Magpie (Avian Shifters #2) by Kim Dare

Magpie (Avian Shifters #2) by Kim Dare
Stars: 4/5

Length: 215 pages
Blurb
Everet has found his perfect place in the nest. As a raven, he’s ideally suited to his new role in the nest’s security flock. Some of the jobs it entails have been far more enjoyable than others, but when he’s called to retrieve a magpie, whose got himself into trouble in a local human club, it becomes a truly life changing experience.

Magpie shifters have always been looked down on by other avians. Just as attracted to shiny things in their human bodies as they are in their avian forms, everyone knows they’ll do anything for money—and they’re not above stealing what they can’t get by more honest means.

Kane knows what being a magpie means, and he’s got the bruises to show for it. When Everet rescues him from his latest scrape, Kane knows better than to believe the raven will actually take an interest in him and his welfare, but it’s just possible that Everet is different to any other man Kane has ever met.

Overall
After reading Duck, I was anxiously awaiting Everet's story, and while it wasn't at all what I expected, it didn't let me down in the least. Everet and Kane are so different from Raynard and Ori, that it's a nice change in both personality and in the dom/sub dynamic. I wasn't as blown away or as emotionally invested in the characters, but I found the evolution of them and their relationship to be highly enjoyable. (And the writing felt stronger, since it didn’t rely as heavily on referring to them as ‘the submissive’/’the dominant.’)

Review
Kane is a brat, but with his drug-use history, it's not really too surprising, since much of his brattiness comes from his addiction (although, not all of it). He's well matched with Everet, who needs someone to boss around, but who also wants someone with a backbone to challenge him. Their personalities lead to conflict, but ultimately also lead to balance in a rough and tumble sort of way.

Hamilton continues to be a jerk, but I love how we get moments of Ori putting him in his place. That has to rub him the wrong way. *cackles madly* My only issue with Hamilton's later actions is that it felt someone forced in order to cause X, Y, and Z to happen, but it also didn't bother me as much, because I can see Hamilton doing what he did, although the motivation behind it was a tad flimsy. It would be interesting, if there are going to be more in the series, to see how Hamilton could be redeemed as a character. But if there are going to be more, I think the next is going to be Albatross or Doctor-bird. :)

The plot focuses on the transformation of Kane from a druggie whore to a happy submissive. The concept isn't necessarily highly original, but I enjoyed the progression nonetheless, and it provided plenty of opportunities for Dare to develop the world and the nest, which was a complaint I had in the first book, plus it showed the improvements that have happened since Ori came into power (as it were).

An enjoyable plot, fun characters, and further development of the world leave this being an enjoyable novel, especially for fans of Duck, although in some ways it caters to a very different audience in regards to the BDSM elements, as pain is not so important as dominance, and even that differs from Raynard/Ori’s relationship.

Duck! by Kim Dare

Duck! by Kim Dare
Stars: 5/5

Overall
While Ori's shifter species is unknown, there's no question of whether he's a submissive or not, and Raynard is just the hawk to help him find out what it really means to give yourself over to someone. The plot and story are well told in this very different retelling of the Ugly Duckling, and while the characters may not deeply drawn, they still connect to the readers and invite an emotional connection.

Strengths
Aside from one writing qualm (see below), I enjoyed Dare's writing style. It was simple, but pulled emotions from me as the reader. She was able to connect me to two characters who were very different, and able to redeem a third character who was a jerk in the beginning. In addition, even knowing this is the story of the Ugly Duckling, I looked forward to seeing the events unfurl and I enjoyed the build up between them as their relationship evolved from master-servant to master-submissive to something else.

Story. A lovely re-make of The Ugly Duckling, although the story in general has very little in common with the original aside from the basic premise. I enjoyed every step of the way and actually put aside other things I should have been working on in order to finish the book. While the tale wasn't complex, it was emotionally packed and I fell in love with the characters and was invested in what happened to them.

Overall. While I try not to use this as a point of strength, in this story it was especially true. I just enjoyed it, and even though I was reading it for the first time, it felt familiar and good, like meeting with an old friend. I think this overall enjoyment of the story helped me ignore any of he other little things that may have annoyed me otherwise.

Weaknesses
In my initial read, I didn't really feel there were "weaknesses" in the story, and only one peeve in the writing. In looking around, I know some people have had complaints about a lack of character building for Ori and Raynard, but I had no problems with them. It was pointed out that they are rather flat characters, only really taking on the role of submissive and Dom. I love deep, fleshed out characters, but this two, while single-minded, didn't seem completely flat. They weren't what you'd call deep, but they were what they were. Raynard was a hawk, a dominant in all things. Ori was...well Ori, a submissive in all things. While that's simplifying who they are, it seems to drive home the point of the book.

One issue I did take in this book was Dare's attempt to not abuse pronouns or names. In trying to not overuse names, or making sentences confusing with too many "he"s, she tried using alternatives like "the dominant," "the submissive," "the hawk," and "the fledgling." While I can get behind Raynard referring to Ori as "the submissive" or "the fledgling" when we are in his perspective, I can't see Ori calling himself "the submissive." Since the narration switches between the two men in a limited 3rd person perspective, the words should have adjusted accordingly.