I contemplated DNFing this one but still had hopes for it. Unfortunately, Dragon Den was a miss. From the advertisement of an adult How to Train Your Dragon meets Fast and Furious, I was soooo intrigued and excited but it just didn't deliver. This should've been a YA with the graphic sex scenes cut out because it felt so out of place and honestly the MMC was annoying. It felt like a knockoff Fourth Wing or attempt to be the next FW which I couldn't get passed either.

Literally fast and furious with dragons... storyline was okay, execution could've been better but still and enjoyable story

While this book was a relatively quick read there were certainly things that I didn't enjoy as much about it and that made it feel more like a YA book just with some spice. The dragons themselves were well developed - I particularly like the way that different coloured dragons had different skills but overall I didn't feel any super strong connection with any of the characters and often finding myself forgetting that I was reading this resulting in me not picking it up for a couple of days so I'm giving this book a 3 star rating.

I so so so hate to leave less than 3-star reviews on ANYTHING but especially an ARC. That being said, I despise Markus with every bone in my body and it's been a while since I've read anything with a character I disliked as strongly as him.

There were elements of this I really liked for sure! Urban fantasy is always interesting to me and I found the lore with dragons and Mt Rainier very interesting (I actually didn't know this was urban fantasy until I started reading and thought it was funny that Dragild was near a "Mt Rainier" and thought maybe the author just wasn't very creative with fantasy place names, then realized it took place in Seattle and I was just a silly goose!). I think uncovering a smuggling operation while fighting for your place at a dragon riding academy was an exciting premise and I did enjoy that storyline.

As I mentioned, I found Markus insufferable. i think it's absolutely wild to objectify 2 female characters within the first scene of the book and I found a lot of his dialogue to be juvenile. I also think the way that dragons are treated in this universe and the way that they're "broken" by their riders was quite barbaric and I expected that to be addressed by one of the characters. The whole book had very overt social justice 101 vibes so I was a little surprised that none of the characters felt strongly about that, especially given Amira's apparent love for animals.

The last few chapters picked up really fast and actually made me really interested to read a potential sequel! Whether I'm willing to suffer through more of Markus just to find out what happens is unfortunately TBD.

Thanks NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for providing the ARC.

Honestly, I don't remember requesting this book but I do like the cover and the description is interesting so a past version of me was in the mood for something like this

But it's a DNF.

How can I be 25% of the way through the book and not really know what is going on.

The writing isn't the best and leaves much to be desired. The characters are so surface level and being inside the mc's head was almost unbearable. If I continued he may have turned insufferable and I can't deal with that.

Sad because I want dragon books but this was just not it .

Dragon Den by Kriss Dean is a unique urban fantasy that is the perfect blend of dragons and romantasy. In a genre in love with Fourth Wing, Dragon Den cleaves out its own space and shines a light right on it. Original characters that are equally relatable and likable, you think there is a similarity, but Dragon Den pulls you in and screams off in a wholly different direction.Fourther Wing did not quite hold my attention, but Dragon Den certainly did! Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Yggdrasil Press and Kriss Dean for this ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

"Dragon Den" by Kriss Dean is an exhilarating adventure that transports readers to a world filled with mythical creatures, suspense, and unexpected friendships. The story revolves around a young protagonist who stumbles upon a hidden realm inhabited by dragons, leading to a thrilling journey that challenges their bravery and wit.

Dean's writing is engaging and vibrant, painting a vivid picture of the fantastical landscapes and intricate dragon lore that populate the narrative. The pacing is brisk, keeping readers on their toes as they navigate the twists and turns of the plot. The characters are well-developed, each with distinct personalities and motivations that add depth to the story. The protagonist's growth throughout the journey is particularly compelling, making their struggles and triumphs relatable.

Themes of loyalty, courage, and the importance of believing in oneself resonate strongly, making "Dragon Den" not just an adventure story, but also a heartfelt exploration of self-discovery. The interplay between danger and friendship adds an emotional layer that elevates the tale.

