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Valkyrie Bestiary #1
Dragons Don't Eat Meat
Someone is killing dragons. And the killings point to a civil war brewing among the fae.
When Kyra finds an abandoned baby dragon, she doesn’t want to bring him home. But until she can hunt down his thunder and stop the dragon killers, she’s on babysitting duty.
As a pest controller with a soft heart, Kyra already has an apartment full of rescues, including a basilisk who thinks he’s a turkey, a banshee nanny, and even a pygmy kraken. She might take care of them, but they also fill her need for family. And when that family is threatened, she’ll risk everything to save them. She’ll even join forces with the handsome and irritating captain of the city’s vigilante Guardians, who never fails to be around at her most undignified moments.
Along with a quirky cast of misfits and unruly critters, Kyra leaves the safety of Montreal Ward and travel through the dangerous Inbetween—the land beyond the protected city states, where magic is the only rule of law—to reunite the lost dragon with his thunder and stop a new and sinister force from invading their home.
Fans of Kate Daniels and Fantastic Beasts will find something to love in this action-packed, Urban Fantasy tale set in a future version of Montreal. Book 1 of the thrilling new Valkyrie Bestiary series is a true menagerie of fascinating characters, adorable critters and dark magics.
When Kyra finds an abandoned baby dragon, she doesn’t want to bring him home. But until she can hunt down his thunder and stop the dragon killers, she’s on babysitting duty.
As a pest controller with a soft heart, Kyra already has an apartment full of rescues, including a basilisk who thinks he’s a turkey, a banshee nanny, and even a pygmy kraken. She might take care of them, but they also fill her need for family. And when that family is threatened, she’ll risk everything to save them. She’ll even join forces with the handsome and irritating captain of the city’s vigilante Guardians, who never fails to be around at her most undignified moments.
Along with a quirky cast of misfits and unruly critters, Kyra leaves the safety of Montreal Ward and travel through the dangerous Inbetween—the land beyond the protected city states, where magic is the only rule of law—to reunite the lost dragon with his thunder and stop a new and sinister force from invading their home.
Fans of Kate Daniels and Fantastic Beasts will find something to love in this action-packed, Urban Fantasy tale set in a future version of Montreal. Book 1 of the thrilling new Valkyrie Bestiary series is a true menagerie of fascinating characters, adorable critters and dark magics.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2020
2315 people are currently reading
2510 people want to read
About the author
Kim McDougall
45 books358 followersIf Kim McDougall could have one magical superpower, it would be to talk to animals. Or maybe to shift into animal form. Definitely, fantastical critters and magic often feature in her stories. So until she can change into a Griffin and fly away, she writes dark paranormal action and romance tales. Kim is also passionate about fiber art, photography, children’s literacy, rescue animals, nature, and genre-bending fiction. She also writes for children under pen name Kim Chatel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 578 reviews
December 29, 2020
This book kind of needed to pick a lane and stick to it. Was it urban? - then be grittier. Is it a romance? - then lets have a few more connection points and interactions please. Is it PNR action adventure? - then lets really get stuck into the mission and not have a switch to 'blank screen' and suddenly the heroine is magically back home because the author couldn't be bothered writing her there. LAZY
I liked the idea of Kyra and all her 'pests/pets' and honestly, if the author had stuck close to home and we'd gotten to see Kyra interact with her pets and maybe solve a local mystery then I think this would have been more layered and true to the set up/world. Instead this mission into the wilderness felt kind of half-ass. Just to return a dragon? Please, teach the thing to fly and boot it out of the nest.
None of the stakes felt very real or close to home - this disconnection remained b/w me and all the characters.
It was kind of readable but not that gripping and nor did it have any enjoyable pay offs when it came to tying up loose threads. Instead the author piled on a heap more to entice the reader to delve into book 2. Sorry, just wasn't gripping, funny, adventurous or romantic enough for me.
I liked the idea of Kyra and all her 'pests/pets' and honestly, if the author had stuck close to home and we'd gotten to see Kyra interact with her pets and maybe solve a local mystery then I think this would have been more layered and true to the set up/world. Instead this mission into the wilderness felt kind of half-ass. Just to return a dragon? Please, teach the thing to fly and boot it out of the nest.
None of the stakes felt very real or close to home - this disconnection remained b/w me and all the characters.
It was kind of readable but not that gripping and nor did it have any enjoyable pay offs when it came to tying up loose threads. Instead the author piled on a heap more to entice the reader to delve into book 2. Sorry, just wasn't gripping, funny, adventurous or romantic enough for me.
June 18, 2024
3.5
Baby dragons, beasties, and baddies- Oh my!
Well I had fun with this one- I liked the magic lore and the background world building. I also liked the variety of different and unusual magical beings we got info on- like banshees, dryads, dervishes ect.
Also I liked the h, Kyra, who is a Valkyrie now residing in the more human realm- and had started up a pest control agency that at times ends up being a home for wayward beasts. We also have our male lead- Henry who is a magicked gargoyle that is both equally flirty and closed off to the idea of romance.
I will say though that the banter the book was telling me was "sexy" was kinda weird at times or just goofy. So chemistry between the leads? Dunno. But I might continue on reading.
