Customer Reviews

The Dream Thief (Drákon)

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Zane, the young thief, from SMOKE THIEF has grown into a formidable man. He is the head of a very unique and prosperous gang of thieves. The draken of Darkfirth have used his abilities and underlings many times. Zane is the only human to know the truth about the draken, he is the only human they trust. Now is the time to recover the lost Draumr, a diamond that can control the draken. None of the draken are able to stand it's presence and none have been able to find it. It is more of a legend than a truth. But now it's song is heard by most of the draken and someone must be sent to find the diamond. Zane is promised 60,000 gold pieces to retrieve the diamond and return it to the draken. Unfortunately, he will find something he desires more than money. And Draumr may be the only way to gain it. Zane is not told of the powers of the diamond, nor is he told of the danger it holds for the draken.

Amalia, one of the daughters of Rue and Kristin, the rulers of the draken, has a special connection to the diamond. She also has the gift of foretelling. She has not revealed any of these powers to her family. As a matter of fact her family thinks her powerless because she can't turn to smoke nor dragon. When she is 14 she sees in a vision that Zane will be her lover and husband, but she also sees that he will be touched by the power of Draumr. Her dreams show the destruction of her family and the draken by Zane. Now at the age of 19 the song of the diamond calls to her strongly and somehow she must try to change destiny and hope she can save the man she loves and her family. Yet unknown to her, there are other players in the game, her dreams have never shown her these things. With a full heart and a knowledge that things must be changed she leaves her school to follow Zane and force him to take her with him.

This is a wonderful story full of romance and adventure. From the ballrooms of London to the ballrooms of the last Castle in the Carpathian Mountains we are carried along on the wings of legend and love. Shanna Abe is a wonderful storyteller, her unique take on dragons and magic make this one of those wonderful new fairytales for adults.

I couldn't put it down. If you have read SMOKE THIEF you might enjoy it even more, but it is not necessary. I can't wait for the next book. I surely hope there will be one.

I love the way Shana Abe uses her imagination and how well she captures it on paper. She takes romance and fantasy and seamlessly blends the two. This book stands alone on it's own, but as a sequel it's fantastic.

We start The Dream Thief years after the first book, The Smoke Thief and meet Kit and Rue's children, particularly Amalia, the youngest and the plainest of their offspring. She is the odd one out this time, wishing to be free and having none of the gifts of her parents or siblings. Or so everyone, including her, thinks. But fast forward five years and things definitely have changed.

Zane, the former street urchin, has grown up into the King of Thieves and since he has the protection of the Smoke Thief herself, Rue, the Drakon suffer him to live and use him when they need him. His latest assignment, however, is the granddaddy of all heists and little does anyone know that Amalia will follow him and that she has the most unique gift of all.

I loved Zane and Amalia. He was definitely a hero that could have gone either way, to the dark or the light. It was fun to see the twists and turns that led to the revelation that he needed Lia and what he would or wouldn't do to get her. They are exciting together and I love getting inside both of their heads to see what makes them tick and how they feel about the other. The love scenes, while passionate and heartfelt, were mostly brief, but that did not detract from the book at all. It was actually refreshing not to have the obligatory five page sex fest. That's not what this book is about.

I would have liked to see the reaction of the Drakon to what happened at the end of the book, but perhaps we'll see some of that in the next. There surely has to be a next. I await it with much pleasure.

I bought this as it's a sequal to the first book, the Smoke Theif, which I really enjoyed. I was hesitant to read the Smoke theif, as I had attempted to read her Mermaid book and put it down after about 50 pages, but the premise was new and intriguing so I gave it a chance. Having liked the first book, I was really excited to see how she developed this new idea in the sequal. Suffice it to say, I was really, really disappointed. What made me put down The Last Mermaid was the complete lack of a connection with the characters. They were so lacking in emotion as to be almost imhuman and I couldn't find anything to like about them, let alone keep me reading. This book had the same problem. The author has a habit of writing in a vague, disconnected style that makes it hard to connect to the story and the characters. This book felt really heavy in style compared with the first one and it just seemed like it was one unhappy circumstance after the next. The two main characters don't seem to trust or even really like one another much, the love scenes were a bit too rough and anger filled for my taste and there really wasn't much of a romance between them. As for the Drakon, I was hoping the two groups would be reunited and we'd get a bigger glimpse into their world. Instead, we find the last remaining survivor is completely evil. Plus, it just seemed strange to me that the drakon would keep around these stones that literally turns them into mindless zombies. I kept waiting for something heroic for the hero to do or something great from the heroine, but I was disapointed on all accounts. I was also hoping for some interaction with characters from the previous book, but there wasn't any. In fact, there's a part where you think the main characters are going to be aided by her drakon family, but nothing happens. It was very strange and left you hanging. All in all, this one was a disappointment and I'm not holding out much hope for the 3rd one. I would read the Smoke Theif though, as that one was worth the read.

