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ethanpoole's review against another edition
3.0
A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, although I think that it is the weakest book of the three.
branch_c's review
4.0
Fantastic finish to the trilogy, if in fact that's all it ends up being. I liked this one better than Pacific Fire and equally as much as California Bones. They say that every story has been told before, but I can't say I've read the one about the guy who wants to save the golem of his adopted son from a bizarre existence inside a magically constructed dragon, and to do so he impersonates the brother he killed and who happens to be a candidate for a high office in the magical royal court of the enemy kingdom based in San Francisco. There's even more to the story then that, and it's safe to say this book is brimming with originality, yet van Eekhout manages to keep things down to earth with the brilliant prose and deceptively familiar bantering dialogue. The parts from Sam's point of view inside the dragon really do get a bit too surreal for me, but that's more than made up for with the main narrative. The part I found the most satisfying was Daniel and Moth's infiltration of the Northern Heirarch's stronghold, climaxing in the investiture ceremony. Very nicely done, and the whole series is well worth reading.
mollymortensen's review
4.0
Small spoilers for book two were unavoidable. (Really only one spoiler and more is revealed in the official summary than I tell.)
Warning: People eat people to gain powers.
When starting this novel I immediately remembered how much I enjoy the author's writing. He has a great voice, especially in the way he describes things.
The Good:
I wasn't sure how he would do the whole Sam is a Dragon thing, but he impressed me. Rather than being the dragon, it's more like Sam's trapped inside it. As much as he tries to control it, with a cockpit and controls he fashioned out of bones, it proves stubborn and only occasionally listens.
Daniel's been working for months on a plan to get Sam back. His old friend Moth and Em, (one of the many golem Emmas.) who's friends with Sam are helping him. I liked them both and I'm glad they're back. Cassandra's in it too. My ship hasn't sunk yet! I still think she belongs with Daniel. Jo's even back! (The shape shifter) though not for very long.
I enjoyed all of the new characters. Annabel was my favorite. (I can't tell you who she is without spoilers. Sorry. But she was one of the best parts of the book!) All of the people at the Northern court were interesting as well, even though Daniel couldn't trust anyone.
Gabriel and Max's joking, demeaning, friendship is as great as ever. Cassandra was a good addition to their group. (The three teamed up to locate the dragon while Daniel and Moth went undercover.) Water magic is as complex and interesting as everything else in these books. It's nice that the author didn't just do it mentally like most magics. I liked the pipe contraptions Gabriel used to manipulate water.
The pacing was steady until the end when it got a bit intense. (I may have lost some sleep.) The plot, while mostly what I expected, was done well. There wasn't much thievery in this book, but I didn't mind.
I hate it when a series ends! I didn't want this one to end and I was afraid it wouldn't end well, but I'm very satisfied. And happy. There could so be more books though!
The Bad:
It's over!
There were a couple small continuity issues. Daniel explained his plan to steal the stone to Moth after he already knew about it. (I'm probably the only one who noticed.) And a stuffed duck momentarily turned into a rabbit. (It makes sense when you read the book.)
Point of View: Third (Daniel, Sam, Gabriel, & Cassandra)
Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)
Source: Review request.
My Summary:
Sam is now a Dragon, or trapped inside a Dragon. Daniel's doing everything he can to get Sam back. He had a perfect plan, but then the Northern kingdom kidnapped the Dragon. So now Daniel has to go undercover in the North to get Sam back.
Warning: People eat people to gain powers.
When starting this novel I immediately remembered how much I enjoy the author's writing. He has a great voice, especially in the way he describes things.
The Good:
I wasn't sure how he would do the whole Sam is a Dragon thing, but he impressed me. Rather than being the dragon, it's more like Sam's trapped inside it. As much as he tries to control it, with a cockpit and controls he fashioned out of bones, it proves stubborn and only occasionally listens.
