Last Dragon Standing

Heartstrikers #5

by Rachel Aaron

Dear Reader,

There is no way to write a blurb for this final book without spoiling all of the others. Suffice it to say, mysteries resolve, dragons war, pigeons abound, and Julius must risk himself in ways he never dreamed possible as Bob’s grand plan finally comes to fruition.

But the Great Seer of the Heartstrikers isn’t the only one whose schemes are nearing completion. The Nameless End is coming, and even the machinations of the world’s most brilliant dragon seer might not be enough to stop it. As the world comes crashing down, it’s up Julius to prove what he’s always known: that seers can be wrong, and Nice Dragons don’t always finish last.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Dragons, Audiobook, Magic, Romance, Paranormal

297 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2018

About the author

Hello, 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.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartstrikers is easily the most fun I’ve ever had in an urban fantasy series.

And so this is the end of the series, for now. It’s by all means not a perfect series and I know I haven’t read a lot of urban fantasy for my opening statement to hold a lot of strength. However, the reason why I rarely read UF in the first place is that my experience with the genre—with the exception of Paternus by Dyrk Ashton—is more or less the same as my experience towards YA books: mediocre, disappointing, and 100% rate of over hyped. Heartstrikers, like Julius Heartstrikers, managed to do the unthinkable and grabbed my attention until the end of the series; I binge read this series in less than two weeks after all.

The blurb stated it already and I won’t be talking about anything other than this is where we finally get to see Bob’s grand plan revealed in full. Bob in this book be like



As far as conclusion goes, Heartstrikers landed its ending wonderfully and satisfyingly. Do know though that if you expect this to be action packed like the majority of the final installment in an high/epic fantasy, you’ll most likely be disappointed because this book is still full of talking. I have to admit that after the first 30% of the book, which was basically the characters standing around talking and planning, I’m starting to get impatient despite how much I enjoyed the prose and dialogues. It’s not only 30% but 75% of this book consisted of the characters simply standing around and talking. I know this has been the same since the third book of the series but I truly expected the pacing of the last book of this series to return to greatness like it did in the second book, which in my opinion is hands down the best installment within the series. This brought me to the minor issues I had for the book.

I won’t lie, I probably will stop myself from starting any five-book series in the future, the number five seems like a curse for me because every five-book fantasy series I’ve read have the same issue: it should’ve been four books and this series is no exception. A lot of info dump sections (more or less 200 pages) in the fourth book could’ve been replaced with contents from this book. Replacing the info dump in the fourth book (which believe me, I forgot all of them already even though I just read it three days ago) with the important part of this book would make Heartstrikers a super incredible series.

The final 25% was satisfying and worth the conclusion. A lot of positive messages can be gained from reading this book and the ending was satisfying. I’ve had the fortune of reading plenty of great indies (or originally indie) series such as Books of Babel by Josiah Bancroft, Arcane Ascension by Andrew Rowe, Paternus trilogy by Dyrk Ashton, The Lot Lands by Jonathan French, and Riyria Revelations by Michael J. Sullivan, and I strongly believe that despite its flaws, Heartstrikers belong in that list.

For those of you who are looking for an urban fantasy series with a unique take on dragons, superb characterizations, a simple prose that doesn’t get it in the way of the plot, but most of all fun, look no further because most likely you’ll have a blast with this series like I did. I highly recommend Heartstrikers and special thank you to my friend, TS, who recommended this series to me.

Series review:

Nice Dragons Finish Last: 3.5/5 stars
One Good Dragon Deserves Another: 4.5/5 stars
No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished: 4/5 stars
A Dragon of a Different Color: 4/5 stars
Last Dragon Standing: 4/5 stars

Heartstrikers: 20/25 stars

You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest

[TS Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Heartstrikers series is a triumph of urban high fantasy that is positively overflowing with heart and magic.

With a conclusion that is so satisfying that it leaves me basking in the afterglow of completing an amazing series, Heartstrikers have sunk its dragon claws into my heart and established itself as my favourite urban fantasy series.

The series started with a fairly light touch as it introduces the reader to the world in which dragons walked the earth in human form and magic has returned after a thousand years of drought. And of course, to Julius Heartstriker, the titular 'nice dragon', whom the tale spins and revolves around. With every instalment, the scale and epicity (if this is not yet a word, it should be) of the story increases - the most dramatic leap being from the first to the second book of the series.

Rachel Aaron has created the most fascinating magic system out of the lore of this world in which we live; from dragons and seers to spirits of the land, creatures and mortals, and human mages. The expository narrative mirrors the progression of the story as it gets larger and wider in scope. The reason why I deem this an urban high fantasy is simply because of the sheer scope of magic contained in the narrative. Furthermore, the dragons in these series are inspired by folk lore around these mythical creatures, from Quetzalcoatl of the Meso-Americans to the Qilin of the Chinese.


Quetzalcoatl (By Genzoman - DeviantArt)

Magic aside, the highlight of this marvellous series lies with its characters. Every single one of its characters is memorable, and I feel so much joy picking up the book and flipping the pages to spend time with them again. One of my favourite characters, who remained pretty enigmatic throughout the series thus far was Brohomir, or Bob, the Great Seer of the Heartstrikers, together with his consort, the pigeon. This volume is where the revelation of Bob's endgame comes to the fore. The Prologue alone made me squeal with anticipation.

Without going into any further details of this book, given that anything else will be a spoiler, I will just say that the climax was so beautifully done that I was reading it through my tears! It truly was down to our wonderful nice dragon, Julius Heartstriker, the one whom Bob calls his lynchpin of all the planning he did in the past several centuries. With the entire world's survival at stake - and this is not an overstatement by any measure - what can the weakest, smallest and youngest dragon of the Heartstrikers do to save everyone when even the most powerful cannot? Not through sheer might, of course, but through sheer will; an iron will born of compassion, empathy and mercy, be it for family, friends or antagonists.

"He's very used to disappointment. He just refuses to expect it. That's what makes him stronger than the rest of us."

