THE BLACK DRAGON

Author: Allyson James ISBN: 9780425218440 11/2007 PARANORMAL Publisher: BERKLEY

Saba Watanabe's enslavement to the black dragon Malcolm left the powerful witch shaken and vulnerable. But when she's assaulted by a white dragon in human form, the only one who can help her is the dangerously seductive Malcolm. With his attraction for Saba still at a feverish high, Malcolm agrees to help her track down the white dragon terrorizing the San Francisco streets. But Malcolm, too, has become vulnerable—victim of a spell cast to drain him of his strength—and Saba may be the only one who can rescue him. The key to their survival is in a mysterious book hidden in the world of Dragonspace. When its profound secrets fall into the hands of the enemy, the life of every dragon in existence is threatened, and Saba must not only battle her desire for Malcolm but learn to use her rising powers to save his kind.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE BLACK DRAGON begins with a bang and the action never lets up, not for one single, solitary, wonderful moment. I devoured this book in just a few hours, the desire to see where Saba's nightmares took her and what they actually meant so overwhelming that I couldn't even consider putting this book down.

The story is unusual, wonderfully original and filled with intriguing characters who live in two separate, yet connected, worlds. Saba's first meeting with a Baku, a Japanese god, in her dreams prepare her for a real-life meeting over two decades later. Who would have thought she would be firmly bound to the world of magic, dragons and an alternate world, Dragonspace, by that second meeting?

The battle that the pair must wage together is enthralling. Watching Sabu take charge of her inner strengths, learn to use what is hidden deep within her to try and save Malcolm and his kind, is exceedingly satisfying. I enjoyed, too, the array of secondary characters Ms. James provides to round out the story. They are each interesting in their own way and there are some who beg to have their stories told!

All in all, I thought this book was wonderful. Dragons, magic and a fight to save the world-Allyson James has a winning combination that makes THE BLACK DRAGON a story to remember!

Kay James