Hoping For More: Drakon

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The Dream Thief - A Quick Review

Title: The Dream Thief

Author: Shana Abé

Series: Drakon - #2

Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance

Page Count: 368 Pages (MMP)

Pub. Date: Published in 2007 by Bantam Books

Rating: 5/5

In the remote hills of northern England lives a powerful clan with a centuries-old secret. They are the drákon, shape-shifters who possess the ability to Turn—changing from human to smoke to dragon. And from the very stones of the earth, they hear hypnotic songs of beauty and wonder. But there is one stone they fear....

Buried deep within the bowels of the Carpathian Mountains lies the legendary dreaming diamond known as Draumr, the only gem with the power to enslave the drákon. Since childhood, Lady Amalia Langford, daughter of the clan’s Alpha, has heard its haunting ballad but kept it secret, along with another rare Gift....

Lia can hear the future, much in the way she hears the call of Draumr. And in that future, she realizes that the diamond—along with the fate of the drákon—rests in the hands of a human man, one who straddles two worlds. Ruthlessly clever, Zane has risen through London’s criminal underworld to become its ruler. Once a street urchin saved by Lia’s mother, Zane is also privy to the secrets of the clan—and is the only human they trust to bring them Draumr. But he does nothing selflessly. Zane’s hunt for the gem takes him to Hungary, where he is shocked to encounter a bold, beautiful young noblewoman: Lia. She has broken every rule of the drákon to join him, driven by the urgent song of Draumr—and her visions of Zane.

In one future, he is her ally. In another, her overlord. In both, he is her lover. Now, to protect her tribe, Lia must tie her fate to Zane’s, to the one man capable of stealing her future—and destroying her heart....

~My Review~

I was a little disappointed when I first started this book, because it focuses on Rue's daughter and I wanted more of Rue's story - but I quickly forgot as I was drawn into Lia's whirlwind adventure.

She has always known her future - the one she would fall in love with, and who would ultimately destroy her. She hears him in her dreams every night. Lia is fighting fate, trying to get to Draumr before it's too late. Will falling in love with Zane seal her fate, or help to shift it?

Another great book in the series. Well written and painted in a beautifully crafted world. I am on to the next!

My Rating: 5/5

~ You'll like this series if you liked ~

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger, The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook, or Destiny Kills by Keri Arthur

~Links 4 More~

Author Website: here

Add to your Shelfari: here

Add to your Goodreads: here

Buy it at BookDepository (free shipping): here

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Short Review: The Smoke Thief by Shana Abé

Title: The Smoke Thief

Author: Shana Abé

Series: Drakon - #1

Genre: Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance

Page Count: 324 Pages (MMP)

Pub. Date: Published January 1st 2006 by Bantam Bks

Rating: 5/5

For centuries they’ve lived in secret among northern England’s green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret–and their survival–is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary....
Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a “runner” who’s fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the dra´kon, it’s Kit’s duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.
Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the dra´kon. But she didn’t expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe’s most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling–half dra´kon, half mortal–and an outcast in both worlds. She’d always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she’d once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?
From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the dra´kon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she’s made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist....In this bewitching novel, Shana Abé transports us into a world of exhilarating romance and magic.

~My Review~

I haven't read historical fiction in a while, so having this tale of shapeshifting dragons set in Old World London was fantastic. I got to have the corsets and hoop-skirts, swords and balls, right along side an ancient battle to keep the secret of a people who can shift into Drakon. Great read, it kept me gripped with the action of the story, and had a romantic vein throughout. I'm definitely going to read the next book in the series.