Rustypuppy

Last Dragon Standing, last (5th) book…

Rustypuppy — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 17:36:14 GMT

Last Dragon Standing, last (5th) book in Rachel Aaron’s Heartstriker series.

Good ending to a good series.

Even being aware of the theme and having a solid guess how it would likely end, there were still surprises - good surprises, not “where the hell did that come from?!” surprises, which is one of the reasons I keep reading Aaron’s books: the worlds and magic systems she creates have rules and they don’t get broken for dramatic or plot reasons; the fun is seeing how they are interpreted and used by the various characters in pursuit of their (often conflicting) goals.

#rachelaaron #urbanfantasy #dragons #heartstrikers #bookstr #book #fiction #rustypuppyreads

Dragon of a Different Color by…

Rustypuppy — Sat, 06 Jul 2024 23:30:29 GMT

Dragon of a Different Color by Rachel Aaron, #4 in the Heartstriker series.

Nice follow up to the plot threads of book 3 (No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished). New dragons, various characters level up, Big Picture gets Bigger, and something that makes utter sense given the rules of the world but was still a shocker.

Really liked Marci’s journey through this book, though since her and Julius spend most of the novel apart from each other, every chapter alternates POV …. which means for most of the middle I just skip chapters to follow a single POV. 😬

Also this cover is soooo reminiscent of Mary GrandPré’s original illustrations for the Harry Potter books because there’s a freaking spoiler in it that means nothing to you until you’ve read the story. 🤣

On to the last book, whose cover proves this whole thing has always been about Bob. 😉

#rachelaaron #urbanfantasy #dragons #heartstrikers #bookstr #book #fiction #rustypuppyreads

No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished, Book…

Rustypuppy — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 22:26:06 GMT

No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished, Book 3 in Rachel Aaron’s Heartstriker series.

Damn, things are leveling up now, which you expect in Book 3 of a 5 book series. There’s a good balance of keeping up with the major players involved, though that does mean alternating chapters of POV when they go off in different directions.

I really enjoy the various levels of magic power: humans, dragons, animal spirits, environment spirits, and stuff that’s obviously waaaay more powerful but hasn’t been fulling explained yet.

Aaron does a good job of keeping things relative to each other, so you do believe this human can punch above her weight and (as frustrating as the main nice dragon can be), there’s enough motivation and reasons for the other characters to do what they in reaction to his efforts and actions. One mystery isn’t that mysterious and the reader should be able to figure it out even though he doesn’t.

I don’t think this book, and the next two, will be as impactful if you don’t start at the beginning.

On to the next one. 👍🐉

#rachelaaron #urbanfantasy #dragons #heartstrikers #bookstr #book #fiction #rustypuppyreads

One Good Dragon Deserves Another, book…

Rustypuppy — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 23:44:16 GMT

One Good Dragon Deserves Another, book 2 of 5 in the Heartstriker series by Rachel Aaron.

Self-contained plot, though I think it would be easier to follow if you’d read the first one. Also has an end-of-the-book blowup that adds a new crises that seem will resonate through the rest of the books.

I like what the author does with the seers (dragons that know the future and manipulate anyone and everyone to get the outcome they prefer) and spirits (sentient magic). Part of the joy of reading genre for me is experiencing these other worlds that authors create.

As an author, I enjoy the craft of the book:
- showing the reader things the characters don’t know to increase tension
- having the characters know something that is completely hidden from the reader until the reveal
- keeping some things from the reader and the characters, but with enough bits scattered around that, when looking back, all the parts were there before the final puzzle image was revealed.

Going on to the third book. 👍 🐉

#rachelaaron #urbanfantasy #dragons #heartstrikers #rustypuppyreads #bookstr #book #fiction

Finished Nice Dragons Finish Last by…

Rustypuppy — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 21:54:23 GMT

Finished Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron. Fun urban fantasy in a near future where magic has come back to the world (especially Detroit). Dragons are real and very scheming. Human mages have different schools of magic use.

This is the first book, and while it does come to a conclusion, something big has been set in motion. There are 5 books total (and an interview with Mother of the Heartstriker Dragons), all of which are out, which is why I started this series - not a fan of year or longer waits for a story I’m enjoying.

I loved her Eli Monpress books, and these have a similar feel, though more urban than fantasy world.

Starting the next book tonight. 🐉

#rachelaaron #urbanfantasy #dragons #heartstrikers #rustypuppyreads #bookstr