Uh yeah real sexy guys....
Baby dragons, beasties, and baddies- Oh my!
Well I had fun with this one- I liked the magic lore and the background world building. I also liked the variety of different and unusual magical beings we got info on- like banshees, dryads, dervishes ect.
Also I liked the h, Kyra, who is a Valkyrie now residing in the more human realm- and had started up a pest control agency that at times ends up being a home for wayward beasts. We also have our male lead- Henry who is a magicked gargoyle that is both equally flirty and closed off to the idea of romance.
I will say though that the banter the book was telling me was "sexy" was kinda weird at times or just goofy. So chemistry between the leads? Dunno. But I might continue on reading.
“I’ve come for the dung,” Mason said. I paused only a second to let my heart stop hammering, then said, “Does that line work for you often?” He grinned.
“Only on the really dirty girls.” Mason pressed one hand against the wall beside my head, leaned into me and whispered, “And you are one dirty girl.”
“Because you won’t always be around to depend on,” I said. “Better that I put on my big-girl pants and deal with things on my own.” We walked in silence for a while, then he said, “I like your big-girl pants.”
“I could rub oil on them.” His grin made my girl parts go weak. “You don’t have enough padding on your rump, that’s the problem.”
“Could we stop talking about my rump now?”
Uh yeah real sexy guys....
January 2, 2023
Kyra is a valkyrie pest controller who catches and (hopefully) releases supernatural pest. When she stumbles on a couple of dragon poachers, she releases the dragons and dispatches the poachers. But one of the dragons is juvenile and cannot fly.
She finds herself on a mission to reunite the dragon with the rest of its kind.
Dragons Don't Eat Meat is a bit of a genre bending book. It starts as urban fantasy, dips into dystopian and has just a taste of more conventional fantasy. It doesn't always work and there are parts of the book that serve no purpose — as if the author had a starting point and knew where she wanted to end up and basically just put something in the middle that would join the two.
That said, it's entertaining and I really like the characters so I'll definitely be giving book two a try.
She finds herself on a mission to reunite the dragon with the rest of its kind.
Dragons Don't Eat Meat is a bit of a genre bending book. It starts as urban fantasy, dips into dystopian and has just a taste of more conventional fantasy. It doesn't always work and there are parts of the book that serve no purpose — as if the author had a starting point and knew where she wanted to end up and basically just put something in the middle that would join the two.
That said, it's entertaining and I really like the characters so I'll definitely be giving book two a try.
May 19, 2021
At 40% I thought this book isn't badly written, exactly, but it's easy to see things that would improve it. Later though, it got worse (or I got more tired of some things that weren't good about the story and/or the writing). 1)Firstly, what do most of the characters LOOK LIKE? Especially our MAIN character. 2) I also have trouble with any book that is the first of a series and doesn't remotely feel like it. A problem this book *really* has. 3) The "romance" felt super bad. There may be people who think "he hott" is the basis of a promising relationship, but that sucks in a book. Give us a reason to think someone is appealing beyond "he hott". The romantic interest feels so superficial and stilted that it makes other elements harder to get into for the story. They had a kiss about a year ago (but the MC knows the exact number of days it has been!), and then he disappeared off the face of the earth in regards to romance but she is still super into him now that they are in the same place at the same time again. 4) This book feels super inconsistent regarding things like what situations our characters powers let them handle. And what overwhelms them, and when (how early or late in a confrontation they hit their limits). For example, we have our main character who gets gassed or beaten up ALL THE TIME while insisting she can take care of herself but needed to be saved or Deus X Machina'd over and over in this thing. Conversely, there is a character who spends half the book literally on the brink of death and he outruns her when she is supposedly healthy MORE THAN ONCE. What is the scale of health/fitness/power in these books, because the author doesn't appear to have one. In one place in the story a glamor is "big magic" and in another is it 'just something small'. 5) The author also appeared to be writing while practicing Stream of Consciousness and everything was less informative yet harder to read and understand because of it. 6) There were weird things that should have been big character revelations that had no build or payoff and felt absolutely wasted.
I picked up this book because the premise sounded interesting. And I got to nearly the halfway point before I got too upset with these things, (and more I won't spend the words to describe), but it got to a point where I *wanted* to review this book because I had so many... thoughts, and I won't review a book if I didn't finish it. This was not a good book/story/world/main character and is not a book/series/author that I would recommend to anyone. This is exactly the kind of book where I wish someone other than the author had the idea and wrote it, because it would necessarily be better than this. But it gets a 2 instead of a 1 because my standards for what make a 1 are pretty extreme.
I picked up this book because the premise sounded interesting. And I got to nearly the halfway point before I got too upset with these things, (and more I won't spend the words to describe), but it got to a point where I *wanted* to review this book because I had so many... thoughts, and I won't review a book if I didn't finish it. This was not a good book/story/world/main character and is not a book/series/author that I would recommend to anyone. This is exactly the kind of book where I wish someone other than the author had the idea and wrote it, because it would necessarily be better than this. But it gets a 2 instead of a 1 because my standards for what make a 1 are pretty extreme.
