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One Good Dragon Deserves Another

(Heartstrikers #2)

Rachel Aaron (Goodreads Author)

4.30 · Rating details · 7,212 ratings · 530 reviews

After barely escaping the machinations of his terrifying mother, two all knowing seers, and countless bloodthirsty siblings, the last thing Julius wants to see is another dragon. Unfortunately for him, the only thing more dangerous than being a useless Heartstriker is being a useful one, and now that he’s got an in with the Three Sisters, Julius has become a key pawn in Be ...more

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Kindle Edition, 487 pages

Published August 1st 2015 by Aaron/Bach, LLC

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May 20, 2018 Petrik rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Urban fantasy fans

Recommended to Petrik by: TS Chan

Shelves: favorites, self-published-and-indie

4.5/5 stars

Simply a superb improvement in quality.

One Good Dragon Deserves Another is the second book in Rachel Aaron’s Heartstrikers series and it is a VAST improvement from the first book. The first book was a 3.5 stars read for me, this book received 4.5 stars (rounded up on Goodreads) from me. Urban fantasy is really not my favorite genre and that’s why I’m completely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The story itself isn’t even something special, it’s great of course, but it’s the 4.5/5 stars

Simply a superb improvement in quality.

One Good Dragon Deserves Another is the second book in Rachel Aaron’s Heartstrikers series and it is a VAST improvement from the first book. The first book was a 3.5 stars read for me, this book received 4.5 stars (rounded up on Goodreads) from me. Urban fantasy is really not my favorite genre and that’s why I’m completely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The story itself isn’t even something special, it’s great of course, but it’s the combination of all the other elements in the book such as the characters, action sequences, world-building, and prose that made this book so damn compelling to read; everything just flows impeccably well.

It’s been a long time—a month and eleven books to be precise—since I was this engaged in reading a book. Heck, I even thought that I was near a reading slump or something because the past eleven books have been a mix of bad, mediocre, good, great, but none of them were amazing. The first book, Nice Dragons Finish Last, was a part of SPFBO #3 competition, it’s such a shame that the competition can only count the first book (understandable but still a shame) because this book alone, blew every book or winner (that I’ve read) in the history of the competition.

There simply isn’t any dull moment in the book. One of the missing aspect of the first book—despite it being fun—was an engaging and tense plotline, Aaron fixed this completely here, making the first book simply a prelude and introduction to the world, story, and characters. There were a lot of moving parts in the storyline and although Aaron finished the main storyline in this book, if you take a close look beneath the façade of the main story, it’s obvious that Aaron is saving a lot of plotline for future revelations; this means Bob’s grand plan surrounding Julius and I can’t wait to find out how it all will play out. The story was also tense but at the same time, it was still lighthearted, damn easy to follow, and never stop being fun and humorous at times.

“Help us, Juli-wan Kenobi, you're our only hope."
For a moment, that almost, almost made Julius feel like a hero. And then he remembered. "Doesn't Obi-Wan die in that movie?”

Don’t get me wrong, I love my books being serious, dark, or full of death. However, once in a while I still need a change of pace to lighter tone books and this series is a great choice. Aaron achieved this by writing superb characterizations for literally every character in the series. Every character has distinct voices and personality, they’re unique and none of them ever bore me. Once the characters made me feel invested, the story can be about literally anything and I would still end up loving it. There are a lot of fantastic character developments here, especially towards Marci, but the new characters—Amelia and Vann Jeger—were a wonderful addition to the series. I also need to talk about Bob again, although he didn’t appear a lot here, he’s still my favorite character and he always managed to steal every scene he’s in.

One of the most prominent differences between the first book and this one is its incredible action sequences. The battle against Vann Jeger for example was simply top notch. It was high scale, intense, fast-paced, immersive, and written really well. World-building also received a much better expositions with history surrounding the dragons, their birthplace, plus new information on the exclusive Heartstrikers’s special weapons, Fangs of the Heartstrikers, making this book filled with rich content.

Sequel-wise, this is seriously one of the strongest sequel I’ve ever read. Aaron pretty much improved upon everything she wrote in the first book and erased all the cons I had on the first book in this installment. There are no more repetitive sentences or a sense of the prose being clunky to read, her prose was so easy to read, compelling and never gets in the way of the story. I spotted literally only one typo in the book and that’s seriously an amazing achievement in self-published books.

I’m only two books into the series so far but Heartstrikers could seriously end up becoming the first self-published series to enter ‘my favorite series of all time’ list. Bob’s ability as a seer must’ve seen this happening and I sincerely hope I don’t jinx it or do something horrible to change the future of this prediction.

