Tag Archives: Dragons

death before dragons

Book Review: Death Before Dragons series, by Lindsay Buroker

I consider this a little less than ideal. I read Lindsay Buroker‘s Mist and Magic and Sinister Magic. I picked them up as Amazon freebies. Then, I borrowed Battle Bond, Tangled Truths, Elven Doom, The Forbidden Ground, False Security, and Storm Forged from Hoopla in audio format. However, I listened to them while traveling. I didn’t have easy access to my computer to write individual reviews ,as I finished each one, which is my preference. So, I’m going to write a single review for the whole series (or at least book .5 through book 6, which is as far as I got). This isn’t how I usually like to do things, but such is life sometimes.

death before dragons covers

I’m Val Thorvald, and I’m an assassin.

When magical bad guys hurt people, I take care of them. Permanently.

This doesn’t make me popular with the rest of the magical community—as you can tell from the numerous break-ins and assassination attempts I’ve endured over the years. But thanks to my half-elven blood, a powerful sword named Chopper, and a telepathic tiger with an attitude, I’ve always been able to handle my problems with aplomb. Maybe some cursing and swearing, too, but definitely aplomb.

my review

I’ve read several of Buroker’s books by now and enjoyed them all. The Death Before Dragons series is no exception. I really liked Val and her sarcasm, especially when she bantered with Willard. I loved that she was over 40, even if the fact that she didn’t look it kind of made it only half as satisfying as it would be to have a 40yo heroine who looked her age too. I adored that Val was biologically a mother, but not maternal or raising her child. This is a reality authors very rarely allow female characters, especially ones we’re supposed to like. I appreciate the diversity of the cast. And each of the books wrapped up nicely, which I prefer over an overarching plot where you have to read the whole series to get any conclusive satisfaction. All in all, I would be happy to continue the series.

I did have a few complaints. Some of the humor was over the top silly at times. There was a running joke about the shoes the hero wore and if they made him look gay or not, which trod a little too close to a gay joke for my taste (pun intended). This was somewhat mitigated by a loved and important gay character (who wasn’t cliched). But it shouldn’t be a tit for tat situation. Similarly, Val’s refusal to learn to pronounce the dragons’ names was a sign of rebellion, but it also reminded me a lot of Westerners who can learn to pronounce Dostoevsky but not names from the African continent. Uncomfortably close to a problem, close enough to recognize, but not quite there.

Lastly, I liked Zav and appreciated him as a love interest, but I never truly felt the passion. There was only one sex scene and it was fade to black, so I suppose passion wasn’t the point. But I might have liked to feel the love more strongly.

I stopped at book six because that’s the last the library had. But if I came across book 7 I’d happily read it. But I’m not sad to have a break here either.

the dragon of new orleans

Book Review: The Dragon of New Orleans, by Genevieve Jack

I picked up a copy of The Dragon of New Orleans, by Genevieve Jack from Amazon, during one of it’s freebie days.

the dragon of new orleans

New Orleans: city of intrigue, supernatural secrets, and one enigmatic dragon.

A deadly curse….
For 300 years, Gabriel Blakemore has survived in New Orleans after a coup in his native realm of Paragon scattered him and his dragon siblings across the globe. Now a jealous suitor’s voodoo curse threatens to end his immortal existence. His only hope is to find an antidote, one that may rest in a mortal woman.

A lifesaving gift…
After five years of unsuccessful treatment for her brain cancer, death is a welcome end for Raven Tanglewood. Her illness has become a prison her adventurous spirit cannot abide. Salvation comes in the form of Gabriel, who uses dragon magic to save her.

A harrowing price…
To Raven, the bond that results from Gabriel’s gift is another kind of captivity. Can Gabriel win Raven’s love and trust in time to awaken the life-saving magic within her? Or will his fiery personality and possessive ways drive her from his side and seal his fate?

my review

*Le Sigh* It’s not that this was bad, it was competently written and edited. But it’s just that everything in it has been done before…better in other places. This felt like nothing more than a cobbled together collection of tropes and often-read PNR scenes. At 10 percent into the book I made the following comment on Goodreads.

I have to ask AGAIN, is attempted rape really the ONLY plot point authors can come up with? At this point I’ve read essentially the same scene in SO MANY BOOKS that I consider it nothing but laziness on authors’ part & THINK LESS OF THEM FOR IT.

