Phew!

I loved this!

Dual POVs (I would have loved Nox as a third though!) from two sisters of a dragon slaying family, one of them discovers she has a soul bond with a dragon and the other feels second best to her younger sister. The book uses the mix POV method where the narrative changes within chapters (but always after paragraph breaks) and this works really well as the characters are easily distinguishable from one another. This packed more of a punch than I was expecting, with a whole lot of metaphors to unravel with the historical treatment of dragons in the world. There is out and proud bisexual lead and another who deals with anxiety, both are portrayed well in my opinion - especially the development of the latter. Additional rep for a Latino family and a chubby/plus-sized main character who is portrayed as desirable~. Non-cringe Irish and Scottish characters and references were a bonus!

Definitely more character driven than plot driven, with enough world building to follow the story and to appease me. However due to not really knowing how the magic system works there is room near the end for plot armour/illogical happenings.

A fun, easy and immersive read with wonderful characters and a supportive family and friends AND a standalone, which is always nice to see in fantasy (but also there is room for the author to revisit if they want/the publisher wants...).

"I didn't choose you, and you didn't choose me. But we have each other now. Always."
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an EARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
There are so many good things about this book, however for me personally the pacing was just a little bit off which did mean it took me a long while to finish it, which is confusing when you consider the length of it and the fact that I am a pretty quick reader anyway. That being said it would be unfair of me to not mention all the brilliant things this book has before I go more in-depth with my critiques of it.
We have a Bisexual main character just living her life and its not made a big deal but still addressed in a way that provides some great representation.
We have a second main character with an Anxiety disorder and a subplot that is her coming to terms with her anxiety and panic attacks and learning that they do not make her weak.
We have a great support system with the side characters being friends and family who all definitely add to the story.
We have dragons... I mean come on how cool are dragons. And in this modern day setting it really does just seem so cool. Also soul bonded dragons... amazing.
We have so much growth in this book and considering it is a standalone, that really is something worth noting and something that I am glad that the author didn't skimp out on.
That being said some of the characters motivations just didn't quite sit right with me and there were times where I was pulled out of the story at certain times because of it. The conflict seemed repetitive and simplistic at times which was frustrating considering the great character work that was put in.
Lastly I think my biggest issue was just the plot and pacing, the speed of which was just all over the place in my opinion however due to the creativeness of the story I do think this can be looked past if you enjoy a more character driven book compared to a plot driven story. Really it depends on personal preference.
Rated: 3.5 Stars

DNF - unfortunately the writing style of this book didn't suit me. The POV switches were confusingly placed and I kept losing track of which character I was reading. I liked the bisexual rep but while some of the characters were fun, I just couldn't stay engaged in the story.

Thanks for the eARC of this book.

Two sisters… Divided they burn

Now I normally shy away from dragon type books but the premise of this one gripped me

We follow 2 sisters, Dani and Eden who are trained to be dragon slayers. One forms a rare magical bond with a dragon, the other tries to save her sister from the dragon by turning to sorcerers.

Dani and Eden grew on me. To start with I didn’t like either character. But the more you got to know then, the more likeable they were. In the end they both just really wanted what was best for each other.

The minor character of Kieran was my favourite. I felt like they could have done a lot more with him.

The story was easy to follow and the book was written well. It kept me interested throughout which I was surprised about. The way the book ended, there is definitely the possibility of a book 2 which I would happily read!

Fire with Fire is a fun young adult dragon fantasy following two sisters from a family of dragon slayers and their journeys as a dragon divides them. Eden, the older sister, takes their training very seriously, whilst her younger sister Dani just wants to have a normal teen summer. They are both trying to find themselves and have to battle balancing work, friendships, new relationship and literal dragons. This is a really easy and compelling read, and it’s nice to read a YA fantasy with parents who are still alive and supportive (although they do go away during the book and become unreachable by phone, because how else would two teens be allowed to do such high risk activities).
I do have a couple of issues with this book and the main, but completely trivial one, is that the dragons don’t eat throughout the book. It’s possible I missed it, but I noticed at the halfway point and there was no mention of them eating from there. On a more serious note, I didn’t love the anxiety rep. It was in no way bad, but it felt inconsistent to me. Eden has anxiety, yet I didn’t feel she was ever affected by this during stressful or typically anxiety inducing times, and from my experience with anxiety I find it odd how trusting she could be of different people and environments. Anxiety is such a personal thing that I’m sure there will be readers who relate and feel seen by her, but for me it felt unrealistic.