You can find this and the rest of my Adult Epic/High Fantasy & Sci-Fi reviews at BookNest ...more

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Sep 22, 2015 Gergana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, favorites

It's OFFICIAL! The Heartstrikers series now belongs to my shelf of Favorites! YEY!

Warning! This review contains lots of blabbering, fangirling and random fanarts (done by me, so no suing, ok? For higher res: gerynh.tumblr.com)

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The story begins a few months after the first book ends and what a start it is! We finally get to meet Bethesda, the Boss/Mother of the Strongest Dragon Clan, and some of her older children! We also have a few epic Bob and Justin scenes that ma ...more

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Mar 14, 2017 Robin (Bridge Four) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 4-5-stars, bb-b-2017, book-boyfriend-material, uf-pnr, fantastic-fantasy, 2017-reads, awesome-audio, ghosts, chick-i-want-to-hang-out-with, witches-warlocks-and-magic

5 count them 5 Stars

description

This series is a lot of fun for me and delightfully entertaining. I wish I would have written a review as soon as I finished so I remembered all the great deets, but alas there are so many books and I forgot I hadn’t stopped to tell everyone how great this one is.

description

I’m usually not a huge fan of beta boys. Overall they can be a little boring, but not Julian, he has so much chaos going on around him there is no time for him to be boring at all. Everything in this story happens in ...more

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Sep 26, 2017 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star, year-2018

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

So this is the installment where the series really grabs you by the face, sits you down, and forces you to see a much bigger picture than you thought possible.

I'm sort of amazed, because I've never had such a great relationship with any Urban Fantasy I've picked up before this one.

The first & most noticeable difference for me personally was the huge improvement in Aaron's writing style. Where there were patches of unnecessary repetition & occasional over-description, the ...more

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Mar 04, 2015 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs-and-galleys, review-copy, magic, fantasy, favorites, dragons, urban, kindle-unlimited

5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/08/04/b...

I had to wait at least a day after finishing One Good Dragon Deserves Another to write my review, lest I just end up gushing incoherently like a madwoman. That’s because this book was simply amazing. Not only did it manage to be even better than the first book – a magnificent achievement in itself, considering how awesome Nice Dragons Finish Last was and how much I already loved it to pieces – it’s also now vying for the t 5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/08/04/b...

I had to wait at least a day after finishing One Good Dragon Deserves Another to write my review, lest I just end up gushing incoherently like a madwoman. That’s because this book was simply amazing. Not only did it manage to be even better than the first book – a magnificent achievement in itself, considering how awesome Nice Dragons Finish Last was and how much I already loved it to pieces – it’s also now vying for the top spot in my list of best books read in 2015.

This sequel takes place not long after the events of book one. Our protagonist Julius, the youngest and nicest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, is feeling happier than he’s ever been in his entire life. Working out of the Detroit Free Zone as a magical pest control specialist with the help of his friend and mage partner Marci, it feels oh so good to be finally free of his tyrant mother and all his cutthroat siblings. But unfortunately for Julius, this respite doesn’t last; before long he’s sucked back into the dragon-eat-dragon world of Bethesda the Heartstriker, and used as a political pawn in a war against a rival clan.

If you think your family is dysfunctional, you should see Julius’. To Bethesda, who values strength and ruthlessness, her youngest son is a total failure of a dragon and she never misses a chance to let him know exactly how she feels. If it weren’t for the efforts of his more forgiving siblings, she would have made a snack out of Julius years ago. But for all that, Bethesda is still his mother, and Julius only wants the best for his clan. When Estella, dragon seer and head of The Three Sisters starts laying an obvious trap for the leader of the Heartstrikers, Julius becomes frustrated that Bethesda’s pride is blinding her to all dangers.

It took only the first chapter to remind me instantly of how astonishingly unique, creative, and addictive this world is. That said, it’s Rachel Aaron so I would have expected nothing less. Everything I’ve read by her thus far from The Spirit Thief to the Paradox sci-fi trilogy she published under her name Rachel Bach have all been bursting at the seams with original and intriguing ideas. But she’s outdone even herself with these Heartstriker books.

My first instincts is to call this Urban Fantasy, but that’s just a small slice of the big picture. There’s also a post-apocalyptic component with traces of mythical lore combined with sci-fi elements. Throw in magic, dragons, and a healthy dose of humor (I laughed out loud so many times – HARD), and that’s still just barely scratching the surface. Not many authors can set out to do something this ambitious and deliver it with such finesse and aplomb. It goes without saying that world-building was fantastic in this book, giving Aaron plenty of opportunities to expand upon the way magic works here, and also answer plenty of questions about dragon history.