Although that may sound a tad cheesy, trust me, it is not. That is the key theme or message that the story conveys. Through centuries past, humanity had undergone persistent and devastating conflicts arising out of hatred, intolerance, and the inability to break or see through stereotypes. Show of strength through violence had not and will not get us anywhere, but back into this vicious cycle of continuous strife. Its social commentary on the current state of our world affairs is highly relevant, and I have to say that our world needs way more Juliuses, especially in leadership roles.

I cannot recommend this series highly enough. If you love dragons (seriously, how can you not?), and if you like lots and lots of magic with great characters and a compelling tale to boot, pick up the Heartstrikers series right now!

This review can also be found at Booknest

[Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

So here we are, finally at the end of this series. And what a spectacular ride is has been!

It's bittersweet to be here because it's always wonderful to complete a series you love & finally see its resolution, but it's never fun to say goodbye to a cast of characters that have grown to feel like family.

This is just such a cozy little tale & honestly I can't wait to reread the books in the future.

However, this is unfortunately the weakest installment for me. It's not by any means a bad ending, so please do not interpret me that way.

In fact, this series evolved into some crazy epic situations that I never imagined possible just after finishing Nice Dragons Finish Last. As it turns out, I'm feeling quite satisfied with the way events worked out & I have relished the journey.

However, I can't escape the feeling that perhaps the last two books maybe could've been divided up a bit differently? Shortening A Dragon of a Different Color, and perhaps adding some of the plot resolution from that book to Last Dragon Standing would've been a smooth way to combat the "tacked on" feeling I got while finishing up the Heartstrikers series.

Still, there are a handful of excellent moments here, and until I saw the events play out I really wasn't certain how the situation could possibly resolve itself. So Aaron gets all the points for creativity & a fulfilling conclusion.

It seems like most of my issue here stems purely from organization. Also, I would've liked the timeline from the first to the last book to extend a bit further than it did. I believe the whole series takes place over 4 months or so? It feels like I've spent closer to 4 years with these characters. For a couple of things that came to light at the end, that just feels way too fast.

That said, the praises I've heaped on these books in my previous reviews still stand for this final installment. It's full of uplifting messages, unique circumstances, and is ultimately a barrel of fun at its core. It easily stands apart from other Urban Fantasy books I've read, and I'd recommend it even for readers hesitant about that genre, as I tend to be.

Heartstrikers is truly an accomplishment, even if I hoped for just a little more from this last book, I still felt completely comfortable rounding up because overall I've had a blast. I can't wait to read the next book Aaron comes out with, as I'm confident she will only continue to improve as a writer & storyteller.

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 2 out of 5]

[2.5 stars] My thoughts on this final book (reluctant disappointment) are vastly different from my thoughts of the series as a whole (happy feelings). The series is such a unique blend of genres and ideas, with some of the most memorable characters you’ll ever come across. No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished (Book #3) is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. All that said, although I loved where the story ended, I had quite a few issues with how it got there and can’t help but feel let down by the overall execution of the last two novels of this series.

My #1 Issue: pacing. Rachel Aaron is also known for her super insightful 10000 words a day writing technique (one I’ve tried and it really makes a difference!). Unfortunate, I think all of that unbridled word vomit inevitably led to two final books that were unnecessarily drawn out, wordy, and dialogue-driven than necessary. At least 90% of Last Dragon Standing was strictly dialogue – rehashing ideas and other endless explanations and discussions. The 10% of actual plot advancement was amazing 5-star quality writing, it just took FOREVER to get there. I sincerely think the series could’ve turned out amazing had books 4 and 5 been condensed into a single novel. I did not pick up anything new in book 5 that wasn’t explained 10 different ways throughout book 4, and all of that endless dialogue effectively killed any momentum it had going for it coming into the finale. I maintain that a more concise flow would’ve made for an absolutely KILLER conclusion to this series. Overall, it felt very… self indulgent seems to harsh a phrase, but it definitely looks to me as though the story could’ve benefited from an more impartial outside perspective (such as a publishing house) by requiring a more intensive edit. That’s just my personal opinion on the matter based in part on comparing these last two books to her other trad-pub titles (which had perfect pacing).

Whatever the cause, the end result felt an opportunity wasted.

But is the series still worth reading? That’s an easy: absolutely!

I went into this final book with clear expectations, so I was specifically looking for things to go a certain way. At the end of book 4, I stated: “I swear if they try to rationalize and discuss things with the enemy in the final book, I’m going to throw a fit” … which I did. And: “If she can write at least 50% of the final book without endless dialogue and explanation, I’ll be happy” …which I wasn’t. So you can see how I set myself up for a bit of disappointment. However, the friends I read it with over at Fantasy Buddy Reads didn’t dive in with such a picky mindset, and for the most part loved the dialogue and character immersion this book had to offer. They had so much fun with it, and I was the raincloud on their parade (I hate it when I do that). Also keep in mind that this series produced one of my favorite books EVER (#3) and I still absolutely loved the vast majority of it. I am just feeling very over-critical of the final installment. For what it’s worth, I really like how it ended. :)

Recommendations: Heartstrikers is an excellent series to dive into if you like fun characters, dragons, great world-building, more dragons, and awesome moments. My personal issues with the final book aside, it’s a unique series well worth your time of you’re in the mood to have some fun. :)

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

Other books you might like:

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Dragon standing could be called What about Bob.



This is the book where we find out what all of the Pigeon loving seer’s machinations were for and why Julian has been the lynchpin to so many of his plots.

This was a solid conclusion to an overall really good series. We got the big fight against the Nameless End, a fitting conclusion to the animosity with Algonquin, some Marci and Julius alone time and so much more.

A Dragon of a Different color suffered a lot from info dumping and it made sections of that story dull and lackluster. While there are some magical lessons laid on us in What about Bob they are far less and were a bit more entertaining. I do think though that with some editing books 4 and 5 could have been done together to wrap this all up. Still overall I don’t have many complaints for the overall series.

Julian has always been one of my favorites to root for since the beginning of the series and adore how much our baby dragon has grown over the series. You can see how he will continue to be the bind force behind Dragons and other creatures moving forward from this story.

