I really enjoyed this book. It was so unique mixing current times with dragons. And the racing scenes gave me anxiety! fell in love with Loki and have so many questions about Amira and Tobias’s mom. There is still so much to find out, There needs to be a second book!

I feel REALLY bad for this rating so let's call it a 2.5???

The thing is, it's a good idea and it's a good start. But it's better off as a rough draft that needs a lot of editing before it should be released. It sounds harsh, but the How to Train Your Dragon/Fourth Wing vibes are much more than vibes, with very little world-building and stagnant characters.

I'm so confused by the worldbuilding and the whole "dragon" aspect. Dragons are common in Washington, I guess, and people are used to seeing them and their riders flying above their cities- but are there other dragons/dragon nests? Where did the dragons come from? When were they discovered? (It was mentioned there was a World War VII so I'm guessing this book comes from the future?)

It also doesn't vibe well with me that the dragon riders are basically enslaving dragons and forcing them away from their natural instinct to bond with them? I get that it can't be the same thing as Fourth Wing but it's hard to feel good with the main character bonding with a dragon that's been "broken". It didn’t help that other than the dragon being funny sometimes, there wasn’t all that much bonding happening either. Also, why do the dragons with male riders have to be named after gods while the dragons with female riders have to be named after animals? So much so that some dead guy was still being mocked even in death bc he called his dragon “Stallion”????

I didn't like the characters. The main lead was both insecure and ridiculously full of himself, which was an interesting combination, but it got on my nerves more than once. He'd be all over the girl he's into and somehow saying she's the only one he wants but also last month he was *with* the girl in the bedroom NEXT DOOR-

And the love interest was close to being an interesting character, but then she'd have a scene where it's clear she's only there for the lead to lust over/get with/etc. and the other characters were there just to move the plot along.

The writing style was also hard to read, as it wound up feeling more like “telling” than “showing”. Since it didn’t go into much detail or describe the character’s emotions, it was easier to read too fast, and I kept having to stop and pace myself. Especially in this one scene in the beginning that’s filled with emotions, it sort of read like the author listed bullet points of what she wanted to happen and then forgot to add more depth.

Closer to the end, it got better. But the first half was ROUGH, and the only thing that got better was the plot. I am thinking I'll keep reading if a sequel comes out because I really want to know if the "breaking of dragons" system gets demolished.

thank you Netgalley for the arc

This was an exciting ride or a book and it kept going. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but i'll say i was thoroughly surprised. And say dragons and you've got me. The pacing was very good, lots of action, loved the banter and romance; the academy part of it pulled me in and i honestly wanted more. Some parts of the plot mirrored things i've seen before almost to the tea and slowed things down including my excitement as i felt it was on the nose (i'm not going to spoil what i'm referring to, but iykyk). Anyways, didn't change too much for me as i loved baby boo Marcus and his Amira. A lovely vacation read with some wine as your adrenaline is sure to pump on this one. Thanks NetGalley.

I don’t mind when books have been inspired by other books but this was a bit beyond “inspired”. I DNF’d this at about 70%

I really enjoyed this book a lot! It gave me Fourth Wing/How to train your dragon vibes mixed with a little Fast and Furious. I definitely think there needs to be another one! There could be so much more to the storyline now. I really liked the combination of dragons with present day because I haven’t really read anything quite like it before. I also liked that it was a short and sweet read, I finished it in a day. I loved all the characters as well, but I would like to see them in more detail as well maybe in a second book. Great read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book felt like The Fast and The Furious, but with dragons. The premise was good, but I felt that the story should have been fleshed out more. For example, someone dies at the beginning and the main character is not really upset or bothered by the death. It more serves as a reminder that dragons are dangerous.

The characters could have been better developed. There wasnt a gut punch when someone died. The main character felt like Paul Walker's character from TFATF.

Overall, the book had a lot of potential, but it just missed the mark.

