Monday Review by the Book Dragon: Gripping Urban Fantasy!

The Book Dragon highly recommends these grreat books by Annie Douglass Lima, even though there are no dragons! He gives both The Collar & the Cavvarach AND The Gladiator & the Guard 5 claws.

My 5 star review of The Collar & the Cavvarach: "I was excited to receive an advance review copy of Ms. Lima's The Collar and the Cavvarach, and once I began reading I couldn't put it down. The main character, fourteen-year-old Bensin, is a strong and sympathetic character. He's a slave in a modern empire with undertones of Ancient Rome. The collar on the stunning cover is like the one he has to wear. Benson's five-year-old sister does not yet have a collar, though she is also a slave, and his one goal is to free her. He goes to extraordinary measures to try to make that happen, even putting his own life at risk, because he knows the abuse his pretty sister can expect as a slave. The author does a great job of writing about the brutality of this culture without being graphic, so the stakes are extremely high, making the reader more and MORE anxious. This is a MUST read for anyone who likes YA urban fantasy. The way the cavvarach (the hooked sword on the cover) is used in this story, both literally and figuratively, is unforgettable. The other characters, both good guys and bad guys, are three-dimensional and add much to this powerful story of honor and determination against all odds." 

My 5 star review of The Gladiator & the Guard: "I loved Ms. Lima's first book, The Collar and the Cavvarach, and looked forward to reading this one. I was not disappointed! The stakes are even higher, the emotions run the gamut, the nail-biting scenes made my heart beat faster, and I became even more invested in WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! If you like adventure stories with well-drawn characters and many layers of deeper insights into the human experience, you must read this book"

Now I am anxiously waiting for the next book. These characters are real and compelling!