Marci is a great female character as well. She is strong, smart, independent and completely herself at all times. I love how generally excited about the world she is and how that tumbles out of her uncontrollably sometimes.

I’m sad to see the series end but it has been a solid ride and I love where the story ended up.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review now posted!

This was pretty close to perfect for me. I have a new series to add to my favorites shelf!

I love fantasy; it’s my favorite genre by far. However, so much of the fantasy genre is plagued by darkness. While that often makes for a very good story, one of the reasons I read is to escape from the real world, and that level of darkness negates escapism for me. When real life is hard, I sometimes feel overburdened when I add a grimdark novel to the mix.

And that is exactly why I loved this series so much. The past few weeks have been hard, but I always had this series to turn to for some distraction. Even in this book, which was by far the darkest in the series, there was just an unrelenting sense of hope. I can’t tell you how nice that was, to keep returning to a series with a main character who was doggedly optimistic in the face of staggering odds.

This installment was apocalyptic, with every character involved fighting together to prevent the end of the world. The fact that so many beings, humans and mages and spirits and dragons, could work together without killing each other was a huge testament to the influence Julius Heartstriker had had on his world. The fact that he could even gather all of the world’s dragons in one place without war breaking out was incredibly impressive. All of his pacifism and unerring forgiveness, which I have to confess irked me earlier on in the series, was totally validated in this final installment. Without his reputation for peace-making, the majority of the events in this book wouldn’t have been possible.

We also finally saw the ending of and reasoning behind all of Bob’s machinations. And they were fascinating! The mysterious pigeon is finally explained. We see a family that has always been at each other’s throats band together. There’s not much else I can say without giving away important plot points from preceding books, but I will say this: Heartstrikers is one of the most vibrant and refreshing series I’ve ever read in any genre. It’s uplifting and hopeful and clean. Because of that hopefulness, I always felt secure in believing that everything would work out okay in the end, even when things were at their darkest. Some people mind find that such certainty dilutes the drama and tension of the story, but I didn’t find that to be the case. Why should we always have to fear the worst in order to truly appreciate the best?

I feel like I could recommend this series to anyone between the ages of 12 and 80 without worrying about the content. It doesn’t have foul language, the few sex scenes occur off-page, and there are honestly not very violent crimes outside of legitimate fights. Yes, there is blood and violence, but even that isn’t described in visceral detail. Do you know how few series there are that fit those perimeters that isn’t actually a middle grade series? Incredibly few. This is one of the cleanest things I’ve ever read outside of the middle grade or Christian genres, and I appreciated that more than I can say. I can actually tell people that this series is good, clean fun without feeling like I’m stretching the truth in any way.

I honestly can’t recommend this series highly enough. I know some people didn’t enjoy this last book as much as those that came before it, but I found it immensely satisfying. While not every book was a 5 star book, in my opinion this is definitely a 5 star series. I can already see if being a series I return to for comfort when life is hard or sad or not going according to plan. It’s a series that I’m already planning to ask my husband to buy me for Christmas, because these books deserve a place on my shelf.

A huge thanks to the lovely TS for convincing me to pick up Aaron's work and for being there to discuss it with me!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odlican zavrsetak za ovaj vrlo zabavan serijal. Ocekivano imamo dosta ozbiljnijih momenata, vecina misterija je odlicno objasnjena i moc prijateljstva i razumevanja pobedjuje na kraju. Sa te strane je sve ocekivano ali opet put koji likovi predju jeste neocekivan pa samim tim i interesantan.

Sem toga sta reci, zabavni likovi sa puno humora u razgovorima, pricom koja drzi paznju i dobrim krajem.

Svaka preporuka.

[D.G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best covers I've seen in UF. Every little detail is PERFECT because it's so Bob! The flowing long hair, the brown skin, the green eyes, the high cheekbones, the SLY EXPRESSION ON HIS FACE!!! The broad shoulders, his casual pose, the red jacket (one of his favorites!), his lady love (the pigeon) and a world in flames. Just perfect!!

RTC

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has been great! Truly epic throughout and I am so very happy with how it all finalised too. This is book #5 in the series, so of course I can't really say too much about what happens, but suffice to say the stakes are the highest they have ever been in this book, and there's a lot of trouble ahead for our main characters.

This story once more follows Julius and the Merlin and the adventures they have trying to save the world and convince people to work together. The world is divided into humans, mages, dragons and spirits (mortal and natural). None of these groups want to get along usually, but we see that the fate of the world is relying on them all doing just that. If Julius can't get them all to work together, then the whole entire world may collapse, with all of them inside it...

What I love about this series is that it's a super light and upbeat story, and yet it has so much scale and drama too. You certainly feel like the action is fast and furious, and the characters are powerful beyond belief, but the dangers are too so everything scales and matches accordingly, leaving a really awesome story.

I love the way the issues were resolved in this, and I also really enjoyed seeing how the Seers fitted in and the new spirits were forced to understand more about themselves too. There was a lot that came together in this book, and some of the mysteries from previous books were also explained and we got to see how they were resolved (e.g. who is this pigeon? who is the next Seer etc.)

Overall, this was a great series ender, and yet there is room to go back to the world and the ideas Aaron has created here. I can't wait to see what happens next, even though this story is over, and I will for sure be buying whatever Aaron brings out here. 4.5*s from me :)

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sheer joy to read, the Heartstrikers series has earned its place on my favourites shelf. Full review to come.

[Molly Mortensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3 1/2 stars. As satisfied as I was with the end of the final battle and the wrap up afterwards, I was bored through the first 75% of this book.

Up until that wrap up, this book takes place in the few (3?) hours before the world is destroyed. Basically the whole book is the final battle. Through the actual excitement doesn't start until the halfway point, with the first HALF being filled with nothing but talk. (I understand that the talking is important, we had things to learn and big plans to make, but there was too much.)

As dramatic as stopping the end of the world is, I much prefered the smaller problems our characters faced in the beginning. Remember when Julius just had to prove himself to his mother?

The world building has been one of the strengths of this series and the explanation for how Nameless Ends work and seeing the future (potential futures) was really cool. It amazes me how she can add more to this world.

