Book & Audio Review: No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished by Rachel Aaron

No Good Dragon Goes Unpunished
Author: Rachel Aaron
Narrator: Vikas Adam
Series: Heartstrikers (Book 3)
Publication: Aaron/Bach (August 5, 2016); Audible Studios (September 13, 2016)
Length: 517 p.; 18 hours and 51 minutes

Description: When Julius overthrew his mother and took control of his clan, he thought he was doing right by everyone. But sharing power isn’t part of any proper dragon’s vocabulary, and with one seat still open on the new ruling Council, all of Heartstriker is ready to do whatever it takes to get their claws on it, including killing the Nice Dragon who got them into this mess in the first place.

To keep his clan together and his skin intact, Julius is going to have to find a way to make his bloodthirsty siblings play fair. But there’s more going on in Heartstriker Mountain than politics. Every family has its secrets, but the skeletons in Bethesda’s closet are dragon sized, and with Algonquin’s war looming over them all, breaking his clan wide open might just be the only hope Julius has of saving it.

My Thoughts: Bethesda has been defeated but that doesn't mean that forming a council will be smooth sailing for Julius. Bethesda is still working to sabotage everything from behind the scenes and changing centuries of clan behavior isn't something that can happen overnight. Especially when it is the youngest and least valued member of the clan who is advocating for the change.

Julius is buried deep in dragon politics and Marci is left on her own in the mountain with massive problems of her own to solve. She and Ghost have made pledges to each other but neither really knows what they are dealing with. When the UN in the person of General Emily Jackson who is head of the United Nations Magical Disaster Response Force and Sir Myron Rollins who is the undersecretary of magic for the UN come to see her, they have a proposal and some information that could change everything. 

It seems that Ghost might be a Mortal Spirit who has appeared at least 50 years before schedule and the Marci might be the first Merlin on this new age of magic. If she is, then she might have the power to stand up to spirits like Algonquin and dragons too. The UN wants to put her under its protection while it is determined if she is the Merlin. Accepting means leaving Julius and their new relationship behind. But staying in the mountain is harming Ghost because their isn't enough magic to feed him. 

Marci is torn between Julius and Ghost. And Julius is struggling equally hard to bring his vision of a changed dragon clan to life. They are both under tremendous pressure. 

This story was filled with dragon politics and dragon secrets. Julius wants to make everything better but he has to survive a number of assassination plots before he can even try. And then there is Bob who has plots of plans of his own and Julius is his favorite tool...

This was an great story excellently narrated by Vikas Adam. I was totally immersed in the story from the first word to the last. 

Favorite Quote:

"By your logic, anyone who loses is worthless, but losing is part of life. No one wins every single fight. Losing is the price for trying, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. It definitely shouldn't be punished with death."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.