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Heartstrikers #3
No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished
When Julius overthrew his mother and took control of his clan, he thought he was doing right by everyone. But sharing power isn’t part of any proper dragon’s vocabulary, and with one seat still open on the new ruling Council, all of Heartstriker is ready to do whatever it takes to get their claws on it, including killing the Nice Dragon who got them into this mess in the first place.
To keep his clan together and his skin intact, Julius is going to have to find a way to make his bloodthirsty siblings play fair. But there’s more going on in Heartstriker Mountain than politics. Every family has its secrets, but the skeletons in Bethesda’s closet are dragon sized, and with Algonquin’s war looming over them all, breaking his clan wide open might just be the only hope Julius has of saving it.
To keep his clan together and his skin intact, Julius is going to have to find a way to make his bloodthirsty siblings play fair. But there’s more going on in Heartstriker Mountain than politics. Every family has its secrets, but the skeletons in Bethesda’s closet are dragon sized, and with Algonquin’s war looming over them all, breaking his clan wide open might just be the only hope Julius has of saving it.
517 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 5, 2016
1100 people are currently reading
1782 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Aaron
35 books3,037 followersHello, my name is Rachel Aaron, and I write the Heartstriker books, a new Urban Fantasy series about misfit dragons, starting with Nice Dragons Finish Last. I also wrote The Legend of Eli Monpress fantasy series for Orbit Books about a wizard thief and the poor bastards who have to try and stop him. PLUS I'm also the author of the new, rolicking fun Science Fiction romance Fortune's Pawn under the name Rachel Bach.
I was born in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Denver, CO with my lightspeed son, perpetually understanding husband, and far too many plants. Besides my own books, the internet knows me best for writing very fast. The best way to get to know me is probably to read my blog or follow me on Twitter.
I was born in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Denver, CO with my lightspeed son, perpetually understanding husband, and far too many plants. Besides my own books, the internet knows me best for writing very fast. The best way to get to know me is probably to read my blog or follow me on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 577 reviews
May 24, 2018
Heartstrikers continues to be a blessing for urban fantasy genre.
No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished is the third book in the Heartstrikers series. It’s another great installment and as far as the middle book of a series goes, this can be considered really great. The story picked up immediately after the end of the second book and the story deals heavily around the aftermath of the previous book.
This is a book that revolves heavily around politics and because of that, expect a LOT of talking. Although the book was another great read, I found the first half to be quite draggy and less engaging. To do a bit of comparison, I was engaged completely when I read the second book, I found myself always stealing time to read but unfortunately that’s not the case here; I can always put it down and read it whenever I want to.
The main reason behind this is because the main character, Julius, infuriated the crap out of me with his niceness that I need to take a break from reading once in a while before I accidentally break my kindle. Julius’s nice personality here has simply gone overboard and it makes me want to scratch my head off. I know this is important to the story and the future sequels, it’s all part of the plan and I know there’s a purpose behind all of these, but it still doesn’t change the fact that reading him behaving like Jesus or Gandhi reborn—forgiving mass murderer repeatedly—was not fun, AT ALL. The world is a harsh place and some people just don’t deserve forgiveness. This niceness logic just doesn’t work for terrorist and religious extremist, to name a few examples, I guess that’s also why this is a fantasy book because this kind of niceness would only backfire in real life. Call me pessimistic if you want, but there’s a limit to being nice and being TOO nice that you end up becoming the idiot who people used. This doesn’t mean that Julius’s character was bad, it was actually very consistent and well-written; it’s just infuriating seeing his damn too nice decision making. Out of every character, I also think Julius has the least character development in comparison to every other character, he’s just nice from the first book up to here.
Luckily, Marci and her relationship with Ghost, plus literally all the other side characters completely saved the book for me. I can’t emphasize how great the characterizations for all these characters were, they have been the main stars of the series and at this rate, it seems like this tradition will continue all the way to the end of the series. World-building also received so much more information with the book diving deeper into the spirits, a bit information of Chinese Dragons, more knowledge on clutches and most of all, Chelsie’s past which I think will be explored more in detail in the next book. Unlike the previous book, this installment doesn’t have a lot of action sequences. However, the last 20% of the book was incredibly gripping that it made the struggle in the first half of the book worth it.
In terms of quality, there’s no doubt that I think the second book of the series was superior to this one, But don’t let it fool you into thinking that this is not a great book or series because it is, on both account. There are only two books left and Heartstrikers continue to catch my attention. I was going to take a one book break but nah… after that ending? Nope, I’ll binge read this to the end.
You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest
No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished is the third book in the Heartstrikers series. It’s another great installment and as far as the middle book of a series goes, this can be considered really great. The story picked up immediately after the end of the second book and the story deals heavily around the aftermath of the previous book.
This is a book that revolves heavily around politics and because of that, expect a LOT of talking. Although the book was another great read, I found the first half to be quite draggy and less engaging. To do a bit of comparison, I was engaged completely when I read the second book, I found myself always stealing time to read but unfortunately that’s not the case here; I can always put it down and read it whenever I want to.
The main reason behind this is because the main character, Julius, infuriated the crap out of me with his niceness that I need to take a break from reading once in a while before I accidentally break my kindle. Julius’s nice personality here has simply gone overboard and it makes me want to scratch my head off. I know this is important to the story and the future sequels, it’s all part of the plan and I know there’s a purpose behind all of these, but it still doesn’t change the fact that reading him behaving like Jesus or Gandhi reborn—forgiving mass murderer repeatedly—was not fun, AT ALL. The world is a harsh place and some people just don’t deserve forgiveness. This niceness logic just doesn’t work for terrorist and religious extremist, to name a few examples, I guess that’s also why this is a fantasy book because this kind of niceness would only backfire in real life. Call me pessimistic if you want, but there’s a limit to being nice and being TOO nice that you end up becoming the idiot who people used. This doesn’t mean that Julius’s character was bad, it was actually very consistent and well-written; it’s just infuriating seeing his damn too nice decision making. Out of every character, I also think Julius has the least character development in comparison to every other character, he’s just nice from the first book up to here.
“You sound like a comic-book villain,” she told him, locking the magic firmly back in place. “Haven’t you ever heard that with great power comes great responsibility?”
Luckily, Marci and her relationship with Ghost, plus literally all the other side characters completely saved the book for me. I can’t emphasize how great the characterizations for all these characters were, they have been the main stars of the series and at this rate, it seems like this tradition will continue all the way to the end of the series. World-building also received so much more information with the book diving deeper into the spirits, a bit information of Chinese Dragons, more knowledge on clutches and most of all, Chelsie’s past which I think will be explored more in detail in the next book. Unlike the previous book, this installment doesn’t have a lot of action sequences. However, the last 20% of the book was incredibly gripping that it made the struggle in the first half of the book worth it.
In terms of quality, there’s no doubt that I think the second book of the series was superior to this one, But don’t let it fool you into thinking that this is not a great book or series because it is, on both account. There are only two books left and Heartstrikers continue to catch my attention. I was going to take a one book break but nah… after that ending? Nope, I’ll binge read this to the end.
You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest
November 24, 2019
Julius in dragon form!
Just a few more days! :3
In case you were wondering, like I was when I finished the second book, the Heartstriker's dragon form looks like the Atzec-Toltec mythical creature: Quetzacoatl.
April 16, 2018
Oh, hell yes it's a 5 stars!
So this has by far been my absolute favorite novel of the Heartstrikers series! It also has one of the best Epilogue to Prologue lead-ins, if you ask me.
Following up the incredibly strong ending of One Good Dragon Deserves Another presented quite the challenge, but I'm happy to report that this installment accomplishes it masterfully.
Of course, I love this because it continues a story I am already fully invested in. It focuses heavily on expanding a handful of key characters, most notably Chelsie Heartstriker, which I really appreciate.
And if you know me or follow my reviews at all you'll know this is a big plus for me:
IT IS VERY POLITICAL.
Now... that's not to say that it's boring! In fact, I found the politics among the dragon clans & within the massive Heartstriker clan to be super interesting & easy to engage with. I relished watching this cast of characters maneuver their way through delicate & tricky circumstances.
I think my obsession with political intrigue in books has to do with the manner in which those situations grows characters. They usually must be confident, intelligent, and willing to take calculated risks in order to make it through plots that are politically intricate.
Seeing characters develop in this way is very gratifying for me because it emphasizes characteristics that I appreciate in real life. By those standards, this is totally a treasure trove.
The elaboration on how the lore of this world work is another huge factor here that contributed to my love of this book. It's honestly just the coolest shit and there's no other way to describe it.
It's not often you find an Urban Fantasy series with this level of ingenuity at its core. I can feel through her writing that the author, Rachel Aaron, is deeply passionate about subjects of magic & spirits, and it really comes out in how skillfully these topics are explained & applied in the story.
When I'm lucky enough to stumble across a series like this one that hits so many of the right notes, I want to scream about it from every rooftop. If you haven't picked up this series yet, I advise you to immediately do so! It's endlessly fun, expertly written with an addictive originality, and definitely not something you'll want to miss out on!
So this has by far been my absolute favorite novel of the Heartstrikers series! It also has one of the best Epilogue to Prologue lead-ins, if you ask me.
Following up the incredibly strong ending of One Good Dragon Deserves Another presented quite the challenge, but I'm happy to report that this installment accomplishes it masterfully.
Of course, I love this because it continues a story I am already fully invested in. It focuses heavily on expanding a handful of key characters, most notably Chelsie Heartstriker, which I really appreciate.
And if you know me or follow my reviews at all you'll know this is a big plus for me:
IT IS VERY POLITICAL.
Now... that's not to say that it's boring! In fact, I found the politics among the dragon clans & within the massive Heartstriker clan to be super interesting & easy to engage with. I relished watching this cast of characters maneuver their way through delicate & tricky circumstances.
I think my obsession with political intrigue in books has to do with the manner in which those situations grows characters. They usually must be confident, intelligent, and willing to take calculated risks in order to make it through plots that are politically intricate.
Seeing characters develop in this way is very gratifying for me because it emphasizes characteristics that I appreciate in real life. By those standards, this is totally a treasure trove.
The elaboration on how the lore of this world work is another huge factor here that contributed to my love of this book. It's honestly just the coolest shit and there's no other way to describe it.
It's not often you find an Urban Fantasy series with this level of ingenuity at its core. I can feel through her writing that the author, Rachel Aaron, is deeply passionate about subjects of magic & spirits, and it really comes out in how skillfully these topics are explained & applied in the story.
When I'm lucky enough to stumble across a series like this one that hits so many of the right notes, I want to scream about it from every rooftop. If you haven't picked up this series yet, I advise you to immediately do so! It's endlessly fun, expertly written with an addictive originality, and definitely not something you'll want to miss out on!
September 27, 2016
Took way too long to get going.
