A Dragon of a Different Color [Sept 2017]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Through all I'm going to get to until tomorrow night. prologue: (view spoiler)["or Bob's NOT your uncle." Bwahahaha that cracked me up. Mostly because I feel like it's Aaron, not Bob, who's been saving that one lol.

Also, I love the little dragon!! (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'm liking the books in general... I dunno if I'd like them as much on paper, but the audiobooks are really well done... full cast of narrators and sometimes sound effects... really manages to convey some of the more experimental pages in the book... and overlap voices when doing death toll lists or the heat of combat

You might join in when they do the group read next year... having to wait even 6 months to get the conclusion sucks... the first book ends on some pretty big reveals... the second on more of a cliffhanger... I actually thought there was one more scene left when the book ended...

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Iain wrote: "I'm liking the books in general... I dunno if I'd like them as much on paper, but the audiobooks are really well done... full cast of narrators and sometimes sound effects... really manages to conv..."

Ah crap! I hate it when books do that! Especially when you have the physical book with like 20 pages left that turn out to be just an excerpt for another book!

That's a great point. Maybe I'll wait until the third gets closer and decide then. I do like the idea of an amped up audio. Thanks! :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

The worst I was ever burned was with Gunmetal Magic... there's an entire novella at the end, so the book ended around 80%... luckily I knew better when I started The Brightest Fell, which ended at 84% for the same reason...

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Iain wrote: "The worst I was ever burned was with Gunmetal Magic... there's an entire novella at the end, so the book ended around 80%... luckily I knew better when I started [book:The Brightest..."

Haha gunmetal magic got me too!! And after I'd taken the time to find and read the novella ahead of time. That's funny!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'd kind of forgotten how hilarious these were... just listening to the incongruous emotions dragons display... In chapter 2 right now, (view spoiler)[ listening to Amelia marvel at size of Marci's afterlife despite how "she doesn't matter to anyone except Julius" (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Chapter 4/5: (view spoiler)[ Perhaps I wouldn't be as sympathetic to Emily/Phoenix if I had read this immediately after book 3 (I forget sometimes that she shot Marci)... but I really do... hopefully she survives the series...

On some level, I can understand Algonquin's argument, until she goes full-psycho... I was waiting for Raven to spill the beans early on Marci and the Merlin Gate for a second there actually...

At the beginning of the book I assumed Bob texted the Golden Dragon about the baby seer or F Clutch, but now I'm not sure if it was that or Algonquin... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Chapter 6/7: (view spoiler)[ You know... I'm glad this is a book and everything is hopefully going to turn out well in the end... cause all these Emily/Myron sad/horrifying...

I don't remember feeling this way this much in previous books... I think it's because we're approaching the endgame... only 1 book left after this... I can't decide if Algonquin is going to be around for the big ending, or Myron and his chained spirit are going to supersede her in power/threat... either way, Marci vs Myron seems inevitable... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I comment on a lot of the odd chapters... probably because the even ones with Julius are so fun and relaxing in comparison... on chapter 9 now

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I had to go back and edit them spoilers... I think they were off by a chapter because my audiobook called the Prologue Chapter 1...

Past the halfway point now, on chapter 10: (view spoiler)[ I think the POVs have swapped which is funny/light and which is serious/heavy... we'll see how long that lasts...

I'm agreeing a bit with what I've seen people say in their reviews... Julius and everybody else spend a lot of time running around and talking... it's a lot different than back in book 1 where it felt more like an adventure instead of arbitration... I remember that being a bit of my worry when Julius's location became limited to Heartstriker mountain in book 2 or 3... (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

I'm hoping to start tonihht, working all day today (I work 12 hour shifts) but if we're slow tonight I'll have some time.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Halfway through Chapter 2 (view spoiler)[ "she would have lived in a lot more sin had she known she was going to die" <-amen, sister! Lol (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

Just finished Chapter 2, really loving it so far. (view spoiler)[ I'm so glad we're seeing Amelia again and that this was part of her plan. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Chapter 2: (view spoiler)[ Marci's POV started out fun/funny... and I thought for sure with Marci AND Amelia dead that Amelia was gone for good, but I'm glad I was wrong about that... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Since we seem to be quote-sharing our way through this book :D

Chapter 10: (view spoiler)[ "That's just shooting everyone in the foot because you happen to be better at limping than the other guys"

So I was pretty wrong about Marci vs Myron... that happened alot sooner than I was expecting... I imagine this book is going to end with the dam breaking and magic flooding the world... and Leviathan is going to be the BIG BAD... I'm assuming he sent the meteor somehow, since he's the alien entity Algonquin made a deal with in the prologue... (hide spoiler)] <-- there's actual spoilers in there, not just a quote

If things are heading in the direction I think they are, I don't know how this all resolves in one last book next year...

