would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book... and what an adventure it was

dragons, dragon killers, magic and goblins it was all in this book

litz is a dragon rider and an ambassador of Aelshia
kella is the Jeenobi kingdom’s most famous living dragon slayer

litz and kella and though they share a kiss in the market place the next time they meet up is for litz to extradite kella to aelshia for the killing of a dragon

but they have to cross the desert before they can get to litz country and there are hidden dangers there

its a slow build up while you get to know the characters and the dragons aint half bad either,,,

I believe this book had a lot of potential; the plot was somewhat good and the characters were likable for the most part. Coming from just reading Fourth Wing to this, I did have high hopes in the probability of being similar to one another.

DIGGING FOR HEAVEN is the first book in a new series about two kingdoms separated by a desert who have only recently put down their weapons and created a fragile peace (bound a marriage) to foster good feelings. But as lesbian ambassador Litz and her dragon companion quickly discover, peace is hard to maintain when you are assigned to watch over local dragon-slaying legend Kella.
Because the dragons in Aelshia are maybe more separated from their Jeenobian cousins by more than just geography...

This book has me hooked from the start! It's multi-POV, mainly Litz, Kella, and Ker, with a few interludes of the king of Aelshia and his wife, with a strong opening, so many lovable characters and, to top it all off, one opinionated dragon!

The story builds upon its worldbuilding (one utopian-seeming dragon-friendly land in the jungles and one kingdom terrified of dragons) by expertly using its characters and their upbringing to show us this magical world and the political climate we are standing in.

Jarvis does not stray too far in the book but keeps close to the main cast to really let the reader get invested and fall in love.
And the intrigue of why the dragons are so different across the desert was fascinating - we've already learned so much but I cannot wait to discover even more.

There is an f/f relationship slowly building with some strong enemies-to-lovers vibes and with Ker, we get an asexual main character, something I absolutely loved! Not to mention so many side characters I want to see again.

If you are looking for an engaging debut that involves dragon killers and dragon lovers, culture exchange, a journey across a desert, and some quirky fantastical animal companions, I highly recommend giving Digging For Heaven a chance.

I would like to thank Bold Strokes Books for providing me with an ARC.

Digging for Heaven has a fantastic premise and I always love dragons. Dragons are a massive draw to a book for me. However, despite having a pretty decent story and a great cover, I just wasn't fully drawn into the book or world. I wanted a lot more from this book, but I just didn't really enjoy it. The pacing could have been better, and I didn't really feel the chemistry between the characters. I still think many other readers will love this book; this one just wasn't for me.

I was absolutely blown away by this book in every aspect, which I was not expecting.
Digging for Heaven is the first book in a series about dragons, dragon riders, and dragon slayers. A kingdom that loves dragons, and a kingdom that hates them. Colonialism and its effects. Curses, magic and mayhem. Litz is a member of the royal family of Aelshia, a country that is built around dragons, where dragons and humans are equals. Kelly is Jeenobi’s most famous dragon slayer. Jeenobi hates dragons and views them as a threat. Aelshia and Jeenobi have just struck a tentative peace, when Litz has to extradite Kelly for killing a dragon even though it is now technically against the law in Jeenobi. But a massive desert lays between them and Aelshia, with countless perils. Plus, they both begin to develop feelings for each other…

I cannot begin to explain how much I loved this book! It reads like classic high fantasy, with a rich and vibrant world, where each culture in the book is unique from each other.
I think my favourite part is easily the dragons, I’m obsessed with how Jenna Jarvis has built the relationship between dragons and their riders, how the bonding process works, and dragon culture in general. It’s so different from anything I’ve read before and really goes in depth in a way other books like Fourth Wing don’t.
This book is SO queer. There’s a sapphic kiss in the first couple chapters. There’s nonbinary characters, asexual characters, and the main characters are lesbian and bisexual. There’s also deaf and mute representation!
The enemies to lovers tension was insane. I really liked seeing how Litz and Kella’s relationship progressed and how they really worked to see both sides of the clash between their cultures.
Have I mentioned I’m obsessed with the dragons?
Overall, I am in love with this book and need the sequel asap. If you loved Eragon, or Fourth Wing, or any dragon book tbh, you’ll love this one. The writing is fresh and fun, the characters interesting, and the world unique. What’s not to love?! 5/5 stars