Julius has overthrown his mother and is trying to find the third dragon for the clan's ruling council but Bethesda isn't taking this sitting down. With Heartstriker Mountain full of the entire clan, there are times when it feels like everyone of Julius' older brothers and sisters are out to kill him. Plus Julius is learning that his mother has more secrets than he ever thought possible. To complicate matters even more, it seems his business partner, Marci, may be some super powerful mage that everyone, including their enemy wants to get their hands on. Oh and don't forget they are at war with Algonquin.
I've really enjoyed this series but found this book super slow to get started. It really didn't grab my interest until 75% into it. If I hadn't been invested in the characters from the previous books I don't think I would have read past the half-way mark. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the characters. The writing was good as always. But I could only take so much of Julius trying to convince other dragons there was a better way to run the clan other than eating the weak. The Marci plot line was about the only thing that held my interest and even that stalled at times.
I have to admit I really love the cast of characters in this series and not just the main characters. Julius, Marci, Ghost are great for sure but all of the supporting characters too. They all have their own personalities and histories that make them real. The characters are the real strength of this series and especially this book. Even though this book was slow and I did not enjoy it as much as the first two books I am very much looking forward to the fourth book currently scheduled for release sometime next year.
August 22, 2016
4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2016/08/22/...
Just when you think things can’t get any crazier, Rachel Aaron doubles down on the dramatic tensions by throwing us onto the emotional rollercoaster that is No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished. If you aren’t caught up to this series yet, first of all, what are you waiting for? And second, the usual caveat applies for all my sequel reviews: there are potentially spoilery details ahead for the previous two books—nothing too much beyond what’s already revealed in the book’s description, but it’s something to keep in mind just in case you’d prefer to approach Nice Dragons Finish Last or One Good Dragon Deserves Another with completely fresh eyes.
For readers who have been following Julius Heartstriker on this wild, twisting journey since the very beginning though, they’re going to be so proud of our little nice dragon after this book. The youngest Heartstriker of J-Clutch is finally coming into his own. But even after gaining the power to overthrow his mother the great dragon Bethesda, our protagonist still has much more to do. He’s about to introduce a concept that no other dragon in the history of their species has ever contemplated before: Democracy. Refusing to kill Bethesda, Julius decides to put forth the idea of a new ruling Council instead, splitting the power of the Heartstriker into three. With Julius and his mother occupying two of the Council positions, that means only one more seat remains open, and whoever fills it will be decided by vote.
Queue the insanity. Because the rules stipulate that no further major decisions can be made until the Council is whole, both Bethesda and Julius have their own reasons for wanting the election to proceed quickly. However, only the latter has the greater good of the clan in mind, while the former simply wants to get her old power back. Bethesda is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to keep the Council from even happening, backing her own candidate for the coveted seat, and her supporters are also not above trying to kill Julius outright in order to gain her favor. To protect him, his older sister Chelsie is running herself ragged all over the mountain trying to keep the clan from tearing itself apart. Meanwhile, Heartstrikers from all over the country are flocking to the vote, and tensions are high with so many dragons crammed into one place. As they’re busy bickering away though, Algonquin, the ancient spirit of the lakes has declared war on all dragons, and they’re all sitting ducks as long as the last Council seat remains empty. Time is running out, but Julius doesn’t want a quick fix. He has only one chance to change the fate of his clan, and true to form, he wants to do it the right, honest, and good way.
Even after all that, we’re only just scratching the surface. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished follows a lot of other plot threads, beyond the major one surrounding the Council election. One of these threads are hinted at by that gorgeous cover art, which of course features Chelsie Heartstriker in all her glory. Julius’ scary big sister plays a huge role in this book, and I think her fans are going to be very happy with all the big reveals about her past. There’s a particularly big bombshell that Julius is a little too guileless and innocent to figure out, but for me, it was like WHOOOOAAAAAA.
All of our other favorite characters also return, and then some. I love Marci even more with each book, and she and Julius are just so adorable that I want to melt into sappy puddle every time I read about them thinking of each other. As Julius makes strides in achieving his own potential, so does Marci; she’s set to become one of the most important mages in the world since the great meteor strike that brought magic back to the planet, thanks to her spirit companion, a spectral cat named Ghost. As much as I enjoyed reading about Marci and Julius’ relationship, I had even more fun discovering more about the bond between Marci and Ghost. I’ve always said the world-building is incredible in this series, and Rachel Aaron expands upon it with each book. In the last installment, we learned the true nature of Ghost, but he’s still a big enigma in many ways and this book offers up another key piece of information in the understanding of the series’ magical lore. There’s a reason why everyone wants this ghostly cat, including the UN and Algonquin herself, making Marci’s storyline just as exciting as Julius’.
And of course, how could it be a true Heartstrikers sequel without the rest of the family? Bob, Amelia, and Justin are back, along with Chelsie. But for the first time ever though, we’re also given a good look at just how truly massive the Heartstriker clan is. Feathers fly as the entire family, more than one hundred members strong, are gathered at the mountain. There’s a lot of dragon politics. We’re introduced to the plight of F-Clutch. There are plenty of those who don’t believe in Julius’ vision. Our protagonist pretty much spends this entire book trying to convince his many siblings that killing is wrong, and it’s almost painful at times to watch him try to sell his non-violent approach to those that you know will never come to his side. In several places, Julius’ naiveté made me want to throttle him, to scream at him to “Stick up for yourself!” or that “They deserve it!” Even with killing off the table, without the threat of some kind of punishment, aggressive and manipulative dragons will always try to game the system, and it baffled me that Julius never thought to address that problem. Even with all his blind spots though, I had to admire his conviction. It’s as the title says, no good dragon goes unpunished, and Julius takes a lot of abuse in this book, but he sticks to his guns through even the worst of it. Respect.
All told, this novel is simply excellent, and it’s another incredible installment in the Heartstrikers series. I felt that it was a very different book than One Good Dragon Deserves Another, which featured more action and adventure on a grander scale, whereas this focused more on dragon politics and family ties. This might make the book feel slower, but I personally felt the tradeoff was worth it for the more substantial and meaningful look into the characters’ relationships, not to mention the focus on weightier themes. The author has said that the next book will probably be the final Heartstrikers novel, which makes me sad that the series will be coming to a close but I’m also excited to find out how everything will wrap up. This one ended with a real shocker, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Just when you think things can’t get any crazier, Rachel Aaron doubles down on the dramatic tensions by throwing us onto the emotional rollercoaster that is No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished. If you aren’t caught up to this series yet, first of all, what are you waiting for? And second, the usual caveat applies for all my sequel reviews: there are potentially spoilery details ahead for the previous two books—nothing too much beyond what’s already revealed in the book’s description, but it’s something to keep in mind just in case you’d prefer to approach Nice Dragons Finish Last or One Good Dragon Deserves Another with completely fresh eyes.
For readers who have been following Julius Heartstriker on this wild, twisting journey since the very beginning though, they’re going to be so proud of our little nice dragon after this book. The youngest Heartstriker of J-Clutch is finally coming into his own. But even after gaining the power to overthrow his mother the great dragon Bethesda, our protagonist still has much more to do. He’s about to introduce a concept that no other dragon in the history of their species has ever contemplated before: Democracy. Refusing to kill Bethesda, Julius decides to put forth the idea of a new ruling Council instead, splitting the power of the Heartstriker into three. With Julius and his mother occupying two of the Council positions, that means only one more seat remains open, and whoever fills it will be decided by vote.
Queue the insanity. Because the rules stipulate that no further major decisions can be made until the Council is whole, both Bethesda and Julius have their own reasons for wanting the election to proceed quickly. However, only the latter has the greater good of the clan in mind, while the former simply wants to get her old power back. Bethesda is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to keep the Council from even happening, backing her own candidate for the coveted seat, and her supporters are also not above trying to kill Julius outright in order to gain her favor. To protect him, his older sister Chelsie is running herself ragged all over the mountain trying to keep the clan from tearing itself apart. Meanwhile, Heartstrikers from all over the country are flocking to the vote, and tensions are high with so many dragons crammed into one place. As they’re busy bickering away though, Algonquin, the ancient spirit of the lakes has declared war on all dragons, and they’re all sitting ducks as long as the last Council seat remains empty. Time is running out, but Julius doesn’t want a quick fix. He has only one chance to change the fate of his clan, and true to form, he wants to do it the right, honest, and good way.
Even after all that, we’re only just scratching the surface. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished follows a lot of other plot threads, beyond the major one surrounding the Council election. One of these threads are hinted at by that gorgeous cover art, which of course features Chelsie Heartstriker in all her glory. Julius’ scary big sister plays a huge role in this book, and I think her fans are going to be very happy with all the big reveals about her past. There’s a particularly big bombshell that Julius is a little too guileless and innocent to figure out, but for me, it was like WHOOOOAAAAAA.
All of our other favorite characters also return, and then some. I love Marci even more with each book, and she and Julius are just so adorable that I want to melt into sappy puddle every time I read about them thinking of each other. As Julius makes strides in achieving his own potential, so does Marci; she’s set to become one of the most important mages in the world since the great meteor strike that brought magic back to the planet, thanks to her spirit companion, a spectral cat named Ghost. As much as I enjoyed reading about Marci and Julius’ relationship, I had even more fun discovering more about the bond between Marci and Ghost. I’ve always said the world-building is incredible in this series, and Rachel Aaron expands upon it with each book. In the last installment, we learned the true nature of Ghost, but he’s still a big enigma in many ways and this book offers up another key piece of information in the understanding of the series’ magical lore. There’s a reason why everyone wants this ghostly cat, including the UN and Algonquin herself, making Marci’s storyline just as exciting as Julius’.
And of course, how could it be a true Heartstrikers sequel without the rest of the family? Bob, Amelia, and Justin are back, along with Chelsie. But for the first time ever though, we’re also given a good look at just how truly massive the Heartstriker clan is. Feathers fly as the entire family, more than one hundred members strong, are gathered at the mountain. There’s a lot of dragon politics. We’re introduced to the plight of F-Clutch. There are plenty of those who don’t believe in Julius’ vision. Our protagonist pretty much spends this entire book trying to convince his many siblings that killing is wrong, and it’s almost painful at times to watch him try to sell his non-violent approach to those that you know will never come to his side. In several places, Julius’ naiveté made me want to throttle him, to scream at him to “Stick up for yourself!” or that “They deserve it!” Even with killing off the table, without the threat of some kind of punishment, aggressive and manipulative dragons will always try to game the system, and it baffled me that Julius never thought to address that problem. Even with all his blind spots though, I had to admire his conviction. It’s as the title says, no good dragon goes unpunished, and Julius takes a lot of abuse in this book, but he sticks to his guns through even the worst of it. Respect.
