Thierry is the daughter of the Black Dog, a fearsome, often vicious enforcer of the fae, and a human mother. She’s just graduated marshal school and is now on her first real case with her trainer turned partner and romantic interest, Shaw (the only person known to be immune to her power). Someone is poaching rare fae creatures and Shaw and Thierry must put a stop to it, no mater how dangerous, or how inexperienced Thierry is.
Dog with a Bone, while labeled as Black Dog #1 is actually a novella prequel to the trilogy. As such it’s missing a lot. Edwards’ has some good writing here, a world with a lot of potential and a determined lead. But Edwards doesn’t do much world building at all in this volume.
As a reader it left me with so many questions. Is this a seelie/unseelie world like Laurell K. Hamilton’s Meredith Gentry world? Or more like Seanan Maguire’s Toby Daye’s world? How is Shaw allowed to be a barely-legal Thierry’s teacher, then marshal partner, and then budding lover? Wouldn’t their superiors worry about this being a very uneven, potentially abusive relationship? Again, it’s real clear Thierry is only 18 in this story. Shaw…is much older. And an incubus with sex powers. How is this not all kinds of red flags?
Finally, does Thierry, for all her determination and training and excelling at marshal school, have any ability other than her Black Dog magic that consumes people? Shouldn’t she have some other skill if she’s supposed to be an elite fae enforcer?
Despite all my questions and out right balking about this book, I still finished it and am still considering buying the next in the series. Edwards isn’t inept as a writer, or boring. This book is just incomplete, a terrible introduction to the world and instead is more of a afterthought fan service add in. Dog with a Bone is not where new readers should start with this series.
Contains: Sexually suggestive talk & scenes, language