Bishop Nigel smiled at me. ‘Holy water doesn’t harm vampires. Which is just as well, as it would make it impossible to baptise them.’When I was asked by a dragon to give him the last rites, I never dreamed it would lead to negotiating with his cannibalistic family or running from snail sharks. Life as the priest of a small English village is quite tame in comparison. At least I have Morey, a … I have Morey, a gryphon with sarcasm management issues, to help me. And if all else fails, there’s always red wine and single malt whisky.
As if my life weren’t complicated enough, a darkly beautiful dragon named Raven keeps appearing where I least expect him, I’ve met a handsome police inspector who loves science fiction as much as I do, and my younger brother is getting into trouble for trying to pick up vampires.
That’s what happens when you’re dealing with an incredible and dangerous parallel world full of mythical creatures. And I have to learn to navigate it all without losing myself, or my brother…
‘This is a novel that everyone should read. It has so many layers; religion, humor, friendship, family, marriage, and social norms. Everyone can find something to love. I haven’t been able to stop talking about it! It’s original, refreshing, and delightful!’ ★★★★★ Readers’ Favorite
‘The world is richly penned with fully developed larger-than-life characters, a beautiful and believable world, and a premise that will tickle the fancy of anyone who loves a decent mystery wrapped in a shroud of fantasy. …A nearly flawless tale of a flawed woman doing her best with humor and faith, though not always with dignity, in a strange new world, this is one magical creation not to be missed!’ ★★★★ 1/2 InD’Tale Magazine
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Very fun, very different take on the Urban Fantasy genre. I loved the mythology Chrys Cymri developed for dragons, gryphons, snail sharks, and more. I really enjoyed the main character Penny, a priest, who is anything but stereotypical (although I sense she’s a great deal like the author herself who is also a priest). Penny’s drinking and worrying and getting annoyed with people made her role as a woman of the cloth much more relatable. Although sometimes it went a little too deep into her priestly duties–I just wanted to get back to the fantasy realm!–I also really appreciated the exploration of this side of the character’s life. Every moment spent in the fantasy realm was one I enjoyed immensely and had Penny been fully appointed to her new role as Minister of Incursions (rather than only part-time), this book could very well have been transformed into a 5-star read for me.
Other than wanting to see more time in the fantasy realm with a more focused, linear plot, I had two issues that have led me to hold back a star. One is that while I’m plenty nerdy, I’m not actually part of popular nerd culture. There were so many Doctor Who and Buffy references that I just felt lost at times. Sure I know about the shows and have seen like an episode of each, but I kind of felt like I had to be a super fan of the shows to get the many references. My other issue was with Penny’s attraction to Raven. I could feel it if I chose to ignore the fact that Raven was a dragon, but I just couldn’t swoon for a non-humanoid love interest. It felt icky to me as much as I liked both characters.
All in all, a great, refreshing take on the fantasy genre with a unique and memorable protagonist and a kick-butt cast of supporting characters. I definitely recommend it!
The Temptation of Dragons is a unique read. If I had to pick a famous writer in whose literary footsteps the author followed, my answer would be CS Lewis, which I feel to be high praise. However, Ms. Cymri’s work is no Narnia knockoff.
The protagonist, Penny White, is a female priest (Church of England) who inadvertently makes contact from someone from an alternate parallel world. This land exists side-by-side with ours, and the “person” she meets is actually a dragon. This results in her being drawn into his world, which also boast such creatures as unicorns, gryphons, harpies, and snail sharks.
The writing is smooth and doesn’t distract you from the story, which moves right along. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy from a Christian perspective.
Great story
This was funny, touching and clever, and I carried on happily through the series. The first sentence of the blurb was enough to catch me, and I did not feel let down. Any Anglican who likes dragons would feel the same!
This is a brilliant read.
Unpredictable, interesting and exciting, this book is full of diverse and complex characters that challenge and compel one another in various ways as the story progresses. Penny White is delightfully snarky and very human, and endears herself to the reader immediately as she responds with empathy in a most unusual situation. As the story unfolds, the reader finds themselves immersed in a whole new fantasy adventure. The story is highly original and very entertaining.
The way in which the author has positioned this world and its “neighbour” world is fascinating, and the ways in which the two worlds are linked physically, but also through the sharing of creatures, issues and mysteries that must be solved make the story so very engaging and involving for the reader that it is very hard to put the book down until the final page is read. The world building and logistics are thoughtful and carefully developed, so that the story moves between this world and the alternate world quite smoothly and logically.
I am excited to have discovered this fantastic new series.
This series is truly incredible. I always like to compare this series to Harry Potter — if Harry was a middle aged female vicar with a penchant for whisky and dragons. Oh, and her associate is a sarcastic gryphon. Check it out!
About half way through The Temptation of Dragons (Penny White Book 1), I thought to myself: “If I loved this book any harder, I’d have to marry it.” Yes, it’s got the sort of catnip that attracts me: talking dragons, a cozy mystery, wise-cracking heroine. But then there’s so very much more. I actually started reading slower just so I could savor the story for as long as possible. It is at once light-hearted and dark, easy-going story-telling, but with complex real-world themes.
The things that put this book over the top are the characterizations and deeply thought-out world-building of both Lloegyr and England, mixed with the daily problems of a church official, and still-in-grieving woman who is suddenly confronted with the return of her wayward brother. And then there’s the problem of mixed marriages (human/dragon, gryphons/were-fox, etc) and an anti-mixed relations group, and how the other land is leaking over into England (does every government and church official know about Lloegyr and the thin places?).
This isn’t aimed at the young adult reader. The Temptation of Dragons deals with more complex themes like dragon monks, crises of faith, wry observations of religion eroding in modern-day England, and dealing with grief, all wrapped up with Doctor Who references, whiskey drinking, a sexy dragon, a gryphon with a sarcasm addiction, and the education of an orphan snail shark. This is well-drawn adult fantasy—it is everything a hard-core science fiction/fantasy fan could want in one book. And yes, I will be reading the whole series.