I really liked the premise of this book. I wanted it to be good for me with the inspiration of Fast & and Furious and How To Train Your Dragon, but the execution fell flat. I didn’t feel connected to the main character and wasn’t as engaged as I wanted to be. For the right audience, this could be a good book.

This was FUN!
Fast-paced, high-stakes, underground racing, falling for the little sister, undercover "agent"... I mean, seriously, IT IS The Fast and the Furious, but with DRAGONS!
I'm curious - can we expect a full Dragon Den series like the F&F saga as well??

Full disclosure, the inspiration derived from the movie is pretty on the nose, and I can see that being a nuisance for some readers. Barring the fact that the premise is dragons and terms are updated accordingly, some lines are basically verbatim.
With that noted, the direct correlation is of no issue to me. I flew through this book 😏 and I'm ready for more!
This is low / urban fantasy. The dragon / rider relationship and dragon origins aren't greatly expanded on. With the urban PNW setting and racing plot, I appreciate that more time was spent on the underground racing scene, building the rider / dragon relationship, and the romantic subplot.

As far as characters go, I found Markus, the MMC, to be easy-going and driven, and I personally enjoyed his simple humor. Without giving too much away - even if you've only watched the first Fast and Furious movie - the main characters in this story resemble the major players from the movie. I do appreciate the BIPOC representation, and that the ending DIDN'T stay true to the events of the movie, leaving the possibility for book two to become autonomous from the plot fans, like me, would expect.

This has a romantic subplot, and graphic on-page romance. It was vanilla, but the chemistry is definitely there. Being that this is all from Markus's perspective, we get all of his thoughts regarding his love interest. Personally, he sounded like a 19-year-old guy who really appreciated this one specific girl - A LOT. It was sweet.
*note to add*
Other reviews found him vulgar. But, perspective, Folks. He's nineteen years old......
With that in mind, his outward character was pretty respectful and monogamous 🤷‍♀️

I looooooove a dragon book, so of course I wanted to check this out! I was totally captivated- this is a fast paced, high action story, with just enough romance! I foresee this being very popular with Fourth Wing fans!

Look, I love dragon books as much as the next girl. In fact, I probably live for dragon books. But this book? Started off rough and ended okay.

I know that's harsh, but it was just hard to get into. Within a couple pages, the main male character is sexualize the female character before we have even been introduced to the world. In fact, there is almost no world building at all. The way dragons are treated make me sick, and so much of this book feels unoriginal. I was really really really excited for this book because it promised Eragon meets Fourth Wing, but all I got was a headache.

This was a slog :( It was really difficult to get through and I didn't like the characters or the plot. Sorry to be giving feedback that isn't great!

The book is a fast and entertaining read with likable characters and great potential. It draws inspiration from "The Fast and the Furious" but with dragons, which, while fun, may feel a bit unoriginal. Unfortunately, the world-building is lacking, and readers may feel lost due to being thrust into the middle of the story without much context.

Certain terms like "bioluminescent orbs" and "echolocation" are repeated excessively throughout the book, sometimes multiple times within the same chapter, which can become a distraction. The repetitive word choice stood out enough to detract from the overall reading experience.

Despite these drawbacks, the book shows promise and could develop into a compelling story with more world-building in future installments. I am left hoping that the series will reach its full potential and deliver a more immersive and engaging narrative.

Fast and furious meets how to train your dragon? Say less. One of the most exciting arc approvals I had so far but unfortunately this one left me disappointed.

