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Dragon Shadow
by
Alicia Wolfe
It is part of the Reclaiming the Fire series and is a paranormal fantasy in a Kindle edition that was published by the author on November 30, 2017 and has 248 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon, Audibles.
First in the Reclaiming the Fire paranormal fantasy series set in post-Fae New York and revolving around Jade McClaren, a dragon shifter who can’t shift.
My Take
Wolfe intrigued me from the start and then we got to the brooms with leather seats. That gave me a check. But I do like the idea of crusading sisters trying to even out the magical imbalance.
Wolfe is using first person protagonist point-of-view from Jade’s perspective, so we see, hear, and feel everything through Jade, and while it has the makings of a great story, Wolfe needs to get more show into it, more depth.
It’s all about a great enemy who wishes harm to all with Jade having an unexpected and pivotal role, much to Davril’s disgust.
There’s plenty of action and most of it interspersed with magic. Wolfe does do well on providing the background naturally — no info dumps.
The Story
Dorrie has a legit issue with that pervert Walter Hawthorne, and Jade intends to help her out with that. Only it leads to another, unexpected discovery, which attracts the attention of powerful enemies as well as the pursuit of the relentless Fae Knight, Davril Stormguard.
To clear her name, Jade must team up with Davril to contend with vampires, demons, witches, and more before what’s happening in post-Fae New York destroys the Fae Lords . . . and maybe the world itself.
The Characters
Jade McClaren of the Highland McClarens is a dragon half-shifter who can’t shift. It’s that moment that set her on the role as a crusading thief. Ruby McClaren is Jade’s sister with a healing magic. Rose was a distant ancestor.
Jason Mattox is Jade’s and Ruby’s fence in Queens specializing in magical items. Mindy is one of Jason’s employees. Lydia is Jade’s fellow hot-pants-wearing bartender. Frank runs the catering company.
The Fae
They crossed over 10 years ago, the Arrival, a.k.a. the Fae-rival. The Fae Queen Calista has built her Palace on top of one of the skyscrapers. She had once ruled in Gavala. Prince Jereth is Calista’s hotheaded son and Heir. The Nine Thrones referred to the nine kings and queens of the Fae Lands. Lord Greenleaf is the queen’s grand vizier. Jessela is a lady knight. Lord Gerwyn Seafoam and Beash are some of the fae.
Davril, Lord Stormguard, is a Knight of the Queen’s Court, one of the cops of the Fae world. Lady Kay is his flying car. His home base is Castle Stormguard where he ruled over his kingdom of Highgard until he bent knee to Calista. His older brother is Nevos. Wyngard is a castle in Corwyn, a walled city. Yasli is a more southerly town. Liara is one of the Sisters of Elshe, an ancient Fae order of healers, who live at Stormguard.
Vorkoth, the Dark One, is the enemy of the fae. Vincent Walsh, an evil mage, stole Jade’s power and killed some of her family. Skull-Face is working with the vampires. Mistress Angela is the witch leader of a band of thugs, which includes Blackfeather, who is Angela’s daughter. Lord Mortock is a demon.
The Golden Hind is a golden deer with magical properties. Pandora’s Box is the hot new magical club in town. Walter Hawthorne is Jade’s very wealthy mark. Dorrie Weisman, a former maid of Hawthorne’s, is Jade’s client. Marko is an assassin with a Moody Maria tattoo. Moody Maria runs a brothel. James and Taru are some of her hot guards.
Judith Eans was a bully in Jade’s childhood. Jimmy Gottlieb was Jade’s second-ever date. The Compendium is a place of magical knowledge, and Federico, an imp whose imperative is to do mischief, is its guide.
Gypsy Land is a very poor neighborhood with underground and illegal magic. The Shadows is even scarier. Voris Cemetery is for witches and wizards.
The Cover and Title
The cover is deep in color with a navy sky and purple clouds crossing the face of the full moon on the left. On the right is one of the fae castles atop a building in New York. In the foreground is the black, long-haired Jade in a confident pose, wearing black leather in a short-sleeved top and pants. In her left hand she holds a magical green fire, its smoke drifting off to the side of her body. At the very top is an epigraph in white. The title crosses her thighs in a distressed white font. Beneath it is the series information in white. The author’s name is at the bottom in a distressed yellow-green.
I think the title is a blend of Jade’s tragedy as well as the Faes with its Dragon Shadow.