Digging for Heaven follows a dragon hunter and a dragon rider who must team up on a mission. Dragons is a theme that I feel I have been reading a lot lately but this one stands out to me because of the writing, the rich settings, and the multiple point of view. There is a lot about this book that I enjoyed.

It is a good fantasy, if you looking to try a book with dragons in it this would be a good one to give a try. It's full of action, twists that keep you wanting to read, and many plotlines. There is a sapphic pairing and you can't help but root for them. There's a sibling relationship, which was fun to follow. Strong characters. There is queer reputation in this book! I do wish the tension between some of the characters were drawn out a bit more, it felt a little rushed. I do feel that even though the plot was fine, this book does feel like it is a character-driven story.

The writing was a blast to read. The adventure, the way the drama unfolds. I like all the different settings. This is the first book in a series and I am looking forward to reading more in this series. Overall I was entertained by this story, but a few parts felt slow.

If you're looking for an epic dragon story of opposites attract, found family, queer,

What fantastic worldbuilding by Jenna Jarvis. I was completely immersed in Litz and Kella's lives..

I need a sequel asap!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing an eARC for a honest review.

4.5/5 stars.
This was such a great book full of adventure, drama, excitement, and of course…dragons! Jenna did a phenomenal job of world building to create this epic story about a dragon slayer and a dragon rider from two countries separated by hundreds of miles of desert with a shaky peace agreement and very opposite views on dragons.

Kella is one of the greatest dragon slayers from Jeenobi. And what is a dragon slayer going to do? Slay dragons. But now dragon slaying is outlawed under the new peace agreement. That won’t stop Kella though. Not when justice calls. Except this time she didn’t get a free pass. So what does the king (and her ex) do? Sends her with the dragon rider to Aelshia to be dealt with.

Litz is an Aelshian princess, niece of the king (who’s a woman, which is awesome), and a dragon rider - bonded to a dragon named Loren. Needless to say, neither Litz nor Loren are very fond of the cocky dragon slayer.

Their journey is full of escape attempts, sand terrors, kidnapping, and of course…a budding romance between the unlikely pair. It's mostly flirty banter and kissing (eventually) between Litz and Kella, but you can see them beginning to truly care for the other and feel the connection between them growing. It's low spice, but not low on chemistry!

And there’s also Kella’s brother Ker who sets out to save her. Both Litz and Ker are also magic users. And one thing these two countries have in common is their disdain for magic and those who use it.

It did take me a bit to really get into the story between figuring out who all the people were, the use of last names and nicknames, and just getting a sense of the world and switching POVs. But once I got into the flow, I was hooked! It ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, so I’m hoping that means there is more to come! I really enjoyed this book. There was also lots of representation in this book - queer, non-binary, ace, deaf, and more.

Also…I want to bond with a dragon now. 🐉😁

Dragons! Start of an epic fantasy tale
This is an epic fantasy tale by debut author Jenna Jarvis.
I loved that the whole story, the whole world-building revolves around dragons: the dragon friends and dragon riders of Aelshia, the dragon haters and hunters of Jeenobi and the fragile peace between the two realms. And it seems that Kella, the dragon hunter, has by killing a dragon which goes against the peace accords upset the fragile balance. She is to be brought for judgement to Aelshia by royal ambassador and dragon rider Litz.
And thus an epic journey through the desert between the two ancient lands starts - there is adventure, quite a lot of adventure, there are surprising developments and the mystery why two realms, why Kella and Litz perceive dragons so differently starts to unravel.
I loved the very detailed and in-depth world-building, I loved the insights into dragon lore, I loved the characters and there are more than Kella and Litz which we learn to be important to the story. BTW there is a very, very, very slow burn between the female main characters. The focus is not on romance!
The cons: The pacing was at times off and the story was slacking in the middle. I got quite irritated when I realized about 50 pages before the end that there would be no final resolution and the story ends in a hurriedly done cliffhanger where the plot seems to be inconsistent. Is there something wrong with announcing a book as first in a series? The story arc and the reader expectation are different! If possible this story would be rated by me 3.5 out of 5.