Finished chapter 10: (view spoiler)[ Marci's endless "things happen for a reason, and this is the right way" mentality had to hit a road block eventually... I'm sure she'll find a way somehow, but for now I think it's good to finally be confronted with a hard-to-refute statement that Marci was pretty stupid to just let herself die assuming reincarnation was a given once she's a Merlin... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 11: (view spoiler)[ Julius: "I'm sick of losing." -- has he NOT been paying attention the last 3.5 books... all he does is WIN WIN WIN... in unconventional ways... altho I think I'm being unreasonable maybe since he doesn't know Marci and Amelia aren't really gone gone... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 12: (view spoiler)[ "I'm practically a saint!" -- Amelia... lol (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Chapter 15: (view spoiler)[ WOO... the plots merged... and SOME people are getting a happy ending at least... but Julius really needs to learn what October Daye learned... to work together with people (other than Marci) to solve problems, instead of trying to talk people OUT of helping him and go alone... (hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Iain wrote: "I'd kind of forgotten how hilarious these were... just listening to the incongruous emotions dragons display... In chapter 2 right now, [spoilers removed]"

lol yeah their attitude is so well-done. A-melia's outlook on human mortality is super funny.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

I'm starting the day halfway through Ch. 4. Reading these always feels like coming home. Good thing it's a big book. :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'm almost done... on the final chapter before the epilogue: (view spoiler)[ most of my theories have been way off... I have no idea what's going to be left at the end anymore... the magic breaking free seems inevitable tho... (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

Just finished chapter 5, so many thoughts rushing through my mind after that last scene.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I finished: (view spoiler)[ Finished how I started expecting in the middle... nice to see relationship progress... No idea how this is going to resolve...

Bob wasn't around much in this one... we got his usual appearance at the end tho to show things are still going according to plan...

I wonder if Bob is going to survive or his death is actually PART of the plan... and who the pigeon is... obvious answer is the pigeon equivalent of Raven... (hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Halfway through ch 5. Looking forward to joining the conversation after I've had time to listen this weekend (view spoiler)[ I seem to be fixating and delighting on the parts that make me laugh. For example, when Julius was criticizing the Chinese dragon for being too nice, I busted a gut. XD (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I enjoyed Julius's chapters the most throughout at least the first half of the book...

[Elizabeth]

Chapter 9, a question I have that maybe one of you can answer. Maybe I misread something somewhere. (view spoiler)[ okay, so Chelsie said that she was Julius' age when she met the emperor, so like 25ish. What confuses me is that her clutch is the Fs, and we know from the previous books that the Es were born not long before that, like a year right which they said was super fast even for Bethesda. So when did the D's happen? Do either of you remember about how long is typical for Bethesda? The I's are in the 50s right? I think I remembered that fact while I was typing, but I guess that just doesn't leave much room between C-D-E. Do either of you remember David saying anything about his age? (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

@Elizabeth: (view spoiler)[ In general dragons are long-lived with low fertility... Bethesda is an exception as its her special power... the short time between I and J are because of the magic influx over the last 60 years...

I don't remember Chloe being only 25, but she does say she was under 100 in this book...

I dont remember when/how Bethesda killed Quetzacotl or if she had a way of amassing the magic needed to birth a clutch...

Last thing, if Chelsie did say that, its also said dragons view time differently since they love so long... so Julius's age could mean a wide age range... (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

@Iain(view spoiler)[ yeah, I remember that typically they have low fertility. and that is a good point about how it could mean a wide age range. I found the quote though: "I was your age when I went to China, but I knew where eggs came from. Dragoneses aren't even supposed to be fertile until they clear a hundred..." (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

@Iain(view spoiler)[ yeah, I remember that typically they have low fertility. and that is a good point about how it could mean a wide age range. I found the quote though: "I was your age when I went to China, but I knew where eggs came from. Dragoneses aren't even supposed to be fertile until they clear a hundred..." (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Speaking of Dragon Time: (view spoiler)[ What's the timeline of the series again? 2 months?...