February 5, 2021
I'm really enjoying this series. It's fun, and the world and characters feel different from the pattern of UF I've been stuck in lately (so much of it has just been feeling the same!).
Kyra, the FMC, is a Valkyrie, and she has a pest control business that is mostly a rescue - lots of the magical critters she's hired to remove, she ends up releasing into the wild or, if they can't survive in the wild she takes them in. Her office is packed with weird magical critters, and she loves every freaky one of them.
This book jumps off of her traveling into the wild to release a magical critter, and tripping over bad guys. She's looped into it because she's determined to reunite the baby dragon she rescued from their clutches with his thunder (a group of dragons is a thunder of dragons, which is my new favorite thing to know). And as it unfolds, I loved every bit of it, including the stuff revealed about her.
I'll admit I wasn't in love with Mason, the MMC, but I can also admit that some of my eventual favorite lead males were annoying to me in book 1 of their series, so I am content to wait and see. Like most good alpha males, he initially comes across like a condescending douche ... but it's rooted in protectiveness.
So there we have it. I'm already partway into book 2, and am still enjoying the heck out of it.
Kyra, the FMC, is a Valkyrie, and she has a pest control business that is mostly a rescue - lots of the magical critters she's hired to remove, she ends up releasing into the wild or, if they can't survive in the wild she takes them in. Her office is packed with weird magical critters, and she loves every freaky one of them.
This book jumps off of her traveling into the wild to release a magical critter, and tripping over bad guys. She's looped into it because she's determined to reunite the baby dragon she rescued from their clutches with his thunder (a group of dragons is a thunder of dragons, which is my new favorite thing to know). And as it unfolds, I loved every bit of it, including the stuff revealed about her.
I'll admit I wasn't in love with Mason, the MMC, but I can also admit that some of my eventual favorite lead males were annoying to me in book 1 of their series, so I am content to wait and see. Like most good alpha males, he initially comes across like a condescending douche ... but it's rooted in protectiveness.
So there we have it. I'm already partway into book 2, and am still enjoying the heck out of it.
April 8, 2023
I’m just not feeling this novel so I’m setting it aside at 38%. I like that we have a valkyrie heroine. I also like that we have a verity of weird and unusual creatures.
DNF: 38%
DNF: 38%
May 22, 2023
Really loved this book! The characters are engaging and the world building is fully immersive. Kyra’s rescues are so cute and feel very real, that you don’t want anything to happen to them, Ollie the dragon is the star though. There is a very slow burn romance, but it doesn’t take over the storyline.
I read the first book but I’m listening to the second, which is narrated by Hollie Jackson. Her voice is really suited to Kyra’s character, so I think I will be listening to the rest of the series, rather than reading, although I have them as ebooks anyway.
Definitely recommend this series, so far, if you’re looking for a great urban fantasy!
I read the first book but I’m listening to the second, which is narrated by Hollie Jackson. Her voice is really suited to Kyra’s character, so I think I will be listening to the rest of the series, rather than reading, although I have them as ebooks anyway.
Definitely recommend this series, so far, if you’re looking for a great urban fantasy!
June 6, 2021
I loved the idea of the book. It was kickass and the creatures were my favourite part.
A whole lot of magical people and creatures is my kind of book. But Ollie was my absolute favorite part of this book. He was cute and I want a dragon now becasue of this book.
A whole lot of magical people and creatures is my kind of book. But Ollie was my absolute favorite part of this book. He was cute and I want a dragon now becasue of this book.
August 17, 2020
This book for me is 3.5 stars, I really tried to figure out how to make it into a 4 star rating but in keeping true to how I rate books I couldn’t rate it any higher. If it’s a book I stay awake during the night to read or I go and hide from everyone else to finish then it’s usually a 4 to 5 star for me. I put this book down for a couple of weeks and read about 10 books in between so that lets me know that while it had some points that drew me in, I wasn’t fully as invested as I would have liked.
I did like Kyra and her big mushy heart, saving and housing all of those magical critters. Her kick butt attitude and willingness to stand up for the underdog really endeared her to me.
I loved Ollie, I mean who wouldn’t love a baby dragon to care about. Jacoby had his quirks but his heart and trying to do the right thing sometimes didn’t always work out right, but he still got a piece of my heart.
Mason the gargoyle and Kyra’s relationship is supposed to be a slow burn but for me it was more on an annoyance and at times I felt like he was playing games with her more than anything.
The story meandered a bit too much at times to keep my interest, plus the blogs, which made no sense to me, was more of a distraction. When I would finally connect with the story and things were picking up I would turn the page and run into another blog, which would throw me back out of the story.
There was a lot to recommend it which is why I tried to justify rating it higher but for me there were several elements that needed a bit more focus and direction that this story lacked.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I did like Kyra and her big mushy heart, saving and housing all of those magical critters. Her kick butt attitude and willingness to stand up for the underdog really endeared her to me.
I loved Ollie, I mean who wouldn’t love a baby dragon to care about. Jacoby had his quirks but his heart and trying to do the right thing sometimes didn’t always work out right, but he still got a piece of my heart.
