Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for the ARC of Dragon Den in exchange for an honest review.

I so badly wanted to like this. It's a debut author writing about a dragon school. This book had so much potential and a lot of good ideas. Unfortunately, the execution fell short in several areas.

First, I felt like the book had STRONG gender differences in a distinctly icky way. The main character was extremely unlikeable. In the first 20 pages, I counted four times that the MC is checking out a girl in an objectifying way while he's literally in the middle of a life threatening situation. He's disrespectful. He says he never studies, doesn't know where the library even is, and yet he wants the biggest, baddest dragon with seemingly no characteristics that makes him qualified. On the other hand, he is "dating" the best student (first in her class). Besides saving him a few times and being his personal cheerleader, she doesn't seem to take on other character traits besides her vanilla lotion, her figure, and her group chat (eye roll). She doesn't participate in the races but goes to cheer him on. As a female, she is also apparently the only one that cares about dragon consent...She is written in purely to further his character and it doesn't even do much. Markus is supposed to be some good guy because he brings her snacks every once in a while. He literally spends the whole book objectifying her (and other women), acting like she can't handle things (when she is significantly more qualified than him), and literally tells her at one point that he got some "girly shit" for her. The brother and the boyfriend both treat her like an object. There are a lot of casual sex jokes that don't sit right and were honestly distasteful. Also, the girls name their dragons after animals? like tigers and bears. But the guys get to name their dragons after gods like Poseidon and Loki and Derkomai. Again, rolling my eyes...

Second, the blend of real world and fantasy is done in a pretty jarring way. He would be talking about taking a bus to Portland while he's flying on a dragon or talking about riding your dragon to a brewery to get a beer. There are, apparently, real world cops and motorcycle/dragon gangs. There is police brutality mentioned as a plot point but it is not explored in any meaningful way. It feels like it was done just to the readers knew that Amira was black. It felt weird that racism was mentioned twice in the book for a couple of sentences and then dropped. It would have been a very valid idea to incorporate if it was followed through on. Another time, it's just sort of randomly dropped into a conversation that one of the characters is gay. It felt like the author just wanted to make sure they were incorporating queer and POC characters without paying any real attention to the characters or the issues they could face as a result.

Third, the world building was nonexistent. The way they describe the connection between dragons and riders is bland and weird (they connect their neurons so they're on the same wavelength??) The author hinted at some really cool elements that were never explored, like dragons coming from volcanos. But, the only way it's shown is Amira casually dropping facts (which felt like a bland attempt at giving information about the world without any work).

Fourth, it was so so so predictable. I knew the minute they introduced Mamba that Markus would finally get the black dragon he originally wanted. Again, this man did not in any way deserve this dragon.

Fifth, the dialogue was childish. Here's an example.

So you're Markus. We've heard all about you our group chat. Only good things, I hope. Don't worry, we only talk about great...big...things. She wiggles her eyebrows. Like seriously, wtf is this?

Also, there were some random characters thrown in at the end for absolutely no reason. They were Amira's friends from her group chat?? They come in for one scene to meet Markus, they make a couple crude jokes, and then leave.

Overall, I think this is a book that would have benefitted from another 200 pages. If given time to explore the lore of the world and incorporate some more character growth (and better relationship building), it would have gone up at least a star. I'm sorry to the author and I hate rating a debut low, but, I was really disappointed. 2 stars..

This book had such a fun modern fantasy approach with dragons, while still incorporating the fantasy of dragons existing. I'm a sucker for a dragon war college, and this book definitely satisfied that itch. I hope the author continues this story in future books, can't wait! I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, because the character development felt a tad rushed.

First, thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I stopped reading this title at 12% in. There was simply too much I did not enjoy about how the first couple chapters laid the story out to be optimistic it would improve enough for me to enjoy it by the end. Here are my reasons why I DNFed:

Pacing and Immersion:
It felt as if the author sacrificed immersion and promises & pay-offs in favor of rapid-fire pacing. Sentences were often clipped/short and devoid of detail or build-up to connect with the main character and their motivations. The first chapter was the epitome of being told what happens vs. showing what happens. Although it was highly action-driven and lots of cool stuff happened, the pacing didn’t allow for any of the coolness of any of it to actually BE cool. The writing quickly desensitized the reader to what was cool or impressive for the character or setting or stakes and what was just a regular day. We are not really given any moments of introspection to feel what the character was feeling beyond a few “my stomach dropped”. There was ample opportunity to build intrigue and suspense and none of them were taken.