Daniel's been working for months on a plan to get Sam back. His old friend Moth and Em, (one of the many golem Emmas.) who's friends with Sam are helping him. I liked them both and I'm glad they're back. Cassandra's in it too. My ship hasn't sunk yet! I still think she belongs with Daniel. Jo's even back! (The shape shifter) though not for very long.
I enjoyed all of the new characters. Annabel was my favorite. (I can't tell you who she is without spoilers. Sorry. But she was one of the best parts of the book!) All of the people at the Northern court were interesting as well, even though Daniel couldn't trust anyone.
Gabriel and Max's joking, demeaning, friendship is as great as ever. Cassandra was a good addition to their group. (The three teamed up to locate the dragon while Daniel and Moth went undercover.) Water magic is as complex and interesting as everything else in these books. It's nice that the author didn't just do it mentally like most magics. I liked the pipe contraptions Gabriel used to manipulate water.
The pacing was steady until the end when it got a bit intense. (I may have lost some sleep.) The plot, while mostly what I expected, was done well. There wasn't much thievery in this book, but I didn't mind.
I hate it when a series ends! I didn't want this one to end and I was afraid it wouldn't end well, but I'm very satisfied. And happy. There could so be more books though!
The Bad:
It's over!
There were a couple small continuity issues. Daniel explained his plan to steal the stone to Moth after he already knew about it. (I'm probably the only one who noticed.) And a stuffed duck momentarily turned into a rabbit. (It makes sense when you read the book.)
Point of View: Third (Daniel, Sam, Gabriel, & Cassandra)
Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)
Source: Review request.
My Summary:
Sam is now a Dragon, or trapped inside a Dragon. Daniel's doing everything he can to get Sam back. He had a perfect plan, but then the Northern kingdom kidnapped the Dragon. So now Daniel has to go undercover in the North to get Sam back.
jonmhansen's review against another edition
5.0
A dramatic conclusion to the story, and a great read. This magical Southern California is a delightful place to read about, but you wouldn't want to live there. Awesome.
hnelson510's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the last two books in the series, but this one... everything was just too easy for Daniel. I'm used to watching him find his way out of sticky, crazy situations. It felt like Van Eekhout was done with the series and wanted a simple bow to tie on the story, which he did. Not his best, but still an enjoyable, if not predictable, story with few surprises.
mollymortensen's review against another edition
4.0
Small spoilers for book two were unavoidable. (Really only one spoiler and more is revealed in the official summary than I tell.)
Warning: People eat people to gain powers.
When starting this novel I immediately remembered how much I enjoy the author's writing. He has a great voice, especially in the way he describes things.
The Good:
I wasn't sure how he would do the whole Sam is a Dragon thing, but he impressed me. Rather than being the dragon, it's more like Sam's trapped inside it. As much as he tries to control it, with a cockpit and controls he fashioned out of bones, it proves stubborn and only occasionally listens.
Daniel's been working for months on a plan to get Sam back. His old friend Moth and Em, (one of the many golem Emmas.) who's friends with Sam are helping him. I liked them both and I'm glad they're back. Cassandra's in it too. My ship hasn't sunk yet! I still think she belongs with Daniel. Jo's even back! (The shape shifter) though not for very long.
I enjoyed all of the new characters. Annabel was my favorite. (I can't tell you who she is without spoilers. Sorry. But she was one of the best parts of the book!) All of the people at the Northern court were interesting as well, even though Daniel couldn't trust anyone.
Gabriel and Max's joking, demeaning, friendship is as great as ever. Cassandra was a good addition to their group. (The three teamed up to locate the dragon while Daniel and Moth went undercover.) Water magic is as complex and interesting as everything else in these books. It's nice that the author didn't just do it mentally like most magics. I liked the pipe contraptions Gabriel used to manipulate water.
The pacing was steady until the end when it got a bit intense. (I may have lost some sleep.) The plot, while mostly what I expected, was done well. There wasn't much thievery in this book, but I didn't mind.