Series enders are tricky. Too often all of the build up feels anticlimactic. Here that wasn't the case. Defeating the Leviathan was appropriately difficult (maybe a bit too difficult) but I enjoyed the twists at the end.

Unfortunately, the fun of these books, the cute characters interactions was mostly absent from this finale.

It's sad that my favorite parts were the ones without the main characters. I love Chelsie, Bob, and Amelia! And we finally get Bob's POV! (However small, along with a tiny bit from Chelsey, and even a part by Fredrick!)

In the end, we learn what's next for Julius and it was absolutely perfect!

More needed to be done with Julius and Marcy's relationship though. My one complaint in the last book was that they went from, boom I like you to let's have sex. Unfortunately, afterwards they didn't have time to talk, what with the world ending. We're given little moments amongst the battle but there wasn't the time their relationship deserved after five books. [Before boom I love you, let's get married. Seriously?!]

I could've done without the epilogue. I rarely like umpteen years laters. (In this case twenty.)

[Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is super rambly, not sorry.

This book has been a hell of a journey. At first I had to wait for the physical edition (because I couldn't afford buying the kindle, read that and then buy physical to complete the physical collection). Then I had to wait for money. Then I ordered from amazon, package gets damaged during shipping, and sent pack to amazon. I reorder book. it arrives damaged due to shitty packaging (also that whole order is another hell of a story). I wait a few days to finish up other books and FINALLY can read this one.

I was terrified to start this one beCAUSE IT'S SO FRIGGING SHORT LIke it's almost as short as the first book if not shorter and since it's the last book I had expected a brick full of draconic shenanigans and also end of the world kind of dooms. But if they had stuck to Julius plan A the book wouldn't even have been 100 pages so some useless fighting before that.

Also I ALMOST believed Julius death was a death-death and not fake-death. ALMOST. But like you don't just kill of Nice Dragon™ and think it will actually work. He was dead for like 10 pages, during which I obviously sobbed like a baby. Oh I am very mad at him for sacrificing himself like that, though it was a very Julius thing to do.

Also Julius and Marci is the fluffiest couple ever, the cuteness gave me tooth cavities and diabetes but their happiness is all that matters to me. Marci is one of very few thing Julius deserves in these books. He's the preciousest little cinnamon roll, too good for this world and DO NOT deserve all shit that's been thrown at him through this series.

I could also do without the epilogue. I'm not a fan of these epilogues that takes place several years later (we all know what other book series i have in mind here), because I rather make up my own head-canons for the future of the characters than having it told to me. Sequels are okay because then we get more books and stuff, though I am iffy with those because if it's too far into the future there might be a whole new cast of characters and I might just end up missing the old one.

While my heart is now a big hole because no more Julius books, Rachel promised more book in this world, coming in 2019 already (which is really soooooon) but I'm scared because when is it set? What characters will we follow? Will I hate it because there's no chance in the world I will love anyone more than I love Julius Nice Dragon™ Heartstriker????

I'm going to stop ramble now and go to sleep.

[Miche · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited for this book. It had so much potential to be the best of the series, but it ended up being the weakest installment. The story presented here didn't have enough plot development for one book. It feels like book 5 was part of 4, but since 4 got too big for the genre, the text was split into two. I don't think that was the best tactic. With a more throughout edition process, these two books should have been condensed into one and it would have been as amazing as book 3. As they stand now, they are two good books with pacing issues. Nonetheless, Last Dragon Standing provided a satisfactory ending to the series and it even brought a few tears to my eyes.

The Heartstrikers series was a refreshing and fun series to read. I will definitely pick-up other books from Rachel Aaron.

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/05/06/...

There’s a good reason why there’s not an official summary for this fifth and final novel of the Heartstrikers series, and that the description you will find everywhere is a message to the reader from the author about how there’s no way to write a blurb for this book without spoiling all the others. That’s because it’s true. So much has happened over the course of this series, with events and revelations piled up on top of one another, that to single out any thread would be a risk to unravel and reveal more information than I want to give. So, if you’re reading this review, I’ll assume that you are at least caught up to this point in the series, and if you’re not, be aware that there are potential plot details for the previous four volumes.

Last Dragon Standing picks up right up from the events at the end of Dragon of a Different Color. But before the story starts up in earnest, readers are given a brief glimpse into the past with Bob, our favorite dragon seer, who is seen striking a bargain that will change the course of Heartstriker history forever. We are then zipped back to the present, catching up with all our key players who have all gathered around the Detroit Free Zone following the aftermath of what happened to Algonquin, the spirit of the Great Lakes. There have been happy reunions all around—with lovers, friends, family, and even enemies coming together again—and that also includes the return of a couple characters that everyone thought was dead. But the celebrations have barely begun, when a new threat comes looming on the horizon—quite literally.

As epic as this finale was though, I had some concerns. For one thing, I can see why now Rachel Aaron had to make this a five-book series to wrap things up. Don’t get me wrong, I think this final volume was absolutely required, but it irked me a little that so much of it was made up of nothing but talk. If I hadn’t been so invested in the story already, I think I would have been bored to tears, and even then, there were times where the amount of talk really tried my patience. Up to this point, each Heartstriker novel has been a lot of fun, full of action and witty banter. It saddens me that I can’t really say the same for Last Dragon Standing, because at least two thirds of it was filled with our characters doing nothing but just standing around, explaining the situation or discussing battle plans in a very dry, in-your-face tone. Not that this kind of information wasn’t important to the plot, but it still felt an awful lot like blatant info-dumping.

I also think that’s a clear sign of a book trying to do too much when you literally need to have a character chime in and explain what’s happening every single step of the way. In a sense, one of the series’ greatest strengths has become its biggest liability. I’ve always loved the incredible world-building in Heartstrikers and how every book has introduced new elements as well as bigger, badder, and more overwhelming threats for Julius and the gang to face. But now we’ve gotten to the point where the situation has ballooned into something barely manageable, and yet, we still have to tie everything together in one final volume that also happens to be the shortest book of the series.

