Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Wyrmwood

SERIES: Poisonwood & Lyric Book 2

AUTHOR: Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 112 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2021

BLURB:

A dragon searching for a crowning jewel for his fabulous hoard.

A misanthropic incubus who just wants to swim.

Declan might be the world’s only shut-in incubus, but with a father like Elrith, it’s little wonder his faith in people is nonexistent. He skates through life as a computer programmer, closed into his tiny apartment, only feeding by ordering sex workers to his door. But his mother was a water nymph, and occasionally, Declan can’t resist the need to sneak out and swim. This time, he’s in for a surprise.

Augustine is a water dragon who has spent years building the perfect hoard, and now there’s just one thing missing: someone to share it with. When he spots the stunning creature swimming just outside his home, he realizes the jewel he sought has come to him. But after centuries of little human contact, he’s out of touch with the meaning of the word consent. When the tempting nymph chafes his control, August can’t figure out how to win him over.

But word of August’s treasure has reached greedy ears, and all he cares for is under threat. Can a dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope teach August the true value of possession before he loses everything?

REVIEW:

Wyrmwood is Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes’ latest novella set in the Poisonwood & Lyric universe. It is a standalone, and no prior knowledge of the first book’s events is needed. Some events in the first book, which features Declan’s younger brother Jasper, are referenced in Wyrmwood, but with enough detail to tell us all we need for this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed Wyrmwood and its heartbreaking romance between Declan, a self-isolated incubus/water nymph, and Augustine, a lonely dragon recluse looking for his mate. The story revolves around communication and trust and tees up a provoking look at consent.

Both Declan and Augustine are disillusioned and have shut themselves away from the world. Both also clearly long for the love and companionship of a mate. Declan doesn’t believe anyone could ever see him as anything more than a beautiful thing to be used and cast aside. Augustine is one of the last living dragons, so he doesn’t have anyone of his own kind. He’s also written off humans after they brutally murdered his mother. So he is all alone in the world, living in his cave above the sea, hoarding treasures to give his mate. A mate that he’s never found even through centuries of searching. Until he sees Declan.

Augustine kidnaps Declan. He doesn’t understand that Declan may not realize that Augustine is his mate or choose to mate him. Just as Declan chafes against his captor, we chafe against Augustine’s attitude and actions, at least until we start to understand Augustine’s misguided intentions.

The push/pull between them is, to some extent disturbing, but for the most part, intriguing. While Augustine’s actions are wrong, does that irreversibly taint their relationship, or can they grow to understand each other and forgive? It’s that dichotomy, that moral dilemma that the story probes. I found Augustine’s plight quite poignant. Seeing him desperately try to please Declan after having unexpectedly found him after so long, not realizing that just “taking” Declan was wrong, … well, it made it hard to dislike him.

Like Ms. Burns and Ms. Fawkes’ other co-written books, the story is creative, and the writing is thoughtful and intentional. However, unlike those books, Wyrmwood wasn’t given the time and space it needed to grow into its storyline or its characters. So much more could have been done with Declan and Augustine’s backstories. So much more could have been done to develop them as characters. The depth and complexity seen in the characters in the Star Marked Warriors series or the Wolf Moon Rising series are missing here.

Overall, Wyrmwood is an enjoyable, provocative story that I recommend, but it swims in the shallows rather than plunging into the deep water where the material for a more well-rounded, less rushed, more fulfilling story resides.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Amazon