I've always loved dragon novels and a book that combines that plus a siblings story and I'm pretty sure to love it.

Eden and Dani are two sisters who are opposed by many things. Eden the elder always wanted to be the best. She takes her dragon hunter heritage seriously. She has always trained and seeks recognition. Dani wishes to have a normal life, she trains hard but having never been in contact with a dragon, it seems far and not very concrete to her. Despite this she excels in her training and it creates a gap with Eden. It is also this complex relationship between the sisters that will be at the heart of the novel's plot and one of the triggers.

The folklore of the book is really deep, for a one shot we have dragons, wizards, a legacy over several generations and we feel that there would have been the potential to create more than one tome. I found the novel to be super well constructed on this point and very entertaining.

As for the plot, I found the book to be well paced. The author has been able to juggle between character development and action scenes. I really liked the two sisters and even if the dragons are present they are not the motors of the story it is really the personal motivations and I liked it a lot .

This book is totally not what I expected and I don't know why but it really ticked all the boxes for me. It follows two sisters from a line of dragon slayers, both so different in their priorities but trained to kill a dragon on site. When Dani meets a dragon and forms a bond everything will change for good.
I loved the contemporary setting of this book, I loved how normal the high school setting was in comparison to the magical dragon training ground of these two sisters' home life. I really liked the two sisters, especially Dani, I found her character extremely likable and found myself really rooting for her. The star of the show for me was Nox, the dragon, I loved his character and the relationship between him and the sisters, I loved learning more about his back story and where he came from. I adored the plot of this book - I felt that it was well-paced and kept me reading, I do wish we had gotten to see more dragons however I did really love Nox. I would love to hear more about this world and from these sisters and their world of dragons in the future.
4 out of 5 stars.

The concept of this book was very fun and intriguing and I love dragons ofcourse !

But sadly I wasn't in mood for this book at the moment. Hence, I am going to give it a neutral 3 stars. I am going to pick this book again and asap.

And come back for a full review.

Thanks to the published and netgalley for providing me with an Arc.

Eden and her younger sister Dani come from a long line of Dragon slayers. Eden wants to be the best.. always training, learning and missing out on the “normal” things like her high school graduation and even having friends. Dani is the polar opposite she trains every day with her sister but she’d rather have a normal life, enjoy high school, have a summer job and be with her friends. One night Dani is suddenly ‘soul bonded’ to a Dragon and it changes everything.

I really like Dani but I couldn’t stand Eden. Very early on in the story we see resentment, jealousy and bitterness from Eden towards her younger sister.

“Maybe she was destined to be firstborn and second best”.

There was some redemption near the end of the story but it was too little too late for me, I had hated the character from the beginning pages of the book. I didn’t particularly like the parents either but they weren’t in the book enough for me to form a proper opinion. I did love the relationship between Dani and Nox the Dragon though.

“I didn’t choose you, and you didn’t choose me. But we have each other now. Always”.

I think I would have liked to see even more interactions between them and maybe more dragon history from Nox. I didn’t love Kieran as the love interest, again I think we needed to see more from him. I would have liked a bit more romance in the story too.

I really enjoyed the writing in the first 20-30% of the story. It had me drawn in immediately and the plot kept my interest but somewhere in the middle it started to feel long. Almost like I was reading and reading but making no progress at all. I also think the sisters should have had their own chapters for their POV’s, it was quite off putting to be reading a POV from one sister then switching to the other in the middle of a page.

Overall, it was an okay read. I wouldn’t say it was a bad book at all, I just wanted more from it.
I love the cover!

