REVIEW: Flight from Death by Yasmine Galenorn

In Flight from Death (Fly by Night #1) by Yasmine Galenorn, Finding herself banished earthside instead of her home in the Dragon Reaches, Shimmer, an orphaned blue dragon, lives temporarily in Seattle. She also now has a job at the Fly by Night Magical Investigations Agency where the owner, sexy vampire Alex Radcliffe, is tasked to keep her out of trouble, reporting back to her superiors in the Dragon Reaches.

‘An overwhelming feeling of otherness hit me. …And right then, I knew that some of the beasties out there had a razor’s edge to them–sharp, shiny, and waiting to slice open a vein.’

For her first full fledged investigation, Shimmer, Alex and Ralph, their resident tech-geek werewolf, set off for Port Townsend to determine why a new Inn is being haunted. Alex’s friend and fellow vamp Patrick is in over his head with the malevolent energy surrounding his property. It will take every trick up their sleeves as well as some bumps and bruises to solve the case. And with the chemistry building between Alex and Shimmer, things are only beginning to heat up.

“Don’t build the concept of family up to be something it’s not. Sometimes, Shimmer, the most loving families are those you make for yourself. Sometimes, your friends are the best family you can have. I know…trust me.”

Yasmine Galenorn gives us a whole new paranormal/fantasy series to covet with her latest offering, Flight from Death. A crossover from her long running Otherworld series, these characters will hold you in their thrall with their crazy, but well-meaning, antics.

I was so excited for this new spinoff to come out! Shimmer and her cohorts live in the same Seattle area as the Otherworld characters do, but rest assured that you can read this as a standalone with no problems. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of fantasy and paranormals. I love all the supernatural creatures and the worlds they live in. But a heroine who is also a dragon? I’m sold.

There aren’t really all that many new(er) novels about dragons, so this particular one caught my eye. Especially knowing how intricate a world Ms. Galenorn always creates. Imaginative is probably the best way to describe both the plot and the Supes (supernaturals) here. Everything from dragons, vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts and spiritwalkers were part of the mix, plus many others. And while there was wonderful detailing in each of their scenes, it didn’t feel overwhelming. Just enough to create a backdrop and highlight what was happening.

Shimmer was great. She was strong, but still sensual and caring. She struggled, even as an adult, with being orphaned, which I thought was touching and realistic. I truly loved the couple of scenes when she was in the water as her dragon-self. There was joy and a bit of playfulness that came out, making me smile the whole time. Shimmer’s newfound romance with Alex was mostly in the background compared to investigating their case. I was fine with it while I was happily lost in the investigation, but for those who seek out stories with tons of love scenes, this may be a bit of a slow burn for you.

Do you love stories full of wonderfully unique beasties and magic mixed in with the everyday world? If so, I think Flight from Death will be a great addition to your literary wish list.

Book Info:

Published July 7th 2015 | by Berkley | Fly by Night #1

From New York Times bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn comes an all-new series set in the realm of her Otherworld novels.

I’m Shimmer, a blue dragon shifter. Thanks to a mistake, I was exiled from the Dragon Reaches and sentenced to work for Alex Radcliffe, a vampire who owns the Fly by Night Magical Investigations Agency. Now, not only do I have to adapt to Earthside culture, but every time I turn around, somebody’s trying to kill us. And worse, Alex is as gorgeous as he is exasperating. But you know what they say: All’s fair in love and bounty hunting…

When an old friend of Alex contacts him about a haunting at the High Tide Bed & Breakfast in Port Townsend, Washington, we think we’re on a simple ghost hunt. But our investigation quickly transforms into a deadly fight as we uncover an eighty-year-old murder, a cursed house, and a dark force trapping the spirits within. To stop impending disaster we must break the curse and lay the angry spirits to rest.