I Believe in Dragons – 3

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, Coreene Callahan, dragons, fae, fantasy, G.A. Aiken, Genevieve Cogman, Isabel Cooper, magic, romance anthology', Savannah, Scotland, Stefan Keller

“5 Signs You’ve Pissed Off a Dragon-Shifter:

1. His eyes start to glow.
2. Twin columns of flame rise from his nostrils, much like mini tornados.
3. The air fogs as steam rolls off his scales.
4. His spiked tail begins to rattle, like a venomous snake’s right before it strikes.
5. He develops a facial tick that pulls the side of his lip up and bares one huge fang.”

― Coreene Callahan, DRAGONFURY SERIES: A Reader’s Companion to the Dragonfury World

Over the years, I’ve read a few of Coreene Callhan’s Dragonfury series and most lately, some of the Dragonfury: Scotland series.  These stories are different from the fantasy books reviewed the last two days because they are set in contemporary times, and actual earth locations.  Day 3 of I Believe in Dragons is a review of a book that releases on February 15. 

Bonuses: Quotes about dragons begin and end each post. Plus, featured art by Stefan Keller, via Pixabay.

Review of Fury of Isolation by Coreene Callahan

The dragons of the Dragonfury series are in-your-face, bad%&&, males that are often described with words such as toxic and lethal.   They all love to trade insults and are always looking for a fight against foe or friend.  Basically, they are dragons that would probably annoy me.  But then, they meet their mate. And….they get all gooey.  Which is kind of delightful.

At the beginning of Fury of Isolation, Rannock has already met Cate who is sister to Nicole (see Fury of Persuasion).  On the phone.  They’ve been talking regularly and have become quite close.  The book does not give the backstory on how they ‘met’, but that does not seem to be important to the story.  They’ve become close enough so that when Cate is in trouble, she calls him rather than the police.  And Rannock is an ocean away.   

I really like this heroine.  Cate has a delightful direct attitude.  Like when she says things like “Ran gives me orgasms.  I’m much nicer to him.”  And when she considers being called “odd” a compliment. 

This book introduces some new supernatural beings.  Fae Shadow Walkers are the ‘Albanian mob’ mentioned in the book blurb.  They are evil, but not really, dragon-like in temperament and make a great adversary in this story.  It seems like they could be part of the ongoing Dragonfury story. 

While Cate’s dad is sort of a background figure, it becomes obvious that there is much more to him than the story reveals.  More possible Dragonfury fodder?  And speaking of unfinished stories, at the beginning of the book, Rannock is hunting rogue dragons in Scotland – but that part of the story never progresses beyond his unsuccessful hunt.    

Readers of the Dragonfury series recognize the long story arcs that are present.  While you can read each book as a standalone, it can be a bit frustrating if you are a stickler for wrapping up loose ends. 

The verdict:  Fury of Isolation is what I call a palate cleanser.  Light and romantic, with just the right among of danger.  Great between heavier novels and always fun to read.

Thanks to the publisher who provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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About Fury of Isolation

Sometimes the person you need is the last one you expect…

When the Albanian mob shows up at her door, Cate Biscayne knows her father is up to his old tricks. Determined to force him out of hiding, the criminals he conned take her hostage. The clock is ticking and few options remain. She’s forced to decide—risk her life and do what they want, or accept help from a man who might be even more dangerous.

Brutal by nature, Scottish dragon-warrior Rannock has little patience for humans. But when the woman he longs for goes missing, he flies halfway around the world to investigate her disappearance. With few clues to follow, he infiltrates a network in the criminal underworld, only to discover a magic more sinister than his own.

Can he find Cate before time runs out? Or will he lose the woman fated to be his forever?

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In three days, I’ve barely scratched the surface of dragon fiction available.  There are authors like G.A. Aiken who writes the laugh-out-loud Dragonkin series and Isabel Cooper, who’s centuries old dragons actually seem to be centuries old.  Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library series features the serious and orderly Dragon race who are balanced by the chaotic Fae.  Movies like How to Train Your Dragon, Dragonheart, and Eragon bring dragons to readers and non-readers.  Do you have a favorite dragon book or movie?  I’d love to hear about it in the comments. 

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“He had only heard of dragons, and although he had never seen one, he was sure they existed.”

