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DFZ #2
Part-Time Gods
Life in the magical mess of the Detroit Free Zone is never easy. When you’re laboring under the curse of a certain prideful, overbearing dragon, it can be down right impossible.
My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m a Cleaner. At least, I used to be. Thanks to the supernatural bad luck that turns everything I do against me, these days I’m more of a walking disaster. Getting rid of this curse is the only way to get my life back. Unfortunately, dragon magic is every bit as sneaky and deadly the monsters behind it, and just as hard to beat.
But I’ve never been one to take her doom at face value. Cornered doesn’t mean defeated, and in an awakened city that rules herself, dragons are no longer the biggest powers around.
My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m a Cleaner. At least, I used to be. Thanks to the supernatural bad luck that turns everything I do against me, these days I’m more of a walking disaster. Getting rid of this curse is the only way to get my life back. Unfortunately, dragon magic is every bit as sneaky and deadly the monsters behind it, and just as hard to beat.
But I’ve never been one to take her doom at face value. Cornered doesn’t mean defeated, and in an awakened city that rules herself, dragons are no longer the biggest powers around.
310 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2019
1132 people are currently reading
1013 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Aaron
34 books3,014 followersHello, 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.
I was born in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Denver, CO with my lightspeed son, perpetually understanding husband, and far too many plants. 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.
I was born in Atlanta, but I currently live a lovely, nerdy, bookish life in Denver, CO with my lightspeed son, perpetually understanding husband, and far too many plants. 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 457 reviews
May 9, 2020
First of all, if you like this book, don’t even read this review. Second of all, if you are thinking of reading it, just read it. I read this. I’m not sad, or mad, or anything else. There’s things that are okay, and things that aren’t, but sadly, I don’t think I’ve found my next new series. This remains firmly in Prolematic Land, sub-category New Adult.
Aaron’s take on the genre is a Korean human protagonist, Opal, who was raised by a traditionalist dragon. Literally. The world was reformed with magic 80 years or so ago, and now new little-gods have arisen, particularly the goddess of the new Detroit Free Zone. Opal moved to DFZ to attend a prestigious fine arts program and has made a bargain with her dragon father from her freedom: pay back the money spent on her education and she won’t have to go home to the compound. At the end of the last book, she discovered her father was playing dirty by putting a dragon curse of bad luck on her, so in this book, she’s going all out to make money as a Cleaner turning over abandoned/evicted dwellings, with friend and business partner Nik, part cyborg.
It’s an interesting idea; one can see where Aaron took the idea of wealthy, traditionalist patriarchal parents (of any culture) and extrapolated it to the extreme. Opal sees herself as fighting for her personal freedom, to not be part of a ‘dragon hoard,’ while her (adopted) father sees himself as protecting her.
Unfortunately for me, Opal is so very, very twenty. Whatever degree she had, whatever happened before the story, she seems very sheltered. In this story, she shares a little bit more about her time in college, just because one of their jobs takes place on campus, but for the most part, Rachel feels very much here-and-now kind of person that isn’t given to a great deal of introspection or empathy. She’s so used to being outward-opposition-directed that she spends little time on the inner, and she’s frequently a myopic, selfish ass. Such an ass, in fact, that she is willing to So your mileage will probably vary depending on how much you enjoy this type of character and focus.
The plot commits not one but two of eye-rolling youth tropes. First is the Fake Date, where the female dresses up for some non-date date reason (“I’m going out with a man that doesn’t interest me and there are no other clothes in my closet,” in this case, literally). This is followed by the Drunk Episode, where said female does something completely stupid because she was drunk. I hate both of these tropes for many, many reasons, but mostly because it’s not owning their shit. Again, your tolerance for this will certainly vary.
My other problem with this is the romance. Spoilers ahead. This is the book where that comes together, and after it does, Opal screws it up. Remember what I said about that empathy problem? Yeah, it’s displayed in full force here. She is completely unable to recognize/understand what someone else’s feelings might be, so she reacts exactly like she does with her father and blows up and runs away. (Oedipal much?) Which then leads me to think, gosh, this Nik character has kind of been this unfailing, super-supportive, emotional and physical rock this entire time. Actually, so was that guy Linus in the Hailey Edward’s book. Like these are crazy powerful men who are sort-of bad-boy, but not really, and who are just crazy-attracted to these women, wait for the women to notice them and make the first move, and basically just treat the women with dog-like devotion. I’m not even exaggerating.
This is what passes for romance? Geesus, even at sixteen I was grossed out by that attitude.
So. The stuff I liked? I like that Opal is Korean, brought up in a number of major Asian cities, so she’s multi-lingual and presumably, culturally literate. Opal is trying very hard to work on what she perceives as independence, and she’s not afraid of doing hard work to get there. She is persistent and focused. I think there was a sort of ‘fight-the-patriarchy’ speech in here somewhere that was kind of empowering. The DFZ character is intriguing, and there’s some interesting soliloquies about how to make oneself into something better. There is a little bit of humor that cracked me up. The magic potato was more eye-rolling, but another dragon’s comment on Opal’s father was rather funny:
“The Dragon of Korea normally loves mortals. Seriously, last I heard, he had two hundred of you death-bound critters scampering around his lair! That’s the dragon equivalent of being a crazy cat lady, you know.”
There you have it. Will I read the next? I dunno. Depends if I can read it for free, and if my library will start doing curbside drop-off. But maybe not; it’s spring, and the garden is calling.
Two-and-a-half quarantine reads. Rounding up because. Well, maybe I should go the other way, Idk.
Aaron’s take on the genre is a Korean human protagonist, Opal, who was raised by a traditionalist dragon. Literally. The world was reformed with magic 80 years or so ago, and now new little-gods have arisen, particularly the goddess of the new Detroit Free Zone. Opal moved to DFZ to attend a prestigious fine arts program and has made a bargain with her dragon father from her freedom: pay back the money spent on her education and she won’t have to go home to the compound. At the end of the last book, she discovered her father was playing dirty by putting a dragon curse of bad luck on her, so in this book, she’s going all out to make money as a Cleaner turning over abandoned/evicted dwellings, with friend and business partner Nik, part cyborg.
It’s an interesting idea; one can see where Aaron took the idea of wealthy, traditionalist patriarchal parents (of any culture) and extrapolated it to the extreme. Opal sees herself as fighting for her personal freedom, to not be part of a ‘dragon hoard,’ while her (adopted) father sees himself as protecting her.
Unfortunately for me, Opal is so very, very twenty. Whatever degree she had, whatever happened before the story, she seems very sheltered. In this story, she shares a little bit more about her time in college, just because one of their jobs takes place on campus, but for the most part, Rachel feels very much here-and-now kind of person that isn’t given to a great deal of introspection or empathy. She’s so used to being outward-opposition-directed that she spends little time on the inner, and she’s frequently a myopic, selfish ass. Such an ass, in fact, that she is willing to So your mileage will probably vary depending on how much you enjoy this type of character and focus.
The plot commits not one but two of eye-rolling youth tropes. First is the Fake Date, where the female dresses up for some non-date date reason (“I’m going out with a man that doesn’t interest me and there are no other clothes in my closet,” in this case, literally). This is followed by the Drunk Episode, where said female does something completely stupid because she was drunk. I hate both of these tropes for many, many reasons, but mostly because it’s not owning their shit. Again, your tolerance for this will certainly vary.
My other problem with this is the romance. Spoilers ahead. This is the book where that comes together, and after it does, Opal screws it up. Remember what I said about that empathy problem? Yeah, it’s displayed in full force here. She is completely unable to recognize/understand what someone else’s feelings might be, so she reacts exactly like she does with her father and blows up and runs away. (Oedipal much?) Which then leads me to think, gosh, this Nik character has kind of been this unfailing, super-supportive, emotional and physical rock this entire time. Actually, so was that guy Linus in the Hailey Edward’s book. Like these are crazy powerful men who are sort-of bad-boy, but not really, and who are just crazy-attracted to these women, wait for the women to notice them and make the first move, and basically just treat the women with dog-like devotion. I’m not even exaggerating.
This is what passes for romance? Geesus, even at sixteen I was grossed out by that attitude.
So. The stuff I liked? I like that Opal is Korean, brought up in a number of major Asian cities, so she’s multi-lingual and presumably, culturally literate. Opal is trying very hard to work on what she perceives as independence, and she’s not afraid of doing hard work to get there. She is persistent and focused. I think there was a sort of ‘fight-the-patriarchy’ speech in here somewhere that was kind of empowering. The DFZ character is intriguing, and there’s some interesting soliloquies about how to make oneself into something better. There is a little bit of humor that cracked me up. The magic potato was more eye-rolling, but another dragon’s comment on Opal’s father was rather funny:
“The Dragon of Korea normally loves mortals. Seriously, last I heard, he had two hundred of you death-bound critters scampering around his lair! That’s the dragon equivalent of being a crazy cat lady, you know.”
