What do you think?
Rate this book
SPI Files #2
The Dragon Conspiracy
After solving The Grendel Affair, the agents have another SPI File to investigate...We’re Supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI. We battle the real monsters of myth and legend, but this Halloween, we’re searching for diamonds…A gala opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has attracted the upper crust of Manhattan—and thieves. A trio of vile harpies attacks the crowd and steals the stars of the a colorful cluster of seven cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs.In the right mage’s hands, each stone can pack a magical wallop. Together they have the power to “cure” the supernaturals of the tristate area—but for many of those vampires and werewolves, that means turning into dust.I’m Makenna Fraser, a seer for SPI. With the help of my partner, Ian, and the other agents, I have twenty-four hours to prevent total global panic, find the diamonds, and save the supernatural community. No biggie...
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 27, 2015
109 people are currently reading
965 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Shearin
22 books1,104 followersLisa is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Raine Benares novels and The SPI Files.
Lisa is a voracious collector of fountain pens, teapots & teacups both vintage and modern. She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her husband, four spoiled-rotten retired racing greyhounds, and enough deer and woodland creatures to fill a Disney movie.
Lisa is a voracious collector of fountain pens, teapots & teacups both vintage and modern. She lives on a small farm in North Carolina with her husband, four spoiled-rotten retired racing greyhounds, and enough deer and woodland creatures to fill a Disney movie.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
March 10, 2025
2020 Re-Read
As one of the blurbs in the front of the book says, this book is the perfect antidote for doom and gloom. Makenna bounces happily along, being sassy, confident that SPI will come out on top of whatever situation they find themselves in. She drags me, as reader, along in her happy, optimistic wake.
Gandalf warned us not to meddle in the affairs of dragons, but Makenna works for one. For a brand new employee, she is making quite an impression on her dragon lady boss. Also upon one goblin businessman-about-town.
Fast, fun, and decidedly cheerful, these books are just what the doctor ordered in these unsettling times.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
****Wanda’s Summer Festival of Reading Fluff***
I liked the first book in this series and I really enjoyed this second installment. In fact, I had so much fun that I picked up the book the next day and read it again! And I started contemplating purchasing my own copy. It is that amusing.
I really like the lightness of attitude and the intelligence of the series. It is rather like the Men in Black movies crossed with James Bond, perhaps with a sprinkling of Austin Powers and/or X-Files? In other words, it plays with all the tropes in a fun way without taking itself too seriously.
I like the friendships that are building between Mackenna and her fellow SPI agents, including her dragon lady boss. I am also amused by her Southern sensibilities and the fact that she is just a regular woman (not depicted as some ultra-beautiful person, often ending up covered in food) and that she is sometimes the rescued and sometimes the rescuer.
What can I say? I can hardly wait for book three to be published in January 2016.
As one of the blurbs in the front of the book says, this book is the perfect antidote for doom and gloom. Makenna bounces happily along, being sassy, confident that SPI will come out on top of whatever situation they find themselves in. She drags me, as reader, along in her happy, optimistic wake.
Gandalf warned us not to meddle in the affairs of dragons, but Makenna works for one. For a brand new employee, she is making quite an impression on her dragon lady boss. Also upon one goblin businessman-about-town.
Fast, fun, and decidedly cheerful, these books are just what the doctor ordered in these unsettling times.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
****Wanda’s Summer Festival of Reading Fluff***
I liked the first book in this series and I really enjoyed this second installment. In fact, I had so much fun that I picked up the book the next day and read it again! And I started contemplating purchasing my own copy. It is that amusing.
I really like the lightness of attitude and the intelligence of the series. It is rather like the Men in Black movies crossed with James Bond, perhaps with a sprinkling of Austin Powers and/or X-Files? In other words, it plays with all the tropes in a fun way without taking itself too seriously.
I like the friendships that are building between Mackenna and her fellow SPI agents, including her dragon lady boss. I am also amused by her Southern sensibilities and the fact that she is just a regular woman (not depicted as some ultra-beautiful person, often ending up covered in food) and that she is sometimes the rescued and sometimes the rescuer.
What can I say? I can hardly wait for book three to be published in January 2016.
June 30, 2015
Is it just me or does there seems to be a lot of UF/PRN series out there lately? Some I absolutely fall in love with from Book 1 and others seems to take time to warm to. SPI files has a lot of great ideas and I do like the world but had I not read Lucky Charms SPI 0.5 in an anthology with some other series I really like I probably would be calling it quits after this book. But I’m really hoping for a smidgen more in the overall arcs of the series and if I don’t start seeing it in the next book I’m most likely done because there are a ton of UF/PRN series out there lately.
The Grendel Affair took a really long time to seem to find any forward momentum and at least that was solved in The Dragon Conspiracy. It starts out very interesting when some cursed diamonds linked with the Romanov family and Rasputin are stolen in the middle of a packed art gala. An event that every supernatural baddie seemed to be at so the list of possible suspects is longer than Vivienne Sagadracos’s tail (She’s a Dragon so that is long). Mak and Ian have an extremely limited time to find the stolen loot before it can be used for evil intentions on Halloween.
Lisa Shearin has a better plot and pacing in this story. But it still didn’t have the magic that Lucky Charms brought to the story. But there is enough humor and plot tension to keep it going for the most part.
What it is missing for me is character chemistry. This series can’t seem to make up it’s mind. Are Mak and Ian flirty or friendly? Is he her bodyguard or partner? Do they have any chemistry or is it totally plutonic? I seriously don’t know and I’m not sure Lisa Shearin does either. If you would have asked me in Lucky Charms I would have said they will have a slow burn romance throughout the series, but right now I’m not sure one minute they seem flirty and the next like casual acquaintances not even partners who spend all their time together. The thing is I feel that way about all the characters in the book. No one has great chemistry together Mak doesn’t have a girlfriend she hangs with sometimes or a confidant in SPI that she tells stories too. The closest thing to a friend seems to be the dragon boss lady and that is a little awkward since you know boss, dragon and so much older than Mak. The two people who had the best chemistry in this book were actually Ian and Rake and they sorta hate each other.
Do I need there to be some romance in the story???…not necessarily, but it really helps me at least. That said at least the plot and action kept the story pretty interesting even if I’m missing some of the other stuff. There is also the different lores involving Harpies, Dragons, Gorgons and Goblins. Who knew goblins were sexy and that pink is the most evil color to a goblin. I do like the lore change ups for the most part so far, they have been pretty imaginative.
Mak is also not your typical UF/PNR heroine. She isn’t a badass able to kill things with a single bound. No she can see past illusions and it makes her useful but not the usual skill set of the lead in these. She doesn’t have any magic powers or a tragic past even. Still sometimes her insertion of southern etiquette while probably meant to make her endearing to the reader seems a little forced.
The most interesting character in this book was Rake. He is a little walk on the wild side for sure. I’m all for cheering on the anti-hero and Rake seems to fit the bill but even he is changed. In Lucky Charms he was practically the bad guy and now he seems more like Mak’s own personal brand of kryptonite that is trying to use seduction to win her to his side.
So overall Fun Book, solid interesting plot but wonky character chemistry. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I could totally set it down and walk away without withdrawls as well. So far this is a take it or leave it series for me.
The Grendel Affair took a really long time to seem to find any forward momentum and at least that was solved in The Dragon Conspiracy. It starts out very interesting when some cursed diamonds linked with the Romanov family and Rasputin are stolen in the middle of a packed art gala. An event that every supernatural baddie seemed to be at so the list of possible suspects is longer than Vivienne Sagadracos’s tail (She’s a Dragon so that is long). Mak and Ian have an extremely limited time to find the stolen loot before it can be used for evil intentions on Halloween.
Lisa Shearin has a better plot and pacing in this story. But it still didn’t have the magic that Lucky Charms brought to the story. But there is enough humor and plot tension to keep it going for the most part.
Grandma said that a skillet’s good for three things: frying chicken, baking corn bread, and going upside an obstinate man’s head.
What it is missing for me is character chemistry. This series can’t seem to make up it’s mind. Are Mak and Ian flirty or friendly? Is he her bodyguard or partner? Do they have any chemistry or is it totally plutonic? I seriously don’t know and I’m not sure Lisa Shearin does either. If you would have asked me in Lucky Charms I would have said they will have a slow burn romance throughout the series, but right now I’m not sure one minute they seem flirty and the next like casual acquaintances not even partners who spend all their time together. The thing is I feel that way about all the characters in the book. No one has great chemistry together Mak doesn’t have a girlfriend she hangs with sometimes or a confidant in SPI that she tells stories too. The closest thing to a friend seems to be the dragon boss lady and that is a little awkward since you know boss, dragon and so much older than Mak. The two people who had the best chemistry in this book were actually Ian and Rake and they sorta hate each other.
“I don’t trust you.”
“That makes two of us. I don’t trust me, either. I do not take offense, Agent Byrne. Goblins get a lot of practice with distrust. If anyone ever does trust me, I must be doing something very wrong.”
Do I need there to be some romance in the story???…not necessarily, but it really helps me at least. That said at least the plot and action kept the story pretty interesting even if I’m missing some of the other stuff. There is also the different lores involving Harpies, Dragons, Gorgons and Goblins. Who knew goblins were sexy and that pink is the most evil color to a goblin. I do like the lore change ups for the most part so far, they have been pretty imaginative.
Mak is also not your typical UF/PNR heroine. She isn’t a badass able to kill things with a single bound. No she can see past illusions and it makes her useful but not the usual skill set of the lead in these. She doesn’t have any magic powers or a tragic past even. Still sometimes her insertion of southern etiquette while probably meant to make her endearing to the reader seems a little forced.
The most interesting character in this book was Rake. He is a little walk on the wild side for sure. I’m all for cheering on the anti-hero and Rake seems to fit the bill but even he is changed. In Lucky Charms he was practically the bad guy and now he seems more like Mak’s own personal brand of kryptonite that is trying to use seduction to win her to his side.
So overall Fun Book, solid interesting plot but wonky character chemistry. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I could totally set it down and walk away without withdrawls as well. So far this is a take it or leave it series for me.
April 9, 2015
3.5
It still has the same things that need to be fixed as the first book. The blurb is way too revealing. Even when you expect certain things to happen, they don't have to be in the book summary.
Nevertheless, I had so much fun. Makenna Frazer is at the same time a great and silly character. And she discovers a new ability working on this diamond theft case. I like that if there are any romantic plans for her and her partner, they are not in this book. I'd prefer them either as friends or becoming something more much, much later. For now, there is a goblin lord to consider (Labyrinth - should be enough).
This story is less gory than the first. Understandable considering the villains. Overall, with all the stereotypes and all-the-creatures-you-can-think-of kind of world, this was a fun story and I'll be reading the next. I like how the main character sees the world.
It still has the same things that need to be fixed as the first book. The blurb is way too revealing. Even when you expect certain things to happen, they don't have to be in the book summary.
Nevertheless, I had so much fun. Makenna Frazer is at the same time a great and silly character. And she discovers a new ability working on this diamond theft case. I like that if there are any romantic plans for her and her partner, they are not in this book. I'd prefer them either as friends or becoming something more much, much later. For now, there is a goblin lord to consider (Labyrinth - should be enough).
This story is less gory than the first. Understandable considering the villains. Overall, with all the stereotypes and all-the-creatures-you-can-think-of kind of world, this was a fun story and I'll be reading the next. I like how the main character sees the world.
March 23, 2015
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/03/23/b...
The Supernatural Protection & Investigations bureau, known as SPI, is back again to battle the next great threat that’s putting Manhattan in peril. This time it’s All Hallows’ Eve and someone has just pulled off the biggest jewel heist in history, using a trio of harpies to steal a cluster of seven cursed diamonds from a museum exhibit. Problem is, the diamonds belong to a powerful dragon, and now he’s PISSED. Even worse, the seven gems are said to have magical properties, and in the right mage’s hands, their effects can have deadly repercussions for the thousands of supernaturals living in the tristate area.