1 month in book 1 + a week or two in book 2 + less than a week in book 3 + two days in book 4?

And Julius says he's loved Marci "forever"... I mean, I knew these 2 characters loved each other, but still... (hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Elizabeth wrote: "Chapter 9, a question I have that maybe one of you can answer. Maybe I misread something somewhere. [spoilers removed]"

I honestly don't remember the timeframe for each clutch. Im useless haha.

Through ch 10. (view spoiler)[so.... I love this author, I love these characters, I love this series.... but so far this is my least favorite installment. It's a lot of endless discussions, info dumps, and contains very little plot advancement up to this point. Luckily it's still a 3 star (at least) read for me so far because I'm eating up all the new info like candy on a holiday, but compared to book 3 (which joined the 1% list of my favorite books of all time), this one is paling a bit by comparison. Like I said though, still enjoying it. :) (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

Just finished. about one of Iain's previous comments. (view spoiler)[ We found out in one of the others that the pigeon is a Nameless end. What I wonder is why does Bob have one now that we know a little more about them? (hide spoiler)]

And I have to say I agree Niki.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

I've finally finished. I'll look forward to reading some of the later spoiler tags and joining the convo tomorrow. :)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

@Elizabeth: (view spoiler)[ That's surprising... but it doesn't sound like Bob has the same types of plans as Algonquin... maybe it/she will get to feast on Leviathan if Leviathan is killed rather than simply expelled from this dimension...

You'd think He Who Sees Eternity would be more concerned if Bob had other plans for it/her... (hide spoiler)]

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Iain wrote: "Chapter 15: [spoilers removed]"

I have to admit, the self-righteous attitude both he and Marci had about how right they are about everything grated on me a bit in this book. I swear if they try to rationalize and discuss things with the Leviathan in the final book to defeat him, I'm going to throw a fit lol.

And I agree with your comment about Julius saying he's tired is not winning.

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Iain wrote: "Speaking of Dragon Time: What's the timeline of the series again? 2 months?...

1 month in book 1 + a week or two in book 2 + less than a week in book 3 + two days in book 4?

And Julius says he's..."

(view spoiler)[ somewhere in there she said that it had only been two weeks since they left the city, so figure 2 weeks for the last book and about forty-eight hours for this one lol. True love knows no timeframe apparently. Thinking about it now though, the romantic tension in fact that they hadn't slept together doesn't seem as big of a deal considering it's only been a couple of weeks. The way the story is written that makes it feel like months and months have passed.

On a similar note, I think I'm overall very dissatisfied with this book. I still love the characters (especially in Amelia – she cracks me up!) But I think a lot of this book could have been condensed down into the first 20% of the final installment... I noticed a similar thing in the final two books of the Eli Monpress series, to a smaller degree. Everything she's presenting is interesting, it just seems to drag on longer than it needs to. (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I hope the last book is more action, less talking... but I can just see (view spoiler)[creating an army of Merlins (hide spoiler)] requiring a lot of talking, sadly...

I wonder, tho, if that will even happen... I would think the Leviathan's endgame would be too swift to accomplish what I put in spoilers... considering how tight the timeline has become in each book so far...

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Iain wrote: "I hope the last book is more action, less talking... but I can just see [spoilers removed] requiring a lot of talking, sadly...

I wonder, tho, if that will even happen... I would think the Leviath..."

If she can write at least 50% of the final book without endless dialogue and explanations, I'll be happy. Maybe lol. All the scenarios I can think of also require a lot of talking haha. Fingers crossed...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Did you know, Last Dragon Standing is in editing already?... it might be out as early as March according to it's book page and recent twitter updates... altho that probably means we won't see the audio until April/May... still... much sooner that I was expecting...

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

Oooh!! Thanks Iain, an early release would be excellent. :(

[Niki Hawkes, I made it past GOTM... barely]

^:)

[Elizabeth]

Yay!