What do you think?
Rate this book
Drakon #3
Queen of Dragons
Hidden among the remote hills of eighteenth-century England lives a powerful clan of shape-shifters who’ve become the stuff of myths and legends. They are the drákon—supersensual creatures with the ability to Turn from human to smoke to dragon. Now a treacherous new enemy threatens to destroy their world of magic and glittering power.
For centuries, they thought themselves alone at Darkfrith, but the arrival of a stunning letter from the Princess Maricara sent from the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania suggests the existence of a lost tribe of drákon. It is a possibility that the Alpha lord, Kimber Langford, Earl of Chasen, cannot ignore. For whoever this unknown princess may be, she’s dangerous enough to know about the drákon’s existence—and where to find them. That, as Kimber can’t help but concede, gives her a decidedly deadly advantage. And, indeed, it wouldn’t be long before Maricara breached the defenses of Darkfrith and the walls around Kimber’s heart. But the mystery of the princess’s real identity and the warning she has come to deliver, of a brutal serial killer targeting the drákon themselves, seem all but impossible to believe. Until the shadowed threat that stalks her arrives at Darkfrith, and Kimber and Maricara must stand together against the greatest enemy the drákon have ever faced—an enemy who may or may not be one of their own. They have no choice but to yield to their passionate attraction for each other. But for two such very different drákon leaders, will an alliance of body and soul mean their salvation, their extinction…or both?
For centuries, they thought themselves alone at Darkfrith, but the arrival of a stunning letter from the Princess Maricara sent from the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania suggests the existence of a lost tribe of drákon. It is a possibility that the Alpha lord, Kimber Langford, Earl of Chasen, cannot ignore. For whoever this unknown princess may be, she’s dangerous enough to know about the drákon’s existence—and where to find them. That, as Kimber can’t help but concede, gives her a decidedly deadly advantage. And, indeed, it wouldn’t be long before Maricara breached the defenses of Darkfrith and the walls around Kimber’s heart. But the mystery of the princess’s real identity and the warning she has come to deliver, of a brutal serial killer targeting the drákon themselves, seem all but impossible to believe. Until the shadowed threat that stalks her arrives at Darkfrith, and Kimber and Maricara must stand together against the greatest enemy the drákon have ever faced—an enemy who may or may not be one of their own. They have no choice but to yield to their passionate attraction for each other. But for two such very different drákon leaders, will an alliance of body and soul mean their salvation, their extinction…or both?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 26, 2007
63 people are currently reading
2138 people want to read
About the author
Shana Abe
30 books2,000 followersShana Abé is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of seventeen books, including the acclaimed Drákon Series and the Sweetest Dark Series.
She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California, and currently resides in the mountains of Colorado with her very patient husband and a lot of pets.
She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern California, and currently resides in the mountains of Colorado with her very patient husband and a lot of pets.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
![Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1647896333i%2F31792110._UX200_CR0%2C96%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
July 23, 2021
This book started out so well. The heroine, a Transylvanian princess, was stubborn and independent and TOTALLY ran rings around the domineering alpha hero. Only then she lost her backbone and started meekly submitting to everything he wanted. It was like she'd received a personality transplant halfway through the book.
This is a shame, because the writing - as ever - is gorgeous. There's also a really funny scene where the hero and his sisters are discussing kidnapping the heroine in front of her, thinking she can't understand English, and when she interjects in English she absolutely poleaxes them. I really want to read more scenes like this in books.
This is a shame, because the writing - as ever - is gorgeous. There's also a really funny scene where the hero and his sisters are discussing kidnapping the heroine in front of her, thinking she can't understand English, and when she interjects in English she absolutely poleaxes them. I really want to read more scenes like this in books.
June 26, 2010
Shana Abé doesn’t know the word “nice” nor does she know words like “good” or “bad”. You know those words that you see all the time to describe some regular thing or other making you wonder why the author can’t be a tad more creative in their writing style. Well with Abé you’ll never have that problem. She can make the most mundane, humdrum and inconsequential thing explode into a freakin’ firecracker of colour. The woman could convince you that ironing and sweeping are an intricate ballet of swooping arms and twirling legs I tell ya ;) I’ve never come across anyone who can put words on paper as well as she can and still make the story enjoyable without needing it to be explained to be “appreciated”. It’s such a pleasure to read her stories. You can feel things, see things and be so immersed in her vibrant world that you need a breather before starting your next read otherwise you’ll find fault with just about everything on the page.
The Dràkon series is one that you’d really have to start from book 1, The Smoke Thief, in order to understand what’s happening in the following books otherwise you may be left scratching your head and you won’t get those very big, OMG, bug-eyed surprises like someone who’s read them from the beginning. Still written as a paranormal regency historical, book 3 continues on with the story of Princess Maricara from the unknown Zaharan Yce tribe of dragons that Zane and Lia encountered in book 2. She ends up travelling to Darkfrith to see about the Dràkon tribe there as they’ve been corresponding. She meets Kimber, the guy in charge while his dad is away, and they fall in love but the love story is in no way at the forefront of this tale and feels almost like an afterthought sometimes. I normally hate “romances” like that but Abé kept me reading with the various twists and turns in the story as the h/h try to find out who is trying to kill them off.
The author does a phenomenal job of ending a chapter. They’re creepy or leave you hanging with just enough to make you itch to read the next one. You can really feel the magic of the dragon world here but you don’t really feel the spark of the romance like you did in the first two books. The steam scenes are very few and very quick. There’s some sporadic tension building but you can see that that wasn’t the author’s focus. The heroine is another strong character like Rue but the hero is sometimes neither here nor there. He didn’t really have that pow! that Kit and Zane had. There are also some holes in the story that I hope will be resolved in the next book but had it been written any other way (style wise) I’d have said it was shoddy writing. What happened to Rhys the brother who lusts after Maricara? His story started to be told and then nothing. Where are Kit and Rue? Why aren’t they at least sending more messages as to where they are and what they’re doing? What exactly is Maricara’s gift? Why haven’t Lia and Zane returned to the tribe? I’m assuming because she sees something so doesn’t come back but it’s sort of annoying not to have these stories told. One particular thing also that didn’t make sense was if Maricara could Turn even with a blindfold on why couldn’t she do it with a hood? Like I said, holes aplenty here. The Dràkon narrator is also very eerie and just sent shivers up my spine with a “we’re coming to get you” kind of vibe.
The book will at times lull you into a languid sleep and then suddenly give you a case of the heebeegeebees all the while relinquishing a chilling morsel of the dragons' story that you’re dying to find out. So yeah, it’s not really a romance, but it’s almost one, so for all you PNR romance readers who need good writing this is still well worth the read :)
The Dràkon series is one that you’d really have to start from book 1, The Smoke Thief, in order to understand what’s happening in the following books otherwise you may be left scratching your head and you won’t get those very big, OMG, bug-eyed surprises like someone who’s read them from the beginning. Still written as a paranormal regency historical, book 3 continues on with the story of Princess Maricara from the unknown Zaharan Yce tribe of dragons that Zane and Lia encountered in book 2. She ends up travelling to Darkfrith to see about the Dràkon tribe there as they’ve been corresponding. She meets Kimber, the guy in charge while his dad is away, and they fall in love but the love story is in no way at the forefront of this tale and feels almost like an afterthought sometimes. I normally hate “romances” like that but Abé kept me reading with the various twists and turns in the story as the h/h try to find out who is trying to kill them off.
The author does a phenomenal job of ending a chapter. They’re creepy or leave you hanging with just enough to make you itch to read the next one. You can really feel the magic of the dragon world here but you don’t really feel the spark of the romance like you did in the first two books. The steam scenes are very few and very quick. There’s some sporadic tension building but you can see that that wasn’t the author’s focus. The heroine is another strong character like Rue but the hero is sometimes neither here nor there. He didn’t really have that pow! that Kit and Zane had. There are also some holes in the story that I hope will be resolved in the next book but had it been written any other way (style wise) I’d have said it was shoddy writing. What happened to Rhys the brother who lusts after Maricara? His story started to be told and then nothing. Where are Kit and Rue? Why aren’t they at least sending more messages as to where they are and what they’re doing? What exactly is Maricara’s gift? Why haven’t Lia and Zane returned to the tribe? I’m assuming because she sees something so doesn’t come back but it’s sort of annoying not to have these stories told. One particular thing also that didn’t make sense was if Maricara could Turn even with a blindfold on why couldn’t she do it with a hood? Like I said, holes aplenty here. The Dràkon narrator is also very eerie and just sent shivers up my spine with a “we’re coming to get you” kind of vibe.