Anyway, dragons are awesome and all, but I feel like there’s a huge missed opportunity here not titling this book The GORGON Conspiracy. This series is really unique in that it has featured an unconventional paranormal baddie in both books so far, each time drawing inspiration from literature and mythology. In the first book, it was Grendel creatures. In this one, it’s Gorgons. So, yeah, when’s the last time you read an urban fantasy featuring Gorgons? No, I can’t recall either. As protagonist Makenna Fraser and her partner Ian desperately chase down leads, more suspects are being found paralyzed and turned into stone. SPI has until midnight to get to the bottom of the mystery, or a whole bunch of their vampire and werewolf friends are going to die.
I was really looking forward to this book, because I really enjoyed The Grendel Affair. The X-Files meets Men in Black angle is probably my favorite aspect of the series, featuring an organization tasked to keep track of the paranormal creatures of the world, making sure that the unsuspecting public is safe from them and vice versa. The Dragon Conspiracy continues in this vein, which was great; however, I also didn’t think it was as good as the first book, for one major reason: the main character.
Thing is, I like how Makenna Fraser isn’t your usual snarky kickass urban fantasy female lead. I like that she’s your average everyday normal southern gal in the big city, maybe a little awkward and charmingly clumsy. But there has to be a balance too. Her role in this book was smaller, and I would even go as far as to call her passive. Not exactly a quality you look for in a protagonist. She was definitely much more involved in the previous novel. This time around, though? There wasn’t much to distinguish her, apart from her inaction. She seemed more like an observer than an actual player in this story, and I also didn’t feel like I learned anything new about her character.
Furthermore, the budding romance between Ian and Makenna appears to have come to a screeching halt, with no explanation as to why beyond the usual pretext of “We work together so we shouldn’t date each other”. Not that this is a bad thing; sometimes not having a romance to bog down the story can actually be seen as a positive. Besides, Makenna has prospects elsewhere. I just wish there was a better reason given for the sudden change in their relationship, and I confess part of me is a little miffed because I predicted in my review of the first book that the two of them will be very good together, and it turns out I was completely off base.
Still, I am enjoying this series. I just love the new takes on unconventional paranormal/mythological creatures, and that’s what sets the SPI Files apart. So far, the stories in both books have been snappy and entertaining, and with a bit more energy and spirit, I think this series has the potential to become something even more. Hopefully we’ll see the author flesh out the characters and give more depth to Makenna in the next installment. Count me in for book three.
The Supernatural Protection & Investigations bureau, known as SPI, is back again to battle the next great threat that’s putting Manhattan in peril. This time it’s All Hallows’ Eve and someone has just pulled off the biggest jewel heist in history, using a trio of harpies to steal a cluster of seven cursed diamonds from a museum exhibit. Problem is, the diamonds belong to a powerful dragon, and now he’s PISSED. Even worse, the seven gems are said to have magical properties, and in the right mage’s hands, their effects can have deadly repercussions for the thousands of supernaturals living in the tristate area.
Anyway, dragons are awesome and all, but I feel like there’s a huge missed opportunity here not titling this book The GORGON Conspiracy. This series is really unique in that it has featured an unconventional paranormal baddie in both books so far, each time drawing inspiration from literature and mythology. In the first book, it was Grendel creatures. In this one, it’s Gorgons. So, yeah, when’s the last time you read an urban fantasy featuring Gorgons? No, I can’t recall either. As protagonist Makenna Fraser and her partner Ian desperately chase down leads, more suspects are being found paralyzed and turned into stone. SPI has until midnight to get to the bottom of the mystery, or a whole bunch of their vampire and werewolf friends are going to die.
I was really looking forward to this book, because I really enjoyed The Grendel Affair. The X-Files meets Men in Black angle is probably my favorite aspect of the series, featuring an organization tasked to keep track of the paranormal creatures of the world, making sure that the unsuspecting public is safe from them and vice versa. The Dragon Conspiracy continues in this vein, which was great; however, I also didn’t think it was as good as the first book, for one major reason: the main character.
Thing is, I like how Makenna Fraser isn’t your usual snarky kickass urban fantasy female lead. I like that she’s your average everyday normal southern gal in the big city, maybe a little awkward and charmingly clumsy. But there has to be a balance too. Her role in this book was smaller, and I would even go as far as to call her passive. Not exactly a quality you look for in a protagonist. She was definitely much more involved in the previous novel. This time around, though? There wasn’t much to distinguish her, apart from her inaction. She seemed more like an observer than an actual player in this story, and I also didn’t feel like I learned anything new about her character.
Furthermore, the budding romance between Ian and Makenna appears to have come to a screeching halt, with no explanation as to why beyond the usual pretext of “We work together so we shouldn’t date each other”. Not that this is a bad thing; sometimes not having a romance to bog down the story can actually be seen as a positive. Besides, Makenna has prospects elsewhere. I just wish there was a better reason given for the sudden change in their relationship, and I confess part of me is a little miffed because I predicted in my review of the first book that the two of them will be very good together, and it turns out I was completely off base.
Still, I am enjoying this series. I just love the new takes on unconventional paranormal/mythological creatures, and that’s what sets the SPI Files apart. So far, the stories in both books have been snappy and entertaining, and with a bit more energy and spirit, I think this series has the potential to become something even more. Hopefully we’ll see the author flesh out the characters and give more depth to Makenna in the next installment. Count me in for book three.
June 28, 2015
This was an improvement on The Grendel Affair, but still not quite as good as the prequel novella Lucky Charms.
Mak and Ian are tasked with guarding the exhibits at a gala opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The stars of the collection are set of seven cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs. As well as attracting the upper crust of Manhattan the diamonds have also attracted a bunch of thieves. The diamonds are magic and in the right mages hands have the potential to "cure" supernatural creatures. Which sounds good until you consider the fact that for many of those vampires and werewolves, that means turning into dust! When a trio of harpies succeed in stealing the diamonds it leaves SPI with less than 24 hours to retrieve them before the thief behind the theft sets about curing the whole New York area of supernaturals!
The story turned out to be quite fun. Both the pacing and the humor were good. The supernatural creatures, Harpies, Gorgons, and Gem Mages, were also a lot cooler than the Grendels from the first book.
Mak remains an easy character to like and the rest of the SPI characters we met in the first book were fleshed out a bit more in this one. Another big plus was the fact that Rake the Goblin was back. I liked him in Lucky Charms and it was great to get to know him a bit better in this one. He is still mysterious and untrustworthy, but he definitely has chemistry with Mak.
If I had a criticism it would be the fact that the author seems to have given up on the Ian/Mak relationship. They seemed to like each other well enough in the prequel and the first book, but the spark has almost completely vanished in this one. It was a little weird.
This started and ended really well, but did suffer from a lull in the middle phase. That said, this was still a fun read and I'll definitely read the next one.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Audio Note: Johanna Parker was back and she continues to give a decent performance.
Mak and Ian are tasked with guarding the exhibits at a gala opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The stars of the collection are set of seven cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs. As well as attracting the upper crust of Manhattan the diamonds have also attracted a bunch of thieves. The diamonds are magic and in the right mages hands have the potential to "cure" supernatural creatures. Which sounds good until you consider the fact that for many of those vampires and werewolves, that means turning into dust! When a trio of harpies succeed in stealing the diamonds it leaves SPI with less than 24 hours to retrieve them before the thief behind the theft sets about curing the whole New York area of supernaturals!
The story turned out to be quite fun. Both the pacing and the humor were good. The supernatural creatures, Harpies, Gorgons, and Gem Mages, were also a lot cooler than the Grendels from the first book.
Mak remains an easy character to like and the rest of the SPI characters we met in the first book were fleshed out a bit more in this one. Another big plus was the fact that Rake the Goblin was back. I liked him in Lucky Charms and it was great to get to know him a bit better in this one. He is still mysterious and untrustworthy, but he definitely has chemistry with Mak.
If I had a criticism it would be the fact that the author seems to have given up on the Ian/Mak relationship. They seemed to like each other well enough in the prequel and the first book, but the spark has almost completely vanished in this one. It was a little weird.
This started and ended really well, but did suffer from a lull in the middle phase. That said, this was still a fun read and I'll definitely read the next one.
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Audio Note: Johanna Parker was back and she continues to give a decent performance.
January 10, 2016
3.5 stars
When Mak and Ian are tasked with guarding a set of cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs, at a gala night opening for the Metropolitan Museum of Art they should have known they were about to be in trouble. What they couldn't have guessed is that three harpies would show themselves in front of the humans present and escape with the dangerous jewels. Unfortunately the diamonds are dangerous and if SPI aren't able to recover them quickly enough they could be used to cure all of the supernatural creatures in the area and return them to their human selves. That might not sound like a major problem but what do you think would happen to vampires and shapeshifters who are hundreds of years old if time was able to catch up with their bodies? Yes, SPI is looking at a major supernatural disaster!
I absolutely loved the prequel novella Lucky Charms but there were a few teething problems with the first book The Grendel Affair. I like the world that Lisa Shearin has created and how she has included so many different supernatural creatures but the pacing was a little slow in the first book which made the story drag a bit. Luckily that wasn't the case in The Dragon Conspiracy and the story starts with a bang, in fact one of my favourite scenes from the book was the opening night at the museum and I thought it kept a fairly steady pace from there onwards. I really loved the addition of a gorgon to the cast of characters, Helena had a really interesting back story and considering what she has to do to stay alive I was surprised at how much I liked her character. It was also great to see Rake back in the mix again, his character intrigued me in Lucky Charms and I liked him even more here.
While I enjoyed this book more than the first one there were still a few things that bothered me, mainly the ever changing relationship between Mak and Ian. In the prequel there was some fantastic chemistry between them, I loved their banter and I had high hopes of a slow build romance between them. That chemistry fell a little flat in the first book but I was expecting it to pick up again here since Lucky Charms was written after The Grendel Affair but for some reason things seemed to a complete 180 in this book. For most of the story they were acting more like wary strangers than the friends and colleagues they'd been before, the banter was completely missing for a large chunk of the book and the chemistry has vanished too. It seemed like the author was throwing them both in different directions romantically and I found myself really disappointed by that, especially since we'd seen such a great build up between them previously. I know the romance isn't the main focus of the story and I definitely enjoyed the rest of the plot more than the previous book but there was definitely something missing here.
I do still love this world though and I'm hoping everything will come together in the next book. I'm not sure what to expect from the romance but I think I'm going to be going in with much lower expectations on that front, I do hope that we see the friendship and banter back between Mak and Ian though, even if we end up with no romance between them. This series has a lot of potential and I'm very curious to see what kind of supernatural creatures Lisa Shearin will throw at Mak next, she's been on a steep learning curve already but I expect she's in for a few more surprises.
____________
Buddy read with the Buddies Books and Baubles crew starting on the 25th of June! If anyone is interested in joining us you can find the chat HERE
When Mak and Ian are tasked with guarding a set of cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs, at a gala night opening for the Metropolitan Museum of Art they should have known they were about to be in trouble. What they couldn't have guessed is that three harpies would show themselves in front of the humans present and escape with the dangerous jewels. Unfortunately the diamonds are dangerous and if SPI aren't able to recover them quickly enough they could be used to cure all of the supernatural creatures in the area and return them to their human selves. That might not sound like a major problem but what do you think would happen to vampires and shapeshifters who are hundreds of years old if time was able to catch up with their bodies? Yes, SPI is looking at a major supernatural disaster!
I absolutely loved the prequel novella Lucky Charms but there were a few teething problems with the first book The Grendel Affair. I like the world that Lisa Shearin has created and how she has included so many different supernatural creatures but the pacing was a little slow in the first book which made the story drag a bit. Luckily that wasn't the case in The Dragon Conspiracy and the story starts with a bang, in fact one of my favourite scenes from the book was the opening night at the museum and I thought it kept a fairly steady pace from there onwards. I really loved the addition of a gorgon to the cast of characters, Helena had a really interesting back story and considering what she has to do to stay alive I was surprised at how much I liked her character. It was also great to see Rake back in the mix again, his character intrigued me in Lucky Charms and I liked him even more here.
While I enjoyed this book more than the first one there were still a few things that bothered me, mainly the ever changing relationship between Mak and Ian. In the prequel there was some fantastic chemistry between them, I loved their banter and I had high hopes of a slow build romance between them. That chemistry fell a little flat in the first book but I was expecting it to pick up again here since Lucky Charms was written after The Grendel Affair but for some reason things seemed to a complete 180 in this book. For most of the story they were acting more like wary strangers than the friends and colleagues they'd been before, the banter was completely missing for a large chunk of the book and the chemistry has vanished too. It seemed like the author was throwing them both in different directions romantically and I found myself really disappointed by that, especially since we'd seen such a great build up between them previously. I know the romance isn't the main focus of the story and I definitely enjoyed the rest of the plot more than the previous book but there was definitely something missing here.