All told, this novel is simply excellent, and it’s another incredible installment in the Heartstrikers series. I felt that it was a very different book than One Good Dragon Deserves Another, which featured more action and adventure on a grander scale, whereas this focused more on dragon politics and family ties. This might make the book feel slower, but I personally felt the tradeoff was worth it for the more substantial and meaningful look into the characters’ relationships, not to mention the focus on weightier themes. The author has said that the next book will probably be the final Heartstrikers novel, which makes me sad that the series will be coming to a close but I’m also excited to find out how everything will wrap up. This one ended with a real shocker, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
April 10, 2018
Full review now posted!
This is such a fantastic series. It gets more and more addictive with each installment.
There’s not a lot I can say about the plot without giving away plot points from the preceding installments, so I’m going to review this as vaguely as possible.
Something I really loved about this installment was the alteration of common idioms to more properly suit dragons. Things get under their feathers instead of under their skin. They let the dragon out of the bag instead of the cat out of the bag. Something slips through their claws instead of their fingers. These are tiny changes to common idioms, but I thought the addition was thoughtful and fun.
I also loved getting more of the dragons, with their viewpoints and lifestyles and hierarchy. Seeing dragons in their more natural habitat, instead of only in their human form, was fascinating. Dragon politics are interesting, especially as these dragons have lived as humans for centuries and are trying to apply what they’ve learned from humans while remaining draconic. While the politics were interesting, the political aspect felt orly heavy, in my opinion. But I’m not a big fan of politics, so I don’t think this is a huge deterrent for most other readers.
The reason I was so excited to read this book was because I was expecting Chelsie’s back story. To some extent, I did get what I was looking for. However, I felt like there are some mysteries presented whose answers were glaringly obvious, and yet our main characters somehow are still in the dark despite the plethora of clues presented to them. I don’t want to say much more than that, because I don’t want to spoil the story, but a pet peeve of mine is when authors drop clues like breadcrumbs, and yet their characters are unable to follow them.
I love the development of Marci’s relationship with Ghost, the spirit bound to her. I love the development of her relationships with Amelia and Julius. However, I feel like there were secrets between Marci and Julius in this installment, and a lack of deeper communication that bothered me. A lot of problems would be solved so much easier if there was just more clear communication. But I suppose that wouldn’t make for a very interesting story, right?
I found learning more about F clutch to be really interesting. They’re the clutch of dragons who have never left Heartstriker Mountain, and finding out more about their lies and why they stick so close to Bethesda was one of my favorite parts of the book. However, in my opinion the reasoning behind their treatment was almost transparent in some places, but yet again, our main character doesn’t grasp the truth. I just found this lack of understanding more than a bit irritating, if you can’t tell.
Finally, my biggest problem with this series is Julius’s aggressive embrace of pacifism, if that even makes sense. Even when literally the entire planet would be better off with someone dead, Julius is going to do everything in his power to preserve that someone’s life. I get what he’s trying to do, but it just reminds me so much of my main gripe against super heroes. Batman doesn’t kill the Joker because he doesn’t want to stoop to the villain’s level. However, how many lives would have been saved by Batman taking just that one? Maybe there’s some small part of me that’s utilitarian, because in that particular circumstance I think the good of the many outweighs the death of one (horrible) man. But that’s obviously just my opinion, so take it as you will.
I still enjoyed this book, but not as much as the preceding installment. That being said, it was still incredibly addictive, and I had a really hard time putting it down. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
This is such a fantastic series. It gets more and more addictive with each installment.
There’s not a lot I can say about the plot without giving away plot points from the preceding installments, so I’m going to review this as vaguely as possible.
Something I really loved about this installment was the alteration of common idioms to more properly suit dragons. Things get under their feathers instead of under their skin. They let the dragon out of the bag instead of the cat out of the bag. Something slips through their claws instead of their fingers. These are tiny changes to common idioms, but I thought the addition was thoughtful and fun.
I also loved getting more of the dragons, with their viewpoints and lifestyles and hierarchy. Seeing dragons in their more natural habitat, instead of only in their human form, was fascinating. Dragon politics are interesting, especially as these dragons have lived as humans for centuries and are trying to apply what they’ve learned from humans while remaining draconic. While the politics were interesting, the political aspect felt orly heavy, in my opinion. But I’m not a big fan of politics, so I don’t think this is a huge deterrent for most other readers.
The reason I was so excited to read this book was because I was expecting Chelsie’s back story. To some extent, I did get what I was looking for. However, I felt like there are some mysteries presented whose answers were glaringly obvious, and yet our main characters somehow are still in the dark despite the plethora of clues presented to them. I don’t want to say much more than that, because I don’t want to spoil the story, but a pet peeve of mine is when authors drop clues like breadcrumbs, and yet their characters are unable to follow them.
I love the development of Marci’s relationship with Ghost, the spirit bound to her. I love the development of her relationships with Amelia and Julius. However, I feel like there were secrets between Marci and Julius in this installment, and a lack of deeper communication that bothered me. A lot of problems would be solved so much easier if there was just more clear communication. But I suppose that wouldn’t make for a very interesting story, right?
I found learning more about F clutch to be really interesting. They’re the clutch of dragons who have never left Heartstriker Mountain, and finding out more about their lies and why they stick so close to Bethesda was one of my favorite parts of the book. However, in my opinion the reasoning behind their treatment was almost transparent in some places, but yet again, our main character doesn’t grasp the truth. I just found this lack of understanding more than a bit irritating, if you can’t tell.
Finally, my biggest problem with this series is Julius’s aggressive embrace of pacifism, if that even makes sense. Even when literally the entire planet would be better off with someone dead, Julius is going to do everything in his power to preserve that someone’s life. I get what he’s trying to do, but it just reminds me so much of my main gripe against super heroes. Batman doesn’t kill the Joker because he doesn’t want to stoop to the villain’s level. However, how many lives would have been saved by Batman taking just that one? Maybe there’s some small part of me that’s utilitarian, because in that particular circumstance I think the good of the many outweighs the death of one (horrible) man. But that’s obviously just my opinion, so take it as you will.
I still enjoyed this book, but not as much as the preceding installment. That being said, it was still incredibly addictive, and I had a really hard time putting it down. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
July 25, 2018
What can I say except that Rachel Aaron has just completely won over a new fan. After the first two books into the Heartstrikers series, I felt that the trajectory was very promising and had to see for myself if the quality continues onto the third one.
The current conclusion is that this series is fast becoming a favourite urban fantasy of mine and I guess that speaks for itself. No disrespect to Dresden Files and Kate Daniels at all which are great in their own respect but I enjoyed reading Heartstrikers more.
There might be minor spoilers in my review as it is almost impossible not to mention much for this review to be relevant. Firstly, there is a noticeable increase in gravitas to the tone of the story as the series progressed. Dragon politics play a central theme in No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished as Julius sought to change the tyrannical matriachal rule under Bethesda to one of democracy under a voted ruling Council. Given the many centuries that dragons lived with the notion that might equals power, this idea was met with much mockery and disdain. The entire clan comprising hundreds of dragons descended into Heartstriker Mountain as a call to vote for the final council member aside from Julius and Bethesda. And chaos ensued.
This book has a significantly slower pace with a lot of politics and talking as Julius continues his agenda while trying his best to avoid violence and killing. It felt a bit tiring at first as he had to repeat his message time and time again to stubborn arrogant ears. However, and this where I had to give it to Julius, the youngest and smallest dragon of the clan absolutely refuses to back down. In spite of how repetitive it got, I appreciated that this kind of slower development is required as changes seldom happen overnight.
Julius was indeed sorely pushed and even abused. Bethesda, didn't want a meek son like him but she couldn't be further from the truth. The strength of Julius' convictions outweighs that of physical prowess. His refusal to fight and refusal to bow was such a paradox that the typical dragon mind cannot fathom a counter strategy except to rely on overpowering through sheer might and strength.
To further prove that no good dragon indeed goes unpunished, the backstory of Chelsie was finally brought to light and it was simply heartbreaking. All of Julius' other siblings that we've come to know and love also continue to play important roles in the story. But as usual, Bob the seer stole the show every single time he appeared, and though was not often, it was always game-changing.
Dragon politics was not the only highlight of the book. Marci and her cat spirit, Ghost, were the centrepieces to the worldbuilding subplot, or perhaps even the larger overarching one. This is the part of the story which I cannot say much about without really spoiling the revelatory enjoyment, safe that the development and growth between Marci and Ghost's binding to each other was truly evolutionary to humanity's magical potential. Julius and Marci's blossoming relationship remains endearing even though they did not get to spend a lot of time together as both get pulled in different directions due to the circumstances they each faced.
The ending of this book left me dazed; the shock of an unexpected event, the marvel at hidden hands that were being played, and the anxious anticipation of what is going to happen next. It left me wistfully hoping to have the fourth book in my clutches right now.
This review can also be found at Booknest
The current conclusion is that this series is fast becoming a favourite urban fantasy of mine and I guess that speaks for itself. No disrespect to Dresden Files and Kate Daniels at all which are great in their own respect but I enjoyed reading Heartstrikers more.
There might be minor spoilers in my review as it is almost impossible not to mention much for this review to be relevant. Firstly, there is a noticeable increase in gravitas to the tone of the story as the series progressed. Dragon politics play a central theme in No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished as Julius sought to change the tyrannical matriachal rule under Bethesda to one of democracy under a voted ruling Council. Given the many centuries that dragons lived with the notion that might equals power, this idea was met with much mockery and disdain. The entire clan comprising hundreds of dragons descended into Heartstriker Mountain as a call to vote for the final council member aside from Julius and Bethesda. And chaos ensued.
This book has a significantly slower pace with a lot of politics and talking as Julius continues his agenda while trying his best to avoid violence and killing. It felt a bit tiring at first as he had to repeat his message time and time again to stubborn arrogant ears. However, and this where I had to give it to Julius, the youngest and smallest dragon of the clan absolutely refuses to back down. In spite of how repetitive it got, I appreciated that this kind of slower development is required as changes seldom happen overnight.
"If this is going to work, I needed a tool even I couldn’t break, and you can’t know if someone won’t cave unless you push them.”
Julius was indeed sorely pushed and even abused. Bethesda, didn't want a meek son like him but she couldn't be further from the truth. The strength of Julius' convictions outweighs that of physical prowess. His refusal to fight and refusal to bow was such a paradox that the typical dragon mind cannot fathom a counter strategy except to rely on overpowering through sheer might and strength.
To further prove that no good dragon indeed goes unpunished, the backstory of Chelsie was finally brought to light and it was simply heartbreaking. All of Julius' other siblings that we've come to know and love also continue to play important roles in the story. But as usual, Bob the seer stole the show every single time he appeared, and though was not often, it was always game-changing.
Dragon politics was not the only highlight of the book. Marci and her cat spirit, Ghost, were the centrepieces to the worldbuilding subplot, or perhaps even the larger overarching one. This is the part of the story which I cannot say much about without really spoiling the revelatory enjoyment, safe that the development and growth between Marci and Ghost's binding to each other was truly evolutionary to humanity's magical potential. Julius and Marci's blossoming relationship remains endearing even though they did not get to spend a lot of time together as both get pulled in different directions due to the circumstances they each faced.
