eARC from netgalley :)

I thought that this book had so much potential, an urban setting with dragons and a dragon-riding school? sign me up and the cover is super gorgeous.
unfortunately not my favourite read, for a few reasons.

PLOT - we definitely feel as though we’ve been thrown in the deep end and are experiencing this world pretty dry. the plot doesn’t really feel as though there are any real stakes (possibly due to my non-existence attachment to the main character and lack of any real world-building) and most of the time the MMCs mind is just on what he wants to do to his girlfriend when he gets home.

CHARACTERISATION - not really there? markus is generally very unlikeable, consistently sexualising amira with every thought he has and somehow simultaneously having the worst self-esteem in the world and being incredibly full of himself. I really wanted to love amira and i was almost there, but she often just reads as a plot device and markus’ eye candy desire, when she could have been so much more. i feel like most of the characters were pretty much just easy stereotypes: markus is the good guy (questionable) with a crush on his best friend, amira is the pretty best friend who is super smart but secretly badass, theo is the hacker friend (who is mentioned to be gay like one time and then nothing is built on it), tobias is the cool older brother who hates the MMC. these would have been fine if there was some significant character development throughout the book, but the arc is only 180 pages and it does feel like it. gonna repeat this, i really wanted to love amira but she was so underutilised other than just being hot-smart-girl-he-wants-to-bone. also i dislike markus xD
I’m not black, so i can’t comment on how the ‘theme’ of racism was discussed, but it didn’t really appear in the narrative other than like one scene? so i dont really know in this case, but amira in general should have had so much character development and racism as a more key theme could have been one of the ways to do so.

DRAGONS - okay they were pretty cool, in concept and sometimes in practise. i did love loki, he could be very funny and just wanted to race and eat, and good for him. linking to the world-building, the emergence of dragons is just, they were alive with the dinosaurs and live in a volcano when they’re wild. like, one single volcano? all of them? also, the way they were ‘broken’ by forcibly having collars put on them and then belonging to the human who did that to them was quite icky to me.

overall, not the greatest reading experience, though I did manage to get through it quite quickly (180 pages) while reading a physical book alongside it. the potential is so there i just didn’t care for most of the execution.

The allure of "Dragon Den" initially captured my attention with its intriguing title and captivating cover art. The promise of a tale reminiscent of "How to Train Your Dragon" for adult audiences, along with comparisons to "Fourth Wings," sparked my curiosity. The journey through this book proved to be a thrilling and entertaining ride, though not without its flaws.

The story follows Markus, a character labeled as a 'bad boy' but who harbors softer sentiments for the good-hearted Amira, sister to the protective Tobias. Set against the backdrop of Seattle and Portland, the world-building introduces dragons coexisting with humanity, surviving a mass extinction event. While the concept is fascinating, the lack of thorough explanation about the dragons and their magical connection leaves the reader wanting.

Goldwing Academy serves as the setting for Markus's ambitions as a dragon rider, but his aspirations take an unexpected turn during a solstice event. Amira's timely intervention reveals her prowess, casting Markus in a less flattering light. The narrative also touches on gender dynamics in dragon naming conventions, which I found to be an unnecessary reinforcement of patriarchal norms.

The book draws heavy inspiration from various sources, such as "How to Train Your Dragon" and "The Fast and the Furious," sometimes to its detriment. The repetitive use of certain phrases and direct quotes from other media felt jarring and detracted from the originality of the story.

Amidst these critiques, the novel does offer moments of excitement and intrigue, with themes of racism and societal privilege adding depth to the narrative. However, I felt that Amira's character had untapped potential and was primarily relegated to the role of love interest and motivation for Markus.

Despite its flaws, "Dragon Den" delivers a fast-paced, action-packed adventure filled with dragons and excitement. While I enjoyed the read, I couldn't help but wish for more depth in character development and originality in storytelling.

4.5 Stars - Fourth Wing x Fast and Furious!

Dragons, academy, romance, bad ass female leads and politics!

I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed being dropped right into the action but I do agree with others that there was a lack of world building and character building. If more of this was done it definitely would add depth to the book but I still overall enjoyed it. I also feel like we barely know Marcus and his backstory. I did love Amira as a character and how bad ass she is! Overall great characters but hard to see their depth due to the little information we had.

I loved the dragons aspect and it does give Fourth Wing vibes (like a lottt). Definitely would recommend and excited to see where the story goes!

Thank you to NetGalley for my eARC copy!

After initially reading this first 50 pages and deciding to give up, I was feeling charitable one day and decided to keep going and that was a choice…

Number one you are literally dropped into the plot, almost the same as the character. he’s somehow chosen to become this ‘spy’ because he is simply walking by the right place at the right time? how convenient!

