The Lost Heir

The concept of family is a major influence on the dragonets’ individual hero’s journeys and a significant influence on their travel destinations. While the dragonets of destiny grew up together in a cave, each dreams of finding their birth families and learning more about the tribes they come from. Thus, adoptive family versus birth family is an important theme not just in this novel but also in the broader Wings of Fire series. In The Lost Heir, this theme is filtered primarily through Tsunami’s perspective, revealing how her longing for a perfect reunion makes her unaware of the emotional realities of reconnection.

Raised on the fairy tale of The Missing Princess, in which the wayward dragonet returns home to a loving family and feasts in her honor, while simultaneously experiencing a combative relationship with the guardians who raised her, Tsunami longs for the fantasy she’s heard all her life, especially once she discovers that she actually is royalty. She is thus very enthusiastic about finding Queen Coral of the SeaWings and embracing her birth family, even if that means abandoning her adoptive siblings. Learning that The Missing Princess is indeed about Tsunami only heightens her belief that her birth family is equally—if not more—important than her adoptive one.