I enjoyed reading The Last Dragon King, it is a really good book and has good character development. I liked how it was easy to understand what I was reading, and kept me interested. It was a fast read for me, it kept me on the edge of my seat, and I didn't want to put it down. I liked reading about Arwen and Drae's characters. It felt like I was a part of the story. I definitely recommend The Last Dragon King.

I enjoyed this story very much. YA is not my typical go-to, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

It focused less on building an extensive backstory for every character, which I appreciated in this short story. I enjoyed the back-and-forth banter between the main characters. It made the king come across as more down-to-earth than your typical "I'm above all of you" personality.

It was a very easy read and maybe a bit too easy. The level of conversations held made it a bit too juvenile. I understand it's YA, but with a king's prestige and education, one would think it would be present in how he spoke.

One area I wish was expanded more was her time in the palace training. You jump from discovering she is the lost dragon queen to immediate training to weeks, almost months later, and she can already wield magic and fire. Including some of these pieces would have helped show how their relationship grew.

Overall it's a great story. Keep it up!

Leia Stone's "The Last Dragon King" unfolds a captivating tale in a world where royal decree and dragon magic collide. The news of the Dragon King seeking a wife sets the stage for a whirlwind of excitement and tension in a small village. The royal guard's quest to find women with the magical prowess to bear an heir for the king injects an element of anticipation into the narrative.

The protagonist, a watered-down human with a modest ten percent dragon magic lineage, faces an unexpected twist when the magic sniffers insist she present herself as a potential wife. This premise introduces a unique blend of fantasy and romance, where the allure of Jade City and the royal court becomes both enchanting and perilous.

As the story unfolds, the tension escalates with a terrifying secret revealed by the protagonist's mother. The looming danger, coupled with the potential for romance, creates a compelling narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Stone expertly balances the elements of fantasy and romance, ensuring that the world-building enhances the love story rather than overshadowing it.

"The Last Dragon King" promises a standalone fantasy romance with a satisfying happily ever after (HEA), providing readers with the assurance of a fulfilling conclusion. Leila Stone's novel is a journey into a world where magic, romance, and danger intertwine, offering an escape for those seeking a tale that blends the enchanting with the thrilling.

Honestly. I have never read Leia Stone. I like this book. I don't know. It was enjoyable and good. I don't really have any overwhelming feelings about this book.

This was a quick read for me in between installments in a very long and intense series. Literally quick- I finished it in about 2 hours!
Some highlights:
-parts of this book made me chuckle aloud
-I enjoyed much of the banter between our two MC’s
-I’m a sucker for a good hidden/secret history trope
-This was easy to read, and overall enjoyable
-The ending provides a level of HEA while still Hinting at trouble to come- which is ideal for me at the beginning of a series!

Now for the aspects I enjoyed less:
-Although I enjoy many YA stories, the use of language read a little “too” YA for my taste. At times I felt it was overly simple, which was occasionally distracting from the deeper story.
-The story and plot points often felt rushed to me. I would have enjoyed certain occurrences, character development, and character relationships being more fleshed out.

All in all, this provides the palate cleanser I was looking for and I’m curious enough to pick up the next installment. 3.5/5 stars.

This review was based on an advanced copy of the book.

The Last Dragon King is the first novel in a series of books that each center around a different Kingdom within Avalier. Each Kingdom is run by a different magical creature, dragonkind, elves, fae, wolves and necros. They are all at war with the Queen of the human kingdom who has developed technology that is a threat to all the magical lands.
This first book centers around the Kingdom of the dragonkind. It is a fast and fun read. I grew to like the main characters and liked their romantic plot, even if it was all very predictable. It's a simple but very engaging story that I couldn't put down. The writing is simple and at times the inner dialogue of the narrator is a bit "modern" and awkward, but not enough to diminish the story.

Overall, it's not epic, it's not even that original, but it was a lot of fun and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast and addicting read.

I absolutely loved this book! I can't believe I waited so long to read it. Leia has a way of writing a story so that you lose track of where you are. You truly feel like you are right there with the characters. I couldn't put this book down and I can't wait to finish the series.

Very fast paced and quick story of a young woman finding out she is more than she seems and that the man she loves could be out of reach. This story was super fast paced but didn’t leave any big holes in the plot or as a reader feel like there were any holes that left out missing information. I would have loved if this was a bit longer and that there could have been something accomplished besides the relationship between the MMC and MFC. It didn’t really have as much action or as much problematic situations happen that could setup for what comes next. I don’t think the next book in this series follows the same characters so I wonder if these characters are going to be revisited or if they won’t have that big of a part anymore. Overall this was okay and I hope the next books bring more to the table.

