Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Buddy read starts 9th November.

In!

In!

Got my ebook! Will start tonight :D

Virginie wrote: "Got my ebook! Will start tonight :D"

Yay! Just started this one and so far I'm having a lot of fun with it. If it keeps going this way I could see myself liking this series better than the Heartstrikers series!

I'm starting today. Looking forward to it.

I'm only a chapter in and I'm reminded of how much I enjoy Rachel Aaron's writing style. I really need to add the Eli Monpress books to my TBR. It's good to be back in the DFZ.

Read the first 3 chapters! (view spoiler)[

I like the concept of the Cleaners. It really suits this world and the DFZ in particular; if you're willing to take a risk and do gruesome work, you'll be rewarded. Reminds me of the 'magical hazard' thing Julius & Marcie had going on.

Nik coming to the rescue (to get a share :p) was quite obvious. Given his speed and strength, I'm wondering if he's a dragon in human form. It would be REALLY similar to the Heartstrickers premise though, so I'm not sure. (hide spoiler)]

I agree with you Narilka, I love Rachel Aaron's writing; her books are always light and fun. I think I'll be reading Eli Monpress in 2019 :)

I totally agree about agree about the Eli Monpress books, really need to get around to reading those.

@Virginie (view spoiler)[I must be even more tired than I realized because it didn't occur to me at all that Nik could be a dragon! But it makes total sense! (hide spoiler)]

I'm almost finished with chapter 5 now, and I'm pretty excited (view spoiler)[to get to see more of Peter and The Nameless Wind! I'm curious to see if they'll end up being a big part of the story or not. (hide spoiler)]

Virginie wrote: "Read the first 3 chapters!

I like the concept of the Cleaners. It really suits this world and the DFZ in particular; if you're willing to take a risk and do gruesome work, you'll be rewarded. Rem..."

(view spoiler)[I also wonder if Nik is a dragon :) Or if not a dragon, something other than human. (hide spoiler)]

I'm in Ch 4 and thoroughly enjoying the story. I like Opal and Sybal.

Finished Chapter 7 last night! (view spoiler)[

So far, my favorite part of the book is the chase sequence in the 'suspended city'. It really showed Opal's and Nik's abilities, but also how well they work together.

I was wrong, Nik's not a dragon... Oh well. The fact he was using a gun should have warned me but I was hellbent in wanting dragons to enter the show :p
I guess replacing body parts with robotic enhancement really became a thing in those 30 years. It looks like an upgrade on Raven's modification of Emily's body. (hide spoiler)]

Virginie wrote: "Finished Chapter 7 last night!

[spoilers removed]"

I'm at the same spot. (view spoiler)[I don't mind Nik being an enhanced human. I like it being different than the first series. I'm sure we'll still see a dragon in the future :)

The suspended city was pretty darn cool, very creative.

Anyone else think it's funny that Opal has an overbearing mother? That seems to be another theme between the series. It also seems that Opal's dad is someone not to be messed with. Do you think he's just an ultra wealthy person or is he like a Korean mobster? (hide spoiler)]

Re: Opal's parents (view spoiler)[

Yup, parental issues seem to be a theme for Rachel Aaron!

As for Opal's dad... I was thinking both haha. Or, since Opal's mom seems so disappointed in her magical abilities, maybe an important mage?
Would be fun if the company that made her protected poncho was the family business. (hide spoiler)]

Virginie wrote: "Re: Opal's parents

[spoilers removed]"

That would be pretty cool. Great theory :)

Through Ch 10 (view spoiler)[That explains mom and dad! Or "step" dad ;) Neat that he's the dragon.

Now I know Opal's going to pull off the impossible and beat the deadline. The question is how. Do you think maybe the magic she discovers will be valuable to a dragon in lieu of money? (hide spoiler)]

I really need to catch up with you guys! Almost done with Ch 7 and then I'm going to open up all these spoiler tags! I'm having a lot of fun with it so far.

I'm really loving the whole (view spoiler)[Nik is a cool cyborgish, maybe a lot cyborgish thing. He just keeps getting more interesting as I read. And I'm really curious about Opal's family... I'm sure the backstory is something crazy. It's gotta be for Opal to be so anti.

