Cloak of Dragons – Jonathan Moeller

This looks like book 1 of a trilogy, but it’s really book 1 of a second series, following a twelve-volume first series with the same protagonist. The author plays fair: The book stands alone well enough, and the references to what went before are interesting, rather than confusing or distracting.

It is three-hundred-and change years since the Conquest. In 2013 several million Elves (fleeing defeat in their home world) broke through a barrier and conquered Earth. This isn’t likely to change. Most of the races beyond the rift are far less pleasant than the Elves. Besides, Elves have magic and Humans mostly don’t. Nadia is one of the exceptions, and the queen has coopted her - and expects her to do odd jobs. In “Cloak of Dragons”, the odd job is investigating the murder of a dragon.

Moeller’s books are a good length for his style. They are short enough (about three hundred print-equivalent pages) that each book contains one complete story without many digressions or side stories or unexpected plot twists. The writing is competent and flows well. I’d give it three stars (“liked it”) - except that I then went and read the previous twelve-book series, so I guess it flows better than I thought.