Wednesday, April 1, 2020

#Review - Dragon Bones by Jasmine Walt, Ines Johnson #Fantasy

Series: Nia Rivers Adventures #1
Format: Kindle, 218 pages
Release Date: May 12, 2017
Publisher: Dynamo Press
Source: Kindle
Genre: New Adult / Fantasy

Tomb Raider meets urban fantasy in a new, spine-tingling adventure...

Meet Nia Rivers: archaeologist, fashionista, and an ancient immortal with a serious memory problem.

For the last couple of centuries, Nia has been trying to fill in the blanks of her past by shedding light on history's darkest stories. Her motto: the ugliest stories are the ones that deserve to be told the most.

But when a mysterious woman comes forth with a two-thousand year old relic from Nia's past, Nia isn't sure if the story connected to it is one she wants told to the world. Unfortunately, Nia has no choice but to uncover the truth — fast — before a greedy land developer buries the site forever. The fact that he's also an immortal, with a millennia-old grudge against her, doesn't help. Neither do the dark assassins who have been stalking her for centuries, and who've suddenly decided to up their game to end her life.

Letting her enemies have their way might be best for Nia, especially when the truth might expose a horrific crime from Nia's past. But all stories deserve to be told.

Even the ugliest ones.




Dragon Bones is the first installment in co-authors Jasmine Walt and Ines Johnson's Nia Rivers Adventures. Dr. Nia Rivers is an archaeologist, fashionista, and immortal who has severe memory issues of her past. When Loren Van Alst, daughter of an archeologist who lost credulity for faking an artifact, approaches Nia with a Dragon Bone that appears to not only be 2,000 years old, but a written account about the Xia who used to live in China and are rumored to having been led by a queen, Nia immediately recognizes the artifact as genuine since she wrote that. 

Shortly after the meeting with Loren, Nia sets off to uncover the secrets of the Xia and the Lin Kuie and this is where things get interesting. Nia has apparently kept away from China because of a traumatic experience that she can't remember. Immortals apparently only remember more recent events not from 2,000 years ago. Nia has spent hundreds of years under attack by vicious Ninja's who seem to have a issue with her or something she's apparently done in the past. To make matters even twisted, Tresor Mohandis is not only Nia's archenemy, but apparently the two of them also have a past. 

Moreover, the relic is hidden on a site where Tres intends to build modern residences. Tres continues to hold a grudge against Nia from past long forgotten by her unreliable memory. If these black holes in her memory weren't enough, the complications in the life of an Immortal, romantic interests pushing Nia one way or another, hunt for a treasured relic and more frequent ninja attacks will certainly make it up for the reader to enjoy a whirlwind of adventure and emotions.

Loren became a tomb raider to vindicate her father. Her moral code is somewhat loose and she uses her womanly wiles to get what she wants. Nia is one of a handful of Immortals left in this world. The Immortals are named from the Aramaic alphabet (with Aleph being 1, Tres 3, Zane 7 and Nia 9). Nia has been with Zane for centuries. By staying together, their immune system weakens resulting in life threatening diseases. By separating, they don't recuperate immediately, but have to spend equal times apart as together. This becomes a huge problem when you have Nia, Zane and Tres all in one place. If Nia is vulnerable to attack by the Ninjas, how will she survive?  

This is good start to the series, however, the issue with Nia's memories is a huge problem. How many other tribes, or long thought extinct characters from mythology has she pissed off? It is apparent that Nia and Loren are now in this for the long haul as partners. After what they deal with in China, heaven help anyone who comes across the pair.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34726142-dragon-bones#other_reviews



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