Draven is a Drayner, i.e. he has the ability to steal physical features of other people, present and future, and so, when they are only teenagers, he decides to steal Cody’s muscle growth, so that he will always remain lean and pretty, no matter how much training he will do. Draven’s idea is that he will be always there, to protect Cody, but that is not what it happens. Draven is forced to part from Cody when they are 18 years old, to only be able to be back 3 years later, and find a completely different Cody, cold and unattainable, someone who seems really to dislike Draven and to allow the man near him with almost reluctance.
While Draven is for sure the stronger in body, I felt as Cody was the stronger in an absolute meaning of the world, even when they were teenagers. Draven is always ready to satisfy every Cody’s desire, like a puppy eager to please his master; more Cody is cold with Draven and more Draven wants to please Cody. The shift in the story we will have in the end is quite in line with this attitude, and even if the author continues to say that Draven is dangerous, a cold killer, I really found him a pawn in Cody’s hands.
I’m pretty sure some readers will find questionable most of Cody and Draven’s behaviour, but if you are used to Rowan McBride’s stories, you are already accustomed to them. I find intriguing her universe of muscle growth and features draining skills and I’m always ready to read a new story in that universe.
http://www.torquerebooks.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=78_85&products_id=3498
Amazon Kindle: Just Perfect
Publisher: Torquere Press, Inc. (January 17, 2012)
Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bott
