A princess and a dragon princess must develop a friendship to maintain the treaty between their two kingdoms. The dragons have ensured that queens will stay in power in Samansa's kingdom after a war started by a king nearly destroyed both kingdoms. It's a reluctant friendship between Samansa and Kirek neither liking the other but slowly growing more curious about each other. A mystical bond is formed and both must figure out how to walk in each other's shoes. I enjoyed the dynamic between Samansa and Kirek and their banter was great. The first half of the book is a bit slower and it picks up significantly in the second half. I loved the complex mother-daughter and female relationships in the book. There is also an element of female rage that's simmering throughout the book. Was def a little weepy at points.

🌟3.5 Star🌟
This was a pretty fun YA romp. I really enjoyed Kirek’s character, she is a black cat in the truest sense. This book also was able to do pair-bonding/mating bonding in a way that didn’t intensely squick me out. That’s likely because this is a queer inclusive world and all the major books I’ve seen with this concept (cough cough ACOTAR and Bride) are extremely heteronormative and gender essentialist. So that was a pleasant surprise! The little bits of Fourth Wing shade were also very entertaining to me. Strickland understands the implications of having a society of intelligent dragons and that they would have the real political power.

As far as weak spots go, Samansa was a level of naive and bland that I didn’t connect with. She is very much the classic YA protagonist that you can use as a self insert. That’s non necessarily a bad thing but it just doesn’t compel me. I also didn’t care for the Raka plotline, it resulted in Samansa not having control or agency. I would have preferred that she was in control, did bad things, and had to deal with the consequences.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I just honestly could not get very far in this book. I really wanted to but I had an incredibly difficult time connecting with Kirek due to her coldness.

While I feel like this could have undergone several more edits than it reads like it got, I'm still delighted by the earnestness & over-the-top ridiculous fun of this book. Sapphic dragons, angst, and high-fantasy with a DCOM/Wattpad feel? What's not to love.

DNF at 13%
I am a HUGE fan of dragon books, especially when they're Sapphic. Unfortunately, this one needs more editing. 35 instances of "dragon girl" in the first 3 chapters alone when Kirek has a name and is introduced early. I could see trying again with a finished copy, maybe if it's in audio.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

An sapphic YA Romantasy of forbidden love between a human princess and a dragon princess. I really enjoyed this book! The banter was cute and had me giggling.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I was so excited to hear that A.M. Strickland was releasing a sapphic dragon book, and Lady Dragon absolutely delivered. I love the unique spin on a familiar premise, about relations between dragons and humans, not to mention the intricacies of dragon culture in and of itself, with them all being female, as well as the text openly being queer affirming.
I really liked both Samansa and Kirek. Kirek in particular is very dynamic, with the nuance between strength and vulnerability, but both have parallel and connecting journeys as future rulers of their respective groups. Their romance is rather sweet, in spite of originating for political reasons, and the push-pull between them, while also feeling compelled to primarily look after their own group’s interests first, was compelling.
The plot is fairly engaging, and the pacing is fairly quick. There’s a solid balance between creating an engaging narrative, while also being unafraid to dive head-first into deeper themes around queer identity that will resonate with many struggling today.
This was a great read, and I’d recommend it to readers in search of an affirming sapphic romantasy.

sapphic dragon romance... literally what more could anyone ask for. This was such an interesting world and a beautiful love story. I loved the characters and the emotional journey they went on together and am definitely clamoring for more sapphic dragon books after reading it!

This was beautiful. The writing, the story, the worldbuilding, the characters, the emotions. Ugh like the descriptions of the dragon fighting and the human fighting was so written to the point where I am watching it like a movie. I was there watching two dragons fighting but also I am in the head of kirek watching her think her next moves like the POVs are fascinating and I love the love story that slowly unfolds between kirek and Samansa. Like it felt so organic and soft and yet hard at the same time. Those girls fought to be together. They changed everything with their love. And that's beautiful. This is one of the few sapphic books I've read where the romance felt really deep and where I was genuinely convinced that these woman were meant to be together no matter what. Like their ending made me believe love is real and can be found in the most unlikely places. And the quotes in here are like top notch. I will fully be spening my hard earned money to buy the hardcover when it comes out. Please, I need more people to read this book and feel how I did after, I need to talk about this book to everyone. Thank you so much to Netgalley for gifting me this wonderful book.