Plot and Character Development:
The plot and characters are way too underdeveloped in the beginning to effectively draw in and immerse the reader. I think more time allowing us to feel the character's nerves and more of a challenge in finding and breaking a dragon would make us feel more connected to him falling short of his aspirations and the disappointment we’re supposed to feel. Part of what made How to Train Your Dragon (one of the comps in the story description) so great was because we understood Hiccup and his motives and also saw how much work he put into getting Toothless to trust him. We got to witness the things he was willing to do to keep him a secret despite the clout it would have earned him. We got to root for Hiccup through his attempts to connect with Toothless. We ultimately are made to feel like the success Hiccup had with Toothless was well earned. None of that takes place with Markus and his dragon and I just feel like he was shown some unjustified act of favoritism by the Commander.

Characterization of Markus (the main character):
Beyond the weak plot, the main character and narrator, Markus, is not an appealing protagonist. The author's depiction of him as a smug, womanizing bad boy lacks nuance and doesn't render him a likable or compelling protagonist. Markus's inner thoughts reveal an unlikable jock/player persona that feels more like an adolescent fantasy than a realistic characterization. We know he wants to catch a Black dragon because they're the most badass, but we don't get a sense of whether he's doing that to prove himself in some regard or because perhaps he's trying to impress his crush, or if he's literally just arrogant. We don't know, because the stakes are laid out so flimsily. We know failing is bad because he'll get kicked out of school, but all we really know is that he's wanted to be a dragon rider for a long time.Then he fails, and gets NO CONSEQUENCES. Just a stern look and an immediate unearned second chance (when it was written multiple times that no second chances were possible). It was SO flimsy. And to top it off, his inner thoughts about the female characters further assert his character as a pretty intolerable tool (from a female perspective at least). We don’t get a sense of Markus’s emotional baseline to accept or reject his perceptions of the characters around him. None of it is very believable and reads like the author is projecting his idea of what a badass playboy with ladies flocking to him because of his washboard abs would be like. It’s not written as a character I care to learn more about and I wasn't given any implications of what his character development might look like.

Overall Feel:
Ultimately, the beginning of the story reads to me more like an initial draft than a well-developed final story ready for publication. It takes too long for the reader to get invested in the characters to effectively motivate the readers to continue reading (or in my case, not at all). This was such a disappointing start to the story from the expectations I had that I knew that I wasn’t connected enough to the character to want to continue reading, so I DNFed.

I acknowledge that my feedback might be harsh compared to some other reviews. While I understand that writing is a personal and subjective experience, I believe it's important to provide honest and constructive feedback to help authors improve their craft. I appreciate the effort that went into creating this story and hope that my feedback can be helpful in some way.

An absolute masterpiece! I couldn’t put this book down it as so addictive!! I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy

While this story was entertaining, I couldn’t believe how much of the plot was literally copied almost bit by bit from the original Fast and Furious movie. The scene in the cafeteria was identical to the scene in the restaurant. The racing scene when the guard shows up is ripped right from the scene where Brian saves Dom and ends up in Chinatown. I found it extremely irritating how much of this plot was stolen.

This book is The Fast and The Furious but with Dragons 🐉

Dragon Den was very fun and I hope there is a book 2! It definitely followed the storyline of the first Fast and Furious movie. I was very entertained and read it in one sitting! I wish it was longer though with more world building and backgrounds on the characters.

I would totally recommend for a fun quick read is dragons is your thing!

This was a a 2.25 stars. I feel awful rating arcs low but this book was very surface level. It felt like a middle grade retelling of Fourth Wing. More along the lines of How to Train Your Dragon. This book might actually do really well as a middle grade series.

Thank you again for the ARC.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

This book is very short and that’s… honestly a good thing. I think it’s the only reason I pushed through it. The writing in this needs a *lot* of work.
The characters are wooden, especially the main character. I thought having a male main character in a classic dragon fantasy romance would be interesting. But honestly he just felt so flat and cliche the entire way through. There was no subtlety in his dialogue or thoughts, everything was surface level.

