As a freelance assassin, Val Thorvald leads a dangerous life.
She’s learned not to stay in the same place for long and not to get too attached to anything. For example, she would never consider adopting a pet.
But when she’s searching for a missing friend, she finds an abandoned silver tiger cub.
The magical feline is clearly from another realm, but Val has no idea which one or how to send it back. All she knows is that it’s the only witness to her friend's kidnapping.
Val can kick the butts of ogres, trolls, and wizards, but she has no experience taking care of pets—certainly not magical tigers. And as she quickly learns, the cub has teeth like a chainsaw. Soon, everything from her apartment to her seat belts to the hair on her head is in danger.
But if Val can’t forge a bond with the cub, figure out what it knows, and find her missing friend, more than her belongings—and her hair—may be at risk.
Mist and Magic is a prequel to the Death Before Dragons series and can be read as a complete stand-alone adventure.
Mist and Magic was a quick and fun read! The prequel did a really really good job at setting up Val's character, a big part of her background, and what fuels her. I also loooooved the world-building regarding the tigers and am very much looking forward to seeing how that develops in the series.
I would've loved to have more on page Sindari action, but its a good intro to Val and her world.
We finally find out how she ends up with Sindari's charm, her meeting Willard for the first time and what happened to Michael and how she came to be the person she is now.
I freaking love this series and Val is one of my all time favorite heroines. How much she's grown, how she's be treated fairly and unfairly by the supernatural community.
Can't wait for book 6! Just a couple more days to go!
This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account
Prequel to Death Before Dragons
Her friend Michael has gone missing. She finds a silver tiger on his boat. She takes care of it. The case leads to a castle where a vampire and magic user work together. It all comes to a happy ending.
I would recommend this prequel and author to readers of fantasy adventure novels. 2024
Colonel Willard is new, replacing Val's former military contact. Val has a mystery to solve regarding a kidnapped boyfriend. And there is a mysterious flowing tiger cub.
It is a good short story. I thought the ending was a little sad, but there were good things too.
I just did not enjoy this book. I thought I would start with the prequel and my library at that time had a program where they would purchase books for you but you had to return them to the library. So I thought I would try this one before I read the first book in the series. It felt like this wasn't a prequel. Events and encounters are discussed like I should know the stories. For a novella, it took forever for the story to move forward and I was really dissatisfied.
Excellent start to a series! Like with the other 10 Lindsay Buroker series I've read so far, it pulls you right in for the first page. She has definitely become my favorite author!
This prequel is about 4 years before the first book of the series, Sinister Magic.
I read this novella after I read Sinister Magic, so it was interesting to see how Val met Willard and Sindari. Sometimes the strongest friendships come from the most unexpected place. The adventure in this novella keeps your interest and the end result gave me a surprise, but helps explain some of Val's later relationships.
This is the Val who shoots first and asks questions later and sort of earned the name "Ruin Bringer" with her actions. This is also the Val who's starting to question if maybe sometimes there are other ways to go about getting things done than just going in swinging. This is also Val without Sindari. Or Zav. (In fact, dragons are still more myth than reality and that's kind of weird.)
That said, Val is sill wildly loyal. She sets out without any pause when an old friend goes missing. She also scoops up a magical tiger cub and does her best to figure out what the cub needs. She might come out swinging, but she (mostly) does it to keep those around her safe.
A little danger, a sweet bundle of cub, a fair amount of magic, and Val doing what she does best. Which means she refuses to back down even when the odds are against her.
Another magical adventure with Val and an introduction to Willard and SIndari. Please read the series. Death Before Dragons. And continue on with any or all of her other works. There is something for everyone , be it steam pink romance with deadly assassins, dragons who think they're gods, starships and cyborgs, relic hunters, etc. Please check out her books. My favorite author of this century. And I am drooling at the tantalizing thought of more Sicarius and the Emperors Edge gang.
A brilliant adventure that fills in a few gaps and makes this reader hungry for more. Sindari is a favorite character of mine in this fantasy series set in contemporary Seattle. It was tons of fun seeing how he came to be part of Val’s collection of magical talismans. The story also reinforces Val’s very real fear of losing people she cares about due to her dangerous occupation. Start here with this series since it’s something of a prequel, or enjoy it at any point. I’m primed for the next full-length novel in the series now. Bring on the magical adventures.
