Tag, Skyla, and Blaze go to Lullaby Lake to search for the next piece of the magical Ember Stone. When they get to the lake, they find magical fairies protecting the Ember Stone. The fairies won’t let anyone near the stone. Thorn and his spies are near. How will the friends get the next piece of the stone? Will they be able to defeat Thorn’s dark magic?
The evil vulture Thorn makes an exciting appearance in the fourth book of The Last Firehawk series. Lullaby Lake adds mystery when Tag and his friends keep falling asleep and forgetting their goal. With the help of a sleepy sloth and a bit of good luck, the three befriend a nixie, who happens to be the princess. Although the story has less adventure than the first books in the series, the fairy world adds new characters, magic, and an argument with a protective fairy king.
The repetitious nature of the series may lead some readers to become bored with the series. Lullaby Lake ends with the three friends needing to find another piece of the Ember Stone. Similar to The Whispering Oak, the protector of the Ember Stone does not want to give the stone to Tag and his friends. The similarities between the plots leave the story lacking much-needed suspense.
The fourth book in the series continues to use onomatopoeias, which are scattered throughout the story and make the reading fun. Short sentence structure, dialogue, and simple vocabulary make the series easy to read. Black-and-white illustrations appear on every page and help bring the story to life.
Sexual Content
- None
Violence
- Thorn tries to take the Ember Stone from Tag. “Quick as a flash, Thorn took another swipe at Tag’s sack. His sharp claws ripped it open . . . Skyla shot acorns from the shore while Tag and Blaze chased after the vulture by air.”
- Tiger bats capture a nixie. Tag and his friends rescue her. “Bonk! She hit the tiger bat holding the nixie, and the tiny fairy fell to the ground. . . Blaze threw small flames at the tiger bats. They squawked and took to the sky.”
Drugs and Alcohol
- None
Language
- None
Supernatural
- Water fairies protect the Ember Stone. When they are in danger, they sing a lullaby that puts animals to sleep. The fairy uses magical bubbles to take Blaze, Tag, and Skyla to the fairies’ underwater kingdom.
- Thorn is an evil vulture that uses black magic called the Shadow; he hopes to destroy Perodia.
- Firehawks “were magical birds who protected the Ember stone—a stone that holds magic within.”
- When a piece of the Ember Stone is placed on a map, “the map glowed, brighter and brighter. . . When Tag looked again, a small shining dot appeared on the map.” The magical map guides the friends to the next location to which they must travel.
Spiritual Content
- None