I do still love this world though and I'm hoping everything will come together in the next book. I'm not sure what to expect from the romance but I think I'm going to be going in with much lower expectations on that front, I do hope that we see the friendship and banter back between Mak and Ian though, even if we end up with no romance between them. This series has a lot of potential and I'm very curious to see what kind of supernatural creatures Lisa Shearin will throw at Mak next, she's been on a steep learning curve already but I expect she's in for a few more surprises.
____________
Buddy read with the Buddies Books and Baubles crew starting on the 25th of June! If anyone is interested in joining us you can find the chat HERE
January 24, 2020
Gorgons reimagined! The heart of this novel is a murder mystery involving gorgons--yes, victims are turned to stone by a simple gaze. Petrification works from the skin inward, painfully and slowly (over days and maybe longer) claiming the body while the victim is all too conscious. And forget Medusa and snake hair--gorgons look just like you and me. The world Shearin has constructed is full of different supernatural races (elves, dragons, etc.) who use glamour to pose as humans, but gorgons, vampires, and shifters are humans who've been infected with (I guess) viruses that produce the characteristic changes.
The mystery of who's turning people to stone is embedded in a frantic adventure to keep powerful entities from using a set of magical diamonds to "cure" all the supernaturals in the Tristate Area (that is, New York City and everywhere else in commuting distance): suddenly, at midnight on Halloween, all vampires, shifters, etc. will revert to ordinary humans, and since most of them are centuries old, it's instant death. At the same time, all the other races will lose their glamour and be revealed to humans, who will probably exterminate them.
Racing against time to prevent this supernatural disaster is SPI (Supernatural Protection and Investigations), a secret police-like agency headquartered in a multi-story underground structure beneath Washington Square in the heart of New York City. Founded in 1647 by its current director, Vivienne Sagadraco (yes, she's a dragon and very very old), SPI goes after rogue supernaturals who threaten to reveal the existence of all supernaturals, and once again their story is narrated by their new recruit Makenna Fraser.
This time the story starts with a bang: that set of magical diamonds is stolen from a museum gala opening when harpy statues come to life and fly off with them. So much for supernatural exposure! There are quite a few lulls in the story until the halfway point, when the SPI crew realizes they have only 15 hours or so to prevent the disaster. That's right, I didn't believe Shearin could do it, and I was wrong--a breath-taking 15-hour adventure occupies the whole second half of the novel! SPI has to team up with some very unsavory supernatural characters (think demonic), and though the title is misleading, there is indeed a battle between age-old dragons who fly, breathe fire, and stand three storeys high.
And in the middle of that climax the killer gorgon is revealed. Heartily recommended.
The mystery of who's turning people to stone is embedded in a frantic adventure to keep powerful entities from using a set of magical diamonds to "cure" all the supernaturals in the Tristate Area (that is, New York City and everywhere else in commuting distance): suddenly, at midnight on Halloween, all vampires, shifters, etc. will revert to ordinary humans, and since most of them are centuries old, it's instant death. At the same time, all the other races will lose their glamour and be revealed to humans, who will probably exterminate them.
Racing against time to prevent this supernatural disaster is SPI (Supernatural Protection and Investigations), a secret police-like agency headquartered in a multi-story underground structure beneath Washington Square in the heart of New York City. Founded in 1647 by its current director, Vivienne Sagadraco (yes, she's a dragon and very very old), SPI goes after rogue supernaturals who threaten to reveal the existence of all supernaturals, and once again their story is narrated by their new recruit Makenna Fraser.
This time the story starts with a bang: that set of magical diamonds is stolen from a museum gala opening when harpy statues come to life and fly off with them. So much for supernatural exposure! There are quite a few lulls in the story until the halfway point, when the SPI crew realizes they have only 15 hours or so to prevent the disaster. That's right, I didn't believe Shearin could do it, and I was wrong--a breath-taking 15-hour adventure occupies the whole second half of the novel! SPI has to team up with some very unsavory supernatural characters (think demonic), and though the title is misleading, there is indeed a battle between age-old dragons who fly, breathe fire, and stand three storeys high.
And in the middle of that climax the killer gorgon is revealed. Heartily recommended.
September 22, 2015
*Source* Library
*Rating* 3.5
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*My Thoughts*
The Dragon Conspiracy is the second installment in the SPI Files series. This story actually moves ahead almost a year from where The Grendel Affair left off. It is now Halloween, and SPI will once again find itself trying to protect the supernatural community from yet another megalomaniac out to change the course of history. After defeating Vivienne Sagadraco's sister in the previous installment and sending the Grendel back to the hell they came from, yet another dragon named Viktor Kain shows up with (7) valuable eggs that haven't been seen in recent history.
*Full Review Posted @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
Published January 27th 2015 by Ace
*Rating* 3.5
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*My Thoughts*
The Dragon Conspiracy is the second installment in the SPI Files series. This story actually moves ahead almost a year from where The Grendel Affair left off. It is now Halloween, and SPI will once again find itself trying to protect the supernatural community from yet another megalomaniac out to change the course of history. After defeating Vivienne Sagadraco's sister in the previous installment and sending the Grendel back to the hell they came from, yet another dragon named Viktor Kain shows up with (7) valuable eggs that haven't been seen in recent history.
*Full Review Posted @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
Published January 27th 2015 by Ace
February 7, 2016
These book titles remind of the titles of The Big Bang Theory episodes. First The Grendel Affair and then The Dragon Conspiracy. It’s cute, and hopefully Lisa Shearin won’t have to write so many that she starts to run out of ideas like that TV show….
In this sequel, Mac Fraser and Ian Byrne are investigating the theft of magical diamonds with bad mojo. There’s yet another rival dragon in town, this one a big bad Russian. And if a kidnapped gem mage who has no idea about the supernatural world activates the diamonds on Halloween, supernaturals across New York will be unmasked or killed instantly. So, kind of a big deal.
I’d like to point out the time jump here: The Grendel Affair took place on New Year’s Eve, and now we’re at Halloween of (presumably) the same year. Quite a bit might have happened to Mac over that time (yay, space for shorts!). This is a stark contrast to the lack of time jump in between this book and the third one.
When considered in light of this long gap, elements of the story that might seem surprising make more sense. For example, Mac and Ian feel like much more of a team in this one. I’ve read a few reviews that comment on how the transition from romantic/sexual tension to a sibling-like relationship in this one—complete with Mac giving Ian some dating encouragement—seemed oddly abrupt. And it is, from our point of view, because it’s only the next book. But for Mac and Ian, it’s been 10 months of working on the job together, with plenty of time to sort all that other stuff out. And, personally, I’m am a little relieved. I love depictions of functional, platonic friendships across gender lines, especially in a genre so heavy on the romance. There’s nothing to stop Mac from dating someone else—like say a certain goblin. Not that I’m picking a team yet.
The Dragon Conspiracy also benefits from being more of a mystery than the first book. While it still has an intense time crunch, Mac and Ian have to do a lot more work to figure out who is behind the theft (and even then, Shearin sets up a more shadowy Big Bad who remains unknown—yay for arcs!). Mac’s talents as an investigative journalist finally start to shine here, which is a nice change from the first book, where she seemed vastly under-utilized. Nevertheless, I’m still not satisfied with her portrayal. It’s like, can I replace this protagonist with a potato, and would the story still mostly make sense? Sure, it’s great that Mac’s abilities have expanded a bit, and she makes some contributions—but overall, she doesn’t stand out. She’s just there. One reason I enjoyed the Raine Benares books so much was because of Raine’s presence. While Shearin tries to give Mac some semblance of presence, it mostly seems like generic trappings and tropes.
Shearin continues to build the mythology of this world. Gorgons are a nice touch, and we learn more about how various other supernatural entities work—for example, vampirism and lycanthropy are like diseases, whereas elves and goblins and dragons are species. There are also hints that the dimension elves and goblins hail from is, in fact, the Seven Kingdoms of the Benares books (same goblin monarch, for one). That made my inner fanboy squee a little.
Also, if your library is one such that perpetually seems to have all the books in a series except the first, you won’t be too badly off. I’m not saying to skip The Grendel Affair, but if you read books 1 and 2 out of order, you won’t be lost or ruined by spoilers. The callbacks in this one are light enough that you can enjoy it without the context that the first book provides.
The Dragon Conspiracy is another promising entry in the series. It’s fun, which is pretty much the most important criterion for me with short, urban fantasy stuff like this. That being said, the series hasn’t yet hit its stride; there are still awkward moments when the book struggles with what kind of tone it should take towards some events. Many of the flippant moments seem a little forced, or bizarre (you can only mention Dramamine so many times for a laugh before (a) non-American readers have to Google to figure out what the brand name substance is and (b) the whole “ha-hah, Mac is getting motion sickness from all the epic chase stuff” wears thin). But just when the story stumbles, it redeems itself—I have to admit I really like the way Ben and Ciara get thrown together so fatefully. I might not have found a Mac team yet, but I’d totally ship those two.
As I mentioned in my previous review, I am binge-reading these ones, so The Brimstone Deception is up next. It’s going to be Hell.
My reviews of The SPI Files:
← The Grendel Affair | The Brimstone Deception →
In this sequel, Mac Fraser and Ian Byrne are investigating the theft of magical diamonds with bad mojo. There’s yet another rival dragon in town, this one a big bad Russian. And if a kidnapped gem mage who has no idea about the supernatural world activates the diamonds on Halloween, supernaturals across New York will be unmasked or killed instantly. So, kind of a big deal.
I’d like to point out the time jump here: The Grendel Affair took place on New Year’s Eve, and now we’re at Halloween of (presumably) the same year. Quite a bit might have happened to Mac over that time (yay, space for shorts!). This is a stark contrast to the lack of time jump in between this book and the third one.
When considered in light of this long gap, elements of the story that might seem surprising make more sense. For example, Mac and Ian feel like much more of a team in this one. I’ve read a few reviews that comment on how the transition from romantic/sexual tension to a sibling-like relationship in this one—complete with Mac giving Ian some dating encouragement—seemed oddly abrupt. And it is, from our point of view, because it’s only the next book. But for Mac and Ian, it’s been 10 months of working on the job together, with plenty of time to sort all that other stuff out. And, personally, I’m am a little relieved. I love depictions of functional, platonic friendships across gender lines, especially in a genre so heavy on the romance. There’s nothing to stop Mac from dating someone else—like say a certain goblin. Not that I’m picking a team yet.
The Dragon Conspiracy also benefits from being more of a mystery than the first book. While it still has an intense time crunch, Mac and Ian have to do a lot more work to figure out who is behind the theft (and even then, Shearin sets up a more shadowy Big Bad who remains unknown—yay for arcs!). Mac’s talents as an investigative journalist finally start to shine here, which is a nice change from the first book, where she seemed vastly under-utilized. Nevertheless, I’m still not satisfied with her portrayal. It’s like, can I replace this protagonist with a potato, and would the story still mostly make sense? Sure, it’s great that Mac’s abilities have expanded a bit, and she makes some contributions—but overall, she doesn’t stand out. She’s just there. One reason I enjoyed the Raine Benares books so much was because of Raine’s presence. While Shearin tries to give Mac some semblance of presence, it mostly seems like generic trappings and tropes.
Shearin continues to build the mythology of this world. Gorgons are a nice touch, and we learn more about how various other supernatural entities work—for example, vampirism and lycanthropy are like diseases, whereas elves and goblins and dragons are species. There are also hints that the dimension elves and goblins hail from is, in fact, the Seven Kingdoms of the Benares books (same goblin monarch, for one). That made my inner fanboy squee a little.
Also, if your library is one such that perpetually seems to have all the books in a series except the first, you won’t be too badly off. I’m not saying to skip The Grendel Affair, but if you read books 1 and 2 out of order, you won’t be lost or ruined by spoilers. The callbacks in this one are light enough that you can enjoy it without the context that the first book provides.
