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A review by eesh25
Dragon Ever After by Louisa Masters
3.0
3.5 Stars
I was very skeptical about this series. Because as much as I like Masters, I didn't want a repeat of Hijinks With a Hellhound. That's the third book of the Hidden Species series, of which this is a spin-off. And if you've read Hidden Species, you know that Hellhounds and Dragons are very similar in that they're both overdramatic goofballs who never take anything seriously. And that can be entertaining in a side character, but not in a protagonist, unless you give them more depth beyond that.
But, it turns out, my concerns about that were for nothing. Though Brandt is a dragon and has the personality quirks to go with it, that's not all he is. He is caring, responsible and warm. He's also fun and spontaneous, which means he's perfect for Percy, who could use some fun. And they're both great leaders who want to support the Community, which is what connects them.
The seeds of the romance in this book are great. And I can even get behind the timing of it. Percy and Brandt worked together for months. And though they haven't seen each other in about 3 years because of Percy's extended vacation, I'm okay with there being a lingering crush. And they do spend a lot of time together in this book. Unfortunately, most of that time, and their relationship-building, happens off-page. So it still feels like they fall in love out of nowhere.
It's my only complaint. But in a book that's a romance and nothing else, that's a big one. At least with Hidden Species, there was the excuse of other plotlines and world-building. Though, to be fair, there's world-building here as well. And I loved learning more about the dragons.
Overall, this isn't a bad start to the series. The romance needed to be done better, and I hope it will be in future books. What's important is that I don't need to worry that the protagonists will feel like comic reliefs of their own books. It might still happen in some cases, but we now have proof that dragons can be mature(ish). This was a fun read for sure. And I'm looking forward to the next book.
I was very skeptical about this series. Because as much as I like Masters, I didn't want a repeat of Hijinks With a Hellhound. That's the third book of the Hidden Species series, of which this is a spin-off. And if you've read Hidden Species, you know that Hellhounds and Dragons are very similar in that they're both overdramatic goofballs who never take anything seriously. And that can be entertaining in a side character, but not in a protagonist, unless you give them more depth beyond that.
But, it turns out, my concerns about that were for nothing. Though Brandt is a dragon and has the personality quirks to go with it, that's not all he is. He is caring, responsible and warm. He's also fun and spontaneous, which means he's perfect for Percy, who could use some fun. And they're both great leaders who want to support the Community, which is what connects them.
The seeds of the romance in this book are great. And I can even get behind the timing of it. Percy and Brandt worked together for months. And though they haven't seen each other in about 3 years because of Percy's extended vacation, I'm okay with there being a lingering crush. And they do spend a lot of time together in this book. Unfortunately, most of that time, and their relationship-building, happens off-page. So it still feels like they fall in love out of nowhere.
It's my only complaint. But in a book that's a romance and nothing else, that's a big one. At least with Hidden Species, there was the excuse of other plotlines and world-building. Though, to be fair, there's world-building here as well. And I loved learning more about the dragons.
Overall, this isn't a bad start to the series. The romance needed to be done better, and I hope it will be in future books. What's important is that I don't need to worry that the protagonists will feel like comic reliefs of their own books. It might still happen in some cases, but we now have proof that dragons can be mature(ish). This was a fun read for sure. And I'm looking forward to the next book.