And then there are the characters. Where do I even begin? Being the stars of the show, it probably comes as no surprise that I absolutely adored both Julius and Marci. Julius is as lovable as ever and Marci totally steals the show in this book by kicking so much magical ass. But I was also excited when I saw the many familiar faces returning for this sequel. Oh my goodness, Justin! And Bob! Even Chelsie, who is now my new hero, and Ghost, who may have single-handedly turned me into a cat person overnight. Even the villains are superb in this series, from Estella the North Star to the spirit baddies like Algonquin and her top dragon hunter Vann Jeger.

Of course, no character discussion is complete without also a nod to Julius’s big sister Amelia, introduced in this book as the heir to Heartstriker. As part of A-clutch, this makes her one of the oldest and most powerful dragons in the clan, second only to Bethesda herself. She’s also nothing like I expected. It’s not my place to spoil Amelia’s big debut so I’ll leave it at that, but suffice to say it wouldn’t surprise me if after this book she ends up with a pretty sizeable fan club. Like every character in these novels, she is compelling and memorable – a good thing too, considering Julius’ huge family and the number of siblings that play a part in his story.

As an avid Urban Fantasy reader, I just fell in love with this book. Perhaps it’ll come as no surprise that the story has all the action, comedy and thrills you would expect; after all, I’m addicted to this genre precisely because it is so consistently fun and entertaining. But if you want originality and truly stellar storytelling as well? Then there is no contest – this series stands out way above the rest.

What’s even more impressive is that these books are self-published, a personal project by Rachel Aaron. I sincerely wish her the best on her endeavors, because this series deserves all the attention and praise I can give. One Good Dragon Deserves Another blew me away with a plot that just kept on giving and giving, taking me on a wild ride through several arcs that nonetheless fit together so well, with surprising revelations aplenty and underdog heroes to root for every step of the way. Highly, highly recommended! ...more

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Apr 04, 2018 Celeste rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, favorites, funny

Full review now posted!

I didn’t realize how much I needed dragons in my life. Man, this book was so much fun. It was everything I was hoping to find in the first book, and then some.

My issues with the writing feeling unpolished and clunky in the first book were completely non-existent in this follow-up. The prose transcended being simple sentences on a page and disappeared, until I wasn’t seeing words on a page but instead saw the events of the book playing out like a movie in mind. That is the Full review now posted!

I didn’t realize how much I needed dragons in my life. Man, this book was so much fun. It was everything I was hoping to find in the first book, and then some.

My issues with the writing feeling unpolished and clunky in the first book were completely non-existent in this follow-up. The prose transcended being simple sentences on a page and disappeared, until I wasn’t seeing words on a page but instead saw the events of the book playing out like a movie in mind. That is the highest compliment I can pay to a fantasy novelist whose prose is merely a vehicle for the story they’re telling, such as Brandon Sanderson. While I love beautiful prose, like that crafted by Rothfuss and Kay, I also appreciate stories that become so real in my mind that the prose disappears.

There was so much character development in this book. Seriously, the characters we met in the first book were cute and interesting, but a bit two-dimensional. In this second book, they are fleshed out so well that I feel like they’re actually friends of mine. I love that feeling, and it’s something that’s often hard to inspire through the written word, so I applaud Aaron for that.

Julius, the world’s nicest dragon, is growing into himself and beginning to stand up for what he believes. As one of the youngest, smallest dragons in the Heartstriker clan, he is often overlooked or viewed as weak due to his kindness. But he is a dragon to watch, and his kindness is most definitely not weakness. Julius is intelligent and crafty and loyal, and those traits inspire loyalty in others.

Then we have Marci, who is a firecracker of a human mage with a weird spirit bound to her. She’s Julius’s friend and business partner, and they have the hots for each other. (It’s adorable). Marci is loyal and incredibly intelligent, but she’s also fool-hardy and headstrong, which often leads to trouble. I’ll be honest; I found her just the teensiest bit annoying in the first book. Not so here! She was sassy and emotional and intelligent and talented and loyal and strong, and just all-in-all a very well-rounded character.

While these two are our main characters, we also have the other dragons, be they Heartstrikers or Daughters of the Three Sisters. We get character development from Justin, Julius’s closest brother and the Knight of the Heartstrikers; Chelsie, Bethesda’s Shade and the most terrifying dragon in the Heartstriker clan, but one with a soft spot for her “nice” baby brother; and Katya, the youngest Daughter of the Three Sisters and the unlikely ally and friend of Julius. We also have Amelia, a new dragon mage on the scene. She is immensely talented and incredibly quirky, choosing to spend the majority of her time drunk and on other planes of existence until recent events brought her back to her own.

And then there’s Bob. Bob is just about the most eccentric character I’ve come across in any book, and I love him for it. Even though he acts like he hasn’t a care in the world, you can see the scarily sharp mind behind the facade. He’s a puppet master, playing everyone using his amazing abilities as one of the three dragon seers on the planet. But while dragons all always out for their own good, Bob is determined to also do what’s best for his family, the Heartstriker clan. I have to say, though, that I’m dying to see how the pigeon comes into play. That has to be one of the weirdest pets ever.

