While getting railed by monsters, we get tastes of larger world building that is intriguing and makes me want more. AStT has more spice than the first two books which really fits the FMC characterization and her Duskwalker counterpart. The length of these novels leaves nothing to be desired but more, for me.
I only finished this book because I kept believing that the plot would prevail and something would click into place. Unfortunately, it didn't, and I found the grey-area-consent to be off-putting and underdeveloped. More specific description behind the spoiler, with warnings for style spoiling and potential content: Given was virginal prior to meeting our male love interests, and finds herself forced (“just do as he says”) into sexual situations by both of them with no regards for consent or boundaries. We get her inner dialog telling us that she doesn't want it, and that makes her want it more. We also get inner dialog of her place as a princess of the world and never having a choice anyway, and I just think more time could have been spent attempting to make the sequel encounters leave less on an -ick feeling with me.
I thought the world building was intriguing and done well which leant itself to my ability to continue reading despite how off-putting the ‘spicy' content was. It also felt like many of the supporting and main characters' interactions within the world had no discernable motive other than forcing the plot from point A to B.
Overall, it wasn't the worst read but I can't say I would recommend it after the first book. Unsure whether I'll attempt at the next one.
The Dragon's Keeper is a great paranormal cozy novella that hits the character tropes spot on and well. I would have loved to see the novella fleshed out into a longer work - that's how well the characterization and plot were done. Ultimately the only thing holding the book back from a 5 star review for me was I felt like there could have been more romance themes, though I understand that the short format makes that difficult. Overall I recommend The Dragon's Keeper through and through as it was an enjoyable experience (with a nice amount of “spice”).
Thanks to Moira for the ARC!
