Gwen’s review of Destiny Kills (Myth and Magic, Book 1) by Keri Arthur
Contemporary fantasy romance released by Dell Spectra 28 Oct 08

I’ve wrestled with this review several days now, and I’m no closer to knowing how to approach it.  Sometimes there are books that, no matter how long you think about it, your thoughts are no closer than when you finished reading.  This can happen with good and bad books.  Sometimes you just have to dive in and get the words down on paper and hope it all makes sense to someone.  So here goes… 

Destiny Kills is the start of a new series for Arthur.  So far it’s based on dragon-shifters.  Based on what I read, I presume other mythical figures will make an entrance in later books.  Anyone familiar with Arthur knows she writes the Riley Jenson urban fantasy novels – a series with vampires and shapeshifters that is chockablock with action, romance, sex, and angst, all told from the heroine’s first person perspective.  I love the Jenson novels like a fat kid loves cake (TM Karen Scott).

Destiny Kills is also told from the heroine’s first person POV, and thus begins my bone-picking with this book.  Perhaps my love of the Jenson novels has colored my opinion of this one.  What seems so fresh with Riley’s POV seems stale in Destiny Kills.  I’m familiar with Riley’s world, so the first person POV isn’t horribly limiting.  With this new world, however, I think the heroine’s POV has restricted the view of the world and its inhabitants too much.  I very much wanted to know what was in the hero’s head and know what flying was like for him.  I also very much wanted to get into the villain’s head.  I wanted to know more about the heroine’s parents’ thoughts.  None of this is really possible with the POV and that makes me sad and unable to properly connect with the story.

Because of the lack of connection, I didn’t identify or sympathize with anyone or with the predicament.  I can’t really tell you why that was, except I didn’t – it all seemed so impassionate.  I didn’t care that the hero and heroine finally had sex (although their first time WAS OFF THE PAPER and not described – irritated me).  I didn’t care that they had been held hostage for 10-years and experimented on.  I think it was the first person POV, but it may also be because this story just didn’t draw me in.

I can recommend this book to fans of the author or if you’re a dyed in the wool dragon-shifter reader.  I don’t recommend it to anyone trying to get a feel for Arthur’s writing for the first time – you definitely need to read the Riley Jenson novels for that.  This was a readable, but average story with some slightly irritating elements.

Grade: C

Summary:

DESIRE CALLS. DANGER LURKS.

BUT…

DESTINY KILLS

When Destiny McCree wakes up beside a dead man on an Oregon beach, she knows only this: she has to keep moving, keep searching, and keep one step ahead of the forces that have been pursuing her from the heart of Scotland to this isolated spot. Why? The death of her lover has left her alone, with little memory of her past. A glimmering serpent-shaped ring is the one clue she has-and a bargaining chip in a most dangerous game…

Enter Trae Wilson, a master thief with a sexy, knowing grin and a secret agenda of his own. Destiny and Trae both have powers far beyond the human-and both are running for their lives. Together they’re riding a tide of danger, magic and lust…but with killers stalking their every move, they must use any means necessary, even each other, to survive-until the shocking secret of one woman’s destiny finally unravels…

Read an excerpt. (The excerpt was not posted as of the review date, but should be live at this site by release date.)  It’s live.