Dragon's Blood

For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).

Dragon's Blood eBook Cover, written by Niall Teasdale.

Dragon's Blood is an eBook written by Niall Teasdale. It is the fourth book in the Thaumatology series by this author. In this series, the character Lily Carpenter is a half-succubus and a friend to the main character of the series Ceridwyn Brent.

Overview

• Title: Dragon's Blood
• Author: Niall Teasdale
• Published By: Smashwords
• Length: 131 Pages
• Format: eBook
• ASIN: B0072S1DOU
• Publishing Date: January 28, 2012

Other Works in this series on SuccuWiki

• Thaumatology 101
• Demon’s Moon
• Tales from High Towers' Study
• Legacy
• Disturbia
• Hammer of Witches
• Tales from the Dubh Linn
• Eagle’s Shadow
• Ancient
• Dragonfall

Plot Summary

Ceridwyn Brent and her boss, Cheryl Tennant, are on a mission. Prove their thaumic power generation system works, provide almost limitless, clean electricity for Great Britain and the rest of the world, and maybe sort out their slightly overcomplicated private lives. The first trial of the generator is to take place at Stonehenge, a Neolithic monument built five thousand years ago during a spike in magical activity, though no one really knows why. Uncovering the secret of why the great henge was built uncovers a secret about Ceri and why she is a sorceress. Unfortunately, their private lives are not getting any less entangled any time soon.

But as Ceri tries to deal with the knowledge she has gained, and cope with giving a lecture at a prestigious academic conference, an old adversary returns, determined to destroy her. As the bodies start to pile up and no one seems able to find the murderer, Ceri and Lily, her half-succubus lover, must go out on their own and seek help from their sworn enemies in order to fight back.

Amidst the chaos and death, Ceri must still seek out and unlock the secret of the dragons and their blood. Her future could depend upon it.

Book Review

The following review was published by Tera on her Blog - A Succubi's Tale on March 2, 2012

It’s very hard not to spoil the entire story in this review. The overarching questions about Ceri begin to be answered, and the answers are, quite simply, unexpected. What Ceri had gone through during the story of Demon’s Moon really comes to hit her very hard and it’s somewhat disheartening to see the amount of pain and fear that she carries with her.

A pivotal moment in the first book returns to threaten Ceri, and in ways that are unexpectedly violent in nature. Whether or not that threat disappears is, I think, something that is yet to be seen. We learn a great deal about how this universe works outside of the small parts of England that we have seen in the series so far. The hints about China, Australia and the United States really ground the series very well and make it, if not easier, more possible to send Ceri and Lily to new places to see.

It’s good to see many characters from the series returning again for this story, but also that they haven’t remained static since the last time we have seen them. They have made choices, lived lives, and, occasionally, made choices that have changed them forever. What’s more, one particular character, who seemed to be nothing really special earlier in the series, is now very much a part of Ceri’s life, and has given her answers that she never expected.

How those answers change her life, her relationship with Lily, and her world, I think will be amazing to watch unfold. Ceri’s secret, and who it draws into her life, was completely unexpected. I didn’t see the reveal coming until it happened, but there are hints along the way about it. The trick, and the author managed this well, was that what the hints are is vague enough and innocent enough that some readers might miss them… you shouldn’t.

Lily is of course a large part of this story as well. But her father also appears, an in doing so quite a lot about Succubi and Incubi in this universe are revealed. Again, I won’t spoil that, but, the reasons and the effect that Ceri has on them, is completely understandable in the mythos that the author has created and within the rules as well. I liked that Lily grows in her power, and that Ceri is a great part of that transformation. I have the feeling that in doing so, this will come to cause a problem for Ceri and Lily soon. I’m just not sure how exactly.

There are three new characters that appear in this story, and they are possibly the most mysterious and powerful ones that have appeared so far. I have to say the most mysterious one, the one that connects most deeply to Ceri… I want to know more about her than we do. I’m hoping that Cheri will meet her somewhere that allows them to discover each other. I think there is something important to come from that relationship, but I am not sure if it is for good, bad, or indifference…

But that’s the core of this series isn’t it? It’s the relationships between the characters that matter, it’s what drives the series forward, and it makes it well worth the time to read and enjoy. The moments of what happens to them, what happens as a result, and where things go from there is the icing on the cake when you have the characters to support the journey…

And it’s a really, really fascinating one this time…

I’m giving this work, five pitchforks out of five.

Once again, a riveting story that uses all of the past in the series to build upon, but not to give you all of the answers. You are left with questions that you hope will be answered in another story to come… and the one after that, and the one after that…

The mark of a good author is to leave you wanting more. This author has that gift within them…

The fifth book in the series, Disturbia will be released tomorrow, March 3rd, 2012, and I can hardly wait to see what comes next…

My page turning tail awaits…

External Links

• This work in various formats at Smashwords.com
• This work in Kindle format at Amazon.com
• The Thaumatology Blog by this author