Comment

Nov 13, 2016goddessbeth rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This is solidly YA (meaning, kids 12ish to 20ish will enjoy this more than adults, I think). It's not a bad book, it's just filled with tropes I dislike, like love triangles and predictable betrayals. And very flat characters. The whole plot felt called in and the characters didn't feel genuine. I like the concept that dragons walk about us, and the Order of St. George are timeless dragon hunters. But I didn't like that Ember's entire stance ("the dragon inside me") is so obviously human, even though she's supposed to be a dragon. I get that she was trained to blend in with humans, but when she refers to her real self as human, constantly....it just would've worked better if either Kagawa could've made her a bit more alien, or created a plot device where Ember was raised human and then discovered she was a dragon or something. Also, the villains are very flat and Snidely Whiplash/Bond villain. And Dante was practically nonexistent as far as existing as other than a plot device. On the plus side, the surfing stuff was a nifty detail I don't often see. I don't actually recommend this one, unless you love dragons more than you love complex plot and developed characters. I won't be continuing the series. Do Kagawa's books get better? I hope so, because I've heard a lot about them. I also think I may need to step back from YA next month, because I'm getting seasick swinging between juvenile YA and phenomenal YA.