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the order of the dragon

Review of The Order of the Dragon, by Scerina Elizabeth Rose

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I received an Audible code for a copy of  The Order of the Dragon, by Scerina Elizabeth Rose & Rhiannon Jayne. It was narrated by Michelle Jones.

Description from Goodreads:
“What if all the stories you heard about the infamous monster name Dracula were all lies? What if there was another side to the story that no one even knew of, a side where he was not a monster but in fact a savior? What if he was a vampire who had a soul? What if the monster had a heart and yearned to be loved? The story am about to tell, is the real story of Vlad Tepes and how he came to be this infamous so-called monster called “Dracula”, that everyone most feared. And I promise once am finish with this story, you will view him in a whole new light with a whole new respect and love. ” ~ Mina Murray ~

How far would you go to find a cure for an illness that could take your life at any moment that was incurable?

Would you sell your soul to the very Devil himself to prolong your precious life?

And at what cost are you willing to pay for such a priceless gift?

A secret society of the very wealthy and powerful of London, England who are terminally ill and would do just about ANYTHING for a cure for their illness. Including selling their soul to the very Devil himself, Dracula.

This is a version of the classic horror tale of Dracula but with a different twist. Retold with a different perspective on mortality and immortality.

What path are you willing to take when it comes to your mortality and soul? The right path or the wrong path. And would the choice ultimately be worth it in the end.

Review:
Bad, just really really BAD!

Please, authors, if you want to write in modern vernacular just go ahead and write in modern times. It DOES NOT WORK to write modern dialogue and narration in the 1800s! And even if that wasn’t true, the writing here is just sloppy. There are a ton of repeat words. Things like the word coffin being used three times in the same paragraph. The sex scenes are so cringe-worthy I fast-forwarded through them. And the plot is super inconsistent. There’s a twist at the end that just doesn’t work; it so contradicts everything up to that point. The audiobook narration isn’t all that great either, though it does improve as the book goes along. If I hadn’t been listening to it in order to get through folding a GIANT pile of laundry I’d have DNFed this for sure.

Book Review: A Drop of Magic (The Magicsmith, #1), by L.R. Braden

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I won an audio copy of A Drop of Magic, by L.R. Braden.

Description from Goodreads:

The war isn’t over . . .

With the world clinging to a fragile peace forced on the Fae by humanity after the Faerie Wars, metalsmith Alex Blackwood is plunged into the world of the half-fae who traffick in illegal magical artifacts. Her best friend’s murder and his cryptic last message place her in the crosshairs of a scheme to reignite the decade-old war between humans and fae.

Worse, violent attacks against her and the arrival of a fae knight on a mission force Alex to face a devastating revelation of who and what she is. To catch a killer, retrieve a dangerous artifact, and stop a war, Alex will have to accept that she’s an unregistered fae “halfer” with a unique magical talent—a talent that would change everything she believes about her past, her art, and her future.

Her world is crumbling around her, and Alex will have to decide who to trust if she and the world are going to survive.

Review:

I thought this was ok, not great, but not bad either. I liked the main character, but I had issues with most of the side characters. The book passes the Bechdel test (it does feature at least two women who do talk to each other about something other than a man), but not by much and honestly, it didn’t feel like it should. It felt very much like all the important side characters were male. In fact, it started to feel like a reverse harem, though there is no sex and the only whisper of romance comes in the last pages. (It could have been one of several male characters and worked just as well, so I can say it wasn’t impactful to the story.) Actually, very little in the book is impactful. I think that’s why I’ve finished it with a mental shrug more than anything else. I won’t remember it next week.

The writing was fine, though I think there were a few editing mistakes. It’s hard to tell with an audiobook (narrated by Heather Costa), but I’m fairly sure it said ‘we’ll find out who killed your father,’ at one point when they were investigating the death of her friend. All in all, I don’t think I’ll be rushing to continue the series, but I didn’t hate it either.

Review of Claiming Ana (Triple Star Ranch #1), by Brynna Curry

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I received an Audible code for a copy of Claiming Ana, by Brynna Curry.

Description from Goodreads:

The child of a gypsy and fey, small-town veterinarian Dr. Anastasia Brannon has always hidden her magic for fear of ridicule. A red-hot encounter with the new PI in town makes their attraction impossible to deny. Throwing caution to the wind, she indulges her desires but keeps her secrets close.

A man with a shady past and secrets of his own, Howl Raven uses his feral talents and tracking skills to make a living, doing his best to lay low and hide the curse that haunts him every month. So far, so good…until an uncontrollable shift outside the full moon leaves him the victim of a werewolf hunter.

When she finds the enigmatic investigator wounded in the woods near her cabin during a storm, Ana provides medical care on instinct. She may be the only one who can banish the wolf from Howl’s blood, but at what cost?

Review:

This was not great. It started out well enough by introducing several interesting characters that then play essentially no role in the book at all. (I assume they are only there because they’ll have their own future books.) The love is instant, the plot is thin and the ending anti-climactic. Basically, had the author taken the time to develop this into a full-length novel (where she could have fleshed characters, plot, and the world out) it could have been pretty good. But she didn’t. Instead, it’s barely 75 pages and the reader feels all that it lacks.

On a side note, I really wish American authors would get on board with the fact that Gypsy is considered a slur and an insult and shouldn’t be used casually. I realize that that message hasn’t been as widely heard on this side of the Atlantic and it has developed a different meaning that many are reluctant to give up. But many who can claim the heritage have been fairly vocal that they wish it not to be used.

The narrator (Teddy Hoffman) did a pretty good job, outside of the occasional tendency to get a little overly dramatic.