There you have it. Will I read the next? I dunno. Depends if I can read it for free, and if my library will start doing curbside drop-off. But maybe not; it’s spring, and the garden is calling.
Two-and-a-half quarantine reads. Rounding up because. Well, maybe I should go the other way, Idk.
July 24, 2019
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Part-Time Gods is the follow up book to Minimum Wage Magic, which was storage wars in a magic city where someone seemed bent on killing the main character. This DFZ series is set in the same world as the Heartstrikers series, after the events of the last book. You don’t have to have read the Heartstrikers series to enjoy time in the Detroit Free Zone (DFZ), but it is great to see some cameos of characters I liked from that series *cough* Bob *cough* and see what the mortal spirits are up to.
One of the coolest things about this series is the setting. The DFZ is a city run by a magical God, it has buildings that move and change. If you default on your rent, then your place goes on the auction block, for someone like Opal and her newly acquired partner, Nick, bid on it against others, for the opportunity to make money on anything left inside and clean it up for the city to rent out again.
Opal has a few problems in her life right now. She tried to outwit a dragon, who just happened to be her father (long story) and ended up with a huge loan to pay off to him. She was doing really good at it too until said Dragon put a curse on her to make it even harder for her to make the money to pay him back. Dragons. Now with the help of Nick, a cybernetically enhanced human with a questionable past, Opal is trying to find a way to not default on her load so she can be free from under anyone’s control.
I do like Opal for the most part. She has a lot of magical power potential and has tried her entire life to do anything with it but unfortunately most of the time it just ends up blowing up in her face. Girl also has some HUGE daddy issues, probably to be expected when you know you were named Opal because you are seen by your father as a pretty stone of little worth . Opal has a huge chip on her shoulder and she is going to prove to everyone that she can do it all on her own.
Opal has a lot of things to overcome in this book and her own stubbornness might be one of them. Growing up with a Dragon as a father, I can see how/why Opal has such a huge stubborn streak, but it definitely isn’t helping her in a few instances in this book. Seriously she paints herself in some huge corners and it got a little frustrating.
Good news is there is a smidgen of a romance happening between Opal and Nick. It has a few kinks in it but I liked the start up of a possible relationship between them. We also get some time talking with the Spirit of the City and we get to see some of the motivations of a god walking among the people.
The downfall is this story doesn’t wrap up at the end, we are left with a bit of a cliffhanger and will have to wait until the next book to see how all of the events play out.
I enjoyed Minimum Wage Magic just a little more than Part-Time Gods, just because of the situation Opal was in, how laser focused she was on the tree she missed the forest. Still a lot of things happened and I have some big hopes for the next installment.
Narration:
Emily Woo Zeller did a great job with Opal and the rest of the cast. I really liked her portrayal of the story and she lent some authenticity to Opal’s Korean heritage. I liked her enough to look up her catalog of work to see what else she has done. I look forward to listening to her narration of The Bride Test and The Poppy War as I’ve already got those in my library.
Listen to a clip: HERE
Part-Time Gods is the follow up book to Minimum Wage Magic, which was storage wars in a magic city where someone seemed bent on killing the main character. This DFZ series is set in the same world as the Heartstrikers series, after the events of the last book. You don’t have to have read the Heartstrikers series to enjoy time in the Detroit Free Zone (DFZ), but it is great to see some cameos of characters I liked from that series *cough* Bob *cough* and see what the mortal spirits are up to.
“You—you mean you weren’t sent to save me?”
“Sorry to bruise your ego, but I’m not actually entirely sure who you are,” the dragon said cheerfully. “I was just cutting through because the vending machine in the employee lounge next door is the only one in the building that sells the right brand of sunflower seeds. I keep telling my brother to stock more, but he’s all ‘Bob, you are the greatest, most powerful, most handsome dragon in the world! Go buy your own sunflower seeds!’ Can you believe it?”
One of the coolest things about this series is the setting. The DFZ is a city run by a magical God, it has buildings that move and change. If you default on your rent, then your place goes on the auction block, for someone like Opal and her newly acquired partner, Nick, bid on it against others, for the opportunity to make money on anything left inside and clean it up for the city to rent out again.
Opal has a few problems in her life right now. She tried to outwit a dragon, who just happened to be her father (long story) and ended up with a huge loan to pay off to him. She was doing really good at it too until said Dragon put a curse on her to make it even harder for her to make the money to pay him back. Dragons. Now with the help of Nick, a cybernetically enhanced human with a questionable past, Opal is trying to find a way to not default on her load so she can be free from under anyone’s control.
What was I supposed to tell him? That I’d gone on a journey of self-discovery through a never-ending forest and received a magical potato from a dead Shaman who was also a satellite body for the god of the DFZ? Even I thought that story sounded fishy, and I’d been there.
I do like Opal for the most part. She has a lot of magical power potential and has tried her entire life to do anything with it but unfortunately most of the time it just ends up blowing up in her face. Girl also has some HUGE daddy issues, probably to be expected when you know you were named Opal because you are seen by your father as a pretty stone of little worth . Opal has a huge chip on her shoulder and she is going to prove to everyone that she can do it all on her own.
What in the world did you do to make Yong so mad? The Dragon of Korea normally loves mortals. Seriously, last I heard, he had two hundred of you death-bound critters scampering around his lair! That’s the dragon equivalent of being a crazy cat lady, you know.”
Opal has a lot of things to overcome in this book and her own stubbornness might be one of them. Growing up with a Dragon as a father, I can see how/why Opal has such a huge stubborn streak, but it definitely isn’t helping her in a few instances in this book. Seriously she paints herself in some huge corners and it got a little frustrating.
Good news is there is a smidgen of a romance happening between Opal and Nick. It has a few kinks in it but I liked the start up of a possible relationship between them. We also get some time talking with the Spirit of the City and we get to see some of the motivations of a god walking among the people.
The downfall is this story doesn’t wrap up at the end, we are left with a bit of a cliffhanger and will have to wait until the next book to see how all of the events play out.
I enjoyed Minimum Wage Magic just a little more than Part-Time Gods, just because of the situation Opal was in, how laser focused she was on the tree she missed the forest. Still a lot of things happened and I have some big hopes for the next installment.
Narration:
Emily Woo Zeller did a great job with Opal and the rest of the cast. I really liked her portrayal of the story and she lent some authenticity to Opal’s Korean heritage. I liked her enough to look up her catalog of work to see what else she has done. I look forward to listening to her narration of The Bride Test and The Poppy War as I’ve already got those in my library.
Listen to a clip: HERE
February 2, 2020
Rachel Aaron's talent in creating effortlessly enjoyable and engaging character-driven stories with fascinating worldbuilding is yet again evident in Part-Time Gods, the second book in the DFZ trilogy.
I probably sound like a broken record by now, but Rachel Aaron is my go-to author whenever I needed a pick-me-up. There is just something inherently comfortable and engaging about her writing and her stories that allow me to immerse myself into an intriguing world with its compelling characters right from the start, and it doesn't let go until the end. I've pretty much devoured every single book she's written in no more than 2 to 3 sittings and over a couple of days at the most, depending on the length. As Part-Time Gods is not a long book, by fantasy standards, I finished this in a day. And it was a great sequel.
The story of Opal continues with her curse plaguing her every move, the partnership with Nik notwithstanding. The plot in this sequel focussed on Opal doggedly determined to find any possible method of countering and working around the curse to gain freedom from her father. I have to say that Opal did get on my nerves quite a bit in this instalment, despite understanding her predicament and the reasons behind her persistence. Meanwhile, I was delighted when a visit to the chaotic Rentfree district sparked some revelations surrounding the deliciously mysterious and badass Nik. True to Aaron's promise, we did get more of Nik, but I still want more.
Now, the characterisation remains excellent in spite of what I said about being annoyed with Opal. She is a compelling character. The reason for my annoyance was because she is a likeable person, one who I can see myself befriending, but her stubbornness rivalled that of her obstinate father. It was a tug of war of draconic proportions and consequences where I feel sympathy for one and empathy for another.
Have you ever read a book where an element of the worldbuilding itself can be considered as a character? Then let me tell you that the city of DFZ is, in my opinion, the best character in this trilogy. The Rentfree district that I mentioned above was one of the craziest things I've ever read. Just imagine that you can live in an area for free or however little you can afford to pay, hence the name, but the buildings are constantly shifting around subject to the whims of the city (yes, you read that right). You'll never know when you will need to evict yourself to the next available place, but it will happen for certain. The atmosphere just screams seedy, chaotic, and discordantly vibrant. Those who have read the Heartstrikers series will know what the DFZ has become, and the development of the city since then had been astounding. It pained me not to mention too much about it as I do not want to spoil readers who have not read Heartstrikers. As far as worldbuilding is concerned, this has one of urban fantasy's finest.