This was a compelling story, and it’s a series I can’t wait to continue. Especially since the next book should provide some backstory on Chelsie, who is absolutely fascinating. What I love most about this series is its brightness. It’s fun and light. Is there tension and drama? Yes. Any book without those components would be boring and feel meaningless. But I always felt certain that things would all work out in the end. There’s just a levity to the series that’s refreshing. So much of the fantasy genre is dark, and even though I love the genre, it’s like a breath of fresh air to find something this light. Also, there’s a severe lack of dragons in urban fantasy, and I really love seeing them in this setting. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for something hopeful in the fantasy genre. ...more

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Dec 04, 2016 TS Chan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, physical-owned, kindle-unlimited

The sequel to Nice Dragons Finish Last was an improvement in every way possible. There is just so much more of everything which made the last book enjoyable that the series is shaping up to be a fantastic one.

The worldbuilding was more expansive as we get to see and learn more about the magic of dragons and of the spirits of the earth. Rachel Aaron has created a really unique setting for this series and the backstory of how dragons ended up on earth was truly captivating. Even though the exposi The sequel to Nice Dragons Finish Last was an improvement in every way possible. There is just so much more of everything which made the last book enjoyable that the series is shaping up to be a fantastic one.

The worldbuilding was more expansive as we get to see and learn more about the magic of dragons and of the spirits of the earth. Rachel Aaron has created a really unique setting for this series and the backstory of how dragons ended up on earth was truly captivating. Even though the exposition can sometimes come across as a bit of an info-dump, I was too happily lapping it all up to be really bothered about it.

The development of the characters was wonderful. While Julius was still as nice as ever, you just cannot mistake him for being weak and definitely not stupid. With the machination of his oldest brother, who was one of three dragon seers ever in existence, Julius was placed as the central chess-piece towards an endgame which relied on his unique un-draconic personality to succeed. It was frankly quite masterful.

Marci's magic potential grew by leaps and bounds, and what was even more intriguing was the development of her relationship with her spirit (which comes in the form of a ghost cat). This is definitely one human to watch out for. The growth of her romantic relationship with Julius was also handled well. I hate plot devices where characters don't communicate or talk things through. Fortunately, this was not an issue here.

Julius' older siblings were truly the icing on the cake. Crazy Amelia the Planeswalker, quirky Bob the Seer, awesome Chelsie the Shade and obnoxious Justin the Knight/Champion – each and every one of them is great in their own special way and they were much more fully explored in this instalment.

About one-third in, the ever-escalating events made it ever so hard to put the book down. There were loads of revelations and cool action set-pieces replete with awesome displays of magic. And it was all wrapped up in an exciting edge-of-the-seat climax which was then followed by an earth-shattering event. I am absolutely hooked on Heartstrikers now.

This review can also be found at Booknest ...more

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Nov 26, 2014 Choko rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fantasy, dragons

*** 5 ***

I just finished listening to the second book of the Heartstriker family dragon saga and I am stoked!!! This is turning out to be one of my favorite new series. Ms Aaron has found the right map to my heart and it is populated with dragons!!!
Although I love Julian, him being all idealistic and adorable and all, Marcy is still the stronger character and her potential is unlimited. But I am I love with Chelsy and Katia!!! They stole the show for me in this one, upstaged only by the oldest ...more

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Aug 30, 2014 Lila rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-dhasg-challenge, favorites, uf

The littlest dragon and his benevolent family are finally back!

.....and they are crazier than ever. :)

description

Longer wait for sequel totally paid off, because this book was pure, unadulterated fun. :)

OGDDA is set only a month after the events of first book, just enough for Julius to become comfortable thinking he wiggled out from Bethesda's claws....before it all goes to hell. Dragon politics is like a mix between Game of Thrones and Survivor and Marcy and our baby dragon are dragged right in the middle ...more

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Nov 13, 2017 Kaitlin rated it really liked it

This is one of those series I just find a whole heap of fun. It's filled with exciting ideas about bloodthirsty dragons, the lady of the lake, humans, mages and more. the first book I definitely enjoyed more than I anticipated, and this one was exactly the same. Filled with action and drama and lots of good twists from the Dragon Seers who can influence the future. I just think it's pretty great.

