Book Review: The Dragons of Dorchester by: Jack Campbell
I give this book five out of five stars for keeping me up until the wee hours of morning, characters I was tied to almost instantly, and for a scene that made me laugh so hard tears came to my eyes. I can’t wait to read the second book in this series and I’m already anxious I’ll have to wait to read the third.
What I loved:
1) The characters. The goal oriented Mari was a female that was easy to root for. She was practical, capable, and views the world with an engineers mind. Alain is a young Mage savant, who has been taught to conceal all emotions. Both have been sent on their first assignments. Each has remarkable growth in the story, as young people in the major transition from school to the real world, and face learning how many of the ideals ingrained in them are false.
2) The plot, it shifted and changed allowing the satisfaction of guessing certain things and seeing them unfold, while uncovering added layers to a larger story. The world in which this story takes place is complex, but everything the reader is taught is relevant to the plot going forward.
3) The romance, was much better than I expected. I really liked how theirs was not a love at first sight kind of spark. They came together as two strangers, who under other circumstances would never have talked to one another. They built a friendship on mutual respect, and their attachment grew from there. It was a pleasant change of pace to read each protagonist reflecting on the others merit and quality of character; not just lusting about looks. I enjoyed how the obstacles impeding the two lovers are major problems and not trivial. Both Mari and Alain could loose their hard earned guild status or potentially be killed. Alain deals with overcoming his emotionless training, but risking the loss of all his power to do so. I ended the book hoping they would be together because they were a fun duo, and I sincerely enjoyed the friendship they shared. Alain’s Mage training to conceal all emotion, and how he espouses the values of his Guild made for some really comical moments with Mari. These were so funny I found myself laughing so hard I was crying.