Speaking of Heartstrikers, we finally had the long-awaited cameo appearances of well-loved characters from the prior series. These characters had been so well-established that they felt so true to the ones whom we knew and loved, even in the several pages where they appeared. I had this feeling of exuberant joy and wistful nostalgia all at once.
The pacing of these books had been remarkable, giving readers just the right blend of humour, tension, action and contemplative moments to make it a fun and absorbing read. The narrative maintains a steady forward momentum either with progressing with some development around the characters, the worldbuilding or the plot. The ending of Part-Time Gods seemed rather abrupt, and while it was not exactly a cliffhanger, it did leave me feeling a bit on edge about the implications of the events that transpired in the final chapter. The next book is going to be really intense and exciting, and I can't wait to read it.
You can purchase a copy of the book from Amazon US
You can also find this, and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
I probably sound like a broken record by now, but Rachel Aaron is my go-to author whenever I needed a pick-me-up. There is just something inherently comfortable and engaging about her writing and her stories that allow me to immerse myself into an intriguing world with its compelling characters right from the start, and it doesn't let go until the end. I've pretty much devoured every single book she's written in no more than 2 to 3 sittings and over a couple of days at the most, depending on the length. As Part-Time Gods is not a long book, by fantasy standards, I finished this in a day. And it was a great sequel.
The story of Opal continues with her curse plaguing her every move, the partnership with Nik notwithstanding. The plot in this sequel focussed on Opal doggedly determined to find any possible method of countering and working around the curse to gain freedom from her father. I have to say that Opal did get on my nerves quite a bit in this instalment, despite understanding her predicament and the reasons behind her persistence. Meanwhile, I was delighted when a visit to the chaotic Rentfree district sparked some revelations surrounding the deliciously mysterious and badass Nik. True to Aaron's promise, we did get more of Nik, but I still want more.
Now, the characterisation remains excellent in spite of what I said about being annoyed with Opal. She is a compelling character. The reason for my annoyance was because she is a likeable person, one who I can see myself befriending, but her stubbornness rivalled that of her obstinate father. It was a tug of war of draconic proportions and consequences where I feel sympathy for one and empathy for another.
Have you ever read a book where an element of the worldbuilding itself can be considered as a character? Then let me tell you that the city of DFZ is, in my opinion, the best character in this trilogy. The Rentfree district that I mentioned above was one of the craziest things I've ever read. Just imagine that you can live in an area for free or however little you can afford to pay, hence the name, but the buildings are constantly shifting around subject to the whims of the city (yes, you read that right). You'll never know when you will need to evict yourself to the next available place, but it will happen for certain. The atmosphere just screams seedy, chaotic, and discordantly vibrant. Those who have read the Heartstrikers series will know what the DFZ has become, and the development of the city since then had been astounding. It pained me not to mention too much about it as I do not want to spoil readers who have not read Heartstrikers. As far as worldbuilding is concerned, this has one of urban fantasy's finest.
Speaking of Heartstrikers, we finally had the long-awaited cameo appearances of well-loved characters from the prior series. These characters had been so well-established that they felt so true to the ones whom we knew and loved, even in the several pages where they appeared. I had this feeling of exuberant joy and wistful nostalgia all at once.
The pacing of these books had been remarkable, giving readers just the right blend of humour, tension, action and contemplative moments to make it a fun and absorbing read. The narrative maintains a steady forward momentum either with progressing with some development around the characters, the worldbuilding or the plot. The ending of Part-Time Gods seemed rather abrupt, and while it was not exactly a cliffhanger, it did leave me feeling a bit on edge about the implications of the events that transpired in the final chapter. The next book is going to be really intense and exciting, and I can't wait to read it.
You can purchase a copy of the book from Amazon US
You can also find this, and my other reviews at Novel Notions.
June 13, 2019
I got quite surprised by Rachel's "Surprise release day bitches~" the other day and I legit dropped everything I was doing and bought the book.
I LOVED IT TO BITS. This series is a delight to read and everything is perfect with it. It even got more dragon than last one (but still not enough dragons).
I do feel slightly robbed because about 24% of the book is bonus content and not actual Part-Time Gods content.
This picks up about where Minimum Wage Magic ends. Opal and Nik doing their Cleaner business and Opal trying to fight her dad’s curse and her own screwed up magic. And all the shenanigans that comes with that. The DFZ is such a fun and messy world. Also Opal’s and Nik’s relationship is stepping up its game and I am here for it. They’re so heart fuzzingly cute together my heart can’t handle it. . I also like the prominent role the DFZ is getting because she’s really precious and I love her.
I LOVED IT TO BITS. This series is a delight to read and everything is perfect with it. It even got more dragon than last one (but still not enough dragons).
I do feel slightly robbed because about 24% of the book is bonus content and not actual Part-Time Gods content.
This picks up about where Minimum Wage Magic ends. Opal and Nik doing their Cleaner business and Opal trying to fight her dad’s curse and her own screwed up magic. And all the shenanigans that comes with that. The DFZ is such a fun and messy world. Also Opal’s and Nik’s relationship is stepping up its game and I am here for it. They’re so heart fuzzingly cute together my heart can’t handle it. . I also like the prominent role the DFZ is getting because she’s really precious and I love her.
February 13, 2020
More adventures in the DFZ!! This delightful spinoff series is shaping up to be even more solid than Heartstrikers... I'm loving it.
I binged Part-Time Gods in a single day - its one of those fun, lighthearted books that function as palate-cleansers between heavier fantasy novels. The story revolved around MC Opal going to creative extremes trying to shake off a dragon curse laid on her, which was my favorite element of the book. It added on to the already interesting premise (reminiscent of the show Storage Wars), and gave a much more in-depth exploration the DFZ - a place/entity that has captured my attention since the first Heartstrikers book. And I haven't even mentioned the dragons and how much I love their haughty, stubborn personalities (the hard-headedness between Opal and her father is a really satisfying contest of wills - I can't wait to see it played out). All the things, people. This is a killer series.
The only thing holding me back from full praise is the budding love story... I have a few reservations. The characters are adorable and a total perfect fit, but the romantic tension isn't working well for me. The characters are behaving almost unnaturally to avoid that "getting together" moment and I feel like there's a lot of extremely forced and unnecessary conflict in play to keep them apart (plus a dose of uncharacteristic stupidity). It's coming across as more of a writer's construct to save some of the tension for the next book (which I can appreciate), but there was so much clear chemistry between the characters in this book (also a good thing) that dragging it on felt contrived. Hopefully this means the next book will be on fire.
Recommendations: If you like dragons, fun characters, and books that don't fit the mold, this is my pick for you. Heartstikers was awesome - containing some of the best "omg!" moments I've read in ages, but it lacked a little consistency (I thought books 4 & 5 should've been tightened into a single story). This DFZ spin-off is so far much more even, and I'm loving every moment. Rachel Aaron/Bach is among my shortlist of favorite authors for a reason. Give her books a try for some fun!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
I binged Part-Time Gods in a single day - its one of those fun, lighthearted books that function as palate-cleansers between heavier fantasy novels. The story revolved around MC Opal going to creative extremes trying to shake off a dragon curse laid on her, which was my favorite element of the book. It added on to the already interesting premise (reminiscent of the show Storage Wars), and gave a much more in-depth exploration the DFZ - a place/entity that has captured my attention since the first Heartstrikers book. And I haven't even mentioned the dragons and how much I love their haughty, stubborn personalities (the hard-headedness between Opal and her father is a really satisfying contest of wills - I can't wait to see it played out). All the things, people. This is a killer series.
The only thing holding me back from full praise is the budding love story... I have a few reservations. The characters are adorable and a total perfect fit, but the romantic tension isn't working well for me. The characters are behaving almost unnaturally to avoid that "getting together" moment and I feel like there's a lot of extremely forced and unnecessary conflict in play to keep them apart (plus a dose of uncharacteristic stupidity). It's coming across as more of a writer's construct to save some of the tension for the next book (which I can appreciate), but there was so much clear chemistry between the characters in this book (also a good thing) that dragging it on felt contrived. Hopefully this means the next book will be on fire.
Recommendations: If you like dragons, fun characters, and books that don't fit the mold, this is my pick for you. Heartstikers was awesome - containing some of the best "omg!" moments I've read in ages, but it lacked a little consistency (I thought books 4 & 5 should've been tightened into a single story). This DFZ spin-off is so far much more even, and I'm loving every moment. Rachel Aaron/Bach is among my shortlist of favorite authors for a reason. Give her books a try for some fun!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
September 29, 2019
4.5 rounded up. Such a great read! I never really got into the Heart striker books but really love this series.
October 11, 2019
Ahoy there me mateys! Those who have been aboard for a while know that urban fantasy and I are not usually friends. In fact we tend to be enemies. I can’t explain why. It’s just a truth. And yet this here be a combined review of the first two books in this urban fantasy series. Keep reading to find out why. While I try to post no spoilers, ye have been forewarned and continue at yer own peril . . .