We're once more following Julius, one of the youngest Heartstrikers Dragons who is currently sealed b ...more

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Jun 19, 2015 Kathleen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, audio, dragons

4.5 stars. Very good! Maybe even better than the first book in the series. Marci the Mage (move over, Merlin) and Julius the truly "noble" dragon (kind and wise) are back, even stronger, and with a hint of romance. We see more of secondary characters Bob / Brohomir the Seer, Chelsea the Shade, Justin the warrior, etc. We meet Amelia, A-Clutch dragon Mage. Fun character! We also meet the Lady of the Lake -- Algonquin, and Vann Jager her dragon hunter. Learn more about dragon history, and about Gh ...more

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Jun 17, 2019 Haïfa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reread, favorites

4.5 stars, rounded up!

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Jul 22, 2015 Danya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, adult, favourites, auto-buy-author, received-for-review, 2015-release

Rachel Aaron’s ONE GOOD DRAGON DESERVES ANOTHER is witty, fresh, and fun. A sequel that expands on world building, characters, and the series plot makes this one a winner.

Our story opens two months after the events of the first book and Julius Heartstriker and his human mage friend Marci are hiding out in the DFZ. Who are they hiding from? Depends who you ask, but anyone bearing the name of Julius’ dragon clan –Heartstriker – is someone to avoid so far as he’s concerned. But family is tough to d Rachel Aaron’s ONE GOOD DRAGON DESERVES ANOTHER is witty, fresh, and fun. A sequel that expands on world building, characters, and the series plot makes this one a winner.

Our story opens two months after the events of the first book and Julius Heartstriker and his human mage friend Marci are hiding out in the DFZ. Who are they hiding from? Depends who you ask, but anyone bearing the name of Julius’ dragon clan –Heartstriker – is someone to avoid so far as he’s concerned. But family is tough to dodge even at the best of times, so when you’ve got scores of draconic brothers and sisters there’s no hiding out for long. Sooner than Julius would like his family are back in the picture, dragging the “Nice Dragon” into dragon clan politics – and maybe even war.

If there’s one thing clan Heartstriker is good at it’s getting into trouble and stepping on toes…and chopping off heads. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise when Estella, dragon Seer and the de facto head of the Three Sisters clan, starts targeting the Heartstrikers directly. While our protagonists Julius and Marci are worried, the matriarch of the clan Bethesda doesn’t bat a single heavily mascaraed eyelash. After all, what does a powerful clan of almost a hundred dragons have to fear from Estella? But all bets are off when a Seer gets involved…

Fan favourites Bob and Chelsie are back and better than ever in ONE GOOD DRAGON DESERVES ANOTHER, taking a more active role in Julius’ life. I adored both characters in the first book, but getting a peek at their individual motivations and agendas was fascinating! I love the fact that Heartstriker’s enforcer is a woman, since that role is typically reserved for male characters; Chelsie can definitely kick some serious dragon ass, which we get to see in multiple wonderfully written battle scenes. You go girl!

The other badass lady in ONE GOOD DRAGON DESERVES ANOTHER is of course Marci, the most lovable character ever. It’s not easy being a human in a dragon’s world, especially one with a sassy attitude. Her magical brilliance, cunning, and audacity are actually all draconic characteristics, now that I think about it. She’d make a great dragon. But aside from helping out her BFF/potential BF Julius, Marci has her own problems to deal with. For one thing, her spirit cat Ghost has been acting very strange indeed…and may not actually be a spirit cat after all. I’ll not spoil the surprise but holy crap were Marci and Ghost’s scenes together awesome!

Marci’s magical abilities and her relationship with the spirit cat led to my favourite relationship in this book: the tentative alliance between Marci and Amelia Hearstriker. That’s right, we finally get to meet a member of the illustrious ‘A’ clutch, Bethesda’s first group of children. And Amelia does not disappoint! The hard-drinking, magic-wielding dragoness is a perfect counterpoint to her more controlled siblings. And I loved seeing her geek out about magic with Marci!

As if the fabulous characters weren’t enough, the plot of ONE GOOD DRAGON DESERVES ANOTHER was also compelling and unpredictable. The major plot arc wraps up with enough detail to satisfy, and then some major game changers are introduced in the epilogue. No cliffhanger, just intriguing stuff! I have burning questions that need to be answered in the third book. These questions include:

1)How will clan Heartstriker respond to a certain spirit throwing down the gauntlet?
2) Will Julius ever get up the nerve to ask Marci on a date? Preferably one that doesn’t involve tank badgers?
3) And finally, what the heck happened with Chelsie in China?!

Suffice it to say that after ONE GOOD DRAGON DESERVES ANOTHER, I’m eagerly anticipating the third book. There’s something for everyone in this wholly unique series: humour, heart, and seriously great characters. If you’re not already reading the Heartstrikers series, do yourself a favour and pick it up!