The book will at times lull you into a languid sleep and then suddenly give you a case of the heebeegeebees all the while relinquishing a chilling morsel of the dragons' story that you’re dying to find out. So yeah, it’s not really a romance, but it’s almost one, so for all you PNR romance readers who need good writing this is still well worth the read :)
May 5, 2017
1.5 stars
I was originally going to give this book just 1 star, but I decided to go with 1.5 stars. Why, you ask? Because I liked the last 25 pages or so. I'm a sucker for a good ending. And, since the ending was the only part of the book I actually enjoyed, I felt that it deserved an extra half star.
The plot in this book is weak. In fact, I can't really see that there is much of a plot. Aside for the minimal page time given the humans hunting the dragons, the book seemed to only consist of Maricara skirting around the issue of her marrying Kimber and Kimber trying to force the subject. Maricara also has quite a few bitchy moments. Like, oh, the whole book. Oh, and there are a couple kidnappings thrown in there to spice things up a bit! Let the fun times roll!
The characters were no better than the plot. Okay, well, I suppose I should say Maricara. I actually liked Kimber, despite his ridiculous name. (I honestly have nothing against the name aside from the fact that I feel it is a female name and most assuredly not a male one.) To tell you the truth, I really don't even know what I like about him, really. Maybe it was just because he broke up the monotony that was Maricara or maybe it was something else. Does it really matter? Because, really, all the other characters, no matter how wonderful or horrible they were, were overshadowed by the monstrosity that is Maricara. She is completely horrible! Who would want to be around her, let alone love her? She treated everyone horribly, especially Kimber. And, she has the annoying and extremely rude tendency to Turn in the middle of conversations about something she didn't want to deal with. Very mature, Maricara.
Honestly, there was one twist that interested me, and it involved Zane, who was in the book for only a few pages. Aside from the last 25 pages, the part with Zane where you wonder, "Is he or isn't he?" (before getting his explanation), was the only other part of the book that I enjoyed, even distressing as it was. I'm ashamed to say that I doubted my Zane for a minute there, but the anomaly quickly passed. Now I just have to wonder: With Rhys in his custody, will Zane be in The Treasure Keeper? I should certainly hope so.
So! To wrap up this review, Queen of Dragons falls far short of the awesomesauce that is The Smoke Thief and The Dream Thief. It's sad, really.
I was originally going to give this book just 1 star, but I decided to go with 1.5 stars. Why, you ask? Because I liked the last 25 pages or so. I'm a sucker for a good ending. And, since the ending was the only part of the book I actually enjoyed, I felt that it deserved an extra half star.
The plot in this book is weak. In fact, I can't really see that there is much of a plot. Aside for the minimal page time given the humans hunting the dragons, the book seemed to only consist of Maricara skirting around the issue of her marrying Kimber and Kimber trying to force the subject. Maricara also has quite a few bitchy moments. Like, oh, the whole book. Oh, and there are a couple kidnappings thrown in there to spice things up a bit! Let the fun times roll!
The characters were no better than the plot. Okay, well, I suppose I should say Maricara. I actually liked Kimber, despite his ridiculous name. (I honestly have nothing against the name aside from the fact that I feel it is a female name and most assuredly not a male one.) To tell you the truth, I really don't even know what I like about him, really. Maybe it was just because he broke up the monotony that was Maricara or maybe it was something else. Does it really matter? Because, really, all the other characters, no matter how wonderful or horrible they were, were overshadowed by the monstrosity that is Maricara. She is completely horrible! Who would want to be around her, let alone love her? She treated everyone horribly, especially Kimber. And, she has the annoying and extremely rude tendency to Turn in the middle of conversations about something she didn't want to deal with. Very mature, Maricara.
Honestly, there was one twist that interested me, and it involved Zane, who was in the book for only a few pages. Aside from the last 25 pages, the part with Zane where you wonder, "Is he or isn't he?" (before getting his explanation), was the only other part of the book that I enjoyed, even distressing as it was. I'm ashamed to say that I doubted my Zane for a minute there, but the anomaly quickly passed. Now I just have to wonder: With Rhys in his custody, will Zane be in The Treasure Keeper? I should certainly hope so.
So! To wrap up this review, Queen of Dragons falls far short of the awesomesauce that is The Smoke Thief and The Dream Thief. It's sad, really.
May 26, 2008
This is the third book of the Drakon series, and it appears that the books decline in goodness. The first book The Smoke Thief was really good, and the next book The Dream Thief was okay.
I didn't finish Queen of Dragons. I got about half through, and I had to keep forcing myself to pick it up. It just kept going on and on, and I didn't care at all. The characters could all die, and I would have been okay with that because at least the book would have finally been over.
I didn't finish Queen of Dragons. I got about half through, and I had to keep forcing myself to pick it up. It just kept going on and on, and I didn't care at all. The characters could all die, and I would have been okay with that because at least the book would have finally been over.
July 15, 2009
Eh.
Three books in, I am becoming unable to escape the conviction that this author thinks a man being so turned on by you he just! can't! control himself! is very dashing and romantic, and a high compliment. So far, all of her heroines have avoided rape, but the dude in this one does a lot of "We're meant to be together, you can't escape that!" and he doesn't mean that fate will bring them together; he's talking about his goons. The romantic declaration of feelings on his part is when he basically decides that he's become too fond of her torape marry her by force.
And then there's the discussion between the man and woman about the difference between 'ravishment' and 'seduction.' (She's not a native English speaker, and wants to know the definitions.) While, granted, "ravishment" is often used poetically to mean something short of rape, the hero switches from using it to mean pretty much rape to using it to mean "wow, that was some enthusiastic consensual sex!"
Aside from my uppity feminist objections, there's also the fact that the whole plot part of the book is clearly the unpainted behind of the set-piece from someone else's story. The villain abducts the female lead, tells her it's because he's doing it to save lives, lets her go, and then is never seen again. Obviously, this is meant as set-up to another, upcoming book, but honestly, I resent getting someone else's left-over story-line. If you haven't one for these characters, just send them on a picnic or something.
So, yeah, this is me, writing this up so that I can remember not to read more by Abe.
Three books in, I am becoming unable to escape the conviction that this author thinks a man being so turned on by you he just! can't! control himself! is very dashing and romantic, and a high compliment. So far, all of her heroines have avoided rape, but the dude in this one does a lot of "We're meant to be together, you can't escape that!" and he doesn't mean that fate will bring them together; he's talking about his goons. The romantic declaration of feelings on his part is when he basically decides that he's become too fond of her to
And then there's the discussion between the man and woman about the difference between 'ravishment' and 'seduction.' (She's not a native English speaker, and wants to know the definitions.) While, granted, "ravishment" is often used poetically to mean something short of rape, the hero switches from using it to mean pretty much rape to using it to mean "wow, that was some enthusiastic consensual sex!"
Aside from my uppity feminist objections, there's also the fact that the whole plot part of the book is clearly the unpainted behind of the set-piece from someone else's story. The villain abducts the female lead, tells her it's because he's doing it to save lives, lets her go, and then is never seen again. Obviously, this is meant as set-up to another, upcoming book, but honestly, I resent getting someone else's left-over story-line. If you haven't one for these characters, just send them on a picnic or something.
So, yeah, this is me, writing this up so that I can remember not to read more by Abe.
August 29, 2017
The first book of this series was something different from things I was reading. It is historical romance, with all the ladies and lords and proper etiquette in England long past.
Add fantastical elements dragons!
The second book of the series got me hooked.
This book had me in suspenseful reading binge. I loved center characters. This book was less about romance and more about intrigue and mystery. It made me feel like the build up from first two books is coming together finally.
Only it ended on a cliffhanger...
Add fantastical elements dragons!
The second book of the series got me hooked.
This book had me in suspenseful reading binge. I loved center characters. This book was less about romance and more about intrigue and mystery. It made me feel like the build up from first two books is coming together finally.
Only it ended on a cliffhanger...