So basically, I can blame two things for reading this series. One is the fascinating cover of book one that always drew me attention to the book when I saw it. It is striking and appealing. It made me want to know what the book was about when I saw it. Every single time. So I would read the blurb, think it sounded interesting, think “nah urban fantasy,” and then forget about it again. See cover. Repeat. The other influence be this review from Matey Niki Hawkes @ theobsessivebookseller which finally convinced me to read the dang thing. It it she says:
So I added it to the list. Then the day came. I am a mood reader who didn’t know what I wanted to read. Then I discovered Amazon Prime reading which just happened to have minimum wage magic as one of the books I could borrow. So I did and I loved it. I loved it enough to immediately buy book two and read that one as well. I am irked that I have to wait for book three.
So what is the series about? Well the books are set in a future Detroit after magic has returned to the world following a very long absence. The city is the most magical one on the planet. Basically anything goes – well except for not paying rent. Should ye fall behind, yer unit gets sold to the highest bidder, a Cleaner, who gets to empty the place for the next tenants in exchange for the authority to keep whatever the previous owner has left behind. Very much not a glamorous job.
One such Cleaner is Opal Yong-ae who is a freelance mage trying to pay a debt on a fierce timeline. I won’t get into the whys and wherefores of the debt because of spoilers. But let’s say that her latest job turns out to be different because of the dead body in the apartment and not much else of real value. Trouble ensues. And it was fun.
Part of the fun comes from the character of Opal herself. She be a bit of mess. She is smart, thrifty, and clever but cannot control her magic very well. Instead of control she uses blunt force. Force that causes magic to backfire on the user. Ouch. She has an AI mental-wellbeing assistant that cracks me up. And a run of very bad luck so that she might not make her next (very near) payment. But she be determined.
The other part of the fun comes from the wonderful world building. The city is sentient and kinda confusing. It likes to move buildings and streets around and redesign itself. It also has a working relationship with the dragons of the city. Then there are the other gods. And mythical creatures. And mages. And cybernetic folks. And yet for me, I think the appeal of this was following a silly (but awesome) human in a very cool urban fantasy world.
I liked how everything was wrapped together. I liked that the romance to come was present but didn’t override the plot. I liked the light, playful feel of the writing despite the high stakes and action. The plot twists in the book were both unexpected and plausible. The slow unveiling of Opal’s past was well done. And I even loved the ending that I did not see coming even though hints were there. This book was everything I wish urban fantasy always was.
So what about book two? Well the second book picks up about a week after the first one. Opal is still trying to track down money only there be major logistical problems. Plus Opal makes several bad choices that don’t help. I actually think book two was even better than the first. The stakes have ramped way up and the consequences to Opal’s actions are intense.
The romance does come into play here but I actually thought it was sweet and yet did take an unexpected tangent. I loved the complexities of all the relationships in this one and thought they were fairly seamlessly integrated into the plot. I loved watching Opal’s stubbornness get in the way. Though I also loved her sense of honor. Even the ending was excellent despite the cliffhanger because it wrapped up the second book’s plotline while setting up part of what book three will be about.
Now this series apparently is a spinoff in the same universe as the Heartstriker books even though the author did set them up to be read independently. I am not sure if I want to read the other series or not. I only wish that I had book three of the DFZ series right now. If more urban fantasy was like this then maybe I would like it better. Arrrr!
Side note: Any suggestions from the crew about urban fantasy recommendations where romance is not the focus? Be aware that I have tried the Dresden Files and Kate Daniels series and wasn’t enthralled.
So basically, I can blame two things for reading this series. One is the fascinating cover of book one that always drew me attention to the book when I saw it. It is striking and appealing. It made me want to know what the book was about when I saw it. Every single time. So I would read the blurb, think it sounded interesting, think “nah urban fantasy,” and then forget about it again. See cover. Repeat. The other influence be this review from Matey Niki Hawkes @ theobsessivebookseller which finally convinced me to read the dang thing. It it she says:
within this world Rachel Aaron has created a fun fusion of genres – fantasy elements (dragons, magic), urban fantasy plot and settings, all told with an exuberant YA feel (without any unfortunate YA tropes or issues). If you’re sick of the same old stuff, let this author give you a breath of fresh air. 🙂
So I added it to the list. Then the day came. I am a mood reader who didn’t know what I wanted to read. Then I discovered Amazon Prime reading which just happened to have minimum wage magic as one of the books I could borrow. So I did and I loved it. I loved it enough to immediately buy book two and read that one as well. I am irked that I have to wait for book three.
So what is the series about? Well the books are set in a future Detroit after magic has returned to the world following a very long absence. The city is the most magical one on the planet. Basically anything goes – well except for not paying rent. Should ye fall behind, yer unit gets sold to the highest bidder, a Cleaner, who gets to empty the place for the next tenants in exchange for the authority to keep whatever the previous owner has left behind. Very much not a glamorous job.
One such Cleaner is Opal Yong-ae who is a freelance mage trying to pay a debt on a fierce timeline. I won’t get into the whys and wherefores of the debt because of spoilers. But let’s say that her latest job turns out to be different because of the dead body in the apartment and not much else of real value. Trouble ensues. And it was fun.
Part of the fun comes from the character of Opal herself. She be a bit of mess. She is smart, thrifty, and clever but cannot control her magic very well. Instead of control she uses blunt force. Force that causes magic to backfire on the user. Ouch. She has an AI mental-wellbeing assistant that cracks me up. And a run of very bad luck so that she might not make her next (very near) payment. But she be determined.
The other part of the fun comes from the wonderful world building. The city is sentient and kinda confusing. It likes to move buildings and streets around and redesign itself. It also has a working relationship with the dragons of the city. Then there are the other gods. And mythical creatures. And mages. And cybernetic folks. And yet for me, I think the appeal of this was following a silly (but awesome) human in a very cool urban fantasy world.
I liked how everything was wrapped together. I liked that the romance to come was present but didn’t override the plot. I liked the light, playful feel of the writing despite the high stakes and action. The plot twists in the book were both unexpected and plausible. The slow unveiling of Opal’s past was well done. And I even loved the ending that I did not see coming even though hints were there. This book was everything I wish urban fantasy always was.
So what about book two? Well the second book picks up about a week after the first one. Opal is still trying to track down money only there be major logistical problems. Plus Opal makes several bad choices that don’t help. I actually think book two was even better than the first. The stakes have ramped way up and the consequences to Opal’s actions are intense.
The romance does come into play here but I actually thought it was sweet and yet did take an unexpected tangent. I loved the complexities of all the relationships in this one and thought they were fairly seamlessly integrated into the plot. I loved watching Opal’s stubbornness get in the way. Though I also loved her sense of honor. Even the ending was excellent despite the cliffhanger because it wrapped up the second book’s plotline while setting up part of what book three will be about.
Now this series apparently is a spinoff in the same universe as the Heartstriker books even though the author did set them up to be read independently. I am not sure if I want to read the other series or not. I only wish that I had book three of the DFZ series right now. If more urban fantasy was like this then maybe I would like it better. Arrrr!
Side note: Any suggestions from the crew about urban fantasy recommendations where romance is not the focus? Be aware that I have tried the Dresden Files and Kate Daniels series and wasn’t enthralled.
June 21, 2019
I am so happy to be back in the world of the DFZ. So it was a happy surprise that the author did a surprise release.
Opal has literally been cursed with bad luck, and she is working to find a loophole. She’s working with Nik, her partner in Cleaning, to make enough money to payback the debt to her family.
Opal is a great character. She wants independence - and she’s not obnoxious about it and has her reasons. She’s also stubborn and determined.
This book focuses on Opal and her strained relationship with her father. The best parts of the book dealt with him, the rest was good but those parts truly shined. The dragons are easily the most entertaining part of the series.
My only cons with the book are the characters can get really preachy in explaining their motivations. It’s a minor complaint for sure, but sometimes it takes me out of the story.
Note - the book ends at 75% on the kindle. The rest are backads and previews of the authors other books. I looked at the table of contents and was glad I did. The ending of the story didn’t really feel like the ending. It’s not really a cliffhanger, I would have liked to see it continued.
I am eagerly awaiting the next book.
If you want to read a fun, funny, and unique urban fantasy with lovable characters, this is a great series. But start with the Heartstrikers - Nice dragons finish last.
Opal has literally been cursed with bad luck, and she is working to find a loophole. She’s working with Nik, her partner in Cleaning, to make enough money to payback the debt to her family.
Opal is a great character. She wants independence - and she’s not obnoxious about it and has her reasons. She’s also stubborn and determined.
This book focuses on Opal and her strained relationship with her father. The best parts of the book dealt with him, the rest was good but those parts truly shined. The dragons are easily the most entertaining part of the series.
My only cons with the book are the characters can get really preachy in explaining their motivations. It’s a minor complaint for sure, but sometimes it takes me out of the story.