The ending of this book left me dazed; the shock of an unexpected event, the marvel at hidden hands that were being played, and the anxious anticipation of what is going to happen next. It left me wistfully hoping to have the fourth book in my clutches right now.
This review can also be found at Booknest
May 30, 2017
This series is super underrated in my humble opinion
I really finished this book about 2 days after starting it and I've bee trying to figure out how to review it since. The thing is I'm not going to be able to do it justice. There just isn't anyway for me to tell you how wonderful I found the world and the story.
There are some HUGE happenings in this book. Rachel Aaron took some really big risks and they were all worth it. Or at least I think that they will all be worth it if things come full circle in the next book like I think that they will.
I was so entertained and surprised and normally Marci and Julian are my favorite characters and they were still beyond fantastic but the person that really stole the show for me in the book was Chelsea and not just her whatever Bob and Amelia are doing was also a huge shock. I'm still reeling from the plot ARC there.
This series just keeps getting better and better for me. I have a few hopes for Marci and Ghost and how that will play into how Julius could be with Marci long term. I'm hoping they still have a shot, I'm not counting Marci out for anything since I'm pretty sure she will be able to pull a rabbit out of this hat that she has gotten herself into.
If you haven't started this series yet and you like UF I really hope you give it a try. It has been a wonderful change up from a lot of the UF out there today.
I really finished this book about 2 days after starting it and I've bee trying to figure out how to review it since. The thing is I'm not going to be able to do it justice. There just isn't anyway for me to tell you how wonderful I found the world and the story.
There are some HUGE happenings in this book. Rachel Aaron took some really big risks and they were all worth it. Or at least I think that they will all be worth it if things come full circle in the next book like I think that they will.
I was so entertained and surprised and normally Marci and Julian are my favorite characters and they were still beyond fantastic but the person that really stole the show for me in the book was Chelsea and not just her whatever Bob and Amelia are doing was also a huge shock. I'm still reeling from the plot ARC there.
This series just keeps getting better and better for me. I have a few hopes for Marci and Ghost and how that will play into how Julius could be with Marci long term. I'm hoping they still have a shot, I'm not counting Marci out for anything since I'm pretty sure she will be able to pull a rabbit out of this hat that she has gotten herself into.
If you haven't started this series yet and you like UF I really hope you give it a try. It has been a wonderful change up from a lot of the UF out there today.
August 14, 2016
What, you thought 2016 presidential election is bonkers?!
Heartstrikers are electing dragon for third seat in the Council- that's 893208530* dragons with eyes on the position of power. Just take your time and imagine that... That explosion going through your head is not exaggerating. I am surprised Heartstriker mountain is still standing. Which leads me to brief recap of plot....
Plot: Entire book Julius is doing this:
Yup, that's the plot.
Well, not really, because there are other things happening in this novel beside the election. There is a lot of Marci being the best and taking on more than just dragons. And of course, if you saw Chelsie on the cover and dared asking:"Oh, will we find out what happened in China?" Yes, we get the scoop and stay alive in the process. New clutch is introduced. There is not enough wine on this plane for Amelia and Bateshda is not going down easy. There is Justin proving he is best clutch mate to have and Ian proving why was he Bateshda's favorite. And there is, of course, our favorite Seer-Bob- successfully trolling everyone else.
Urban fantasy series often start with mc who is a bit of a loner and you follow them around, want them to win at the end... but only the best series grow over time into full assemble of characters you care for and want to read about. Rachel already did that with second book because I love every damn Heartstriker she introduced, but Chelsie...she has her talons firmly in my heart and I want her story so much. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished will give you a lot of laugh out loud moments and fun which makes it easy to forget that previous book ended up with Algonquin declaring the war. There is no calm before the storm with Heartrikers since they don't do anything calmly and only when I finished I realized how deceptive all that fun and easy was. The further you read more serious things get and progressively worse for our heroes, leading to a crushing ending.
With three books behind us, this is shaping to be one of my favorite series. You can feel while reading that author loves writing these characters and, at the same time, not just that she has such a solid grip on world she created, but also a range to take it further and I can't wait to see what's she's going to do next.
Wait for book #4 is going to be tough.
*number of Heartstrikers is not confirmed, but I imagine this:
**************************************************
RA shared an exclusive shortie for everyone who signed up for her mailing list starring Mother of the Year, Bathesda, and it's sooo funny. Bathesda is like Cercei Lannister but without that whole "her kids are her only weakness" thing; she has a diva attitude to rival Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez when you ruffle her feathers and she commercializes her family so successfully Kris Jenner would be jealous. How can you not love her? :D
I can't wait to get back to these crazy dragons.
*************************
September 26, 2016
Well f*ck, what an intense ending. But a cliffhanger... i hate those.
The book had a really slow beginning with the first 50 to 100 pages almost being wasted but than the action ramps up and till the end doesn't let up. We get new insight into a lot of characters, we're introduced some new ones, lose some old ones and have couple of unexpected turns. So all in all a great ride.
But still, that ending. Great ride but you should wait till the last book comes out in a year or so.
Cheers.
The book had a really slow beginning with the first 50 to 100 pages almost being wasted but than the action ramps up and till the end doesn't let up. We get new insight into a lot of characters, we're introduced some new ones, lose some old ones and have couple of unexpected turns. So all in all a great ride.
But still, that ending. Great ride but you should wait till the last book comes out in a year or so.
Cheers.
December 28, 2017
Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic
Overall rating = 4 & 1/2 stars
ANALYSIS: After the fantastic sequel that was One Good Dragon Deserves Another, I couldn’t wait to see what Rachel would cook up for Julius, Marci, and the rest of the clan (except Bob because he commandeers his own path). The following review will contain mild spoilers for the preceding two titles and so readers be forewarned…
The book opens up almost immediately afterwards the events of the 2nd book (OGDDA) and we get to see the mayhem that has been caused due to Julius seizing control away from Bethesda. Plus now that there will be a vote for the council membership, all the Heartstriker dragons have assembled into the mountain and it literally turns into a madhouse. Marci has been relegated to the sick bay after the tumultuous events but she’s one person who never lets things go by and with Julius busy, she’s left to her own devices. There’s a whole host of other Heartstrikers introduced in this volume besides Amelia, Bob, Chelsea, Conrad and the others whom we have met so far. Plus the prologue also gives a look into the distant past and we see Chelsea before she has been tuned into her role as enforcer.
This book deals with a lot, a real lot of stuff. There’s twin strands that the plot breaks down into. The first strand deals with Julius as he tries to make sure that the selection for the 3rd council seat goes smoothly. He’s very much unprepared for the venomous onslaught that is coming his way via all the ambitious Heartstrikers. He also has to worry about Bethesda and her backhanded politicking to undo what has happened to her both magically and politically. The second strand deals with Marci who has to fend off on her own in the Heartstriker Mountain and soon realizes that her bond with Ghost has marked her as something very special in the eyes of a certain human faction. She also learns how dangerous it can be for humans to be alone in the Mountain and especially to be associated with the nice dragon. There’s also the human faction who are trying to navigate their way amidst all the spirit and dragon magic and find their Arthurian match. Lastly this book dwells deeply into Chelsie’s past and establishes why she’s doing what she has done so far. There’s also machinations from Bob, Amelia, Ian, Svena and Ghost but I’ll leave the readers to RAFO.
This book like One Good Dragon Deserves Another dwells a lot into a lot of the dragon politics and the magical underpinnings of the world. The last book gave us a solid look into Dragons, their past and how they came to be in this world. This book does something similar but gives us a solid look into human magic. After reading all that Rachel Aaron has written so far, I can safely vouch for the fact that she’s a master plotter. Her series are incredibly planned down to all the minutiae and this series is another shining example of that. Each book so far has slowly unsheathed fascinating details about the world in different areas. I loved how incredibly deep this world is and such an incredible mish mash genre wise. Is it urban fantasy, or SF or post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller? I feel it’s all of those and more.
Going on to the next strength of the book and that’s characterization. Given the huge cast that gets further expanded in this book, it’s always crucial that each character be distinct and have their own voice. Rachel Aaron doesn’t disappoint, not only does she stay true to character voices but we see their development alongside the plot as well. This is truly epitomized with Julius’ arc in this book. He thoroughly believes in the path of non-violence or no killing even to his own detriment (Rachel Aaron talks wonderfully about Julius and his nature in this excellent guest post). He sticks to it so much that at a certain point in the book you might want to punch him for being so naïve (you’ll know when you read it). He does redeem himself by following through on his ideals and making a shining example for the entire clan. Julius is truly the nicest dragon and we get a strong inkling as to why Bob hinges his plans on him so much.
Then there’s Marci who gets some fantastic stuff to deal with personally and professionally. This book also shines a particular light on her bond with Ghost and who exactly he might be. There’s also a follow up on the epilogue revelations in OGDDA in terms of what Algonquin is up to and what exactly does the term “Merlin” mean? Like the last book Marci gets a strong focus within this book and by the end I would say her arc outdoes Julius. The book also focuses upon Chelsie who’s been the strong & silent enforcer for the Heartstrikers. In this book, we get a thorough inkling of what exactly happened in China. Why is she with Bethesda and what are her deepest secrets? Lastly there’s also Bob and Amelia who are up to their own machinations and the author reveals some big things in the making from their side.
Going to the plotting, this book takes a figurative backseat to OGDDA but with regards to plot twists, it outdoes its predecessor spectacularly. This book takes quite a few dark turns and none darker than the final twist. If you are like me, you will be cursing and wanting the next book pronto. That’s the hallmark of a well-written and well-plotted book that it shocks you and makes you want to read more at the same time. I couldn’t predict what was going to happen in this book and the events leading up to the climax only foreshadow a grim future (this series is similar to the Eli Monpress books wherein in the 3rd book, the series takes a solid dark turn). Lastly to combat all the darkness, the author does provide a small hope via Bob (who else) and then comes the final shocker via the epilogue. As far as plot twists go, this book has been the best one I’ve read in 2016.
Negatives to this book might depend on your mileage. The story does slowdown in the middle but that’s only because the action takes a backseat to the plotting. Julius’ behavior can seem a bit of a drag but it only proves how much he wants to stick to his ideals and change the Heartstriker clan for the better. Also in this book, the comedic overtones are little less than the previous volumes but given that this book has so much darker stuff in it, I could see why that was the case. Overall there was very little that I didn’t enjoy about this book.
CONCLUSION: No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished is a fabulous book in the Heartstriker series as it outshines all the previous books with its plot twists. Seriously this has been the most enjoyable book of 2016 for me and this book marks out this series for being the special one that it is in the current field of Urban fantasy.
