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Product Description
During the war between the kingdoms of Volstov and Ke-Han, no fighter could match Rook for sheer arrogance and skill. Only Rook could ride the great dragon Havemercy, whose savagery and bloodlust matched his own. His brother, Thom, is bookish, diffident, and reserved, yet he yearns for Rook’s approval—and fears he can never earn it. With the war over, and an uneasy truce between the two nations, Thom hopes the long-lost brothers can bond on a trip together.
But Rook cares only that Havemercy lies scattered in pieces across Ke-Han—and someone is buying up her parts, and those of other fallen dragons. The beasts are dead, but the magic that powered them is not. And now a Ke-Han agent, a Volstov sorceress, and a group of desert tribesmen are vying to possess that magic and control the future.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I adored the first book in this series, Havemercy, or at least, I loved the characters of Hal and Royston. When it came to the other characters, Rook and Thom, I tended to glass over those parts, finding the characters a little uninteresting and the war element not so good. So when I got this book and realised that the main story was about those characers, I was a bit disappointed. But I didn't let it put me off, and read this book, desperate to continue the series.
Again I found the characters of Rook and Thom rather boring. Their story this time, however, was much more interesting, so I found that element an improvement. The other 2 new characters in this book, Madoka and Malahide, I also didn't find particularly interesting. The interaction between the two became more interesting as the book went on, but it was very near the end of the book when i started actually liking them.
This book was a real down point for me in this series. The first and second books (Havemercy, Shadow Magic) both had characters, stories and interactions that I found interesting and fascinating, but this book the characters just didn't do it for me, and character, as you can probably tell, is very important to me.
But the storyline itself was really good. We mainly follow Rook and Thom on a journey to try and find Rook's dragon, Havemercy, and the brutal journey they endure in the process.
So although I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others, the writing style of Jones and Bennett is still fantastic, and don't let my review put you off reading the series, especially the first 2 books, because they are truly wonderful books with (mostly) wondeful, loveable characters.
Again I found the characters of Rook and Thom rather boring. Their story this time, however, was much more interesting, so I found that element an improvement. The other 2 new characters in this book, Madoka and Malahide, I also didn't find particularly interesting. The interaction between the two became more interesting as the book went on, but it was very near the end of the book when i started actually liking them.
This book was a real down point for me in this series. The first and second books (Havemercy, Shadow Magic) both had characters, stories and interactions that I found interesting and fascinating, but this book the characters just didn't do it for me, and character, as you can probably tell, is very important to me.
But the storyline itself was really good. We mainly follow Rook and Thom on a journey to try and find Rook's dragon, Havemercy, and the brutal journey they endure in the process.
So although I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others, the writing style of Jones and Bennett is still fantastic, and don't let my review put you off reading the series, especially the first 2 books, because they are truly wonderful books with (mostly) wondeful, loveable characters.
Format:Kindle Edition
to me this book is a treasure. infact this is true for the whole series. the plot is unique as well as the characters and grips you from the first page till the very last and leaves you yearning for more. i am desperate for my next dose of this killer series and eagerly await it... in the mean time i,ll just have read the series once (or maybe twice) again...
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
So-so plot, and some not-so-great characters
23 Jun 2010
Format:Hardcover
These two authors are capable of writing a very good novel, as they proved a couple years ago with _Havemercy_. I was less enthusiastic about _Shadow Magic_, and I'm even more dubious about this installment. (Warning: spoilers follow.)
For starters, the bad guys are incompetent, having come up with a nonsensical plot to resurrect one of Volstov's mechanical dragons by putting back together some bits and pieces left over from the war; as you'd expect, the scrap metal they salvage doesn't exactly fit together well, and they're only able to fashion a mutant dragonlike creature that would never have gotten them anywhere. In addition, their *only* hope of even partial success hinges on a huge coincidence involving Rook's physical location. Luckily for them, he's wandering around right in their neck of the desert. Then, when they're finally getting close to bringing their crackpot plan to fruition, they get all panicky, whip up a sandstorm, and botch the whole thing. Argh. With enemies like these, you haven't got much to worry about.
Then there are the characters. Rook is the most entertaining, but he's a poor man's Mildmay (read Sarah Monette's Doctrine of Labyrinths series if you haven't yet, and you'll see what I mean). Thom and Madoka are okay, and Malahide and Kalim are disasters. Malahide is a psychopath on a mission, and is about as sympathetic as a crocodile. Kalim is a mishmash of every stereotype we've got of the romantic and honorable Bedouin prince--he's a knife fighter locked in a bitter feud with his brother, but he's handily defeated by the hero (Rook) and is oddly passive when Rook starts pushing him around a little later. He rescues the entire party at the end, just like a good native helper, and plants a big kiss on Malahide, whom he has recognized as a trans woman. I kept expecting him to pull a magic carpet or a genie out from under his camel, but he didn't.