The world building was fine, I thought setting it in our world instead of a fantasy world was interesting. The plot was fine if predictable. It dealt with its subject matter well, despite some of it being quite on the nose. I think this is just really let down by its prose and characterisation.

2⭐️

I really enjoyed this book, the concept was really unique and it created a world I would really love to know more about. I would have enjoyed some more time spent on building the world and development of the characters relationships outside of just the main character. Overall it was a really fun fast paced read with a really original premise and I would love to read more in this world.

Thank you netgalley and Yggdrasil Press for an arc of Dragon Den in exchange for an honest review. The book follows our protagonist, Markus, after he is given a once in a life-time second chance to fufil his dream of being a dragon-rider after his dreams were crushed due to his failed attempt to break a dragon.


Listen, this book wasn't bad. In fact, it was an easy read, and there were moments were I found myself really enjoying it, and I would definitely read a sequel if it is written. However, there were a few things that I found could be done better.

The most prominent thing for me was the lack of world-building, which felt basically non-existent. We were given practically zero information about the world, its history and the history of dragon riders and the tradition to "break" a dragon. I also think we could have been given more information about the clans, and their various dynamics.

Alongside this, I felt like we weren't given enough information about the characters. Most of the side characters seemed extremely one dimensional, and the main character's story felt so abrupt that I didn't totally get his story at first. I am a sucker for a non-linear timeline, for being shoved right into the thick of the action, but I just didn't feel like I could root for a protagonist whose world and motivations I didn't understand.

Which brings me to possibly my least favourite part of the book; the love story. It was implied that Markus had liked Amira for a long time, but for the first 70% of the book, there was absolutely no chemistry between them, and it all felt a little too "insta-love"y for me. However, after Amira and Markus's first date, it seemed to improve.

My last critique is on some of the descriptive language, which felt very repetitive, which made it boring to read. By the third time Amira was described with her "vanilla flavoured lotion," I had had enough.

Anyways, as I said before, there were moments where I thoroughly enjoyed the book...

The dragon racing scene was amazingly written, and my favourite part of the entire book was the dragon fight. It felt unique to the book, less surface-level telling and more descriptive showing then the rest of the book. It also made use of its own story, rather than drawing straight from its inspirations (Fast & Furious and HTTYD)

FINAL THOUGHTS:


This book is an easy read, and I'd never expect a debut novel to be perfect. With some fleshing out, nuance added and perhaps some distance from the inspiration, but rather its own story, this book could have been really good.

I enjoyed the concept of the dragons as pets and the academy, but this book left me feeling like I could have done without. The beginning was promising and the pacing was satisfying. loved the concept of the Ruby dragons and I enjoyed Amira’s character. However, there was no notable development from the characters and they all seemed surface-level. Where are their emotions and intensity and all that comes in between?

2.5/5 stars for me.

first off, thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

a fantasy in a really modern setting throws me off quite a bit to be quite honest.
i think the premise of this book sounded SO GOOD but

unfortunately the execution was not there. i get it being fast paced but it also felt rushed (but also not much happens???). i see the fast and the furious inspiration too but maybe it just didn’t flow well together.

the amount of times the word ‘bud’ was used in reference to his dragon was crazy.

towards the end, maybe the last 10%, there was so much sandwiched in there and too much happens. the writing for me was easy to follow along but the dialogue was odd.

to me, there was no background knowledge given about the dragons or where they came from. no overall knowledge about the college and things like that. also, all the characters are VERY surface level and there was no connection made, for me. i felt like i was grasping to connect with these characters to like the story more.

I really, really wanted to love this book based on the blurb highlighting similarities to the Fast & Furious series. And while I enjoyed it, I had a hard time getting into it. The story and plot was interesting, but the beginning of the book moved so fast I felt like I couldn’t catch up.

I would still recommend this to those who like book dragons.

This was an interesting concept but I felt like the plot wasn’t super engaging and I didn’t really connect much with the characters at all. The dragons were cool, and the story was well written. I just unfortunately did not connect beyond a surface level with any of the characters so I wasn’t rooting for them. The ending was meant to be impactful and probably would have been if I’d cared more about the characters but it just fell short for me The relationship in this felt very quick and I didn’t feel much of the reasoning as to why they liked each other at all. He was in love her from the get go and it felt predictable at times the way he would act.
Overall I think someone will love this book, but for me it wasn’t what I hoped it would be. I still enjoyed it enough to finish and rate 3 stars.