2.5 stars


Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fire With Fire by Destiny Soria has dragons. And dragon hunters. So there’s a great concept hook there that made me devour the book immediately. Dani and Eden Rivera were both born to kill dragons, but the sisters couldn’t be more different. For Dani, dragon slaying takes a back seat to normal high school life, while Eden prioritizes training above everything else. Yet they both agree on one thing: it’s kill or be killed where dragons are concerned. Until Dani comes face-to-face with one and forges a rare and magical bond with him. As she gets to know Nox, she realizes that everything she thought she knew about dragons is wrong. However, my enthusiasm for dragons and the bond they can establish with humans – and the unlikely one between a hunter and a dragon that is at the centre of the story wasn’t enough to keep me enthusiastic about this. I thought the concept and the world building was great, but ultimately the plot and characters left me feeling disappointed. I was expecting to love this one much more than I did, especially as I really liked the beginning of the story. I just noticed my emotional investment slipping more and more as I got further into it. I might pick up a sequel, we’ll see. But it’s definitely entertaining, so if you like dragons and are looking to fill an evening with light fantasy, go for it.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC! I requested it mostly because it sounds like exactly my cup of tea and I was not disappointed.

The story is about Dani, who is the descendant of a famous family of dragon slayers. She isn't eager to continue the legacy, however, and is unhappy with all the high expectations placed on her. Her older sister Eden is unable to understand why Dani would rather live a normal life with her friends who don't even know of the exicstence of dragons. Eden is entirely focused on becoming the best slayer the world has ever seen, as opposed to Dani. Everything starts taking a more complicated turn, though, when Dani suddenly faces a real dragon and realizes that not everything is true that she had been taught.

It did not take long for me to start being emotionally invested in the characters. The complicated relationship between the sisters is absolutely fascinating, especially because their different motivations are both very relatable. This evolved into fantastic character developments and is a joy to read from the beginning through the end. My favorite aspect is, of course, the dragons. I love the worldbuilding and how those mysterious creatures are being imbedded into our modern world. I also appreciate that Dani's change from dragon slayer to dragon friend is not an overly dramatic affair; instead, it feels authentic and compassionate.

The pacing fits perfect for the book. The plot picks up pretty quickly after only three relatively short chapters. I am actually struggling to find objective aspects to criticize for this review. One might be the fact that magic as a concept is not explained in depth. It plays an important role but is never clearly defined. While that is usually by itself a sign of an underdeveloped magic system, it doesn't feel out of place at all in this book, since the sisters, who are both the narrating POVs, don't really know anything about magic themselves.

Another thing I usually criticize in other YA is that Dani often acts like a typical reckless heroine. In this case, it never annoyed me as much as it usually does, probably because Dani has a character besides being unnecessarily stubborn. She is also aware of her tendency to be impulsive and knows her limits. She tries to become a better person and it becomes part of her character development. Therefore, I liked her a lot better and was rooting for her even when she made less-than-ideal choices.

All in all, I am a huge fan of this book. Love the dragons, the characters, the pacing, the world. I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes dragons and is looking for something similar to Eragon or How to Train Your Dragon.

Eden and Dani are dragon slayers sisters, Eden is the perfectionist type and Dani is the practical one. In this world dragons exist but common people don't know, there are also sorceres.

Now for the spoilers, in one night Dani acidentally meets a dragon and they become soul bonded, a weird thing like they were born in the same day so they brain talk, like telepathy. The dragon want's to etch the eggs and the bond needs to be stronger so they do I don't really know what to strength it. Anyway, Dani screws up and shows Eden her dragon, Eden, the perfectionist that wants to be the best dragon slayer and also a sorcerer because it is cool, and also wants to be better than her sister. Obviously Eden gets all mad and tells the sorcerers, and from here everything gets screwed up, with animal but dragon abuse, and betrayal, and Eden becoming a sorcerer, and also a cold hearted unfeeling b*tch.

Anyway it took me a while to get through it, and I didn't love it. It is not my favourite but it is a different read. The type of universe wasn't really my thing, I don't know why but I was waiting for a more medieval or bronze age kind of setting, which is not, it is in a present setting in the USA. The characters were interesting for me, the two sisters, they showed two interesting sides, but I still felt like it didn't convey much emotion to me. And Eden was a strange combination for me.

Rating: 3 stars

Has always I would say that eventhough I didn't love it, some people might really like it. The setting wasn't my thing but for people that like more the urban fantasy style it might be a good book.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is an urban fantasy, following sisters Eden and Dani Rivera, who are part of a dragon slaying family. They eventually end up on opposite sides when Eden becomes involved with sorcerers, and Dani discovers that she has a soul bond with a dragon called Nox. I really enjoyed this book, and whilst it is set in the modern day, the fantasy elements felt very much like a traditional fantasy story. In particular, the lore behind the sorcerers and the history of the dragons and dragon slaying families. This book would be perfect for someone who wants to get into YA fantasy, but predominantly reads contemporary books.

