Read my review of the first book in the DragonKin series, DragonRider.
As the middle installment of a trilogy, this book doesn’t necessarily need an inciting incident – the events of the first book set up the entire initial situation in which our heroes find themselves. With brand-new dragon eggs and in a self-imposed exile from the greater dragonriding community, Harlen, Cai, and Kirby are poised at a major turning point of their lives.
Multiple unsolved plot lines have followed these characters into their next book, both involving them personally and their society as a whole. One is solved in a manner that was both sooner than I expected and delightfully imaginative. This resolution also leads to a fascinating revelation that could have drastically affected the relationships between this romantic trio, but I appreciated that they continued to function as a solid team in the face of every conflict they confront. Before I could wonder what would happen next, Rodman drops (literally) an epic twist regarding the major external threat faced by this world.
Though this book is a paranormal romance, the actual romance arc in this book is more of a horizontal line. As much as I love to see characters be happy, I do think there could have been slightly more interpersonal conflict between this trio, but the lack might actually be due to who the narrator for this book is. Harlen, who is a sunshiny delight as the point-of-view character, is completely satisfied by the way his trio has balanced itself into a lovely blend of personalities and needs. His fairly optimistic nature (and slightly one-track mind) means there’s a fun mix of sweet (and sexy) power exchange dynamics without the usual trappings of kink that meshes well with the pacing of the external plot.
One of my favorite things about this book is that though the characters are steeped in the secret paranormal element of this urban fantasy story, they meet a good mix of magical and real-world dangers as part of the conflict that advances the plot. They also face a fascinating moral quandary that is more often seen on the science end of the speculative fiction spectrum, and I look forward to seeing how that particular issue gets resolved in the final book.
Though this book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, the characters once again find themselves at a massive turning point. I’ll definitely be finishing this series to see how everything works out.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.