Thanks to netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC. The review is left voluntarily.

The book started out slow but turned out quite enjoyable. The characters are unique and quite interesting. I love anything that's fantasy related and that this was about a Dragon rider and a Dragon slayer wad even better. There's so much going on in this story, but it was all really fun to read. I can't wait for th second book in this series I'm really looking forward too it. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family.

The synopsis here was what really drew me to want to read. I'm all about dragons and fantasy type stories, and though the story was good and very original, it felt very lackluster in the execution. The conversations had a lot of modern day slang, while it worked in the context it was being used, it seems to conflict with how the rest of the characters are speaking within dialog. There were several instances of the work "Dude" being referenced when once character was speaking with the other that really took you out of the emersion into the story. Litz, Kella, Ker, and Loren were relatable and able to understand why/how they were feeling what they were. The progression of the story was slower than I would have liked to see with how much ability there was for action/deeper character growth as it moved along. Being left with a cliffhanger at the end after the slow movement of the storyline really left me disappointed. Overall it was a good story, but not something that would be something I would want to read over and over again.

I was intrigued by the enemies to lovers but with dragons aspect. And with a dragon-rider/dragon slayer pairing, opposites attract is very much the truth. I loved the world building and how Kella and her people's hatred is based on the very valid reasoning of many of them, Kella herself included, have lost their homes and people they love to dragons instead of just "we're doing this for fun" or "Dragons are just bad because."

I had a bit of trouble engaging in certain parts, especially in the desert, and the fact that while Kella and Litz come off at the MCs from reading the blurb, a lot of time is spent with Kella's brother Ker who is trying to save her. While his story line made sense in the narrative, it came to be that his storyline was more interesting in learning about the story's world and progressing things. This was a little disappointing when I'm expecting Kella and Litz to be the main focus.

Overall a pretty solid high fantasy story and debut novel with really good world building and lots of potential for future novels that I look forward to.

Intense adventure!

Litz and Kella have opposing views on dragon slaying, but when they are forced to travel together after Kella is extradited for trial, they didn’t expect to be attracted to one another. Along the way they find themselves facing the wilds and learn that their survival means depending on one another, but that could just be the key to resolving their nations’ differences and restoring peace for dragons.

I was absolutely fascinated by this fantasy adventure. Even though it had darker undertones because of the focus on Kella’s dragon slaying and her nation’s stance on changing the law to ban it, it held lots of magic and mystery. The story really was about Kella and Litz finding understanding in one another’s views but concluding on agreement that meant peace for all. Kella really had an experience because she was travelling across lands and relying on those she’d previously slayed to come to her rescue from monsters more deadly in the wilds. It was a real learning curve for her and proved that sometimes just because of your experience it doesn’t mean your view is correct or should be applied to all.

There were much deeper and more meaningful experiences and emotions for Kella to unpack on her journey with Litz. I loved how we got dangerous moments but how Kella learned whatever you perceive as a threat it is always good to assess a bigger picture and remember that no matter how big that threat seems there is always the possibility there is bigger, scarier one lurking, both in the physical, mental, and emotional states. Once Kella stopped trying to be difficult, a lesson she unfortunately had to learn the hard way, she really tried understanding Litz’s views and could finally begin to grow.

