THE HEART AT WAR (THE LAST DESCENDANTS III)
Harlan's family left the capital city when he was just eight days old, fleeing the outbreak of war, taking with them only what they could carry in their pockets. Since that dangerous and frightening journey in the dead of winter, they have lived on Holy Island, where Maria hoped her children could find peace. But peace of mind has always eluded Harlan, and now that the island is threatened he must come to terms with his own place in history. Forced to make a perilous journey back to the ruins of the homeland he never properly knew, can Harlan bring his family back together?
The third volume in the Last Descendants trilogy, The Heart at War is a love story, an epic novel, and an exploration of what happens to the individual human heart under the pressures that threaten to divide it.
VOICES IN THE DARK (THE LAST DESCENDANTS II)
I want more than anything to tell you the truth about my life. I am a criminal, also a liar. But I swear this will be a true account.
Sixteen-year-old Anselm Andros has clearly defined roles in his family, and they are roles he plays very well. He is confidant to his mother, Maria, who, having given birth to him at age fifteen, in many ways grew up alongside him. He is confessor to his stepfather, Leo, a man haunted by the secrets of his past. And Anselm is also patient, caring brother to his precocious sister, Jasmine; he is especially protective of her growing magical abilities.
Life for this family of secondhand traders is ordinary in many ways. But when the political landscape of Malonia starts to shift, their lives begin to unravel. The choices Leo and Maria made as teenagers cannot be ignored. And even though they've spent the past fifteen years leading a quiet life, their actions are forever linked to the turbulent history of Malonia and its parallel world, modern-day England. The voices from the past still echo in the present and shape the lives of their children, especially Anselm, who is desperate to penetrate the mystery surrounding his birth. With so much uncertainty at home and in his world, it is more important than ever for Anselm to put all the pieces together. He must listen to his own voice and acknowledge his fears and desires -- whatever the cost.
Sixteen-year-old Anselm Andros has clearly defined roles in his family, and they are roles he plays very well. He is confidant to his mother, Maria, who, having given birth to him at age fifteen, in many ways grew up alongside him. He is confessor to his stepfather, Leo, a man haunted by the secrets of his past. And Anselm is also patient, caring brother to his precocious sister, Jasmine; he is especially protective of her growing magical abilities.
Life for this family of secondhand traders is ordinary in many ways. But when the political landscape of Malonia starts to shift, their lives begin to unravel. The choices Leo and Maria made as teenagers cannot be ignored. And even though they've spent the past fifteen years leading a quiet life, their actions are forever linked to the turbulent history of Malonia and its parallel world, modern-day England. The voices from the past still echo in the present and shape the lives of their children, especially Anselm, who is desperate to penetrate the mystery surrounding his birth. With so much uncertainty at home and in his world, it is more important than ever for Anselm to put all the pieces together. He must listen to his own voice and acknowledge his fears and desires -- whatever the cost.
THE EYES OF A KING (THE LAST DESCENDANTS I)
These are the last words I will write. 'Tell me everything from the beginning,' you said. 'Explain to me why you did it.' I have. There is nothing left to tell you any more.
Leo North has spent five years remembering -- remembering and writing about the time in his life when his prospects, although limited, still existed. He has recalled the tediousness of attending military school and the oppressiveness of living with his pious, fearful grandmother and his younger brother, Stirling. He has conjured up memories of the reluctance he felt about using his innate magical powers. He has relived the moment when everything changed.
Five years ago, Leo found a blank book in the snow and immediately sensed its power. Words started to appear on the pages. Passages wove together his family's past, the history of his country, Malonia - and that of a parallel world called England, where Ryan, the heir to the Malonian throne, was exiled. At the same time, the all-too-real challenges of his life closed in on him. And the book, initially an escape, became inextricably linked to Leo and his world.
Leo has written about the painful events he experienced when his seemingly narrow path took some unexpected tragic turns and he found himself on a journey from which he never really returned. He has spent five years retracing his steps and filling in the blanks. This is Leo's explanation. This is the book.
Leo North has spent five years remembering -- remembering and writing about the time in his life when his prospects, although limited, still existed. He has recalled the tediousness of attending military school and the oppressiveness of living with his pious, fearful grandmother and his younger brother, Stirling. He has conjured up memories of the reluctance he felt about using his innate magical powers. He has relived the moment when everything changed.
Five years ago, Leo found a blank book in the snow and immediately sensed its power. Words started to appear on the pages. Passages wove together his family's past, the history of his country, Malonia - and that of a parallel world called England, where Ryan, the heir to the Malonian throne, was exiled. At the same time, the all-too-real challenges of his life closed in on him. And the book, initially an escape, became inextricably linked to Leo and his world.
Leo has written about the painful events he experienced when his seemingly narrow path took some unexpected tragic turns and he found himself on a journey from which he never really returned. He has spent five years retracing his steps and filling in the blanks. This is Leo's explanation. This is the book.