I had read the first book before realizing that there was this book. This one really helped me understand the relationships in the first book much better. You see the first meetings and how they didn't go all that well. You understand why Val is a bit standoffish, even as she would like to have family and loved ones around and you see why the tiger is willing to help Val.
A wonderful short story introducing our intrepid band of heroes to Death Before Dragons. Action abounds, lives are saved and lost, and the basis for the series grabbed my attention and held it throughout.
Even if you have read the series, you should still read this story. It was well worth my reading time!
I hope we get to see the cub in future stories. I loved learning how Val met Sindari and Willard. Michael was a good character. I immediately liked him. Good story all around even if parts of it made sad.
I really enjoyed the ending of the book. It set up the premise for what could be very promising stories. And I did like the start of the book. However, it dragged a bit for me in the middle, so I couldn't quite give it 4 stars.
This prequel tells us how Val and Sindari got together. Great characters, good mystery, magic and the first glimpse of Willard is included. Spot on with the rest of the series.
This was a cute short story of how Val acquired her !magical tiger, Sindari. It also gives us the story of the person she lost; an often referenced character in the main book series. I'm not sure when this short came out but I'm reading it after the 7th book of the series. It is a prequel to the entire series but I'd probably read it after the first book. Its a good story once you've read the series but if I had read it beforehand I'm not sure it would have fully endeared me seeing as how things can't be as flushed out as a full length book. I! Glad I read it last a its fun to see how things came to be for our Val.
Ahh i love cats big & small. Wish i knew the cuties name.
This wasnt a typical prequel and by that i mean i usually hate or avoid them like the plague lol but as this is one of my favourite series thats been consistently awesome i decided to read this.
Thankfully i was not disappointed, it was very weird reading val being romantic in any sense toward anyone but mr slippers mcscales but thank god the author made it flash backs and limited the romantic element to like kid friendly so i didnt have to get firebreathing furious on behalf of my fav surly dragon.
I wouldnt say this is a necessary read for the series but if you love the series then youll enjoy it at the very least, imo its not as amazing or anything as the actual main books since well we know what happens from the main books theres no real gravity to events because of that.
besides the cub part and the only thing that was interesting for me anyway was meeting willard and interacting with nin aka the characters that exist heavily in the main books that im invested in.
Like the only time i felt like mmm scareds the wrong word but emotional minus the cute cub was when sindari was under control of the ogre and forced to do what he wanted and also when he got shot at etc like i get the situation and i knew hed be fine i have 4 books worth of evidence of that haha but yeah i guess its like a friend telling you of past pain and despite knowing theyre fine or it was ages ago etc you still get hurt on their behalf.
So yeah cant say im gonna be all yay prequels now i know this is the exception the rule.
Im glad i read it but like i said its not necessary to the story since we get the jist through the main books anyway.
And frankly without zav it doesnt feel as potent seems a creepy word to use like sizzly fun bantery alive? And its not so much that zav brings this but rather val and zav together and whatnot really really do. Without that chemistry its more vanilla book that a fancy icecream flavour that the other books have been. Not ribs or anything but like idk deli ham? Haha. When your a vegetarian trying to think of a meat metaphor that ould make zav proud.
Its a maccas cheeseburger when you could be having an entire cow fresh from the depository? 😂😂😂 alright im stopping now.
3.5 Note: I read/listened to this series while traveling, so I didn't have access to review each individually. So, this is a review for books .5-6.
I’ve read several of Buroker’s books by now and enjoyed them all. The Death Before Dragons series is no exception. I really liked Val and her sarcasm, especially when she bantered with Willard. I loved that she was over 40, even if the fact that she didn’t look it kind of made it only half as satisfying as it would be to have a 40yo heroine who looked her age too. I adored that Val was biologically a mother, but not maternal or raising her child. This is a reality authors very rarely allow female characters, especially ones we’re supposed to like. I appreciate the diversity of the cast. And each of the books wrapped up nicely, which I prefer over an overarching plot where you have to read the whole series to get any conclusive satisfaction. All in all, I would be happy to continue the series.