July 3, 2011
I am loving this series. I am going to quote from the book to try and explain just what the Drakon in this world are, because I think it is important that the reader of these books realizes that these are not PEOPLE/HUMANS. I am surprised that the reviews of these books are so critical of how few choices the females have and how dominant the males are. And this pertains to the main characters, not the entire world of the drakon because most of them have total choice in their romances and marriages. I think those readers are missing the point that one should not impose what they think is proper or good for a human couple on these mythical creatures who are DRAGONS after all. They have learned to shift into men and women and live as humans to preserve their kind, but that does not make them human. Far from it. That said, here is a bit from the book:
"All of nature celebrates our beauty, but now we look much as you do. We speak your words and wear your clothing and drink your wine. Like you, we breathe and feel and fall in love; we wed and raise our children. We bleed. We wage war.
We will not show you our true selves unless you are so unwise as to leave us no choice. That will, of course, be your final mistake, because unlike you, we have many more Gifts at our disposal; We hear the music of metal and stones. We hunt with talons, we Turn to smoke. Some of us even have the Gift of suggestions, to push you into our will.
Although there are far fewer of us, we are faster than you, stronger, more sly. All we require is that whisper of air beneath your bedroom door - through a keyhole, down a chimney - and any haven you held against us is breached."
I feel like in this review, I am defending this series, but again I am really surprised how many are critical of this book of how the Princess Maricara is treated because it is understood that she will be the mate of Kimber, Earl of Chasen. Whether she wants it or not. Both are alpha. In this world the alpha is the absolute ruler. His word is law although there is a council that decides many things, he can over-ride it. Alpha females are rare and if one happens, she mates with/marries the alpha male. First sons of the alpha inherit the role, and these sons must be the wisest, strongest, and have the most Gifts. The very survival of the tribe depends on their ability to lead. This is so like nature and so like wolves (real ones, not werewolves). Alpha males mate with alpha females for life. The strongest pair produce the next generation of leaders who will inherit the strength, wisdom and Gifts of the parents. (not all Drakon inherit Gifts and some more than others). It may not be the human way, but it is the way of the drakon and key to their continued existence. Other than human beings, it is the way of nature and part of survival of the fittest.
This book is the story of Maricara who comes from a tribe of drakon previously unknown to the tribe in England that Kimber leads. Maricara has Gifts never seen before, but has a troubled history that is in the second book of this series. I found her a wonderful character who is brave, clever, torn between her tribe that she can not rule because she is female and her unwanted feelings for Kimber. Her distaste for his tribe and the ancient rules it follows pulls her away. Yes, he decides the minute he sees her that she is HIS. That is the way of the drakon and once again, he is alpha of a mythical race.
A word on this author's writing. I totally love the entire concept of the drakon turning into smoke and the descriptions are delicious, sensual, amazing when they slip from human form into mist and smoke and fly or float and touch objects and each other in this form. The dragons are beautifully described and the flights are great reading. Can you tell I really love these books?
"All of nature celebrates our beauty, but now we look much as you do. We speak your words and wear your clothing and drink your wine. Like you, we breathe and feel and fall in love; we wed and raise our children. We bleed. We wage war.
We will not show you our true selves unless you are so unwise as to leave us no choice. That will, of course, be your final mistake, because unlike you, we have many more Gifts at our disposal; We hear the music of metal and stones. We hunt with talons, we Turn to smoke. Some of us even have the Gift of suggestions, to push you into our will.
Although there are far fewer of us, we are faster than you, stronger, more sly. All we require is that whisper of air beneath your bedroom door - through a keyhole, down a chimney - and any haven you held against us is breached."
I feel like in this review, I am defending this series, but again I am really surprised how many are critical of this book of how the Princess Maricara is treated because it is understood that she will be the mate of Kimber, Earl of Chasen. Whether she wants it or not. Both are alpha. In this world the alpha is the absolute ruler. His word is law although there is a council that decides many things, he can over-ride it. Alpha females are rare and if one happens, she mates with/marries the alpha male. First sons of the alpha inherit the role, and these sons must be the wisest, strongest, and have the most Gifts. The very survival of the tribe depends on their ability to lead. This is so like nature and so like wolves (real ones, not werewolves). Alpha males mate with alpha females for life. The strongest pair produce the next generation of leaders who will inherit the strength, wisdom and Gifts of the parents. (not all Drakon inherit Gifts and some more than others). It may not be the human way, but it is the way of the drakon and key to their continued existence. Other than human beings, it is the way of nature and part of survival of the fittest.
This book is the story of Maricara who comes from a tribe of drakon previously unknown to the tribe in England that Kimber leads. Maricara has Gifts never seen before, but has a troubled history that is in the second book of this series. I found her a wonderful character who is brave, clever, torn between her tribe that she can not rule because she is female and her unwanted feelings for Kimber. Her distaste for his tribe and the ancient rules it follows pulls her away. Yes, he decides the minute he sees her that she is HIS. That is the way of the drakon and once again, he is alpha of a mythical race.
A word on this author's writing. I totally love the entire concept of the drakon turning into smoke and the descriptions are delicious, sensual, amazing when they slip from human form into mist and smoke and fly or float and touch objects and each other in this form. The dragons are beautifully described and the flights are great reading. Can you tell I really love these books?
July 31, 2015
Shana Abé hates cabbage. I know this because she makes her main characters hate cabbage in every book so far.
In other news, this time the protagonist, Kimber, is not a rapist. That's good. Actually, he and Maricara don't even have sex until page 203. And she has a spine, stands up to everyone, proves her strength and resourcefulness. I think Abé is trying to lead up to a "women finally gain some rights" plot that might appear somewhere in the final book. But I'm not holding my breath.
Plus points for making Maricara a non-virgin. Minus points for making the reason she's a non-virgin because she was forced into marriage with a grown man at age 9.
Weredragons are being hunted by some dragon-killers known as sanf inimicus. The end of this book is very confusing. It turns out someone the weredragons trusted and even loved is behind the whole thing and I can't really tell if he's good or evil or even what his plan is/was and it's very strange.
The other bizarre thing was Kimber's brother, Rhys, who loves and respects Kimber but covets his wife. He doesn't only covet Maricara from afar but practices weird behavior like coming into their room right after they have had sex and having a stare-off with Maricara.
I swear, I just can't understand what is going through Abe's mind or what her logic is most of the time.
ONE REAL STAR, ONE ROMANCE STAR
In other news, this time the protagonist, Kimber, is not a rapist. That's good. Actually, he and Maricara don't even have sex until page 203. And she has a spine, stands up to everyone, proves her strength and resourcefulness. I think Abé is trying to lead up to a "women finally gain some rights" plot that might appear somewhere in the final book. But I'm not holding my breath.
Plus points for making Maricara a non-virgin. Minus points for making the reason she's a non-virgin because she was forced into marriage with a grown man at age 9.
Weredragons are being hunted by some dragon-killers known as sanf inimicus. The end of this book is very confusing. It turns out someone the weredragons trusted and even loved is behind the whole thing and I can't really tell if he's good or evil or even what his plan is/was and it's very strange.
The other bizarre thing was Kimber's brother, Rhys, who loves and respects Kimber but covets his wife. He doesn't only covet Maricara from afar but practices weird behavior like coming into their room right after they have had sex and having a stare-off with Maricara.
I swear, I just can't understand what is going through Abe's mind or what her logic is most of the time.
ONE REAL STAR, ONE ROMANCE STAR
July 13, 2018
Still love this dark, moody, and fantastical romance.
June 12, 2021
It was mostly ok in terms of plot but I have it one more star because I love the writing style, it's just so lovely.
A lot of hate in reviews for the characters which I don't really agree with. Heroine for being naked and doing what she wants a lot I took that as her just being a leader who is also alone and unsocialized (and dragons shifting from smoke/Dragon to human will be naked). Hero for expecting that the heroine will be his wife: again the product of his whole society that expects the alphas to pair off to keep the species strong and decided it years ago (in the prologue), but he also is completely pulled into her orbit as soon as he sees her (though this seems true of every male, she's almost a deity made flesh it seems). Her almost alien/otherworldly aspect i found interesting actually.
But general plot: I had a hard time getting into this. I read one chapter and must have put it down for 10 years. Made myself retry. Put it down for several months. Finally i restarted a 3rd time and pushed through until the story actually hooked me, but it's a bit of a weakly plotted book, the most interesting parts seem to belong to a longer story arc that spans the series. The reason for Mari flying to England seem twofold: to warn the Dragon there and to leave her homeland because she loses time when she sleeps. First reason: they literally point out a letter would have been fine and she didn't need to longer after...second reason: mysteriously never is resolved.