The summary: Marcus has always dreamed of breaking a black club tail and becoming a dragon rider. However when he fails to break any dragon at all, his time at Dragild Military Academy is over. Unexpectedly the commandment offers him a broken dragon, with. a catch. Markus must infiltrate the clan at Dragon Den, suspected of highjacking trucks of obsidian. He jumps at the opportunity to salvage his dreams, but getting in with the clan at the dragon den is harder that he thought, especially when distracted by the clan leaders daughter…

What I liked:
- Dragons, truly you can never go wrong throwing a dragon book my way.
- New to me concept for attaining a dragon. I think this could have been fleshed out loads better, but I’ll give points for a new to me idea.
- Dragon-racing - dragons go fast - I’m easy to entertain 💁🏻‍♀️

What I didn’t like;
- any of the characters, they felt so flat. Even when the story tried to provide some depth it felt hollow. Three dragons die and I don’t even tear up? I cry for car commercials.. absolutely should have sobbed at that bark but I felt zero connection to the loss. Markus is actually annoying in some parts and his inner monologue was painful especially re; Amira.
- world building - I read this whole book and I still have no idea how or why anything works the way it does?
- making the love interest a POC character for the plot. Icky. It felt very shallow and there is almost no connection for her to her culture or race outside of a really poorly written conflict with the brother.
-the cliffhanger - I have no idea why Mamba would find Markus appealing at all. What has he done to earn the trust of a dragon who’s basically incinerated or refused everyone else?

The more I think about this book the less “but it has dragons” does for me. I think this book would’ve benefitted from more editing or more eyes on the story. I really like the bones of the story and I had high hopes for this one so I’m very disappointed to be leaving a one star review. I don’t think I’m the only one who feels badly about giving a bad review especially on an ARC, but I can’t really justify anything else for what I just read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for an arc; all opinion are my own.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

An interesting concept that falls a bit flat at the final hurdle. I liked the idea of this book and it was quick and easy to read, o just think it needs some more polish to it? Like the author needed to sit for a little bit longer and figure out the true plot of the book and have a stronger sense of characterisation to make the book more enjoyable!

I was interested in this book for my post-Fourth Wing hangover, but I found that this did not measure up as well as I would have liked. Seemed a bit rushed and underdeveloped, though some of the ideas were intriguing. Will probably read follow up novels.

this has SO much potential. i just think it was too short and there wasn’t enough character development. it was also very very fourth wing coded. i really liked how it was set in the modern era and mixed in tech with the dragons and dragon college but i wanted more umph to the world building and the whole story in general. It was also very predictable but still had me slightly on edge at times :)

Thank you to NetGalley, Kriss Dean, and Yggdrasil Press for an advanced copy of this book.

DNF @ 28%. This is a book that is trying to be Fourth Wing so badly but it doesn’t even come close. The writing is very choppy and juvenile, even though it’s supposed to be an adult book. It’s hard to imagine dragons living in Washington/Oregon and in the same universe as 18 wheelers. I think this could be good a good idea for a children’s novel, but not adult.

Thank you NetGalley for the eArc copy of this book for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this book. Wonderful world building. I have been on a dragon binge, so this definitely satisfied!

𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙚𝙣 𝖻𝗒 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗻
𝘈𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘸
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝟦/𝟧 ⭐️

As a student at Dragild Military Academy, Markus has been training to become one of the Goldwings; now it is time for him to claim a dragon. Markus has been waiting for this moment, with collar in hand he plans to break a Black Clubtail. When he returns to Dragild without a dragon, Markus knows his dismissal from the academy is imminent. The commandant, however, has other plans for Markus that could get him killed. To remain at Dragild, Markus must infiltrate the Dragon Den and determine which clan is behind the hijacking of obsidian. There is only one problem: one of the clan leader's daughters is his friend and his biggest distraction.

A captivating story with plot twists and enjoyable characters. Readers can jump right into the story with minimal world-building, which makes the pace of this book perfect. The rider-dragon relationship is very similar to other books, but the way dragons are claimed is different, allowing for this book to stand out on its own. Dean’s writing flows naturally, making this an easy, quick read.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
✨ Urban Fantasy
✨ Undercover agents
✨ Banter
✨ Rival clans
✨ Military academies

Thank you to Netgalley, Kriss Dean, and Yggdrasil Press for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.