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Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Heist
Pages: 320
Point of View: Third (Daniel, Sam, Gabriel, & Cassandra)
Released: September 15th 2015
Series: Daniel Blackland 3
Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)
Source: Review request.
Warning: People eat people to gain powers.
My Rating: 8/10 Stars
Small spoilers for book two were unavoidable. (Really only one spoiler, and more is revealed in the official summary than I tell.) To read my review of California Bones book one instead click here.
My Summary:
Sam is now a Dragon, or trapped inside a Dragon. Daniel’s doing everything he can to get Sam back. He had a perfect plan, but then the Northern kingdom kidnapped the Dragon. So now Daniel has to go undercover in the North to get Sam back.
My Review:
When starting this novel I immediately remembered how much I enjoy the author’s writing. He has a great voice, especially in the way he describes things.
The Good:
I wasn’t sure how he would do the whole Sam is a Dragon thing, but he impressed me. Rather than being the dragon, it’s more like Sam’s trapped inside it. As much as he tries to control it, with a cockpit and controls he fashioned out of bones, it proves stubborn and only occasionally listens.
Daniel’s been working for months on a plan to get Sam back. His old friend Moth and Em, (one of the many golem Emmas.) who is friends with Sam, are helping him. I liked them both and I’m glad they’re back. Cassandra’s in it too. My ship hasn’t sunk yet! I still think she belongs with Daniel. Jo’s even back! (The shape shifter) though not for very long.
I enjoyed all of the new characters. Annabel was my favorite! (I can’t tell you who she is without spoilers. Sorry. But she was one of the best parts of the book!) All of the people at the Northern court were interesting as well, even though Daniel couldn’t trust anyone.
Gabriel and Max’s joking, demeaning, friendship is as great as ever. Cassandra was a good addition to their group. (The three teamed up to locate the dragon while Daniel and Moth went undercover.) Water magic is as complex and interesting as everything else in these books. It’s nice that the author didn’t just do it mentally like most magics. I liked the pipe contraptions Gabriel used to manipulate water.
The pacing was steady until the end when it got a bit intense. (I may have lost some sleep.) The plot, while mostly what I expected, was done well. There wasn’t much thievery in this book, but I didn’t mind.
I hate it when a series ends! I didn’t want this one to end and I was afraid it wouldn’t end well, but I’m very satisfied. And happy. There could so be more books though!
The Bad:
It’s over!
There were a couple small continuity issues. Daniel explained his plan to steal the stone to Moth after he already knew about it. (I’m probably the only one who noticed.) And a stuffed duck momentarily turned into a rabbit. (It makes sense when you read the book.)
Do you mind it when a character comes back from the dead? (Not a spoiler, kind of the whole premise of this book, Daniel trying to get Sam back.) I used to be really annoyed back when I read comic books at all of the reincarnations, but I don’t mind it now as long as it makes sense. (My change in opinion might be due to Supernatural.)
Woven Magic Books 
well just for the fact that it’s about dragons is a why I need to read it lol. It’s great when you find an author who is writing so well! thanks for the discovery!
It’s certainly a unique book. The dragon is only really in the final book, but the magic of this world is what makes it a great read.
Glad this ended so nicely for you, I love it when that happens!
Thanks! Me too! I’m always afraid of the final book in a series, but this one was great! The author could write another trilogy after it too. (A girl can hope)
Fine, they can come back once, but too many times and I go all really
I agree! Unless it is a comedy (Supernatural) and as long as it actually makes sense one resurrection is really all that is necessary.
Sounds interesting. I am okay with them coming back from the dead if it is explained in a way that makes sense and not some easy way to tie up loose ends. 🙂
It is a very interesting world. I agree completely about resurrections. One is okay as long as it makes sense!
I absolutely adore dragons and the fact that the book revolves around one is why I really need to read it. I love it when a reviewer says that the “bad” is that the book ended. I’m all for for books like that.
Thanks for the amazing review, Molly. Added to my TBR list 🙂
I’m a big dragon fan too! This isn’t really a dragon book. The dragon is only in the last book of the series and like everything in these books it’s done uniquely. haha! Yeah that was the bad of every book in this series! They were too short! Thank you! I hope you enjoy it. If you like unique magic systems then you should.
Ooh I’m really tempted to look up this series now because DRAGONNNNNS. Also I agree with you on Supernatural changing my opinion on bringing characters back from the dead. 😛 I used to get annoyed at it, buuuut…sometimes I love it. :’) Some characters just are too missable!! (Is that a word?!)
You’re the third person who was interested in this because of the Dragon. Unfortunately the dragon is only in the third book. It is uniquely done too, but everything in these books is unique and weird. (In a good way) haha! Yeah, Supernatural succeeds at resurrections, because they do it comically. I loved the Dean dies episode! Missable isn’t a word according to my spell check, but it should be. 😉 I agree, I’d rather a good character come back then stay dead! Although the resurrection needs to make sense and not just be tacked on there.
DRAGONS!!! I’ll try pretty much anything with them in it 🙂 Love the sound of these and have added them to my list.
BTW! Yay for Supernatural, Best. Show. Ever!
I love dragons too! The dragon doesn’t show up really until the third book. They are great books though, so you should read them! I hope you like California Bones! The magic system is just so unique!
I love Supernatural too! I need to rewatch it again soon!
I am glad that you were able to enjoy this book as it was a sequel! I love diving into a sequel after a while and falling back into the rhythm of the author’s writing style and all. It sounds like a good read, even if it was a tad bit predictable from your rating of it. I love the idea of dragons ❤
I am not sure how I feel about characters coming back from the dead. Marvel does it all the time DD: But in terms of books I am not such a huge fan of it…
I agree! That moment when you get back into the author’s style is great! I’m not sure if this one was a little predictable or I’ve just gotten good at guessing where this author is headed. Dragons are the best! I’ve never read a dragon done this way either. Warning: The dragon doesn’t really show up until book three. All of the books are great though! My favorite part is the weird magic system!
I used to hate the way Marvel brought characters back, but I’ve gotten used to it. I think it really matters (in books) the way the character is brought back. That it makes sense and isn’t just to fill a plot hole.