Still, I don’t know if things could have turned out any differently. As I said before, Last Dragon Standing completes the author’s vision of Julius’ journey, bringing everything full circle back to where we began, in the DFZ. Only now, our nice dragon is no longer alone or quite so powerless. Everything has been building up to this point, and at the end of the day, getting a satisfying conclusion that addresses all questions and conflicts is probably worth putting up a few pacing issues, or having to soldier through some lengthy sections of dialogue. Also, the last quarter of the book was amazing, which went a long way in making up for the tedious talk at the beginning. It was an emotional rollercoaster, and despite feeling confident that Rachel Aaron would leave us all with a happy ending, I still got extremely nervous there for a little while.

Bottom line, as the finale of one of my favorite series, I wish Last Dragon Standing had been a little more fun to read. However, if you’ve been following the books thus far, you probably won’t be too bothered by the lack of action. While this one was mostly full of talk, all of it still went towards building up to the stunning climax. As befitting a series conclusion, the antagonist was an insurmountable threat requiring all our characters coming together to defeat, and that part of the battle was handled in a truly epic fashion. Everyone—and I do mean everyone—we’ve come to know and love in this series will have a part to play, and I really enjoyed the feel-good, fist-pumping energy in the final showdown. All in all, that ending makes this a must-read book in a must-read series, and Heartstrikers will always have a special place in my heart and on my shelves. I can’t wait to see what Rachel Aaron does next.

Audiobook Comments: Vikas Adam has become the voice of this series, and I think I’ll always know him for the incredible performances he has given for these books. He was so good that I’ll even miss his “Bob voice”, which is really saying something! I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Heartstrikers in audio; I’ve had just as much fun listening to this series as reading it, and both formats have been greatly entertaining and rewarding.

[Jenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review for the fifth and final Heartstrikers book. If you're thinking of getting into the series, check out Tam's review of book #1, Nice Dragons Finish Last ! In this review there are  spoilers for books #1-4.

Last Dragon Standing is a fun, fast-paced, and extremely satisfying conclusion to a fun, fast-paced series.

The book picks up right where the last one left off: with most of the key players — dragon, human, and spirit — gathered in the DFZ and the threat of the Leviathan looming right above them. Together they must figure out a way to save the city and, indeed, their entire plane of existence. As if that wasn't enough, the Great Seer of the Heartstrikers has been messing with things he shouldn't have been messing with, and all his chickens very deadly dragons are coming home to roost...

For me the word that best describes Last Dragon Standing is satisfying. A series finale is one of the hardest things to pull off and Aaron absolutely nails it. Questions are answered, loose threads are tied up, and heaps of fun are had — the character interactions alone are glorious. The pace feels quick without being frantic; there's always a moment for a short yet gratifying heart-to-heart before charging off to save the world. And all of those moments, both big, heartfelt gestures and speeches as well as the little heart-to-hearts, fit excellently with the core philosophy of the books: a simple encouragement of more kindness, niceness, forgiveness.

What I appreciated most was that everyone had a chance to shine. Characters and character interactions have always been the highlight of the books, and it's no different for the finale. Whoever your favourite side character is, they all get one last moment to show off why you love them: Amelia and her hilarious bravado, Justin and his way less justified bravado odd loyalty, Emily and her cool determination, etc etc. Of course, at the heart of it all are still Julius and Marci — and this time around, Bob. After all the trouble they went through together, it's great to see Julius and Marci as a bona fide power couple, confident in their love for each other and both equally great at that out-of-the-box thinking. As for Bob, we're deep into his endgame now. One of the best parts of the book is finally finding out what makes him tick.

The other aspect I really enjoyed was that the final book remains true to its core of niceness. Julius is a guy who changes people for the better — sometimes by making them kinder, sometimes just by giving them an opportunity to show their innate kindness. That's his "superpower", what the whole series revolves around. It would have been so easy to forget that core in the face of looming apocalypse, with all the epic magical powers coming together, but the book never does. And despite their protestations that he's too nice, Julius' actions and thoughts echo in everyone else's. (Count how many times he has to use his Fang, and compare it to book 3. Amazing, huh?)

One final thought is that if you've never listened to the audiobook, you are seriously missing out. Vikas Adam continues giving a masterful performance. The funny scenes become even funnier, the exciting scenes even more exciting, and oh the emotional scenes! Heartily recommended, whether for first-time readers or anybody thinking about a re-read.

All in all, in some sense the final Heartstrikers book doesn't deliver any "surprises". The focus stays on the characters and those characters remain awesome and hilarious; while there's tension and sacrifice, there's no sudden moodshift into bleakness. If you loved the first four books, I'm 99% certain the conclusion won't disappoint.

I especially recommend Last Dragon Standing for:

Fans of urban fiction
People looking for uplifting, light-hearted fantasy
People looking for genuinely decent protagonists
Fans of dragons, nature spirits, and super badass mages
People who loved the first four books, duh! What are you even waiting for, go go go!

(As a side-note, I spent yesterday marathon-listening to the whole book and scribbling fanart to it meanwhile, so here's my impressions of the whole book in fanart scribbles. Spoilers, obviously!)

[Alisi ☆ wants to read too many books ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright. Two month into the new year and I've read the most disappointing book thus far. It probably won't stay the alone disappoint (am reading Lake Silence atm) but this was still pretty bad. JFC, what a horrible book to finish this great series. And it pains me to give this 2 stars too. I finished this last night and was trying to think of a way to give this 3 stars, because I love the series but this was appallingly bad. Like, the author just dumped this one out and gave us the steaming pile to read.

The thing that got me with this book is that there's basically nothing in it but filler. Nearly 90% of the book is just talk and argument. You think I kid, but I do not. I was listening to the audiobook and by the 4th hr of arguing, I started keeping track.

Basically, after the prologue, the cast stayed in the same room and argued for about the first 6 1/2 to 7 hrs of the book. The exception is that Marci left around hr 5-ish. She had her own thing going for like 20 or 30 minutes, then it was back to the arguing. At one point, around 5 hrs in, Julius said something like they'd only been there for 30 minutes and I looked at my ipod and thought 'are you fucking kidding? We're past the 5 hr mark. We're like 100 pages + in and we're still in the same goddamn spot we started in, and you're trying to say they've only been talking for 30 an hr?'