Note - the book ends at 75% on the kindle. The rest are backads and previews of the authors other books. I looked at the table of contents and was glad I did. The ending of the story didn’t really feel like the ending. It’s not really a cliffhanger, I would have liked to see it continued.
I am eagerly awaiting the next book.
If you want to read a fun, funny, and unique urban fantasy with lovable characters, this is a great series. But start with the Heartstrikers - Nice dragons finish last.
June 14, 2019
A good sequel with cool cameos from Heartstrikers (Bob, Peacemaker, mentions of Amelia). Why four starts? well, Opal's stubbornness irritates me and I'm not partial to romance subplot. It changes nothing, though - I'll buy any DFZ / Heartstrikers related book Aaron writes as soon as it's published.
March 19, 2024
A truly messed up heroine, dragons, and a city which is a God. Darker than its prequel, but still fun.
I was wondering if the DFZ was going to make my ghost work off everything I’d promised her or if she’d let me pass on to the afterlife unmolested.
I was wondering if the DFZ was going to make my ghost work off everything I’d promised her or if she’d let me pass on to the afterlife unmolested.
January 16, 2023
Nope. DNF @ 40%
I am disappointed that I have to drop this, but I literally cannot stand Opal. She is a TSTL self-absorbed asshole and if I kept reading, it would be because I was hoping for a horrible death. That's my sign to GTFO of a series, because life is too short for that kind of mental stress.
For the record, I thought she was hideously stupid in the last book, and in this one she dials it up to the extreme. The drunk idiocy episode is where I had to pull the plug, because are you fucking kidding me with that stupid shit? Honestly, her father should swoop her up and force her to live in a pen because she's too stupid to be out in the world, recklessly damaging herself and the people around her.
Nope.
I am disappointed that I have to drop this, but I literally cannot stand Opal. She is a TSTL self-absorbed asshole and if I kept reading, it would be because I was hoping for a horrible death. That's my sign to GTFO of a series, because life is too short for that kind of mental stress.
For the record, I thought she was hideously stupid in the last book, and in this one she dials it up to the extreme. The drunk idiocy episode is where I had to pull the plug, because are you fucking kidding me with that stupid shit? Honestly, her father should swoop her up and force her to live in a pen because she's too stupid to be out in the world, recklessly damaging herself and the people around her.
Nope.
April 13, 2021
**2.5 stars**
Live look at my face while reading this book.
I'm adding a half star just because Julius and Bob made an appearance.
This series is about a spoiled rich girl and her overbearing father and the lengths they go to one up each other. I know I'm supposed to like Opal because she's "fighting for her freedom" (rolls eyes) but she's really throwing a temper tantrum to get her daddy to notice her.
I couldn't STAND HER, because you see, she's JUST LIKE HER FATHER. She's a proud know-it-all who just wants to get her way no matter how many people she tramples. She doesn't listen, she doesn't compromise or God forbid! asks for help! If she doesn't know anything, she just assumes it's unimportant. She's so dumb that she never questioned obvious traps or obvious solutions. It takes her more than half the book to realize that a dragon called The Peacemaker is somebody she should talk to. If I'd been Julius, I'd have kicked her out of the DFZ and asked both her and her father to settle their family issues in their own country.
What got me the MADDEST was the way she treated Nick. After the guy does everything for her - works 16 hours daily for A MONTH! - and helps her out with all her stupid schemes, she imprisons him after a fight and goes away in a huff. He wasn't right, but he came from a good place and she doesn't even realize that because disagreeing with her means you're against her. As the spoiled brat that she is, she needs to get her way 100% of the time!! *
Maybe in a year or two I won't be so mad and read the next book but it's likely this is it for me and this series. I only feel sorry for Nick that after such a hard childhood, he fell in love with this lunatic.
Live look at my face while reading this book.
I'm adding a half star just because Julius and Bob made an appearance.
This series is about a spoiled rich girl and her overbearing father and the lengths they go to one up each other. I know I'm supposed to like Opal because she's "fighting for her freedom" (rolls eyes) but she's really throwing a temper tantrum to get her daddy to notice her.
I couldn't STAND HER, because you see, she's JUST LIKE HER FATHER. She's a proud know-it-all who just wants to get her way no matter how many people she tramples. She doesn't listen, she doesn't compromise or God forbid! asks for help! If she doesn't know anything, she just assumes it's unimportant. She's so dumb that she never questioned obvious traps or obvious solutions. It takes her more than half the book to realize that a dragon called The Peacemaker is somebody she should talk to. If I'd been Julius, I'd have kicked her out of the DFZ and asked both her and her father to settle their family issues in their own country.
What got me the MADDEST was the way she treated Nick. After the guy does everything for her - works 16 hours daily for A MONTH! - and helps her out with all her stupid schemes, she imprisons him after a fight and goes away in a huff. He wasn't right, but he came from a good place and she doesn't even realize that because disagreeing with her means you're against her. As the spoiled brat that she is, she needs to get her way 100% of the time!! *
Maybe in a year or two I won't be so mad and read the next book but it's likely this is it for me and this series. I only feel sorry for Nick that after such a hard childhood, he fell in love with this lunatic.
April 26, 2022
It's getting more personal, more meaningful, more beautiful. Certain favorite Heartstrikers' cameos don't hurt either. ;)
Choice bits:
https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...
Choice bits:
https://choveshkata.net/forum/viewtop...
December 21, 2022
Rachel Aaron's writing never fails to put me in a happy place, and Part-Time Gods, a great sequel to the first book in this series is no different.
September 24, 2020
Wow, this second audiobook was stronger than the first and I am loving the world and characters. Opal is determined to meet the outrageous new terms of her loan even if it kills her. Together with Nick, a cybernetically enhanced human with a questionable past, she sets out to meet the deadline but to do so she’ll need to find a way around the dragon’s bad-luck curse.
Opal is clever and tenacious. When she discovers she can’t break the curse, she looks for loopholes. She and Nick are breaking rules, working around the clock and running into danger.
I loved the distinct characters we meet, and a fellow blogger told me that some characters are from the Heartbreaker series. (which I now want to dive into). We learn more about Nick’s past as danger finds them. This leads to some moments for the couple. I laughed at Opal’s inner dialogue and wanting to shake Nick, who holds back.
We deal with Dragons, politics, and chats with the Spirit of the City. Potatoes and walks in the forest lead to some interesting tidbits about magic and Opal’s potential. Opal has a chip on her shoulder from her upbringing and daddy issues, which provides some nail biting moments and relationship woes.
Aaron impressed me with the world from dragons to gods. The DHZ and shaman we meet held me spellbound. If you’ve ever been to New York City, you can just imagine the thrum of the city being the magic of a god.
Despite some closure, the tale ended on a cliffhanger so I immediately started Night Shift Dragons, the third audiobook.
I recommend listening to the series on audio. Once again, Emily Woo Zeller did a bang-up job with the characters, tone and pacing. The writing lends itself perfectly to this format, and I had a blast. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Opal is clever and tenacious. When she discovers she can’t break the curse, she looks for loopholes. She and Nick are breaking rules, working around the clock and running into danger.
I loved the distinct characters we meet, and a fellow blogger told me that some characters are from the Heartbreaker series. (which I now want to dive into). We learn more about Nick’s past as danger finds them. This leads to some moments for the couple. I laughed at Opal’s inner dialogue and wanting to shake Nick, who holds back.
We deal with Dragons, politics, and chats with the Spirit of the City. Potatoes and walks in the forest lead to some interesting tidbits about magic and Opal’s potential. Opal has a chip on her shoulder from her upbringing and daddy issues, which provides some nail biting moments and relationship woes.
Aaron impressed me with the world from dragons to gods. The DHZ and shaman we meet held me spellbound. If you’ve ever been to New York City, you can just imagine the thrum of the city being the magic of a god.
Despite some closure, the tale ended on a cliffhanger so I immediately started Night Shift Dragons, the third audiobook.
I recommend listening to the series on audio. Once again, Emily Woo Zeller did a bang-up job with the characters, tone and pacing. The writing lends itself perfectly to this format, and I had a blast. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
January 5, 2020
Getting into the second book was much easier. Most likely due to starting it immediately after finishing Minimum Wage Magic but to me at least the pacing was much better.
Part-Time Gods takes place in a weeks period but so much happens that sometimes it's hard to keep the timeline in mind. Opal and Nick are a great team and watching them tackle Opal's curse was a hilarious experience. Each of them brings an unique set of skills to the table and together even an ancient dragon's magic doesn't stand a chance.
Two things made this book for me. The first was learning more about the magic of this world. Specifically learning about how shamanic magic works, its limitations and advantages compared to thaumaturgy. If you've read the Heartstrikers series, you would know a lot about thaumaturgy and dragon magic but shamanism is scarcely ever mentioned. Adding this expands the limits of the world and makes it more likely that we'll see some amazing magical feats by Opal in the following books. The second thing that I truly loved about this was a cameo from a couple of dragons from the original series. Which two you'll have to read to find out ;)
One thing lessened my enjoyment of Part-Time Gods - its predictability. All major plot points were telegraphed well in advance. However, the details were masterfully handled so the lack of any real surprises was a small disappointment and easily ignored.
