Buy: Amazon
Blurb
Two thieves vie for dominance in the illegal dragon egg trade, putting both their lives and their hearts on the line in this scorching romantasy from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.
For Brynla Aihr, crime and survival have always gone hand in hand. Ever since she escaped the fanatical dragon-worshipping cult that controls her homeland, she’s had to carve out a life doing the unthinkable: stealing dragon eggs. Egg theft is illegal and, in most cases, fatal. To breach a dragon’s nest means a harrowing journey through the ancient wards spelled to keep the monstrous beasts confined. Dragons can’t get out and only those with a death wish can get in.
Despite the risks, dragon eggs are highly coveted for their magic. An illegal trade flourishes under competing criminal empires, and Brynla’s loyalty has always been to the highest bidder. Until she finds herself kidnapped and blackmailed by Lord Andor, a formidable lieutenant of House Kolbeck, and thrust into the dangerous political games of rivaling dynasties.
Brynla and Andor clash at every turn, sparking heat in ways Brynla’s never felt before. But in a world that’s prophesized to return to the dragons, and rife with betrayal and secrets at every turn…how close to the flames is she willing to stand?
Review
3 stars
The first book in a new romantasy series from Karina Halle, I was so excited to dive into this story. It started so well, but wasn’t able to maintain the momentum and it sadly fell flat for me. It’s definitely an interesting concept though, and I did enjoy this one.
Brynla is a young woman with a tragic yet intriguing backstory, and she now makes her living as a dragon egg thief. It’s a dangerous and illegal trade, but the eggs grant magical powers and are highly sought after, and she is able to sell her finds to a Syndikat (cartel), until she is kidnapped by fellow thief, Andor. Andor is the son of a rival Syndikat leader who wants Brynla to thieve for him, and she very quickly finds herself in a world of political rivalry that will place her in more danger than she’s ever been.
Halle has created such a fantastic world, with interesting politics and beliefs, and the dragons are definitely a bonus. The story starts off so well, I was instantly hooked and so invested and couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen, but by the halfway point it had fallen flat, and even as the story reached its climax, I wasn’t sure why the characters were doing what they were doing, and I had lost my enthusiasm for the story.
I liked Brynla and Andor, but nothing about them really stood out. There’s a bit of a reverse grumpy/sunshine thing going on – Brynla has been through hell, and she’s jaded and mildly on the broody side, whereas Andor is like an overexcited puppy who is enthusiastic about pretty much everything. From the beginning of the story and their first meeting, the potential was there for an awesome love story but like the rest of the story, it just sort of fell a bit flat. The romance starts out of nowhere, with no real build-up, and I just didn’t feel it as much as was hoping.
“Tell me where you stand.”
He takes in a deep breath and runs his thumb over my lips. “I stand where you stand. And you stand at the forefront of my life. Everything else falls to the wayside. Every thought, every feeling, it revolves around you, like you’ve embedded yourself under my skin, deep enough that I couldn’t get you out even if I tried.”
I didn’t hate this book, I just didn’t love it, and I’m disappointed that I didn’t. I had such high hopes and it just didn’t get there for me. I will continue on with the series though – not sure if it’s going to be more of the same characters or if the focus will shift to one of Andor’s siblings, which I think could be interesting. But this one missed the mark for me.
3 stars.
Meet Karina
Karina Halle is a former travel writer, music journalist and screenwriter, and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of over 55 bestselling novels, ranging from horror and suspense to contemporary romance. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband, and her adopted pitbull Bruce, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Root Literary Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster, Hachette and Montlake. Her work has been translated and published in 20 languages.
Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.
Connect with Karina:
Facebook | Amazon | Instagram | Join her Reader Group
Stay up to date with Karina by signing up for her newsletter
For more great reads, check out our Karina Halle Author Spotlight