This was my first time reading a sapphic romantasy and it was INCREDIBLE. Such an amazing plot and world building. It was a fast and fun read that will hold your attention the entire time. There was romance, actions, dragons, and lovable characters...there was never a dull moment with this book.

Thank you for opportunity to read this arc :)

Sapphic romance featuring dragon shifters and matriarchal human kingdoms! These are some of the tag lines that caught my interest when going into this book.

The dragon culture and dynamics was my favorite part of this story. The humans and dragons have to create a peace treaty between themselves in order to prevent another war and along the way Kirek (lady dragon) and Samansa (the human princess) have to find common ground. Queue political scheming, plots of usurping, long lost dragon battles, magical stones, sapphic yearning and so much more.

Okay so my opinion now…
This story had really great bones, but I ultimately didn’t connect like I was hoping for. I wanted more time with the characters development individually and in the romance they had together. I also felt lost about the rules of the magic system, never knowing how/why things were about to happen.

Side quest thoughts: this would make a great graphic novel :))))

pretty effective sapphic romantasy. the plotting is fairly effective and the romance is fairly strong, although I could have used some more setbuilding. 4 stars.tysm for the arc.

Y’all. Lady Dragon is the sapphic romantasy I didn’t know I was starving for until it *swooped in on dragon wings, lit my TBR on fire, and flew off with my heart.*🔥💔

Imagine if Seraphina and The Priory of the Orange Tree had a broody, brilliant, bi daughter who wields political angst like a sword and flirts like it’s a blood sport—that’s this book. A.M. Strickland has brewed up a slow-burn queer fantasy that dares to be tender in a world scorched by war.

We’ve got:

A reluctant princess, Samansa (aka our anxious, diplomatic cinnamon roll 🥐), who’d rather study treaties than wear a crown.
A DRAGON GIRL (yes, you read that right), Kirek, who shape-shifts into a human using a literal magical gem and is here to spy—but whoops, she catches feelings instead. 👀
Political tension so thick you could slice it with a flaming sword.
Enemies-to-"wait... do I want to kiss you or kill you?"
A serious amount of dragons, sapphic yearning, and secrets beneath secrets beneath ancient ruins.
The worldbuilding is sharp and matriarchal (yes, queens only—men, please take several seats), the prose is lyrical without being too flowery, and the chemistry? Off the charts. Samansa and Kirek orbit each other like twin moons made of trauma and longing, and when they finally connect? Fireworks. Literal and emotional.
But what really sets Lady Dragon apart is its heart. This isn’t just a story of romance and rebellion—it’s about inheritance: the weight of the past, the mess of trying to do better, and the risk of choosing love over loyalty.

Perfect for fans of:

Strong queer heroines with morally gray choices
Political intrigue that doesn't require a flowchart but keeps you guessing
Dragons that do bite (but also cry sometimes)
Slow-burn sapphic tension that aches in the best way
So if you're craving a gorgeously written, sapphic dragon tale that dares to hope in the face of history, betrayal, and the ashes of war—Lady Dragon will absolutely singe your soul. And you’ll thank it for the scorch.

Samantha is a human princess being trained to take over the queendom. Kirek is a dragon princess sent on a mission to see how the treaty is holding. Through events in both realms, the truth is revealed.

This book was well written and enjoyable.

