Royal Dragons of Alaska, Book #5
Reviews of previous books in the Royal Dragons of Alaska series: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3, Book #4
Heat Factor: They’re in bed before 30%, but it’s not detailed
Character Chemistry: She jumps in feet first, and he does, too, but he’s not at first convinced it’s real
Plot: Katy is…hired… to teach the children rescued by the palace, but the Compact actually wants Katy to be Raval’s mate. And then the children disappear.
Overall: This book was fabulous
I started this book during a bout of post-holiday doldrums, and it was exactly what I needed at that moment in time. It’s just fun. I’ve been reading these as ARCs, so I’ll admit that this may be a case of “love the one you’re with”, but I think this is my favorite book in the series (so far…). Katy is just delightful.
To catch you up – this series is set in an alternate reality in which Alaska is a small kingdom ruled by a family of dragon shifters, and there are ten other small kingdoms throughout the world also ruled by dragon shifter families. The magic that binds this world is periodically renewed like a treaty being re-signed by the eleven monarchs—more specifically, the heirs to the throne, who are selected by virtue of having a fated mate. The trouble is, the magic has gone bananas, and now the Alaskan family that should have had one heir has…four.
Actually, five, now that Katy showed up at the castle and Raval’s dragon had kittens (so to speak).
I really liked that, unlike what often happens with a fated mates book, Katy just rode that whole “we’re mates” wave. I’ve discussed Birch’s approach to fated mates in this series back in the book one review, so I won’t get into it too much here except to say that it’s the magic of possibility more than an involuntary bond. Even so, they know the mate bond exists because the magic has chosen them, and while Raval has concerns about what will happen to their relationship when the magic fades (he’s neurodiverse and worries about his ability to communicate successfully with Katy without the magic of the bond helping him), Katy jumps in feet first, almost as if she figures she’ll let fate take the wheel and hope for the best.
So, like, I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, because it was absolutely A RIDE. Some readers might think we’ve jumped the shark at this point, but I was thoroughly entertained and liked how this book resolved some problems, answered some questions, and also created some new ones. (Fask can’t be left out of the adventuring, after all!) With all of fated mating happening pretty early on, I had to wonder a little bit just what was actually going to happen in this book. The answer is plenty. Plenty happens. If you were wondering just what the palace was going to do with the eleven children it took responsibility for in the last book, your questions will be answered. If you were wondering about the story of the Compact, your questions will be answered. If you were wondering about what Raval’s been doing out in the garage for the past four books, your questions will be answered. You will probably end up with more questions, but the series isn’t over yet.
I really wouldn’t recommend reading this book on its own because there’s a lot happening with the greater plot; however, as a story, this book can stand on its own—Katy and Raval don’t actually spend much time on page with the other recurring characters and their problems are unique to their book. And I had so much fun reading it that if you’re a chaos reader who doesn’t need a series to be in order, this book might be a good hook to get you into the rest of the series.
I’m really excited to finish this series, but now I’m really hoping Fask’s story and the resolution of all the problems can live up to all the other books! Eek!
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.
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