And now the wait begins. Hopefully it won't be a long one.
Part-Time Gods takes place in a weeks period but so much happens that sometimes it's hard to keep the timeline in mind. Opal and Nick are a great team and watching them tackle Opal's curse was a hilarious experience. Each of them brings an unique set of skills to the table and together even an ancient dragon's magic doesn't stand a chance.
Two things made this book for me. The first was learning more about the magic of this world. Specifically learning about how shamanic magic works, its limitations and advantages compared to thaumaturgy. If you've read the Heartstrikers series, you would know a lot about thaumaturgy and dragon magic but shamanism is scarcely ever mentioned. Adding this expands the limits of the world and makes it more likely that we'll see some amazing magical feats by Opal in the following books. The second thing that I truly loved about this was a cameo from a couple of dragons from the original series. Which two you'll have to read to find out ;)
One thing lessened my enjoyment of Part-Time Gods - its predictability. All major plot points were telegraphed well in advance. However, the details were masterfully handled so the lack of any real surprises was a small disappointment and easily ignored.
And now the wait begins. Hopefully it won't be a long one.
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December 29, 2020
Tore through this in a day - I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Opal's relationship with her father really intrigues me. You know what, I'm kind of her dad's side, and I love that I don't feel like the author is telling us Opal is necessarily right to be furious with her father. Obviously he's done really controlling things to her, but... I see where he's coming from. Maybe it's because I'm Asian too, and my dad and I have definitely had clashes over him trying to make me do things he thinks is better for me in the long run (study medicine). I completely sympathise with Opal's drive for independence, but I think she needs to cut her dad a break.
Also, the romance? SWOON.
[Blog]
Opal's relationship with her father really intrigues me. You know what, I'm kind of her dad's side, and I love that I don't feel like the author is telling us Opal is necessarily right to be furious with her father. Obviously he's done really controlling things to her, but... I see where he's coming from. Maybe it's because I'm Asian too, and my dad and I have definitely had clashes over him trying to make me do things he thinks is better for me in the long run (study medicine). I completely sympathise with Opal's drive for independence, but I think she needs to cut her dad a break.
Also, the romance? SWOON.
[Blog]
November 13, 2019
“It’s not for eating!” I cried. “That’s my magic potato!”
Opal's crazy frantic humor really gets me in this book.
RTC
July 7, 2019
Erm. This was really disappointing because I expect the author's work to be really good and I didn't really like it.
My main problem with the book was how annoying I found Opal. I got really tired of how things aren't her fault. She just came off super bratty to me. She has a safety net in life and it didn't really sit well with me that she complained constantly. Granted, her problem isn't wholly her own but she does have a part in it. Instead of acting like a rebellious daughter, I think it would have been better if she communicated like a person. I didn't really buy the whole property thing. I feel like that is just the dragon's way of things. I mean I get that she feels boxed in but she takes things to the worst conclusions. Her way of presenting things are through the worst lens when it is probably just a passing comment. It's like a hard sell to sympathize with her and I didn't really come out feeling that way.
It's not like I'm siding with her father either, he is also very stubborn. He has a large part in their conflict. However, their failure to communicate is very frustrating, since I didn't really root for either party.
I just rolled my eyes when she left Nick too. He was just helping. I feel like she overreacted too. She could have just voiced her opinion and gone from there. Instead, she chose to freak out instead of moving in her preferred way in the future.
This is why the ending felt so dissatisfying. She ended up as a priestess for the DFZ. After all her struggle to be independent, she ends up a frigging priest.
Also, as a standalone story, this book is atrocious. I didn't like the ending at all. Opal's father is a lifeless dragon. I like that he finally relented in the final moments but could you have written this earlier in the book instead of leaving it out in the future book? As it was, this book was just Opal working jobs after jobs. The resolution to the conflict with her father was just touched upon and is left to a future book. As a standalone book, the minor resolution of the father bending in the final moments was like crumbs. The long story of Opal's struggle was just a long grind with little payoff. It was really annoying.
The story revolves around Opal working to repay her father so she could be free from him. She is working around her curse because the curse is doing its utmost to undermine her. She later discovers that her curse is powered by her father's dragon fire and her success means his downfall. He is weakened enough for his younger sister to attack him until he neared death. In the end, she borrows help from the DFZ in return for her service.
Her father is a husk. She is a priestess. She left Nick.
On the personal side of things, Nick confessed his feelings to her. They slept together. She later left him when she discovered he exerted too much effort to help her with her debt to her father.
I think what I also really disliked with Opal is her chaos. She is a wrecking ball and damn anything that comes after because she is fulfilling her own cause. I mean, her curse was crashing the gold market and is affecting the economy. She works Nick to the bone and her harebrained scheme of raiding the units is very short sighted. It was just prideful because she couldn't be arsed to communicate with her father. She has a very narrow goal and doesn't really take the time to assess the damage she is causing. She wasn't a character I felt like I could root for.
My main problem with the book was how annoying I found Opal. I got really tired of how things aren't her fault. She just came off super bratty to me. She has a safety net in life and it didn't really sit well with me that she complained constantly. Granted, her problem isn't wholly her own but she does have a part in it. Instead of acting like a rebellious daughter, I think it would have been better if she communicated like a person. I didn't really buy the whole property thing. I feel like that is just the dragon's way of things. I mean I get that she feels boxed in but she takes things to the worst conclusions. Her way of presenting things are through the worst lens when it is probably just a passing comment. It's like a hard sell to sympathize with her and I didn't really come out feeling that way.
It's not like I'm siding with her father either, he is also very stubborn. He has a large part in their conflict. However, their failure to communicate is very frustrating, since I didn't really root for either party.
I just rolled my eyes when she left Nick too. He was just helping. I feel like she overreacted too. She could have just voiced her opinion and gone from there. Instead, she chose to freak out instead of moving in her preferred way in the future.
This is why the ending felt so dissatisfying. She ended up as a priestess for the DFZ. After all her struggle to be independent, she ends up a frigging priest.
Also, as a standalone story, this book is atrocious. I didn't like the ending at all. Opal's father is a lifeless dragon. I like that he finally relented in the final moments but could you have written this earlier in the book instead of leaving it out in the future book? As it was, this book was just Opal working jobs after jobs. The resolution to the conflict with her father was just touched upon and is left to a future book. As a standalone book, the minor resolution of the father bending in the final moments was like crumbs. The long story of Opal's struggle was just a long grind with little payoff. It was really annoying.
The story revolves around Opal working to repay her father so she could be free from him. She is working around her curse because the curse is doing its utmost to undermine her. She later discovers that her curse is powered by her father's dragon fire and her success means his downfall. He is weakened enough for his younger sister to attack him until he neared death. In the end, she borrows help from the DFZ in return for her service.
Her father is a husk. She is a priestess. She left Nick.
On the personal side of things, Nick confessed his feelings to her. They slept together. She later left him when she discovered he exerted too much effort to help her with her debt to her father.
I think what I also really disliked with Opal is her chaos. She is a wrecking ball and damn anything that comes after because she is fulfilling her own cause. I mean, her curse was crashing the gold market and is affecting the economy. She works Nick to the bone and her harebrained scheme of raiding the units is very short sighted. It was just prideful because she couldn't be arsed to communicate with her father. She has a very narrow goal and doesn't really take the time to assess the damage she is causing. She wasn't a character I felt like I could root for.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2019
I nearly rated this 2.5-3 stars for how it ended. Why? because it just kind of ends and then there's sample chapters from previous books. In fact according to my e-reader 25% of the epub file is basically advertisement for Ms. Aaron's other novels. Which means my 4 star rating is a very salty 4 stars because I feel gypped out of a quarter of a book despite it being a fun read.
I think the world that Rachel Aaron created would make an amazing setting for a hacked together Shadowrun-esque tabletop RPG game. She should contact someone about that.
I think the world that Rachel Aaron created would make an amazing setting for a hacked together Shadowrun-esque tabletop RPG game. She should contact someone about that.
June 15, 2019
4.5 stars - Loved it but...
Sigh. Almost perfect. But the father annoyed me (again only it was much more), and Opal was REALLY stupid, and there was drama for the sake of drama. So I hated those three things, but the rest was so good I don't want to bump it down any.
Wish Opal used her brains some though, and the one thing was just too much. :/ But despite those issues, it was still a great book and I love the series and I want more.
Sigh. Almost perfect. But the father annoyed me (again only it was much more), and Opal was REALLY stupid, and there was drama for the sake of drama. So I hated those three things, but the rest was so good I don't want to bump it down any.
Wish Opal used her brains some though, and the one thing was just too much. :/ But despite those issues, it was still a great book and I love the series and I want more.
December 28, 2019
I actually enjoyed this one more than book 1, I do like when they keep on getting better!