Romance: yeah the complaint regarding the hero and the English drakon keeping Maricusa around when she wanted to leave = valid, but seems to be there basically to be able to advance the romance. This ties in to the weakness in the plot. The physical attraction is believable sure, but the romance parts? Mmm, it wasn't terrible, just a bit...abruptly love was there? I feel like I believed Kimber's falling for Maricusa more than I believed she returned it.
Generally this suffered a bit for being a middle / transition book? Anyway, I'm interested in reading on because this ending left a lot of dangling plots
A lot of hate in reviews for the characters which I don't really agree with. Heroine for being naked and doing what she wants a lot I took that as her just being a leader who is also alone and unsocialized (and dragons shifting from smoke/Dragon to human will be naked). Hero for expecting that the heroine will be his wife: again the product of his whole society that expects the alphas to pair off to keep the species strong and decided it years ago (in the prologue), but he also is completely pulled into her orbit as soon as he sees her (though this seems true of every male, she's almost a deity made flesh it seems). Her almost alien/otherworldly aspect i found interesting actually.
But general plot: I had a hard time getting into this. I read one chapter and must have put it down for 10 years. Made myself retry. Put it down for several months. Finally i restarted a 3rd time and pushed through until the story actually hooked me, but it's a bit of a weakly plotted book, the most interesting parts seem to belong to a longer story arc that spans the series. The reason for Mari flying to England seem twofold: to warn the Dragon there and to leave her homeland because she loses time when she sleeps. First reason: they literally point out a letter would have been fine and she didn't need to longer after...second reason: mysteriously never is resolved.
Romance: yeah the complaint regarding the hero and the English drakon keeping Maricusa around when she wanted to leave = valid, but seems to be there basically to be able to advance the romance. This ties in to the weakness in the plot. The physical attraction is believable sure, but the romance parts? Mmm, it wasn't terrible, just a bit...abruptly love was there? I feel like I believed Kimber's falling for Maricusa more than I believed she returned it.
Generally this suffered a bit for being a middle / transition book? Anyway, I'm interested in reading on because this ending left a lot of dangling plots
April 28, 2009
The Drakon series by Shana Abe is doing a curious thing to my reading habits. I am normally a romance genre fan but I am finding that I am as interested, if not more so, in the fantasy genre story in this series as I am in the romance.
As a romance book, Queen of Dragons was not as impactful for me as The Dream Thief was. Maybe that's because that while Kimber, the hero in Queen of Dragons is very nice, he just doesn't compare to Zane from Dream Thief. (Thankfully, Zane does make a brief appearance in Queen of Dragons - and in a role suitable to his bad guy/good guy image.) Even still, Queen of Dragons is head and shoulders above most other romances I've read.
What surprises me is that I want to know more about the Drakon. Usually I want to know more about the hero and heroine. The world-building that authors do usually doesn't interest me as much. In this case - I want more Drakon! There is much more story to be told. What happened to Kit and Rue? Who is leading the sanf? What is Zane really up to? Will there be war between the Drakon? More, more, more...!!!
I think I read that the author has a 5 story arc planned. The 4th was just released but I haven't read it yet. There is much story left to be told. I hope she does so in the 4th and 5th books.
As a romance book, Queen of Dragons was not as impactful for me as The Dream Thief was. Maybe that's because that while Kimber, the hero in Queen of Dragons is very nice, he just doesn't compare to Zane from Dream Thief. (Thankfully, Zane does make a brief appearance in Queen of Dragons - and in a role suitable to his bad guy/good guy image.) Even still, Queen of Dragons is head and shoulders above most other romances I've read.
What surprises me is that I want to know more about the Drakon. Usually I want to know more about the hero and heroine. The world-building that authors do usually doesn't interest me as much. In this case - I want more Drakon! There is much more story to be told. What happened to Kit and Rue? Who is leading the sanf? What is Zane really up to? Will there be war between the Drakon? More, more, more...!!!
I think I read that the author has a 5 story arc planned. The 4th was just released but I haven't read it yet. There is much story left to be told. I hope she does so in the 4th and 5th books.
February 21, 2013
This book didnt really hold the excitement the first two did. There was a story outside of the romance involving hunters, but it wasnt really much of a focus. I would say most of the story revolved around Maricara and the tension between her and the drakon of Darkfrith. Her ways are so different that it takes a long time for them to trust each other.
This was the shortest book so far and didnt have enough time to really focus on either the story or the romance. There wasnt as much of a connection between Kimber and Maricara as there was between his mother and father, or his sister and Zane. It was underdeveloped but I still enjoyed it, and I love the world Shana Abé created. I enjoyed Kimber's character in this more than I did Mari, although she was great in The Dream Thief. I also really enjoyed poor Rhys, Kimber's younger brother, and I look forward to seeing more of him in The Treasure Keeper.
This was the shortest book so far and didnt have enough time to really focus on either the story or the romance. There wasnt as much of a connection between Kimber and Maricara as there was between his mother and father, or his sister and Zane. It was underdeveloped but I still enjoyed it, and I love the world Shana Abé created. I enjoyed Kimber's character in this more than I did Mari, although she was great in The Dream Thief. I also really enjoyed poor Rhys, Kimber's younger brother, and I look forward to seeing more of him in The Treasure Keeper.
September 13, 2011
Queen of Dragons is the third book in the Drakon series. This is the story of Kimber (Rue and Kit's eldest son) and Princess Maricana of the Zaharen. Again, Shana Abe tells a beautiful story. She implements a new group of people, hunters who are dead set on killing the Drakon. I gave Queen of Dragons four stars because it took a while for things to pick up. In her previous books of the Drakon, I was pulled in from start to finish and so sad once the book ended.
Although, I am not sure if it fair for me to give this book any less then five stars. Ms. Abe's writing is just as beautiful as it was in the previous installments. The world of the Drakon is just as inticing, as well. I just didn't enjoy Kimber and Maricana's story as much as Rue and Kit's or Lia and Zane's. The second to last chapter was very sweet and almost earned back the last star... almost :)
Although, I am not sure if it fair for me to give this book any less then five stars. Ms. Abe's writing is just as beautiful as it was in the previous installments. The world of the Drakon is just as inticing, as well. I just didn't enjoy Kimber and Maricana's story as much as Rue and Kit's or Lia and Zane's. The second to last chapter was very sweet and almost earned back the last star... almost :)
February 9, 2016
My favorite of the series. Really good.
February 20, 2018
So... I found out far too late into the book that this was probably a romance novel written by someone who generally writes romance novels. Keep this in mind, as I do not particularly like romance as a genre. Good execution can make me enjoy it, mind, and I'm generally fine with romance in a story if it makes sense, though preferably when it's not the main plot.
Because of this, I'm specifically writing this review to avoid commenting too much on the love story, aside to comment that lust is not the same as love. The title spoiling the outcome is somewhat bizarre and reminds me of Steele's The Gift. (Was in a book club who chose to read it- I didn't like the book and that titling didn't help.)
I will compliment that, though it is part of a series, it is a story that can be entered in without the knowledge of the rest. This is something uncommon with many fantasy works in the current era, with many deciding to write anything from trilogies to decalogies or more. These works also tend to make it so you have to read them all, in order. This is more just a refreshing change of pace in that regard, but that also can mean that elements that were explained in earlier books might annoy readers who read the first two books.
However, much of the rest of the book is a mess in terms of style, worldbuilding, and pacing. Unlike how I usually section these off, some of the style problems are major worldbuilding issues, too, so this will be more akin to The Queue review I did a while back.
The stylistic elements that irk me so heavily include character voice. Character voice is important to distinguish, because when you have multiple narrators and they're clearly supposed to sound different from the other (as opposed to an narrator who is commenting on both characters' views and actions), it can make the story muddled. It can make you stop mid-paragraph and wonder who is saying what.
The pacing was a mess. We hear a lot about the sanf (think draconic equivalent of the damphir, down to being good hunters of their non-human lineage), but the plot thread wasn't even close to focused on. There should be a sense of urgency, yet there was none.
