TEST
It’s a given, for me, that any book Shana Abe creates will be a beautifully written, lyrical story that captures all your senses. She could probably turn my grocery list into some type of poetry. But is that enough? No. If there isn’t enough plot and character dimension, all the lush descriptions would fall to the land of purple. Thankfully, Abe has given all of this with The Dream Thief and it is a lovely story that reads like a dark fairy tale with spice.
Lia is the youngest daughter of the leader of the drakon, a species of dragons who spend most of their time in human form. Surrounded by her gifted siblings Lia feels inadequate because she cannot turn into a dragon or even make smoke. She does possess one power, though: she dreams the future and that future involves a mysterious lost diamond and a human named Zane.
Zane is a thief and the only human ever allowed into the world of the drakon. He was rescued as a young boy by Lia’s mother Rue. He is commissioned by Lia’s parents to find and acquire the Draumr, an ancient diamond that, among its powers, sings to the drakon. When traveling through Eastern Europe, Zane is surprised to find Lia waiting for him in Hungary and insisting that she search with him. Zane is not happy with this turn of events. He knows her parents would disapprove and if he gives into the temptation that is the young, beautiful drakon posing as his wife, he might be killed by the drakon council.
The pair journey through Romania following Lia’s lead, since the Draumr is calling to her. They end up at a castle inhabited by the last of the original drakon, whom the English drakon did not know existed. The plot lagged slightly while the two traveled the Romanian countryside, but the romance moved along nicely in this section. The pair came to know each other better and had a stronger relationship because of it, heading into the final climax of the story. Even with a lag, the story is of the can’t-put-it-down variety.
Two things really stood out for me in the Dream Thief: Lia and her visions into the future. Lia is strong and smart in a quiet, innocent package. I loved her. She is infused with a sly wit and kept Zane on his toes. And while Zane might be considered an Alpha, he’s not of the jerk variety. His demands of Lia are usually for her own good; he obviously cares about her and wants to keep her safe. He doesn’t come across as a brooding caveman. His paranoia resulting from his line of work and life on the streets is a bit annoying during the first half, but it slowly dissipates.
The glimpses into the Zane and Lia’s future made this a different kind of read. It was almost an epilogue broken up into pieces and spread throughout the book. Some of the visions were rather vague and never really cleared up, but still intriguing.
There are a few flaws, but The Dream Thief is an engaging and beautiful read with a nice change of scenery, as far as settings go, and strong lead characters. I haven’t read the first in the series, The Smoke Thief, but I don’t feel as though I’m missing anything. It’s a strong B book and I definitely recommend it.
Grade: B
Book Type: Fantasy Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 31/10/06
Publication Date: 2006
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.