Mason the gargoyle and Kyra’s relationship is supposed to be a slow burn but for me it was more on an annoyance and at times I felt like he was playing games with her more than anything.
The story meandered a bit too much at times to keep my interest, plus the blogs, which made no sense to me, was more of a distraction. When I would finally connect with the story and things were picking up I would turn the page and run into another blog, which would throw me back out of the story.
There was a lot to recommend it which is why I tried to justify rating it higher but for me there were several elements that needed a bit more focus and direction that this story lacked.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 10, 2023
I was going to leave a review (not a scathing one, this book is badly written and plotted, and let’s not talk about characterisation, but there’s nothing bad in the idea itself). Then I realised all the other 1 star review say more or less the same thing in slightly different manners :)
So, I’m lazy this easter Monday and picked one for you (and it’s not even one star 😉):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A waste of time and paper. Personally what I found more irritating (in a bag of them) are the fake blog posts. They are stupid, unexplained, unneeded and worse of all they completely stop the flow of the story. For no reason.
So, no, I won’t be reading more. (And I need a meh or mixed bag tag, as this mess is not UF, not fantasy, not romance o pnr…)
So, I’m lazy this easter Monday and picked one for you (and it’s not even one star 😉):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A waste of time and paper. Personally what I found more irritating (in a bag of them) are the fake blog posts. They are stupid, unexplained, unneeded and worse of all they completely stop the flow of the story. For no reason.
So, no, I won’t be reading more. (And I need a meh or mixed bag tag, as this mess is not UF, not fantasy, not romance o pnr…)
February 25, 2021
I really love the worldbuilding, and our awesome Valkyrie heroine. It would be easy to make her overbearing, or a caricature, but Kim McDougall gives her just enough aplomb that you WANT to see her win the day. My only quibble is Mason, who feels one dimensional.
4+ stars
4+ stars
August 24, 2023
A disgruntled valkyrie who wields her blog as a weapon. A bestiary full of improbable and brilliant magical reject beasties like a miniature kraken. A gargoyle potential love interest who seems more carven out of stone in the night when he's warm flesh than the day when he turns to rock. And a backdrop of incredibly voicy and brilliantly written characters. All of that leads to a fantastically fun and heart-warming post-cataclysmic Urban Fanatasy. It's a fantastically fleshed out world and I loved every second in it. The blog posts, complete with the mixture of supportive, mocking and frankly unhinged comments underneath is a personal favourite.
Do yourself a favour and dive into the Valykrie Bestiary today!
Do yourself a favour and dive into the Valykrie Bestiary today!
January 12, 2021
The title made me curious so gave it a go. Had to go back and read 0.5 for how they met, but it still felt like there was a story in between missing. I liked the characters, I liked how Kyra has her own apartment of rescues. I didn’t like the journeying. I’m not a road trip person. For all the time it took to get to their destination, they were back home quickly. I did find it funny that they were waiting for the wife to be crapped out. Felt sorry for Mason but the relationship growing between them is sweet. Favourite characters were Ollie, Jacoby and Hunter. All of them are adorable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 22, 2020
Very entertaining!
I enjoyed this book. Though there were some unanswered questions, I am hoping they will be answered in the next book. The next book which I will immediately be picking up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed this book. Though there were some unanswered questions, I am hoping they will be answered in the next book. The next book which I will immediately be picking up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
September 30, 2021
Well, Dragons Don't Eat Meat was fun. I'm putting the Valkyrie Bestiary series on the Books To Relax With shelf of my library.
I loved the tone of this book. It managed to generate suspense without becoming dark or angst-ridden and without degenerating into nothing more than lightweight banter. The action and the suspense amplified as the book went on, delivering real fight scenes in which some of the good guys die. The bad guys are unpleasant but have plausible motives.
The world the story took place in is well thought through. It's set in a near-future post-climate-change era with the human race vastly reduced in numbers and where magic has found its way back into the world. We have creatures I recognise the names of: dragons, vampires, fae, dervishes, gargoyles and Valkyrie (actually., only one Valkyrie - there's a backstory to that one) but each of them has been given a twist to deliver something new.
Our Valkyrie heroine tells the story with some humour, mostly rueful, avoiding outright snark and strutting badassery while still being strong, brave and just a little bit beset by circumstance. The tall, dark and potentially dangerous male lead is a gargoyle (gotta love a man who can turn parts of himself to stone at will - for fighting of course - but it's hard to hand out with a guy who turns to stone from dawn to dusk). The relationship between the two never devolved into insta-love or crossed over into new-adult gymnastics but did provide some tension and some emotional involvement.
Dragons Don't Eat Meat laid a good foundation for a series and still delivered a complete cliff-hanger-free novel.
It was also a great fit for the Cryptozoologist square on Halloween Bingo.
Kim McDougall was a new author for me, so I looked her up. I liked the way she described her work, labelling it as Supernatural Suspense. Here's how she defines it.
I write Supernatural Suspense as Kim McDougall and Paranormal Romance as Eliza Crowe.
Paranormal Romance stories depend on the romance to carry the plot.