However, the framing of the work and word choice is also questionable. The story has Drakon or, more accurately, mostly western-style dragons. These dragons have numerous and bizarre stylistic issues in terms of internal narration, where the story would make a fair sight more sense if they were humans who could turn into dragons than if they were dragons whose hidden/defensive state was human. This includes, but is not limited to-
This is a general flaw in much of science fiction and fantasy, a very human-focused view. This focus is to the detriment of the internal logic of the story. Humans are treated as a baseline, where everything else is compared to it, even when it makes no sense whatsoever. It's the writer being unable to pry themselves away from their personal preconceptions to write a story from a very, very different point of view. While this could work if the narrator was a human observing the situation, or else the narrator was a third party who was describing things in terms humans could understand, that isn't really the case here, since it's third person limited, with the commentary/internal monologue about events being whichever character's being followed.
The two main variants with this inability to pry away from human as the baseline/default are stories where humanity is special in some major way or else humanity is just terrible. In the latter, which is what Queen of Dragons goes with, dragons are essentially treated as humanity, but better. They're smarter, faster, able to do cool things, more beautiful, and don't commit wars with each other and only fight to defend themselves. This is the same problem as the Na'vi of Cameron's Avatar.
There are also random elements that jarred me out of the story, including allusions to monotheistic capital-G God and Hades. This raised questions for me because human religions are very human-focused, with nonhuman intelligence generally being treated as evil (unless they're deities or servants of deities). Do the dragons have dragon Jesus or dragon God? How do they reconcile how Satan's depicted as a dragon, and refer to him as such in the Book of Revelation, or how Abrahamic religions say God created humanity in his image, or that a serpent tempted Eve?
It was a much smoother read than Guilty Pleasures, though, because I didn't get the impression that I was being preached to nearly as much. However, the characters were still pretty dumb and Mari gets away with a lot of bullshit.
Because of this, I'm specifically writing this review to avoid commenting too much on the love story, aside to comment that lust is not the same as love. The title spoiling the outcome is somewhat bizarre and reminds me of Steele's The Gift. (Was in a book club who chose to read it- I didn't like the book and that titling didn't help.)
I will compliment that, though it is part of a series, it is a story that can be entered in without the knowledge of the rest. This is something uncommon with many fantasy works in the current era, with many deciding to write anything from trilogies to decalogies or more. These works also tend to make it so you have to read them all, in order. This is more just a refreshing change of pace in that regard, but that also can mean that elements that were explained in earlier books might annoy readers who read the first two books.
However, much of the rest of the book is a mess in terms of style, worldbuilding, and pacing. Unlike how I usually section these off, some of the style problems are major worldbuilding issues, too, so this will be more akin to The Queue review I did a while back.
The stylistic elements that irk me so heavily include character voice. Character voice is important to distinguish, because when you have multiple narrators and they're clearly supposed to sound different from the other (as opposed to an narrator who is commenting on both characters' views and actions), it can make the story muddled. It can make you stop mid-paragraph and wonder who is saying what.
The pacing was a mess. We hear a lot about the sanf (think draconic equivalent of the damphir, down to being good hunters of their non-human lineage), but the plot thread wasn't even close to focused on. There should be a sense of urgency, yet there was none.
However, the framing of the work and word choice is also questionable. The story has Drakon or, more accurately, mostly western-style dragons. These dragons have numerous and bizarre stylistic issues in terms of internal narration, where the story would make a fair sight more sense if they were humans who could turn into dragons than if they were dragons whose hidden/defensive state was human. This includes, but is not limited to-
Dragons considering their dragon part as separate from their normal behavior. Shouldn't they consider their dragon part default and their human a facade and separate from themselves?
Dragons referring to their dragon self as animal and at one point, someone saying a clash of "beast and man" referring to a dragon and human fighting. (However, they do not treat humans the same way, so it's not a case of “all of them are animals evolutionarily” and that would be an anachronistic idea aside.)
Dragons are constantly showing modesty, flustered at nakedness, despite how they constantly fly around naked in their other form.
Dragons, despite being reptiles, are focused on boning in human form, including focusing on nipples and curves of a woman, instead of finding sex in their human state bizarre. Shouldn't a dragon go “oh, yeah, I like her scales” or “you know what they say about a long tail on a man...”? (Unless I missed some earth-shattering memo, I understand the intended audience is human and, thus, probably doesn't want to read dragon sex. But is jarring from an actual story standpoint.)
Dragons talk about having Gifts, but this struck me as very odd. It treats humanity as a baseline and that draconic gifts and abilities as not the baseline. Shouldn't dragons consider humans weird and weak creatures that lack key skills and senses?
Dragons having similar sexual mores to idealized human relationships, particularly marriage fidelity and mates and so on.
Dragon society being pretty much entirely like a human society, down to stuffy meetings with powdered wigs, except when it means dealing with dragon-human interactions, in which case it's “we're hiding from humans so we don't get murdered, take 1337.”
This is a general flaw in much of science fiction and fantasy, a very human-focused view. This focus is to the detriment of the internal logic of the story. Humans are treated as a baseline, where everything else is compared to it, even when it makes no sense whatsoever. It's the writer being unable to pry themselves away from their personal preconceptions to write a story from a very, very different point of view. While this could work if the narrator was a human observing the situation, or else the narrator was a third party who was describing things in terms humans could understand, that isn't really the case here, since it's third person limited, with the commentary/internal monologue about events being whichever character's being followed.
The two main variants with this inability to pry away from human as the baseline/default are stories where humanity is special in some major way or else humanity is just terrible. In the latter, which is what Queen of Dragons goes with, dragons are essentially treated as humanity, but better. They're smarter, faster, able to do cool things, more beautiful, and don't commit wars with each other and only fight to defend themselves. This is the same problem as the Na'vi of Cameron's Avatar.
There are also random elements that jarred me out of the story, including allusions to monotheistic capital-G God and Hades. This raised questions for me because human religions are very human-focused, with nonhuman intelligence generally being treated as evil (unless they're deities or servants of deities). Do the dragons have dragon Jesus or dragon God? How do they reconcile how Satan's depicted as a dragon, and refer to him as such in the Book of Revelation, or how Abrahamic religions say God created humanity in his image, or that a serpent tempted Eve?
It was a much smoother read than Guilty Pleasures, though, because I didn't get the impression that I was being preached to nearly as much. However, the characters were still pretty dumb and Mari gets away with a lot of bullshit.
May 23, 2019
Drachenmagie von Shana Abé ist der dritte Teil der Drákon Reihe. Prinzessin Maricara beschließt den Drákon in England einen Besuch abzustatten. Dort trifft sie zum ersten Mal auf den Alpha Lord Kimber. Kimber weiß sofort, dass Mari ebenfalls eine Alpha ist und so wie es die Regeln des Volkes wünschen, gehörten zwei Alphas zusammen. Ihre turbulente Beziehung wird jedoch durch die Bedrohung durch einen mächtigen Feind gestört.
Kimber ist der ältere Bruder von Lia und somit der Sohn von Rue und Christoff. Er ist ein sehr starker Alpha und tut sein Bestes für sein Volk. Er ist auch gegenüber Mari sehr fair. Auch wenn er diese typisch männlichen Charakteristika aufweist (stark, über den Frauen, etc.), war er dennoch gut auszuhalten. Mari ist eigentlich noch wahnsinnig jung. Diese Bücher haben irgendwie riesige Altersunterschiede zwischen den Pärchen. Sie hat eine einzigartige Begabung, die aber ihr Volk in Schwierigkeiten bringt. Ich finde beide Charaktere sehr nett, aber ich war nicht zu 100% von ihnen überzeugt.
In diesem Buch ist sehr viel passiert. Das Drachenvolk wird bedroht und es gibt noch eine Lösung dafür. Drachen werden entführt und man weiß nicht wo sie sich aufhalten. Alte Charaktere tauchen auf und wirbeln alles durcheinander. Ich bin gespannt wie es weiter geht!
Kimber ist der ältere Bruder von Lia und somit der Sohn von Rue und Christoff. Er ist ein sehr starker Alpha und tut sein Bestes für sein Volk. Er ist auch gegenüber Mari sehr fair. Auch wenn er diese typisch männlichen Charakteristika aufweist (stark, über den Frauen, etc.), war er dennoch gut auszuhalten. Mari ist eigentlich noch wahnsinnig jung. Diese Bücher haben irgendwie riesige Altersunterschiede zwischen den Pärchen. Sie hat eine einzigartige Begabung, die aber ihr Volk in Schwierigkeiten bringt. Ich finde beide Charaktere sehr nett, aber ich war nicht zu 100% von ihnen überzeugt.