The writing in this feels like it needed another few passes with an editor. I’m not sure what’s going on with publishing lately but i’ve noticed an uptick in basic grammar and spelling errors, not just in ARCs but in finished printed copies as well.

I was interested to see a ‘romantasy’ with a male MC but then quickly lost interest as he feels so 2D he might as well be a cardboard cutout.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book for my honest review!

For me this book did not hit the spot. it was great writing but just did not peak my interest as much as i thought it would. it was definitely a great and easy read but just not one that i connected with.

The concept was there but the execution felt a little lacking. Many parts of this book felt rushed and a little cliche to me. The dialogue felt forced and unusual to say the least and was a little hard to picture as an actual conversation. It was a good book just not something I would pick up again.

This book was pretty disappointing overall. I do not mind a book that drops right into the story and generally prefer it, but unfortunately the book did the same thing with the main relationship. There is very little background or build up to the relationship, which made it really hard to be invested in the relationship.
The generally world concept was intriguing but it was not well established ever how it developed from modern day or why.
The choices that are revealed at the end did not seem to completely make sense for some of the chapters and the motivations were not established.
Overall, it was an interesting idea that completely missed the mark for me.

Dragon Den is certainly a wild ride. The comparison to The Fast and the Furious and How to Train your Dragon is spot on. I enjoyed the read, it’s quick and action packed. There’s a lot that isn’t explained in the world, why dragons only come out once a year, for example. I like to know a bit more why. The main character is male and I’m so used to reading from the female point of view, so I liked this for being different in that respect. Not sure how likeable the characters actually are but I found myself wanting to know more about them. Overall this isn’t a unique experience but it’s fun. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I really enjoyed parts of this! The idea of another book about a dragon rider really drew me in! And the idea of it being in America and in the future was really cool to me! There was a lot of funny banter and I loved the dragons! That’s always my favorite with these kinds of books, is learning the dragons personality! I did really like Markus! I will say that I felt the pacing was off in parts and it jumped around too fast. I felt like it was very YA in areas and then would just jump into a really smutty scenes. There was also not a lot of growth initially between the love interests. I felt like they were classmates and then suddenly in bed together. Overall it was a fun read but could definitely use some work!

This book originally caught my attention due to its cover and the title Dragon Den, then when I read the short blurb, I was intrigued. The book was stated to be good for adult fans of How to Train Your Dragon and reviews stated it was good for fans of Fourth Wings (which I actually haven’t read yet, though it is on my radar for buying soon). This Book was a fun, exciting ride from start to finish. I didn’t find that it had a slow boring world-building section, which has both its benefits and its flaws.

Markus is a ‘bad boy’ with a soft spot for the good girl, Amira. Amira is the sister of an intimidating and overprotective older brother Tobias, so Markus has to work on trying to get on Markus’s good side to get anywhere close to Amira. (However, In my opinion, Markus isn’t actually a bad boy. He has big ambitions, sure. However he just quite simply is not cool enough to be a bad boy. He doesn’t actually really do anything bad before he’s trying to get in with Tobias to begin with. And there is more at play with his budding friendship with Tobias than simply just him trying to get the girl.)
The book takes place in Seattle and Portland, with a world set pretty much exactly like ours, except Dragons exist… and somehow survived the mass extinction that took out the dinosaurs despite their colossal size. Perhaps it was due to the apparent magic around their volcanic den? Who knows. This book certainly makes no means of explaining the world and how the dragons work. We honestly barely learn anything about the dragons themselves. Except that they have been around since the dinosaurs, in the wild they hibernate all year round only coming out on the summer solstice but they can be broken (horse term) and if you put a collar on them, that matches with your own, not only can you talk to that dragon, but that dragon seemingly no longer needs to hibernate and no longer wants to kill you... This is where the often slow-going, world-building section could have been beneficial. However, if you don’t dwell and overthink it, it’s still enjoyable. Despite being an equestrian, I’m not a big fan of the “breaking a dragon” concept when the dragons are shown to have the same sentience level as people. But even with horses breaking them to be ridden, is a long process about trust… not just putting a collar on them and now you have pretty much full control of the dragon… depending on how thick you made the collar. It was shown that thinner collars allow a weaker bond level of control, but when the dragons have their own thoughts and feelings, and opinions, I think it’s a little iffy. But from what I understand (from reading other reviews) this was to differ it from Fourth Wing since apparently it’s extremely similar.

