Nice Dragons Finish Last - Rachel Aaron (Heartstrikers #1)

I've had this book on my Kindle for ages (and I think I actually have The Legend of Eli Monpress by the same author, as well) and never really reached for it.  I'm not entirely sure why; I got it on a deal, I'm sure, but I have a bad habit of picking up sale books and then never reading them.  However, when I needed a book for my reading challenge that involved a mythical creature, this seemed like an easy one to slot in.

And it was so good!

The story is about Julius, the youngest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, whose territory covers much of the southwestern United States after magic returns to the world.  Julius is kicked out of his home by his mother, the matriarch of the plan, for not being a good dragon--not cruel enough, ambitious enough, etc.  He ends up in the Detroit Free Zone, where dragons are strictly not allowed, with a month to impress his mother before she eats him.  Yikes.  When his brother gives him a job to complete, Julius falls in with Marci, a human mage trying to make her own way after fleeing Las Vegas in the wake of her father's murder, only to find that the murderers have followed her.

I'm not totally sold on the world building here, as I didn't see any explanation of where magic went for thousands of years or why a comet smashing into Canada was what brought it back; this might have been a more convincing world if it had been presented as an alternative universe in which magic had always been there to begin with.  But the Detroit Free Zone was a great setting--one ruled by a vengeful spirit who (for some reason; again, not clear) hates dragons.  This adds an element that was really needed, because otherwise Julius would have had too easy a time of things.  Magical creatures abound, and while we never get to see Julius in full-on dragon form, we do get to see his brother at one point.  Marci, the secondary lead, is great as well.  She's a thaumaturge, a type of mage who uses spell circles for casting--and carries some of them with her in the form of plastic bracelets on her wrists, which I thought was awesome.  She also has a cat death spirit named Ghost.  Other supporting characters present themselves in the form of dragons from a rival clan and some of Julius' siblings, including Jason--who kind of falls into the "dumb jock" archetype--and Chelsie, the family's badass enforcer who I absolutely loved.

The writing is fun and engaging, though the pacing is sometimes a bit uneven.  For example, it felt like the book was going to lead to a climax several times before it actually did, and while rising action is important, this just didn't feel like it fit into a proper story pyramid; rather, it felt more like a serial that had been put together into a book form, with each segment having its own climax and denouement.  But the real climax and conclusion have a suitable impact and also set up future books in the series without leaving readers with a cliffhanger--something that I consider so important when putting out books that belong in a series.

Overall, this was a really fun read.  I already bought the second book, though I had a bunch of other library and challenge books that I need to get through before I can pick it up.  Still, I'm looking forward to continuing with this series.

3.5 stars out of 5.