She’s given strict rules of behavior for living in earth society. Rule number one: keep her true nature hidden. Rule number two: no emotional involvement with humans, despite the age-old, near irresistible attraction between the two races.
Then Maeven meets plucky, devious, adorable Frankie. Who, as it turns out, accidentally, shockingly, shape-shifted – the night before. Ah. So much for the rules.
Frankie is frustrated with her slightly larcenous life not going anywhere in particular. One fateful weekend, she camps alone in the mountains to gain fresh perspective - with a little help from a baggie of something special. That afternoon, in a crazed, furious confrontation with hunters, Frankie accidentally shape-shifts into a dragon--
And discovers a race of magical beings who insist she’s one, too. Then there's the shining, gorgeous, red-head who promises to teach her so much.
Maevan is on her Fieri challenge. A right of passage once a Dracan reaches 200 years old. Maevan has requested the challenge of finding a Human born with enough Dracan blood to shape-shift. Something the Dracan community has been searching for, to cure their early aging.
Frankie is displaced, never feels safe, and has abandonment issues as a result of her mother’s passing, and her father’s rigid political nature. She consoles herself with stealing pretty things, and is in Portland because of some pull that told her her luck was running out in Las Vegas. After a day of wandering the forest, on a vision quest, fueled by Magic mushrooms, she finds herself naked in a cabin in the woods, being stared at by a beautiful woman.
After a slow start to this story (for me) I got sucked into this magical piece of writing.
The world building in this story was really good. The dual realities worked well, and made sense. There was the feeling of magic and a society cloaked to make Dracan invisible. Unfortunately I didn’t get the same descriptive world building in the Dracan reality, and I felt that would have added more depth to the story. The questions floating around about Dracan life was never fully answered. The society wasn’t explained beyond the basics, the Fieri and the Council of Elders. I would have liked the author to provide a bit more of the way Dracan life worked beyond that upper echelon.
The chemistry between Maevan and Frankie was electric, and I felt their passion for each other. The intimacy and erotica was sexy and drawn out well. I believed these two women connected and could settle into something wonderful together. Their exploration of each other and their cultures was nice to see. Maevan’s advocacy for Frankie’s life in the face of a strictly secretive culture was heartwarming. Questioning her Queen was a risk she took to ensure Frankie’s well being.
The Dragons were described well, as was their shape-shifting, and the inner feelings of a twin-being. I appreciated the care and focus that was given to this part of the story. I understood the Dracan predatory nature, and its intensity. I was convinced by the compulsion to shift, fly, and hunt.
Dragons are a favourite of mine, and I believe this story was well thought out, and well executed. Aside from the issues I had above, this was a great story, with plenty of meat and full character development. A few editing issues pulled me out of the story, but I believe these would have been picked up in the final edit.
I will be looking into The Daughters of Draca series, and hoping it provides a more thorough worldview of Draca as well as more of the magic and beauty that was displayed in this story.
Recommended for lovers of Mythical beasts set in a contemporary world. This Paranormal stories was a satisfying read.
Find on Goodreads!
No comments:
Post a Comment