I didn't know how much I needed A.M. Strickland's Lady Dragon in my life until I read it. Her world building and dialogue was such a delight. Dark and light merging into the characters so much I wish for a sequel. The gorgeous cover art only hints at this dazzling story. I look forward to Strickland's next work. Overwhlemingly enjoyed.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I really enjoyed it as a YA, it was an amazingly cute sapphic romance.
It was the right amount of romance and plot for me, I loved how they embraced their difference. I loved them overcome what they saw as weakness from the other to see a strength in it.
its very easy to read with a lot of actions to get you hooked and kirek was such an amazing character, seeing her growing up was very rewarding

This was a fun, fast paced, action packed YA fantasy with some interesting concepts. In this world, there's a human queendom and dragon queendom. They used to be at war, but then the human queen ended it by murdering her husband (who was king), and from then on the dragons demanded that only a queen can rule the human lands.
Our MC, Samansa, is the heir to the human throne, and only daughter of the current queen. Kirek is the heir to the dragon queen, and she is sent to the human realm with a magic stone that allows her to take a human form to study humans and strenghten their relationship.
Tensions between the two nations are rising, and Samansa has a much older brother who is dissatisfied with his ineligibility for the crown, and it is up to Samansa and Kirek to save the treaty and prevent another war.

I really liked the development of the dragon culture in the worldbuilding. Dragons are all female, and reproduce by themselves, but do have a sort of mating bond with another dragon who guards them while they nest. An interesting point is that the dragons don't necessarily feel more similar to human women, and claim that while they're all female, human women have more in common with human men than dragons. Dragon culture is also extremely focused on strength, and Kirek is very focused on never showing any weakness, and I liked how this was explored.

The human culture could have been developed a bit more. I think it's fine for a YA, but the structures are all pretty basic. I also noticed that the male antagonistic characters all can be pretty sexist, and seem to believe they were denied something because only a woman can be queen. While this ties in well to our world, I was a little unsure how this culture developed exactly, because the only women can be queen rule has been around for a while, and I think the existence of sexism and how this works could have been explored more. With an only women can be queen rule I'm always a bit worried the implication is that this would be intrinsically better, when of course women are plenty capable of being horrible rulers. I think in this book, it is emphasized this rule is largely a demand of the dragons and part of the reason the MCs want to uphold it is to protect the treaty.

The plot is very fast paced and twisty, much I didn't see coming and the book kept me interested. It's not very long, but a lot happens in that time. It's not super complex, but I think it's great for a YA fantasy.

The romance was nice and sweet. It takes its time to develop, as Kirek initially is very distrusting towards humans and her mother (the dragon queen) also encourages her to study human weaknesses, but they grow closer over the book and are also kind of forced together. It felt well developed, and not insta-love.

The characters were decently developed, and I think Kirek had a bit more depth than Samansa, but I enjoyed reading both their POVs. I especially enjoyed Kirek's relationship with perceived strength and weakness, and she develops in this over the course of the book as she spends more time around humans, and especially Samansa, who has very different ideas of what strength means.

Would recommend it to fans of fat paced sapphic YA fantasy

3.5 stars

Samansa will be the human queen one day. As heir to the throne, she needs to make sure that the treaty between humans and dragons is upheld.

Kirek is the heir of the dragon queen. She is going to meet the human princess and get to know her so they can rule their realms in peace as their mothers have.

At first, Kirek hates being in her human form and thinks the princess too soft to rule. But, as they get to know each other, things change. She also realizes that treachery is as common in this realm as it is in hers.

I don't read much YA, but this sounded great. I had a good time reading it. I really liked Samansa and Kirek. And it has dragons!

I made it about halfway through. Personally, I found the plot kind of predictable. Maybe a younger reader would have more fun, but I wish there had been something fresher for them too. The really obvious dialogue between Brannon and Samansa in the middle of the book kind of sealed the deal for me. Interesting ideas, but nothing CLOSE to Priory of the Orange Tree.

Many thanks to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the preview. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

This was the perfect blend of feminism, sapphic dragons, rage, fantasy, and YA softness.
Samansa and Kirek are so different, but their journey to understanding each other, each other's culture, and learning to embrace what they initially see as a weakness in the other was so beautiful. It was so rewarding to watch them come to terms with their inner selves and then have the strength to face their people as their truest selves.

We also get tons of action, high stakes, danger, quests, and sucky men. It's an easy to read and fun book too. I sort of get the Priory of the Orange tree comp, but this is much closer to Seraphina, but more accurately it's its own beautiful thing.
Definitely recommended!

As always, but especially here, read the Author's note!!
"We're the dragons. Cross us at your own peril."