Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers) Paperback – July 11, 2014

BookBub introduced me to "Nice Dragons Finish Last" when it was on sale on Amazon recently, and boy, am I glad I decided to download it! This book is a nonstop roller-coaster ride of action, sidesplitting laughter, and awesome characters.Here's the scoop on the plot: Julius is the youngest of the Heartstriker clan, a very large family of dragons. He's also the runt and the least dragon-like: all his siblings are cruel, ambitious, and conniving, whereas Julius is a nice guy. So he tries to just stay out of the way and not cause trouble, but his formidable mother Bethesda is not satisfied with this behavior. So she puts a spell on him to bind him into his human form and carts him off to the Detroit Free Zone--which is the city of Detroit after it's been taken over by the water spirit Algonquin and where dragons are illegal--with the threat that if he doesn't prove he can be a "good" (in other words, despicable) dragon in a month, then she'll have him killed.Enter Marci. Marci is a human mage on the run from a shady business mogul named Bixby, who desperately wants a magical artifact she has that her father stole. (Also relevant is the fact that Bixby had Marci's father killed in revenge for stealing the Kosmolabe, the artifact in question.) Marci flees to Detroit at about the same time Julius gets dumped there, and they end up working together to try to track down a runaway dragon from another clan, Katya, to prove that Julius is competent, though Marci doesn't know that she's dealing with dragons (yet).After saving each other's lives several times, Julius and Marci become fast friends, which does nothing good for Julius's reputation with the other dragons. On top of trying to prove his worth, Julius has to keep the secret of his true nature from Marci, and they both have to deal with Bixby's goons coming after them multiple times. PLUS Detroit is full of dangerous magical monsters, which makes for some epic fight scenes. I think my favorite fight scene was the one with the giant mutated lampreys in the sewers. The really massive one reminded me of a Hydra from Greek mythology, or the basilisk from Harry Potter.One reason I had to give this book a full 5 stars was that I loved Julius and Marci together. They both start out kind of wary of each other, since they've been used and manipulated before, but over the course of a few days of working together, fighting side by side against Bixby's goons and Detroit's magical monsters, they each discover that here is someone who will stick by them in good times and bad, and I loved watching their relationship evolve into something so wholesome and just all-around *good.*I also thought the solution to the conflict Julius figured out was both elegant and realistic. He managed to figure out a way to prove his worth to his family without betraying his conscience, and that made me SO happy. I hate when good people end up doing horrible things, because if the protagonist is not someone you can admire, why are we even rooting for them?--but that didn't happen here at all. Julius began the story as a stand-up guy and he came out of it still a stand-up guy, but with more of the worldly experience necessary for dealing with the sneaky other dragons.Another great thing about "Nice Dragons Finish Last" was how doggone CLEAN it was. I'm used to reading YA fiction that has at least a few swear words in it, sometimes an implied sex scene, but this book was a nice breath of fresh air. I don't recall seeing a single cuss word, though there were a few uses of the word "whore," and occasional references to dragons' "mating flights." Nothing crude or inappropriate, though. I really loved reading a book that was so clean.My only real complaint about the book is a minor one--it could have been more scrupulously edited in terms of grammar/spelling/etc. There were occasional homophone mixups and apostrophe errors that a copy-editor should've caught and corrected, and Bixby's name was at one point misspelled as "Bibxy." But like I said, this is a minor complaint, since I could always figure out what the author was really trying to say, and the errors were pretty few and far between.My other complaint has nothing to do with the book itself; I'm just disappointed that book 2 has not been released yet, because this is a series I want more of, and I want it now! Hats off to you, Rachel Aaron, for writing such a fun, upstanding novel! My interest has been piqued for your other books, which I plan to read while I'm waiting for Heartstrikers #2. Outstanding job.