I suppose I can't really recommend this book. It's good for some amusement, but I'll forget it soon, and without regret.
For starters, the bad guys are incompetent, having come up with a nonsensical plot to resurrect one of Volstov's mechanical dragons by putting back together some bits and pieces left over from the war; as you'd expect, the scrap metal they salvage doesn't exactly fit together well, and they're only able to fashion a mutant dragonlike creature that would never have gotten them anywhere. In addition, their *only* hope of even partial success hinges on a huge coincidence involving Rook's physical location. Luckily for them, he's wandering around right in their neck of the desert. Then, when they're finally getting close to bringing their crackpot plan to fruition, they get all panicky, whip up a sandstorm, and botch the whole thing. Argh. With enemies like these, you haven't got much to worry about.
Then there are the characters. Rook is the most entertaining, but he's a poor man's Mildmay (read Sarah Monette's Doctrine of Labyrinths series if you haven't yet, and you'll see what I mean). Thom and Madoka are okay, and Malahide and Kalim are disasters. Malahide is a psychopath on a mission, and is about as sympathetic as a crocodile. Kalim is a mishmash of every stereotype we've got of the romantic and honorable Bedouin prince--he's a knife fighter locked in a bitter feud with his brother, but he's handily defeated by the hero (Rook) and is oddly passive when Rook starts pushing him around a little later. He rescues the entire party at the end, just like a good native helper, and plants a big kiss on Malahide, whom he has recognized as a trans woman. I kept expecting him to pull a magic carpet or a genie out from under his camel, but he didn't.
I suppose I can't really recommend this book. It's good for some amusement, but I'll forget it soon, and without regret.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
On the defensive of a good book
23 Nov 2010
Format:Hardcover
I don't write a lot of reviews because I find that I'm not really very good at them, but I saw that this book was not getting a lot of feedback, and what it was getting was pretty negative, and I feel like I have to defend it. (Without spoiling the book for others, like some of the other reviewers. Tsk.)
Let's start by saying that if you read Havemercy, you know these two authors are capable of incredible writing. And Dragon Soul does not disappoint in that category. The writing is very well executed. It's not unbelievably fantastic, but it's well done- I didn't have any spots where I got tripped up or confused. The authors' point always comes across clearly. Another reviewer remarked that a particular phrase was being repeated too many times- I watched for a phrase throughout the book (I forgot exactly what it was) and I didn't find anything like that. Then I came back to Amazon and saw which phrase the reviewer had mentioned, and I went back through the book, and it still didn't strike me as out of place.
I also felt that the characters were well realized. I love the way Rook is written, because when you're reading him in first person, you feel like maybe he's misunderstood, etc., but then when you read Thom talking about Rook, you realize that that's just his character, the way he his. It's a great example of an author showing instead of telling, because you do actually fall under that spell. I felt that Thom, Rook, and Madoka were interesting, fully thought-out characters. I loved each of their story lines and never felt bored when I was reading them. I think the authors may have slacked off a little with Malahide. She doesn't remind me of Caius, but I did feel she was a little less... real, I guess is the word I'm looking for. She was interesting, but I felt that I didn't care as much what happened to her. However, I'm hoping to see her character expanded in future books.
This book is lively, fast-paced, and it made me laugh quite a few times. It is not, though, perfect, and does have a couple of flaws. If you read Shadow Magic before this, you'll understand when I say that the biggest flaw I found was that, throughout the whole book, the authors seem to be leading up to certain characters becoming romantically involved. But at the end of the book, you find this doesn't really pan out the way you thought it would. Perhaps these romantic interests will be progressed upon in future books? I hope so.
And I do hope these women will continue to write, because they really are talented. Havemercy was one of the better books I've read in a long time, and while Dragon Soul is not quite as good, it's still very entertaining, and very worth reading. Give it a try.
Let's start by saying that if you read Havemercy, you know these two authors are capable of incredible writing. And Dragon Soul does not disappoint in that category. The writing is very well executed. It's not unbelievably fantastic, but it's well done- I didn't have any spots where I got tripped up or confused. The authors' point always comes across clearly. Another reviewer remarked that a particular phrase was being repeated too many times- I watched for a phrase throughout the book (I forgot exactly what it was) and I didn't find anything like that. Then I came back to Amazon and saw which phrase the reviewer had mentioned, and I went back through the book, and it still didn't strike me as out of place.
