Reviews

Dragon Bones by Jasmine Walt, Ines Johnson

nturner2810's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

For some reason, I thought this novel was a continuation of a series, rather than a first and I felt like I had known Nia Rivers somewhere before. Dr Nia Rivers is an immortal trying to save the history of civilisations passed while dealing with the fact that her long term memory is faulty. She is straight-talking, determined, smart and resillient.
I quite enjoyed the mystery writing and the pace of this novel. Walt & Johnson have gone to a lot of effort to ensure that the historical facts within this fictional piece are detailed and, as far as I know, correct- though I have not gone to any great length to research them.
Initially, I really disliked the artist love interest for Nia as he seemed quite a non-event for an immortal and a partner to Nia, whose kick-ass personality allows her to be involved with solving the mysteries of the past and to beat off semi-immortal warriors mostly on her own.
The concept that these immortals weaken one another made them more relatable- allergies!- and avoided dropping them in that infallible category where the hero always wins. However, I did expect a bigger fallout considering how long they spent with one another in this novel.
I would be curious to read on in this series because I would like to see how Nia deals with this rediscovered love triangle and her disappearing memories. Additionally, I would like to know more about Nia's 'french' lover and how his character has changed over the millennia.
A good read. I will be going back for more.

thesmutdaddy's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Nia Rivers is not your typical archeologist . She is an immortal who has a serious memory problem but makes up for it when it comes to all things fashion related . Willing to stop at nothing to get her memory back she finds herself needing to find a very ancient dragon bone which holds text of why her memory was taken . The trouble is how dangerous it will be to find the dragon bone + make it out alive .

While on the hunt for the dragon bone, Nia also finds herself as the prey for some evil, dark assassins . Starting to remember little pieces at a time she recalls that they have been hunting her for centuries + will not stop until she is dead . Drama, mystery, romance + action all blended up into one amazing story with an incredibly strong female lead .

This was my first book by Ines Johnson but it certainly won’t be my last ! I loved how the story blended so many themes together - immortality, friendships, undying love, miscommunications + never ending action + so much more . At times I did find myself frustrated with just how much her memory lost got in the way but it all tied together beautifully at the end . I can’t wait to see what happens in the rest of the series + where the story will take us next .

This book was given to me for honest review by Valentine PR + Literary Management .

mommasaystoread's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

 First, let me just say that I love urban fantasy, but it takes some specific ingredients in the mix for it to work - at least for me. Dragon Bones was a bit of a mixed bag for me, with some things working and some not. The problem is that too many things didn't work for me, and I did a great deal of eye rolling when I wasn't getting irritated. 
The premise is good, in my opinion, but the overall story ended up being a cross between Tomb Raider and Hancock. I won't elaborate on that to avoid spoilers, but for me, the combination just didn't work, and the similarities felt unoriginal. Then there was the repetitiveness of the story. Way too many things were explained over and over, and it felt like being spoon-fed or that the author was afraid the reader wouldn't understand. We do get an interesting love interest for Nia, but it was more that he's so utterly unpredictable. Again, I'll leave it there so I don't spoil anything. There are some unanswered questions and open-ended threads, but to be honest, I don't think I'll continue with the series. I never became invested in the story or the characters enough to want to know more.
I did listen to this one and for me, Kate Marcin was the best of it. She kept things moving with her narration, and I kept listening when I otherwise might have set a book aside. This is my first time listening to Marcin, but I would gladly listen to her again. 

romanceschmomance's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Oh, count me in for the rest of this series! Dragon Bones is my second book by Ines and I really enjoyed this adventure of a read. We have some action pack, intrigue, a bit of a mystery, a love triangle ... there's a little bit going on in this first book. 

The tomb raider part is what drew me and add on a bit of romance, however we got a little drama thrown in. I'm quite interested to see where these characters will take us. I'm already rooting for a certain character!

I thought this was a great start to this series and it'll leave you wanting to know more. I can't wait to drive right in to the next one.

Narration: This was my first listen by Kate Marcin and they did a great job bringing Nia's character to life. I definitely couldn't stop listening.

meimpink's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I figured that I would like it, but not as much as I did once I gave it the dedicated time to read.

There was a fun mystery element that was the main plotline of this book, which was a solid read, but that's not what stood out to me. This is a character focused book and it does it really well. The main character Nia is an immortal and there a few others like her. It's the relationship between these immortals that is so well done that it hooked me in. Their history and relationships are explored and makes for an intriguing subplot and one that looks to follow into the next book. This makes all those characters feel more complexed as would be expected from immortals.

I very much recommend this book for the character driven plot that it is. I know I am going to very quickly get the rest of the series to binge in the forthcoming month or so.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

abeautytoyourbeast's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

3.5

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t hateful. The book wasn’t overly long but there was a lot of repetition in the book. I really didn’t connect with the main character, but I think part of that was because of how often them mentioned her strength, her memory loss, the allergy , and she just didn’t do it for me. However, I loved Zane, Trey, and Lauren!

flatmusubi's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

3.5*
More...