Opal is having a hard time. She works as a cleaner, that is she buys the right to clean out places and sell the stuff she finds. But her dad cursed her so she has bad luck.
First, I found myself liking her dad, and that is so bad. He is a dragon, and he is not a nice, person. But I do feel that deep down he does care, but he is a dragon and dragons can not care for humans. Yes, I totally like her dad. But he is an overbearing crazy dragon that covets humans for his hoard.
So in this one she has to make money to pay off her dad so that she an be free. But she has constant bad luck. To help her she has Nick, who is like part cyborg, or when does you go fully cyborg?
There is weird things happening. There is running from dragons and dragon politics. There is a Julius cameo! Omg, I have missed him so much. I love love Julius...looooove.
Oh, the ending is SO evil, so very evil
This series is fun, Opal is strong and all she wants is freedom. The DFC is one crazy city, and the world is fantastic. Dragons, spirits and magic.
Narration
I have listened to her in a few different audios now and i do like her narration. I like her different voices and she brings emotion and feel to the story. She makes Opal for me
Opal is having a hard time. She works as a cleaner, that is she buys the right to clean out places and sell the stuff she finds. But her dad cursed her so she has bad luck.
First, I found myself liking her dad, and that is so bad. He is a dragon, and he is not a nice, person. But I do feel that deep down he does care, but he is a dragon and dragons can not care for humans. Yes, I totally like her dad. But he is an overbearing crazy dragon that covets humans for his hoard.
So in this one she has to make money to pay off her dad so that she an be free. But she has constant bad luck. To help her she has Nick, who is like part cyborg, or when does you go fully cyborg?
There is weird things happening. There is running from dragons and dragon politics. There is a Julius cameo! Omg, I have missed him so much. I love love Julius...looooove.
Oh, the ending is SO evil, so very evil
This series is fun, Opal is strong and all she wants is freedom. The DFC is one crazy city, and the world is fantastic. Dragons, spirits and magic.
Narration
I have listened to her in a few different audios now and i do like her narration. I like her different voices and she brings emotion and feel to the story. She makes Opal for me
June 15, 2019
Fun and engaging as always, I devoured this in less than 24 hours. I enjoyed the storytelling and the interesting world of the DFZ. The touch of romance was nice as well. However, I spent the majority of this book feeling so frustrated, purely for the situation that the heroine was in. And then to have it all end with a cliffhanger?! Why, Rachel Aaron, why would you do that to me, I mean all the readers?! Being a non-masochist, I don't enjoy feeling super frustrated for extended periods of time, but of course, I wait for the third installment of this series with bated breath.
July 6, 2019
This series continues to be amazing. I'm not writing a full review, but don't sleep on Rachel Aaron's work!
September 24, 2019
Opal vs Dad, round 2
The writing in this series is so different and refreshing. The story is well developed. I just can’t believe that i only discovered the Author and the Heartstriker series last year.
This sequel was about growth and development. Opal grew and matured as a magic caster (possible mage/priestess); her relationship with her father grew as she finally started to understand him; her relationship with Nick grew as she finally saw just how much he cares for her and she cares for him.
I love Opal’s stubborn streak, her tenacity and grit and all her insecurities. Her fears are what dominates her actions. I can’t wait for Opal to finally start to accept that she’s worthy of love and people who genuinely want to help her. She will be stronger when she accept their love and she can concentrate on figuring out how to control her magic.
I strongly insist that you begin with the HeartStriker series first. You need to know about the DFZ, the peacemaker and his siblings to truly appreciate them in this story.
The writing in this series is so different and refreshing. The story is well developed. I just can’t believe that i only discovered the Author and the Heartstriker series last year.
This sequel was about growth and development. Opal grew and matured as a magic caster (possible mage/priestess); her relationship with her father grew as she finally started to understand him; her relationship with Nick grew as she finally saw just how much he cares for her and she cares for him.
I love Opal’s stubborn streak, her tenacity and grit and all her insecurities. Her fears are what dominates her actions. I can’t wait for Opal to finally start to accept that she’s worthy of love and people who genuinely want to help her. She will be stronger when she accept their love and she can concentrate on figuring out how to control her magic.
I strongly insist that you begin with the HeartStriker series first. You need to know about the DFZ, the peacemaker and his siblings to truly appreciate them in this story.
November 7, 2020
Every bit as fun and enjoyable as the first but with a great deal of added depth and development for all the major characters. These really are a delight to read. Nothing about them stands out as amazing, but everything about them is great.
Opal in particular, is a well rounded character, but the ball doesn't stop there. Her parents, Nick, the god of a city, and even her AI, all have added depths. The world is so fascinating and only seems more so as the world building expands.
I also like the way romance is treated in this series. It's done well and seems real, moving at a natural pace. It's not my favorite part of the book, honestly more curious about the relationship between Opal and her parent, but it doesn't take away from or overwhelm the plot.
It's well written and incredibly entertaining. I'm excited that she's written a fair few books for me to read!
Opal in particular, is a well rounded character, but the ball doesn't stop there. Her parents, Nick, the god of a city, and even her AI, all have added depths. The world is so fascinating and only seems more so as the world building expands.
I also like the way romance is treated in this series. It's done well and seems real, moving at a natural pace. It's not my favorite part of the book, honestly more curious about the relationship between Opal and her parent, but it doesn't take away from or overwhelm the plot.
It's well written and incredibly entertaining. I'm excited that she's written a fair few books for me to read!
June 14, 2019
Good story. Abrupt ending
Love the world. Great story. Like the characters. Had a bit of whiplash when I hit the end at 88%. Cue the next reel. -1 star for ending.
Love the world. Great story. Like the characters. Had a bit of whiplash when I hit the end at 88%. Cue the next reel. -1 star for ending.
August 6, 2019
4.5 stars
Short review due to lack of time!! >.<
Docking half a star because of Opal's stubbornness growing to superbly irritating levels in the final chapter, because I really didn't gel with the ending of the book, and because I predicted most of the twists. Opal should have seen them coming, too, if it wasn't for her ridiculous stubbornness bordering on obstinance.
For me, the ending was far too abrupt, and probably could have done with another chapter just to sort out the pacing issues somewhat.
Stubbornness is Opal's character trait, and my goodness, does she follow this to the letter. I ADORED Nik as much as I did in the first one - possibly more, actually, because a few layers of his past were lifted, which was wonderful. Their partnership grows from strength to strength and has some incredible ups and downs that had me on the edge of my seat.
The world-building and lore, as always, was SUPERB. Cameos from the Heartstriker books were sweet and enjoyable, and it definitely is leading to a big third book. I'm not sure if this will be a trilogy or a longer series like Heartstrikers, but I could devour a thousand books set in this world, with these characters.
I like the more adult focus on Opal and Nik - their problems are real and authentic, and I really love how they have to use their intelligence to keep themselves out of trouble and above water. The world and characters are so well fleshed out that I feel like I could reach out and touch it all. Rachel Aaron is fantastic at spinning a story with characters who are so utterly compelling that even when they do something stupid, you can't help but keep reading to find out what happens.
The new DFZ series really is very, very good. There are so many nods to so many cultures, magics, and lore that it'll make your head spin, but Aaron weaves them all into her stories in a masterful way.
I've adored her books since I first picked up a copy (well, audiobook copy) of Nice Dragons Finish Last, and the books only get better. The audiobook narration was excellently done as well, and it's a joy to listen to.
Really, my only gripes are stubborn characters being stubborn and doing stupid things, and an ending that was much too rushed for my taste. But those really are personal preferences, so I'm only docking half a star for my personal enjoyment.
Give this series a read, and definitely read the Heartstrikers series if you haven't already!!
Short review due to lack of time!! >.<
Docking half a star because of Opal's stubbornness growing to superbly irritating levels in the final chapter, because I really didn't gel with the ending of the book, and because I predicted most of the twists. Opal should have seen them coming, too, if it wasn't for her ridiculous stubbornness bordering on obstinance.
For me, the ending was far too abrupt, and probably could have done with another chapter just to sort out the pacing issues somewhat.
Stubbornness is Opal's character trait, and my goodness, does she follow this to the letter. I ADORED Nik as much as I did in the first one - possibly more, actually, because a few layers of his past were lifted, which was wonderful. Their partnership grows from strength to strength and has some incredible ups and downs that had me on the edge of my seat.
The world-building and lore, as always, was SUPERB. Cameos from the Heartstriker books were sweet and enjoyable, and it definitely is leading to a big third book. I'm not sure if this will be a trilogy or a longer series like Heartstrikers, but I could devour a thousand books set in this world, with these characters.
I like the more adult focus on Opal and Nik - their problems are real and authentic, and I really love how they have to use their intelligence to keep themselves out of trouble and above water. The world and characters are so well fleshed out that I feel like I could reach out and touch it all. Rachel Aaron is fantastic at spinning a story with characters who are so utterly compelling that even when they do something stupid, you can't help but keep reading to find out what happens.
