It took a little longer than I expected to finish “Penny White and the Temptation of Dragons” by Chris Cymri.
All in all, it was a decent book. For an indie fantasy book, it had very few grammatical errors. I can’t say that I was crazy about the book but I did like the main character of Penny White. So I’m not against reading the other books in the series.
I’m not sure who did the covers but I think that they did an amazing job. The cover would make a great poster.
Don’t hold it against me but I have never watched Doctor Who. This book has several references to Doctor Who. There were probably jokes that I missed.
Penny White is a vicar, who gives a dragon his last rites in the first chapter of the book. White ends up getting a promotion to Vicar of General Incursions, an alternate place with unicorns, dragons, werefoxes, elves and many other beings that we all thought were imaginary. Her new job will be to counsel “beings we thought could only be found in fantasy stories.” Plus, she will still be a part-time vicar at her regular church.
With the promotion, she acquires a gryphon, Morey, as a partner. On top of the recent changes in her life, she is also still dealing with the loss of her husband and a strained relationship with her younger brother.
So Endre, the dragon that Penny gives last rites to in the beginning died under mysterious circumstances. She and Morey spend a lot of time trying to figure out why. Endre was in a relationship with a human, which was frowned upon by the other dragons and mythical creatures.
There were discussions between the characters about whether relationships between species should be accepted. Who can say for sure? (I did have that crush on Worf from Star Trek for a little while in college. And that werewolf from True Blood . . . )
Anyway, it would be interesting to read more about what happens with Penny White and Morey. Will she date Raven, a dragon, or Pete, a human? Will she mend things with her brother? How will she deal with all of her responsibilities? Will her pet snail go on a vicious rampage? I’m curious to find out what happens next.
If you would like to find out more about the Penny White series, visit the author’s website.
*I did receive an ebook in exchange for a review. *
