One Good Dragon Deserves Another (Heartstrikers, #2) by Rachel Aaron
Cover art by Anna Steinbauer
One Good Dragon Deserves Another by Rachel Aaron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Series: Heartstrikers (Book 2 of 5)
Genre: Urban fantasy
Published: 1st August 2015 (Aaron/Bach, self-published)
One Good Dragon Deserves Another is simply a sublime sequel.
I thoroughly enjoyed book one in The Heartstrikers series and was eagerly looking forward to more of the same with Rachel Aaron’s follow up book, One Good Dragon Deserves Another. Lucky for me, the author not only delivered on this expectation, but she also blew it out of the water! This book has every chance to be in my top ten at the end of the year! I LOVED IT.
Every single department got an upgrade. Worldbuilding? Expanded in a myriad of ways. Action? Hell yeah, serious magic displays and dragon fights and scary-ass creatures! Plot? Gripping and unpredictable! Characterization? Top-notch and lots of development! Writing? Immersive, perfectly paced, and improved from book one! All the things, friends, all the things.
I don’t even know what to expand upon. The truth is, I just loved every aspect of this book so much. And did I mention the dragons? And the magic too? Rachel Aaron even gives us a delicious hunk of dragon lore and history, spilling the beans on their origins and showing… Nope, leaving that as a surprise! What more do you need to read this series if you have not yet done so???
If those aren’t enough though, then just read it for the characters. Julius and Marci are fantastic, and yet they are just one great piece of a wonderful whole. Some of Julius’s siblings started to shine in this one, and I found myself firmly rooting for them, despite having little to no love for them in the first book. Ok, it’s Chelsie. I’m talking about Chelsie. I had not the slightest idea I would become such a fan but I love her now.
The moment she stepped into the shadow, she was simply gone, leaving only the empty grass swaying in the evening breeze. “Wow,” Marci said. “What is she, Heartstriker Batman?”
Ghost, the spirit cat, was never to be outdone by all these great characters and holds his own easily. He seems to be constantly evolving and at the same time forging his bond with Marci into something new. I could read about Ghost all day long. But wait, there’s more! 🙂 I have not even mentioned Bob, the 800 years old Seer of the clan who is officially the most interesting and fun character in this series.
Bob rolled his eyes. “Newsflash, Julius. Someone is always trying to destroy our clan. We’re always on the brink of some disaster or another, and yet we always pull through. It’s almost as though we have someone in the know. A brilliant, handsome, vigilant dragon with the vision to see what’s coming and the daring to do what must be done.” He struck a dramatic pose as he finished, and Julius sighed.
I, uh, want to rave about Amelia and Justin as well, but we could be here all day if I carry on like this.
The thing I love the most about this series though is how much of a good time reading it provides. I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed so much during a fantasy that still provided all the thrills of gripping, action-packed escapism combined with wonderful characterization, and I want more. One Good Dragon Deserves Another is everything a sequel should be. I may have a few more books to go, but I can already say Rachel Aaron has created a gem of a series and single-handedly renewed my faith in the urban fantasy genre. Guess what I’m reading next? 😉
You can order this book from: Book Depository (Free shipping worldwide) | Amazon UK | Amazon US | and its also available on Kindle Unlimited.