Of Cinder and Bone (Of Cinder and Bone, #1)

by Kyoko M

[layawaydragon]

Of Cinder & Bone opens with Jack and Kamala in the lab working on making a hybrid – dragon DNA spliced with a komodo dragon. They’ve been working together for a year and the deadline is rapidly approaching. I love it when contemporary fantasy brings the science and melds it well with magic.

Not only are they colleagues but close friends. It’s awesome to see. They’ve got great banter. Jack is secretly in love with Kamala but isn’t a creepy jerk about it. Eventually, he lets that cat out of the bag, but you’ll have to read to find out what happens.

Kamala’s BFF and roommate Faye is an interesting supporting character. She’s a fellow grad student in a completely different field. Her and Jack have a teasing, grudgingly friends relationship. Faye enjoys baiting him and Jack can’t help but rise to the occasion.

They have an interesting dynamic going on. With the events after coming home from Japan, it’s going to get even better to watch. Bring the popcorn.

I wondered why they picked dragons of all things to “bring back” instead of known real animals. It seemed especially fishy given their activist goals of righting the wrongs of extinct animals and rebuilding the natural state of affairs humans fucked up.

Soon enough it becomes clear that dragons were real and hunted to extinction. This is the only different between our world and that Of Cinder & Bone. Thus far anyways.

It’s not until the very end though that Jack divulges the deep personal reasons for wanting to make dragons a contemporary animal. I had an automatic “aw” moment when he spilled the beans but then thought Bigfoot would be a better choice for that reasoning. Now it’s hard to take him seriously for it. Sorry Jack :/

Once they get to Japan, it’s very urban romance with lots of action, violence, kidnapping, and they’re running nonstop. Pete the New Dragon is a wonderful dragon and had me reacting stronger than when a dog is involved. LEAVE HER ALONE DAMNIT. Thankfully, Jack and Kamala are good people and treat her right. Now, if only they can get her back…

After getting back to the USA, you’ll notice there’s still many pages to go. Every reader knows this dread. It continues to wrap up the characters and loose ends. So far so good, but then the TO BE CONTINUED…knocks the damn wind out of you and you realize there wasn’t enough pages. The author, Kyoko M., starts her notes at the end begging for forgiveness and I’ll have to allow it. For now. Because I need the next one.