Great adventure with twists and turns to keep not just the characters guessing that I really enjoyed. Hope there will be future stories with Kella and Litz, as I am sure an exciting future now awaits.

Jenna Jarvis’ debut novel Digging for Heaven is the first book in a queer epic fantasy where you can read about will-based magic, sentient dragons, and dragonriders. There’s also disability rep and discussions on grief.

This book feels like a very beautiful mix of Samantha Shannon’s Priory of the Orange Tree as well as Anne McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern series. It has that distinctly European flavor to the writing but it’s filled with humor in the form of playful characters and sarcastic dragons.

Like Priory, there are cultural and political differences between two regions that seem to have reached an amicable settlement for peace and yet still, fundamentally have different beliefs towards dragons. Unlike Priory, this book is very dragon-centric, and they play an integral role to the storyline.

Similar to the Pern series, there’s a telepathic link between the dragon and the dragonrider which allows for a very close bond between the two but I’m not going to go too deep into that as I feel reading it would be so much more fun

We open the book following Litz and Kella, a sapphic pairing, who are not only of different classes, but have vastly different relationships to dragons. Litz is a dragonrider princess from a land that reveres dragons while Kella is the most renown dragon hunter in her land. It allows for a gentle enemies-to-lovers romance although we already know from the get-go that they really do like each other. Seeing their relationship bloom was quite endearing and beautiful.

We also follow Ker, an openly ACE character, who’s on a mission to save his sister.

The creatures in the book were an absolute favorite of mine. The dragons had such three-dimensional personalities that I never thought I would read a book that would make me want to bond with a dragon more than I already did previously, but here I am wishing for things I can’t have. The cameo of non-binary gremlins was also so nice. I hope they make another appearance in the sequel. Every character in this book was really given such a full-bodied voice.

Three points of note, the start of the book is quite confusing- I initially thought there were more than three main characters cause of the switch from last name to first name and back in the different POVs. Also there were some points in the pacing that lagged, particularly the trek scene through the desert – but then again I feel like all trek scenes seem to lag in pacing no matter what book I read. And finally, I do wish there was a little more tension between Litz and Kella. I feel like the majority of the tension was with Ker and it made for a lot more engaging experience reading his POV.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book IMMENSELY and I highly, HIGHLY recommend this to anyone looking for a beautifully written queer book with sentient dragons, disability rep, and phenomenal full bodied characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers trope, and I love a good dragon book. Fortunately, Digging For Heaven is full of both. Overall, it is a really solid novel, especially as the author's first published novel, with some fascinating world building that seems to lay the groundwork for a sequel or perhaps even an expanded series. I was drawn in by the strong characters -- Kella in particular -- but kept reading for the rich and distinct cultures created as a part of this world, each with their own ideology that more often that not clashes with those around them in meaningful and world-changing ways.

I did, however, have some issues with the pacing and the general plot progression. Litz and Kella, the aforementioned enemies-to-lovers, are presented in the description as the main characters of the novel. That being said, they didn't really feel like the major forces actually driving the plot forward. Too often, events just seemed to happen to them rather than the other way around. If anything, it was Ker, Kella's younger brother, that actually seemed to be the one working to discover the truth of his world and to affect change in some way. By the end, I found myself impatient to return to his narrative just so I could learn something more about the world. Sometimes, though, that took a while since the plot seemed to grind to a crawl once Kella and Litz reached the desert. However, multiple POV's did help break this up a little bit, and so it didn't feel like too egregious of an issue.

Time and again, I found myself unable to shake the mental comparison I was making between this novel and The Priory of the Orange Tree. There are a lot of similarities (beyond the dragons) in the ways that differing cultures and clashing ideologies are presented in both novels, extending even to political machinations taking place behind the scenes. However, while Priory really took the time to build a rich and complex world, it didn't always feel like Digging For Heaven gave itself enough space to do the same. I would be really interested to see how future iterations in this series add to the foundation that has already been laid.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to any reader interested in queer fantasy featuring dragons that isn't afraid to be a little patient with a novel while it reveals itself a little bit at a time.