What was worse was that it wasn't even really plotish type of arguing. Oh no. We got this repetitious cycle thing happening. Someone would come in, that person would threaten someone, and everyone would be like 'you'll have to go through me' after we're told how terrible they are for X reason (that happens to be plot vomit.) This literally happens at least 3 times, back to back to back.

I read another review that said something like books 4 and 5 could've been put together if the excess was removed and that got me thinking. That's the issue with this book. The two were probably one book but she cut them up, and added this massive amount of BS conversation to "cover" for it.

Literally nothing happens. They try something and it fails, then we're treated to yet more talking and discussion, because, really, what book needs any action? It's not like the first 7 hrs were just talk. Haha, that would be SILLY.

Shame on Aaron for releasing such a terrible book. She didn't even try to make this a story. I feel burned by this crap. I'm not sure I'll read the next series (because, naturally, there's a set up for me.)

[Kalin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glorious ending to a series with a one-in-a-million premise. What's that? Find out below ;):

https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: I was extremely lucky to be able to read the conclusion to the Heartstrikers series in its manuscript form. I can't thank Rachel Aaron enough for her kindness and for being the awesome person that she is.

The blurb of this book is going to be a difficult one as how do you compose one for a series ender. As you can see with the official blurb as well, the author has kept it as spoiler-free as possible. I'll do my best to continue in the same vein but I will presume that if you are wanting to read this book then you have read all of the four preceding titles. Hence some plot information which I talk about might be spoilerific for the previous titles but I truly don’t see a way around it. So be warned if you are wary about even the least bit of spoilers then READ NO FURTHER!

The book begins (in a fashion similar to its preceding titles) within moments of the climax of the previous book (A Dragon Of A Different Color). We also get a prologue from the point of view of the one character (Bob aka Brohomir) that has been pulling all the strings in the background. It's a glorious prologue and one which will answer another fundamental question about the series and is a special treat for fans of Bob.

After the events of the last book, our characters are all within each other’s proximity in the DFZ and are faced with a situation that is literally the end of all things. Once again it's up to our Nice Dragon to do what is required but he's been overwhelmed with ecstasy by SPOILER's return. We get to see Chelsie reunited with her brood & their father. Then there’s the F clutch who are wholly finding their feet and lastly we also get to see all of the characters mentioned so far (Justin, Ian, Svena, Katyana, the DFZ spirit, etc.) come together. There’s also an epic reunion of sorts between a Heartstriker and the daughter of the three sisters (however it’s not the Hearstriker you are thinking). There's also a major confrontation that has been hinted at since book 2 and we get to see play out in all of its glory. I enjoyed reading it and of course so will the readers.

First thing which I loved and want to highlight is the glorious cover. What's even better about is that it's not by series artist Anna Steinbauer but by Tina Rambaran. Who not only managed to keep the style intact from the previous titles and gave us a fantastic Bob alongwith his pigeon. Secondly this book literally has it all from saving the universe to romantic reunions, & explanations about all the things happening so far. The story hinges on two specific events, the first one we get to see in the first third of the book and the second plot thread is the culmination of Algonquin’s action as the end of the fourth book. It will takes everyone’s efforts, dragons, humans, mages & things from the beyond to make sure that the universe doesn’t get devoured. This is truly the crux of the story and longtime fans of the series are in for one hell of a ride with it.

Previously Rachel had mentioned that this is Bob's book and he takes the center stage in the first third of the story. Almost every character has been his instrument in some form or the other. Plus all his stratagems have led to the events featured in this book and Bob is betting it all for the one thing that he prizes above all and also for preserving the universe. He's a character who many fans love to read about and have can't have enough of his antics. In this book, not only do we get to see him in full flow but also see the "why" behind all of his actions. This not only managed to humanize him but also gave a nice twist of the cool, funny wizard trope.

We also get a renewed focus on Julius Heartstriker who does the impossible by finding solutions where none appear to exist. Rachel Aaron had previously mentioned why she choose Julius as her main character over other stronger and more magical characters. We get another excellent example of that in this book. Even though Julius is a main character, he's been overshadowed by Chelsie, & Marci in the last couple of books. This book he gets back into the thick of things and possibly gets his heart's desire as well. There’s also a potential paternal reveal about the J clutch which was fun to read about and came out of the blue.

This book is the culmination of all of Rachel's plotting efforts and we get to see it spectacularly. From the amazeballs climax featuring almost all the dragons in the world versus something that considers them to be gnats, this book does have a lot of action, magic and upheavals to satisfy most if not all of the heartstrikers fans. The action scenarios are of course in line with all that's been hinted in the previous books but the author goes all out in showcasing why everyone fears dragons. Lastly I wanted to point how truly spectacular a climax Rachel has penned in this book. It measures up to the world shattering events of Spirit’s End (Eli Monpress book 5) and perhaps betters it in terms of sheer imaginative scale. I sincerely wish that this series gets picked up as a TV miniseries just so that we can get to see the visual imagery as mentioned in this concluding volume.

Somethings that perhaps might cause a hiccup or two for the readers is the plot pacing which is a bit off due to the occurrence of two pivotal events. The first one causes the tension to build up and then once it is resolved, we get a bit of uneven pace until the final showdown. I believe Rachel Aaron will expound on this aspect in her interview with us so watch out for that. Another grouse that I had was that one of my favorite characters had a very reduced role in this book, I can see why that would be the case but considering how much of an action-oriented a character this is, it felt off to not see them in much action.

CONCLUSION: Featuring plenty of action, major major reveals and Dragons in all their glory. Last Dragon Standing is the dragontastic ending to this superb series by Rachel Aaron. Why should you check it out? For an amazing character cast, some wonderful world-building, a fantastic magic system and perhaps the best thing of all, a truly undragonlike dragon who makes everyone around him shine brighter. Last Dragon Standing is a finale that showcases the best of what Rachel Aaron offers and leaves you wondering what genre she will conquer next.

