The dragon war has breached the barrier.

The forces of the Liberated Land are near to breaking. Without a heavy and rapid shift in the Assembly’s strategy, a dragon invasion will be unstoppable.

Connor and Kara have kept the full knowledge of the Red Dagger’s location secret for almost a year. A chance to destroy Heleyor and end the war is within the Lightraider Order’s grasp. They must now reveal what they know and call for action.

With time running out, Connor, Teegan, and Aaron attempt to recover the dagger, and Kara helps the Airguard train a new corps of soldiers—windfighters—in their own bid to change the war’s tide. Meanwhile, Lee and Zel search for Heleyor’s army of tortured Aladoth. This force, thousands strong, has vanished. They’re heading for a hidden portal, and may emerge at the heart of Keledev at any moment.

Every path that lies before the cadets seems a great risk. The slightest misstep may cost them their lives, their loved ones, and their homeland. But to do nothing means certain failure. To succeed, they must charge ahead into dark uncertainty and trust the Rescuer.

Book 3 of the Lightraider Academy series

Cadets return to battle dragons and practice virtues in James R. Hannibal’s trilogy-ender Lion Warrior. A small group of training heroes infiltrates Aladoth to gain a long-lost weapon, while on the land’s opposite side, another force searches for an advancing army enthralled by the greed and power of the dragons. Meanwhile, Kara must create a new fighting force to stop their enemies and free them from the dragons’ mind-fogging abilities. Traditional fantasy creatures meet complex moral choices in these young warriors’ conflicts over decision-making, skeptical family, and friendship. With its simple style and RPG-inspired imaginations, Lion Warrior slowly builds into an epic finale for the Lightraider Academy series.

Best for: Teenage fans of allegorical fantasy.

Discern: Fantasy violence with swords and arrows, heroes fight evil fantasy creatures that represent sin, biblical tenets and virtues adapted to magic system.