A Mythical Case of Arson
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4.5 • 12 Ratings
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
Just when she thinks her day can't get any weirder, she finds a baby dragon …
Deandra Hendricks works her fingers to the bone at two jobs to keep her Los Angeles apartment. With a rapidly dwindling savings account, the prospects for her future are bleak. So when her cousin invites her to visit Axia—the hidden magical hub their grandparents retired to—she agrees. Deandra doesn't possess a stitch of magic herself, but a long weekend vacation in a strange new town might be just what she needs.
Her first day in Axia is so bizarre, though, she wonders if her bleak life in Los Angeles hasn't been so bad after all. And just when she thinks her day can't get any stranger, she finds a baby dragon trapped in a dumpster. At a loss, she takes a trip to the vet, hoping they can help find the little guy's owner.
The dragon, it turns out, only appears in its true form to her, while everyone else sees a dire wolf puppy. She and the vet discover that, as long as the dragon wears his bespelled collar, his true identity is hidden. Someone went to great lengths to keep this supposed-to-be-extinct animal a secret.
Then the "dog" is accused of arson and is seized by authorities. Determined to help him, Deandra searches for the real arsonist. She catches wind of a thriving black market that's populated by those who would stop at nothing to claim an animal this rare. She must work quickly to clear her dragon's name, because if he falls into the wrong hands, she could lose him forever.
Customer Reviews
Great cozy mystery
4.5 stars. Very good paranormal/fantasy cozy.
Deandra works two jobs to pay for her apartment in LA. She's stressed out and needs a vacation when she gets a package from her cousin Wendy inviting her to come for a visit. Wendy lives with their grandparents in Axia, a magical town - or hub- that caters to magically gifted retired people. Well, Deandra goes.
Axia is like a typical small town except that almost everyone there has something non-human about them. There are centaurs, witches, pixies, goblins, shifters, etc. It's a fantastic town. And beautifully described.
I should point out that even though this is a cozy mystery, the mystery part doesn't begin to happen until roughly a third of the way through the novel. That's when Deandra finds a dragon - right after there's been a massive fire that caused someone to die. It doesn't take long before the police begin assuming it's arson.
The dragon is only obviously a dragon to Deandra, which is itself part of the story. The reason is that someone put a spell on the baby dragon to make it look like a dog, but residents argue about what kind of a dog it is. Is it a shaggy dog or a dire wolf?
Rangers assume that the dog/dragon/dire wolf caused the fire, but at this point, Deandra is attached to the little guy and so is her cousin, Wendy. That means, it's up to the two of them to find out who started the fire.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, the unique idea of it, and the town of Axia. It's a great start to a series.