The Treasure Keeper: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Shana Abe (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This fantasy of manners, set in the world of 2007's The Dream Thief, wears a layer of Regency romance like a corset that doesn't quite fit. The love triangle builds quickly between three drákon, magic-users hiding in plain sight in 1766 England: Zoe, who hides her gifts to keep other drákon from using her as a pawn; Hayden, her fiancé, sent to investigate a rumored group of European magicians; and Lord Rhys, Zoe's childhood sweetheart turned insufferable womanizer. When Hayden's letters cease and Rhys is captured, Zoe sets off to the rescue. Since drákon are essentially monogamous and classless, the charming upper-class rake motif falls flat, but having the heroine unapologetically save the hero is a welcome move, and Abé neatly evokes the adolescent frustration of fending off overcautious elders and feeling distant from one's society. (Apr.)
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Review

 
“Abé is an immensely gifted storyteller.”—Karen Marie Moning

“Skillful writing, excellent characters, fascinating setting and outstanding story earn The Treasure Keeper a Perfect 10.” —Romance Reviews Today
 
“Complex, enthralling and captivating, Abé’s storytelling has you soaring through wild adventures and spellbinding scenes made possible by the power of love and the forces of magic.”—RT Book Reviews



From the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 480 KB
• Publisher: Bantam (March 24, 2009)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001NLKTYC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,150 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

Shana Abé is the author of Queen of Dragons, The Dream Thief, and The Smoke Thief. She lives in Denver, Colorado.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than the last one, April 16, 2009

By 

E. A. Montgomery (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Treasure Keeper (Hardcover)

Treasure Keeper is really a bit better than a three star read, but not quite a four. I disliked the third series in this book so much that I went with the library for Treasure Keeper. I think Abe is back on my purchase list. Treasure Keeper sidesteps most of the issues with the council that plagued prior reads, placing the heroine and hero firmly away from them. The flaw in this book comes in the ending - while there is a fair twist, that twist is presented too late in the book to do anything but bring the action to a halt, at which point the exposed evil doer begins to suffer from that most frustrating trait, sudden illogic. The twist opens the door to a fair number of "yes, but" questions while allowing for the resolution of none. (Which means there is certainly a book five.) Given the tools at the villain's disposal, the method chosen to destroy the Drakon makes little sense.

The strong aspect of Treasure Keeper is the heroine. It is very easy to understand the conflicts Zoe experiences and to become interested in her. The primary conflict in the book is Zoe coming to understand the artificial restrictions she's placed on herself in her attempt to achieve what she thinks her life should look like. To please others, to conform, to avoid conflict, Zoe has defined who she is and who she loves by the needs of other people. When events force her outside of her constrained world, she is forced to redefine herself. The romance isn't weak, but it's definitely secondary to her self discovery.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - highly highly recommended, March 25, 2009

By 

JSG "paper lion" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Treasure Keeper (Hardcover)

I just finished the Treasure Keeper (had pre-ordered it on my Kindle2, and it came right on time!). I highly recommend it. I thought it was wonderful. I actually liked it better than the third in the series, Queen of Dragons - more satisfying in some way. The relationship between the H/H was so interesting and the secondary characters were strong. I do believe you need to have read the other three books in the series to understand the nuances of the book, but for fans of the Drakon series I think this is definitely a keeper. Kudos to you Ms. Abe. Can hardly wait for the next in the series!

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fourth in Drákon series, April 8, 2009

By 

Helen Hancox "Auntie Helen" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Treasure Keeper (Hardcover)

I've enjoyed Shana Abé's 'Drákon' series ('The Smoke Thief', 'The Dream Thief' and 'Queen of Dragons') but this fourth novel in the series was slightly disappointing. Not because of the writing style - Abé continues her lyrical, descriptive writing of the life of the Dragons - but because somehow the plot in this story didn't quite work for me.

Zoe Cyprienne Lane is a mere seamstress's daughter and nothing special, even if she did have a close childhood friendship with the Alpha's son Lord Rhys Langford. But life and Rhys have moved on and she's engaged to a good man. However, when he goes missing she decides to travel to Paris to find him. Unknown to all those back home, Zoe does have some drákon skills which may help her to find Hayden, her fiancé.

But Zoe also sees the dead and when Rhys Langford starts haunting her, things get more complicated. Especially as he is able to do strange things in his ghostly form. Together they search for Hayden and yet Zoe's feelings may well be changing. And who is the mysterious trapped dragon, and can he also be rescued?

Although an enjoyable read, I wasn't always too sure of Rhys's morality and behaviour. Zoe was a strong and self-reliant woman, which was appealing, but I didn't feel that I entirely got to know her. This felt more like a transitional book than a full story in its own right and, although resolved properly, I didn't entirely understand whether Zoe would be happy when she returned home.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2009