The book started out slow but turned out quite enjoyable. The characters are unique and quite interesting. I recommend, 4stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for this ARC.

this book was fine, not a new favorite, not terrible either, just fine. i didn’t connect that much with this story or at least not as much as i would’ve liked to. the characters were a little confusing at first but i got used to the switch in POVs pretty quickly. the romance was good but again, they won’t keep me up at night because i can’t stop thinking about them. the pacing was a little slow at first, things were happening but nothing was happening at the same time (it makes sense in my head) and i think this is why i ended up dragging this book for a good 2 weeks before finishing it. i’d recommend it to anyone looking for a book with dragons after reading fourth wing, this one has similar vibes. 3⭐️

First I want to thank netgalley for providing an ARC for Digging for Heaven.
The war between Jeenobia and Aelshia is put to a halt with a marriage between King Jev and Princess Eisha. As part of the marriage Jeenobians must stop killing dragons that Aelshian's hold in high regard. Kella is captured killing a dragon and to prevent her becoming a martyr Litz a dragon rider must take her back to her king.

This is an enemies to lovers adventure fantasy. The world feels fleshed out and I love the dragons in this novel. They're inquisitive and beautiful and have some elements of Anne McCaffrey's Dragon riders of Pern series, Loren is a delight. I love how she has had many different riders and she still doesn't fully understand humans, Kella is confident and strong and doesn't let life bring her down, Litz is a capable soldier and honorable woman.

There are lulls in the story as the story progresses through the desert. It felt as plodding as if I was walking through the sand myself. And sometimes the back and forth through the change in POV was not as smooth as it could have been.

Overall this is a decent fantasy book for a debut novel. It does end in a cliff hanger that leaves me curious for the next book.

I give this 4 out of 5 stars and do recommend it to people who enjoy fantasy novels especially ones with dragons.

I love reading about dragons and this was well written and engaging. A dragon rider and a dragon slayer wouldn't be an ideal match at all in most cases but Litz and Kella learn more about each other and the different dragons after Litz is told to bring Kella back to Aeishia.

It started off slow and took awhile to engage me, but with all the world building that was done. It was intriguing to learn and I look forward to the next book as this one ended on a cliffhanger.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I received a copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

A peace accord has been negotiated between the countries of Aelshia and Jeenobia.  Litz, the dragon rider of Loren, a captain of the royal guard and a blood niece to the King of Aelshia is sent to Jeenobia as a royal ambassador. She is to quietly make sure the agreed rule of no dragon killing is being followed by the Jeenobians. 

Kella is the most adored and renown dragon hunter in Aelshia. She has seen firsthand what dragons can do to humans if they so desired. Watching her mother die by a dragon’s flame has been her motivation to slew any dragon who has attacked humans.

Digging for Heaven is an opposite attracts romance / adventure story with my personal fantasy creature, dragons! And the dragons are beautifully represented with their inquisitive minds and ancient wisdom. I swear every time a dragon speaks I hear Sir Sean Connery’s voice in my head. (Name that dragon movie reference)

The adventure is split into two parallel halves with Litz and Kella on one side enduring a desert crossing and Kella’s brother Ker working on his plan to save his sister. Both stories are exciting yet I found Ker’s story more interesting until the last quarter of the book when both are blended together for an action packed conclusion. 

There are a few definite lulls to the desert crossing where my interest lagged due to a decline in forward momentum. This is Jenna Jarvis’ first novel and a stumble in the pacing is to be expected. I am curious about how the title relates to the story. I have not figured that one out.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fantasy readers. I truly wish we could assign half points because this is a solid 3.5 out of 5. Due to the dragons I will round up to 4 stars.

I received an advance review copy from Bold Strokes Books through NetGalley.  I am leaving this review voluntarily.