I listened to the first book in Kim McDougall‘s Valkyrie Bestiary series in 2021. This year, I decided to finish the series. But I didn’t remember much from Dragons Don’t Eat Meat, so I went back and reread it, then finished the series (including the bonus novella, Thorn of Vioska).

The Flood Wars have come and gone, leaving a world at the mercy of magic. Kyra Greene is an exiled Valkyrie who finds her place in Montreal Ward as a pest controller of extraordinary creatures. She already has an apartment full of rescues, including a basilisk who thinks he’s a turkey, a banshee nanny, and a pygmy kraken. She might take care of them, but they also fill her need for family. And when that family is threatened, she’ll risk everything to save them.

This was a 10-book binge. I wrote individual reviews for the first couple of books and then decided to simply review the series as a single whole. What do you say about book 7, after all, that hasn’t been said already?

I read 10 books; I obviously enjoyed the series. I also thought it got stronger as it went along. Kyra was an engaging, loyal main character with realistic flaws that meant she didn’t feel like a Mary Sue. The romance was secondary to the plot but contributed a lot to the story. Though I never felt I knew Mason well, I liked him and thought he was a good match for Kyra. There were interesting side characters and tons of cute critters. I’d probably keep going if there were more books. As it is, I’ll just have to try some of McDougall’s (or her alternative pen name, Eliza Crowe’s) series.

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