Paranormal Suspense relies more on intrigue, mystery and the fantastic worlds I build (though there may still be some kissy-kissy stuff).
Paranormal Romance doesn't do it for me but if Dragons Don't Eat Meat is the benchmark, then I'm a fan of Paranormal Suspense. There are four novels and three novellas in the Valkyrie Bestiary series, The second novel, Dervishes Don't Dance is already in the TBR pile.
September 7, 2023
Re-read. 3.5⭐️, but only cause Ollie 😍, Angus 🥰, Jakoby 😍
This is one of those stories that gets better the more books you read. Then when you go back to re-read, you know so much more, see so much more, love them all so much more.
I kinda find it hard to relate to my original review now. 🥸🐉
So, for a moment there, I was so frustrated, I was like, BACK DOWN TO 3⭐️ YOU GO.
In one word Joran
But then the end reminded me again why I do still in fact love this.
To all those reviewers who I’ve given shit for inexplicably liking a book despite some massive flaw…SORRY, SORRY, SORRY. 😬🥸😘
It starts with large chunks of adorable, cute, quirky goodness…then Joran….more awesome, gooey, quirky, informative fascination…then Joran.. Catching the pattern here?
He really is only tiny blips, just really annoying, frustrating, illogical blips.
So the other draw back, the ending.
We’re going along, knowing what where, why, when, figuring it out…then [ha ha, yeah he’s in there], we’re suddenly given answers that we’re like, huh? What, when, where did that come from?
It works, it’s good, but it’s jolting. Could never have anticipated, or followed, as characters and info wasn’t introduced until the end. Not even a big reveal, but, oh yeah, there’s this history, this knowledge that most of the characters know about already.
I’m still a fan!! If you could take out Joran, easy 4, maybe 4.5⭐️
Read. The characters and story are worth it.
[Isnt it weird the things we useta not notice, but now drive us nuts, vs that which useta be so important, and seems mildly noticeable, if not shallow and overblown…? Re-reads, that first is always a doozy, never knowing which way it will swing 😅]
Original:
3⭐️
I enjoyed this, but that's it.
It's possible, hopeful, that the series will improve with future works.
In truth, it just felt simple, newbie-like, lacking depth just yet.
The descriptions were nice.
The humour was nice.
The action was simple, occasional, brief except for the end. Even then, it was all over fairly quickly, fairly easily.
It was all too easy, too fast, too brief... Just no real depth to any of it.
Absolutely nothing wrong with all of it!! I enjoyed it. But that's it.
Fill in some more detail, extend the action scenes, build the tension, sharpen the humour a little(personal choice), and decide if you want the romance or not (kinda, but not there, is distracting, and disappointing).
With work, or continued development in upcoming stories, this could be so amazing!
It's the descriptions that really bug me. Just so bland. You can see what is described, but don't care too much. No real colours, texture, environment... just bland.
This is one of those stories that gets better the more books you read. Then when you go back to re-read, you know so much more, see so much more, love them all so much more.
I kinda find it hard to relate to my original review now. 🥸🐉
So, for a moment there, I was so frustrated, I was like, BACK DOWN TO 3⭐️ YOU GO.
In one word Joran
But then the end reminded me again why I do still in fact love this.
To all those reviewers who I’ve given shit for inexplicably liking a book despite some massive flaw…SORRY, SORRY, SORRY. 😬🥸😘
It starts with large chunks of adorable, cute, quirky goodness…then Joran….more awesome, gooey, quirky, informative fascination…then Joran.. Catching the pattern here?
He really is only tiny blips, just really annoying, frustrating, illogical blips.
So the other draw back, the ending.
We’re going along, knowing what where, why, when, figuring it out…then [ha ha, yeah he’s in there], we’re suddenly given answers that we’re like, huh? What, when, where did that come from?
It works, it’s good, but it’s jolting. Could never have anticipated, or followed, as characters and info wasn’t introduced until the end. Not even a big reveal, but, oh yeah, there’s this history, this knowledge that most of the characters know about already.
I’m still a fan!! If you could take out Joran, easy 4, maybe 4.5⭐️
Read. The characters and story are worth it.
[Isnt it weird the things we useta not notice, but now drive us nuts, vs that which useta be so important, and seems mildly noticeable, if not shallow and overblown…? Re-reads, that first is always a doozy, never knowing which way it will swing 😅]
Original:
3⭐️
I enjoyed this, but that's it.
It's possible, hopeful, that the series will improve with future works.
In truth, it just felt simple, newbie-like, lacking depth just yet.
The descriptions were nice.
The humour was nice.
The action was simple, occasional, brief except for the end. Even then, it was all over fairly quickly, fairly easily.
It was all too easy, too fast, too brief... Just no real depth to any of it.
Absolutely nothing wrong with all of it!! I enjoyed it. But that's it.
Fill in some more detail, extend the action scenes, build the tension, sharpen the humour a little(personal choice), and decide if you want the romance or not (kinda, but not there, is distracting, and disappointing).
With work, or continued development in upcoming stories, this could be so amazing!
It's the descriptions that really bug me. Just so bland. You can see what is described, but don't care too much. No real colours, texture, environment... just bland.