What I would have liked to know before I bought this book. (no spoilers)1. What type of book is it: adventure, action, drama, etc? This is a feel good urban high fantasy story.2. What is the story about, in general? The story is about Julius the worst dragon and Marci the competent magician. The two of them are embroidered in many plots while discovering trust with each other and the path to friendship in a rather dangerous and crazy world.3. What/Who is the target audience? The target is Young Adults. The book might appeal to other age brackets, but the target is pretty firmly placed.4. How is the proofreading? I only saw one or two mistakes. There might be more, but I didn't notice them.5. Is there character development? Of the two protagonists, Julius is the only one that develops throughout the story. He has growth that can be measured and pointed to, though he does not have poignant enough personality flaws to break through his ideal structure. Marci does not have a great measurement of growth through the story because her actions don't build or expand beyond the scope of her initial personality. On the other hand, she has two nice dramatic flaws that, though within the scope of her personality, give her a certain greater appeal than Julius.Supporting characters are usually solidly two or one dimensional. That's alright, because most of them properly support the main plot.The antagonists in this story are barely two dimensional, but smart within their limitations. Plus, there are a lot of antagonists. It is not exactly easy to tell which antagonist is responsible for what.6. Are the characters likable? Yes, the characters are likable and somewhat interesting. Most of them properly support the protagonists/antagonist relation within the story. There is also a slight sense of exaggerated humor that adds some spice to the entire thing. The story is artfully made not to be too serious.7. Does the story keep its pacing? Though there are moments where story immersion completely fails, most of the story has an interesting premise that can capture reader attention. I would have wanted some more structure, but that's a simple personal whim.The romance within the story, though very YA, has some effort put into providing Hollywood type circumstances that might lead to a rapid if empty romance. In short, it is the type of passionate attraction that can be confused as love by young inexperienced couples. It was fun to read.8. Do you have to suspend disbelief? It is a high fantasy urban story in a world of dragons and powerful spirits. The world setting is pretty over the top so the story never quite crosses that threshold.9. Is the book worth the asking price? $5 is a quite acceptable price. Considering the read, it is not wasted money.In conclusion: This novel is a YA targeted urban high fantasy romance story that does not attempt to be too serious. The romance is quick, a tad too simplistic, but passionate and quite fun. The world building is interesting. The protagonists are fun to read, but somewhat lacking in their impact. This point is probably exacerbated because I am not the target audience. Keep that in mind. Some of the secondary characters are much too one dimensional for my liking, but still fun to read. The pacing is mostly fluid with dramatic action that does not need teenage angst in its composition. The proofreading is great, with only one or two mistakes that I could see. The ebook is well priced at five dollars, thus not too expensive. This is a pretty fun YA novel.3.6 Stars

An unsatisfactory dragon meets a reprehensible mage.This book is sweet, funny, easy to read and entirely satisfying. The boy dragon is kind and gentle, the girl mage is aggressive and a little bit criminal - a fun twist.The characters have so much room to grow in this fast-paced story, I enjoyed everything about it. Good, clean fun for all ages

Intricate story with lots of dragons, humans, mages and other beings.It is the start of a war between dragons, with one naive and slightly different young Julius caught in the middle of it. With the help of Marcy he grows up pretty fast and discovers his worthiness in this world.Nice worldbuilding and familydynamics.

I only got this book because it has something to do with dragons and feared it wouldn't be for me since the title made it appear like a youth book – and was SO surprised when I really loved it!!!The story is fast-paced and exciting with numerous unexpected turns and the characters are likeable, well-established and a joy to follow.I was especially impressed with the effortless dialogs that felt very real and authentic with a lot if wit – that takes a special kind of talent!I'm now starting book 3 of the series and just ordered the last 2 as well.Highly recommended, also for adult readers!

Great story and characters, as always with Rachel Aaron. The story is original, funny and packed with action. I'm opening the second book as soon as I'm done writing this comment :)

Urban fantasies are often a tough sell for me and, full transparency, the main reason I picked this up was to fulfil a summer reading challenge prompt. So, I was in no way prepared to have my mind blown by this book. Holy cow, this was so much fun! Ask me to give comps and I can’t think of anything that comes close—it’s part future dystopia, part shapeshifter, part urban fantasy.Premise: 60-something years ago an asteroid collided with Earth, reawakening magic and all the things that go bump in the night (and day for that matter). On the ruins of old Detroit, a new city has sprung up: the Detroit Free Zone (aka DFZ). Here, under the rule of an ambivalent spirit, magic is welcomed and just about anything goes. Except, that is, for dragons.Which is a problem for our protagonist, Julius, the youngest dragon of the Heartstriker family, who has been evicted from his cushy bedroom in his mother’s home and dumped in the city with nothing but the clothes on his back and $100 to his name. Ordered to stop being nice and “dragon up” as it were, he has to make something of himself—and quick—or else his mother will eat him.So, we have: interesting (and somewhat amusing) premise, tick. Intriguing worldbuilding, tick (how often do you see futuristic and fantasy together?). And, of course, dragons—but not as you know them—massive tick. This book has a bit of everything: from a trusty sidekick/mage with an animal companion/death spirit/cat to shapeshifting dragons, family politics, seers, magical orbs, mafia-like hitmen trying to take said magical orb, some detective-esq sleuthing, a runaway girl, underground shaman colonies and of course, a healthy serving of monsters and magic. Just listing that out makes me realise how impressive this story is that it manages to fit all these elements into it not only seamlessly, but in ways that make these well worn tropes feel fresh and new.If you want an urban fantasy with fresh flair, loveable characters, and a pacey plot with (very) light romance, absolutely give this a read.5/5 nice dragons.Now excuse me while I go get book two.