The new DFZ series really is very, very good. There are so many nods to so many cultures, magics, and lore that it'll make your head spin, but Aaron weaves them all into her stories in a masterful way.
I've adored her books since I first picked up a copy (well, audiobook copy) of Nice Dragons Finish Last, and the books only get better. The audiobook narration was excellently done as well, and it's a joy to listen to.
Really, my only gripes are stubborn characters being stubborn and doing stupid things, and an ending that was much too rushed for my taste. But those really are personal preferences, so I'm only docking half a star for my personal enjoyment.
Give this series a read, and definitely read the Heartstrikers series if you haven't already!!
September 14, 2019
Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Part- Time Gods is the sequel to Minimum Wage Magic and continues the further exploration of the DFZ that began with Minimum Wage Magic. I was excited about this title and after finishing it, I can only say that Rachel is really having a LOT of fun with her first sequel series.
The plot actually begins almost immediately after the events of book 1 and we see Opal trying to figure out what she can do with the curse that has been inflicted upon her. She along with her partner Nik have to come up with a new plan to outwit the dragon’s curse laid on her. Never one to step back from a challenge, Opal will have to figure out one of life’s biggest mysteries: How do dragon curses work? There’s also life in the DFZ and other mysteries to unravel but can she do all of it and yet pay her debt? All of this and more happens in the middle volume of this trilogy as both the readers and the Dragon of Korea discover just how stubborn Opal can be.
As with the first book, we get a cracking story and more DFZ exploration. And similar to the last time, we are given a ringside view of the events with Nik and Opal. Both these characters have issues and yet are endearing to each other. There’s a lot of stuff that was hinted at in Minimum Wage Magic, in Part-Time Gods, we get to see more of their backgrounds and there’s some big surprises unveiled. I enjoyed knowing more about Nik and I hope the author gives us more as the half cyborg has some intriguing dark things in his past. But with Opal, we get to see some glorious flashbacks as well as current family situations. I loved reading about the family dynamics of the only dragon who consorts with humans and keeps them around. The Dragon of Korea has been a shadow over Opal’s life and it's fun to see Opal work out the kinks that have been strangulating her luck. The relationship between Opal and her father is a very strange one and it's not as one-sided as we have been led to believe. This is where Rachel's characterization and plotting comes to the fore as we see things aren't black and white. Dragons feel differently than human beings but they do feel....
Opal as a character is stubborn and while it has led to where she is. Her stubbornness also stops from seeing the big picture and it’s this very lack of insight which seems to have marred her life. We as readers get to see this very trait over and over again with this volume and it was a tad irritating. As a reader, you want to be able to make her see and indeed a couple of famous characters do try but Opal being the person she is, doesn’t see it that way. I feel that the trilogy ender will definitely be a make or break one for her. The other characters also introduced in this book are very, very intriguing (as has been the case with the Heartstrikers series as well). The world is intriguing as it is and in this volume, we get to see more of the DFZ and her changes she has wrought.
The DFZ as she was formed had a very violent birth but since then has learnt what it means to be a free city. The problem is that with the freedom, there comes a certain leeway with the populace that it attracts and the DFZ isn’t all that happy about it. That’s another interesting priesthood angle that’s set up within this story and I enjoyed that aspect of avatars/priest that has been cultivated within. I hope that the author explores more of this as the DFZ as a spirit and as a city is just too interesting an entity to not do so. Lastly since the first book, as a reader I’ve been dying to see/hear about the Heartstrikers and in this book we get some solid and wonderful cameos. It’s always fun to see our favorite characters after all these years and these characters don’t disappoint whenever they appear.
The only thing that stuck down my craw about this story was a plot twist that happens near the end which seemed more than a bit contrived. I hold Rachel Aaron in very high regards and hence this drawback could be subjective for me. But other than that there were no other issues from this read considering its aims and genre.
CONCLUSION: Part-Time Gods is a sequel that ratchets up the tension, avoids the middle book syndrome and gives the readers an excellent thrill ride with a generous sprinkling of character cameos that are sure to bring a smile to many a readers’ faces. Part-time Gods is a solid story that outshines its predecessor in every way and made me excited for the trilogy ending
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Part- Time Gods is the sequel to Minimum Wage Magic and continues the further exploration of the DFZ that began with Minimum Wage Magic. I was excited about this title and after finishing it, I can only say that Rachel is really having a LOT of fun with her first sequel series.
The plot actually begins almost immediately after the events of book 1 and we see Opal trying to figure out what she can do with the curse that has been inflicted upon her. She along with her partner Nik have to come up with a new plan to outwit the dragon’s curse laid on her. Never one to step back from a challenge, Opal will have to figure out one of life’s biggest mysteries: How do dragon curses work? There’s also life in the DFZ and other mysteries to unravel but can she do all of it and yet pay her debt? All of this and more happens in the middle volume of this trilogy as both the readers and the Dragon of Korea discover just how stubborn Opal can be.
As with the first book, we get a cracking story and more DFZ exploration. And similar to the last time, we are given a ringside view of the events with Nik and Opal. Both these characters have issues and yet are endearing to each other. There’s a lot of stuff that was hinted at in Minimum Wage Magic, in Part-Time Gods, we get to see more of their backgrounds and there’s some big surprises unveiled. I enjoyed knowing more about Nik and I hope the author gives us more as the half cyborg has some intriguing dark things in his past. But with Opal, we get to see some glorious flashbacks as well as current family situations. I loved reading about the family dynamics of the only dragon who consorts with humans and keeps them around. The Dragon of Korea has been a shadow over Opal’s life and it's fun to see Opal work out the kinks that have been strangulating her luck. The relationship between Opal and her father is a very strange one and it's not as one-sided as we have been led to believe. This is where Rachel's characterization and plotting comes to the fore as we see things aren't black and white. Dragons feel differently than human beings but they do feel....
Opal as a character is stubborn and while it has led to where she is. Her stubbornness also stops from seeing the big picture and it’s this very lack of insight which seems to have marred her life. We as readers get to see this very trait over and over again with this volume and it was a tad irritating. As a reader, you want to be able to make her see and indeed a couple of famous characters do try but Opal being the person she is, doesn’t see it that way. I feel that the trilogy ender will definitely be a make or break one for her. The other characters also introduced in this book are very, very intriguing (as has been the case with the Heartstrikers series as well). The world is intriguing as it is and in this volume, we get to see more of the DFZ and her changes she has wrought.
The DFZ as she was formed had a very violent birth but since then has learnt what it means to be a free city. The problem is that with the freedom, there comes a certain leeway with the populace that it attracts and the DFZ isn’t all that happy about it. That’s another interesting priesthood angle that’s set up within this story and I enjoyed that aspect of avatars/priest that has been cultivated within. I hope that the author explores more of this as the DFZ as a spirit and as a city is just too interesting an entity to not do so. Lastly since the first book, as a reader I’ve been dying to see/hear about the Heartstrikers and in this book we get some solid and wonderful cameos. It’s always fun to see our favorite characters after all these years and these characters don’t disappoint whenever they appear.
The only thing that stuck down my craw about this story was a plot twist that happens near the end which seemed more than a bit contrived. I hold Rachel Aaron in very high regards and hence this drawback could be subjective for me. But other than that there were no other issues from this read considering its aims and genre.
CONCLUSION: Part-Time Gods is a sequel that ratchets up the tension, avoids the middle book syndrome and gives the readers an excellent thrill ride with a generous sprinkling of character cameos that are sure to bring a smile to many a readers’ faces. Part-time Gods is a solid story that outshines its predecessor in every way and made me excited for the trilogy ending
June 6, 2020
In the second book of the DMZ series that follows Cleaner Opal Yong-ae, she's formed a partnership with fellow Cleaner Nikola Kos, but she's still under a curse from her father that stops her from making money. All of which is a problem, because she owes him a lot of money to pay off a deal that would leave her independent of him. But he's not going down without a fight, and not only is the Dragon of Korea becoming personally involved, the escalating conflict between him and Opal has attracted all sorts of attention.
The conflict between Opal who believes her father sees her as a possession, and her father, who clearly values her beyond all reason has two of the most stubborn beings on Earth trying to out-stubborn each other. That becomes critical when Opal discovers a way to combat the curse which actually harms her father, and puts the question to just how far Opal is willing to go in her quest for independence and how much she's willing to pay.
Along the way there's also a lot of setting the story up for the final volume including looking in on a whole bunch of the characters from the first series.
The conflict between Opal who believes her father sees her as a possession, and her father, who clearly values her beyond all reason has two of the most stubborn beings on Earth trying to out-stubborn each other. That becomes critical when Opal discovers a way to combat the curse which actually harms her father, and puts the question to just how far Opal is willing to go in her quest for independence and how much she's willing to pay.
Along the way there's also a lot of setting the story up for the final volume including looking in on a whole bunch of the characters from the first series.
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