THE DRAGON SPY
The Daemon War, Book 1
by Bill Blume
Time Killer Publishing
YA Fantasy
326 pages
COMING...
OCTOBER 1st!!!
The Cold War
To gain an advantage over the Soviets, the CIA uses genetic testing to identify children who are more than human and place them in the Greenhouse, a covert school to turn them into weapons in the war against the Soviets. Lynna Harrison, who is half-human and half-sea dragon, is among the first of these children.
1983
Lynna and her teammates are using their powers to aid in the Agency's black ops, an advantage the Soviets have yet to discover. That's until Lynna goes on a mission in East Berlin and learns someone in the unit is planning to trade their secrets.
The Soviets aren't the only ones hunting for the Greenhouse, though. An unknown party with their own super-powered soldiers has entered the race, and they're determined to capture one of Lynna's closest friends in the unit and turn her into a weapon for their own ends.
Lynna finds a possible ally with answers in the ranks of these super-powered soldiers, but the more Lynna learns, the less she knows who she can trust. Her own government has plans for the Greenhouse that threatens all of them. There's also more than one traitor in her unit, and one of them is among her most trusted friends.
THE DRAGON SPY takes readers on an adventure that blends the “X-Men” with the Cold War thrillers of John le Carré and Tom Clancy.
To gain an advantage over the Soviets, the CIA uses genetic testing to identify children who are more than human and place them in the Greenhouse, a covert school to turn them into weapons in the war against the Soviets. Lynna Harrison, who is half-human and half-sea dragon, is among the first of these children.
1983
Lynna and her teammates are using their powers to aid in the Agency's black ops, an advantage the Soviets have yet to discover. That's until Lynna goes on a mission in East Berlin and learns someone in the unit is planning to trade their secrets.
The Soviets aren't the only ones hunting for the Greenhouse, though. An unknown party with their own super-powered soldiers has entered the race, and they're determined to capture one of Lynna's closest friends in the unit and turn her into a weapon for their own ends.
Lynna finds a possible ally with answers in the ranks of these super-powered soldiers, but the more Lynna learns, the less she knows who she can trust. Her own government has plans for the Greenhouse that threatens all of them. There's also more than one traitor in her unit, and one of them is among her most trusted friends.
THE DRAGON SPY takes readers on an adventure that blends the “X-Men” with the Cold War thrillers of John le Carré and Tom Clancy.
MY TIDBITS
The action never stops as Lynna and her team take on dangerous agents of the KGB, ones that are even less human than they are.
The moment Lynna was born, she was recruited into the CIA. As a rare mix of human and sea dragon, there's no way the government would let someone like her slip through their fingers. She's been trained along with others like her, and it's their mission to keep the country safe. Lynna doesn't mind and finds the missions interesting enough...until one almost lands her dead. The KGB appears to now have their own breed of 'weapon', which are more than dangerous. Add that there's reason to believe members of the US government are now out to destroy her and her friends, and life's become more than a little complicated.
Action fans are going to enjoy this one quite a bit. There are plenty of fight scenes and tense moments, each which is carefully described and packs punch. The pacing is just as high. While many young adult reads slide into emotional moments and some deeper thought, this one does not. There's no time. With every step, new secrets are discovered and if the mysteries aren't exposed, the results are deadly. Add that it's hard to know who to trust, and the entire read holds unexpected twists, which dig their claws in deeper and deeper. That also means that this read races forward on mostly action, plot twists, intrigue, and dialogue. As said, it's for action fans and heads through things fairly directly and quick.
The Cold War setting is well done and gives everything a unique twist, especially with the dragon aspect. The abilities of Lynna and her teammates are original and interesting. The author tries to keep this fantastical side somewhat sidled up with reality, which gives it an unique edge. It carries a hint of X-Men vibes while falling solidly into the spy-adventure direction. As a first book, it sets the ground-work well and promises much more to come.
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