I had such high hopes for this one but sadly it didn't live up to the hype. The Last Dragon King was just an okay read for me. There were enjoyable moments but for the most part it was underwhelming. It was riddled with modern language when it was set in medieval times and the writing style didn't work for me either. Would I read the next in the series, yes because I've read other series where I wasn't a fan of the first book but loved the rest of the series.

This book captivated me from beginning to end. The characters were so vivid and well-developed that I found myself immersed in their world. The plot was charged with suspense, and the unexpected twists.
The author's writing style is engaging and gripping. Every page was a joy to read, and the atmosphere created through the descriptions made the story even more intense. The positive emotions evoked by the book made it an unforgettable reading experience.
The careful attention to detail and creative storytelling completely drew me into the narrative. The book exceeded my expectations, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of The Last Dragon King by Leia Stone. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for this ARC.

The Last Dragon King was a fun fantasy romance with magic, dragons, and a long-lost Queen. The romance between Arwan and the King was fun but predictable. They did add some romantic hurdles, but these trials all seemed quickly overcome. Which isn't bad, but I would not have minded those hurdles creating more character growth. All in all, this book was entertaining, but I don't feel the need to read the sequel right away. I give The Last Dragon King a solid 3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars

I didn't have very high expectations when it came to this book. Sure, I wanted to enjoy it, but I didn't expect anything super out of this world--and that's exactly what I got. This book is decent enough to read. I (like the rest of the world) have been into dragon-related novels these days, which is why I picked this up. To be honest, this book is very tropey (poor girl who gets to take care of her family turns out to be a lost heir to the throne; king falls in love with said girl), but that necessarily isn't a bad thing.

While I enjoyed reading this book, I felt like the plot and pacing were too quick. In my eyes, problems were resolved by the next chapter and there was little to no build up in relationships (friendships and romantic relationships). I would have appreciated seeing more page time between Arwen and the King, as well as Arwen and Joslyn. Even the training that Arwen goes through to become a solider for the king is skipped over and hardly addressed except through one flying scene. Arwen's personal development is hardly written about, though I do love her personality of not giving a shit about what other people think about her.

Additionally, for a YA book, the worldbuilding meets YA standards I suppose. It's very high level and doesn't go into many (if any) details, making it easy to read. However, I think some parts of the world could have been explored a little more, such as the war with the Nightfall Queen.

Overall, this book was okay.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book. I enjoyed reading it more than I thought I would. The pace felt a little slow but I liked the storyline and characters. I wished to have seen more connection between Drae and Arwen, but I still liked the book and I’m glad I read it
The story presents Arwen, a normal girl who gets selected to be a potential wife for the king. In this journey she finds a secret that could endanger her. This book has a happy ending and can also be read as a stand-alone. It is a little spicy in the end but it was an enjoyable story.

4.5 stars (

I loved this book the first time, and I will always continue to love Leia Stone's work.
The writing flows well.
The story is really good, with some sadness and tension with heartache and love.
Dragon shifting, forced proximity, arranged marriage, back-up wife with mixed feelings.
Loved the side characters too.

I have all 4 books in this series.
They are all standalones.
They are all really good reads.

I have read this complete series and I can say that this first book is not at all like the other 3.
We meet Arwen who is a hunter and just wants to live her normal life until the Dragon King, Drae, sets his search for a new queen who can bear him an heir.
At first I was like ‘Dragons?’ But also when you here the words, wife, queen and heir. You kind of cringe a little. Arwen was a very strong FMC and is the obvious choice but I did appreciate her fight to choose what she wanted. She didn’t want to be queen at all but decided to be a knight no matter her feeling for Drae.
I think the biggest highlight is the big plot. The human queen trying to bring war to all the magical beings using technology and science. The fact that this bigger plot spans 4 books is what made me keep reading for sure.

I love the world of leia stone. I couldnt put this book down looking forward to find out what would happen next. Following arwen finding out shes more then the human she thought herself to be. To trying to find a way to get the king to love her and not kill her because of her bloodline. Plenty of love and action involved.

I didn't love this book. The writing style was too modern to immerse myself in the story, with lots of slang. Also, there were a couple of plot points I didn't love, as other reviewers have mentioned.