The Dragon Conspiracy is another promising entry in the series. It’s fun, which is pretty much the most important criterion for me with short, urban fantasy stuff like this. That being said, the series hasn’t yet hit its stride; there are still awkward moments when the book struggles with what kind of tone it should take towards some events. Many of the flippant moments seem a little forced, or bizarre (you can only mention Dramamine so many times for a laugh before (a) non-American readers have to Google to figure out what the brand name substance is and (b) the whole “ha-hah, Mac is getting motion sickness from all the epic chase stuff” wears thin). But just when the story stumbles, it redeems itself—I have to admit I really like the way Ben and Ciara get thrown together so fatefully. I might not have found a Mac team yet, but I’d totally ship those two.
As I mentioned in my previous review, I am binge-reading these ones, so The Brimstone Deception is up next. It’s going to be Hell.
My reviews of The SPI Files:
← The Grendel Affair | The Brimstone Deception →
February 22, 2015
3.5 stars
I wasn’t in love with this urban fantasy novel, but it read fairly well. The heroine Makenna Fraser works for the SPI agency, aka Supernatural Protection & Investigation. She is a seer – she sees supernatural beings no matter how many layers of glamour they put on to blend with the humans of New York.
The story is a supernatural thriller with a tint of humor, and all the details mesh well in the fascinating world the author constructed. There are dragons and goblins there, gorgons and werewolves, vampires and wizards. Anyone from any race could be a baddy or a good guy, just like in real life, and I like this aspect of supernatural America.
The protagonist is a charming young woman. She doesn’t have any special powers except the power of seeing things as they are, so she doesn’t aspire to the superhero status. She lets other, more muscled guys, to shield her puny self, while she always tries to do the right thing, which is protecting the innocent, be it a benevolent 1000-year-old gorgon or an enigmatic goblin with the not-so-honest intentions towards her.
In this case, protecting the innocent means stopping a terrible conspiracy scheduled for Halloween. Only one day is left, and the clock is ticking, while Makenna and her fellow SPI agents scramble frantically in their search for the villain who wants all the supernaturals eliminated from the city and surrounding areas.
I like Makenna. She is a living woman, a bit cynical and a lot humane, colorful and controversial. Unfortunately, aside from her, all the other characters are only half-cooked, shadowy silhouettes rather than flesh and blood persons, which weakens this novel.
The other problematic aspect of the book is its beginning. The book is the second in a series, and the entire first chapter is a huge and boring info dump, where the author crams most of the background from the first book. As far as I could tell, none of it is necessary for the story. As soon as the plot starts rolling in chapter two, the action is swift and original, reflecting Shearin’s boundless imagination, and all the facts and descriptions the reader needs unfold naturally throughout the story.
Overall, the book is a nice addition to the series and a crazy romp through New York’s supernatural community. If you like sexy goblins and dragons with a sense of humor, this book is for you.
I wasn’t in love with this urban fantasy novel, but it read fairly well. The heroine Makenna Fraser works for the SPI agency, aka Supernatural Protection & Investigation. She is a seer – she sees supernatural beings no matter how many layers of glamour they put on to blend with the humans of New York.
The story is a supernatural thriller with a tint of humor, and all the details mesh well in the fascinating world the author constructed. There are dragons and goblins there, gorgons and werewolves, vampires and wizards. Anyone from any race could be a baddy or a good guy, just like in real life, and I like this aspect of supernatural America.
The protagonist is a charming young woman. She doesn’t have any special powers except the power of seeing things as they are, so she doesn’t aspire to the superhero status. She lets other, more muscled guys, to shield her puny self, while she always tries to do the right thing, which is protecting the innocent, be it a benevolent 1000-year-old gorgon or an enigmatic goblin with the not-so-honest intentions towards her.
In this case, protecting the innocent means stopping a terrible conspiracy scheduled for Halloween. Only one day is left, and the clock is ticking, while Makenna and her fellow SPI agents scramble frantically in their search for the villain who wants all the supernaturals eliminated from the city and surrounding areas.
I like Makenna. She is a living woman, a bit cynical and a lot humane, colorful and controversial. Unfortunately, aside from her, all the other characters are only half-cooked, shadowy silhouettes rather than flesh and blood persons, which weakens this novel.
The other problematic aspect of the book is its beginning. The book is the second in a series, and the entire first chapter is a huge and boring info dump, where the author crams most of the background from the first book. As far as I could tell, none of it is necessary for the story. As soon as the plot starts rolling in chapter two, the action is swift and original, reflecting Shearin’s boundless imagination, and all the facts and descriptions the reader needs unfold naturally throughout the story.
Overall, the book is a nice addition to the series and a crazy romp through New York’s supernatural community. If you like sexy goblins and dragons with a sense of humor, this book is for you.
February 1, 2015
2.5 stars. Not as enjoyable as book 1. There is too much info dumping. Way too much. Every person down to the most insignificant is given a history and description. Every past event is relived. Pretty much everything that happened in book 1 is re-explained. I don't think it really stopped until the 60% mark. Mac has little to do besides tag along after the other agents and make mildly sarcastic asides to the reader (in between dumping more info!). I found her boring in this installment to be honest. She is just this cheerily pragmatic person that doesn't seem to have any deep feelings and whose dialogue with the reader feels like she's trying too hard to be funny. There is no depth to her character.
We don't get Ian's POV and his motivations remain unknowable. His role in this book is just as the muscle and he and Mac have very little dialogue together. The attraction between the two of them has completely disappeared and Ian is trying to get with another woman. Mac is happily helping him do that. Mac's new 'love' interest (very minor plot point) is a character that seems very similar to many other UF series, an uber sexy, supernatural, bad-boy night club owner. It's obvious his role is temporary. Again we know only the most superficial details about him and I have no idea what he sees in Mac.
This story takes place over 24 hours which is a difficult thing to pull off in a full-length novel. Unfortunately here I don't think it worked. The plot was full of WTF moments (I mean, why take Ben out of SPI headquarters?? Of course he is going to be taken). The reasons why the several different villains act the way they do are really poorly realised. Either totally formulaic or unbelievable.
After a good start I'm disappointed that I waited 14 months for something that (if you took out all the info dumps) could have been a novella.
We don't get Ian's POV and his motivations remain unknowable. His role in this book is just as the muscle and he and Mac have very little dialogue together. The attraction between the two of them has completely disappeared and Ian is trying to get with another woman. Mac is happily helping him do that. Mac's new 'love' interest (very minor plot point) is a character that seems very similar to many other UF series, an uber sexy, supernatural, bad-boy night club owner. It's obvious his role is temporary. Again we know only the most superficial details about him and I have no idea what he sees in Mac.
This story takes place over 24 hours which is a difficult thing to pull off in a full-length novel. Unfortunately here I don't think it worked. The plot was full of WTF moments (I mean, why take Ben out of SPI headquarters?? Of course he is going to be taken). The reasons why the several different villains act the way they do are really poorly realised. Either totally formulaic or unbelievable.
After a good start I'm disappointed that I waited 14 months for something that (if you took out all the info dumps) could have been a novella.
April 11, 2023
The Dragon Conspiracy is a solid addition to the series. This story is much slower to unfold that The Grendel Affair, with a lot more set-up. It took a while to gain traction, But once it got going it was everything I'd hoped for.
July 11, 2023
4.5 Stars:)
April 3, 2015
We join SPI "still a newbie" agent and local seer Makenna Fraser, along with partner Ian Byrne and a handful of other agents, as they attend a swank art show in Manhattan. The items on display are a cursed set of diamonds called the Dragon Eggs, known to SPI for some pretty powerful magical properties. When a group of harpies makes off with the diamonds, SPI is left trying to discover who was behind the plot and what is his or her ultimate goal. Unfortunately, as Mak and Ian begin to uncover the pieces of the puzzle, they learn that the conspiracy is much larger and more dangerous than anyone imagined.
Once again, I find myself enjoying the humor and intelligence of agent Makenna Fraser. Like the first book in the series, The Dragon Conspiracy is shared from Mak's first person POV, and Johanna Parker's southern drawl is a perfect fit. Mak's wit and snark make even the most dire situations enjoyable. I love the humor shared between agents and Mak's amusing outlook on any situation. I enjoyed the comradarie of the SPI agents as Mak makes more friends among her peers. I especially delighted in the deeping friendship between Mak and SPI leader, Vivienne Sagadraco. And while this book is far from a romance, there are hints of budding relationships that may or may not play a part in future stories. Unfortunately, I wasn't on board with the potential pairings, but it didn't ruin the story in any way for me (and I'm still holding out for a certain pair of agents to find some lovin').
The mystery of the Dragon Eggs is engrossing, and the overall plot ended up being far more complex than I would have imagined. I liked that the story kept me guessing and isn't predictable. The climatic scenes are dramatic and exciting, although the afterwards seemed to go on a bit too long. I enjoyed meeting new characters and learning about new supernatural beings.
Once again, my biggest complaint is the amount of repetition found in the story. I really don't need the several reminders of what will happen when all the Dragon Eggs are activate, and that New York has the highest concentration of supernaturals in the world. Over and over again, facts like these are repeated far too often. However, because I enjoy the story and narrator, it is something that I can work around, even if it is annoying.
As mentioned earlier, Ms. Parker's performance is entertaining and a great fit for main character, Mak. I find that she modulates her voice convincingly to hit each of the different characters.
Overall, I found The Dragon Conspiracy an excellent follow up to The Grendel Affair, and I look forward to going on more missions with Agent Makenna Fraser.
Rating: B+
Narration: A-
Once again, I find myself enjoying the humor and intelligence of agent Makenna Fraser. Like the first book in the series, The Dragon Conspiracy is shared from Mak's first person POV, and Johanna Parker's southern drawl is a perfect fit. Mak's wit and snark make even the most dire situations enjoyable. I love the humor shared between agents and Mak's amusing outlook on any situation. I enjoyed the comradarie of the SPI agents as Mak makes more friends among her peers. I especially delighted in the deeping friendship between Mak and SPI leader, Vivienne Sagadraco. And while this book is far from a romance, there are hints of budding relationships that may or may not play a part in future stories. Unfortunately, I wasn't on board with the potential pairings, but it didn't ruin the story in any way for me (and I'm still holding out for a certain pair of agents to find some lovin').
The mystery of the Dragon Eggs is engrossing, and the overall plot ended up being far more complex than I would have imagined. I liked that the story kept me guessing and isn't predictable. The climatic scenes are dramatic and exciting, although the afterwards seemed to go on a bit too long. I enjoyed meeting new characters and learning about new supernatural beings.
Once again, my biggest complaint is the amount of repetition found in the story. I really don't need the several reminders of what will happen when all the Dragon Eggs are activate, and that New York has the highest concentration of supernaturals in the world. Over and over again, facts like these are repeated far too often. However, because I enjoy the story and narrator, it is something that I can work around, even if it is annoying.
As mentioned earlier, Ms. Parker's performance is entertaining and a great fit for main character, Mak. I find that she modulates her voice convincingly to hit each of the different characters.
Overall, I found The Dragon Conspiracy an excellent follow up to The Grendel Affair, and I look forward to going on more missions with Agent Makenna Fraser.
Rating: B+
Narration: A-
March 3, 2015
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
I’m at a loss for words here, since I have no idea how to fully convey how much I loved THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY. This is a book I read in its entirety in one sitting, and though Shearin has long been on my auto-buy list, if she hadn’t been, this book would have made me add her. It was basically perfect for me, in every way - with sarcastic Makenna, her delicious partner Ian, constant action that starts in the first chapter, and a little unresolved sexual tension to keep everybody on their toes.
First off, I would strongly recommend reading Shearin’s contribution to the NIGHT SHIFT anthology before reading THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY, since it’s a prelude to the whole series, and offers some interesting back-story, but it’s also not crucial. This is a book where a reader could pick it up and not need to know anything about the first book in the series to understand what was going on. Makenna, as a narrator, manages to recap previous events without being annoying about it, and it doesn’t bother a reader who is familiar with the series.
Plotwise, THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY was a little like THE GRENDEL AFFAIR, but better, in my opinion. They felt similar in that they both had the big bad dragons coming into the SPI territory, and in both books, there was a time limit to solve the case, which gives the storyline a breathless quality that makes you keep flipping pages to see what’s next. However, in THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY, the potential fallout of them not solving the case had a much more personal feel to it - this time, I actually cared what would happen to the characters, whereas in THE GRENDEL AFFAIR it didn’t seem as dire.