I bought the Dream Thief even before I finished reading the Smoke Thief. Typically, I have found sequels come up short to the original...not so in this case. Ms. Abe has continued her Dragon tales with her wonderful imagination and spectacular writing.

In the Dream Thief, we meet Zane, all grown up, handsome, fearless, and still very much on the wrong side of the law. The reader is introduced to Amalia, rumored un-Gifted daughter of Rue and Christoff. Amalia fancies herself in love with Zane from the time she is a child. Her premonition type dreams of the future guide her along the path that undoubetdly link the two of them together. Amalia grows into her Drakon beauty, as all of her kind do, and Zane meets up with her unexpectedly and is immediately drawn to her mystical essence.

This is another incredible adventurous tale, with the retrieval of yet another diamond as its goal. We are taken on a grand journey into the Carpathian mountains where we learn of more Drakon beings and we discover the mystery of the *Draumr*, a diamond so powerful, it can control the very will of the Drakon.

The charcters are well developed and the plot line is quite engaging. The romance aspect is charming, but the adventure and the story itself take center stage. Well worth the read and makes me yearn for the last of this trilogy that is at least a year away.

As we all know, not many sequels can out do the original story, and this unfortunately did not out do "Smoke Thief"; however,"Dream Thief" by itself was great! It may not have been as fast paced as the original but the plot was just as unique. I figured that Zane would have to be in the sequel, and there he was front and center working with the Drakon. Now I'm not trying to give away the story, but the fact that Lia was the only one of her siblings that was different and unattractive as a child reminded me of her mother's predicament and the reason she ran away. It has also been my opinion since the last book that these people have way too many rules, so it never occured to me that they weren't the decendents left at Zaharen Yce. I just assumed that they knew where they were from and knew what happened to the princess etc. Shana detailed the legend in the last books so well, it never occurred to me that the Drakon at Darkfrith weren't the last ones they were referring to. Oh well it was still a really really good book,though a bit tame in comparison. Can't wait for book three, which I believe will star Princess Maricara... she appears to be much more interesting than Lia :)

I really enjoyed The Smoke Thief; the characters were well-fleshed out, the conflict and plot arc were well done, and the action was exciting. Unfortunately, The Dream Thief doesn't measure up quite as well.

The Dream Thief, in contrast to the first book, has sketchily drawn characters, and the execution of the plot arc, which could have been fascinating and exciting -- especially given the grown-up Zane and Lia's dream-premonitions -- is very thin.

The middle section of The Dream Thief consists mainly of these two traveling to find Draumr -- all of which forcibly reminded me of the meanderings of Harry Potter, Ron Weaseley, and Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; that is to say, none of it was very interesting because nothing much of import happens. We don't learn anything very deep about either Zane or Lia -- what makes them tick, how have they become the characters they now are -- and events just roll along. When Lia finally Turns, what should be an exhilarating moment is given short shrift and quickly becomes an event that is easily accepted then done. We also barely see Lia's parents, Rue and Christoff. As these 2 had a large role in shaping both Zane and Lia, the essential absence of them seems rather glaring.

The last part of the book reaches a climax, but it comes and goes so quickly, it's almost a "blink and you miss it" event. We're introduced to other drakon and Draumr but don't learn much about them either, what they've done and how they've lived during the separation of the drakon. The section reads more like a "Hi, 'Bye, Later" series of blip-verts. Considering how much appeared to be riding on Draumr, which then led to the other drakon, this was a huge disappointment on top of everything else.