I hate it when a series ends! I didn't want this one to end and I was afraid it wouldn't end well, but I'm very satisfied. And happy. There could so be more books though!
The Bad:
It's over!
There were a couple small continuity issues. Daniel explained his plan to steal the stone to Moth after he already knew about it. (I'm probably the only one who noticed.) And a stuffed duck momentarily turned into a rabbit. (It makes sense when you read the book.)
Point of View: Third (Daniel, Sam, Gabriel, & Cassandra)
Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)
Source: Review request.
My Summary:
Sam is now a Dragon, or trapped inside a Dragon. Daniel's doing everything he can to get Sam back. He had a perfect plan, but then the Northern kingdom kidnapped the Dragon. So now Daniel has to go undercover in the North to get Sam back.
Warning: People eat people to gain powers.
When starting this novel I immediately remembered how much I enjoy the author's writing. He has a great voice, especially in the way he describes things.
The Good:
I wasn't sure how he would do the whole Sam is a Dragon thing, but he impressed me. Rather than being the dragon, it's more like Sam's trapped inside it. As much as he tries to control it, with a cockpit and controls he fashioned out of bones, it proves stubborn and only occasionally listens.
Daniel's been working for months on a plan to get Sam back. His old friend Moth and Em, (one of the many golem Emmas.) who's friends with Sam are helping him. I liked them both and I'm glad they're back. Cassandra's in it too. My ship hasn't sunk yet! I still think she belongs with Daniel. Jo's even back! (The shape shifter) though not for very long.
I enjoyed all of the new characters. Annabel was my favorite. (I can't tell you who she is without spoilers. Sorry. But she was one of the best parts of the book!) All of the people at the Northern court were interesting as well, even though Daniel couldn't trust anyone.
Gabriel and Max's joking, demeaning, friendship is as great as ever. Cassandra was a good addition to their group. (The three teamed up to locate the dragon while Daniel and Moth went undercover.) Water magic is as complex and interesting as everything else in these books. It's nice that the author didn't just do it mentally like most magics. I liked the pipe contraptions Gabriel used to manipulate water.
The pacing was steady until the end when it got a bit intense. (I may have lost some sleep.) The plot, while mostly what I expected, was done well. There wasn't much thievery in this book, but I didn't mind.
I hate it when a series ends! I didn't want this one to end and I was afraid it wouldn't end well, but I'm very satisfied. And happy. There could so be more books though!
The Bad:
It's over!
There were a couple small continuity issues. Daniel explained his plan to steal the stone to Moth after he already knew about it. (I'm probably the only one who noticed.) And a stuffed duck momentarily turned into a rabbit. (It makes sense when you read the book.)
Point of View: Third (Daniel, Sam, Gabriel, & Cassandra)
Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)
Source: Review request.
My Summary:
Sam is now a Dragon, or trapped inside a Dragon. Daniel's doing everything he can to get Sam back. He had a perfect plan, but then the Northern kingdom kidnapped the Dragon. So now Daniel has to go undercover in the North to get Sam back.
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
Notes:
I was guessing that #2 & 3 are halves of a whole book. That seems to be about right. The story arc is completed within #3 and makes me appreciate #2 more for the setup phase. The two books are a fun, adventure packed story + weird stuff + growing pains regardless of age.
I was guessing that #2 & 3 are halves of a whole book. That seems to be about right. The story arc is completed within #3 and makes me appreciate #2 more for the setup phase. The two books are a fun, adventure packed story + weird stuff + growing pains regardless of age.
christycorr's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mpeterke's review
5.0
All the books in the series were a little bit different, but all were quite awesome. I think I liked the second one the most, maybe because of Sam's and Em's characters, but this finishing novel deserves 5 stars as well. It is a hell of a ride and a really nice, fast-paced story to end the saga. I really liked it and devoured it in only a few days. I will definitely look out for more books from this author in the future.