The book is told in third person point-of-view, focusing on each sister so that you get a sense for how both of them are feeling in the moment. It meant that I could really feel connected to them, because I could witness their whole thought process, meaning I could better understand their motivations and choices. They are very different, and both have different values, but in the end it is clear how much they love each other. I particularly related to Eden in the beginning, who is a perfectionist and very academically motivated. She also has anxiety, which was represented so well and is not seen often in fantasy books.

I absolutely adored Nox, the dragon! I loved how persnickety and sarcastic he was, and I could visualise him rolling his eyes at some of Dani’s questionable ideas. They had such a great dynamic, and the way that their relationship developed throughout the story was wonderful. I also really liked how Dani changed her perspectives on dragons, and began to reflect on the values she has been brought up to believe. It was great to see her character to develop in that way.

Overall, I rated this book 4 stars and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it!

This book reminded me so much of Dragonheart it hurt.
Please tell me you've seen Dragonheart - aka the 90's movie featuring Dennis Quad (and Lupin from Harry Potter) and one of my favorite childhood movies.

Anyways, I heard "dragons" and came running, as I tend to do because that's who I am. And now that I've met Nox, I must say I need a soul-bond with a dragon more than I need a boyfriend (or anything else, really).

Fire with Fire is essentially a story about family, friendship, forgiveness and learning to live with your demons. It is told in alternating POVs between two sisters who come from a family of dragon slayers and can't be any more different.

Eden, the older sister, doesn't let herself be anything less than perfect, she literally sees herself as one of the last bastions protecting humanity from dragonkind, like the world depends entirely on her being able to someday kill a dragon. That is a lot of pressure for anyone so, of course, she suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. I can't tell you how much I loved to see this included in a fantasy. Not every character can handle being a badass with equal grace.

Then we have 17 year-old Dani, who is The Chosen One. She effortlessly achieves every benchmark that Eden had to fight tooth and nail for, but she doesn't really care that much about the whole being a slayer thing, All she wants is to be normal.

So yeah, now throw in a soul-bond with a dragon and some sorcerers and you get a pretty good book.

However, I must say this did somehow feel like something I've seen before. The Chosen One saving everyone from the big bad evil with the help of a dragon. I think I would've 5-star-loved this if I had read it back when I was 15 years-old. I still really liked it, I actually liked it more than I expected to: the pacing as quick, the characters were great, it was funny, the stakes were high... there's nothing bad I can call out.

Maybe the thing about it all happening while their parents were out and them not ever picking the phone kind of bothered me a little. It was obviously the easiest way for the story to progress but it felt unoriginal. Like Eden going to Calla instead of her parents when she finds out about Dani... In what world do you go to someone you know your parents don't trust when you believe your sister has been taken by a dragon that may very well kill her?? I see where she's coming from but in that situation I wouldn't care if my parents get mad at me or not, it's my sister's life and they are the ones known for tracking and killing dragons, not Calla.

Anyways, keep in mind this is a fantasy stand-alone, so there aren't that many side plots that can be explored to elevate the story if you still want to get everything wrapped up by the end without it being a 800 page book.

Also, great rep overall. Not only through Eden's anxiety and panic attacks, but Dani is bisexual and I believe they're half Mexican, half Irish. Tomás' family is from Latin America and Saddie is plus-size.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stroughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dani and Eden Rivera were both born to kill dragons, but the sisters couldn’t be more different. For Dani, dragon slaying takes a back seat to normal high school life, while Eden prioritizes training above everything else. Yet they both agree on one thing: it’s kill or be killed where dragons are concerned. Until Dani comes face-to-face with one and forges a rare and magical bond with him. As she gets to know Nox, she realizes that everything she thought she knew about dragons is wrong. With Dani lost to the dragons, Eden turns to the mysterious and alluring sorcerers to help save her sister. Now on opposite sides of the conflict, the sisters will do whatever it takes to save the other. But the two are playing with magic that is more dangerous than they know, and there is another, more powerful enemy waiting for them both in the shadows.

