What started as an interesting concept mixing the Fast and the Furious with How to Train Your Dragon - turned into a page-turning, tension-building, dragon-loving, twisty novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Whilst some moments were quite cheesy, like the line from the movie that was edited to suit dragon racing not cars... But overall the characters had raw backstories that transformed this into one you just won't want to put down. This is one for those who love dragons and cars and the thrill of everything in between. This was a real delight and an original piece.

This has been a difficult book to rate. I’m generously giving it 3 stars. I have a lot of strange feelings about it but ultimately I did finish it and had an okay time doing so. This probably will have spoilers as I work through my feelings.

Overall the book is an easy, surface level read. The writing and characters give very YA vibes but there was some more mature content. The little spicy scenes took me by surprise tbh. Don’t get me wrong, I like spice, I love spice, but it felt very out of place here. The story would not have been very different or negatively impacted if the romance was fade to black or even left out entirely. There was very little character development and the relationships felt very quick and forced. The entire book happens within a matter of days but without any world building it seems to go even quicker.

I unfortunately don’t think this book lived up to its description. There were too many direct plot points taken from the Fast and the Furious, multiple conversations that were nearly verbatim. It really took me out of the story and I actually had to put the book down and switch to something else a couple of times. The conversation about “what’s that restaurant” “oh you can take me there instead” just made me want to stop reading and watch the movie instead.

I also don’t know how all of these recent books are set in a place of higher academic learning but there’s very little school-related work actually being done. Who just lets a bunch of teenagers run around committing felonies?? If anything this was Gossip Girl with a few dragons. A group of rich, privileged teens just running around rampant - idk maybe I’m just too old for these plots now. (I’m 35 since that’s actually relevant.) And Markus makes me really really glad I never had to live inside the mind of a 19 year old boy. I enjoy plenty of books with male main characters and male POVs but he seemed particularly juvenile and self centered. Thank goodness he had Loki to redeem him.

Beginning this story was like being dropped into the middle of a story - I really missed the world building and history. I’m also not a fan of how the author chose to “break in” the dragons which seems to be collaring them against their will. There’s certainly not enough world building to suggest the dragons are really all that thrilled into being bound to humans as the collars alter their brain chemistry or something like that I think. Again, just not enough really went into developing this plot point. Really most plot points. There seemed to be a whole lot going on but it was all so surface level it just fell flat for me. I doubt I’ll pick up any possible sequels, I just didn’t care enough about any of the characters, even the dragons. Though I did appreciate that there were actual stakes in this book and everything wasn’t just tied up in a pretty bow.

this book was so hard to like for the first 60%

character development? none
plot arc? none

people HATED the MMC with zero type of explanation for 0% of the book, and there was no world explanation or anything. this book could of been made 20 pages longer to include some of this stuff and it would of probably made it better.

it was a short, fast read, when it wasn’t frustrating having zero background information it was fun.

the last 20% of this book made it 2 stars, because at that point i at least had some character development information. and it was fun and captivating, for that 20%.

For fans of:
- Fourth Wing
- Fast and Furious
- The Expendables

Markus is kind of a dummy. He has huge aspirations and his heart is in the right place, but his execution is a bit lackluster. Luckily, things tend to go Markus' way regardless, so when he fails to break a dragon (which usually ends in expulsion or death) he is able to earn his way back into the Dragon Rider academy by solving a mystery for the local law enforcement. The stakes are high and he wonders if he will ever be able to keep his place in the academy without betraying any of his friends.

This book includes:
- dragon riders and dragon school
- heists galore
- high stakes
- rivals to friends
- urban fantasy

"Dragon Den" is a quick, lighthearted read. Markus makes soooo many silly mistakes and that kept me very entertained while reading. His dynamic with Amira is super cute and I liked watching their friendship grow. It took me a second to get used to a world that included both dragons and trucks, but I liked the urban aspects of the fantasy by the end.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Yggdrasil Press, and Kriss Dean for the opportunity to review this book. This review is also available on my GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

Markus is a dragon rider at Dragild Military Academy. As part of the graduation requirements, he has to break a dragon, and he has his eyes set on a Black Clubtail. Unfortunately, Markus’s ambitions get the best of him, and he fails to break a dragon, meaning he has to leave the school. He is unexpectedly given a second chance and a dragon with the stipulation that he has to infiltrate the Dragon Den and figure out who is stealing obsidian.

I was intrigued by the overall concept of this book, but it didn’t quite work for me. There wasn’t quite enough world building. I wanted more information about the dragons, especially the ones sleeping in the volcano. The concept of breaking dragons by putting collars on them didn’t really work for me. I just felt bad for the dragons being forced to go against their own will because of an obsidian collar. I also struggled connecting with any of the characters. Markus in particular was really selfish, mean, and overall just seemed ungrateful for the second chance that he was given. I don’t really understand how Mamba decided to let Markus collar him with almost no effort after he killed anyone who tried to get near him before that. It was a predictable, but disappointing ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for the ARC.

This book needed a lot more story building and maybe a redo imo. It has so much potential but just kind of fell short for me.