I did have a few complaints. Some of the humor was over the top silly at times. There was a running joke about the shoes the hero wore and if they made him look gay or not, which trod a little too close to a gay joke for my taste (pun intended). This was somewhat mitigated by a loved and important gay character (who wasn’t cliched). But it shouldn’t be a tit for tat situation. Similarly, Val’s refusal to learn to pronounce the dragons’ names was a sign of rebellion, but it also reminded me a lot of Westerners who can learn to pronounce Dostoevsky but not names from the African continent. Uncomfortably close to a problem, close enough to recognize, but not quite there.
Lastly, I liked Zav and appreciated him as a love interest, but I never truly felt the passion. There was only one sex scene and it was fade to black, so I suppose passion wasn’t the point. But I might have liked to feel the love more strongly.
I stopped at book six because that’s the last the library had. But if I came across book 7 I’d happily read it. But I’m not sad to have a break here either.
She’s learned not to stay in the same place for long and not to get too attached to anything. For example, she would never consider adopting a pet. But when she’s searching for a missing friend, she finds an abandoned silver tiger cub. The magical feline is clearly from another realm, but Val has no idea which one or how to send it back. All she knows is that it’s the only witness to her friend's kidnapping. Val can kick the butts of ogres, trolls, and wizards, but she has no experience taking care of pets—certainly not magical tigers. And as she quickly learns, the cub has teeth like a chainsaw. Soon, everything from her apartment to her seat belts to the hair on her head is in danger. But if Val can’t forge a bond with the cub, figure out what it knows, and find her missing friend, more than her belongings—and her hair—may be at risk.
Heather's Notes I liked this story. I liked seeing how Val and Sindari meet. I also like that she doesn't command him, that they work together. I was sorry to see Michael die, but I disagree with Val that she was somehow at fault. You cannot stop people from doing what they want to do. Also, it was pretty obvious from the beginning that he would not make it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
3.5 Fairly well written and I do like Lindsay's recurring humor, very present in this book, which I've read after finishing the series (SotSIII). The history of the prequel is also quite interesting - basically how Val became the Val we see in the main books, and how she met Willard and Sindari.
That said, I think it is the weakest book of the series when it didn't need to be - my problems are with some story elements that make little sense:
"Mist and Magic" is a novella-length introduction to the 'Death Before Dragons' series and it serves its purpose well as I will definitely be reading on. It's set in Seattle where Valmeyjar Thorvald (aka 'The Mythic Murderer', 'The Ruin Bringer'), freelance assassin fights the good fight against paranormals. "As far as my enemies go, I’m just a single gal with no ties to anyone." That's not true, she walked away from her husband and child because their association with her put them in danger. Work, which normally comes from military Intelligence, has been slow for months. Michael Kwon, her former lover, has gone missing leaving behind a sickly magical tiger cub from another realm. Armed with her magic sword Chopper and her pistol Fezzik, she'll keep walking those mean streets/forests until she finds him. It's a generally light paranormal read though the author, Lindsay Buroker, does show a promising disregard for character survivability. Great fun. 4 Stars.
I didn’t expect to get teary eyed towards the end…but I did. I felt like I wasn’t in the right mood heading into this book…it’s mainly because there wasn’t an audio version and I was trying to rush thru this so that I can get to the rest of the series that does 😅 but the book it really well written and I feel bad for Val and how she’s disappointed in herself and I see her reasoning behind not wanting to have close relationships and having to abandon her family to keep them safe 😭😭 and Michaels family are so mean to her..it’s not like she forced Michael to have an interest in her line of work, he was an adult and made his own choices and he had responsibilities over his own life..it wasn’t fair to blame it all on Val
Oh oh oh !! And for some reason I thought the cub was gonna be her side kick as it grew up lol but the He tiger works too hhaha
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Yes, PREquel. But somehow I didn't check the series out prior to reading. Normally I will find a story then check reading order. So many series these days and even more now, there's possibly a series before the series! Learned that lesson again.
The story? I really like having an intro into a story that gives me more than "Meet Dick and Jane, wizards in PNR Land.", but never finding out how they came to be together. You get that here, how Val and Sindari met and came to work together. You also get action, humor, and several magical species. It's well told and I really enjoyed it. Hopefully you'll find it first! (I only got thru book#1, so it's not too bad.) ✋🐺