Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron / Bach Narrator: Vikas Adam
Series: Heartstrikers #1
Published by Audible Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
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As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don’t cause trouble, and stay out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn't fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience.
Now, sealed in human form and banished to the DFZ--a vertical metropolis built on the ruins of Old Detroit--Julius has one month to prove that he can be a ruthless dragon or kiss his true shape goodbye forever. But in a city of modern mages and vengeful spirits where dragons are considered monsters to be exterminated, he’s going to need some serious help to survive this test.
He only hopes humans are more trustworthy than dragons...
I decided to re-listen to this series, thanks to Blodeuedd (in her defense, I’m the reason she started the series in the first place. LOL). I love this entire Heartstrikers series. Every book in the five book series is amazing (there is also a spin-off series that takes place 20 years after this series, DFZ, which is really enjoyable, just not as much as this series).
This series mostly follows Julius, one of the youngest Heartstriker dragons. He is also the nicest, which is a huge flaw in most of his family’s eyes. His mother “seals” him (removes his ability to shift into a dragon) and drops him in the Detroit Free Zone, which is not dragon friendly. The area is controlled by Algonquin, the Lady of the Great Lakes, and she hates dragons.
I won’t go into the plot of this story, but more into why I love this series so much. Mostly, it is the amazing characters. I love Julius so much. Then there is Marci, the human mage that he hires to help him find another dragon for his brother. Then there is Bob, Brohomir, the Great Seer of the Heartstrikers. Bob is Julius’s oldest brother and a bit weird, but then all seers are a bit strange.
There is also Chelsie, Ian, Justin and I can’t leave out Bethesda, Julius’s mother. There are more we meet later in the series, but these are the ones we meet in this book. They are all really fun characters, each in their own way.
This book wasn’t any less enjoyable the second time around, even knowing what was going to happen (though it had been a few years, so I didn’t remember everything). I loved the time I spent with these characters and look forward to starting the next book in the series and continuing my re-listen to this wonderful series.
Narration:
The second best thing about this series is the narration. This was my first audiobook with Vikas Adam. He does such an amazing job with the large cast of characters in this series. There’s women, men, dragons, spirits and gods. He nails every voice perfectly. He is great with his pacing, tone and emotion throughout the entire series. I have gone on to listen to other stories by him and would recommend any audiobook he is performing.
Listen to a clip:
About Vikas Adam
Vikas Adam is a classically trained actor with numerous credits in stage, film, commercials, and television, in addition to his over 200 audiobooks. He’s established himself as one who creates versatile, distinct, and clear voices for characters he embodies. Equally at home with a light piece of literature or a dark thriller, a short story or an epic novel (his longest—forty-nine hours!), Vikas’s audiobooks have garnered numerous awards and nominations, including AudioFile Earphones Awards, various Best of the Year lists, and the Audie Award. When not recording, acting, or directing, he’s a lecturer in the Theater Department at UCLA. He was an inaugural inductee into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame.
About Rachel Aaron / Bach
Hello, my name is Rachel Aaron, and I write the Heartstriker books, a new Urban Fantasy series about misfit dragons, starting with Nice Dragons Finish Last. I also wrote The Legend of Eli Monpress fantasy series for Orbit Books about a wizard thief and the poor bastards who have to try and stop him. PLUS I’m also the author of the new, rolicking fun Science Fiction romance Fortune’s Pawn under the name Rachel Bach. Confused yet? I know I am!
I was born in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Athens, GA with my lightspeed son, perpetually understanding husband, and fat dog. Besides my own books, the internet knows me best for writing very fast. The best way to get to know me is probably to read my blog or follow me on Twitter or Facebook.
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I started listening to audiobooks when a new book in a series was coming out and I wanted to get a refresher, but didn’t have time to read all the books (I think it was Anita Blake). I fell in love. I stayed with strictly re-reading books that I’d already read for a long time. I eventually tried an audiobook for something that I hadn’t read first and was hooked there too. Now, I listen to audio for both re-reads and first time. I have some series that I’ve given up reading and only listen. I try to get any many books/audiobooks from the library to help save on my budget. Books on CD and the newer digital downloads from the library really allow me to listen more. I then purchase my favorites (because who can wait in line for your favorite book??) and less mainstream books from Audible or some other online retailer.
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- 🎧 Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner @LisaGardnerBks #KirstenPotter #RebeccaLowman @amleestories @PRHAudio #BantamBooks @AudiobookMel #LoveAudiobooks - January 10, 2025
- 🎧 The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner @LisaGardnerBks #BantamBooks @AudiobookMel #LoveAudiobooks - December 20, 2024
- 🎧 Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig @ChuckWendig @xesands @brit_pressley @SeanPatrickHop @CindyKay_VO @KalaniQueypo @GabraZackman @VictorColomeVO @PRHAudio #LoveAudiobooks @AudiobookMel - November 22, 2024
I own this whole series on audio and really want to get to it this year!
Blodeuedd started her relisten and got me wanting to listen to this one again. I love Julius, Marci, Ghost, Bob, A-melia and so many others in this series. I hope you get a chance to try it.
How have I not come across this series? I am intrigued by the premise, a dragon stuck in a human body. I will have to look for this one and give it a try.
I cannot recommend this series enough. It is so much fun. All the characters are so well developed. You miss them once you finish the book.
I read this series while ago. Julius was the best beta dragon ever and Marci was so much fun. It was a great story with so many fun moments. Really love bob and his pigeon too.
Yes, Bob and his pigeon are great.
I have all of these audiobooks but have yet to actually read them. I really need to get started with this series. I am so glad that you enjoyed your re-read!
I hope you get a chance to try this series. It is a truly wonderful time.
Yes you are to blame while I re-listened for the 3rd time 😀
🙂