Rating: 4 🌈✨
Blood, book 4 in A.J. Sherwood and Jocelynn Drake’s Scales ‘n’ Spells series, feels like the first story that brings both sides of the mage/dragon union into the tale as equal partners.
Here we get Sora’s full background and family history that folds in with mages as a whole. It’s interesting and a perspective the reader is well familiar with.
Along side the mage pov, is Ravi, the blue Wind Dragon that was adopted during the War by the Burkhard Clan. In the previous stories, the dragons have had or told less about themselves in each book versus the amount of space given their mates.
In Blood , both Sora and Ravi have equal time, narratively speaking. Probably because Ravi’s unusual past makes him a more noteworthy subject for a bigger share of the story. And he does well by it.
This is also a bigger book dramatically in terms of widening the scope of the themes and arc storytelling. Let’s just say the cast gets much bigger almost overnight!
I adore the impulsive Ravi and find the more responsible Sora a treat as well as a great compliment to him. The chemistry works.
I enjoy this series and story for its entertainment value. Plus dragons!
However, the new big plot elements also left a few equally noticeable plot holes. Ones at least large enough I thought several small dragons could fly through.
It’s hard to explain without giving the entire plot and storyline revelations away but the use of the impulsive (and young) Ravi to go chase after, boo hisss, the bad guys?
It’s something that strikes me as merely the authors ploy to raise the drama quotient from point A to point W, not because it makes any logical sense when looking at all the characters and story components the authors just laid down.
That’s frustrating because surely another way could have been found around all that. Sigh. Plot caverns make me crazy.
What this story does right? A gorgeous bonding ceremony that again was lacking in previous novels. It was moving and magical. Lovely.
I found Blood and Ravi and Sora to be a winner. Might be my favorite yet of the series.
I’m recommending it to all those who enjoy dragons and fantasy.
Scales ‘n’ Spells series:
✓ Origins
✓ Breath
✓ Wish: a Novella
◦ Blood
◦ Embers
https://www.goodreads.com › showBlood (Scales ‘N’ Spells, #3) by A.J. Sherwood | Goodreads
Synopsis:
Secret identities are hard to keep.
Sora finds this to be doubly true after meeting the struggling Burkhard Clan and the mischievous Ravi. The wind dragon has stolen his breath, and heart, away. Sora suspects he might have found his mate.
But his inability to be truthful with Ravi eats at Sora. When the Jaeggi attack, Sora can’t keep his secrets any longer. Not when Ravi is in the center of the war raging around them.
He has to reveal who he really is. It’s the only way to be with Ravi and give the Burkhards the help they need.
Sora’s secret could tip the scales to save them all.
Tags:
There’s tropes, and then there’s this book, Ravi has impulse issues, in Ravi’s defense he was left unsupervised, you’re only in trouble if you get caught, secret identity, only Ravi could have a meet-cute like this, Ravi attempts romance, it’s bad, no its really really bad, thank god for it, bored mages get into stuff, mothers with an agenda, hurt/comfort, somehow the comfort part involves tacos, Ravi is a corruptive influence, Sora is a willing corruptee, chaos incarnate, protective mate, bad guys ramp it up to the next level, Sora has an ace up his sleeve, and is not afraid to use it, Bat-Ravi
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 