Sinister Magic: An Urban Fantasy Dragon Series (Death Before Dragons Book 1)

Name: Sinister Magic: An Urban Fantasy Dragon Series (Death Before Dragons Book 1)
Price: 0.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.5 (9829 reviews)
Author: Lindsay Buroker

by Lindsay Buroker

Fantasy

4.5 (9,829)

4.5 stars from 9,829 reviews. One of the highest rated Fantasy books we track.

250 pages~4.2 hr readPublished by Lindsay BurokerPublished 2020-02-28

$0.99KU67% off peak

Last checked: May 11, 2026

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Fans of these authors will like this...

Jim Butcher
Seanan McGuire
Patricia Briggs

Fans of these books will like this...

The Dresden Files series
Mercy Thompson series
October Daye series

Perfect for you if...

You love urban fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously, with snappy dialogue and a morally grey protagonist who actually enjoys her work.
You want action-first storytelling where the stakes escalate quickly and the protagonist has to think her way out of trouble, not just smash through it.
You appreciate found-family dynamics and animal companions with personality, especially ones that talk back and have their own agendas.

Maybe not for you if...

You prefer slow-burn character development and introspection over plot momentum and problem-solving.
You want your fantasy worlds explained in detail before the action kicks off, rather than learning the rules as you go.
You're looking for a standalone novel instead of the first book in a series that's built to make you want the next one immediately.

About this book

Val Thorvald is an assassin who eliminates magical threats to protect people. This work has made her unpopular within the magical community, leading to frequent break-ins and assassination attempts. She relies on her half-elven heritage, a sword called Chopper, and a telepathic tiger to manage these dangers. Val's situation becomes more complicated when her boss falls ill with an unexplained disease, a government agent begins investigating her, and a dragon appears during one of her assignments. Unlike the vampires, zombies, and ogres she has previously defeated, dragons possess significantly greater power. This dragon attempts to use magic to force Val into servitude, which she refuses to accept. Val must find a way to evade the dragon, save her boss, and deal with the government agent pursuing her, or face serious consequences.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

Free – $2.99

Currently on sale at $0.99 — 67% off peak. Price has dropped 26 times over the last 5 years. Goes on sale roughly every 69 days. Typically stays discounted for 276 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #36K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Sales have softened 270% recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.5★ from 9,829 reviews

Gaining approximately 73 new reviews per month. Steady word of mouth growth. Rating has remained stable at 4.5 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $0.99. It typically returns to around $2.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.