― Dee Marie, Sons of Avalon: Merlin’s Prophecy

A Letter to Three Witches by Elizabeth Bass – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, cats, cupcakes, Elizabeth Bass, humor, magic, mystery, romance, witches

Review of A Letter to Three Witches

Three cousins in a small town.  A fourth ‘cousin’ raised as a sister, but more like The Good Son.  Maybe not as evil.  But definitely an angry troublemaker.  

The Letter is written to all three cousins by the raised-as-a-sister Tannith.  In the letter, she threatens to run off with the significant other of one of the three cousins.  Who will it be?  The letter sets off a zany chain of events in small town Zenobia.

The three cousins all have innate magic, but mostly don’t practice it due to a ban enforced by the magical authorities on an ancestor and his descendants.  But magic happens.  Sometimes accidentally, sometimes on purpose.  Let’s just say that the cousins could use some Hogwarts education.

Without the witch factor, this would be called a farce.  If anything can go wrong, it goes absurdly wrong. 

It is the accidental events that are hilarious.  A man turned into a rabbit.  A cupcake that makes you sleepy or horny.  Each one results in bigger and bigger catastrophes for the three witches.   At the same time, the they are learning more about their heritage and exactly who they are.  And because of Tannith’s letter, the cousins’ relationships go through the ringer.  Hopefully they will come out better than ever. 

Told mostly from cousin Gwen’s point of view, occasionally, the familiar cat, Grizelda, gets to claim center stage. 

A Letter to Three Witches is an enchanting, light-hearted romp.  Charming, likable characters and familiars.  Though….I may not be eating a cupcake for a while.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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About A Letter to Three Witches by Elizabeth Bass

Nearly a century ago, Gwen Engel’s great-great-grandfather cast a spell with catastrophic side-effects. As a result, the Grand Council of Witches forbade his descendants from practicing witchcraft. The Council even planted anonymous snitches called Watchers in the community to report any errant spellcasting…

Yet magic may still be alive and not so well in Zenobia. Gwen and her cousins, Trudy and Milo, receive a letter from Gwen’s adopted sister, Tannith, informing them that she’s bewitched one of their partners and will run away with him at the end of the week. While Gwen frets about whether to trust her scientist boyfriend, currently out of town on a beetle-studying trip, she’s worried that local grad student Jeremy is secretly a Watcher doing his own research.

Cousin Trudy is so stressed that she accidentally enchants her cupcakes, creating havoc among her bakery customers—and in her marriage. Perhaps it’s time the family took back control and figured out how to harness their powers. How else can Gwen decide whether her growing feelings for Jeremy are real—or the result of too many of Trudy’s cupcakes? 

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Max and the Isle of Sanctus (Secrets of the Twilight Djinn, #2) by John Peragine – Review

Tags

4 stars, Adventure, Book Review, childrens books, djinn, dragon, fantasy, John Peragine, kraken, magic, middle grade, pirates, sailing ships, series, witches

About Max and the Isle of Sanctus by John Peragine

In the second book of Secrets of the Twilight Djinn, Max Daybreaker embarks on all new adventures. Max must battle a Kraken, ride a fire-breathing dragon, and defeat the evil djinn whose powers are growing every day. The stakes are high for Max as he tries to protect his friends from angry sea gods and a vengeful sultan while also saving his mom from a terrible curse! Max must reach the Isle of Sanctus using his unpredictable magic power and foes on all sides before time runs out.

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Review of Max and the Isle of Sanctus

Max and the Isle of Sanctus is filled with pages of non-stop adventure for Max and his friends.  While Max continues to try to reunite with his family, he and the pirates get into more trouble.  Everywhere Max goes, there is someone or something trying to stop him.  Dark and dangerous, the journey is full of daring kids, swashbuckling pirates and loads of magical creatures. 

Max’s gut thinks it knows who is good and who is evil, but he is a kid with little experience to train a gut.  Which leads to never really knowing who is an enemy and who is a friend.  So, constant danger?  Yes.  Scary education for Max?  Also yes.

Captain Cinn is hilarious and is all about the next meal!  Not because he likes to eat but because he loves to cook good food for his friends.  Cinn is my favorite character and I hope he continues to feature in the series. 

I think Max still has plenty of exploits ahead of him.  This is a fun series for the middle graders who want to escape to the adventures of the high seas. 

Thanks to the author who provided a copy of his book in exchange for my honest review.

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