With Makenna’s typical sarcastic narration, nearly non-stop action, and plot twists which completely surprised me, THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY left me aching for more. I know I am going to have the hardest time waiting for the next book in the SPI Files series, THE BRIMSTONE DECEPTION, coming out later this year.
Sexual content: Innuendo
I’m at a loss for words here, since I have no idea how to fully convey how much I loved THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY. This is a book I read in its entirety in one sitting, and though Shearin has long been on my auto-buy list, if she hadn’t been, this book would have made me add her. It was basically perfect for me, in every way - with sarcastic Makenna, her delicious partner Ian, constant action that starts in the first chapter, and a little unresolved sexual tension to keep everybody on their toes.
First off, I would strongly recommend reading Shearin’s contribution to the NIGHT SHIFT anthology before reading THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY, since it’s a prelude to the whole series, and offers some interesting back-story, but it’s also not crucial. This is a book where a reader could pick it up and not need to know anything about the first book in the series to understand what was going on. Makenna, as a narrator, manages to recap previous events without being annoying about it, and it doesn’t bother a reader who is familiar with the series.
Plotwise, THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY was a little like THE GRENDEL AFFAIR, but better, in my opinion. They felt similar in that they both had the big bad dragons coming into the SPI territory, and in both books, there was a time limit to solve the case, which gives the storyline a breathless quality that makes you keep flipping pages to see what’s next. However, in THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY, the potential fallout of them not solving the case had a much more personal feel to it - this time, I actually cared what would happen to the characters, whereas in THE GRENDEL AFFAIR it didn’t seem as dire.
With Makenna’s typical sarcastic narration, nearly non-stop action, and plot twists which completely surprised me, THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY left me aching for more. I know I am going to have the hardest time waiting for the next book in the SPI Files series, THE BRIMSTONE DECEPTION, coming out later this year.
Sexual content: Innuendo
January 13, 2018
Lisa Shearin has come up with one of the best secret agencies in urban fantasy. SPI, the agency the main character works for, exists to hid non humans because the inhuman creatures would just as soon be allowed to go about their lives in this dimension in peace—and because a very powerful dragon decided that New York was her territory and she was going to make sure that everyone cooperated. Or else. This is no vague conspiracy: Makenna’s boss has the money, the knowledge, and the motivation to keep a super-secret agency hidden and funded.
Shearin keeps the plot moving and the pages turning rapidly. The SPI agents are intelligent, determined, and well-trained. So are the people they are fighting, and that is what keeps things interesting. The world of The Dragon Conspiracy is well-developed with a collection of differing cultures and beings mixing and clashing. Clues are revealed as SPI finds them, and there is a race against the clock for good reason. Makenna knows her supernatural beings, but is still learning how to work as an agent, giving readers a chance to learn with her and to watch as she makes mistakes.
The rest of the review together with other reviews, news, and interviews is online on FangirlNation.
Shearin keeps the plot moving and the pages turning rapidly. The SPI agents are intelligent, determined, and well-trained. So are the people they are fighting, and that is what keeps things interesting. The world of The Dragon Conspiracy is well-developed with a collection of differing cultures and beings mixing and clashing. Clues are revealed as SPI finds them, and there is a race against the clock for good reason. Makenna knows her supernatural beings, but is still learning how to work as an agent, giving readers a chance to learn with her and to watch as she makes mistakes.
The rest of the review together with other reviews, news, and interviews is online on FangirlNation.
February 1, 2015
Only a couple of chapters in and I remembered why I rated the first book in the series with high rating. The Dragon Conspiracy is a fast-paced urban fantasy, packs with action and interesting characters and surprises in most every turns. It also has that strong "running against the clock" feels to it, as Mac and all of SPI agents are trying desperately to stop the Dragon Eggs from being activated, which means wiping out supernaturals like vampires or werewolves and exposing the scary ones like dragons. It sure kept me glued to the pages -- while also trying to guess who was working behind the thief and controlling those darn harpies!
For me, seer Mac Fraser is quite different than most of the heroines in other urban fantasy series I read. While I will say that she is useful in her own way, Mac is not exactly equipped with combat skill. But that is what I like about her. See, Mac is the 'newbie' at SPI. She admits that she still has a LOT to learn from others, including her partner, Ian Bryne, whose experience in military and police force makes him more qualified in combat. Oftentimes, I feel like Mac takes position more of an observer rather than active fighter but that's also makes Mac feels WAY more relatable to me (minus her seer ability of course) as a reader compared to other strong ass-kicking heroines.
In addition to Mac, what makes the series quite a favorite of mine is that the strong BUDDY feel that it has. Shearin has written several interesting characters, who might be considered as secondary, but nonetheless stand out in their own way. We have Yasha Kazakov, the Russian werewolf who is also an accomplished urban off-road driver, Alain Moreau, the vampire who is also Mac's manager, Kenji Hayashi, the elf tech, and of course Vivienne Sagadraco, the big boss slash dragon lady. Heck, even the 'villain' like Rake Danescu, the sexy goblin, is fascinating. I really enjoyed his scenes :).
Oh, and I also appreciate that this series is not doused with romance ... yes, there seems to be quite an interesting progress between sexy Rake and Mac, but the focus of this story is the thrilling action and adventure. Hey, I do like romance in my story, I'm a romance reader and proud of it. However, from time to time, I enjoy a romance-free urban fantasy stories too and that is what the series offers me so far.
It's another fun adventure of the SPI agents ... I'm looking forward to the next book!
For me, seer Mac Fraser is quite different than most of the heroines in other urban fantasy series I read. While I will say that she is useful in her own way, Mac is not exactly equipped with combat skill. But that is what I like about her. See, Mac is the 'newbie' at SPI. She admits that she still has a LOT to learn from others, including her partner, Ian Bryne, whose experience in military and police force makes him more qualified in combat. Oftentimes, I feel like Mac takes position more of an observer rather than active fighter but that's also makes Mac feels WAY more relatable to me (minus her seer ability of course) as a reader compared to other strong ass-kicking heroines.
In addition to Mac, what makes the series quite a favorite of mine is that the strong BUDDY feel that it has. Shearin has written several interesting characters, who might be considered as secondary, but nonetheless stand out in their own way. We have Yasha Kazakov, the Russian werewolf who is also an accomplished urban off-road driver, Alain Moreau, the vampire who is also Mac's manager, Kenji Hayashi, the elf tech, and of course Vivienne Sagadraco, the big boss slash dragon lady. Heck, even the 'villain' like Rake Danescu, the sexy goblin, is fascinating. I really enjoyed his scenes :).
Oh, and I also appreciate that this series is not doused with romance ... yes, there seems to be quite an interesting progress between sexy Rake and Mac, but the focus of this story is the thrilling action and adventure. Hey, I do like romance in my story, I'm a romance reader and proud of it. However, from time to time, I enjoy a romance-free urban fantasy stories too and that is what the series offers me so far.
It's another fun adventure of the SPI agents ... I'm looking forward to the next book!
June 27, 2018
http://delivreenlivres.blogspot.com/2...
Un second tome très sympathique. Il m'a un peu moins marqué que le premier mais il a tout de même été une lecture rapide, légère et divertissante donc un bon moment.
Mac est une seer, en gros elle est capable de voir à travers tout les glamours, déguisements et voiles magiques quelconques que déploient les surnaturels pour se cacher des humains. Ancienne journaliste, elle travaille depuis peu au SPI, une espèce de police du surnaturel dont le but est de s'occuper, si besoin avec la force, de faire en sorte que le surnaturel ne soit jamais révélé aux yeux des humains.
Mac et une grosse partie de l'effectif du SPI surveillent une soirée de gala qui a lieu au Metropolitan Museum of Art (le Met) pour la vente aux enchère d'une grosse collection d'art privé. En effet dans cette collection ont été regroupés un ensemble d'énormes diamants appelés les "œufs de dragons", qui appartenaient originalement aux Romanov. Ces diamants appartiennent en fait à un boss de la mafia russe, qui se trouve être lui même un dragon et qui est présent sur place pour surveiller la transaction.
Alors que la soirée se déroulait sans heurts, soudainement une statue d'un trio de harpies située juste à coté des œufs de dragons prend mystérieusement vie. Et sous les yeux médusés de centaines d'humains, le trio fracasse la vitrine des diamants, les récupère et s’envole sans que personne ne puisse les arrêter.
La situation devient très vite un enfer pour le SPI, car il leur faut tout gérer à la fois, de la presse aux humains présents, sans parler du dragon très en colère qui les accuse d'avoir orchestré eux même le vol des diamants ...
Étant une ancienne journaliste, on ne peux pas dire que Mac ai le background idéal pour faire parti de cette unité d'élite d'enquêteurs qui ont très souvent affaire à plus gros et plus dangereux qu'eux. Du coup elle est protégée en permanence par son partenaire Ian. Dans ce tome ci celui ci a commencé à la former au maniement des armes à feu, mais elle est encore loin de maitriser la chose.
Ce que j'aime bien dans cette série par rapport à Mac c'est que mentalement c'est une femme forte, elle n'hésite pas à se lancer au devant du danger si sa présence peut faire changer les choses par exemple, mais jamais de façon téméraire ou inconsciente. Souvent elle est limite tremblante de peur mais ça ne l’empêche pas de faire son devoir si il est vraiment nécessaire. D'ailleurs physiquement elle n'est pas du tout au niveau et ça se sent, elle le sait très bien et fait tout pour s'améliorer sur ce point.
C'est vraiment une bleu dans tout les sens du terme. Elle m'a souvent fait rire par sa naïveté sur certains points qui peuvent me semblaient logique à moi qui lit pas mal de policiers. Mais d'un autre coté elle a un bon esprit analytique et dans l'action elle garde toujours un certain recul et ne cède jamais à la panique. En gros je trouve son personnage bien équilibré, pas trop fort, avec des faiblesses mais aussi beaucoup de potentiel.
Ce tome ci était bien plus porté sur l'action que le précédent. L'histoire était plus grandiose aussi, et du coup je dirais peut être un peu moins crédible : J'ai du mal à imaginer comment concrètement ils ont pu s'en sortir sans révéler le surnaturel vu tout ce qu'il se passe.
On rencontre principalement trois type de monstres dans ce tome : Les dragons, les harpies et les gorgones. J'avoue qu'il y a peu de séries d'urban fantasy ou on trouve ce genre de créatures, mais elles sont tout de même plus courantes et connues que les Grendel du tome précédent. par contre le traitement des gorgones est tout à fait original et bien trouvé, et apporte un petit coté d'originalité à l'ensemble.
Et je termine sur un point très positif pour moi : le développement final m'a totalement surprise. Je ne m'attendais pas du tout à ce que se soit ce coupable la, c'était bien joué.
Au final ce tome ci était très distrayant bien qu'un peu moins original et crédible que le précédent. Je l'ai lu quasiment d'une traite et je trouve que ce genre de lecture joue très bien son rôle pour me changer les idées entre deux autres lectures plus fortes.
16/20
Un second tome très sympathique. Il m'a un peu moins marqué que le premier mais il a tout de même été une lecture rapide, légère et divertissante donc un bon moment.
Mac est une seer, en gros elle est capable de voir à travers tout les glamours, déguisements et voiles magiques quelconques que déploient les surnaturels pour se cacher des humains. Ancienne journaliste, elle travaille depuis peu au SPI, une espèce de police du surnaturel dont le but est de s'occuper, si besoin avec la force, de faire en sorte que le surnaturel ne soit jamais révélé aux yeux des humains.
Mac et une grosse partie de l'effectif du SPI surveillent une soirée de gala qui a lieu au Metropolitan Museum of Art (le Met) pour la vente aux enchère d'une grosse collection d'art privé. En effet dans cette collection ont été regroupés un ensemble d'énormes diamants appelés les "œufs de dragons", qui appartenaient originalement aux Romanov. Ces diamants appartiennent en fait à un boss de la mafia russe, qui se trouve être lui même un dragon et qui est présent sur place pour surveiller la transaction.