Overall rating = 4 & 1/2 stars
ANALYSIS: After the fantastic sequel that was One Good Dragon Deserves Another, I couldn’t wait to see what Rachel would cook up for Julius, Marci, and the rest of the clan (except Bob because he commandeers his own path). The following review will contain mild spoilers for the preceding two titles and so readers be forewarned…
The book opens up almost immediately afterwards the events of the 2nd book (OGDDA) and we get to see the mayhem that has been caused due to Julius seizing control away from Bethesda. Plus now that there will be a vote for the council membership, all the Heartstriker dragons have assembled into the mountain and it literally turns into a madhouse. Marci has been relegated to the sick bay after the tumultuous events but she’s one person who never lets things go by and with Julius busy, she’s left to her own devices. There’s a whole host of other Heartstrikers introduced in this volume besides Amelia, Bob, Chelsea, Conrad and the others whom we have met so far. Plus the prologue also gives a look into the distant past and we see Chelsea before she has been tuned into her role as enforcer.
This book deals with a lot, a real lot of stuff. There’s twin strands that the plot breaks down into. The first strand deals with Julius as he tries to make sure that the selection for the 3rd council seat goes smoothly. He’s very much unprepared for the venomous onslaught that is coming his way via all the ambitious Heartstrikers. He also has to worry about Bethesda and her backhanded politicking to undo what has happened to her both magically and politically. The second strand deals with Marci who has to fend off on her own in the Heartstriker Mountain and soon realizes that her bond with Ghost has marked her as something very special in the eyes of a certain human faction. She also learns how dangerous it can be for humans to be alone in the Mountain and especially to be associated with the nice dragon. There’s also the human faction who are trying to navigate their way amidst all the spirit and dragon magic and find their Arthurian match. Lastly this book dwells deeply into Chelsie’s past and establishes why she’s doing what she has done so far. There’s also machinations from Bob, Amelia, Ian, Svena and Ghost but I’ll leave the readers to RAFO.
This book like One Good Dragon Deserves Another dwells a lot into a lot of the dragon politics and the magical underpinnings of the world. The last book gave us a solid look into Dragons, their past and how they came to be in this world. This book does something similar but gives us a solid look into human magic. After reading all that Rachel Aaron has written so far, I can safely vouch for the fact that she’s a master plotter. Her series are incredibly planned down to all the minutiae and this series is another shining example of that. Each book so far has slowly unsheathed fascinating details about the world in different areas. I loved how incredibly deep this world is and such an incredible mish mash genre wise. Is it urban fantasy, or SF or post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller? I feel it’s all of those and more.
Going on to the next strength of the book and that’s characterization. Given the huge cast that gets further expanded in this book, it’s always crucial that each character be distinct and have their own voice. Rachel Aaron doesn’t disappoint, not only does she stay true to character voices but we see their development alongside the plot as well. This is truly epitomized with Julius’ arc in this book. He thoroughly believes in the path of non-violence or no killing even to his own detriment (Rachel Aaron talks wonderfully about Julius and his nature in this excellent guest post). He sticks to it so much that at a certain point in the book you might want to punch him for being so naïve (you’ll know when you read it). He does redeem himself by following through on his ideals and making a shining example for the entire clan. Julius is truly the nicest dragon and we get a strong inkling as to why Bob hinges his plans on him so much.
Then there’s Marci who gets some fantastic stuff to deal with personally and professionally. This book also shines a particular light on her bond with Ghost and who exactly he might be. There’s also a follow up on the epilogue revelations in OGDDA in terms of what Algonquin is up to and what exactly does the term “Merlin” mean? Like the last book Marci gets a strong focus within this book and by the end I would say her arc outdoes Julius. The book also focuses upon Chelsie who’s been the strong & silent enforcer for the Heartstrikers. In this book, we get a thorough inkling of what exactly happened in China. Why is she with Bethesda and what are her deepest secrets? Lastly there’s also Bob and Amelia who are up to their own machinations and the author reveals some big things in the making from their side.
Going to the plotting, this book takes a figurative backseat to OGDDA but with regards to plot twists, it outdoes its predecessor spectacularly. This book takes quite a few dark turns and none darker than the final twist. If you are like me, you will be cursing and wanting the next book pronto. That’s the hallmark of a well-written and well-plotted book that it shocks you and makes you want to read more at the same time. I couldn’t predict what was going to happen in this book and the events leading up to the climax only foreshadow a grim future (this series is similar to the Eli Monpress books wherein in the 3rd book, the series takes a solid dark turn). Lastly to combat all the darkness, the author does provide a small hope via Bob (who else) and then comes the final shocker via the epilogue. As far as plot twists go, this book has been the best one I’ve read in 2016.
Negatives to this book might depend on your mileage. The story does slowdown in the middle but that’s only because the action takes a backseat to the plotting. Julius’ behavior can seem a bit of a drag but it only proves how much he wants to stick to his ideals and change the Heartstriker clan for the better. Also in this book, the comedic overtones are little less than the previous volumes but given that this book has so much darker stuff in it, I could see why that was the case. Overall there was very little that I didn’t enjoy about this book.
CONCLUSION: No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished is a fabulous book in the Heartstriker series as it outshines all the previous books with its plot twists. Seriously this has been the most enjoyable book of 2016 for me and this book marks out this series for being the special one that it is in the current field of Urban fantasy.
November 16, 2017
This is the third book in this series, and it's a series I've come to really enjoy the more i've got into it. It's the sort of read I like to go to when I'm down and need a bit of cheering up or just want to smile a bit, because it's a whole heap of fun and just packed full of snark and sass. This is a world with Dragons, Mages, Magic, Spirits, Dead Ghost Cats and more. It's really quite an adventure and when you thrown in a potential new Merlin and also a Dragon coup, well things just start getting pretty dramatic.
This story follows Marcy and Julius once more as they are thrown into events they never dreamed of. Marcy is quickly being pulled towards more and more magic, she's learning a lot, but she's also likely to fall victim to either her own Ghost or the others around who think they can manipulate her.
We also have Julius, right in the middle of the biggest clan take over the world has ever seen (even though he never asked to be) and a dragon who is fighting to be different...*nice* even...
What I liked about this book was that we really saw some drastic changes to the hierarchy of the world. Not only do we see shifts in the powers of the Dragons and a new clan is formed, we also get shifts in the realms of human, spirits and more. The stakes are now much bigger than they were in the previous books, and I liked seeing how all our characters interacted with that.
The slight downside of the higher stakes is that many of the characters are split off from one another for most of the book as each of them goes to try and stop terrible things from happening in various parts of the world. Marcy and Julius in particular don't really get to see a lot of one another, and I really missed that because those two together are my favourite part of the books.
Overall, I have a feeling this series is still just getting started as there's at least two more books to go. I have really enjoyed what I have so far read, and I'm looking forward to continuing with the fun adventures very soon in book #4. I gave this a solid 3.5*s
This story follows Marcy and Julius once more as they are thrown into events they never dreamed of. Marcy is quickly being pulled towards more and more magic, she's learning a lot, but she's also likely to fall victim to either her own Ghost or the others around who think they can manipulate her.
We also have Julius, right in the middle of the biggest clan take over the world has ever seen (even though he never asked to be) and a dragon who is fighting to be different...*nice* even...
What I liked about this book was that we really saw some drastic changes to the hierarchy of the world. Not only do we see shifts in the powers of the Dragons and a new clan is formed, we also get shifts in the realms of human, spirits and more. The stakes are now much bigger than they were in the previous books, and I liked seeing how all our characters interacted with that.
The slight downside of the higher stakes is that many of the characters are split off from one another for most of the book as each of them goes to try and stop terrible things from happening in various parts of the world. Marcy and Julius in particular don't really get to see a lot of one another, and I really missed that because those two together are my favourite part of the books.
Overall, I have a feeling this series is still just getting started as there's at least two more books to go. I have really enjoyed what I have so far read, and I'm looking forward to continuing with the fun adventures very soon in book #4. I gave this a solid 3.5*s
November 1, 2023
Relisten Oct 2023
Aaaaamzing
Re-listen 2021
When you start the series you can not stop, and that is why I finished book 3 for the third time. I do not grow tired. It is as exciting every time.
Amazing narration!!!!!!!
Heart Julius
Re.read
Sheesh, that was a LOT of omgs in my previous review
I can not remember why I decied to re-listen, but I am enjoying it. They are just so good!
This one was about politics, and yes most of my old omgs are of course about things that happen, now I know they happen, but before, dang, this happen! Espcially the Chelsea and F bits has me wanting, well those things to happen.
Vikas Adam is a narrator God
The end
OMG OMG OMG
Like OMG
NO WAY!
OMG!
WOW.
THE END
Can that be my review cos WOW. First Chelsea! OMG, I totally did not see that coming.
And the XXXXXXXXXXXXX omg did not see that coming.
Dang, the revelations kept on coming and I was on the edge of my seat. I think I managed 6 hours today cos I COULD NOT STOP.
I sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo want the next book but it is freaking sold out. Wtf? That is beyond cruel. OMG the thing happening in the next one. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEk.
Poor Chelsea.
I think I have to give this another 5. I told SO that I will NOT speak to him and then I put headphones on. Hehe.
Amazing.
Love Love love this series.
Did I say OMG?
OMG!
Marci!
LOve love Julius!
Amelia!
Ahhh Bob and his Pigeon.
OMG just listen to it. NOW!
Narrator Vikas Adam
He is a god!
SO good.
Aaaaamzing
Re-listen 2021
When you start the series you can not stop, and that is why I finished book 3 for the third time. I do not grow tired. It is as exciting every time.
Amazing narration!!!!!!!
Heart Julius
Re.read
Sheesh, that was a LOT of omgs in my previous review
I can not remember why I decied to re-listen, but I am enjoying it. They are just so good!
This one was about politics, and yes most of my old omgs are of course about things that happen, now I know they happen, but before, dang, this happen! Espcially the Chelsea and F bits has me wanting, well those things to happen.
Vikas Adam is a narrator God
The end
OMG OMG OMG
Like OMG
NO WAY!
OMG!
WOW.
THE END
Can that be my review cos WOW. First Chelsea! OMG, I totally did not see that coming.
And the XXXXXXXXXXXXX omg did not see that coming.
Dang, the revelations kept on coming and I was on the edge of my seat. I think I managed 6 hours today cos I COULD NOT STOP.
I sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo want the next book but it is freaking sold out. Wtf? That is beyond cruel. OMG the thing happening in the next one. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEk.
Poor Chelsea.
I think I have to give this another 5. I told SO that I will NOT speak to him and then I put headphones on. Hehe.
Amazing.
Love Love love this series.
Did I say OMG?
OMG!
Marci!
LOve love Julius!
Amelia!
Ahhh Bob and his Pigeon.
OMG just listen to it. NOW!