Markus, our apparent ‘bad-boy’ main character, is a first year at the Goldwing Academy, a military school for dragon riders. He has his sights set on the biggest, baddest dragon out there, a Black Clubtail. But on the solstice, things don’t go the way he was hoping (Which isn’t surprising, because if the top of the class isn’t even going for a Black Clubtail, what hope in hell does this idiot have, I mean come on.) But Amira swoops in and saves him because Amira is actually the cool one (Top of the class). There also seems to be a weird thing where the men can name their dragons after gods, while the women name their dragons after animals… and I personally really hate this. Patriarchy strikes again? I guess???

When the Description Said that this book took inspiration from Fourth Wing, How to Train Your Dragon, and Fast and Furious… I didn’t think it meant to the extent that it did. I think it’s okay to take inspiration from other media. However, there is a certain point where it stops being inspired and starts teetering by the edge of just ripping something. For example, Markus almost exclusively calls his dragon “bud”, exactly the same nickname Hiccup uses for Toothless in HTTYD. A small thing, that wouldn’t have been a big deal if it wasn’t for the extent that it was used. To the point that I started a “bud” counter.. and it was 26. At that point, it started to get a little grating. It also ripped an almost direct quote from The Fast and the Furious:
**Dom (The Fast and the Furious 2001): *Ask any racer. Any real racer. It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning.* Tobias (Dragon Den 2024): *Ask any racer. Any real racer. It doesn't matter if it's an inch or a hundred dragon-lengths. Winning is winning.***

I also felt that Amira, who has so much potential, felt almost like she was just there to be a love interest and a motivation. I think she had the potential to be one of the coolest characters. I also felt that the spice scenes were a bit clunky. It reminded me of reading a Wattpad or a03 sex scene, and not in a good way. Though I’m unsure if it’s just I don’t like reading Spice through a male POV or if it needs more work. I just didn’t vibe with them.

Despite all my complaints, I did actually enjoy the book. It was quick, action-packed, and had dragons. I predicted who the main bad guy was, which is fine, though a little frustrating when Markus is so oblivious about literally everything.
This book also covers some themes of racism and implies that the American police force is still as problematic as ever. Which, in my opinion, if you have dragons and have had like 8 world wards… there should be bigger issues. I think it is important that this conversation is had, however, I’m not sure if this is the exact setting for it. I did like that they acknowledged Markus’s white privilege though, even though he was originally unaware of it. If the discussion is to be had, I believe they handled it well.

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.

Thank you to Netgalley and Yggdrasil Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

2 🌟 I hate to write a negative review for a debut author but wow this was not a good book. It’s marketed as Fast and Furious but with dragons and who wouldn’t want to read that? I knew after the first couple of chapters it was not going to be good but went ahead and strapped in for the ride.

The writing style is so casual it sounds like a voice memo coming from one of your friends. I understand this is new-adult but our MMC was so impulsive and didn’t have much depth? A lot of his background was skipped right over and left for the reader to infer to the point I wondered if my e-ARC had pages missing. Same thing for parts of the story - there is no sense of time so we might be in a conversation one minute and then fast forwarding to a different part of the day/ week/ month? Who knows? I surely didn’t. The romance felt lusty and surface level (the term “fire” was used to describe our FMC’s appearance and that should sum everything up for you). Also, I was shocked by the amount of senseless death. Completely taken aback and unnecessary I would say. The only thing I liked was the dragons and that the dragons could communicate. It just felt extremely cringe worthy and like it needed more alpha, beta, whoever else reviewers to provide feedback before going to print.

I received this book as an ARC copy from NetGalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of this book. I enjoyed the idea of being top secret and trying to infiltrate groups with a dragon. I enjoyed that the characters seemed to genuinely care about their dragons (for the most part). I liked the concept of dragon dragons races.

I honestly don’t have much of an idea about the world itself. I could visualize some of the descriptions of the setting but had problems with other parts.

I did catch some almost direct quotes from Fast and the Furious during a racing scene between Tobias and Markus. Not that I was too concerned about it, but it did kind of catch me off guard. However, if that was intentional considering how many pop culture references are made throughout the book, then alright.

Markus definitely takes an interest in Amira, but it’s more obviously sexual considering most of the time she literally breathes in his direction, he takes it that way. Even when he thinks he’s going to lose her, he tries to commit her body to memory.

I feel like he was able to break down the walls of Tobias’s group far easier than should have been, but I definitely enjoyed the soft side that Tobias holds for his sister.

When everything is revealed at the end, I feel like the pacing was done well with the fact that Markus messes up, then realizes his mistake, and he tries to fix it before it’s too late.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the concept of it. It definitely had a good amount of pages for a quick read and was still enjoyable.

Reading the synopsis of this book I was so excited but the book itself didn't deliver. The writing pacing in just overall structure left something to be desired. I also did not like the relationships. Morally grey or bad boy MMCs are fine but this wasn't it.

