2.5 stars for The Dragon Conspiracy (SPI Files book 2) by Lisa Shearin.
The higher the expectations, the greater the fall, the larger the disappointment. That is exactly how I feel before, during and after reading The Dragon Conspiracy. Perhaps the author has set the bar too high for herself in SPI Files book 1 The Grendel Affair and raises my anticipation a notch too high for an equally good if not better book 2.
Makenna Fraser aka Mack works for SPI aka the Supernatural Protection & Investigations to battle the forces of evil. Together with senior agent partner, Ian Byrne. their mission this time is to prevent a robbery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This job is supposed to be an assignment that entails all excitement with no danger whatsoever since the monsters, myths and legends are safely represented by art in the form of paintings, sculptures or artifacts. But as it usually is, easy goes a long way for Mack, a seer with the ability to see through any disguise, shield, or spell that a paranormal adversary can come up with.
Here we have gordons with the atrocious power to turn just about anyone who look at them to stone. Unfortunately, the curse of gorgonism is but an eternal damnation which is worse than hell freezed over. Next in line come dragons who are avid collectors but basically hoarders. Following these humongous flying lizards are harpies who appear out of nowhere to fulfill their orders and then fly off faster than one can blink. All of them congregating with the one objective in mind, similar goal but different reason.
Though the story flows smoothly, there are way too many similarities between The Grendel Affair and The Dragon Conspiracy that the idea of good guys versus the bad ones gets old. It is basically a case of seeking hidden grendels replaced with finding missing diamonds, New Year's Eve replaced with Halloween's Eve, and protecting the existence of supernatural beings replaced with preventing the destruction of the same.
In a nutshell, the Dragon Conspiracy is about an evil mastermind hell bent on supernatural world domination and destruction. We have the good guys from SPI against the bad guys from anywhere and everywhere but SPI. Pretty much nothing new with the exception that the latest biggest disappointment stems from the absence of blithe humour so abundantly found in the earlier book. In this book 2, even the budding chemistry between Mack and Ian fizzles out and tastes flat like a can of coke left out too long.
Publisher: Ace
Publication date: 27 Jan 2015
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We’re Supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI. We battle the real monsters of myth and legend, but this Halloween, we’re searching for diamonds…
A gala opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has attracted the upper crust of Manhattan—and thieves. A trio of vile harpies attacks the crowd and steals the stars of the exhibition: a colorful cluster of seven cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs. In the right mage’s hands, each stone can pack a magical wallop. Together they have the power to “cure” the supernaturals of the tristate area—but for many of those vampires and werewolves, that means turning into dust.
I’m Makenna Fraser, a seer for SPI. With the help of my partner, Ian, and the other agents, I have twenty-four hours to prevent total global panic, find the diamonds, and save the supernatural community. No biggie…
*Blurb from author's website*
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