BOOK REVIEW for "The Blood King (Inferno Rising, #2)" by Abigail Owen

The Blood King

(Inferno Rising, #2)

by Abigail Owen

Ruthless dragon king Ladon Ormarr must keep his throne at all costs. And now, with war on the horizon, he’ll need a miracle. Luckily, the fates have dropped Skylar Amon right into his lap.

Except he may have met his match.

The feisty Amon sister has no fear — of him or any other dragon shifter — is brash, doesn’t stick to protocols, and regularly offends his warriors and advisers.

Skylar also has no intention of sticking around. She doesn't believe in the whole destined mates thing and believes all dragon kings to be dangerous. But if it means taking out the High King who murdered her parents, she'll put up with Ladon... temporarily.

But the fates have other plans. And when Skylar disappears in the middle of a battle, Ladon will burn down the world to find her. 

~ BOOK REVIEW for The Blood King ~

****(4) out of 5 stars!

Less diversity in the shifter world we see in this second volume of the Inferno Rising series.  This one deals almost exclusively with dragons, although there are a handful of phoenixes and some werewolves thrown in for good measure.  

Many of the peripheral characters from the first book are back.  We learn much more of the back story for several key players here.  Kasia and Skylar in particular, but much about Ladon, as well as Brand, and others also.  Several new figures are added into the mix, some of whom seem destined to have a bigger role to play in the future.  Maul is still by far my favorite character though!

Ladon once again tries to walk a fine line between playing the hardass and being a good guy.  It would seem a very hard thing to do, but he pulls it off remarkably well.  He wants to protect Skylar and allow her the freedom that she deserves, but for a variety of reasons he is compelled to mate her very soon after their initial meeting.  She is not a big fan of dragons in general, and not especially interested in furthering their cause.  But it does happen to align with her own of protecting her family.  So after a little convincing, she gives in and agrees to mate him, hopeful that she won't kill him in the process.  

Of course, the fact that he is extremely taken with Skylar doesn't hurt his cause any!  She is incredibly attracted to Ladon as well, which makes doing what she feels is her duty that much more bearable; well, okay, actually enjoyable.  LOL!  That these two are fated mates is fairly obvious to just about everyone -- except for them! -- from the moment they first meet.  But both are so closed off and guarded, and so much else is going on around them, that it takes quite some time, and some scary experiences, for them to truly bond.  Luckily, however, they do so; and thus are they able to help save one another at times.  

This book was by and large a huge downer, as this merry little band of misfits tries to take on a much older, wiser, stronger, and more desperate foe.  Not much seems to go their way very often.  But there are some good times to be had in the midst of all the chaos and despair.  And luckily Ladon and Skylar are eventually able to admit their feelings for one another and experience their own sweet measure of joy.  

I definitely look forward to reading the remainder of the books in this series to see what becomes of the other sisters, and if they ever defeat the bad guy.  

I received an eBook copy of this title from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley,

and have willingly provided an honest review.

Author Bio:



Multi-award-winning paranormal romance author, Abigail Owen, loves plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, alpha heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of sexy shifters! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, Dr. Seuss quoter, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic.

Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it. 

Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero (who she totally married!) and their two children, who are growing up way too fast. 

 

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