[books] Dragonfire 01 - Kiss of Fire by Deborah Cooke
Dragon shifters, another one of those things that I really hunt down until I find them (I've been gifted with some as of late). The book starts out with a meeting of dragons about prophesies and and foretelling (what's a dragon shifter story without foretelling?). There are two sides fighting and the Pyr (dragonshapeshifters) have their dark counterpart, the Slayers.
I like the concepts in this book, that a firestorm (definitely not what it sounds like... clever that) would be what leads a mate to a dragon (what else but fire would dragons use), that a coin could mark a dragon's territory (what else but treasure to signal property in a dragon's way... a western dragon myth anyway). And I like their genesis story... in the beginning there was Fire...
Although, I guess, something as simple as paranormal romance in shifters, is not so good as an urban fantasy for me nowadays. I was tempted to skip a good deal of this book even if it was fairly well written. (Due to my changing tastes again, I gather...) ... I must get new urban fantasy... I can't settle for less. Or maybe it was because the series had no secrets, it was entirely straightforward, I know what's going to happen before I read it plot that had me bothered.
Initially world building wasn't forced. It became a bit forced when leader of the Pyr, Erik, came into play trying to get Sara to read more about dragon culture. And then they all dropped the story of their lives in one conversation at the third meeting.
Plus, I could deal with heroines being idiotic (okay, I complain about them) but I deal wiht idiotic girls better than idiotic males. Probably because all the stereotype has dulled me, but honestly, a mule headed male is definitely something that I want to read and re-read. Males need to be passably intelligent else they're not worth reading.
As prophesies go... hmmm... the Seer and the Smith. OK, the Seer and the Smith as titles are extremely obvious, and the rhyme for the prophesy was bad. Then again, there are only a handful of people who can do a passably good prophesy written out. Most of them males. Females have a tendency to overindulge rhyming and their prophesies are too easy to interpret by half.
It has potential, but it's thoroughly in the corner of romance that I'm not really willing to read it again.
I like the concepts in this book, that a firestorm (definitely not what it sounds like... clever that) would be what leads a mate to a dragon (what else but fire would dragons use), that a coin could mark a dragon's territory (what else but treasure to signal property in a dragon's way... a western dragon myth anyway). And I like their genesis story... in the beginning there was Fire...
Although, I guess, something as simple as paranormal romance in shifters, is not so good as an urban fantasy for me nowadays. I was tempted to skip a good deal of this book even if it was fairly well written. (Due to my changing tastes again, I gather...) ... I must get new urban fantasy... I can't settle for less. Or maybe it was because the series had no secrets, it was entirely straightforward, I know what's going to happen before I read it plot that had me bothered.
Initially world building wasn't forced. It became a bit forced when leader of the Pyr, Erik, came into play trying to get Sara to read more about dragon culture. And then they all dropped the story of their lives in one conversation at the third meeting.
Plus, I could deal with heroines being idiotic (okay, I complain about them) but I deal wiht idiotic girls better than idiotic males. Probably because all the stereotype has dulled me, but honestly, a mule headed male is definitely something that I want to read and re-read. Males need to be passably intelligent else they're not worth reading.
As prophesies go... hmmm... the Seer and the Smith. OK, the Seer and the Smith as titles are extremely obvious, and the rhyme for the prophesy was bad. Then again, there are only a handful of people who can do a passably good prophesy written out. Most of them males. Females have a tendency to overindulge rhyming and their prophesies are too easy to interpret by half.
It has potential, but it's thoroughly in the corner of romance that I'm not really willing to read it again.