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Review:
This was the fifth and final book in the Heartstrikers series, and everything that's been building up in all the books really came together in an explosive finale!

Possibly the best thing about this series was the whole cast of characters---including dragons, mages, and spirits---all of whom were unique, three-dimensional, and oddly likeable or at least interesting and entertaining. So it was great seeing all of them come together against a common enemy in this book.

It was also great getting to finally learn more about Bob and the reasons for all his plotting and planning and manipulating.

I also enjoyed seeing how everything in the plot went down. The magic system in this series is so complex and detailed and thought-out, and it played such a big part in everything. The plot itself was complex too in the way that everything led to everything else which led to how things culminated in the end. There was a lot to keep up with between Bob's plots, all the different characters, and the happenings in the Sea Magic, but the author pulled it off so well.

I was really happy with how things ended for many of the characters individually too. *SPOILER* I actually felt bad for Bob upon realizing how lonely he was, why it's so hard for them to have relationships, and why they go mad, so I was happy that he got his Nameless End back in the end. I think they both do have some kind of feelings for each other; exactly what those feelings are, I'm not sure, but they care. I mean, no longer having seer powers at the end, Bob could've started dating other dragons, but he didn't even want to. He still wanted her, pigeon form and all, and I think that's sweet. I think even Ian and Svena have some sort of feelings for each other. And of course there's Chelsie and Xian. And Julius and Marci. And Julius realizing that Justin has always been there for him and treated him like a real brother was a nice moment. Lots of characters were happy in the end, and that made me happy. *END SPOILER*

Overall, this was a very satisfying ending to a great series with action-packed plots, a complex magic system, lots of magic and spirits and dragons, and a whole interesting cast of characters!

Recommended For:
Fans of Books 1-4 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

[Ezi Chinny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyment: ♥♥♥♥♥
Narration by Vikas Adam: ♥♥♥♥♥
Plot: ♥♥♥♥♥
Writing: ♥♥♥♥♥

What an amazing ending to such an awesome series. Narrator Vikas Adams really brought this Heartstrikers series by Rachel Aaron to life and solidified this series as one of the best Urban Fantasy series I’ve ever listened to. The range of voices from Julius to Svena to Justin etc, was brilliant and I was completely transfixed from book 1 to the end of this book.

Imagine the vermin hunter Julius Heartstriker from book 1 to this confident leader in book 5, the growth in Julius astounded me. This is what I look for in books, character development, creative storytelling and chemistry amongst the characters. All of that and romance was everything in this series, so I was not let down by this final installment.

The culmination of all of Brohimir’s schemes is the battle for his life as well as all of the earth as Algonquin relinquished her life to the Nameless End. This book saw Julius, Marci, Amelia The Plainswalker, Bob the Great Seer, Svena the White Witch and their consorts attempting the impossible, preventing the Nameless End from consuming their land. What a ride. I found this book to be as angst filled and dramatic as the prior books. The writing was so smooth, creative and riveting that I listened to it in one sitting. The ending was so satisfying that I just felt like I took a ride on an awesome rollercoaster at Disney World.

In addition to Julius continuing to lead by being himself, I loved the subplots, the relationship between Marcie & Julius, The Plainswalker (Amelia) & The White Witch (Svena), Frederick & the Heartstrikers etc. There is so much more story to be told here and I hope the author continues to explore this world as she laid a great foundation for more. I certainly hope the author will explore the subplots and keep this world alive.

This is a series that must be read in order but I recommend it to fans of great writing, fun characters and creative world building. I absolutely loved listening to this series

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-listen November 2023
I still love it

re-listen 2021
Last time I re-listened I did not have time, I know! So this time around I did them all again!

Alas, this was the end. i am sad to see them go, I loved Julius and the gang. He was the nicest dragon in the universe.

My heart was in my throat a few times too.


Loved it

Best narrator


First time
I know my other reviews have basically been Squee Squee Squee, but this time I feel so empty. So sad.

It is over.

It is OVER!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

My poor heart, my poor heart. No more Julius *sniff* No more Crazy Bob and his weird pigeon (thinking of Tesla, maybe they should marry) No more Chelsea and her Golden emperor. No more Fredrerick who I really started to like. You are awesome! *sobs* No more Justin who is just too much! Awww, Justin, you silly knucklehead.

The epilogue left me hoping, because she does leave an opening if she wants to go back and explore this world, but with new characters (and hopefully old ones coming in and saying hi).
That would be fantastic!

Random thought. How on earth!? did his mum get all those dragons to mate with her. Omg she is such a bitch, sure a conniving pretty bitch, but still. She is a piece of work.

As for the book. The big fight is on! Down with the Leviathan! Save the world!

But who cares! I am finished now. It is over! *Cries* I need more Julius and Marci! Moooooore
*ugly cries*

The end.

Nooooooooo!
Not the end, not THE END!

Alas, all awesome things must come to an end.

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy read with the Co-Despot of BB&B.

Like the previous two books it took me awhile to get into this one. For some reason (probably the wait between publications) I had trouble re-immersing myself into the world. Another problem was the narrator for the audiobook - somehow he sounded just wrong for all characters, even flat and identical at times. But after a few chapters as I reacquainted myself with Julius and company things got better and soon I couldn't put it down.

It was a good end of the series in more than one way. At some moments I chewed my nails wondering if my favourites will make it. I alternated between loving Bob and wanting to strangle him, at times the seesaw between those two extremes was so often and so abrupt that I got whipwash! Still he remained true to his character all the way through :)

Another character who remained true to himself was Julius and it was the fact that ultimately this is his story that gave away one of the big plot twists. I knew that the original banishment plan won't work simply because it didn't align with the message of the series as a whole. Still I rather hoped it would because it proved that spirits, humans and dragons can work together for a common goal. It was a beautiful moment of true cooperation, one we as a species should try to emulate (yes, I know it's a lost cause but one can dream and hope).