Alors que la soirée se déroulait sans heurts, soudainement une statue d'un trio de harpies située juste à coté des œufs de dragons prend mystérieusement vie. Et sous les yeux médusés de centaines d'humains, le trio fracasse la vitrine des diamants, les récupère et s’envole sans que personne ne puisse les arrêter.
La situation devient très vite un enfer pour le SPI, car il leur faut tout gérer à la fois, de la presse aux humains présents, sans parler du dragon très en colère qui les accuse d'avoir orchestré eux même le vol des diamants ...
Étant une ancienne journaliste, on ne peux pas dire que Mac ai le background idéal pour faire parti de cette unité d'élite d'enquêteurs qui ont très souvent affaire à plus gros et plus dangereux qu'eux. Du coup elle est protégée en permanence par son partenaire Ian. Dans ce tome ci celui ci a commencé à la former au maniement des armes à feu, mais elle est encore loin de maitriser la chose.
Ce que j'aime bien dans cette série par rapport à Mac c'est que mentalement c'est une femme forte, elle n'hésite pas à se lancer au devant du danger si sa présence peut faire changer les choses par exemple, mais jamais de façon téméraire ou inconsciente. Souvent elle est limite tremblante de peur mais ça ne l’empêche pas de faire son devoir si il est vraiment nécessaire. D'ailleurs physiquement elle n'est pas du tout au niveau et ça se sent, elle le sait très bien et fait tout pour s'améliorer sur ce point.
C'est vraiment une bleu dans tout les sens du terme. Elle m'a souvent fait rire par sa naïveté sur certains points qui peuvent me semblaient logique à moi qui lit pas mal de policiers. Mais d'un autre coté elle a un bon esprit analytique et dans l'action elle garde toujours un certain recul et ne cède jamais à la panique. En gros je trouve son personnage bien équilibré, pas trop fort, avec des faiblesses mais aussi beaucoup de potentiel.
Ce tome ci était bien plus porté sur l'action que le précédent. L'histoire était plus grandiose aussi, et du coup je dirais peut être un peu moins crédible : J'ai du mal à imaginer comment concrètement ils ont pu s'en sortir sans révéler le surnaturel vu tout ce qu'il se passe.
On rencontre principalement trois type de monstres dans ce tome : Les dragons, les harpies et les gorgones. J'avoue qu'il y a peu de séries d'urban fantasy ou on trouve ce genre de créatures, mais elles sont tout de même plus courantes et connues que les Grendel du tome précédent. par contre le traitement des gorgones est tout à fait original et bien trouvé, et apporte un petit coté d'originalité à l'ensemble.
Et je termine sur un point très positif pour moi : le développement final m'a totalement surprise. Je ne m'attendais pas du tout à ce que se soit ce coupable la, c'était bien joué.
Au final ce tome ci était très distrayant bien qu'un peu moins original et crédible que le précédent. Je l'ai lu quasiment d'une traite et je trouve que ce genre de lecture joue très bien son rôle pour me changer les idées entre deux autres lectures plus fortes.
16/20
March 30, 2017
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: When seven cursed diamonds are stolen, Mackenna and her partner Ian are on the hunt for the thieves.
Opening Sentence: I was working but if this was work, then sign me up for triple overtime.
Excerpt: Yes
The Review:
Mackenna and Ian are back in book 2, it picks up not long after the ending of the first book. They are at a gala opening trying to prevent a robbery when a trio of harpies attacks the crowd and steals the diamonds. When Ben Sadler attempts to stop the robbery he zaps one of the harpies, and when Mac tries to help him he accidentally zaps her as well. So they decide they have to take him in as he seems completely unaware of how he did that. To make matters worse the diamonds belong to a Russian mobster who just so happens to be a big mean dragon. When he accuses them of taking his diamonds the pressure mounts.
When they arrive at Bastian’s place (he hired Ben to appraise the diamonds) and find him turned into stone, things begin to look like they are getting out of control. Mac is also further exploring her connection to dragons as she appears to be able to communicate with all of them. While they are at Bastian’s place, the harpies attack again and this time they make off with Ben. To make matters worse apparently when all 7 diamonds are activated by a gem mage (which Ben just happens to be) they can cure supernaturals (for many of them this means death). Oh and midnight is the best time for this to happen. So they have just about 12 hours to find a gorgon, 7 diamonds, and some thieves.
The trail gets hotter when they find another person connected to Bastian turned to stone, and when they investigate yet another place they find pigeons turned to stone. As they slowly begin to put things together what they find is so much worse than they imagined. Will Mac, Ian and the others be able to stop the cursed diamonds? Will the whole New York area be full of “cured” supernaturals?
Whew, this was even better than the first one and while I thought there might be a little romance between Ian and Mac, this one kind of makes it clear that isn’t going to happen. However, I happily welcome a tall, dark mage, uber hot goblin Rake on the scene and just to spice it up he just might be one of the bad guys. I was okay with that choice, I find that I am very intrigued by that pairing and by Rake himself. I could not stop reading this book. I have to say the little personal spins she makes on some of the more familiar of supernatural creatures really makes this fresh and totally the author’s own world.
I love it. I can’t wait to start the next book in the series! If you are looking for a great new urban fantasy then seriously look no further.
Notable Scene:
But it was her aura that had clued me in immediately that Helena Thanos was more than a snappy dresser with a flair for accessorizing. The auras of humans and supernatural had one thing in common–they encompassed the entire body. Helena Thanos’s arua centered around her head. It was green and damned if it didn’t look like she had snakes for hair. I wondered if that was where the myth started-a seer in ancient Greece had gotten a good look at a gorgon and lived to tell about it.
FTC Advisory: Ace/Penguin provided me with a copy of The Dragon Conspiracy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: When seven cursed diamonds are stolen, Mackenna and her partner Ian are on the hunt for the thieves.
Opening Sentence: I was working but if this was work, then sign me up for triple overtime.
Excerpt: Yes
The Review:
Mackenna and Ian are back in book 2, it picks up not long after the ending of the first book. They are at a gala opening trying to prevent a robbery when a trio of harpies attacks the crowd and steals the diamonds. When Ben Sadler attempts to stop the robbery he zaps one of the harpies, and when Mac tries to help him he accidentally zaps her as well. So they decide they have to take him in as he seems completely unaware of how he did that. To make matters worse the diamonds belong to a Russian mobster who just so happens to be a big mean dragon. When he accuses them of taking his diamonds the pressure mounts.
When they arrive at Bastian’s place (he hired Ben to appraise the diamonds) and find him turned into stone, things begin to look like they are getting out of control. Mac is also further exploring her connection to dragons as she appears to be able to communicate with all of them. While they are at Bastian’s place, the harpies attack again and this time they make off with Ben. To make matters worse apparently when all 7 diamonds are activated by a gem mage (which Ben just happens to be) they can cure supernaturals (for many of them this means death). Oh and midnight is the best time for this to happen. So they have just about 12 hours to find a gorgon, 7 diamonds, and some thieves.
The trail gets hotter when they find another person connected to Bastian turned to stone, and when they investigate yet another place they find pigeons turned to stone. As they slowly begin to put things together what they find is so much worse than they imagined. Will Mac, Ian and the others be able to stop the cursed diamonds? Will the whole New York area be full of “cured” supernaturals?
Whew, this was even better than the first one and while I thought there might be a little romance between Ian and Mac, this one kind of makes it clear that isn’t going to happen. However, I happily welcome a tall, dark mage, uber hot goblin Rake on the scene and just to spice it up he just might be one of the bad guys. I was okay with that choice, I find that I am very intrigued by that pairing and by Rake himself. I could not stop reading this book. I have to say the little personal spins she makes on some of the more familiar of supernatural creatures really makes this fresh and totally the author’s own world.
I love it. I can’t wait to start the next book in the series! If you are looking for a great new urban fantasy then seriously look no further.
Notable Scene:
But it was her aura that had clued me in immediately that Helena Thanos was more than a snappy dresser with a flair for accessorizing. The auras of humans and supernatural had one thing in common–they encompassed the entire body. Helena Thanos’s arua centered around her head. It was green and damned if it didn’t look like she had snakes for hair. I wondered if that was where the myth started-a seer in ancient Greece had gotten a good look at a gorgon and lived to tell about it.
FTC Advisory: Ace/Penguin provided me with a copy of The Dragon Conspiracy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
February 27, 2018
This is the second book in the SPI series and it was just as action packed as the first one. Makenna is a seer and began working with the SPI not too long ago and is still considered a newbie on her training missions. Her current job is to protect a bejeweled dragon egg after her boss Vivienne (an actual dragon) heard a rumor that it was going to be stolen. Makenna’s human partner Ian is helping her to keep an eye out for the possible thief when a statue of three harpies comes to life and steals the egg. Now the SPI has two problems, finding the egg and convincing all the New Yorkers that they didn’t just see some thing supernatural happen.
Some of the things I liked about this book was the pace and timing of everything. It’s a pretty quick read because so much is constantly happening. It would be almost too much action if not for the little breaks for conversation with different characters they meet along the way. Speaking of characters, I really like Mackenna. I think she’s funny and seems like a character who could actually be a real person. She speaks like a real person and has thoughts like any regular person. Like when she encountered a forgot for the first time and just rqxted like anyone would if they were to ever come across one. Thinking, “well can I look her in the eye and not turn to stone?” It just makes the whole book more engaging when the lead is someone likeable. I also like Ian and their partnership. Yasha the werewolf is entertaining and also I loved the introduction of Rake. He had great chemistry with Mac but also I loved his interactions with Ian. I kept imagining brothers who really dislike eaxbither trying to share a room together. It was hilarious.
What I didn’t like, what’s going on with the lack of dragons? The book was called the dragon conspiracy but it seemed like every moment was about a harpy or a gorgon. I would have loved reading more about the dragons and seeing them interact besides a few moments.
Oh well, other than that I’m totally digging this series and have the next one already checked out from the library!
Some of the things I liked about this book was the pace and timing of everything. It’s a pretty quick read because so much is constantly happening. It would be almost too much action if not for the little breaks for conversation with different characters they meet along the way. Speaking of characters, I really like Mackenna. I think she’s funny and seems like a character who could actually be a real person. She speaks like a real person and has thoughts like any regular person. Like when she encountered a forgot for the first time and just rqxted like anyone would if they were to ever come across one. Thinking, “well can I look her in the eye and not turn to stone?” It just makes the whole book more engaging when the lead is someone likeable. I also like Ian and their partnership. Yasha the werewolf is entertaining and also I loved the introduction of Rake. He had great chemistry with Mac but also I loved his interactions with Ian. I kept imagining brothers who really dislike eaxbither trying to share a room together. It was hilarious.
What I didn’t like, what’s going on with the lack of dragons? The book was called the dragon conspiracy but it seemed like every moment was about a harpy or a gorgon. I would have loved reading more about the dragons and seeing them interact besides a few moments.
Oh well, other than that I’m totally digging this series and have the next one already checked out from the library!
June 7, 2019
The Dragon Conspiracy is the second book in the SPI Files series written by Lisa Shearin and centered on Makenna Fraser, a former tabloid journalist, turned covert agent for the Supernatural Protection & Investigations (SPI) when she discovered she had the gift of second sight.
The Supernatural Protection & Investigations bureau is back again to battle the next great threat that's putting Manhattan in peril. This time it's All Hallows' Eve and someone has just pulled off the biggest jewel heist in history, using a trio of harpies to steal a cluster of seven cursed diamonds from a museum exhibit.
Problem is, the diamonds belong to a powerful dragon, and now he's pissed. Even worse, the seven gems are said to have magical properties, and in the right mage's hands, their effects can have deadly repercussions for the thousands of supernaturals living in the Tristate area.
The Dragon Conspiracy is written rather well. Makenna Fraser is atypical of a female lead in an urban fantasy. She is the typical everyday normal Southerner in a big city, awkward and charmingly clumsy in equal measures. Her partner, Ian Byrne is broadened more, besides being a babysitter and senior agent of the duo.
All in all, The Dragon Conspiracy is written rather well and is a good start to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
The Supernatural Protection & Investigations bureau is back again to battle the next great threat that's putting Manhattan in peril. This time it's All Hallows' Eve and someone has just pulled off the biggest jewel heist in history, using a trio of harpies to steal a cluster of seven cursed diamonds from a museum exhibit.