In diesem Buch ist sehr viel passiert. Das Drachenvolk wird bedroht und es gibt noch eine Lösung dafür. Drachen werden entführt und man weiß nicht wo sie sich aufhalten. Alte Charaktere tauchen auf und wirbeln alles durcheinander. Ich bin gespannt wie es weiter geht!
October 24, 2018
A historical dragon romance can't be anything but good, right? The writing was excellent, the world was detailed and creative, and the characters are interesting. If you're a fan of historical romances or paranormal or fantasy themes, you'll definitely want to read this series.
July 17, 2012
İnsan,Ejderha,Duman formuna giren muhteşem varlıkların kitabı bitti..18.YY.İngillteresinde geçen bu seriyi çok seviyorum..Ejderha Kraliçesi serinin 3.kitabı idi..Goodreads Puanı 5/3,65
Seri beş kitaptan oluşuyor devamı gelecek mi bilmiyorum..Serinin diğer kitaplarına göre biraz daha vasattı sanki..Son okuduğum Rüya Avcısı bana göre daha güzeldi...Bu serinin bir talihsizliği de farklı yayın evinden çıkmaları..İlk kitap Duman Hırsızı Erko Yayın'dan çıkmış..Seri bir bütün bence olaylar birbirini takip ediyor..Kolleksiyon Yayın evi serinin ilk kitabı Duman Hırsızını yayınlayabilseydi çok iyi olurdu..Çünkü serinin asıl kahramanları Christophe ve Rue'!yu okumak bambaşka bir keyifdi...
Ejderha Kraliçesi'nde kitabın sonlarına doğru büyük sürprizlerde var...Ama yazar bağlamamış diğer maceralara bırakmış ki diğer kitapların daha da heyecanlı olacağını tahmin ediyorum...
Romantik,Fantastşik kitap seviyorsanız bu seri tan size göre,,Hem historical hem fantastik...Tavsiye ederim...
Kitabın konusundan biraz bahsetmek istiyorum:
Burada güçlü bir kadın karakteri görüyoruz..Kırılganlığının altında oldukça güçlü bir karakter Maricane..Hikaye 1782 yılından itibaren başlıyor.BU maceradaki Karpatlar'dan gelen prensesi daha önceki hikaye Rüya Hırsızı'ndan anımsıyoruz.Lİa ve Zane'in şatosuna konuk olduğu Drakon Prensi Alfa İmre'nin çocuk-gelin karısı idi Maricane.Kocasının ölümünden sonra kadınların yönetimde olmasını pek hoş karşılamayan halkı yüzünden yönetimi kardeşine bırakmıştır.Aslında orada yapacak da pek bir şeyi kalmamıştır..Lİa'nın kayıp klan olduğuna inandığı klandır bu Mari'nin klanı.
Fakat son zamanlarda türeyen katiller kendi klanlarından olmayan Drakonları öldürerek kalplerini sökmektedir..Bu öldürlen Drakonlar İngiltere'deki klanın darkonları'dır..Mari uyarıp güçbirliği yapmak için İngiltere'ye gidip uyarmaya karar verir bu klanı..
bu klanın başında Rue ve Christopher Longford'un büyük oğulları liderlik yapmaktadır..
Rue ve Cghristopher ise klanı bilinmeyen bir sebeple terk etmiş bir nevi ortadan kaybolurlar..
Küçk kızları Amelia Kongford hırsız Zane ile evlenmiş anne ve babasına evliliğni haber verirken bu kayıp klandan da bahsetmiştir..Ama Lia evliliğ yüzünden klanını Konsülü yüzünden henüz affedilmemiş ve evliliği kabul görmemiştir.Bu konsül ve Klana liderlik yapan Alfa Marki Kimber Longford ve Zaharen Prensesi Maricane'in ilk karşılaşmları bu şartlarda olur..Bu güçlü Kraliçe kadın drakon Maricane ne muhafızlar ne başka Drakon tarafından keşfedilemeden Kimber'in oturma odasında birden belirir..Bu sahne çok güzeldi..Kimber ilk görüşte Mari'den çok etkilenir aynı etkileşim Mari içinde söz konusudur..Ama ilk evliliğinde umduğunu bulamamış olan Mari'nin yazgılarında olmasına rağmen Kimber ile evlenmeye niyeti yoktur..
Ama olayların gelişme biçimi,aralarındaki çekim gün geçtikçe onları birbirlerine yaklaştırır.Birbirlerini tanıdıkça birbirleri için yaratıldıklarını anlarlar..Ne olursa olsun türlerinin katillerini bulmak için güç birliği yapmak zorundadırlar..
Historical,Fantastik türünü okumak isterseiz romantik hikayelerden hoşlanıyorsanız bu hikaye tam size göre...
Drakon Serisi:
1. The Smoke Thief (2005) Duman Hırsızı
2. The Dream Thief (2006) Rüya Hırsızı
3. Queen of Dragons (2007) Ejderha kraliçesi
4. The Treasure Keeper (2009)
5. The Time Weaver (2010)
Seri beş kitaptan oluşuyor devamı gelecek mi bilmiyorum..Serinin diğer kitaplarına göre biraz daha vasattı sanki..Son okuduğum Rüya Avcısı bana göre daha güzeldi...Bu serinin bir talihsizliği de farklı yayın evinden çıkmaları..İlk kitap Duman Hırsızı Erko Yayın'dan çıkmış..Seri bir bütün bence olaylar birbirini takip ediyor..Kolleksiyon Yayın evi serinin ilk kitabı Duman Hırsızını yayınlayabilseydi çok iyi olurdu..Çünkü serinin asıl kahramanları Christophe ve Rue'!yu okumak bambaşka bir keyifdi...
Ejderha Kraliçesi'nde kitabın sonlarına doğru büyük sürprizlerde var...Ama yazar bağlamamış diğer maceralara bırakmış ki diğer kitapların daha da heyecanlı olacağını tahmin ediyorum...
Romantik,Fantastşik kitap seviyorsanız bu seri tan size göre,,Hem historical hem fantastik...Tavsiye ederim...
Kitabın konusundan biraz bahsetmek istiyorum:
Burada güçlü bir kadın karakteri görüyoruz..Kırılganlığının altında oldukça güçlü bir karakter Maricane..Hikaye 1782 yılından itibaren başlıyor.BU maceradaki Karpatlar'dan gelen prensesi daha önceki hikaye Rüya Hırsızı'ndan anımsıyoruz.Lİa ve Zane'in şatosuna konuk olduğu Drakon Prensi Alfa İmre'nin çocuk-gelin karısı idi Maricane.Kocasının ölümünden sonra kadınların yönetimde olmasını pek hoş karşılamayan halkı yüzünden yönetimi kardeşine bırakmıştır.Aslında orada yapacak da pek bir şeyi kalmamıştır..Lİa'nın kayıp klan olduğuna inandığı klandır bu Mari'nin klanı.
Fakat son zamanlarda türeyen katiller kendi klanlarından olmayan Drakonları öldürerek kalplerini sökmektedir..Bu öldürlen Drakonlar İngiltere'deki klanın darkonları'dır..Mari uyarıp güçbirliği yapmak için İngiltere'ye gidip uyarmaya karar verir bu klanı..
bu klanın başında Rue ve Christopher Longford'un büyük oğulları liderlik yapmaktadır..
Rue ve Cghristopher ise klanı bilinmeyen bir sebeple terk etmiş bir nevi ortadan kaybolurlar..
Küçk kızları Amelia Kongford hırsız Zane ile evlenmiş anne ve babasına evliliğni haber verirken bu kayıp klandan da bahsetmiştir..Ama Lia evliliğ yüzünden klanını Konsülü yüzünden henüz affedilmemiş ve evliliği kabul görmemiştir.Bu konsül ve Klana liderlik yapan Alfa Marki Kimber Longford ve Zaharen Prensesi Maricane'in ilk karşılaşmları bu şartlarda olur..Bu güçlü Kraliçe kadın drakon Maricane ne muhafızlar ne başka Drakon tarafından keşfedilemeden Kimber'in oturma odasında birden belirir..Bu sahne çok güzeldi..Kimber ilk görüşte Mari'den çok etkilenir aynı etkileşim Mari içinde söz konusudur..Ama ilk evliliğinde umduğunu bulamamış olan Mari'nin yazgılarında olmasına rağmen Kimber ile evlenmeye niyeti yoktur..
