Kindle Spotlight -- The 19 Dragons

This is the first in an ongoing series in which I highlight Kindle books that catch my eye. I recently picked up SM Reine's The 19 Dragons for 99 cents. The synopsis was very interesting and I figured, for 99 cents, what the hell. I'm glad I did, because this ended up being a very good read. The whole thing is only about 100 pages (including intentionally blank pages) but that doesn't diminish the experience at all.

The plot revolves around the titular 19 Dragons who inhabit Reine's gothic steampunk world. One day they decide to become human in order to live among the mortals who hate them. They live happily until they are betrayed by one of their own who steals the source of their immortality and starts hunting them for unknown reasons. After surviving an attempt on her suddenly mortal life, the 2nd Dragon takes it upon herself to track down the traitor. She is easily my favorite of the Dragons as she has both the most interesting personality and the most unique appearance, though that isn't to say the others aren't also interesting.

The story is told from the point of view of each of the Dragons as they try to deal with a murderous traitor and a world that is literally falling apart. Reine fills the story with rich imagery and fantastic prose. The story clips along at a good pace and Reine's characters come alive. The only downside to the book is that it wasn't edited quite as well as it should have been; Reine sometimes confuses one Dragon for another. Also, 100 pages isn't enough to fully flesh out 19 protagonists (and one antagonist). However, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more from SM Reine.