Dragon Den

Urban dragon fantasy set in the Pacific Northwest. Action packed throughout and ends on a mild cliffhanger. Definitely leaves an opening for a continuation.

The military dragon academy theme gives me Fourth Wing vibes. I can definitely see themes from Fast and the Furious. I don’t know that I would have compared this to an adult How to Train Your Dragon since they don’t really train the dragons more like capture and collar them.


MMC is already in lust for the FMC so no build up of tension or real relationship development until the end. There are *TWO* gratuitous spicy scenes. 🌶️ Both from the MMC perspective that as a fantasy and romance reader I can appreciate.

-I wish there was more world building about the dragons. The author solves this by giving us a bit of history and lore surrounding the dragons interspersed through little snippets. But I would have liked more. There were references to several different world wars but I didn’t get how that helped, just felt like okay so maybe we are in the future or an alternate reality but now I have more questions that aren’t really related to our characters or plot.

-I also found myself wishing for more dragon thoughts and communication between the MMC and his dragon. For a book compared to How to Train your Dragon there wasn’t a lot of dragon training or play with them other than racing and just using them for tasks.

The writing style was quite plain and easy to follow I read the book in about 4.5hours throughout the day. There was enough action to keep me moving through.

This book was a solid 3 for me. Credit to the author for bringing a unique take on urban dragon lore and making them race.


Thank you to Yggdrasil Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book and providing me with an ARC. All views expressed are my own.

I really hate rating ARCs low but this one over promised and under delivered.

I want to start this review by simply congratulating the author on writing a whole ass book. That is a feat in itself. Unfortunately, I think this one could have had a lot more editing before it reached publication.

This book is marketed as Fourth Wing meets How to Train your Dragon except we don't really get any of that background... they are at some dragon school (I think?) and have taken classes on how to "break" a dragon but as readers we don't know what that means. Even the conflicts are not well fleshed out so understanding the importance of each event is difficult.

You could say there is some romance in this book but there's next to no build up and it kind of just falls into your lap.

If you're looking for a relatively short book that incorporates dragons in an academic environment, maybe pick this one up and see if it works for you!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC! ❤️

This was sadly not my cup of tea. I love dragons as much as the next person but this one just didn’t hit the same way. I wasn’t a fan of the dragon racing stuff or any of that. This felt like a weird rip off of FW

If you liked “ how train your dragon” or “ fast and the furious” this book is for you. It shares many similarities to those franchisees. In my opinion this book had too many common attributes and was underwhelmed with the unoriginality of this book. The story is fast and entertaining enough to keep you enjoying it though,

Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for this ARC! First, I would like to mention that this ARC was only 180ish pages and the listing on Barnes and Noble and other websites have it at 310 pages. So, this review is not of the full book, but a pretty good chunk of it.

The book begins in the middle of Markus’ journey - I had no idea what was happening before the first scene. It appears that he (and his other first-year classmates) are to bond with a dragon. When Markus fails to bond with one, he is given the opportunity to stay in the Academy and have a dragon (named Loki) - the only catch is that he has to finish an undercover mission involving a girl who he has a huge crush on, her family, gangs, and stolen goods.

I thought the side characters were kind of interesting, and I found Loki the dragon to be my favorite. Unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with Markus and the other characters, probably because there was a lot of backstory that I’m hoping was covered in the full book. There was also very little world building, but I thought it was interesting that the setting is in modern day Seattle. I liked the concept of the book - dragons, an undercover mission, and “illegal” dragon racing sounded fun, but the book was just too rushed. I’m hoping that the actual book fleshes out the characters and plot more. I also thought it was different that the main character is a male - a majority of the books I read that are similar have the main character as a female.

Dragon Den by Kriss Dean 2⭐️

I was extremely intrigued by the premise of this book which is described as a mix of HTTYD, Fourth Wing and Fast and Furious but I was pretty disappointed with the actual book. I feel, as a whole, the book was underdeveloped. The writing and storyline were not flushed out to the best of their ability. I couldn’t understand why the characters were making the choices they were because we were thrown into the story halfway through. I didn’t have any connection to the main character Markus and his relationship with Amira felt forced and completely random. I think the character deaths that happened were there purely for shock value and didn’t add anything to the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for the ARC as always but I will not be continuing the story.