E: Please take the warning seriously! If you don’t want a major spoiler for SHADOW’S END wait to read this story. That being said this was a really good needed short story. It focuses on Liam and how he handles pain, stress, and growing up as a Dragon. I have been wondering for some time how the Dragon’s nature was going to manifest in Liam and how he and Dragos would manage to work through it. Depending on the outcome I was really hoping Pia wouldn’t be torn between Husband and Son or left mourning one and hating the other. LIAM TAKES MANHATTAN gives an idea about how those “discussions” might continue to take place and also the inherent dangers emotional and physical with two Dragons in the same house.
I loved seeing Liam start taking concrete steps towards his future goals and also making sure they were goals in true not just a whim born out of emotion. I think he has a hard road ahead of him because despite his size and inborn power, he is still really inexperienced and sheltered. A few things did seem to happen rather quickly and I would have preferred some lead-in but in a way I felt it made me more sympathetic to Liam, Pia, and Dragos as they had to live with the changes. I look forward to his adventures because I think they will be many and varied as he prepares for his first really big test of who he can become. It will be interesting to see how Harrison managed to interweave his story and the results of this tale into her overall universe. A lot of things are changing for the Culebre family rather quickly and I can’t wait to see where they lead.
I give LIAM TAKES MANHATTAN a B.
Lou: What E said because it’s revealed in the novella what happened in the amazing but very sad Shadow’s End. I’m going to repeat what I’ve said before: Thea Harrison writes amazing novellas. She has the knack for them and while I adore her full-length novels, I think her novellas reveal–even more than the full-length books–just how talented she is as a writer.
Liam Takes Manhattan is the last novella in this series of novellas. Liam is no longer a boy but a young man who is going through so many changes. It only hit me in this novella how tough it must be on Liam, Pia, and Dragos. Liam is maturing at an incredible and unbelievable rate as a Dragon. Liam really doesn’t have any friends because he outgrows them and in this novella we see him rebel and challenge Dragos power. It made for some great reading because it changes the family dynamics completely. While this novella holds some sweetness, especially the dog home and the puppy, this novella reveals that Liam’s future is now going to be very different, with a decision made by Liam that excites me. I hope Thea Harrison creates a series for Liam because he has the makings of an incredible protagonist. I also love how Thea Harrison is moving this series onwards and I’m loving the fast pace in which it’s moving. My only criticism of this novella is similar to E’s above; things did move really fast, especially Liam’s choice, and I would have liked there to have been a little more story to the novella.
But all in all this was a great and satisfying read and all I can say is, when is the next novel/novella out? I give Liam Takes Manhattan a B+
Has: I also agree with both E and Lou about the changes and new direction that Liam has undertaken. I really enjoyed the growth and development that Liam undergoes. The challenges he wants to experience shows how much he wants to forge his own path. I also liked that this also creates tensions between him and his parents but I loved how Liam wanted to make his own decisions and to create his own independence. It makes his direction really promising. I also liked there was cute moments especially with the new puppy and family scenes which just cements this series as one of my all time favourites.
Although this was a short story, I think Thea Harrison packed a lot in and in many ways this felt like a precursor or a prologue to a bigger story which Liam will follow in later books. I also hope we get a series following his future endeavours and adventures because I would love to read how he will learn and adjust to living as a young adult and balancing his Wyr shape and powers and learning and experiencing life as a grown-up.
Overall, this was a fantastic instalment in this trilogy and I really can’t wait to see what happens next to the Cuelebre family.
I give Liam Takes Manhattan a B+