Steal the Dragon / When Demons Walk - Patricia Briggs

A former slave girl gambles with her freedom to return to the land of her bondage--a world of deadly magic and deception.

My thoughts:

I am slowly going through Brigg's backlist and I am almost done now. This one is part of a series, but at the same time it's a stand alone. It's about a former slave called Rialla, she was a dancer, she ran away. She trained horses and now she has to spy.

When I started the book I thought the next book would be about her too, but now, this is a one deal book. Rialla has to figure out and protect someone who wants to end slavery. It will be dangerous as she has to pretend to be a slave again. She has help (I liked her help). And then in the end they will have figured it all out and everyone has a sort of happy ending. Everyone is happy, it's, something is still growing.

Conclusion:

A really light fantasy, short, quick and enjoyable

Cover

Works, she pretends to be a slave dancer after all

Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Published by Ace (first published November 1995)
Sianim #2
Fantasy
Own

Sham had spent most of her young life as a sorceress and thief, stealing from Southwood's nobility to survive. Now she must face the greatest test of her skills...

A killer has struck Southwood, claiming the lives of nobles. Lord Kerim, Reeve of Southwood, turns to Sham for help. Posing as his mistress, she delves behind castle walls to find the killer. But this murderer is no mortal--and Sham must use all of her magical wisdom to send the demon away. Because the city of Southwood has nowhere to hide--and no time to run...

My thoughts:

This one was fun, light, and made me wish it there were more books. This one is a stand alone too. Yes it connects to Dragon, but it takes place years after it. In another part of the world and with other characters.

Sham is a thief who gets asked to help when people are dying left and right. She is also a sorceress and knows a demon is loose. Her country has been taken over by invaders and now she must help them. Tricky. Not to mention I kept hoping she and Kerim would hook up. 

She pretends to be a mistress (quite good at it),  and she hunts for a demon. We get the understand a bit what has happened and then it ends. Sad sad day. Yes the story ends, no loose threads. But what happens then to everyone? I feel like Briggs needs to finish the UF books I love, and then write another Sianim story too.

Conclusion:

Light fantasy

Cover

She wears something like that so it works

Mass Market Paperback, Reissue, 272 pages
Published by Ace (first published January 1st 1998)
Sianim #3
Fantasy
Own