What A Dragon Should Know Author: G. A. Aiken Title: What A Dragon Should Know Series: Dragonkin 3 Genre: High Fantasy Pairing: M/F Rating: Four Petals On the Author's Website: http://gaaiken.com/books/what-a-dragon-should-know/ Summary: Only for those I love would I traipse into the merciless Northlands to risk life, limb, and my exquisite beauty. But do they appreciate it? Do they say, “Gwenvael the Handsome, you are the best among us-the most loved of all dragons?” No! For centuries my family has refused to acknowledge my magnificence as well as my innate humility. Yet for them, and because I am so chivalrous, I will brave the worst this land has to offer. So here I stand, waiting to broker an alliance with the one the Northlanders call The Beast. A being so fearful, the greatest warriors will only whisper its name. Yet I, Gwenvael, will courageously face down this terrifying…woman? It turns out the Beast, a.k.a. Dagmar Reinholdt, is a woman-one with steel-gray eyes and a shocking disregard for my good looks. Beneath her plain robes and prim spectacles lies a sensual creature waiting to be unleashed. Who better than a dragon to thaw out that icy demeanor? And who better than a beast to finally tame a mighty dragon’s heart? Maggie's Review:
This is my favorite story in the series so far. What A Dragon Should Know had plenty of dragons, but it also had humor and a love story that really was believable. I enjoyed reading it a lot. This book focuses on Gwenvael, a dragon that is happy to admit is a complete whore. He doesn't like that his reputation makes his family distrust him, so when Queen Annwyl asks him to complete an important task he is eager to prove his worth. The woman he meets on his task is known as The Beast, a fearsome person that doesn't immediately fall in love with Gwenvael's looks like the rest of the women in his life. His attempts to woo her finally teach him humility and teach her to trust in the rest of the world around her. It was a really interesting plot overall. Lightning dragons and the people living in the north are the focus of this story. The main character dragons are all fire dragons in that they breathe fire and come in many different colors. On the other hand, lightning dragons all control lightning and are the color purple. They also live in groups under a chieftain, meaning there are many different leaders for each individual group of dragons. The fire dragons live in family groups and are ruled by a queen. There is more evidence of how well-developed the dragons of Aiken's world are and this story set up a future romance where the lightning dragons will return and hopefully reveal more of their culture. There is also a lot more information given about the gods of this world. I thought it was a little too easily explained away that Dagmar, The Beast, can see and converse with all the gods, but her interaction with them helped to explain why the dragons are the way they are. Aiken also skipped over the stories Gwenvael heard that led him to believe the Beast was a fearful man, so the scene where Dagmar is first introduced didn't have the impact it should have. A little more detailing overall would have helped elevate this story. I also thought some of the plot was too simple. I knew what was going to happen throughout the entire book, although the twist at the end was an interesting touch. To reach five petals this story needed a bit more depth to really satisfy me. However, every book I've read in this series has gotten progressively better. I therefore have high hopes for the next one. Maggie's Recommendation: I do recommend this book, but this series must be read in order so read Dragon Actually first. This book was the best one so far. I liked that the lightning dragons were given more characterization, but I wished there was more depth to the plot. I will absolutely be reading the next book in the series.
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Magnolia's Reviews
Maggie reviews paranormal and fantasy novels and novellas. She also interviews authors and hosts giveaways. Archives
April 2018
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