April 17, 2021
I was a humane pest controller, not a Valkyrie executioner.Dragons Don't Eat Meat introduces us to Kyra Greene who owns and operates Valkyrie Pest Control. She's a tender-hearted, sword-wielding critter wrangler and mythical beastie foster mom. She's a Valkyrie though she doesn't want the power available to her - the power of judge, jury and executioner. She's happy with her rescue menagerie, banshee roomie and business.
While out in the woods releasing a critter best outdoors than in, she witnesses a thunder of dragons. From there, things in Kyra's life take a major turn. She's reunited with Henry Mason, alchemist, Guardian and gargoyle, who, despite having not seen him in over a year, has filled her thoughts. The dragons are foraging in his back yard and one has taken something very important and very dangerous, especially in the hands of others. Together these two reconnect and work to stop that from happening.
The first rule for critter wranglers: when forest creatures stop moving, something bad is near.I really enjoyed this Scamander-like Valkyrie who has adorable rescues with colorful personalities of their own. I grabbed this as a Prime loaner and have already bought all the other books available. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I understand the mixed feelings I've read in some of the other reviews. This book was a fantasy/UF+romance mix of rescuing and caring for fantastical creatures (pygmy kraken, fire dervish, ice sprite, basilisk, dragon, etc); fighting battles alongside gargoyles and fae; and budding relationship.
Rules for critter wranglers, number two: When scary things run away, something scarier is coming.
Critter wrangler rule number three: Never take on a two-headed beast that can spit fire with one end and bite your head off with the other.
March 4, 2021
The book started out fantastic with tons of fun plot points - banshees, magical creatures, a potential love interest, gargoyles, magic sword, dragons, evil poachers! Unfortunately, while the cast of characters was entertaining and unique, the overall plot took too many turns and branches to make a cohesive whole. We start off with the orphaned baby dragon and a quest to return him to his original thunder, but the book ends up turning into a political plot that I didn't even realize was an issue. Additionally, a whole new bunch of supposedly important characters to the world were introduced in the last 20% of the book before it wrapped up with a battle. Many of the villains were also finished off in a pretty unsatisfactory manner to me.
Overall, it was an entertaining read, but I'm undecided if I want to continue reading the rest of the series.
UPDATE Mar 2021 - After seeing reviews for book #3, I'm not going to bother continuing with the series.
Overall, it was an entertaining read, but I'm undecided if I want to continue reading the rest of the series.
UPDATE Mar 2021 - After seeing reviews for book #3, I'm not going to bother continuing with the series.
January 3, 2021
The titles of these are what drew me in (I read my kids the Bailey School kids books with titles like Seamonsters don't Ride Motorcycles so this hit a place in my brain with good memories of sharing my love of reading with them with mid kids). I thought this was a good combination of cute and action packed with a touch of flirting on the side. The leading lady Krya, who is Valkrie with a business of removing magical pests and a soft spot for the odd ball creatures - she has a weird menagerie of those who can't be rehomed - is very likable. The world is interesting in that in used to be ours before a change that brought magic back. And the dragon in the title is pretty adorable. All in all a good Kindle Unlimited find, I will definitely read the next one.
August 10, 2020
Kyra is a paranormal pest controller and when she rescues dragons it sends her on an adventure of her life. teaming up with a guardian should have made things easier but it creates some interesting sexual tension between them. can they solve the case without giving into temptation?this is book 1 of a new series, Valkyrie Bestiary by the author.
February 26, 2021
3.5, rounded up to 4 for sheer hope the series gets even better. Lots of critters to learn about, an interesting (even if not quite fully developed) world, and an h that isn't perfect. I enjoyed it, and have high hopes for where the author will take this interesting concept.
June 15, 2023
Unfortunately this was not the book to end the book slump I've found myself in the past couple of weeks.
The standout in this book is the world building. This author has outdone herself in creating a world that no one has ever seen before. Even though there are familiar character types such as fae, vampires, and witches; they are not the ones you know. I rarely encounter this level of creativity in books, it was refreshing.
However, the creative world did not make up for the bland dialogue, character personalities, and romance. (Jmo)
Overall, this is one of those books I will have trouble remembering a few days (maybe hours) after reading it.
The standout in this book is the world building. This author has outdone herself in creating a world that no one has ever seen before. Even though there are familiar character types such as fae, vampires, and witches; they are not the ones you know. I rarely encounter this level of creativity in books, it was refreshing.
However, the creative world did not make up for the bland dialogue, character personalities, and romance. (Jmo)
Overall, this is one of those books I will have trouble remembering a few days (maybe hours) after reading it.
November 21, 2024
☆2.25☆
Genre: Fantasy with romance
FMC - Valkyrie named Kyra
MMC - Gargoyle named Mason
❌️ worldbuilding
❌️ Plot
❌️ Romance
✅️ way too many paranormal beings
✅️ cute creatures
🆗️ rag-tag crew
So many misses with this book that I read it only to finish it. It is mildly interesting because of the cute beings and sort-of adventure. But otherwise, the plot had holes. It meandered left, right and center. I don’t even call what this was romance. I found side-characters more interesting than the main ones. There is no story arc. There is, however, action.