It’s not just that I don’t want to read ANOTHER rape scene, it’s that it’s been done so many times. Writing the SAME THING AS EVERYONE ELSE is boring & lacks creativity.

While this comment was directed particularly at the attempted rapebecause I am SO sick of authors reaching for this low hanging fruit to endanger their heroines so that the hero can step inthe point is also that I’m so bored with reading the same scenes in book after book after book. And Jack even sexually imperiled her heroine, not once but twice. Then even hinted at a third at the bar in Paragon. Geeze, get some new material, please.

But it wasn’t just the attempted rapes, the whole book gave me déjà vu, like I’d read it before. And I have, every scene, in about a thousand other books. There was nothing new here.

I appreciate that Jack made Raven fiercely independent and Gabriel weaker than most PNR heroes. But it wasn’t enough to rescue what was a structurally passable, but contextually blasé read. Plus, Raven became too strong too easily and I never really felt the romance develop.

dragons of new orleans genevieve jack

 

Tristan Tour Banner

Book Review: Tristan (The Hawks, #1), by Jennie Lynn Roberts

Jennie Lynn RobertsTristan was promoed on Sadie’s Spotlight (a couple times actually). I didn’t agree to review it for the tour (so, I hope no one minds me borrowing the banner), but everyone who participated in the tour was given a complimentary copy. And since I think the cover is pretty darned awesome, I gave it a read.

His redemption might be her downfall…

Tristan has nothing left to lose. His best friend’s betrayal cost him everything. Now, he’s going to take it back. All he has to do to get the Hawks reinstated to their rightful position at the palace is track down the traitor’s younger sister and turn her over for execution. But Nim’s not the girl Tristan left behind years ago; she’s a stubborn, loyal, beautiful woman, and he can’t stop himself from wanting her.

Nim fled with nothing when the king’s favorite came for her. All she has left is the conviction that her brother is innocent—and her determination to free him. She’ll do anything…even if it means convincing Tristan to help her. But the man he’s become is a far cry from the boy she fell in love with so long ago. He’s formidably stern and deeply untrusting. She’ll just have to hope he still has a heart under that battle-scarred exterior.

When love and duty collide, will Tristan follow his orders or follow his heart?

my review

I generally enjoyed this. The writing is eminently readable, editing pretty clean, it has a gorgeous cover, and I liked the characters and the dynamic of the Hawks in general. I only really have one big complaint and a couple small ones.

My biggest complaint is the cliched use of rape to signal evil. I swear to the Goddess, I sometimes think authors have been told there is no other way to make someone truly evil, like this is required to be included or something. What’s more, it’s too often used as a proxy. Want the reader to know this character is evil, but don’t want to develop him? Just make him try and rape someone. No need for more; the reader will follow  the signal. But, as a reader, I don’t want a proxy or a signal. I don’t want something to stand in for character development and tell me a character is evil. I want to understand that character and their evil.

Roberts is guilty of that here. She wanted the king, his chancellor, and the guards to be evil. So, she made them all open, sadistic rapists. (Though there is no on-page rape, thank goodness.) Sure, I understand that the king is supposed to have created an atmosphere that allowed others to do as he himself does, maybe even surrounded himself with like-minded men. But it was just ridiculous and angering as a female reader. I want better from authors, especially female authors. There are so many other, more subtle ways to make a character evil. Why keep bashing us with this blunt instrument?

My first smaller complaint is that the love is insta (at least for the reader). Which I find especially amusing because the author says, “This book is intended only for readers who love slow burn romance, fast-paced adventure, soul mates and found family…” I wholly disagree that this is a slow burn. I literally laughed out loud when I read that sentence. The soul mates part makes more sense. The romance is a lot more like shifters finding their mates. The beast knows, and all that. I’d call it a lot closer to insta-love than a slow burn. A LOT closer.

Lastly, the main characters kept trying to sacrifice themselves for each-other, for example, “She had to get out. Get to Grendal. Hand herself in. Save Tristan…” when it was very clear that the villains would kill both, not one or the other. They were clearly dealing with individuals who were not going to let one go if they had the other. So, the fact that both characters repeatedly overlooked this obvious fact and kept trying to trade themselves irritated me. As did the contrived misunderstanding about Keely, at the end.

But really, other than the rape thing (which is huge for me and probably, sadly, one of my most common criticisms in reviews, which tells you something about why it needs to be pointed out if it’s that problematically frequent in general), I have very little to criticize. I enjoyed Tristan and will happily read another Roberts book.

tristan