Review: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Title: Dragon Bound
Author: Thea Harrison
Series: Elder Races #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 05/03/11
But the Book:

Summary:

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful -- and passionate -- of the Elder races.

Plot: 4.5 Stars
This was my first dragon-shifter novel, and it left me wondering why I haven't picked up any dragon-shifter books before because I really enjoyed it. The twists and turns in this novel were intense, and the world-building was amazing. There were so many different aspects to the supernatural world, and a number of different supernatural creatures, but it was never muddled or overwhelming. The slightly large cast of characters never hindered the story, and each character was very unique so I never got any confused. The big plot twist at the end involved something I normally do not enjoy in my romance, but it was done in such an interesting way that I actually enjoyed it.

Pace: 3.5 Stars
This novel was a slow read for me, but not in the normal way. It was not a slow read because there were points in which I wanted to put the novel down, or the plot took some turns that didn't keep me interested. Instead, it just seemed to take longer for me to read each page. I don't know if it had to do with the author's writing style, or if the publisher crammed more lines onto each page (I'm thinking it was the latter because the text was slightly smaller than usual). It also took me a little bit longer than usual to get into the novel. This probably had to do with all of the hype on other blogs and twitter. But after a couple chapters, things got very interesting very quickly and I soon found myself devouring chapter after chapter (at a slightly slower pace than usual).

Characters: 4.5 Stars
Some of my favorite characters in this novel were the supporting characters around Dragos. I'm already excited for the next books in the series because I can't wait to read their stories. Dragos himself was a very interesting character to get to know. He showed a lot of growth throughout the novel, without losing the qualities that made him who he was (such as his possessiveness and stubborness). Pia was a great heroine. She was different from many PNR heroines because she knew what she was, she just didn't know the extent of her abilities. It was very interesting to watch her enter into this new world and test the boundaries of her powers.

Cover: 3.5 Stars
The colors of this cover are my favorite feature. The mix of oranges, yellows, and purples gives off a fantasy feel that fits the subject matter. Although the choice of green for the title doesn't work so well against the other colors, the font choice is spot on. The cover model is not at all how I envisioned Dragos. It's not so much the looks that I have an issue with, but the cover model's expression. He just doesn't look as brooding as Dragos was during parts of the book. And the wing like detail near the cover models back is just strange. I'm assuming it's supposed to give the impression of wings, but it looks more like gargoyle-like gothic details that would be found on an old castle. I did enjoy the scale effect on the cover model's body though. It was done with a subtle touch so that it looked pretty realistic.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I won a signed copy of this novel from the author through a twitter giveaway.