Dragon Dice Kicker: Set 1 Book

I did (nor plan to) read the prequel, so I came into this cold without knowing the backplots. However this read well as a stand-alone, I was intrigued by the characters. The ending could have been much better. I felt the author could have planted seeds in the beginning so the "aha" moment made more sense. And, wow, the "really powerful but really dangerous" artifact in the end keep its power but loses it danger so now they can use it in the future without worry, how convenient!