Problem is, the diamonds belong to a powerful dragon, and now he's pissed. Even worse, the seven gems are said to have magical properties, and in the right mage's hands, their effects can have deadly repercussions for the thousands of supernaturals living in the Tristate area.
The Dragon Conspiracy is written rather well. Makenna Fraser is atypical of a female lead in an urban fantasy. She is the typical everyday normal Southerner in a big city, awkward and charmingly clumsy in equal measures. Her partner, Ian Byrne is broadened more, besides being a babysitter and senior agent of the duo.
All in all, The Dragon Conspiracy is written rather well and is a good start to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
April 30, 2016
I wonder whether I should mark this as spoilerific because I talk about the budding romance between Makenna and Ian and what happens to it, though I consider it more of a warning -- but it is a spoiler of sorts, so if knowing how that would bother you, stop reading now.
I didn't like the first book in the series, and I basically just read this because I got the 3 in a bundle. That said, I liked it better than the previous one, in part because it had less gore and therefore moved out of what I consider the horror genre, yay. The plot is tighter, and I actually cared about the whodunnit, though it's not as tight as a genre mystery. It also had a very interesting monster du jour, and I have no idea why the publisher didn't take advantage of that in the title -- this book is more about gorgons than it is about dragons. And even though I have a total thing for dragons, I appreciated the gorgons here much more.
The main character, Makenna, is improved from the first book in that she is not as hopelessly helpless a damsel here. Again, I don't need my heroes to be kick-ass, but there is still something missing about Makenna that makes me basically not connect to her (and it's not that she occasionally oozes southern charm or what's supposed to pass for that, which is a turnoff for me). I think it's that she basically drives nothing here, everything just happens to her. That is totally realistic in the real world for a new agent, but I don't read urban fantasy for its likeness to the real world -- and if that were indeed part of the thrust, then I'd want to see her struggle more with training, so I feel that she is doing SOMETHING even if its not kicking monster butt. Even though she was more helpless in the previous book, at least she had a couple of moments. And worst of all, she doesn't spend much time in her own head either -- why exactly should I care about her again? Because she tries to be funny? She tries too hard for that at the expense of actual depth. So I am not connecting with her, and I don't much care what happens to her.
It's not good for a book when I don't care for the only character who's getting some minimal fleshing out. And to add insult to injury, the romance between Makenna and her partner Ian is declared dead, which feels like an authorial change of mind in midstream, and that's disconcerting. I am generally fine with no romance at all in books which are not explicitly in the romance genre, but don't tease me with it and then withdraw it so casually. It actually felt genuine in the previous book, but here it doesn't, because they just decided "oh we work together so it's a bad idea" and Makenna moves straight into encouraging Ian to find love elsewhere. Even the entertaining banter between them is dead, which feels like more of a loss than the romance. I know 10 months have passed in the world of the characters, but for me, the reader it hasn't. What could have worked instead if one wanted to slow the romance and segue into another one as distraction is to also get Makenna interested in Rake, and set up a triangle. Yeah, not every author wants to do that, I get it, they want to keep their character "pure" and not even see a hint of what one might consider fickleness or cheating, but it would have added tension instead of *blah*. Even without a triangle, the romance could have slowed down by using the Moonlighting trope -- constant banter and will-they/won't-they tension. So, the author basically screwed this up for good. We get hints that the romance between Ian and Makenna might not be dead as a doornail, but I don't care anymore. In fact, the chemistry between Ian and Rake was the most interesting, and if I cared about this universe, I'd be shipping those two. ;)
Rake Danescu the goblin is my favourite character here, the most fascinating, with some enigma and definite agency to even go beyond type. But since he's a side character we don't find out enough about him either. And what he sees in Makenna is beyond me. I also find the depiction of goblins as more dark elf-like confusing. If you take creatures from actual mythology, you can play around with them and go against type in an individual, and even flout the myth in specific aspects (eg vampires who are not sensitive to garlic, if that's presumed to be a silly human misconception; heck, you can make them sparkle), but you cannot just change the entire category willy-nilly into something else and pretend that's normal. Every time Rake the goblin took the stage I got thrown out of the story because my image of him does not fit. (And no, don't bring up David Bowie -- I was annoyed at that too, but I constantly had the visual reminder of this being a different goblin, which can override known lore -- but written fiction does not have the power visual fiction does.)
There are other interesting characters which I prefer over Makenna; Helena the ancient gorgon, Yasha Kazakov the werewolf, Vivienne Sagadraco, the dragon lady boss. But they're all paper thin. Huh, look, none of them are human -- of course, right? I have more interest in something that I don't already know, and if you want to make the human the hero, in order to balance that, the human has to be extra fascinating in some way. It might be that Makenna primarily fails in comparison with greener grass in the form of non-human characters.
So I can see something here, but it would need a fairly ruthless editor to make it good.
I didn't like the first book in the series, and I basically just read this because I got the 3 in a bundle. That said, I liked it better than the previous one, in part because it had less gore and therefore moved out of what I consider the horror genre, yay. The plot is tighter, and I actually cared about the whodunnit, though it's not as tight as a genre mystery. It also had a very interesting monster du jour, and I have no idea why the publisher didn't take advantage of that in the title -- this book is more about gorgons than it is about dragons. And even though I have a total thing for dragons, I appreciated the gorgons here much more.
The main character, Makenna, is improved from the first book in that she is not as hopelessly helpless a damsel here. Again, I don't need my heroes to be kick-ass, but there is still something missing about Makenna that makes me basically not connect to her (and it's not that she occasionally oozes southern charm or what's supposed to pass for that, which is a turnoff for me). I think it's that she basically drives nothing here, everything just happens to her. That is totally realistic in the real world for a new agent, but I don't read urban fantasy for its likeness to the real world -- and if that were indeed part of the thrust, then I'd want to see her struggle more with training, so I feel that she is doing SOMETHING even if its not kicking monster butt. Even though she was more helpless in the previous book, at least she had a couple of moments. And worst of all, she doesn't spend much time in her own head either -- why exactly should I care about her again? Because she tries to be funny? She tries too hard for that at the expense of actual depth. So I am not connecting with her, and I don't much care what happens to her.
It's not good for a book when I don't care for the only character who's getting some minimal fleshing out. And to add insult to injury, the romance between Makenna and her partner Ian is declared dead, which feels like an authorial change of mind in midstream, and that's disconcerting. I am generally fine with no romance at all in books which are not explicitly in the romance genre, but don't tease me with it and then withdraw it so casually. It actually felt genuine in the previous book, but here it doesn't, because they just decided "oh we work together so it's a bad idea" and Makenna moves straight into encouraging Ian to find love elsewhere. Even the entertaining banter between them is dead, which feels like more of a loss than the romance. I know 10 months have passed in the world of the characters, but for me, the reader it hasn't. What could have worked instead if one wanted to slow the romance and segue into another one as distraction is to also get Makenna interested in Rake, and set up a triangle. Yeah, not every author wants to do that, I get it, they want to keep their character "pure" and not even see a hint of what one might consider fickleness or cheating, but it would have added tension instead of *blah*. Even without a triangle, the romance could have slowed down by using the Moonlighting trope -- constant banter and will-they/won't-they tension. So, the author basically screwed this up for good. We get hints that the romance between Ian and Makenna might not be dead as a doornail, but I don't care anymore. In fact, the chemistry between Ian and Rake was the most interesting, and if I cared about this universe, I'd be shipping those two. ;)
Rake Danescu the goblin is my favourite character here, the most fascinating, with some enigma and definite agency to even go beyond type. But since he's a side character we don't find out enough about him either. And what he sees in Makenna is beyond me. I also find the depiction of goblins as more dark elf-like confusing. If you take creatures from actual mythology, you can play around with them and go against type in an individual, and even flout the myth in specific aspects (eg vampires who are not sensitive to garlic, if that's presumed to be a silly human misconception; heck, you can make them sparkle), but you cannot just change the entire category willy-nilly into something else and pretend that's normal. Every time Rake the goblin took the stage I got thrown out of the story because my image of him does not fit. (And no, don't bring up David Bowie -- I was annoyed at that too, but I constantly had the visual reminder of this being a different goblin, which can override known lore -- but written fiction does not have the power visual fiction does.)
There are other interesting characters which I prefer over Makenna; Helena the ancient gorgon, Yasha Kazakov the werewolf, Vivienne Sagadraco, the dragon lady boss. But they're all paper thin. Huh, look, none of them are human -- of course, right? I have more interest in something that I don't already know, and if you want to make the human the hero, in order to balance that, the human has to be extra fascinating in some way. It might be that Makenna primarily fails in comparison with greener grass in the form of non-human characters.
So I can see something here, but it would need a fairly ruthless editor to make it good.
August 12, 2017
Light, but enjoyable. I liked Ben's introduction to the supernatural world. There was a little 4-5 star "du-Becket gets stoned" section in the middle that had me chuckling out loud, but most of the book was more in the 3-star range. Still, it was entertaining and I will probably read more of the series.
Read
August 13, 2018Two (and a half counting the Lucky Charms short) books into this series and they all read a little different, which is awesome. Lucky Charms was spicy and silly, The Grendel Affair was a spy/horror thriller with quirky tease of romance, and this one has a more fantasy vibe to it. Very reminiscent of popular series by authors like Kim Harrison or Ilona Andrews. The internal dialogue bits Mac had really added a fun element for me. Good quick summer read! - Alexis S.
March 5, 2021
So many baddies/goodies in this one. We meet harpies, gorgons and dragons. Oh my!
You know what I really like about these books? No sexual tension between our 2 heroes. They work together, they are protective of each other, but aren’t hopping into bed. Refreshing.
You know what I really like about these books? No sexual tension between our 2 heroes. They work together, they are protective of each other, but aren’t hopping into bed. Refreshing.
May 10, 2021
I couldn't figure out what . Didn't he want the same thing - well maybe not with anything happening to him but still. I read the first book a long time ago and thought I'd try the second while I waited for a library book to come in. 3 stars.
February 19, 2015
Although this story was enjoyable, it was missing a little of the fun of the prior stories. Mac isn’t a kick ass agent yet, but she is losing her new agent awkwardness which was part of her quirky personality which made her so entertaining.
Makena Fraser is the newest seer for SPI (Supernatural Protection & Investigations). Mac isn’t a supernatural, but she can see through the glamours to the supernaturals hiding beneath. Teamed with her partner/babysitter, Agent Ian Byrne, Makena help keeps NYC safe and unaware of the others dwelling in the city that never sleeps.
Halloween brings out the fake vampires and witches and allows the real ones to spend the day without their glamour. It also is bringing another dragon into Vivienne Sagadraco’s territory. Russian dragon Viktor Kain has brought the cursed Dragon Egg diamonds to the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art for an exhibit on Myths. SPI is on hand to prevent anyone from stealing the diamonds, especially since the collection flaunts the diamonds stolen from the Elf and Goblin Courts. Diamonds which hold other-dimensional magic.
Rich goblin club owner Rake Moreau makes a reappearance in this story. Unlike most stories, in this series goblins are gorgeous, sexy and can bewitch a human. Rake tried to do this to Mac in the Night Shift anthology. He is still interested in taking the SPI seer home with him and when he shows up at the Met just before someone releases harpies to steal the diamonds, Rake makes the SPI short list of suspects.
When an unsuspecting human suddenly shows an ability to release the magic of the diamonds, Ian and Mac have to give him the short version of Supernaturals for Dummies and keep him safe from the real supernatural baddies who want to use his untamed and uncontrolled power to “cure” all the supernaturals in Manhattan.
With time ticking down to midnight on Halloween, when the separation of the dimensions are at their thinnest, SPI needs to find the diamonds before every supernatural looses their glamour and every turned human over 100 will turn to dust — including their 98 year old werewolf friend Yasha.
THOUGHTS:
This second SPI series novel was missing a little of the magic from the prior novel and novella. Mac is no longer a brand new agent and while she isn’t a super-spy yet, she isn’t the awkward new guy either. It still had good humor, it just wasn’t as good as the prior stories.
There is specific discussion that Mac and Ian are making sure to pursue outside romances since they are partners and a bad romance would make things awkward. Unlike most Urban Fantasy which seem to tease at a romance with the main characters but frustrates us by never getting there, I didn’t care either way. There is no real spark between them making me root for a romance.
