Destiny Kills (Myth and Magic, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Keri Arthur (Author)
Key Phrases: air dragons, Destiny Kills, Loch Ness

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Desire calls. Danger Lurks.
But...

When Destiny McCree wakes up beside a dead man on an Oregon beach, she knows only this: she has to keep moving, keep searching, and keep one step ahead of the forces that have been pursuing her from the heart of Scotland to this isolated spot. Why? The death of her lover has left her alone, with little memory of her past. A glimmering serpent-shaped ring is the one clue she has—and a bargaining chip in a most dangerous game.

Enter Trae Wilson, a master thief with a sexy, knowing grin and a secret agenda of his own. Destiny and Trae both have powers far beyond the human—and both are running for their lives. Together they’re riding a tide of danger, magic, and lust…but with killers stalking their every move, they must use any means necessary, even each other, to survive—until the shocking secret of one woman’s destiny finally unravels.…

About the Author
Keri Arthur first started writing when she was twelve years old, and to date, she's finished fifteen novels. Her books have received many nominations and prizes, including making the final five in the Random House Australia George Turner Prize. She has also been nominated in the Best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Awards, received a 'perfect 10' from Romance Reviews Today, as well as being nominated for Best Shapeshifter in PNR's PEARL Awards. She's a dessert and function cook by trade, and married to a wonderful man who not only supports her writing, but who also does the majority of the housework. They have one daughter, and live in Melbourne, Australia.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dell (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553589601
• ISBN-13: 978-0553589603
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,165 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #18 in	Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Australia & New Zealand
  #98 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Magic & Wizards

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointing Book, November 15, 2008

By	Garridon (Virginia) - See all my reviews

Keri Arthur writes the kind of books that I have to read in one sitting. And I like to revisit them. I don't get tired of reading them.

Destiny Kills is her latest book, a foray into a different urban fantasy series, this one about sea dragons. Think Loch Ness. Destiny is a sea dragon who can assume human form. She's just escaped from a lab that's been experimenting on her and her family and is running for her life. She meets up with the required male for the romantic element of the story.

I wish I could say it lived up to the Riley books. It had a slow and confusing opening, and I had trouble getting past the first couple of chapters. Nearly a hundred pages passed before it started to get into the story. The characters literally spend most of the novel running from place to place while bits and pieces of Destiny's life laboriously unfolds. There's a stone that's supposed to be an important bargaining chip in the story, and then hardly anything gets done with it. Despite all the chasing around and some action, the pacing was surprisingly slow and often flat.

A disappointing read from an author I like.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars here be dragons...., November 9, 2008

By	biggrama56 "sci fi nut" (the middle of nowhere) - See all my reviews

destiny wakes up on the beach with a dead man beside her and no memory (for awhile)of what happened. the book starts out slow and builds up quite nicely. i love the aspect of dragons,adventure and romance. i did not know this was the start of a series as the ending seemed like a true ending and not open ended like her riley jensen series. overall i liked the book and will invest in the newer chapters of this series.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite there, especially for a series, November 17, 2008

By	Leslie Vanderford (Downers Grove, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was a pleasant quick read. I've read Keri Arthur's Riley series and I'm a big fan of those. This book just didn't live up to that series.

PROS:

1. There was just enough character and plot development to make this book an enjoyable read. I felt the beginning of the book had a lot of potential and the ideas were good.

2. This was a very light read. While this fact probably leads to my negative points, it is nice to have a light read every once in awhile to clear the brain. However, I wish I'd known to expect this before I started reading as I wasn't looking for such a light read at the time.

CONS:

1. The character plots (especially the romantic element) were resolved too quickly for a series. At the end of this book I was left with no desire to learn more about the main characters. However, if this is a series where we get a different main character each book then I might come back for more. If it's the same characters then I probably won't be back. The one exception is that the book hinted that both the main characters were special/different than most dragons but this was never thoroughly explored. I might come back if this becomes a central theme.

2. Very similar to number one but the plot resolutions were just too easy and quick in general. If not for the sex scenes I'd almost think this book was young adult. There was so much potential and I wish time was taken to explore the characters and cultures in this book. I felt it barely scratched the surface. After reading the Riley series I found this very disappointing.