I had high hopes for this book, but ultimately had to conclude that it was not ready for publication, and the publisher did the author a disservice by submitting it for reviews before some of the issues could be addressed. A decent premise that needed better development and more careful attention to detail. I won’t be submitting a public review because I don’t think that’s fair to the author.

Dragon Den is exactly what it promised to be: a love letter to How to Train your Dragon and The Fast and the Furious. It is light, fast, and bingable. It doesn't plunge too deep in any particular area, but it will keep you entertained.

Thank you Kriss Dean, Yggdrasil Press, The Nerd Fam, and NetGalley for my advanced review copy. My opinions are my own.

Dragon Den is out now!

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 3
Character Development - 2
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 3

I thought that this book had potential. It has an urban setting with dragons and dragon riders, almost like fourth wing. Which drew me in. But unfortunately the story itself did not keep me interested like I hoped.

Compared to Fast and the Furious and I was excited because I love those movies.
But really, this was basically the entire plot of the first FatF movie but with dragons. And Marcus was no Paul Walker (RIP). I knew exactly what was going to happen because I’ve seen the movie.
Felt like fan fiction. Only finished it because I love the movie so much.
Bigger themes like racism and such felt like they were put in to give it “depth” but they were never really explored. Ditto to world building. Like there’s been more than six World Wars yet we still use tablets and cell phones just like today? Unclear.
Overall quick and enjoyable but maybe should be advertised as fan fiction versus a real novel.

I guess when I aw that it was HTTYD meets Fast & Furious, I didn't expect for word for word scenes and phrases to come out of Fast & Furious. I think this needed another edit from an outside source before publication.

ook review 📚
Dragon Den by Kriss Dean
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The amount of imagination used within this book is nothing short of spectacular. From the very first page it grabbed me and took me on such an adventure into a world where dragons rule the skies. But these dragons that rule the skies? Imagine it in OUR world. In 2024, in the middle of London (or wherever you’re from) and there’s DRAGONS!

Yeah, that pretty much sold me as well. So, anyway. These Dragons only come out once a year and you’ve got the chance to “tame” them. I mean I don’t need to tell you more, all of the above should have sold you. But….

Dean has an impeccable way of writing; he brings the characters to life and you feel the need to follow them on their journey. It’s not reading for the sake of reading, its NEEDING to read to find out more. Honestly, chokehold.

Each and every aspect of this book was perfect and brilliant, my only flaw would be to make it longer! I would of loved an even deeper insight into the characters.

When I saw this book marketed as "Fast and Furious with dragons" and a must-read for fans of *How to Train Your Dragon*, I was thrilled. However, I didn’t anticipate how closely it would follow the original storylines. I’m all for retellings, but it felt excessive when the dialogue was almost identical, and even the character’s name, Mia (even if it’s a nickname here), was the same.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t hit the mark for me. I found myself bored, already knowing how everything would unfold and struggling to connect with the characters.

Dragon Den was so much fun. It had dragons in the modern day and gave off How to Train Your Dragon vibes from the beginning with Game of Thrones references thrown in from time to time.

The only reason why I am giving Dragon Den 4 stars is because of the sexism.

Other than that, the plot was fascinating, yet I do not think it was a good idea to have the main character imply very early on he wants to bone the female lead character. This could have been hinted at subtley at a later date, but not straight away.

Unfortunately DNF. From the beginning I found it boring and with too many clichés. Unfortunately it did not convince me at all and after a while I could not go forward. I still put two stars because the idea was not bad

It felt very much like it wanted to be just like Fourth Wing which is what I expected going in. Wish it was a big more original.

This book was just not for me. I love dragons but the tone and the pace of writing was just very off putting to me. I feel like I was missing part of the story at every turn and that it was a truly unfinished copy.

This book was definitely fast paced. Almost to the point where I felt it was rushed. The romance seemed a little forced, but overall the plot & book is decent.

I really, really hate giving this a low rating because it was an ARC, but honestly there were sooo many issues I just couldn't get past (
To start, I felt like the writing was geared more towards young adult but then it would get super graphic during a spice scene and it was SO jarring. A lot of the dialogue and writing in general was choppy and felt awkward, and there were many conversations that were strangely underdeveloped and cut short?? There was one scene where the main character Markus tells a girl that her "dress was lit" and I wanted to just DNF.
The plot did not make sense to me at all. The main character fails at "breaking" a dragon and then gets chosen for this ultra secret spy mission on his way out?? It was just so strange ( there's absolutely no background information on what's happening so I honestly was confused for most of this book.
I really wanted to enjoy this because I love dragons, but this book was missing SO much. The vibes were there sometimes but the lack of worldbuilding and choppy dialogue overshadowed that.

I went into this with high expectations due to the comparison with Fourth Wing and Sarah J. Maas, which are two of my favourite books, but this did not hit the mark for me.

Though I liked that the book was fast paced, I did feel that at some points it was a little too fast and the connection to the characters suffered as a result. I really enjoyed the scenes with the dragons, they were brilliant and the dialogue was on point!

Sadly, I am not a fan of insta-love unless it has a little bit of back and forth between the characters which I didn't get here. There was no sparks flying between these characters so it felt a little off.