Narrator Vikas Adam
He is a god!
SO good.
October 19, 2019
The end of the previous book left Julius Heartstriker is an amazing and precarious position. He's gained power and in doing so, wants to use it in very un-dragonlike ways. With the power of a fully-mobilized Algonquin set against the dragons, Julius now desperately needs to consolidate his position, but can he protect the people he loves?
That's about as unspoilery as I can do. This is an excellent next step in the series as we explore the Heartstriker clan and the other dragons as well as Marcy and her developing relationship with her mortal spirit that has her on the verge of immense power as well.
That's about as unspoilery as I can do. This is an excellent next step in the series as we explore the Heartstriker clan and the other dragons as well as Marcy and her developing relationship with her mortal spirit that has her on the verge of immense power as well.
May 7, 2019
4 Stars
Review:
Another great book in this gripping urban fantasy series that continues to stand out from the crowd and feel very fresh and original! I loved all the same things that I did in the previous two books. Great plot/pacing. Great cast of unique and interesting characters. Great magic and creatures (dragons, spirits, mages). Great world-building (a future in which a meteor brought back magic to the world).
This book had more intensity though. It was also cool to learn more about Chelsie and her past. And this one was different since it was all about Julius leading the Council, which was a nice change of pace from him constantly running around and battling outside forces and basically just trying to avoid being killed. It gave him all different sorts of problems to deal with, and it let the reader understand even more about dragons, their mindsets, their ways of living, etc. It also meant we got to spend lots of time with Julius's family and meet more of his siblings, and I do find them all really interesting, even if some of them are awful.
Side note: I kinda love Ian. He's a manipulative, smooth-talking bastard who seems to only really care about himself, but at least he's not as murderous as the rest of the family and does support Julius's new system, even if it's only because he sees it as an opportunity to benefit himself. Also, any time he says he's going to make something happen, I don't even doubt him because he really is just that good. But mostly I just love how nothing ever ruffles his feathers. Every time Julius is like, "Well that went horribly," Ian is just like, "What are you talking about? That went great! I expected so much worse!" Everything just sloughs right off his back and doesn't faze him. I love it.
I haven't mentioned it in my reviews so far, but there's also a small bit of romance that is happening ever so slowly. It's not really a tension-filled slow burn, more like the characters have just been too preoccupied to think about it much. It's cute though.
There was one kind of ridiculous thing in this book though. Not something that affected my enjoyment, more like I just had to roll my eyes and laugh. *SPOILER* *END SPOILER*
Anyway, this series is getting deeper and more intricate with each book, clearly building up to some bigger things *side eyes Bob*, and I'm really enjoying it and excited to see what's going to happen next!
Recommended For:
Fans of Books 1 and 2 in Rachel Aaron's Heartstrikers series. Anyone who likes dragon shifters, magic, a whole cast of unique characters, a fast-paced story, and some unique futuristic world-building.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
Another great book in this gripping urban fantasy series that continues to stand out from the crowd and feel very fresh and original! I loved all the same things that I did in the previous two books. Great plot/pacing. Great cast of unique and interesting characters. Great magic and creatures (dragons, spirits, mages). Great world-building (a future in which a meteor brought back magic to the world).
This book had more intensity though. It was also cool to learn more about Chelsie and her past. And this one was different since it was all about Julius leading the Council, which was a nice change of pace from him constantly running around and battling outside forces and basically just trying to avoid being killed. It gave him all different sorts of problems to deal with, and it let the reader understand even more about dragons, their mindsets, their ways of living, etc. It also meant we got to spend lots of time with Julius's family and meet more of his siblings, and I do find them all really interesting, even if some of them are awful.
Side note: I kinda love Ian. He's a manipulative, smooth-talking bastard who seems to only really care about himself, but at least he's not as murderous as the rest of the family and does support Julius's new system, even if it's only because he sees it as an opportunity to benefit himself. Also, any time he says he's going to make something happen, I don't even doubt him because he really is just that good. But mostly I just love how nothing ever ruffles his feathers. Every time Julius is like, "Well that went horribly," Ian is just like, "What are you talking about? That went great! I expected so much worse!" Everything just sloughs right off his back and doesn't faze him. I love it.
I haven't mentioned it in my reviews so far, but there's also a small bit of romance that is happening ever so slowly. It's not really a tension-filled slow burn, more like the characters have just been too preoccupied to think about it much. It's cute though.
There was one kind of ridiculous thing in this book though. Not something that affected my enjoyment, more like I just had to roll my eyes and laugh. *SPOILER* *END SPOILER*
Anyway, this series is getting deeper and more intricate with each book, clearly building up to some bigger things *side eyes Bob*, and I'm really enjoying it and excited to see what's going to happen next!
Recommended For:
Fans of Books 1 and 2 in Rachel Aaron's Heartstrikers series. Anyone who likes dragon shifters, magic, a whole cast of unique characters, a fast-paced story, and some unique futuristic world-building.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
April 25, 2021
Re-Read: March 2021
This is re-read for me and the end still left me speechless. Still have the same questions as my original review.
Vikas Adam is a STAR as the narrator. How he could do as many voices and so well done that you totally forget that it's ONE guy doing them all, it's beyond me. I can hear one word and immediately know if it's nice Julius, menacing Ghost, tough guy Justin, crazy Bob, conniving Bethesda, etc.
Original Review: Sep 2017
OMG, what an ending! I can't wait to see how all this is solved! So many questions!! Is this it for Amelia? How will Marcy become a merlin? What the hell is a Nameless End? I was totally shocked at the revelation regarding Chelsea and the F clutch - how Julius didn't get it was beyond me.
Julius talked a lot - as usual - but all the same, I was glad to see him showing some fang. CAN'T WAIT!!!
This is re-read for me and the end still left me speechless. Still have the same questions as my original review.
Vikas Adam is a STAR as the narrator. How he could do as many voices and so well done that you totally forget that it's ONE guy doing them all, it's beyond me. I can hear one word and immediately know if it's nice Julius, menacing Ghost, tough guy Justin, crazy Bob, conniving Bethesda, etc.
Original Review: Sep 2017
OMG, what an ending! I can't wait to see how all this is solved! So many questions!! Is this it for Amelia? How will Marcy become a merlin? What the hell is a Nameless End? I was totally shocked at the revelation regarding Chelsea and the F clutch - how Julius didn't get it was beyond me.
Julius talked a lot - as usual - but all the same, I was glad to see him showing some fang. CAN'T WAIT!!!
March 26, 2023
*** 4.75 ***
April 17, 2020
This series started out well but this book is full of idiot plotting, dull, and the main character is annoying. I'm downgrading my initial assessment of the series from 5 to 3. Hopefully it won't be a 2 by the end.
SPOILERS.
The biggest problem is that Julius seems to be suffering of hero decay. He was always portrayed as a mellow sort but here he somehow becomes dimwitted as well. As the series progresses, I'd have expected to see him gaining a spine and being a lot more aware that his family is crap. But no, Fredrik steals his phone and Julius wonders if maybe he was right to take it without permission from his coat pocket. He places Bethesda in the council and lets her have power to continue killing and maiming without any good reasons than "we need her for authority" as if he wouldn't have had a lot more authority by overthrowing her and using the Diplomat's Fang to prevent violence. From the first book, he's dumber, he hasn't evolved out of his fear of his mother, and he's also less cool and competent. This book is just using "niceness" as an excuse for making Julius an abysmally stupid incompetent who constantly underestimates his adversaries and comes on top because he's got heavy plot armor. He's basically dragged alive through this book by his own personal Chosen Oneness, not by his wits, his planning, or his understanding of what he's dealing with.
The scene with the fight with Gregory is a disgrace. Julius is stubbornly protecting the bad guys at the expense of what happens to Chelsie, Justin, and the whole F clutch. He's also risking Marci's life, which he navel gazes so much about as to become grating and tedious. I was able to tell that the F clutch is Chelsie's from the second paragraph into their discussion, which places Julius square in the middle of idiot territory for not spotting it. Then he's refusing to fight Gregory only to be saved by deus ex machina when Conrad steps in saying some stupid retconning monologue "me and Chelsie were merciful all the time otherwise you'd be all dead". This while Julius smiles while Gregory is breaking his wings. Who the fuck is he, Dragon Jesus? I get it that Bob foretold that Conrad will save Julius but Julius certainly didn't know that. For what he knew, he was going to die and dragons don't care about martyrs. Retconning Conrad to care is the biggest dumbest deus ex machina I've seen. It's even worse than the stupid way A Darker Shade of Magic trilogy ends because Conrad is acting out of character. It's not just out of left field, it's an obvious lie.
The romance between Julius and Marci is equally bad. There's no tension between them, they're already like an old boring couple although they didn't even get to be together. AND they didn't get to be together because more idiot plotting. "Julius's crippling shyness". Oh god. The attraction simply isn't there because when you're crazy about someone, whole continents aren't a big enough obstacle. People who are in love do really insane things, like acting out of character and growing a pair enough to do something about it.
SPOILERS.
The biggest problem is that Julius seems to be suffering of hero decay. He was always portrayed as a mellow sort but here he somehow becomes dimwitted as well. As the series progresses, I'd have expected to see him gaining a spine and being a lot more aware that his family is crap. But no, Fredrik steals his phone and Julius wonders if maybe he was right to take it without permission from his coat pocket. He places Bethesda in the council and lets her have power to continue killing and maiming without any good reasons than "we need her for authority" as if he wouldn't have had a lot more authority by overthrowing her and using the Diplomat's Fang to prevent violence. From the first book, he's dumber, he hasn't evolved out of his fear of his mother, and he's also less cool and competent. This book is just using "niceness" as an excuse for making Julius an abysmally stupid incompetent who constantly underestimates his adversaries and comes on top because he's got heavy plot armor. He's basically dragged alive through this book by his own personal Chosen Oneness, not by his wits, his planning, or his understanding of what he's dealing with.
The scene with the fight with Gregory is a disgrace. Julius is stubbornly protecting the bad guys at the expense of what happens to Chelsie, Justin, and the whole F clutch. He's also risking Marci's life, which he navel gazes so much about as to become grating and tedious. I was able to tell that the F clutch is Chelsie's from the second paragraph into their discussion, which places Julius square in the middle of idiot territory for not spotting it. Then he's refusing to fight Gregory only to be saved by deus ex machina when Conrad steps in saying some stupid retconning monologue "me and Chelsie were merciful all the time otherwise you'd be all dead". This while Julius smiles while Gregory is breaking his wings. Who the fuck is he, Dragon Jesus? I get it that Bob foretold that Conrad will save Julius but Julius certainly didn't know that. For what he knew, he was going to die and dragons don't care about martyrs. Retconning Conrad to care is the biggest dumbest deus ex machina I've seen. It's even worse than the stupid way A Darker Shade of Magic trilogy ends because Conrad is acting out of character. It's not just out of left field, it's an obvious lie.