Ama olayların gelişme biçimi,aralarındaki çekim gün geçtikçe onları birbirlerine yaklaştırır.Birbirlerini tanıdıkça birbirleri için yaratıldıklarını anlarlar..Ne olursa olsun türlerinin katillerini bulmak için güç birliği yapmak zorundadırlar..
Historical,Fantastik türünü okumak isterseiz romantik hikayelerden hoşlanıyorsanız bu hikaye tam size göre...
Drakon Serisi:
1. The Smoke Thief (2005) Duman Hırsızı
2. The Dream Thief (2006) Rüya Hırsızı
3. Queen of Dragons (2007) Ejderha kraliçesi
4. The Treasure Keeper (2009)
5. The Time Weaver (2010)
November 19, 2015
The writing in this book is beautiful. It is lush, rich... I just wanted to bury myself in it like warm blanket or decadent cake. Unfortunately, like cake, the story was all sugar and no substance.
The female protagonist in this story had no agency in the romantic plotline. Every single romantic scene is told from the man's point of view, about how she is "his" and he wants to possess her, wants to literally lock her up in a room in his basement to keep her there. She is described as being powerful and beautiful and incredible, but she doesn't really do much in the story at all. She travels to his country to confront him about the people he sent to kill her... and then... just sort of hangs around? Even though she feels threatened there and says repeatedly that it's a mistake to stay?
Even in her home kingdom she's described as being this powerful ruler who is controlling the country with her wits and personality alone, but all we see of her... she's literally just sitting there in the scene where they meet with the people, and then she walks out. She does ACTUALLY NOTHING.
But let's get back to the creepy romance plotline. This is a romance novel, ok. I want to swoon and have my heart flutter at all the romance in your book. But the "romance" here is basically "Girl was raped as a 10 year old child by the older man she was forced to marry. She has legit serious fears about this guy she is meeting who wants to do the same to her. He disregards all of this and relentlessly pursues her despite her telling him repeatedly to back off, until finally she just succumbs and is all 'oh my I didn't know kisses felt like this ooh la la' and is in love with him back." Ugh it's just so gross, the entire thing. I have zero patience for a character who repeatedly declares that a woman belongs to him when that woman tells him to his face she wants nothing to do with him. Gross gross gross.
I stuck around for the writing, but I couldn't bring myself to finish it. The mystery plot was dragging, the woman's characterization was flat, and the romance was awful. Ugh.
I might check out one of the author's other books, in case maybe she has better romance plot lines... I just really liked her writing style and wish it had been used to tell a better story.
The female protagonist in this story had no agency in the romantic plotline. Every single romantic scene is told from the man's point of view, about how she is "his" and he wants to possess her, wants to literally lock her up in a room in his basement to keep her there. She is described as being powerful and beautiful and incredible, but she doesn't really do much in the story at all. She travels to his country to confront him about the people he sent to kill her... and then... just sort of hangs around? Even though she feels threatened there and says repeatedly that it's a mistake to stay?
Even in her home kingdom she's described as being this powerful ruler who is controlling the country with her wits and personality alone, but all we see of her... she's literally just sitting there in the scene where they meet with the people, and then she walks out. She does ACTUALLY NOTHING.
But let's get back to the creepy romance plotline. This is a romance novel, ok. I want to swoon and have my heart flutter at all the romance in your book. But the "romance" here is basically "Girl was raped as a 10 year old child by the older man she was forced to marry. She has legit serious fears about this guy she is meeting who wants to do the same to her. He disregards all of this and relentlessly pursues her despite her telling him repeatedly to back off, until finally she just succumbs and is all 'oh my I didn't know kisses felt like this ooh la la' and is in love with him back." Ugh it's just so gross, the entire thing. I have zero patience for a character who repeatedly declares that a woman belongs to him when that woman tells him to his face she wants nothing to do with him. Gross gross gross.
I stuck around for the writing, but I couldn't bring myself to finish it. The mystery plot was dragging, the woman's characterization was flat, and the romance was awful. Ugh.
I might check out one of the author's other books, in case maybe she has better romance plot lines... I just really liked her writing style and wish it had been used to tell a better story.
February 25, 2012
The third novel of the series is about the woman who seems to be the strongest of the drakon race she is a part of. Traveling to Darkfrith to meet the other drakon for herself the story is about the troubles she meets along the way.
Plot: The plot is about a group of men that are killing off the drakon, though you do not actually realize what the plot is about until halfway through. Before that it seemed to be about how Maricara could possibly be destroying cattle and churches and… well, I do not really know.
Characters: Maricara is the main character, a princess with overly strong dragon powers. She meets up with Kimber, the man she is supposed to marry, at least he believes she is supposed to. Kimber is a pompous jerk and never really changes, but she falls for him anyway since this is first and foremost a romance novel. The romance was forced and the characters did not mesh well and all they ever talked about was how she was different but that they should marry for the better of his society.
What did I just waste my time on? I nearly gave this book 3 stars just because Shana knows how to write a sentence. But she knows how to write a sentence too well and most of the book is spent explaining how they turn to smoke, then to dragons. Like we don’t understand that from the first two novels, Shana instead decides to find whole new ways to describe it for us. She spends so much time on this aspect that the plot becomes disjointed and important questions are left unanswered. Like, how were they getting messages back and forth but when one tried to visit he would be killed? Seems that the forces working against them would have kept the messages away as well!
Reasons to read this novel:
3. You read the first two
2. You like historical fantasy romance
1. You like very detailed novels
Reasons not to read this novel:
4. More of a cliffhanger than the other 2
3. Too little happens throught it
2. Contrived romance
1. Poorly executed story
Plot: The plot is about a group of men that are killing off the drakon, though you do not actually realize what the plot is about until halfway through. Before that it seemed to be about how Maricara could possibly be destroying cattle and churches and… well, I do not really know.
Characters: Maricara is the main character, a princess with overly strong dragon powers. She meets up with Kimber, the man she is supposed to marry, at least he believes she is supposed to. Kimber is a pompous jerk and never really changes, but she falls for him anyway since this is first and foremost a romance novel. The romance was forced and the characters did not mesh well and all they ever talked about was how she was different but that they should marry for the better of his society.
What did I just waste my time on? I nearly gave this book 3 stars just because Shana knows how to write a sentence. But she knows how to write a sentence too well and most of the book is spent explaining how they turn to smoke, then to dragons. Like we don’t understand that from the first two novels, Shana instead decides to find whole new ways to describe it for us. She spends so much time on this aspect that the plot becomes disjointed and important questions are left unanswered. Like, how were they getting messages back and forth but when one tried to visit he would be killed? Seems that the forces working against them would have kept the messages away as well!
Reasons to read this novel:
3. You read the first two
2. You like historical fantasy romance
1. You like very detailed novels
Reasons not to read this novel:
4. More of a cliffhanger than the other 2
3. Too little happens throught it
2. Contrived romance
1. Poorly executed story
December 19, 2014
I generally don't like the 'fated-to-be-mated' theme because I consider it a gamble that few authors manage to actually win. The reason is that it can easily turn into an unavoidable union between two people who are happy to find some attraction between them to ease their way, rather than a passionate, emotional love story. This book only served to reinforce this opinion of mine.
Kimber is the alpha of the English Drakon now that his parents have gone missing while Maricara is the alpha of the Carpathian drakon and the only female besides his sisters that can Turn. As we have learned from the first book, that means they have to mate. And for most of the book it's just that: a courtship between two leaders, between two people who must be together for the good of their races and isn't it nice that they both happen to be beautiful and like each other? In the end, I actually believed those two were suited, but their romance lacked passion, chemistry and heat IMO.
Maricara is a true alpha. She's strong, decisive, bold and willing to break laws to do what she must. Kimber on the other hand, is not. He's not beta either, but he's too passive, too calm and unwilling to take risks or offend his counsil to be a true, strong leader for his people. He's nice enough, but he lacks that sizzling power that his father had.
As far as the romance is concerned, this is the weakest book in the series. However, the plot thickens and tons of revelations about the world Abe has built come to light. The writing is also exquisitingly beautiful, lyrical and rich; a joy to read. I liked it but did not love it and hope the next one is richer in the romance than this one.
Kimber is the alpha of the English Drakon now that his parents have gone missing while Maricara is the alpha of the Carpathian drakon and the only female besides his sisters that can Turn. As we have learned from the first book, that means they have to mate. And for most of the book it's just that: a courtship between two leaders, between two people who must be together for the good of their races and isn't it nice that they both happen to be beautiful and like each other? In the end, I actually believed those two were suited, but their romance lacked passion, chemistry and heat IMO.
