I received an Audible code for a copy of The Scarlet Dragon Saga (books 1-3), by J. P. Rice. However, I chose to listen only to Ginger Storm (book 1) at this point. It was narrated by Liz Brand.
I’m the most notorious magic thief in the world.
I shouldn’t have let the Morrigan teach me how to steal black magic through blood rituals. Now that I’m filled with deadly magic, I struggle to control the darkness.
My powers also make me a prime target for jealous Gods and the stupid magic councils.
But when an enchanted relic that has haunted me for most of my life goes missing in my old city, I shove fear aside and return to the place where everyone wants me dead.
To find Lugh’s Spear, I’ll need to team up with former enemies and figure out which one of my allies is lying to me. The Bounty Huntress from the Supreme Magic Council is hot on my heels too.
With several powerful entities closing in on me, I could leave town and take the easy way out.
To the chagrin of some supernatural tough guys, that’s not happening. I never take the easy path. I plan to find Lugh’s Spear and return it to the Celtic Gods.
My black magic blood can turn me into a murderous maniac at the drop of a hat. If I can control my inner darkness, I might be able to solve the mystery.
I hate to say it (especially since what I actually have is the compilation of books 1-3), but I was not a fan of Ginger Storm. Is this a spin-off of another series, or something? I really feel like nothing was developed enough for me to be invested in…or sometimes even understand. Mythical characters came and went, creating a disconcerting soup and no notable world-construction.
Plus, I spent most of the book waiting and waiting and waiting for a plot to pop up. And when it finally did (way, way, way late in the book) June seemed able to manifest abilities at will. I didn’t feel like she was a well-delineated character, so much as if the author just randomly pulled whatever out of their hat when they needed it.
But worst of all—for me—was that it’s so cliched in the way every man either loves or perves on June (for real or with ulterior motives) and almost every single woman in the book (other than June) is either nameless arm candy, slutty, murderous, or just vile in some other way. I don’t actually know anything about J.P. Rice, but I’d bet dollars to donuts they’re a man. The unconscious male-gaze is that kind of strong in this one. Not misogynistic, just subtly but clearly from the mind of a man. Which isn’t a bad thing, in and of itself. But it’s not something I enjoy, personally.
I don’t know that I hated this enough to not finish the compilation (because unfinished audiobooks linger and annoy me). But I disliked it enough to not want to listen to another right now.
I liked the idea of this book. You don’t see a lot of female half-dwarves. Fae, faeries, witches, vampires—pretty willowy things, sure—but not often dwarves. And that appealed to me. I like the idea of trying to stop a crazy cult from bringing dangerous dragons back into the world. I like that the book was set in Cardiff. I like it.