Sigh.
P.S. read it at your own discretion.
Genre: Fantasy with romance
FMC - Valkyrie named Kyra
MMC - Gargoyle named Mason
❌️ worldbuilding
❌️ Plot
❌️ Romance
✅️ way too many paranormal beings
✅️ cute creatures
🆗️ rag-tag crew
So many misses with this book that I read it only to finish it. It is mildly interesting because of the cute beings and sort-of adventure. But otherwise, the plot had holes. It meandered left, right and center. I don’t even call what this was romance. I found side-characters more interesting than the main ones. There is no story arc. There is, however, action.
Sigh.
P.S. read it at your own discretion.
May 3, 2024
I enjoyed the premise. A valkyrie/dryad 'pest controller' rescues mythical creatures. I wanted this to be more about Kyra and her creatures than about the really crappy romance and then a civil war.
did-not-finish
December 5, 2022DNF at 81%. I liked the premise a lot, but the author seems to stuff too much into this story and it starts getting sloppy.
For instance, the author says it has a "touch of romance". But, the romance is woven through the book. And yet, it's a very unsatisfying plot line. I read future reviews and it looks like this is the person our main character ends up with. Therefore, it makes a difference to me on whether I'm going to read this.
The guy flirts a lot and makes a lot of comments that seem to indicate that he wants her. But he also has told her he's outlived three wives and 10 children. What doesn't come out until later is that he actually imprisoned his first wife and she's not really dead, so he's a polygamist. Add to that, he says he's not going to pursue the heroine because he's tired of outliving his loved ones... but continues to make comments/touch her in ways that leave her very confused. AFTER she told him she's hurt that he didn't make a move on her.
I know the romance isn't a big part of this, but it's enough to ruin a lot of my enjoyment of the rest of the story. Especially since this is supposed to be her love interest for the next 5+ books. I would rather not have so much swooning over him on her part while he's being an ass.
The overall book is okay... but, like I said, is way too busy. The author could have cut down the number of times the heroine is in a death-defying situation. There are just so many!
For instance, the author says it has a "touch of romance". But, the romance is woven through the book. And yet, it's a very unsatisfying plot line. I read future reviews and it looks like this is the person our main character ends up with. Therefore, it makes a difference to me on whether I'm going to read this.
The guy flirts a lot and makes a lot of comments that seem to indicate that he wants her. But he also has told her he's outlived three wives and 10 children. What doesn't come out until later is that he actually imprisoned his first wife and she's not really dead, so he's a polygamist. Add to that, he says he's not going to pursue the heroine because he's tired of outliving his loved ones... but continues to make comments/touch her in ways that leave her very confused. AFTER she told him she's hurt that he didn't make a move on her.
I know the romance isn't a big part of this, but it's enough to ruin a lot of my enjoyment of the rest of the story. Especially since this is supposed to be her love interest for the next 5+ books. I would rather not have so much swooning over him on her part while he's being an ass.
The overall book is okay... but, like I said, is way too busy. The author could have cut down the number of times the heroine is in a death-defying situation. There are just so many!
May 28, 2021
Sad to say, I could not get into this one and found it rather boring. The issue lies in almost constant action before we get a chance to know the character or the world-building. There are new character types and their magic systems self-explained in almost every chapter in the middle of another struggle, battle, or dilemma. The relationship is already existing before we have a chance to get a sense of personality whatsover to the love interest; he seems rather flat to me and I don't get the appeal. Also, she's chasing him emotionally instead of the other way around, which I don't like. She has cute critters roaming around but again, they are numerous and there is a lot of info dump. The writing style is fine, and there is some humor, so those are perks, but this series isn't for me.
Read
February 10, 2021I was enjoying this book up until I didn't (around 75%).
The creatures, magic and the main character were interesting enough to hold my attention. But there are some sloppy parts that distracted me. The whole journey into The Inbetween... It felt like a rush decision considering the danger. And the narration reveals what the bloodstone holds before it comes up in the conversation.
I think I will give it a try at some other point because the world building was interesting and I liked the main character. Though I didn't feel the romance with Mason.
The creatures, magic and the main character were interesting enough to hold my attention. But there are some sloppy parts that distracted me. The whole journey into The Inbetween... It felt like a rush decision considering the danger. And the narration reveals what the bloodstone holds before it comes up in the conversation.
I think I will give it a try at some other point because the world building was interesting and I liked the main character. Though I didn't feel the romance with Mason.
August 20, 2021
Fun and different in a good way. :)
❤ Setting reminded me of Kate Daniels series. An urban world where magic has returned and modern society tries to adapt to it.
❤ Heroine is strong and kick ass.
❤ A lot of different cute critters.
❤ Dragons!
Pacing needed a little work, but I loved how fresh this whole series felt. Not just like a copy of popular trends and cliches.
Recomended.
❤ Setting reminded me of Kate Daniels series. An urban world where magic has returned and modern society tries to adapt to it.
❤ Heroine is strong and kick ass.
❤ A lot of different cute critters.