Overall, my take on this second book is that it's more an outline of a story than a full novel. You see the framework of what could have been an amazing story, but it's still bare bones rather than a full-course meal. I hope the next book will follow the model of The Smoke Thief.

Ever since she can remember, Amelia (Lia) Langford has heard the sound of the great diamond, Draumr, calling to her. In her dreams, though, she sees the horrible result of its discovery. According to legend, a farmboy once stole Draumr and used it to control the beautiful dragon princess. And from Lia's prophetic dreams, she knows that the great thief Zane, her future lover, will use the stone's powers to destroy her entire family--with her assistance. Lia's dreams always come true, so there appears to be no escape from her fate.

Zane has always been a thief and he's had to fight for his survival. To become the best thief, he's created a persona that allows him to mingle with the upper crust. In his heart, though, he knows he is just a tool of the dragons, to be used and discarded as they choose. The great diamond would give him power to control them, to protect himself. Considering how the dragons choose to punish those who dare woo one of their dragon women, that just could become important--because Lia isn't just a beautiful woman and a prophet, she's a dragon.

Author Shana Abe creates a wonderful world of dragons who have adapted human form so completely that many of them are now unable to turn and gain Dragon status. Abe uses a fairy-tale type wrapper and a lyrical writing style that gives the story a dreamy feel.

I very much enjoyed the conflict Abe sets up. Zane will be destroyed by the dragons unless he uses the power of the diamond to protect himself, but if he uses the diamond, he will turn his lover into his slave, destroying the love that she feels for him. Zane's past adds intensity to his dilemma--his fears of being helpless and of being hunted by the more powerful are very real and shaped the person he has become. The closed world of the dragon society of 19th century England, with its rigid rules and stern punishment, add both interest and help sustain the believability of the conflict.

I was hoping that Abe could find a way to resolve the conflict and create the romance novel happily-ever-after that was as clever as the conflict itself. In this area, however, the book was a bit of a disappointment. Also, in comparison to Abe's earlier book in this series, THE DREAM THIEF lacked much by way of plot twists. It did, however, introduce a new world of dragons and a new character who is certain to be back.

If you enjoyed THE SMOKE THIEF, you'll definitely want to get your hands on THE DREAM THIEF. Abe is a highly talented writer and her stories are clever and combine the air of history with the magic of, well, magic.

This novel was exceptional. I became emmersed in the story and didn't want it to end. Although The Smoke Theif was good as well, I thought this was better...the characters were a bit more real, and there was more emotion between them. Both books are excellent though. I wish best of luck to the authour and hope that many people read these books.

Put it simply, this is a great book that really captures my imagination. Normally for any other fantasy story, I have to seriously suspend and stretch my disbelieve in order to get into the book. But Shana Abe makes it so easy because she tells the story like a fairy tale with her vivid imagination and beautifully chosen words. Zane and Lia are believable characters with great chemistry. During their journey through eastern Europe and finally through Carpathian mountains, I felt like I was there along with them. I can't wait for her next book.

In Darkfirth, England Lady Amalia "Lia" Langford can "hear" the future in her dreams. In 1768 she began dreaming of the human Zane bringing the dreaded Draumr gem to her clan. Draumr is the only known item that can enslave Lia's people who are the shapeshifting Drakon, who live in the most remote mountainside of Northern England.

The clan knows Zane, as Lia's mother, married to the Alpha leader, saved his life; he likewise knows their secrets too. In 1773 The Drakon enlist Zane to bring to them the Draumr as they plan to insure it can never be used against them. Zane agrees to travel to and find the gem in the Carpathian Mountains. However, he has plans to use the gem's power to further his affluence and clout. What he never expected was to meet a Drakon in Hungary, but Lia waits for him there as she has heard her future and he is intimately the core of it.

The sequel to the delightful THE SMOKE THIEF, THE DREAM THIEF is a superb late eighteenth century romantic fantasy that grips readers from Lia's first dream until the final confrontation five years later. Lia is a fascinating character as she has broken clan rules and risks her heart to insure that her beloved Zane does not harm her people. Zane steals the show as a "bad boy" who must choose between thieving diamonds and love; readers and the heroine will not be sure which he will select.

Harriet Klausner