build up needed to have them be impactful. The fantasy aspect of this trilogy was very strong, and I was really impressed by how well balanced a portal fantasy it truly was. We spent time in both main worlds, and I cared about what was happening in both. But the fantasy world itself was beautiful, and was the epitome of everything I consider fantasy at my core. There was magic and fey and mythical beings and dragons and so much more. Talamh has joined the ranks of the fictional places I would most love to visit, alongside Narnia and Hogwarts.

The Choice was a great ending to a very solid fantasy trilogy. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a fantasy story with a classic, poetic feel that also includes a lot of diverse representation and a romantic subplot or two. Even when Nora puts you through the wringer during a story, you can also aways trust her to provide a happy ending. And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need.

The Choice The Dragon Heart Legacy Book 3

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