...more

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Oct 05, 2015 Maria Dimitrova rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fantasy

When is the release date for the next book? I need to know! Waiting for months after an ending like this (view spoiler) is going to be hard. So I guess I found a new series to obssess over. ...more

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Aug 17, 2015 Tammie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, owned-audible, adult, adult-fantasy, fantasy, indies, trilogy

My daughters and I were all very excited to listen to One Good Dragon Deserves Another on our holiday road trip. We loved the first book in the series and really enjoyed the narrator. We were not disappointed; this second book in the series is just as good as the first one was and once again the narrator does a great job. One great thing is that my daughter, who doesn't really care to read very much, really likes listening to these.

It was a nice treat to revisit Julius, Marcy, Ghost Cat (whom w ...more

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Oct 22, 2015 Lisa rated it liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2015/1...

3.5/5 stars

What can I say? I really hoped to love this one as many of my trusted blogger friends did. And while I did enjoy it over all I definitely did not love it. I have had a hard time deciding exactly why that is, and it may just come down to I find Julius a bit boring and I got a little sick of the whole “nice dragon” thing. While things get “hard” for him during the book, I feel like the solutions almost seem to come ea Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2015/1...

3.5/5 stars

What can I say? I really hoped to love this one as many of my trusted blogger friends did. And while I did enjoy it over all I definitely did not love it. I have had a hard time deciding exactly why that is, and it may just come down to I find Julius a bit boring and I got a little sick of the whole “nice dragon” thing. While things get “hard” for him during the book, I feel like the solutions almost seem to come easy or conveniently. I have always preferred dark books with troubled protagonists, so really maybe the biggest surprise should be how much I enjoyed the first. Now, that doesn’t mean I never like nice characters, I just am way more interested in the ones that have shades of grey to them. Perhaps the first book just worked better for me because everything was new and fresh. Since much of that has already been established by the time you get to book 2, I just didn’t have as much to learn about the world in this book and then too much of my enjoyment was reliant on the characters and plot. The plot was good! But the resolution is something I can have a harder time with.

I am having a difficult time determining how to best write this review, because I feel like my chief complaint is actually a feature of the book and not really a fault. It comes down to reading and character preferences. Or maybe I was just crabby when I was listening to it (I don’t really think that’s the case, and ultimately it doesn’t matter, because my reaction is what it is)

While there are some very interesting aspects to the world, I honestly think it is the characters and their relationships that don’t work as well for me. I think so many of them almost feel simple, like caricatures, which leaves me feeling disconnected. This type of story telling and character presentation can work very well for many readers, so I don’t even want to fault it for that. But if you are like me, and generally not interested in fairy tale style stories, it may not work quite as well for you. (I feel I need to add a disclaimer, there are some stories I’ve read that have a real fairy tale aspect to them that I have enjoyed, but typically it is the dark and twisted fairy tales that work for me).

Now, don’t take my initial negativity as a sign that all is wrong with this book. I still love Marci. She has a wonderful personality and we also get to learn a lot more about Ghost (her spirit cat) in this book. I am always a fan of cat characters for some reason. They are usually so full of attitude, it’s just hard not love them. So getting more details on Ghost was certainly very interesting. There’s definitely more to that cat than you realized and I would be interested to see how that may impact future story lines.

While I find myself rather indifferent to Julius’ brothers, I may have been a bit more interested in his sister Amelia. Being an ‘A’ name, that means she is one of Bethesda’s oldest children. Her and Marci actually find some common ground, so since I really enjoy Marci, I have to admit, that worked in Amelia’s favor. Plus, she is pretty kick ass all on her own. Very old, powerful dragon that has some tricks up her sleeve.

Overall, I think if you enjoyed book 1, definitely give this one a try. From what I have seen, my reaction is more negative than most of the others I know that have read it.

...more

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Apr 09, 2019 Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal-urban-fantasy, read-2019-books, borrowed-amazon, reviewed, cover-love, mancers-mages, dragons

4 Stars

Review:
This was a great continuation of the series!

I liked all the same great things that I liked in the first book. The dragons were cool. The plot and pacing were excellent and kept me gripped and wanting more. The characters were unique and interesting and mostly likeable, despite whatever flaws they may have. There was even some humor throughout the book; these books aren't too heavy, at least not so far in the series.

What really stood out this time though was the whole cast of chara ...more

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Jul 20, 2015 Mihir rated it it was amazing

Overall rating = 4.5 stars

Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic

Read my in-depth interview with Rachel Aaron as she reveals some starling factoids and secrets of the Heartstriker series & world.

CLASSIFICATION: The Heartstriker series is an action-packed urban fantasy series with a strong dose of comedy, post-apocalyptic SF themes and dragons.

ANALYSIS: Ever since I got my hands on The Spirit Thief, the debut book by Rachel Aaron, I’ve been enchanted by the worlds she imagines and the characte ...more

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Jul 03, 2019 Erin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy, read-for-emotion

I am loving this series so much.