This book sadly did not hit for me. I did not like the main character's form of dialogue and found the way women were described as disrespectful. I was really looking forward to this read but ended up not even finishing it because the description and marketing were not true to the story.

2 stars. I found this book to be very flawed. I also found the similarities to fourth wing very obvious

Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately I had to DNF Dragon Den at 25%.

This book is marketed as “A fast-paced, action-packed romantic urban fantasy inspired by The Fast and the Furious, perfect for adult fans of How to Train Your Dragon.”
Reading that, I was very excited to read this book. However, the work has not lived up to my expectations unfortunately.

The beginning of the book, left me feeling like the first half of the story was missing; leaving me at uneven footing, playing catch-up from the start.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t getting any better the further I got into the story. Concepts and activities like the flag capture were thrusted upon the reader almost as if expecting me to know what they should be - which would make sense if we had followed Markus during his first year at the academy -, however seeing as we had no background, nothing seemed to make sense, or was thoroughly explained, the magic system was virtually nonexistent; consequently, the relationships between characters were at surface level at best.

There was a death scene about 20% into the book and it literally had no effect on me as I was not invested whatsoever. I could not connect to the main character as I found him insufferable, which probably did not make my experience any better…

I am not sure if anything changes after the 25% but the writing style and writer’s choices were too far away from my expectations and taste, so I decided to make my exit.

It is unfortunate, I do not wish to write a bad review on ARCs, however I do have to stay true to myself. There was promise in this idea, which is why I was initially interested. I am sure everyone has different experiences reading books, so I do hope this book finds its correct audience.

Dragon Den - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another ARC read ✅️
(Although I don't believe I was given access to the full back 🤔)

Think fast & furious x how to train a dragon x fourth wing... but better smut!

I actually did enjoy this book despite being sceptical. Especially considering it was described to be a cross-over of httyd and fast & furious, but I generally did enjoy this read.
Despite the description of the book, it wasn't overly quick to the plot, and I loved that. There was a lot of information prior to reaching the plot, which is a good touch.

Please do keep in mind the trigger warnings for this book. Below are just some of the trigger warnings. Please google all trigger warnings before proceeding.
● Hedonistic & misogynistic behaviour
● Toxic masculinity
● Power imbalance
● Captivity
● Forced servitude
● Animal blood sport
● Implicit & explicit racism
● Police brutality
● Guns & other weapons
● Sexual assault
● Grief/depression
● Various forms of death
● Etc

Although I do believe that there is room for some improvement, mainly adding more to the story to not only add more depth to the storyline but also add more length to the story as a whole.
I look forward to seeing what happens with this book. Come release time and see how the series develops!

Releases 20/6/24

Thank you to @netgalley for providing me with an ARC!

In this delightfully surprising urban fantasy romance, the author takes readers on a captivating journey through a world that seamlessly blends the fantastical with the familiar. From the very first page, the story grips you with its solid pacing and engaging narrative, leaving no room for hesitation or dragging moments.

One of the most refreshing aspects of this book is the perspective it offers through the MMC). Unlike the typical heroic archetypes found in many fantasy romances, this MMC is a flawed and relatable figure, struggling to find his place in the world. Initially, his cockiness and hubris may raise eyebrows, but as the story progresses, the author skillfully peels back the layers, revealing a vulnerable and insecure side that endears him to the reader. The author's portrayal of this "human" character, complete with flaws and insecurities, is a true triumph, making him an utterly endearing and relatable protagonist.

Another pleasant surprise is the seamless integration of urban fantasy elements into our contemporary reality. I am usually not a fan of urban fantasy but the author's deft handling of this genre blend is commendable, providing clear and organic explanations that answer any initial questions without feeling forced or contrived.

The romantic subplot is a genuine and relevant addition to the story, adding depth and emotional resonance to the narrative. And let's not forget the well-executed spicy scenes, which sure left me flushed and craving for more.

Perhaps the most tantalizing surprise of all is the cliffhanger ending, which left me with the sense that this is merely the beginning of a larger story. The author has masterfully set the stage for what promises to be an exciting new book series, one that urban fantasy and romance fans alike will eagerly anticipate.

Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking a refreshing and gripping urban fantasy romance. With its engaging characters, seamless world-building, and captivating storytelling, it's a true gem that will leave you craving more from this talented author.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. This review reflects my unbiased, personal opinion.

My biggest issue with this one was the lack of depth. The characters fell very flat to me. The story and world needed more to make it work. Not even the romance was a redeeming quality as I didn’t even like it. Very insta-love. I’m thoroughly disappointed with this one.