I can't get past these bullshit redemptions. This is something I see very often across genres.
The author builds a very clear cut right-and-wrong situation and makes really good points describing damming circumstances but then tries to redeem the offending party just with emotional mush but no actually good reason.

Nothing beyond "but family" and "but secretly he always loved me so the abuse isn't that bad and I must save him" etc, no substance. Noting that can actually excuse any of it.

Why put in all this effort into building a believable conflict if you are just going to throw it out the window willy-nilly like that anyway.

Yea, I get the conflict the father is in. On one hand, he is a dragon through and through that sees himself so far above any mortal human but on the other hand, he experiences genuine parental emotions towards this girl and he is trapped between these two waring motivations.
Too bad, that sucks for him. But that is no reason for her to take his shit. That is a problem he has to solve by himself. Having her in the line of fire of this internal war is just wrong.
I, for the love of me, do not understand where these deep-seated loving emotions towards her dragon dad come from.
I get that she has fond memories and that she is somewhat shaped by him and her love for him as a child. But having that old connection dictate her actions and having the entire plot playing off this residual love seems completely out of left field. I am sick and tired of these kinds of daddy issues. Get over it and grow up.
Initially, I would have cheered her draining him to death and gloating on his corpse. Yea, I could see that this was unlikely to happen and later on it became clear that it never would because it doesn't fit with her unhealthy love for her abusing dad and she would never get over it. But regardless of how much he loved her, the intentions don't matter. Actions are what counts.
He treated her like shit her entire life and she should act accordingly. There are lots of abusive relationships in which the abused party is mentally so crippled that it's impossible for them to escape. I don't like reading about them if they don't end in sweet revenge but that is not what's happening here. She has a clear understanding of what happened to her and shows that she is able to recognize and withstand the draw of the abusive family. A person in that situation should harbour crippling fear or raging hate or both, but even if we go with the samaritan personality it just doesn't fit no matter how I look at it. It's just fabricated drama. And it obviously is supposed to end in a mutual understanding that they all loved each other this entire time but he just couldn't express it right and that is supposed to make it all better. What kind of fucked up logic is that? Maybe I am just a vengeful asshole but this non-resolution frustrates me to no end. I could live with a third uninvolved party acknowledging him seeing the errors of his ways and absolves him or accept him as a necessary evil or the smaller evil or whatever. But not the victim. That just doesn't compute.

At a glance, the world seems to have quite a lot of depth but the longer I read the more it becomes obvious how thin and crumbling it all really is.
The only thing that this series does better than most is hiding its flaws by glossing over things and diverting attention but not a lot of actual effort went into actually fleshing out all these issues that would get in the way of the plot. Say hello to plot convenience.

The villains are stereotypical cardboard cutouts. Initially, the series didn't try to do the "raise the stakes, save the world" type of thing and the scale of the plot seemed to fit the circumstances of the character which I liked but that isn't something the series keeps to either. It all goes from a somewhat unique feeling story to endless clichées that have to force the wold in line to fit the plot at every corner. ( )

If you enjoyed the first book in this trilogy then you'll enjoy this one just as much.

Once again, Rachel keeps the action moving along at a good pace with none of those annoying delays we had in Heartstrikers.

I'm enjoying it so much that i'm diving straight into book three, Night Shift Dragons, only pausing briefly to write this review.

Super good stuff. ( )

Opal is utterly frustrating. But it's the kind of frustration I like.

Also magic learning! ( )

This is the middle book of a trilogy and, therefore, doesn't really have a beginning or an ending. Opal Yong-ae works as a Cleaner in the Detroit Free Zone. She is desperate to earn money to pay her debt to her father - who happens to be an old and powerful dragon, but he has cursed her with bad luck because he doesn't want her to get free of him.

Opal has always felt like a failure in her family because, despite being genetically engineered to be an exceptional mage, she has never been able to get magic to work for her. Her spells are usually failures which backfire on her.

She has teamed up with another Cleaner named Nik who is a product of the DFZ and has the scars and cyber-enhancements to prove it. They try to get around the curse by having Nik do the buying and selling but it isn't working. When Opal's dad calls in her debt, she has to find another way to make money fast. When she and Nik go to a more dangerous than normal part of the DFZ they are attacked and Opal has to use her magic to save him.

Opal manages to save Nik but she manages to detach her soul in the process. She's been given the name of a shaman who might be able to help her get a handle on her magic. Opal has a low opinion of shamanistic magic because she's been trained in a different school. But the shaman makes sense and also turns out to be one of the priests of the spirit of the DFZ who offers Opal a job.

Opal doesn't want to be a priest of the DFZ. She is trying to be free of all ownership. She is almost pathological about being independent. But when her dad needs her, she realizes that while she's angry with her dad, she doesn't want him deal. So Opal takes the DFZ's deal...

And we have to wait to read book three - NIGHT SHIFT DRAGONS - to find out how things work out.

I enjoyed Emily Woo Zeller's narration of this story. She made each character distinctive. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the DFZ series. I borrowed this through Kindle Unlimited. This series is a spin-off series from the Heartstrikers series and takes place ~20 years after that series.

Story (4/5): This was a very fun read that I enjoyed a lot. Opal and Nik are continuing their partnership as Cleaners. Opal’s curse constantly hobbles their ability to make money and Opal is desperate to make money now that her father is calling in her debt early. The story moves quickly and I enjoyed watching Opal “clean” out strange areas. It’s a fun romp that is very entertaining.

Characters (4/5): I like Opal as a character, although she does come off as pig-headed and immature at times. Nik is an awesome character and is such a constant source of support for Opal. We learn a lot more about both Opal’s and Nick’s backgrounds. I enjoyed meeting some of Opal’s family as well. A huge highlight for me was all the cameos by our favorite characters from the Heartstrikers series. I also really enjoyed Opal’s interactions with the physical form of the DFZ god.

Setting (4/5): I love the DFZ setting, it’s one of my favorite parts of these books. The DFZ is such a unique city and I love that she is a person/god/city all in one.

Writing Style (4/5): These are well written and easy to read. No complaints about the writing style. These are just fun, quick, urban fantasy style reads.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fun addition to the DFZ series and a wonderfully entertaining escapist read. I would recommend reading the Heartstrikers series before this one to get more background, but this can work as a stand alone series as well. I look forward to reading “Night Shift Dragons”. Those who enjoy urban fantasy type stories set in a unique futuristic world full of magic will enjoy this story. ( )