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Aug 01, 2019 Lindsay rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy

One of those rare series that gets significantly better with the second book.

Julius and Marci now have their own business in the DFZ as magical creature pest control. But Justin's exposure as a dragon in the DFZ has had consequences and the dragon hunters are out in force. At the same time Estella has returned from her trip to the planes and she's brought with her the means to take down the Heartstriker clan completely.

The first book set the stage and introduced us to a lot of characters and the ...more

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Jul 21, 2015 Laura (Kyahgirl) rated it really liked it

Shelves: humour, fiction-with-animals, magic, fantasy, urban-fantasy, part-of-a-series, witches, dragons, romance-very-subtle

4/5; stars; A-

I really enjoyed this second addition to the Heartstriker series. There are many characters with great potential and I look forward to more books with this particular cast.
The only flaws were an excessive amount of navel gazing and internal dialog at some points. Besides that, there was an inventive magic system, good pacing, and lots of humorous moments.
I both listened to and read the book. As with the first in this series, I really enjoyed the abilities of the narrator, Vikas A ...more

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Jun 04, 2018 Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2018, kindle-unlimited, buddy-reads, machalo-asylum

🔥 BR with my Waifu while we stroll inconspicuously & casually af through the MacHalo mansions 🔥

This was so good! So. Good!

Also know I has so many questions, so many. Giddy Ugh!

Gimme book #3! I needs it, now!

🔥 ♥ DRAGONS RULE BIATCHES ♥ 🔥 ...more

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Oct 28, 2019 Emma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, magic, ya, urban-fantasy, dragons

I read the first book in this series some time ago and *quite* liked it. It was ok. I only picked this up because I’d just read another series set in the same world by this author and really enjoyed it, so thought I’d give Heartstrikers another chance. This book was a completely different beast. The politics, manoeuvring, the development in relationships, the action, the whole shebang was seriously ramped up. Excellent stuff!

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May 06, 2019 Eric rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy

3.5 Stars

One Good Dragon Deserves Another is a solid second entry in the Heartstrikers series, expanding the world and adding in some interesting new characters.

After surviving his mother’s test, Julius is trying to stay out of the way of the more powerful dragons in his clan and carve out a quiet life for himself. To the surprise of no one, things don’t turn out quite as he had planned and Julius and Marci are soon pulled into a mess that puts in the crosshairs of his own clan, another powerfu 3.5 Stars

One Good Dragon Deserves Another is a solid second entry in the Heartstrikers series, expanding the world and adding in some interesting new characters.

After surviving his mother’s test, Julius is trying to stay out of the way of the more powerful dragons in his clan and carve out a quiet life for himself. To the surprise of no one, things don’t turn out quite as he had planned and Julius and Marci are soon pulled into a mess that puts in the crosshairs of his own clan, another powerful dragon clan, and a feared dragon hunter.

Honestly, I feel like you could copy and paste my review from the first book for this one. All the good points are still the same. Polished, smooth writing. Fun banter and some interesting characters. Special mention to newcomer Amelia who was a nice change of pace. We got some backstory to Chelsie also that really helped flesh out her character.

Unfortunately, all my negative points were still the same too. It still read as more YA, which for me is a negative, although that won’t be the case for everyone. Even when the stakes were high, I didn’t feel any tension because I never believed that anything bad would be allowed to happen.

One other negative that is new to this book. I mentioned in my review of the first book that I appreciated having a main character in Julius who was genuinely kind. While that sentiment still holds, I started getting frustrated with him as he seemed at times to be more of a doormat than anything else. Nice doesn’t mean not having a backbone. He showed flashes of standing up for himself, but I started losing patience with him.

I feel like this review sounds very negative which isn’t my intent. There are a lot of people that love this series and I can see why. For some reason though it just isn’t clicking with me. Usually if I read past the first book in a series my desire to know how the larger plot ends keeps me reading to the end. I think this time though, I’m out. I think a line from my review of the first book sums it up best for me: This was a lighthearted and fun urban fantasy that I enjoyed without ever becoming fully engrossed. ...more

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Aug 31, 2015 Daniel rated it really liked it

Fast paced, intense action, fun and quirky characters. Nice continuation and fully recommended for fans of the last book.

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Mar 05, 2018 Kristen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, audiobooks

I think I liked this one even more than the first. So excited to see where this goes! 😍

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Mar 25, 2018 Al *the semi serial series skipper* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: continuing-series, dragons, fantasy, magic-fae, epic-awesomeness, hilarious, different-species, finished-series, shifters

I almost never individually review each book in a series but this series was so good it deserves some sort of praise. Terrific piece of work right here, folks.