Dani is a rebel, kind hearted and fiercely loyal. I was quickly sold on her character! I enjoyed her interactions with Nox and with her friends, seeing this down to earth girl hiding this family secret - one she wants to run from. Eden is rather the opposite in many respects. She’s determined, guarded and almost cold, laser-focused on her family’s goals and her training, refusing to accept anything else in her life. Around the sorcerers, she is exceedingly different and it almost makes me hate her for what she does next...
I liked how different the sisters are, and how those differences led them on their journeys.

I love the concept of dragons and magic in the modern world - it’s satisfying to see worlds collide. I do feel at times there was information overload, explaining reasonings and motivations behind actions of certain people, or the actions of many. This took away the magic slightly for me which was a shame. I enjoyed the idea of dragons being able to communicate with humans - I wish there was more of this in stories. They’re magical beings, it’s not too nonsensical for them to use telepathy!

Overall, Fire With Fire is another brilliant dragon/magic story to add to the collection!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Hodder & Stroughton for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

I had many mixed feelings about this book. I loved it and it frustrated the hell out of me all at the same time.

I’ll start with the positives:

- I adored the contrast between Dani and Eden. Dani wants nothing but to be a normal teenager, whereas Eden wants nothing but to follow the family legacy. However, regardless of these differences, there are parts of the story that show you that they’re so similar, both just wanting to make each other proud and I absolutely loved it. It reflects real-life familial relationships so much and was so easy to relate to.

- The premise is extremely gripping. Magic, dragons, romance and teen angst (amongst many other amazing themes) what more could I ask for?

- The world building and description really helped to set the scene, there was never a situation where I couldn’t imagine what the places looked like. I’m a very image based reader so I was very impressed with this in that sense.

- Nox. That is all I need to say.

- Also, I think this includes one of my favourite ever lines from a book, ‘I’m bisexual, not a raging sex animal’. I will forever love this line.

Now onto the bits I didn’t enjoy quite so much;

- I reached 30% before anything majorly interesting happened. The beginning was good, but there wasn’t enough action in the plot for me.

- Calla. Now I wasn’t sure if I should put this in the positives as it’s clear that she’s meant to be a hate-able character, which she is. Extremely. So obviously she was very well written. But I put her here because I spent most of the book hating her that I couldn’t focus on much else for a while. Is there such thing as too hate-able? Maybe she was a bit much.

- Anyone who knows me, knows I am absolutely pants at guessing plot lines, so I was a bit disappointed when I guessed the plot line and twist quite early on.

- And last, I think the last 20% of this story was my favourite. But I am disappointed that it took until that point for me to start completely loving it. The pace ramped up considerably at this point and it highlighted for me how slow the beginning actually was.

Overall, I’ve given this book a 4 star. I would say it’s more of a 3.5 star for me. I enjoyed it, but it’s not something I’d rush to go back and read, or rush to continue if there were a second book written.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

This was such an interesting read, I was hooked immediately. Something I haven’t read before, which made it even better. The plot was great and the book was well written.

I liked how we got to see how both sisters experienced the whole journey. Even though I liked Dani’s character more, I thought she was more interesting but that didn’t take away Eden’s moment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story focuses on 2 sisters, Dani and Eden, who were brought up in a family of dragon slayers. But when Dani meets a dragon, Nox, and they form a bond, it changes everything she's ever thought about dragons. Are they really the enemy?

Wow wow wow. Where to even begin. I loved this book! Sisters to enemies, magic, dragons, a bisexual POC main character, anxiety representation.. What else could you want? Would highly recommend!!

Overall rating: 4.5 stars

I had incredibly high hopes for this book and unfortunately was disappointed. As always, characters are incredibly important to my reading experience. Dani was a fun character, and I was literally obsessed with Nox. I would have liked more of their relationship; however, this story focuses on the sisters. Eden is quite literally one of the most intolerable characters I’ve ever read. Our bad guys were stereotypical. There was literally no linear character growth for the main characters.
The writing felt as though I was reading a lot while being told almost nothing. The POV switches mid-sentence forced me to go back and re-read things constantly. It was jarring and pulled me out of the story. The representation and diversity were incredibly well done. It addressed real things that affect bisexual people and Latinx people. In this writing execution though, they get almost swept under the rug by how frustrating reading this book was.
My full review will be posted on July 11th, 2021