Mist and Magic by Lindsay Buroker [Review]

Mist and Magic (Death Before Dragons #0.5) by Lindsay Buroker
Format: ebook
Source: borrowed through Kindle Unlimited
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: August 15, 2022

Death Before Dragons
0.5. Mist and Magic - Paperback | Kindle
1. Sinister Magic
2. Battle Bond
3. Tangled Truths
4. Elven Doom
4.5. The Forbidden Ground
5. False Security
6. Storm Forged
6.5. The Box
7. Secrets of the Sword I
8. Secrets of the Sword II
9. Secrets of the Sword III

Lindsay Buroker
| Website | Amazon |

Synopsis (Goodreads):

As a freelance assassin, Val Thorvald leads a dangerous life.

She’s learned not to stay in the same place for long and not to get too attached to anything. For example, she would never consider adopting a pet.

But when she’s searching for a missing friend, she finds an abandoned silver tiger cub.

The magical feline is clearly from another realm, but Val has no idea which one or how to send it back. All she knows is that it’s the only witness to her friend's kidnapping.

Val can kick the butts of ogres, trolls, and wizards, but she has no experience taking care of pets—certainly not magical tigers. And as she quickly learns, the cub has teeth like a chainsaw. Soon, everything from her apartment to her seat belts to the hair on her head is in danger.

But if Val can’t forge a bond with the cub, figure out what it knows, and find her missing friend, more than her belongings—and her hair—may be at risk.

Thoughts on Mist and Magic: This is the Val who shoots first and asks questions later and sort of earned the name "Ruin Bringer" with her actions. This is also the Val who's starting to question if maybe sometimes there are other ways to go about getting things done than just going in swinging. This is also Val without Sindari. Or Zav. (In fact, dragons are still more myth than reality and that's kind of weird.)

That said, Val is sill wildly loyal. She sets out without any pause when an old friend goes missing. She also scoops up a magical tiger cub and does her best to figure out what the cub needs. She might come out swinging, but she (mostly) does it to keep those around her safe.

A little danger, a sweet bundle of cub, a fair amount of magic, and Val doing what she does best. Which means she refuses to back down even when the odds are against her.