The romance between Julius and Marci is equally bad. There's no tension between them, they're already like an old boring couple although they didn't even get to be together. AND they didn't get to be together because more idiot plotting. "Julius's crippling shyness". Oh god. The attraction simply isn't there because when you're crazy about someone, whole continents aren't a big enough obstacle. People who are in love do really insane things, like acting out of character and growing a pair enough to do something about it.
July 7, 2017
What did just happen? The last part of the book flew by so fast and so many things happened that my poor little brain just got confused. And very angry! Because if
Julius is truly a wonderful character. I loved how he stood up and stood by his own principles. I always knew he has some steel in him and I'm glad that he finally showed some teeth. However, I disliked (on a purely emotional level that has nothing to do with the storytelling and I know it was necessary) that he had to get hurt to get there. He's just so good, so pure that it pains me to see him suffer. And this time around he had it so rough, especially at the end. But he really is changing the Heartstrikers and that's what really matters in the end. Because with the events in the DFZ I feel that only the combined power of the dragons and humans will be able to save humanity from Algonquin. She will not rest until she's wiped out humanity.
What I was looking forward to when I started NGDGU was learning more about Chelsie. She fascinated me from the start and I wondered what kind of hold Bethesda had on her. I still need to know more but what I learned made me like Chelsie even more. And hate the Heartstriker even more! She doesn't deserve to even breathe the same air as her daughter. I just hope she gets what she deserves at the end. And that Chelsie get a HEA after all she had suffered under that feathered snake.
As for the next book I can't wait to see what Bob has cooked. Especially after so his plot can move forward. I just wish it didn't require that big of a sacrifice because I really liked her. Hopefully it will be all worth it. But then we got an adorable out of it so it balances out a bit. And now I'm eagerly awaiting the next instalment and I'm glad I waited so long before reading NGDGU because I won't have to wait long!
Julius is truly a wonderful character. I loved how he stood up and stood by his own principles. I always knew he has some steel in him and I'm glad that he finally showed some teeth. However, I disliked (on a purely emotional level that has nothing to do with the storytelling and I know it was necessary) that he had to get hurt to get there. He's just so good, so pure that it pains me to see him suffer. And this time around he had it so rough, especially at the end. But he really is changing the Heartstrikers and that's what really matters in the end. Because with the events in the DFZ I feel that only the combined power of the dragons and humans will be able to save humanity from Algonquin. She will not rest until she's wiped out humanity.
What I was looking forward to when I started NGDGU was learning more about Chelsie. She fascinated me from the start and I wondered what kind of hold Bethesda had on her. I still need to know more but what I learned made me like Chelsie even more. And hate the Heartstriker even more! She doesn't deserve to even breathe the same air as her daughter. I just hope she gets what she deserves at the end. And that Chelsie get a HEA after all she had suffered under that feathered snake.
As for the next book I can't wait to see what Bob has cooked. Especially after so his plot can move forward. I just wish it didn't require that big of a sacrifice because I really liked her. Hopefully it will be all worth it. But then we got an adorable out of it so it balances out a bit. And now I'm eagerly awaiting the next instalment and I'm glad I waited so long before reading NGDGU because I won't have to wait long!
June 14, 2018
4.5 stars.
BR with the lovely Maraya
Me pretty much this whole book.
Things have absolutely not slowed down for this 3rd book in the series but escalated dramatically.
These books follow the dragon Julius and his partner/friend/maybe girlfriend Marci, a human mage. Julius is a seriously nice guy, a little too nice. This grated on me a couple times and lost a half star (though I know his niceness is part of the reason he is succeeding).
In this book Julius has risen to power in his clan and is struggling to maintain it and change the clan structure. Marci has gotten caught up in exploring her own magic. The two don't actually spend a ton of time together in this book, though they are never far from one another's thoughts.
There is a lot going on, so many different groups involved in intrigue - the dragon clans, the dragon seer Bob, internal dragon drama, spirits, human mages, ghosts. In these groups there are lots of lovely and many nasty characters. At this point I have serious attachments to them all (for their happiness or for wanting their misery!).
By the end I was happy with the progress Julius made but many things were left hanging. Since this is BR I'm going to have to wait for the next book, sob.
Until then:
PS The audio is fantastic as always!
BR with the lovely Maraya
Me pretty much this whole book.
Things have absolutely not slowed down for this 3rd book in the series but escalated dramatically.
These books follow the dragon Julius and his partner/friend/maybe girlfriend Marci, a human mage. Julius is a seriously nice guy, a little too nice. This grated on me a couple times and lost a half star (though I know his niceness is part of the reason he is succeeding).
In this book Julius has risen to power in his clan and is struggling to maintain it and change the clan structure. Marci has gotten caught up in exploring her own magic. The two don't actually spend a ton of time together in this book, though they are never far from one another's thoughts.
There is a lot going on, so many different groups involved in intrigue - the dragon clans, the dragon seer Bob, internal dragon drama, spirits, human mages, ghosts. In these groups there are lots of lovely and many nasty characters. At this point I have serious attachments to them all (for their happiness or for wanting their misery!).
By the end I was happy with the progress Julius made but many things were left hanging. Since this is BR I'm going to have to wait for the next book, sob.
Until then:
PS The audio is fantastic as always!
January 10, 2018
When Julius overthrew his mother and took control of his clan, he thought he was doing right by everyone. But sharing power isn’t part of any proper dragon’s vocabulary, and with one seat still open on the new ruling Council, all of Heartstriker is ready to do whatever it takes to get their claws on it, including killing the Nice Dragon who got them into this mess in the first place.
For the past three years my daughters and I have been listening to this series on our road trips and we thoroughly enjoyed this third book in the series. Once again the narration was great. Being one of those people who prefer to actually read rather than listen - I just feel a bit disconnected from a book when I listen to it instead read it - this is the only book series I actually look forward to listening to. I think that says a lot about the narrator, and probably also something about how much I enjoy listening to this book with my daughters.
If you haven't read this series yet and you like dragons and also urban fantasy you should give it a try. This one had quite the surprise ending that I don't think any of us saw coming and that's makes me want to listen to the next book right now, but I'll wait patiently until our next road trip - or maybe impatiently - but I'll wait.
For the past three years my daughters and I have been listening to this series on our road trips and we thoroughly enjoyed this third book in the series. Once again the narration was great. Being one of those people who prefer to actually read rather than listen - I just feel a bit disconnected from a book when I listen to it instead read it - this is the only book series I actually look forward to listening to. I think that says a lot about the narrator, and probably also something about how much I enjoy listening to this book with my daughters.
If you haven't read this series yet and you like dragons and also urban fantasy you should give it a try. This one had quite the surprise ending that I don't think any of us saw coming and that's makes me want to listen to the next book right now, but I'll wait patiently until our next road trip - or maybe impatiently - but I'll wait.
March 13, 2021
4.5 stars
A treasure trove of magic, spirits and dragon lore!
A treasure trove of magic, spirits and dragon lore!
August 28, 2021
Can this get any more epic and heartwarming and hope-restoring? (In your face, fads of grimdarkness, dystopianism and cynicism! :P) Can't wait to find out.
Favorite moments:
https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...
Favorite moments:
https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...
August 31, 2016
Once again, Rachel Aaron has knocked it out of the park with her character development, world building, and the overarching series plot arc. This series just keeps getting better and better! After the events of ONE GOOD DRAGON DESERVES ANOTHER, the Heartstriker dragon clan is in turmoil. Centuries-old beings like dragons aren’t exactly fond of change, but Julius Heartstriker, nice dragon extraordinaire, is hell-bent on changing the dynamics of Heartstriker…hopefully for the better.
But one dragon alone can’t pull it off, so Julius co-opts his siblings into helping him. I love the banter and snarky dialogue between the Heartstrikers, and found myself chuckling along as Julius tries to navigate his way through the mire that is dragon politics. The bizarre yet cunning seer Bob, mercurial clan enforcer Chelsie, and Justin, the macho dragon with a heart of gold, all join Julius in his quest for reform and his attempts to destabilize Bethesda Heartstriker’s power. Talk about some serious mommy issues! Seeing them all work together was so gratifying after their previous scuffles, and proved to be one of my favourite elements of NO GOOD DRAGON GOES UNPUNISHED.
This instalment also introduces some new dragons, including the previously unseen F clutch (a little of dragons, all of whom have names beginning with the letter “f”). Aaron does a great job explaining why we’ve never met – or even really heard about – these dragons before now, and the explanation both expands the Heartstriker universe and made me hate Bethesda more than ever before. That’s a truly impressive feat, since I love to hate her! Bethesda is one of my all-time favourite villains, because while she’s loathsome, her motives actually do make a lot of sense – so long as you discount compassion and ethics, of course. If you’ve read the series then I’m sure you know what I mean!
The shake up in power within Heartstriker combined with a certain hostile presence in the DFZ means that NO GOOD DRAGON GOES UNPUNISHED necessitated a change of setting from the previous two books in the series. We finally get more than a brief glimpse inside Heartstriker Mountain, the clan HQ located in the Arizona desert. I absolutely adored this change of scenery because it gave insight into the complexity of dragon politics and the alliances and feuds of the almost 200 Hearstriker siblings. We also got to see inside Chelsie’s suite of rooms, which revealed a ton of really interesting information about her backstory. Chelsie has suffered so much but she’s so strong! You guys, I love her. Girl has secrets, and I can’t wait until Julius puts two and two together and realizes exactly what went down in China…because when that inevitably gets out, it’s going to be explosive.
While all this dragon drama is going down, everyone’s favourite mage Marci is dealing with her own problems. Her bond with the spirit cat Ghost is growing stronger, providing a source of comfort and increased power while also starting to scare her. And the events of NO GOOD DRAGON GOES UNPUNISHED make it pretty clear that while Ghost does love Marci, she should definitely be scared. As a crazy powerful mage who associates with dragons, it’s not a surprise when Marci comes to the attention of big-shot mages who essentially want to co-opt her power. Very draconic behaviour, ironically! I absolutely adored seeing Marci stand up to these people, especially since it meant that she had to forego the opportunity to rub elbows with her magical idol. She’s really come into her own throughout the series, just like Julius has. I can’t wait to see where her story arc goes from here!
If you’re not reading this series, you should correct that immediately. There’s truly something for everyone in the Heartstriker series, particularly if you want to read about atypical protagonists and fascinating world building!
But one dragon alone can’t pull it off, so Julius co-opts his siblings into helping him. I love the banter and snarky dialogue between the Heartstrikers, and found myself chuckling along as Julius tries to navigate his way through the mire that is dragon politics. The bizarre yet cunning seer Bob, mercurial clan enforcer Chelsie, and Justin, the macho dragon with a heart of gold, all join Julius in his quest for reform and his attempts to destabilize Bethesda Heartstriker’s power. Talk about some serious mommy issues! Seeing them all work together was so gratifying after their previous scuffles, and proved to be one of my favourite elements of NO GOOD DRAGON GOES UNPUNISHED.