I also really like how Opal is a similar character (morality wise) as Julius Heartstriker, maybe she's not such an epic goody goody. Her and Sybil work really well together too. (hide spoiler)]

I feel like this book is the proof I needed to pre-order everything that Rachel Aaron writes, her books are always a lot of fun!

Finished last night! Didn't plan to but I couldn't stop :O

Spoilers through Chapter 10: (view spoiler)[
Oh, Opal's dad a dragon! I considered the possibility but dismissed it as Opal herself was 100% human. I didn't imagine she was not his biological daughter for one second!
The whole thing is horrible; very, VERY close to slavery... (hide spoiler)]

Ending spoilers (view spoiler)[
Heh, I was sure Nik was going to give/loan her the money, and enter a partnership. They both realized how well they worked as a team so it really made sense. I'm surprised Opal didn't even consider loaning the money to Nik before. Something like "you get 70% and not 60 if you give me the 10k I need before my dad comes"...

Also... That evil mage (can't recall his name) called Nik 'Mad Dog', not just as an insult but like a nickname, a title. Funny seeing how Opal's dad says she's his little dog girl. They really are suited to each other. (hide spoiler)]

I really can't wait to have the next book in the series!
Oh, I don't know if you guys already read it, but you can get Mother of the Year just with subscribing to Rachel Aaron's mail list.

I did it so I could jump on her next release; the short story was a nice (and very welcome) surprise :D

I finished too :) So glad that the next book is due early next year.

(view spoiler)[I hope we get more of Nik's background in the next book, how he became a gun for hire.

I almost expected Opal to keep one of the baby cockatrices. Not that she has space or a way to feed them, but still :)

Nik "loaning" her the money was an easy solution. They're a great team. (hide spoiler)]

Can't wait for their next adventure :)

Et tu, Virginie?... you betrayed me... finally made the push to jump to this, only to find that the Kindle edition released before the print and audio editions... and I have too many other things to read/do to read with my eyes :(

Rachel Aaron says the other editions are on their way, but I don't know when, yet, so i guess I'll have to wait...

I also found out the next book is expected early next year, she's working on it already :)

At least this eases up my schedule a bit... still got 6-7 other books to catch up on...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Et tu, Virginie?... you betrayed me... finally made the push to jump to this, only to find that the Kindle edition released before the print and audio editions... and I have too many other things t..."

Haha, sorry! I hyped Niki as well, before telling her there was no audio yet ;)

Like I said, it's a mixed blessing... every day I finish one of the BRs I'm behind on, another 2 start...

Minimum Wage Magic releases on audio on Tuesday... WOO!!!

Been checking constantly...

Yas!! Thank you :D

Starting chapter 4: Not sure I like Opal much, yet... (view spoiler)[she's got too many secrets to be very likeable, so far... her old roommate's POV is too understandable, until we get a bit more context... (hide spoiler)]

Midway thru chapter 5: things are getting more interesting...

Only through Ch. 2 (view spoiler)[ I really like the "storage wars" angle this is taking haha. That show is addicting, so having elements of it here is really sparking my interest. I wasn't sure if I'd be into this book, but it's enough of a spinoff that I'm actually liking it. (hide spoiler)]

You've probably finished? haha

Yea, I powered through... the book got better, especially past chapter 5, for me... things started to come together... number of big surprised, and a number of predictable elements... I liked how it all played out, and wonder how future books will play out given the constraints Opal is struggling under (being vague here :D ... you'll see)

The Gnarls was pretty cool, as well... the DFZ is truly a living organism... for all it's made of concrete & steel...

Niki Hawkes wrote: "Only through Ch. 2 [spoilers removed]

You've probably finished? haha"

It turned out to be more of a spinoff that I was expecting... given the epilogue of Last Dragon Standing...

Timelord Iain (Eeyawn) wrote: "Yea, I powered through... the book got better, especially past chapter 5, for me... things started to come together... number of big surprised, and a number of predictable elements... I liked how i..."

I finished today ^_^. You're right, it totally picked up around chapter 5. I enjoyed it more than I have any book in a while. It was just so much fun. It will be interesting to see how she handles things with the constraints. I still love the premise.

I love how much of a spinoff it is - feels fresh!