Maricara is a true alpha. She's strong, decisive, bold and willing to break laws to do what she must. Kimber on the other hand, is not. He's not beta either, but he's too passive, too calm and unwilling to take risks or offend his counsil to be a true, strong leader for his people. He's nice enough, but he lacks that sizzling power that his father had.
As far as the romance is concerned, this is the weakest book in the series. However, the plot thickens and tons of revelations about the world Abe has built come to light. The writing is also exquisitingly beautiful, lyrical and rich; a joy to read. I liked it but did not love it and hope the next one is richer in the romance than this one.
January 2, 2008
Read 12/31-1/1/08.
Queen of Dragons is the latest book in the Drakon series. Set in 18th century England and Romania, the story is a romance/fantasy mixture about the Drakon - folk who tend the land, love their tribe and shape-shift into dragons. In this volume, Princess Maricara of the Romanian Drakon arrives
in the quiet English shire of Earl Kimber Langford and sparks fly. Maricara has come to England to warn these distant Drakon cousins of great danger, an
evil that hunts the Drakon, only to discover that she's perceived as the danger by these stuffy English Drakon.
Abe does a fantastic job of melding fantasy and romance. I loved the first book in this series, The Smoke Thief and liked the second one, The Dream Thief but this one - WOW! Both Kimber and Maricara are strong, vibrant
characters and I was entirely swept up in their love story - very touching and interesting. I've read some reviews that disliked the less than definitive ending to the story but I'm heartened by that since I most certainly want more stories from this fascinating world, particularly more
with Kim and Maricara. Highly recommended.
Number : 1
Publication : 2007
Genre : Romance/Fantasy
Rating : 9.5
Where From : My shelves.
Reason : Shape-shifting dragons and romance, what could be better .
Queen of Dragons is the latest book in the Drakon series. Set in 18th century England and Romania, the story is a romance/fantasy mixture about the Drakon - folk who tend the land, love their tribe and shape-shift into dragons. In this volume, Princess Maricara of the Romanian Drakon arrives
in the quiet English shire of Earl Kimber Langford and sparks fly. Maricara has come to England to warn these distant Drakon cousins of great danger, an
evil that hunts the Drakon, only to discover that she's perceived as the danger by these stuffy English Drakon.
Abe does a fantastic job of melding fantasy and romance. I loved the first book in this series, The Smoke Thief and liked the second one, The Dream Thief but this one - WOW! Both Kimber and Maricara are strong, vibrant
characters and I was entirely swept up in their love story - very touching and interesting. I've read some reviews that disliked the less than definitive ending to the story but I'm heartened by that since I most certainly want more stories from this fascinating world, particularly more
with Kim and Maricara. Highly recommended.
Number : 1
Publication : 2007
Genre : Romance/Fantasy
Rating : 9.5
Where From : My shelves.
Reason : Shape-shifting dragons and romance, what could be better .
January 14, 2011
I don't think I've read another series where the paranormal species it's about has PISSED ME OFF as much as these Drakons. The females are OK, I suppose…at least in the previous two books. Not so much in this one. But the guys are (and there's really only one word for it) assholes. Their domineering mentality over the female characters makes me feel violent, and I fail to see how the heroine’s could overlook that and fall in love with the so called ’heroes’ anyway.
I mean, for Christ sake, this guy spends the majority of the book telling her he’s going to mate her and she has no say whatsoever in the matter, and rather than hightailing it out of there, she’s strutting around naked whilst telling him - unconvincingly, which is not surprising considering she’d constantly flashing him. He probably thinks she’s gagging for it - that it’s not going to happen. Forget what I said, I guess they are perfectly suited to each other after all.
I don’t know what happened here because I liked the first book, really liked the second, but this book was a chronic disappointment. The only reason I’ve still given it three stars is because the plot was interesting and would’ve made a good book if only it had better characters and was better written.
I mean, for Christ sake, this guy spends the majority of the book telling her he’s going to mate her and she has no say whatsoever in the matter, and rather than hightailing it out of there, she’s strutting around naked whilst telling him - unconvincingly, which is not surprising considering she’d constantly flashing him. He probably thinks she’s gagging for it - that it’s not going to happen. Forget what I said, I guess they are perfectly suited to each other after all.
I don’t know what happened here because I liked the first book, really liked the second, but this book was a chronic disappointment. The only reason I’ve still given it three stars is because the plot was interesting and would’ve made a good book if only it had better characters and was better written.
August 4, 2010
this would have been much better as a short story. Perhaps in a compendium of shifter stories. This book was short on plot. There was quite a bit of discussion among the characters and quite a few descriptions, but neither of these furthered the plot. I don't feel like I've learned anything new of Maricara, and Kimber appears to be a spoiled child. I really enjoyed the previous two books, or I wouldn't have read this one. I was very disappointed. I'll be thinking twice before committing to the next book.
May 4, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed this entry in the Drákon series. It was fast paced and set up plots to take the reader through several more entries in the series. Of all the characters introduced in the series so far, Maricara, Kimber, and Kimber's brother, Rhys, are my favorites. I can't wait for the next book to see where the author takes them.
June 10, 2011
This installment of the Drakon series was not my favorite of the three I've read so far. Actually, I would give this book three stars because the plot is almost nonexistent. However, Abe's writing style enthralls me. It's dreamy and enchanting and unlike almost any other style I've encountered. So my enjoyment of the this novel was not affected by the lack of plot. Therefore, four stars.
August 5, 2014
I didn't like it as much as I liked the first two books, but it still was a captivating read.
December 1, 2013
It was pretty good, just felt like the plot lost got very confusing without enough details sometimes and then overloaded with too many details at other times.
November 1, 2014
At first I thought, it would be weird to be reading about these characters and even though I was trying to catch up with the years, in the end. I enjoyed... a lot.
March 17, 2021
You know those Wattpad books that has werewolves in it and they are dealing with a situation but then a female enters the scene and suddenly the alpha male is crazy because apparently they are mates and the female would be skirting around the subject making him run after her but eventually they end up together? This is this book but with dragons.
I got this book from a “Blind date with a book” shop. On a normal day I wouldn’t even look twice at this book because I am one of those suckers who only mainly look at mainstream books.
Anyway...
The reason for the low rating:
1. This should’ve been a fantasy book but it felt more like a romance. It was as if the fantasy aspect was there just to add flavor and new experiences to the reader. But it did not really work. The romance part had not been that great either. I didn’t really feel chemistry between the leads.
2. The plot barely existed. When I reached the first third of the book I was wondering if I had missed anything important because why aren’t we moving forward? It was only until the second half of the book that we actually see some action done about these huntings.
3. We were off to a great start. I was not expecting a five-star. I was more looking for a good time. Then it went downhill in the first few chapters because it consisted of pleasantries, scenery, chasing Maricara, and slightly amusing conversations between the two lead characters. Nope. I couldn’t do it.
4. The leads were cliche. The plot was cliche. That had already been established. Nothing new to see here. Another thing was the 1800s setting and yet when the leads converse they speak like humans from the 20th century.
I do recall getting a headache while getting through this book. Thank God it didn’t last long (the book). Some parts were just a blur to me and this could’ve been better edited.
I got this book from a “Blind date with a book” shop. On a normal day I wouldn’t even look twice at this book because I am one of those suckers who only mainly look at mainstream books.
Anyway...
The reason for the low rating:
1. This should’ve been a fantasy book but it felt more like a romance. It was as if the fantasy aspect was there just to add flavor and new experiences to the reader. But it did not really work. The romance part had not been that great either. I didn’t really feel chemistry between the leads.
2. The plot barely existed. When I reached the first third of the book I was wondering if I had missed anything important because why aren’t we moving forward? It was only until the second half of the book that we actually see some action done about these huntings.
3. We were off to a great start. I was not expecting a five-star. I was more looking for a good time. Then it went downhill in the first few chapters because it consisted of pleasantries, scenery, chasing Maricara, and slightly amusing conversations between the two lead characters. Nope. I couldn’t do it.
4. The leads were cliche. The plot was cliche. That had already been established. Nothing new to see here. Another thing was the 1800s setting and yet when the leads converse they speak like humans from the 20th century.
I do recall getting a headache while getting through this book. Thank God it didn’t last long (the book). Some parts were just a blur to me and this could’ve been better edited.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews