jonmhansen's review against another edition
5.0
A dramatic conclusion to the story, and a great read. This magical Southern California is a delightful place to read about, but you wouldn't want to live there. Awesome.
hnelson510's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the last two books in the series, but this one... everything was just too easy for Daniel. I'm used to watching him find his way out of sticky, crazy situations. It felt like Van Eekhout was done with the series and wanted a simple bow to tie on the story, which he did. Not his best, but still an enjoyable, if not predictable, story with few surprises.
mollymortensen's review against another edition
4.0
Small spoilers for book two were unavoidable. (Really only one spoiler and more is revealed in the official summary than I tell.)
Warning: People eat people to gain powers.
When starting this novel I immediately remembered how much I enjoy the author's writing. He has a great voice, especially in the way he describes things.
The Good:
I wasn't sure how he would do the whole Sam is a Dragon thing, but he impressed me. Rather than being the dragon, it's more like Sam's trapped inside it. As much as he tries to control it, with a cockpit and controls he fashioned out of bones, it proves stubborn and only occasionally listens.
Daniel's been working for months on a plan to get Sam back. His old friend Moth and Em, (one of the many golem Emmas.) who's friends with Sam are helping him. I liked them both and I'm glad they're back. Cassandra's in it too. My ship hasn't sunk yet! I still think she belongs with Daniel. Jo's even back! (The shape shifter) though not for very long.
I enjoyed all of the new characters. Annabel was my favorite. (I can't tell you who she is without spoilers. Sorry. But she was one of the best parts of the book!) All of the people at the Northern court were interesting as well, even though Daniel couldn't trust anyone.
Gabriel and Max's joking, demeaning, friendship is as great as ever. Cassandra was a good addition to their group. (The three teamed up to locate the dragon while Daniel and Moth went undercover.) Water magic is as complex and interesting as everything else in these books. It's nice that the author didn't just do it mentally like most magics. I liked the pipe contraptions Gabriel used to manipulate water.
The pacing was steady until the end when it got a bit intense. (I may have lost some sleep.) The plot, while mostly what I expected, was done well. There wasn't much thievery in this book, but I didn't mind.
I hate it when a series ends! I didn't want this one to end and I was afraid it wouldn't end well, but I'm very satisfied. And happy. There could so be more books though!
The Bad:
It's over!
There were a couple small continuity issues. Daniel explained his plan to steal the stone to Moth after he already knew about it. (I'm probably the only one who noticed.) And a stuffed duck momentarily turned into a rabbit. (It makes sense when you read the book.)
Point of View: Third (Daniel, Sam, Gabriel, & Cassandra)
Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)
Source: Review request.
My Summary:
Sam is now a Dragon, or trapped inside a Dragon. Daniel's doing everything he can to get Sam back. He had a perfect plan, but then the Northern kingdom kidnapped the Dragon. So now Daniel has to go undercover in the North to get Sam back.
Warning: People eat people to gain powers.
When starting this novel I immediately remembered how much I enjoy the author's writing. He has a great voice, especially in the way he describes things.
The Good:
I wasn't sure how he would do the whole Sam is a Dragon thing, but he impressed me. Rather than being the dragon, it's more like Sam's trapped inside it. As much as he tries to control it, with a cockpit and controls he fashioned out of bones, it proves stubborn and only occasionally listens.
Daniel's been working for months on a plan to get Sam back. His old friend Moth and Em, (one of the many golem Emmas.) who's friends with Sam are helping him. I liked them both and I'm glad they're back. Cassandra's in it too. My ship hasn't sunk yet! I still think she belongs with Daniel. Jo's even back! (The shape shifter) though not for very long.
I enjoyed all of the new characters. Annabel was my favorite. (I can't tell you who she is without spoilers. Sorry. But she was one of the best parts of the book!) All of the people at the Northern court were interesting as well, even though Daniel couldn't trust anyone.
Gabriel and Max's joking, demeaning, friendship is as great as ever. Cassandra was a good addition to their group. (The three teamed up to locate the dragon while Daniel and Moth went undercover.) Water magic is as complex and interesting as everything else in these books. It's nice that the author didn't just do it mentally like most magics. I liked the pipe contraptions Gabriel used to manipulate water.
The pacing was steady until the end when it got a bit intense. (I may have lost some sleep.) The plot, while mostly what I expected, was done well. There wasn't much thievery in this book, but I didn't mind.
I hate it when a series ends! I didn't want this one to end and I was afraid it wouldn't end well, but I'm very satisfied. And happy. There could so be more books though!
The Bad:
It's over!
There were a couple small continuity issues. Daniel explained his plan to steal the stone to Moth after he already knew about it. (I'm probably the only one who noticed.) And a stuffed duck momentarily turned into a rabbit. (It makes sense when you read the book.)
Point of View: Third (Daniel, Sam, Gabriel, & Cassandra)
Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is totally unpredictable and 5 is I knew what was going to happen way ahead of time.)
Source: Review request.
My Summary:
Sam is now a Dragon, or trapped inside a Dragon. Daniel's doing everything he can to get Sam back. He had a perfect plan, but then the Northern kingdom kidnapped the Dragon. So now Daniel has to go undercover in the North to get Sam back.
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
Notes:
I was guessing that #2 & 3 are halves of a whole book. That seems to be about right. The story arc is completed within #3 and makes me appreciate #2 more for the setup phase. The two books are a fun, adventure packed story + weird stuff + growing pains regardless of age.
I was guessing that #2 & 3 are halves of a whole book. That seems to be about right. The story arc is completed within #3 and makes me appreciate #2 more for the setup phase. The two books are a fun, adventure packed story + weird stuff + growing pains regardless of age.
christycorr's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mpeterke's review
5.0
All the books in the series were a little bit different, but all were quite awesome. I think I liked the second one the most, maybe because of Sam's and Em's characters, but this finishing novel deserves 5 stars as well. It is a hell of a ride and a really nice, fast-paced story to end the saga. I really liked it and devoured it in only a few days. I will definitely look out for more books from this author in the future.
nchinnici's review
3.0
Dragon Coast, the third and final book in the Daniel Blackland trilogy, was a quick, easy, entertaining read.
“I love it when wizards die ironically. Please lead the way.”
Picking up where Pacific Fire left off, this follows the perspectives of a few of the main characters on their exploits and adventures. While it ultimately wraps the story up nicely, both the plot and the characters lacked some focus, making for a few head scratching moments. The pacing was perfectly on point, though, pulling me past these moments with a shrug and a need to know what happens next. And the ending was an excellent conclusion to this trilogy while leaving some strands open for possible future additions or spin-offs.
Van Eekhout’s writing style not only works well for this genre, but it really hits home for me. Sharp and snappy with bits of humor mixed in, he doesn’t mince words, which makes for a fast pace that is easy to breeze through. Because of this, however, along with the fact that the world was well built out in the first couple books, not much is added to the world building in Dragon Coast. Which is unfortunate as the scope is expanded from the southern kingdom of Los Angeles to the northern kingdom of San Francisco. As the two are naturally quite different to begin with, I would have loved to see some more detail on this new setting to bring it more alive.
“We’re what we do, and what we sacrifice, and what we love. And if we choose right more often than we choose wrong, we become who we want to be.”
Although Dragon Coast didn’t quite live up to California Bones, this was ultimately an enjoyable read with a good moral. I’d still recommend this trilogy to anyone looking for a unique young adult fantasy with an alternate history.
“I love it when wizards die ironically. Please lead the way.”
Picking up where Pacific Fire left off, this follows the perspectives of a few of the main characters on their exploits and adventures. While it ultimately wraps the story up nicely, both the plot and the characters lacked some focus, making for a few head scratching moments. The pacing was perfectly on point, though, pulling me past these moments with a shrug and a need to know what happens next. And the ending was an excellent conclusion to this trilogy while leaving some strands open for possible future additions or spin-offs.
Van Eekhout’s writing style not only works well for this genre, but it really hits home for me. Sharp and snappy with bits of humor mixed in, he doesn’t mince words, which makes for a fast pace that is easy to breeze through. Because of this, however, along with the fact that the world was well built out in the first couple books, not much is added to the world building in Dragon Coast. Which is unfortunate as the scope is expanded from the southern kingdom of Los Angeles to the northern kingdom of San Francisco. As the two are naturally quite different to begin with, I would have loved to see some more detail on this new setting to bring it more alive.
“We’re what we do, and what we sacrifice, and what we love. And if we choose right more often than we choose wrong, we become who we want to be.”
Although Dragon Coast didn’t quite live up to California Bones, this was ultimately an enjoyable read with a good moral. I’d still recommend this trilogy to anyone looking for a unique young adult fantasy with an alternate history.
elliotvanz's review
4.0
Dragon Coast was the third installation in the Daniel Blackland series, and it brought the trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. The story the second and third books focused on was wrapped up, but the book was left open ended enough that I wouldn't mind returning to this world and these characters again in the future. High points remain setting, voice, and character - all consistently engaging throughout the series. I also enjoyed the continued themes of fatherhood, which have run through all three books and seem to come to a head within this one. We also get some fun action and a return to some of the more heist roots established earlier in the series.
The downside of this book was that some portions were far more interesting than others. Without giving out spoilers I can say this: with the cast of characters split into groups I found myself far more invested in some of the story lines than others, and I got the feeling Van Eekhout felt similarly since a few of them seemed to resolve themselves very simply or failed to really coalesce. (Max and Gabriel remain far more compelling than they have any right to be. Sam significantly less so.) There are some interesting and shining moments to be found, but the connective tissue is somewhat lacking in this one. I forgive it because the former two books did so much heavy lifting, but I can't help but feel this book needed more time on Van Eekhout's desk percolating and revising. Simply put: it was good, but not great. Don't let this dissuade you from reading though. This is by far one of the better series I've discovered in recent years, and Van Eekhout has earned my loyalty for future releases, whether set in this world or another.
The downside of this book was that some portions were far more interesting than others. Without giving out spoilers I can say this: with the cast of characters split into groups I found myself far more invested in some of the story lines than others, and I got the feeling Van Eekhout felt similarly since a few of them seemed to resolve themselves very simply or failed to really coalesce. (Max and Gabriel remain far more compelling than they have any right to be. Sam significantly less so.) There are some interesting and shining moments to be found, but the connective tissue is somewhat lacking in this one. I forgive it because the former two books did so much heavy lifting, but I can't help but feel this book needed more time on Van Eekhout's desk percolating and revising. Simply put: it was good, but not great. Don't let this dissuade you from reading though. This is by far one of the better series I've discovered in recent years, and Van Eekhout has earned my loyalty for future releases, whether set in this world or another.