Future stories are going to need Mac to reach higher to be a real agent since this awkward period in between newbie and full agent isn’t as funny or as exciting.
Makena Fraser is the newest seer for SPI (Supernatural Protection & Investigations). Mac isn’t a supernatural, but she can see through the glamours to the supernaturals hiding beneath. Teamed with her partner/babysitter, Agent Ian Byrne, Makena help keeps NYC safe and unaware of the others dwelling in the city that never sleeps.
Halloween brings out the fake vampires and witches and allows the real ones to spend the day without their glamour. It also is bringing another dragon into Vivienne Sagadraco’s territory. Russian dragon Viktor Kain has brought the cursed Dragon Egg diamonds to the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art for an exhibit on Myths. SPI is on hand to prevent anyone from stealing the diamonds, especially since the collection flaunts the diamonds stolen from the Elf and Goblin Courts. Diamonds which hold other-dimensional magic.
Rich goblin club owner Rake Moreau makes a reappearance in this story. Unlike most stories, in this series goblins are gorgeous, sexy and can bewitch a human. Rake tried to do this to Mac in the Night Shift anthology. He is still interested in taking the SPI seer home with him and when he shows up at the Met just before someone releases harpies to steal the diamonds, Rake makes the SPI short list of suspects.
When an unsuspecting human suddenly shows an ability to release the magic of the diamonds, Ian and Mac have to give him the short version of Supernaturals for Dummies and keep him safe from the real supernatural baddies who want to use his untamed and uncontrolled power to “cure” all the supernaturals in Manhattan.
With time ticking down to midnight on Halloween, when the separation of the dimensions are at their thinnest, SPI needs to find the diamonds before every supernatural looses their glamour and every turned human over 100 will turn to dust — including their 98 year old werewolf friend Yasha.
THOUGHTS:
This second SPI series novel was missing a little of the magic from the prior novel and novella. Mac is no longer a brand new agent and while she isn’t a super-spy yet, she isn’t the awkward new guy either. It still had good humor, it just wasn’t as good as the prior stories.
There is specific discussion that Mac and Ian are making sure to pursue outside romances since they are partners and a bad romance would make things awkward. Unlike most Urban Fantasy which seem to tease at a romance with the main characters but frustrates us by never getting there, I didn’t care either way. There is no real spark between them making me root for a romance.
Future stories are going to need Mac to reach higher to be a real agent since this awkward period in between newbie and full agent isn’t as funny or as exciting.
April 7, 2020
I heard the first few chapters in audiobook. Let me just tell you the narrator has an amazing voice and I don't think I would a really even able to understand the tone and continue with this series without her.
I read most of the work. And I did enjoy it. I would give it three stars to 3.5 stars but there is a genuine effort in the story and some away is actually quite interesting so four stars begrudgingly give.
Overall I have nothing to add other reviewers have not already said. It is a mixture of urban fantasy and suspense/investigation. There is a mystery that needs to be solved and adventure that needs to be had.
Is a little too black and white in some places however the good guys have a good guys and the bad guys and there is no ambiguity.
Also the main character seems to be in her mid to late 20s which she sounds like a young adult or petulant young woman to me somehow. She has a quirky way of speaking and looking at the world.
However some words are used so many times and so repetitive that This book could be a fun drinking game.
I can understand that the same word description is used for the same item by the main character in her internal dialogue. But I feel that readers are smart enough to understand if another character spoke of that object or item in a different way. An example of this is Blue green and Green tinted with blue grey.
I don't need the character to be harassed or to be given a hard time, however I feel that she is giving too much leeway. Her seniors supervisors and other people respect her opinion or treat her with a deference that is not justified by what we have been shown as readers.
The main character needs to earn her respect from other character and I like that she is not instantly brave. however the strength of her character is not justified by The story. Even though I can hear her internal dialogue, I think there is no depth, it doesn't feel real. Very By the numbers.
Compare to a lot of books out there its humorous and overall satisfying conclusion at the end of the novel. However it's not up to the mark. It's quite shallow I guess that is what I'm trying to say. It's not just the date of plot holes person. It's that there is no depth of character or emotion or feeling. There is a lot of telling I'm not enough showing.
Always being said it is a light hearted fun adventure and fantasy. The language is quite clean. It is humorous and quite witty in some portions. I will continue with the series I'm quite sure because I receive the bundle and have some free time to read. With the series I don't think there will be any surprises and one always knows what to expect to a certain degree.
With that I will leave you to decide on your own if this is something you wish to spend your time and money on.
I read most of the work. And I did enjoy it. I would give it three stars to 3.5 stars but there is a genuine effort in the story and some away is actually quite interesting so four stars begrudgingly give.
Overall I have nothing to add other reviewers have not already said. It is a mixture of urban fantasy and suspense/investigation. There is a mystery that needs to be solved and adventure that needs to be had.
Is a little too black and white in some places however the good guys have a good guys and the bad guys and there is no ambiguity.
Also the main character seems to be in her mid to late 20s which she sounds like a young adult or petulant young woman to me somehow. She has a quirky way of speaking and looking at the world.
However some words are used so many times and so repetitive that This book could be a fun drinking game.
I can understand that the same word description is used for the same item by the main character in her internal dialogue. But I feel that readers are smart enough to understand if another character spoke of that object or item in a different way. An example of this is Blue green and Green tinted with blue grey.
I don't need the character to be harassed or to be given a hard time, however I feel that she is giving too much leeway. Her seniors supervisors and other people respect her opinion or treat her with a deference that is not justified by what we have been shown as readers.
The main character needs to earn her respect from other character and I like that she is not instantly brave. however the strength of her character is not justified by The story. Even though I can hear her internal dialogue, I think there is no depth, it doesn't feel real. Very By the numbers.
Compare to a lot of books out there its humorous and overall satisfying conclusion at the end of the novel. However it's not up to the mark. It's quite shallow I guess that is what I'm trying to say. It's not just the date of plot holes person. It's that there is no depth of character or emotion or feeling. There is a lot of telling I'm not enough showing.
Always being said it is a light hearted fun adventure and fantasy. The language is quite clean. It is humorous and quite witty in some portions. I will continue with the series I'm quite sure because I receive the bundle and have some free time to read. With the series I don't think there will be any surprises and one always knows what to expect to a certain degree.
With that I will leave you to decide on your own if this is something you wish to spend your time and money on.
January 29, 2015
3.5 stars.
This series has so much catnip - good guys fighting to save the innocents, an ordinary person (okay, mostly ordinary) playing in the big leagues trying to help, updated mythology and fairy tales, humor, and a hint of romance. Mac (who for some reason is almost never referred to by name in the book) is a human with the ability to see through magical enchantments and disguises as well as sense wards. No matter how a supernatural being disguises itself, Mac can see through to what's really underneath. She's otherwise an ordinary girl - no fighting skills (though she's trying to change that), no magical abilities, nada. Just a sweet, slightly naive girl from the southern part of the US. Okay, she borders on cliche at times with the naivete and Southern sayings but she's also smart, brave, and funny.
Mac works well with her partner, Ian, whose job is to keep her safe and alive and Yasha a werewolf who is also their driver. Shearin writes a great cast of characters giving them all memorable personalities. SPI is a global organization dedicated to keeping the supernatural world a secret from humans and keeping humans safe from misbehaving supernaturals. The concept is not a new one but Shearin does it well, giving it life and energy.
Her take on some of the supernatural beings is different; I never before thought of goblins as attractive or sexy. I'm still wrapping my head around that. She kept the traditional enmity between elves and dwarves though which makes for some funny scenes at the office. Did I mention already that Shearin has written a fantastic ensemble? I like Mac, don't get me wrong, but it's the ensemble that really shines. Every person is necessary and there aren't any rogue operators which makes for a refreshing change. There are however members who are not entirely loyal. Shearin surprised me with some of the twists and turns, who could be trusted and who couldn't. The story takes time to unfold, I couldn't see where it was going for a while, but the action and humor kept me engaged until the light bulb went off. The stakes were high and the race to end the threat was thrilling. I loved that even the bad guys are multi-dimensional and I could feel sorry for them while still hating them.
"The Dragon Conspiracy" was a fun and thrilling urban fantasy adventure with characters I'd love to go out and have a drink with.
This series has so much catnip - good guys fighting to save the innocents, an ordinary person (okay, mostly ordinary) playing in the big leagues trying to help, updated mythology and fairy tales, humor, and a hint of romance. Mac (who for some reason is almost never referred to by name in the book) is a human with the ability to see through magical enchantments and disguises as well as sense wards. No matter how a supernatural being disguises itself, Mac can see through to what's really underneath. She's otherwise an ordinary girl - no fighting skills (though she's trying to change that), no magical abilities, nada. Just a sweet, slightly naive girl from the southern part of the US. Okay, she borders on cliche at times with the naivete and Southern sayings but she's also smart, brave, and funny.
Mac works well with her partner, Ian, whose job is to keep her safe and alive and Yasha a werewolf who is also their driver. Shearin writes a great cast of characters giving them all memorable personalities. SPI is a global organization dedicated to keeping the supernatural world a secret from humans and keeping humans safe from misbehaving supernaturals. The concept is not a new one but Shearin does it well, giving it life and energy.
Her take on some of the supernatural beings is different; I never before thought of goblins as attractive or sexy. I'm still wrapping my head around that. She kept the traditional enmity between elves and dwarves though which makes for some funny scenes at the office. Did I mention already that Shearin has written a fantastic ensemble? I like Mac, don't get me wrong, but it's the ensemble that really shines. Every person is necessary and there aren't any rogue operators which makes for a refreshing change. There are however members who are not entirely loyal. Shearin surprised me with some of the twists and turns, who could be trusted and who couldn't. The story takes time to unfold, I couldn't see where it was going for a while, but the action and humor kept me engaged until the light bulb went off. The stakes were high and the race to end the threat was thrilling. I loved that even the bad guys are multi-dimensional and I could feel sorry for them while still hating them.
"The Dragon Conspiracy" was a fun and thrilling urban fantasy adventure with characters I'd love to go out and have a drink with.
January 31, 2015
THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY continues the action, investigating and adventure that started with THE GRENDEL AFFAIR. I think you would benefit from starting with book 1 so that you can learn the characters and world of the SPI Files series.
I really like Mac, she isn't a tough girl, but she wants to be and is working hard to prove to her partner that she can be. I like how she fights for what she wants and doesn't give up just because something is hard. I was a little surprised by the love interest of book 2. I could have sworn I saw something sparking between Mac and Ian. Don't get me wrong, I kinda like the other guy, I just felt like I missed something which I might have. This is an Urban Fantasy so there really isn't any romance, but it seems like there might be in the next book. I like romance so I'm excited.
One of my favorite parts of this series is the supporting characters. We learn a little more about them in each book and they all add something 'more' to the story. One thing that kind of bothered me about THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY, or I should say writing, is that I sometimes couldn't tell who was talking. I had to go back more than a few times to re-read a few sentences because I thought someone else was talking when in reality it might have been Mac or vice versa. It was confusing. The story had a nice pace to it, and I was never able to guess what was really happening until it was revealed, I like a good reveal and I got that. Shearin does a good job of throwing in twists and turns when you least expect it. I will definitely continue reading with book 3.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I really like Mac, she isn't a tough girl, but she wants to be and is working hard to prove to her partner that she can be. I like how she fights for what she wants and doesn't give up just because something is hard. I was a little surprised by the love interest of book 2. I could have sworn I saw something sparking between Mac and Ian. Don't get me wrong, I kinda like the other guy, I just felt like I missed something which I might have. This is an Urban Fantasy so there really isn't any romance, but it seems like there might be in the next book. I like romance so I'm excited.
One of my favorite parts of this series is the supporting characters. We learn a little more about them in each book and they all add something 'more' to the story. One thing that kind of bothered me about THE DRAGON CONSPIRACY, or I should say writing, is that I sometimes couldn't tell who was talking. I had to go back more than a few times to re-read a few sentences because I thought someone else was talking when in reality it might have been Mac or vice versa. It was confusing. The story had a nice pace to it, and I was never able to guess what was really happening until it was revealed, I like a good reveal and I got that. Shearin does a good job of throwing in twists and turns when you least expect it. I will definitely continue reading with book 3.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews