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A review by couldbestephen
A Curse of Scales and Flame by Max Walker
2.0
I received this title as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
If this book had focused more on the mystery/adventure element of the story and fleshed things out more, maybe I could have rated this higher. If this had just been a spicy fantasy romance, I’d definitely rate this higher. But the plot, world-building, and romance together did not a great story make.
In an alternate universe, magical creatures and humans mingle. The dragons are starting to die off mysteriously and Damien, a dragon with fire-based powers, is seeking a cure. He runs into Robby, a human who just can’t stay out of trouble. As the two try and help each other out, something more than just a friendship starts to form.
This book has decent writing. The author’s voice feels a little amature; the plot of the book doesn’t always flow best (the romance between the two characters is kinda rushed? And underdeveloped?), certain phrases are overused (you read about vampires “airbrushed skin” way too many times), and a good chunk of the characters come off a little flat. For the modern romance genre, it’s kinda what you would expect. The spicy scenes were fun but were always strangely placed plot-wise.
The biggest issue I have with this book (and honestly most AU novels) is the fact that the world-building of this “new world” leaves me with more questions than I think even the author can answer. The story takes place in California. The magical creatures came to our world in the 1800s. Does this mean Fae helped drive off the Native population to form the state? Did dragons help end slavery? How was the civil rights movement affected by all this? Were there World Wars? Was there 9/11? Was there an AIDS crisis (we know the dragons basically have had 2 now)? Every bit of lore dropped either left me scratching my head or had me wanting more explanations.
If you turn your brain off, this is a passable dragon/human spicy book. It needed to decide if it was going to be a good fantasy or a good romance.
If this book had focused more on the mystery/adventure element of the story and fleshed things out more, maybe I could have rated this higher. If this had just been a spicy fantasy romance, I’d definitely rate this higher. But the plot, world-building, and romance together did not a great story make.
In an alternate universe, magical creatures and humans mingle. The dragons are starting to die off mysteriously and Damien, a dragon with fire-based powers, is seeking a cure. He runs into Robby, a human who just can’t stay out of trouble. As the two try and help each other out, something more than just a friendship starts to form.
This book has decent writing. The author’s voice feels a little amature; the plot of the book doesn’t always flow best (the romance between the two characters is kinda rushed? And underdeveloped?), certain phrases are overused (you read about vampires “airbrushed skin” way too many times), and a good chunk of the characters come off a little flat. For the modern romance genre, it’s kinda what you would expect. The spicy scenes were fun but were always strangely placed plot-wise.
The biggest issue I have with this book (and honestly most AU novels) is the fact that the world-building of this “new world” leaves me with more questions than I think even the author can answer. The story takes place in California. The magical creatures came to our world in the 1800s. Does this mean Fae helped drive off the Native population to form the state? Did dragons help end slavery? How was the civil rights movement affected by all this? Were there World Wars? Was there 9/11? Was there an AIDS crisis (we know the dragons basically have had 2 now)? Every bit of lore dropped either left me scratching my head or had me wanting more explanations.
If you turn your brain off, this is a passable dragon/human spicy book. It needed to decide if it was going to be a good fantasy or a good romance.