Rachel Aaron: No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished

The third book in the Heartstrikers fantasy series.

Publication year: 2016

Format: Audio

Running time: 18 hours, 51 minutes
Narrator: Vikas Adam

The ending of the previous book in the series, One Good Dragon Deserves Another, changed the status quo of our hero Julius and the Heartstrikers dragon clan. However many of the dragons themselves are against that change, and Julius didn’t expect to be right in the middle of it.

Namely, that the clan would be ruled by a council instead of a tyrant, in this case, the mother of all Heartstrikers, Bethesda. But no other clan is ruled by democracy. Also, Julius didn’t expect to be on the council. Worse, one seat is open for any Heartstriker who gets enough votes, so now the dragons will have cut-throat elections. Julius’ sister Chelsie is still under Bethesda’s control and Chelsea is stretched very thin trying to keep the peace between her younger siblings.

Also, Algonquin, the powerful spirit of the lakes who rules Detroit, declares war on dragons. She proves it by killing three ancient dragons.

Also, the UN notices when the biggest dragon clan in the world is in turmoil, so they send representatives to talk with the council. However, they also have a keen interest in Marci and her familiar. Marci is apparently going to become the most powerful mage in the world and, of course, the humans don’t want her staying near dragons.

This was a change of pace from the previous book because most of the story was Julius trying to talk others from using violence. However, the story has violent scenes as well, including a duel between dragons. But the book focuses on dragon politics and relationships. Chelsie has a big part and we get to know a lot more about her past. We get to know a lot more about the other Heartstrikers, as well.

I enjoyed the book just as much as the previous ones, but I was a bit disappointed that one character won’t be appearing anymore, though. The ending is a huge cliffhanger.

 

Rachel Aaron: One Good Dragon Deserves Another

The second book in the urban fantasy Heartstrikers where the main characters are dragons.

Publication year: 2015

Format: Audio

Running time: 18 hours, 35 minutes
Narrator: Vikas Adam

This was an excellent sequel to the Nice Dragons Finish Last. Julius is the youngest dragon in the Heartstriker clan. He’s also a genuinely nice person which the other dragons don’t understand because they believe that might makes right. Julius’ siblings have bullied him all his life. Now, Julius is in Detroit which is ruled by a powerful spirit who hates dragons. But Julius’ ruthless mother, who is the head of the clan, sent him there and sealed him in a human form. Julius survived her mother’s plans and even made a few friends and some enemies, as well.

Now, Estella, one of the three dragon seers, is gunning for Julius’ mother forcing her powerful sisters to work ruthlessly against the Heartstriker. No matter how cruel Julius’ mother is, he must try to help her. Meanwhile, his business partner Marci is kidnapped. A spirit who has killed many dragons knows about Julius and wants to kill him.

I love the characters and the world-building is excellent. Aaron deepens it a lot, especially dragon history. Some readers might not like that so much info is given in dialog but I liked the history bits a lot.

Julius is a genuinely kind character if somewhat too angsty. He’s also in love with Marci but doesn’t want to endanger their friendship so he doesn’t say anything. Marci is a competent mage with a mercenary side. She’s also very attracted to Julius but thinks that she doesn’t have a chance. I also enjoyed Marci’s familiar Ghost, the spirit of a dead cat. He shows quite a new side to himself.

Many of the cast returns and we’re also introduced to a couple of new characters. The writing style continues to be light and fun, with plenty of exciting battles. The only thing I didn’t really care for was the romance between Marci and Julius. The ending was a surprise and I dove right into the next book.