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kimwritesstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is my first 5-star read in a long time; I LOVED this book. Technically, you could read this book without reading the first in the series. The author does a good job of continuing to world build and recapping the events of the previous book without being info-dumpy. Also, Twyla and Frank were supporting characters in the first book, so they didn't have a lot of plot or backstory in the first book.
Give me more books with mature characters, please! Twyla and Frank are in their 50s, they have grown children, and are talking about retirement. I loved their story; it felt so much more grounded in reality, but, you know, with dragons. Now, of course, they're sore after camping in Tanria on the ground, but they still have so much more life. And the sex scenes are so well done and normalize the use of toys in the bedroom. Spoiler alert, folks: your partner should always be concerned about you also getting off, and using a toy isn't a bad thing.
This book is mostly told from Twyla's point of view, and it's just so sweet. She got married at 18, and her husband died after 20 years of marriage. Frank was her next-door neighbor whose wife has left him, and at first, they just have such a beautiful friendship. They really protect each other and sing country songs back and forth to each other. So when a baby dragon hatches and latches onto Frank as its mother, both Twyla and Frank's worlds rapidly change. There's a sweet storyline with a draconologist in the middle of there too.
I just love that Bannen as an author never does the super easy plot. She really puts love into these characters and their stories. I'm excited to see the next book; maybe one of the queer characters will see the spotlight?
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC; all opinions are my own.
Give me more books with mature characters, please! Twyla and Frank are in their 50s, they have grown children, and are talking about retirement. I loved their story; it felt so much more grounded in reality, but, you know, with dragons. Now, of course, they're sore after camping in Tanria on the ground, but they still have so much more life. And the sex scenes are so well done and normalize the use of toys in the bedroom. Spoiler alert, folks: your partner should always be concerned about you also getting off, and using a toy isn't a bad thing.
This book is mostly told from Twyla's point of view, and it's just so sweet. She got married at 18, and her husband died after 20 years of marriage. Frank was her next-door neighbor whose wife has left him, and at first, they just have such a beautiful friendship. They really protect each other and sing country songs back and forth to each other. So when a baby dragon hatches and latches onto Frank as its mother, both Twyla and Frank's worlds rapidly change. There's a sweet storyline with a draconologist in the middle of there too.
I just love that Bannen as an author never does the super easy plot. She really puts love into these characters and their stories. I'm excited to see the next book; maybe one of the queer characters will see the spotlight?
Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC; all opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit and Violence
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