This instalment also introduces some new dragons, including the previously unseen F clutch (a little of dragons, all of whom have names beginning with the letter “f”). Aaron does a great job explaining why we’ve never met – or even really heard about – these dragons before now, and the explanation both expands the Heartstriker universe and made me hate Bethesda more than ever before. That’s a truly impressive feat, since I love to hate her! Bethesda is one of my all-time favourite villains, because while she’s loathsome, her motives actually do make a lot of sense – so long as you discount compassion and ethics, of course. If you’ve read the series then I’m sure you know what I mean!
The shake up in power within Heartstriker combined with a certain hostile presence in the DFZ means that NO GOOD DRAGON GOES UNPUNISHED necessitated a change of setting from the previous two books in the series. We finally get more than a brief glimpse inside Heartstriker Mountain, the clan HQ located in the Arizona desert. I absolutely adored this change of scenery because it gave insight into the complexity of dragon politics and the alliances and feuds of the almost 200 Hearstriker siblings. We also got to see inside Chelsie’s suite of rooms, which revealed a ton of really interesting information about her backstory. Chelsie has suffered so much but she’s so strong! You guys, I love her. Girl has secrets, and I can’t wait until Julius puts two and two together and realizes exactly what went down in China…because when that inevitably gets out, it’s going to be explosive.
While all this dragon drama is going down, everyone’s favourite mage Marci is dealing with her own problems. Her bond with the spirit cat Ghost is growing stronger, providing a source of comfort and increased power while also starting to scare her. And the events of NO GOOD DRAGON GOES UNPUNISHED make it pretty clear that while Ghost does love Marci, she should definitely be scared. As a crazy powerful mage who associates with dragons, it’s not a surprise when Marci comes to the attention of big-shot mages who essentially want to co-opt her power. Very draconic behaviour, ironically! I absolutely adored seeing Marci stand up to these people, especially since it meant that she had to forego the opportunity to rub elbows with her magical idol. She’s really come into her own throughout the series, just like Julius has. I can’t wait to see where her story arc goes from here!
If you’re not reading this series, you should correct that immediately. There’s truly something for everyone in the Heartstriker series, particularly if you want to read about atypical protagonists and fascinating world building!
October 7, 2016
Boring, sad to say, since the prequels were good. A long tease, with too much talk and very little delivery. The plot line progressed at a snail's pace, everything taking place within a few days, directly on the heels of the prequel, where Julius forced Bethesda to release clan control to a council. Julius repeatedly preached to various dragons (Gregory, David, Chelsea, Bethsesda, etc) about how the clan doesn't need to be controlled through fear, suffering, and secrets. The ending has several sudden plot twists. Nearly all the action occurs in the last lap.
Julius and Marci are almost never together in this book, by the way.
Action is mired down in talk. I noticed in the two prior books that Rachel Aaron stuffs her stories with almost nonstop dialogue, but this felt overwhelming, especially in audio format. Blah blah blah talking (and thinking) about what a Mortal Soul is, and politics — family politics, council meetings, elections, ugh.
The F-clutch plot thread is fairly interesting. And I liked the scene between Conrad and Gregory. We do finally face off against Algonquin the Spirit of the Lake, but not until late in the book, and by then I wanted it to be over.
Julius the dragon has become increasingly predictable and boringly good. Plus, I grew frustrated with his absolute inability to hear / listen to what Chelsea was telling him about her secret, and her forced role as clan enforcer, Bathesda's assassin.
What's the point in writing dragon-shifters into your story if they behave totally like people all the time, rarely transforming?
I probably won't read the next book, unless it's free or a daily deal.
Julius and Marci are almost never together in this book, by the way.
Action is mired down in talk. I noticed in the two prior books that Rachel Aaron stuffs her stories with almost nonstop dialogue, but this felt overwhelming, especially in audio format. Blah blah blah talking (and thinking) about what a Mortal Soul is, and politics — family politics, council meetings, elections, ugh.
The F-clutch plot thread is fairly interesting. And I liked the scene between Conrad and Gregory. We do finally face off against Algonquin the Spirit of the Lake, but not until late in the book, and by then I wanted it to be over.
Julius the dragon has become increasingly predictable and boringly good. Plus, I grew frustrated with his absolute inability to hear / listen to what Chelsea was telling him about her secret, and her forced role as clan enforcer, Bathesda's assassin.
What's the point in writing dragon-shifters into your story if they behave totally like people all the time, rarely transforming?
I probably won't read the next book, unless it's free or a daily deal.
February 6, 2017
No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished: Heartstriker 3
Reading in chronological order is recommended
In A Nutshell: A well-written dragon fantasy book that draws you in and holds you till the end. It has action, humour and magic. It covers every emotion and is an outstanding work.
The Protagonist: Julius Heartstriker runt of his clutch is a nice dragon who has come into his own. Julius has all the strength his mother wanted him to possess. Except now I guess she wishes he had less of it.
The Plot: Julius has overthrown the great Bethesda Heartstriker, and now he is setting up a democracy. First, he has to live to see his ruling council come to fruition. With all the Heartstrikers in the mountain home for the vote (100 members), things look dangerous for Julius. The machinations begin, but Julius is a conviction politician. Meanwhile, Marci is also attracting a lot of Heartstriker and international attention, although I have a 'but' on how Marci's story ends.
There are many subplots in this book, and they are all good. It is action packed, but that is borne of plotting. The book essentially focuses on Julius and his struggle to get a constitutional council up and running. Not everybody wants freedom and plots are afoot to defeat Julius one way or the other.
We meet a new set of dragons (F Clutch) who are the clan administrators. Again the characters are convincing and unique to those that went before. Each dragon has a personality, and where there is pain in their lives, you feel it.
The writing is effortless. There were parts of the dialogue that I reread toward the end of the book because I liked the way Rachel Aaron handled the introspective moments. Like the previous two books, I could not put this book down. In some ways, this book is more sombre, yet it finishes with high hope.
Brilliant. A must read.
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Book Rating
Sexual Content: U
Language: U
Violent: U
Would I read the next oneor reread ?: Yes
My rating system (* = star)
0* Could not finish this book (waste of time)
1* Finished the book but didn't like it.
2* Finished the book it was okay.
3* A good read worth your time.
4* An excellent read often with a novel concept or unusual plot.
5* A magnificent read. A prominent example of the genre.
Reading in chronological order is recommended
In A Nutshell: A well-written dragon fantasy book that draws you in and holds you till the end. It has action, humour and magic. It covers every emotion and is an outstanding work.
The Protagonist: Julius Heartstriker runt of his clutch is a nice dragon who has come into his own. Julius has all the strength his mother wanted him to possess. Except now I guess she wishes he had less of it.
The Plot: Julius has overthrown the great Bethesda Heartstriker, and now he is setting up a democracy. First, he has to live to see his ruling council come to fruition. With all the Heartstrikers in the mountain home for the vote (100 members), things look dangerous for Julius. The machinations begin, but Julius is a conviction politician. Meanwhile, Marci is also attracting a lot of Heartstriker and international attention, although I have a 'but' on how Marci's story ends.
There are many subplots in this book, and they are all good. It is action packed, but that is borne of plotting. The book essentially focuses on Julius and his struggle to get a constitutional council up and running. Not everybody wants freedom and plots are afoot to defeat Julius one way or the other.
We meet a new set of dragons (F Clutch) who are the clan administrators. Again the characters are convincing and unique to those that went before. Each dragon has a personality, and where there is pain in their lives, you feel it.
The writing is effortless. There were parts of the dialogue that I reread toward the end of the book because I liked the way Rachel Aaron handled the introspective moments. Like the previous two books, I could not put this book down. In some ways, this book is more sombre, yet it finishes with high hope.
Brilliant. A must read.
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Book Rating
Sexual Content: U
Language: U
Violent: U
Would I read the next one
My rating system (* = star)
0* Could not finish this book (waste of time)
1* Finished the book but didn't like it.
2* Finished the book it was okay.
3* A good read worth your time.
4* An excellent read often with a novel concept or unusual plot.
5* A magnificent read. A prominent example of the genre.
August 7, 2016
4.5 stars. The stakes are getting a lot higher in book 3. It's a really long book but very easy to read and full of action. Nice dragon Julius and his loyal friend Marci are separated for most of the book as Julius deals with forming the new Heartstriker council after his mother was deposed and Marci is dealing with other scary forces who are interested in her Mortal Spirit Ghost. Bethesda is deliciously heartless and evil. Reminds me of Cersei a lot. Ghost is mysterious and at times it's hard to know if he's good or bad.
I loved that Chelsi's story was the bookend for this volume. The mysterious reason she is enslaved to Bethesda and her final flight from Heartstriker mountain after Julius freed her is so interesting. I can't wait to see what happens with her now.
Even though there were some sad endings for some of the characters in this book I think it adds a necessary gravitas because otherwise this series could become a little Disney. The characters are just so freakin ADORABLE. One of the other reviewers has done some fanart of Julius, Marci, Justin and the rest of the gang and it's really worth looking at if you're wondering whether or not to pick this series up: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I loved that Chelsi's story was the bookend for this volume. The mysterious reason she is enslaved to Bethesda and her final flight from Heartstriker mountain after Julius freed her is so interesting. I can't wait to see what happens with her now.
Even though there were some sad endings for some of the characters in this book I think it adds a necessary gravitas because otherwise this series could become a little Disney. The characters are just so freakin ADORABLE. One of the other reviewers has done some fanart of Julius, Marci, Justin and the rest of the gang and it's really worth looking at if you're wondering whether or not to pick this series up: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 16, 2016
OMG, the entire time I was reading this I was thinking "maaaan, this is a five star book!" and then she left Marci unresolved. It was on a sweet note, but totally unresolved. One-starring this for a cliff hanger would just be wrong, but be warned - there are several major loose ends here.
I suppose it's understandable given how very much progress was made in this book, and I think it was significantly longer than the previous books, too.
It was really good, but I am hopeful to not have to wait an entire year to get the end of this story!
I suppose it's understandable given how very much progress was made in this book, and I think it was significantly longer than the previous books, too.
It was really good, but I am hopeful to not have to wait an entire year to get the end of this story!
March 26, 2018
Julius Heartstriker wins!
September 7, 2018
Read/finished (audio): 4 Sept 2018 (★★★★½)
OMG, I can't even... No. No way can the cliffy/TBC ending be as it seems, given certain things that preceded it.
Won't ruin for others. Just be warned—don't read #3 w/o having #4 on standby.
OMG, I can't even... No. No way can the cliffy/TBC ending be as it seems, given certain things that preceded it.
Won't ruin for others. Just be warned—don't read #3 w/o having #4 on standby.
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