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Jun 08, 2018 alicat ♡➹♡ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: cool_chicks, own, ku, audio, buddy_reads2018, paranormal-urban_fantasy, awesome_dudes, rated_g_romance, alternate_universe, adorable_dork

Phew what a ride! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its amazing characters (Bob! Chelsie! Marcy! Julius!) - reading it with my waifu made it twice as awesome. ...more

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Sep 03, 2018 Karma♥Bites ^.~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: humour-lol, pov-multi, g-para-s-uf, g-apoc-pa-dyst, z1-audiobook, z2-repeat-reliable-author, z-2015-release, z1a-continuing-series-arc

Read/finished (audio): 2 Sept 2018 (★★★★½)

Picks up @ 1 month after #1. Utterly enjoyable w/ mix of ups & downs, humorous moments, further insights into various Heartstriker siblings & 2 separate 'trials' overlying this book. Love certain aspects of WB in this series.

*two thumbs up* for the N&N!

(Auntie has already started #3) ...more

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Nov 25, 2014 Alisi ☆ wants to read too many books ☆ rated it liked it

Shelves: low-or-sweetheart-romance, ghoulies-and-ghosties, series, scooby-do-team-players, urban-fantasy, chick-i-respect, romance, supernatural, long-legged-beasties, awesome-world-building

10/17/15 FINISHED BUT ... I DUNNO HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THIS. I'm going to need a day to get my feels together.

10/18/15 3 Stars and I feel guilty about that... >>; I truly wanted to love this more. I do love parts of this book insanely but as a whole, it flopped for me.

I LOVED Ghost and the taking down of that Dragon Hunter. That was really awesome. I pretty much loved the book until this point and it went downhill from there for me. That honestly felt more like the climax and conclusion, and everyt 10/17/15 FINISHED BUT ... I DUNNO HOW TO FEEL ABOUT THIS. I'm going to need a day to get my feels together.

10/18/15 3 Stars and I feel guilty about that... >>; I truly wanted to love this more. I do love parts of this book insanely but as a whole, it flopped for me.

I LOVED Ghost and the taking down of that Dragon Hunter. That was really awesome. I pretty much loved the book until this point and it went downhill from there for me. That honestly felt more like the climax and conclusion, and everything else paled in comparison.

Please don't hurt me about the rest of this review...

The things I didn't like were Julian and, well, how his lack of a true character growth and everything surrounding him. I'm a bit sick of this nice dragon thing. It keeps getting pointed out and I agree with another reviewer who said enough is enough.

It's a bit like a fairy tale type ideal at this point. That's fine for kids. But fairy tales aren't known for their character growth and I'm a character person. You can get by in the first book because you're establishing things but I expect more from book 2.

The plot itself was really confusing and didn't make much sense, despite how hard the author tried to explain it. It was overshadowed by the Dragon Hunter part because that was more immediate and wasn't confusing. Even in the end, I get the point of it but I'm still like da fuq did I just read? It's murky at best. It felt a lot like a philosophy trying to be put into reality and it didn't work.

And then the ending where it was ... boring. Julian literally buys a (view spoiler) and in the midst of this all, we're told this and that takes away any suspense we have. Not that we're really suspenseful because the coincidences are just plain incredible at some points that the author feels she has to point this out but still.

It left a bad taste in my mouth because Julian truly didn't do anything. You could've just substituted a rabbit and probably got the same result. His character didn't change. The fang was just so boring and dull. Let's not challenge his character by giving him something opposite his nature. Nope. Let's keep the nice dragon thing to the very end.

And the council thing? What? Naturally, it's something that someone else put together.

I see what the author was going for. I do. But I think she painted herself into that corner by being unflexable about the whole 'nice dragon' thing. And this lack luster book is the result. ...more

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About Rachel Aaron

Rachel Aaron

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Hello, my name is Rachel Aaron, and I write the Heartstriker books, a new Urban Fantasy series about misfit dragons, starting with Nice Dragons Finish Last. I also wrote The Legend of Eli Monpress fantasy series for Orbit Books about a wizard thief and the poor bastards who have to try and stop him. PLUS I'm also the author of the new, rolicking fun Science Fiction romance Fortune's Pawn under the ...more

Other books in the series

Heartstrikers (5 books)

Books by Rachel Aaron

Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers, #1)

The Spirit Thief (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #1)

No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished (Heartstrikers, #3)

The Spirit Rebellion (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #2)

The Spirit War (The Legend of Eli Monpress, #4)

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“Help us, Juli-wan Kenobi, you're our only hope."
For a moment, that almost, almost made Julius feel like a hero. And then he remembered. "Doesn't Obi-Wan die in that movie?” — 8 likes

“Don't try to nice your way out of this. It's insulting.” — 6 likes

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One Good Dragon Deserves Another

(Heartstrikers #2)

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