❤ Dragons!
Pacing needed a little work, but I loved how fresh this whole series felt. Not just like a copy of popular trends and cliches.
Recomended.
June 30, 2023
Pleasurable And Gratifying Read
I’ve had this on my "Want To Read" Shelf for what seems like forever. So glad I finally picked it up. I only hope, for the rest of the rather lengthy series, that it can sustain the intrigue and drama it’s provided so far.
I had thought the time frame was set in a different time period, and I’m thinking that’s part of my delay in reading it. I’ve been reading a lot of series as of late, from the Regency and Victorian Eras, which can becomes oppressive in short order, at least for myself.
Glad to see I was completely off target on this one.
The characters, although there are a lot, and world building, is well established. I had to go through the search feature a couple, possibly even a few times, in order to trigger my memory as to who and what some of them were. The characters, involving people and animals, are uniquely structured with very distinct personalities and traits. The links provided in the ebook to the renderings of her mythical creatures, the MC, and the menagerie of some fabled, some McDougall’s own inventive creatures, are a bonus. Such lifelike interpretations are hard to even imagine they’re fictional in nature.
The mystery and intrigue of the widespread embodiment being presented here, piques your curiosity with the little side stories that lend to the overall plot.
You can’t help but root for Kyra. She comes across as one bad-ass "Princess," as Nessa at times, affectionately calls her.
So far, from what I’ve read in this one, it has the promise of becoming an excellent, well contained series. Off to read the next installment!
I’ve had this on my "Want To Read" Shelf for what seems like forever. So glad I finally picked it up. I only hope, for the rest of the rather lengthy series, that it can sustain the intrigue and drama it’s provided so far.
I had thought the time frame was set in a different time period, and I’m thinking that’s part of my delay in reading it. I’ve been reading a lot of series as of late, from the Regency and Victorian Eras, which can becomes oppressive in short order, at least for myself.
Glad to see I was completely off target on this one.
The characters, although there are a lot, and world building, is well established. I had to go through the search feature a couple, possibly even a few times, in order to trigger my memory as to who and what some of them were. The characters, involving people and animals, are uniquely structured with very distinct personalities and traits. The links provided in the ebook to the renderings of her mythical creatures, the MC, and the menagerie of some fabled, some McDougall’s own inventive creatures, are a bonus. Such lifelike interpretations are hard to even imagine they’re fictional in nature.
The mystery and intrigue of the widespread embodiment being presented here, piques your curiosity with the little side stories that lend to the overall plot.
You can’t help but root for Kyra. She comes across as one bad-ass "Princess," as Nessa at times, affectionately calls her.
So far, from what I’ve read in this one, it has the promise of becoming an excellent, well contained series. Off to read the next installment!
December 10, 2024
The world has changed, due to different factors the world as we know it is gone, replaced by magic. Cities like Montreal are warded against the dangers of the in-between – areas between cities where anything goes.
Kyra is part Valkyrie and spends her days as a supernatural pest controller. She catches and releases dangerous pests but if they are injured or unable to be returned to the wild, she keeps them as pets and friends. between the mini kraken that keeps escaping, the basilisk that thinks he’s a turkey, running around gobbling and some adorable Guinea pig like animals that just want to play, her office/apartment is non stop activity. There is also a live in banshee that helps out between crying jags.
When she comes across some dragon poachers, she immediately works on stopping them, ending up with a small dragon, Ollie, that can’t fly.
But the dragons don’t eat meat, they eat magic, it seems that Ollie has eaten a bloodstone that the local gargoyle, Mason, has used to lock up a evil witch.
This book covers Kyra’s quest to take Ollie back to his thunder (the name for a group of dragons), all the while waiting for the bloodstone to come out. Of course, this is not an easy task and it grows more complex as the story goes along.
This was a fairly quick, easy read that I enjoyed. There is a fair amount of action, some really interesting characters and animals, lots of humour, a romantic attraction that could go either way.
I can’t say that it immediately grabbed me but I liked it enough that I will continue the series.
Kyra is part Valkyrie and spends her days as a supernatural pest controller. She catches and releases dangerous pests but if they are injured or unable to be returned to the wild, she keeps them as pets and friends. between the mini kraken that keeps escaping, the basilisk that thinks he’s a turkey, running around gobbling and some adorable Guinea pig like animals that just want to play, her office/apartment is non stop activity. There is also a live in banshee that helps out between crying jags.
When she comes across some dragon poachers, she immediately works on stopping them, ending up with a small dragon, Ollie, that can’t fly.
But the dragons don’t eat meat, they eat magic, it seems that Ollie has eaten a bloodstone that the local gargoyle, Mason, has used to lock up a evil witch.
This book covers Kyra’s quest to take Ollie back to his thunder (the name for a group of dragons), all the while waiting for the bloodstone to come out. Of course, this is not an easy task and it grows more complex as the story goes along.
This was a fairly quick, easy read that I enjoyed. There is a fair amount of action, some really interesting characters and animals, lots of humour, a romantic attraction that could go either way.
I can’t say that it immediately grabbed me but I liked it enough that I will continue the series.
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