The War of the Witches

After being tricked by Ol-Korrok (or Ranadahy, his actual name) and accidentally releasing the Scourge, Jaxon and his friends now find themselves separated, with Jax and Kenny back in Brooklyn and Vik and Kavi in Palmara with Aunty and Sis. While protecting Sis, who was previously injured, Vik, Kavi, and Aunty meet the Scourge who tells them of its want to turn over a new leaf and not drain the magic from other beings anymore. Vik and the Scourge try to find new ways to satiate its hunger, but Ranadahy swoops in and twists the truth to make the Scourge think it should follow him to Brooklyn and act as a “guardian” of magical creatures – something Ranadahy isn’t interested in at all. Happening concurrently to this in Palmara is Kavi’s going on a journey with Mo and the other dragons to get a temporary cure for Sis so she can help to fight the Scourge after it leaves with Ranadahy.

Meanwhile, Jax is in Brooklyn, separated from the phoenix after the destruction of the Enchanted Bridge. Ma is disappointed in him again for the way he handled things as the ambassador for the magical creatures, and the separation from the phoenix is causing Jax to be weakened. He overhears that Ma is going to Chicago to meet with the council again, and he secretly follows her and overhears the council meeting vote for the phoenix to use its power to destroy the Scourge – something that would be the end of the phoenix and Jax because of their connection. Hurt, Jax runs away and is rescued by the phoenix.

Jax and his friends are reunited shortly thereafter, and they manage to corner the Scourge and, using a briefly healed Sis’ power, trap it. However, the Scourge’s containment only lasts a short while before the Scourge breaks free and injures Sis again. Will Jax and his friends be able to defeat the Scourge and save the magical creatures of the realms? Or will the Scourge win and devour everything?

The final installment of the “Dragons in a Bag” series features all the best that Zetta Elliott has to offer – action, character depth, mystery, and a whole lot of love. The novel spreads the narrative between the action happening in Palmara and what is occurring in Brooklyn and Chicago, creating a back and forth between the characters in each location. This split narrative is brought together in the end in a seamless fashion with an exciting climax.

One of the highlights of The War of the Witches is Kavi’s adventure with Mo and the dragons. Elliott dedicates her character work to Kavi in this book, displaying her attempts to show maturity, growth, and patience in the face of terrible circumstances. Kavi and Mo’s adventure is not only an exciting plot point but also a point of insight and growth for Kavi’s character.