[I'm writing this post very quickly due to work commitments so please don't mistake my brevity for anything other than a lack of time. THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY is a wonderful book from one of my favourite authors and I wish that I could do it justice with this post.]
With THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY, Lisa Shearin has gotten even more awesome! (I didn't think this was possible.) I was thrilled with the first book in the SPI Files and Shearin's done a remarkable job of making the characters and world more exciting in this, the next instalment.
This time around, SPI's turf has been invaded by an evil Russian dragon named Viktor Kain. He's shown up with the Dragon Eggs in tow, magical jewels with largely unknown powers. He claims it's to sell them but the eggs ended up getting stolen. Needless to say, an unhappy dragon, a mystery foe, and a flock of harpies (do harpies travel in flocks?) lead to a an exciting adventure for the readers, and extreme peril for Makenna, Ian, and the rest of SPI. We get to learn more about some of the other races that inhabit the series, which I enjoyed. I'm always interested in learning more about the worlds that authors create and Shearin has explores some new groups to the series, like harpies and gorgons. They're not terribly different from what you might expect but I particularly enjoyed her take on gorgons, which was neat. Shearin has a talent for taking existing ideas/beings and giving them a unique twist -- remember the grendels from THE GRENDEL AFFAIR? -- and I think she's done it again with the gorgons. I won't say too much to avoid potentially spoiling things for you but I will say that the SPI Files are a series to watch if you're looking for strong examples of world building.
We also get some nice insights into some less explored characters, like Rake Danescu. In many ways, THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY is Rake's chance to shine, which I enjoyed quite a lot, even though he's not exactly a good guy. Shearin is a master at writing bad guys shaded in grey, with just enough of a sexy rascal in them to make you root for them. (Tam fans, anyone?) She really gets to play with Rake this time around and his scenes are some of the best in the book. Of course, there are cracking scenes with Makenna since she always manages to get herself into awkward situations, especially when Ian's around. They give us some of the laugh-out-loud humour I expect from Shearin's writing -- and THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY does not disappoint. Other characters also have their moments to shine, which was very satisfying.
THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY contains all of Shearin's trademarks: witty dialogue, a winning protagonist, and a plot that doesn't quit. I can't recommend Shearin's work enough so I hope I've inspired you to give the SPI Files a try!
I still need to listen to book one. I loved the prequel from Night Shift. I'm hoping they'll have this one on audio soon too.
ReplyDeleteLove the sound of this series but haven't gotten a chance to read them yet. Glad to hear that the story doesn't lose steam! Great review!
ReplyDeleteI love her books, and this one is near the top of my pile at the moment, to start reading! Glad you love them too.
ReplyDeleteYeah I just read that and it was fantastic! Great anthology. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Terri! :)
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