I also felt that the characters were well realized. I love the way Rook is written, because when you're reading him in first person, you feel like maybe he's misunderstood, etc., but then when you read Thom talking about Rook, you realize that that's just his character, the way he his. It's a great example of an author showing instead of telling, because you do actually fall under that spell. I felt that Thom, Rook, and Madoka were interesting, fully thought-out characters. I loved each of their story lines and never felt bored when I was reading them. I think the authors may have slacked off a little with Malahide. She doesn't remind me of Caius, but I did feel she was a little less... real, I guess is the word I'm looking for. She was interesting, but I felt that I didn't care as much what happened to her. However, I'm hoping to see her character expanded in future books.
This book is lively, fast-paced, and it made me laugh quite a few times. It is not, though, perfect, and does have a couple of flaws. If you read Shadow Magic before this, you'll understand when I say that the biggest flaw I found was that, throughout the whole book, the authors seem to be leading up to certain characters becoming romantically involved. But at the end of the book, you find this doesn't really pan out the way you thought it would. Perhaps these romantic interests will be progressed upon in future books? I hope so.
And I do hope these women will continue to write, because they really are talented. Havemercy was one of the better books I've read in a long time, and while Dragon Soul is not quite as good, it's still very entertaining, and very worth reading. Give it a try.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
50%
3 July 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Warning: Spoilers
Here's the thing: I love this series. But this book fell short of the previous two. Like Havemercy and Shadow Magic, Dragon Soul is narrated by the alternating first person views of four main characters. Two of them, Rook and Thom, were also narrators in Havemercy. I love these two characters. The two new ones, Madoka and Malahide, are what brought the book down for me. Practically every time I got to their parts, I fell asleep. I just didn't care about them as characters, and maybe that's my bias, because I was already so committed to Rook and Thom's story. They both seemed very unoriginal. Malahide referred to others as "my dear" a lot, which was one of Shadow Magic's Caius trademarks. Madoka's personality was too much like Rook's. And Rook, Madoka, and Malahide, at some point in the story, all thought the phrase: "the universal sign for ________". What are the odds of three different characters thinking this exact same phrase? Apparently very high.
One thing I love about the series is how great the characterization is. And even though this has always resulted in more description than dialogue, it never negatively affected the overall story for me until this third installment. All too often, discussions were mixed in with such long, descriptive analyzations in the current narrator's mind that by the time he or she answered, I would forget what the other person had said or what the conversation was even about.
On a more positive note, I enjoyed Rook and Thom even more in this book, something I didn't think possible. It was great reading about their influences on each other. I loved when they met magician Sarah Fleet, Havemercy's maker. And could anything be more heart-wrenchingly bittersweet than when Rook and Have get to say goodbye?
So, to sum things up, I really do love this series. Therefore, I would recommend this book, but I know that when I get around to rereading it, I'll probably only go through the Rook/Thom parts. I've been a fan of the authors for a long time (I'm talking back to the Shoebox days), but for me, this book was 50% awesome and a 50% snore-fest.
Here's the thing: I love this series. But this book fell short of the previous two. Like Havemercy and Shadow Magic, Dragon Soul is narrated by the alternating first person views of four main characters. Two of them, Rook and Thom, were also narrators in Havemercy. I love these two characters. The two new ones, Madoka and Malahide, are what brought the book down for me. Practically every time I got to their parts, I fell asleep. I just didn't care about them as characters, and maybe that's my bias, because I was already so committed to Rook and Thom's story. They both seemed very unoriginal. Malahide referred to others as "my dear" a lot, which was one of Shadow Magic's Caius trademarks. Madoka's personality was too much like Rook's. And Rook, Madoka, and Malahide, at some point in the story, all thought the phrase: "the universal sign for ________". What are the odds of three different characters thinking this exact same phrase? Apparently very high.
One thing I love about the series is how great the characterization is. And even though this has always resulted in more description than dialogue, it never negatively affected the overall story for me until this third installment. All too often, discussions were mixed in with such long, descriptive analyzations in the current narrator's mind that by the time he or she answered, I would forget what the other person had said or what the conversation was even about.
On a more positive note, I enjoyed Rook and Thom even more in this book, something I didn't think possible. It was great reading about their influences on each other. I loved when they met magician Sarah Fleet, Havemercy's maker. And could anything be more heart-wrenchingly bittersweet than when Rook and Have get to say goodbye?
So, to sum things up, I really do love this series. Therefore, I would recommend this book, but I know that when I get around to rereading it, I'll probably only go through the Rook/Thom parts. I've been a fan of the authors for a long time (I'm talking back to the Shoebox days), but for me, this book was 50% awesome and a 50% snore-fest.
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