DNF at 80%. This book was unfortunately not for me, I knew it was YA and I enjoy a lot of books in the YA genre, but this book just seemed over the top immature in some places. The FMC was very unlikeable, she was very judgey of other women and constantly asked questions/brought up topics that were not appropriate, than was confused that people reacted poorly to her. I did enjoy how the MMC had no issues with her joining the army and having a job that traditionally was only for men, but when they started to negotiate how they would go about giving the kingdom an heir I just couldn't go on anymore. This book had a lot of great elements and gave a similar feel of other fantasies I have enjoyed, but the immature dialogue and choppy plot was unfortunately not for me.

Overall rating: 3.5
Spice: 2
The Last Dragon focuses on Arwen, a girl in a poor village of hybrids. She lives an uncomplicated life, supporting her mother and sister, and enjoys her simplistic lifestyle. Her whole life is upended, however, when Drae, the Dragon King, appears at her village searching for a wife powerful enough to bear an heir. As Arwen is gathered away from her community and into the rich and opulent Jade City, lines are drawn, relationships are formed, and secrets are exposed.
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Leia Stone does a wonderful job of creating a page turner. The plot definitely flows—each time I think Arwen and Drae will catch a break, there’s another twist or shock that adds to the plot. I definitely didn’t hate or dislike the book, and would recommend it to people looking for a fast-paced, fun read. I did, however, want to like the novel a lot more. For me, some parts were rushed, and others lacking, and overall the novel could’ve been stronger in some areas.

If you’re looking for a sensual novel, this novel will definitely satisfy your itch. Though there aren’t extensively graphic spicy scenes, Drae and Arwen’s relationship is swoonworthy. I love their chemistry, their banter, and the sparks! Even before their relationship, the tension between Drae and Arwen is there. The overcoming of conflicts towards the end of the novel made the relationship 100% more realistic, and I loved seeing the actions, conversations, and resolution between both characters. In my opinion, the tensions within the relationship worked to strengthen the bond. To any love-triangle haters (like me) no worries! The pair are devoted to each other relatively early, and remain so despite issues.

Trigger warning: the book touches heavily with infant loss and stillbirth

Things I liked
The tension between Drae and Arwen was beautifully executed. The issues between the two were raw and realistic, and even worked to demonstrate the passion and dedication between them. There are two main conflicts within the relationship, and I loved how they overcame and resolved the issues.
HEA! As much as I’m drawn to angst, I also love when characters get their happy ending. After years of back to back hardships, I loved the ending for Drae. It was so heartwarming to see his show of emotion and happiness at the end of the book, and the resolution of the book felt so cleancut. The ending truly felt like the finishing bow on the present.
Things that didn’t work for me
Unfortunately, the characters lacked depth to me. I absolutely adored the character aspects that were shown, but it felt like these characters weren’t individuals. Instead, it felt like these characters were tools, solely made to further Arwen’s and Drae’s plots and development. Regina (who I loved btw) was never really explored as Regina, and was instead casted off as Arwen’s friend, idol, and mentor. I would’ve loved to see the characterization of these people—their likes, dislikes, passions, and personalities (other than agreeing with or helping the MCs). Even Arwen, who was totally kickass, fell victim to the same treatment. Her actions primarily focused around hunting, and she had a tad bit of a superiority complex, typically claiming she wasn’t like other girls that liked pretty dresses and makeup.
I did find the relationship a bit insta-lovey. After about one day together and a bit of banter, Arwen has a deep crush on Drae, and Drae reciprocates tenfold. I find their relationship adorable, but it did feel a bit rushed.
Some key parts of the plot felt more told than shown.
The aforementioned points all combine to create the typical YA novel format. I believe if I was younger, the book would have been on my reread list. Despite the heavy themes, however, the novel still felt young in a way (which might be because of the young MC).

Overall, the book isn’t bad! It will appeal heavily to a YA audience, as the book is not overtly confusing or hard to follow. Lovers of romantasy, fast-paced novels, and dragons should definitely look into this book!

* I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a 4.5 / 5 ⭐️ read for me

This book follows the story of Arwen, an 18 year old girl who has become a hunter to feed her family, and King Drae, a dragon king who is searching for a woman with enough dragon kind in her lineage to give him an heir.

After Arwen is selected as a potential wife for the King, she is taken to the castle along with the other possible candidates. However war is brewing, and Arwen’s powers might be more than they appear.

I really really enjoyed this book. The characters were likeable and funny, Arwen and Drae had great banter and chemistry and the world-building was fantastic and well explained. Arwen was a bad-ass fmc and I like that she took no shit from anyone around her.

I do wish this book had a little more spice than it does, with only one brief scene depicted, but overall it was a great read and I’m looking forward to reading the sequels