Tag Archives: Lindsay Buroker

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.

Balanced on the Blades Edge

Book Review of Balanced on the Blade’s Edge (Dragon Blood #1), by Lindsay Buroker

Balanced on the Blade's EdgeBalanced on the Blade’s Edge, by Lindsay Buroker is a perma-freebie on Amazon, which is where I got it.

Description from Goodreads:
Colonel Ridge Zirkander isn’t the model of military professionalism—he has a tendency to say exactly what’s on his mind, and his record has enough demerits to wallpaper the hull of an airship—but as the best fighter pilot in the Iskandian army, he’s used to a little leniency from his superiors. Until he punches the wrong diplomat in the nose and finds himself issued new orders: take command of a remote prison mine in the inhospitable Ice Blades Mountains. Ridge has never been in charge of anything larger than a flier squadron—what’s he supposed to do with a frozen fortress full of murderers and rapists? Not to mention the strange woman who shows up right before he arrives… 

Sardelle Terushan wakes from three hundred years in a mage stasis shelter, only to realize that she is the last of the Referatu, the sorcerers who once helped protect Iskandia from conquerors. Their subterranean mountain community was blown up in a treacherous sneak attack by soldiers who feared their power. Everyone Sardelle ever knew is dead, and the sentient soulblade she has been bonded to since her youth is buried in the core of the mountain. Further, what remains of her home has been infested by bloodthirsty miners commanded by the descendants of the very soldiers who destroyed her people. 

Sardelle needs help to reach her soulblade—her only link to her past and her last friend in the world. Her only hope is to pretend she’s one of the prisoners while trying to gain the commander’s trust. But lying isn’t her specialty, especially when the world has changed so much in the intervening centuries, and if Colonel Zirkander figures out who she truly is, he’ll be duty-bound to sentence her to the only acceptable punishment for sorcerers: death.

Review:
Just a shorty review today, because I’m a Buroker fan and I pretty much knew I’d like this. I enjoyed it almost as much as The Emperor’s Edge series. I liked the characters (especially the fact that they were in their 30s and 40s) and thought the world an interesting one. There was humor and a little bit of romance. Unfortunately, I didn’t think it was quite as meticulously written as past books and there was a little too much he felt drawn to her but didn’t know why sort of hand waving. It made the whole thing feel a bit rushed. But despite that I’d be happy to read more of series.

Book Review of The Emperor’s Edge Collection, by Lindsay Buroker

The Emperor's Edge CollectionI grabbed book one of Lindsay Burkoer’s The Emperor’s Edge series off of the KDP free list. Because I enjoyed it, I then purchased the compilation for books two and three. (Though, honestly, at $7.69 I would usually call it too expensive and move on.)

A side note: You know, I wish that when book one of a series is perma-free the compilations could come books 2-4, instead of 1-3. That way I wouldn’t always end up with two copies of the first. Wouldn’t that be great?

The Emperor’s Edge:
Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed.

Worse, Sicarius, the empire’s most notorious assassin, is in town. He’s tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills… or someone wants her dead.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s not flawless. The incident that sets the whole thing in motion is ridiculously small and therefore the consequences unbelievable and I found some things really quite predictable. However, even with these gripes I just plain had fun with it. The writing is sharp, the dialogue witty, the characters amusing and the world interesting.

I especially liked Amaranthe and Sicarius. I’ll admit that the clean-freak, OCD organised woman and the silent killer of a man are pretty cliché character traits, but they are so often used because they’re amusing. So I’m going to call them classic instead. I love a strong-willed woman and I have to admit the emotionally distant warrior is one of my favourite character archetypes. Regardless, their repartee worked, as did their tenuous partnership. The rest of the group also contributed to the fun. The way they sniped at one another, but still got the job done was a laugh a minute.

Some books you just love, warts and all. This is one of those books for me. I’ll definitely be on the book out for more of Buroker’s works and I’m definitely reading book two…now.

Dark Currents:
It’s been three months since former enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon and the notorious assassin Sicarius thwarted kidnappers and saved the emperor’s life. The problem? Nobody knows they were responsible for this good deed. Worse, they’re being blamed for the entire scheme. With enforcers and bounty hunters stalking them, and the emperor nursing a personal hatred for Sicarius, it’s going to be hard to earn exoneration. When Amaranthe’s team discovers mutilated bodies in the city aqueducts and a mysterious illness incapacitates thousands of citizens, she and Sicarius see an opportunity to solve the mystery and prove their loyalty. But they’ll have to defeat vengeful shamans, man-eating predators, and deadly mechanical constructs, all while dodging imperial soldiers who would rather kill them than accept their help. Nobody said exoneration would be easy.

Oh, I’m still just loving this series! I’m not generally a raver, but I’m afraid the crew of the Emperor’s Edge makes me squeal a bit like an excited fangirl. I love the writing, the characters, the snark, the world, the slowly budding romance, etc.

It did feel a bit like a 2nd book, in that all the characters and their roles are pre-established so there’s little need for a lead in. But the book does have a beginning, middle and END—no cliffhangers here.

I know I usually have more to say about a book, but ‘I like it. I like it a lot’ is about all I’ve got for this one. I look forward to the rest of the series and I’m beginning to think I’ll be forced to invest in it all.

Deadly Games:
When you’ve been accused of kidnapping an emperor, and every enforcer in the city wants your head, it’s hard to prove yourself an honorable person and even harder to earn an imperial pardon.

That doesn’t keep Amaranthe Lokdon and her team of outlaws from trying. When athletes start disappearing from the Imperial Games, they may finally have an opportunity to show the emperor that they’re on his side. If she and her comrades can get to the bottom of such a public mystery, they’re sure to get the credit.

But plans go awry when Amaranthe’s own men start plotting against each other, the new ally she’d hoped to acquire tries to turn her in, and her best fighter—and closest friend—disappears. 

Maybe getting involved wasn’t such a good idea after all…

Book three, and I’m still on a high with this series. I’m enjoying all of the characters, especially Sicarius. He’s finally starting to open up a little bit. But it’s nice how the books are told partially from the POV of a side character—this book being dedicated to Basilard. I didn’t feel he got as much attention as Books did in the last book (the last book being dedicated to Books’ inner monologue), but it was still nice to hear his inner voice for a while. It’s a great way to get to know the cast of The Emperor’s Edge.

I do have to admit that, as much as I love the repartee between all the characters it started to feel a little forced here. Like everyone had to be witty all the time, instead of just naturally being that way. But I still laughed at their antics. The book isn’t a cliffhanger, but there is a pretty strong lead-in to book four in the epilogue. And I’m off to buy it now…so much for my monthly book budget.