LDS had the right amount of action and discussions, of conflict and slower, relaxing scenes to make anyone happy. The pacing is good and the action flows smoothly, unlike some of the previous instalments. The series itself deviates from the standard badass MC battles to save the world through his superior strength and battle skills and showcases a character that it closer to us, common folk, despite being a dragon. It's so good to see someone who uses diplomacy and empathy to achieve his goals and to make people better just by being a nice, decent person. And that is what I ultimately adored in this series. It just makes you want to change for the better.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julius and Marcy are finally reunited, but both now have enormous responsibilities and a terrible foe that threatens the whole world. Bob's plans, made for centuries, are finally coming together.

Shorter than most of the previous books of the series, this is still an immensely satisfying conclusion to a really great series.

[Al *the semi serial series skipper* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe this series is over, I need some more!

This series was beyound epic, it has everything amazing crammed into it. I don't even have words right now.

So it starts from after the last book ended, Algonquin has given up and the Leviathan is about to destroy earth, everyone is scrabbling to do what they can , Julius is rallying forces, Marci is battling at the sea of magic, Black Reach is still around being dark and gloomy and Justin is being his usual cocky adrenaline junky self.

I don't want to spoil anything but this book was epic, I wish there was a book with the secondary characters, Amelia and Raven, Svena and Ian, Justin and whoever, Chelsie and Qilin, I just need more of the heartstrikers. This series is going into my fav folder .

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars.

This is an excellent series and the ending was tidy and feel good. I was heartened to see there will be a spin off trilogy hitting next year, so it's not all we've seen of the Heartstriker world. I will be aboard that train!

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so the journey ends.

I love Heartstrikers series. It’s a gem. Huge scale and epic events are pictured in a clever way and shown through eyes of relatable characters. I like most dragons pictured in the book. Even Bethesda. Yes. Even her.

Brohomir (aka Bob) is one of my favorite characters ever. He is a genius and he has a plan. He might win a game of chess with Lord Vetinari guys and no one does this. I always considered the series to be about Bob and his machinations and *Last Dragon Standing* was supposed to reveal all of Bob’s plans and schemes. It did.

We learn more about Bob and his relationship to his Pigeon consort who may be the most powerful entity on this plane. We’re shown his plan in all its beauty and finesse. But the thing is plans never work out. Each plan has faults. People (and dragons) get emotional and things get complicated. Add doomsday to the mix and you’ll easily see there’s no easy way out for everyone.

Happily, there’s Julius. Nice Dragon who was able to transform Dragon society in a significant way.

Will he save the day once again?

Check for yourself.

There’s a lot to like about this book. Rachel Aaron’s imagination is rich, vivid and her plotting skills are praiseworthy. I love the way she introduces her characters and paints them through their actions and relations. Some of ideas and resolutions were literally mind-blowing (creative, imaginative, intelligent). Characters arcs come to an end.

And yet, I’m not truly satisfied with this book. There are few issues. One is strictly personal. I dislike big-scale and epic battles and prefer my Armageddons to be more low-key. That’s the reason why for me there’s only one Matrix movie. In my world Matrix 2 and 3 never happened. The same is true for Pirates of the Caribbean. I’m simply bored with huge armies fighting. Sadly, the same was true for the final battle in Last Dragon Standing. Probably every single dragon appears to fight Leviathan alongside people and ghost armies.

The pacing felt off in many places. Julius was ultra-preachy. Yes, I know he’s a gentle soul and I should like him more but I simply don’t. I love Bob and Amelia, though, and there’s a fair share of them in the book to keep me happy.

Interactions between Merlins were done very well and were one of the highlights of the book.
As a spoil-party, I think it’s the weakest book in the series. It does everything right but most of it relies on readers emotional connection to characters built in previous books. A reader hoping for a closure is willing to suffer a bit and go through endless moralizing, Julius continually blushing and pacing issues.

On the other hand, I can’t say I’m disappointed with the book when I look at it as the series ending. I think the ending was in line with everything that happened before. It wasn’t shocking but it was good. Epilogue made me smile and I’ll be the first in line to read new trilogy set in the world. Yes. You heard well – Rachel Aaron is working on a trilogy set twenty years after the events of LDS. And that’s an excellent news that made my day.

In the end, I would say it’s a three-star book that’ll get four stars from me for wrapping up nicely arcs of one of my favorite series ever.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful wrap-up, though I'm desperate to know more of Bob and his beloved consort. It would make for an awesome spinoff-series.

Oh, and I never thought I'd say this, but I'm rooting for Sir Myron now. It can't eventually end with Julius outliving her. Seriously!

Cliterary Genius Reading Challenge, March: Finish a series.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm having a hard time not being so so so so excited about this book. Here's to hoping that it's all I'm dreaming of!

This was a nice, enjoyable ending to this series. I liked the roundabout plot that led to the conclusion of this story. It wasn't easy and there were a couple of setbacks along the way, but the events made sense in the world of the DNZ. Julius and Marci were still a little too naively optimistic, but it didn't bother me much. I liked that while the romance wasn't the focus of this story, it was still sweet and had me rooting for the MCs the whole time. This was a totally safe story, with no OP drama of any kind.

My only quibble is the epilogue. While I liked that it took place in a far enough future, I really wanted to know more about what happened to Julius and Marci. Did they have any children? Did Marci or Julius ever have matching mortal/immortal statuses? So if you're reading this, Rachel Aaron, please include those details in the trilogy that's to be set in the DNZ.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final book in the Heartstrikers series. I was so sad to see it end.....oh, but what an ending. I loved the characters and the journey they were on throughout the whole thing. Bob was great, but I can say that about all of the characters. This was a lot of fun, especially for being in the fantasy genre. I don't spend a lot of time there, but I've grown to love it. And not only that, but some of my favorite series' are fantasy ones.

I listened to the audio versions of all 5 installments and I highly recommend that route. The narrator was simply AWESOME. He did the voices amazingly well.

This wasn't quite 5 stars, but because of the humor and the ending, I think I can edge this one up to the full 5.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Heartstrikers... you were amazing from start to finish. This was a really good ending for you while still leaving room for more.

Bob is one of my favorite literary characters of all forevers now, very easily. Vikas Adam made Bob even more amazing than I think he would have been for me in print.

A new addition to the favorite series list, for sure! 10/10 would listen to in its entirety again.