Overall, "Dragon Den" is a captivating read for fans of fantasy and adventure. Kriss Dean successfully crafts a world that is both enchanting and thrilling, ensuring that readers will be eagerly turning the pages to see what happens next. Highly recommended for those looking to escape into a magical realm!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Dragon Den by Kriss Dean is a mixed first person and third person multi-POV romantic urban fantasy set in the Pacific Northwest combining dragons and the races of Fast and the Furious. Markus has only ever wanted to be a dragon rider, but when his chance to become one is derailed on initiation day, he’s given a different shot that could put his relationships in jeopardy. Meanwhile, his longtime crush, Amira, is showing more interest than before as Markus gets close to her brother, Tobias, for his mission.

There is a strong romantic element here, though I wouldn’t call it a fantasy romance. I’m not even sure I’d call it a romantic fantasy because the romance between Amira and Markus is so important that it’s one of the biggest plot threads. It sits firmly between a romantic fantasy and a fantasy romance where the fantasy elements and the romantic elements feel roughly equal.

Markus comes across as a big sap for Amira and we love to see it. He’s intoxicated by her scent, he notices her at all times, he recognizes her brilliance and her position as the first in their class multiple times. It might feel a bit male-gazey for some readers because a lot of emphasis is placed on how good Amira looks, particularly in regards to her butt, but it felt balanced to me because of how much Markus admires her muscles and her strength rather than her softness, and while he does notice her breasts got smaller because of her training, he doesn’t despair about it. It feels roughly on par with a lot of romance novels I have read from the male POV while celebrating a woman who has a more athletic body.

95% of the story is from Markus’ POV, but some chapters open with bits from other POVs, particularly ones that are involved in the raids of the trucks carrying obsidian. The infiltration plot threads are closely tied to Markus getting closer to Amira and Tobias as Tobias is part of illegal dragon racers and has been stealing materials used for dragon collars, though we learn later exactly why he’s doing so. Through Tobias and Amira’s interactions with Markus, we get some discussions of American anti-Black racism, white privilege, and how the system is stacked in a particular way. Because most of the story is from Markus, a white man’s POV, these themes don’t go super in-depth, but the author does recognize and draw attention to how Black people are viewed in a white supremacist society.

Content warning for mentions of racism and police brutality

I would recommend this to fans of The Fast and the Furious who also enjoy fantasy, lovers of dragon books who want something taking place in our world in the modern day, and those looking for a dragon rider romantic fantasy involving a military school that is on the shorter side

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I’m really sad to give such a low rating but I have to be honest.
What I dislike the most about following an MMC rather than an FMC - is to be inside the brain of the MMC. And this particular boy’s (he isn’t a man for sure) train of thoughts was hyper sexual towards Amira & Katie. It just rubbed me the wrong way right from the start.

What drew me to this ARC was that it was for fans of how to train your dragon and I’m a BIG HTTYD fan. I’m not exaggerating - I have a ton of merch and I rewatch the trilogy once a year.

That being said : it felt like a big HTTYD + Fourth wing + fast & furious knock off. The similarities were almost copy pasted. A few elements were changed to make it less obvious but I just felt like I was reading fan fiction from those 3 books/movies.

The thing that really took me out were the characters. They’re extremely unlovable, immature and surface levelled.

The world building is near to nonexistent and there were many plot holes.

Dude, this book goes by so fast! (It is VERY short for a fantasy novel, so that definitely made it easy for me to finish it in an afternoon. I don't think it took me more than two hours to finish!)

This book has dragons. Enough said. If you tell me a book has dragons, I am there. I am sat. I am reading.

This was SUPER fast-paced, which I love in books. I like having something always keeping my attention on the book. But I did find that it was a little too fast-paced with certain things. I thought the relationship was very insta-love/insta-lust and gave me the ick a little bit because of that. I find that insta-anything in a book really takes away so much depth to characters and to their relationship. And I am sad to report that did happen here. (Maybe the shortness of the book also contributed to the flatness of the characters too. I find that happens a lot with shorter fantasy novels.)

I wanted to read this because it was described as having Fourth Wing and How to Train Your Dragon vibes, but I find those to be some pretty dang massive shoes to fill, so when it didn't live up to that...I was a bit disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This defintely had a Fast and the Furious vibe but with dragons…and dragons make everything better. I thought the concept was pretty cool, and the story was a quick read. Pretty good

It broke my heart that i had to rate this low. This book has so much potential but the execution is a meh to me. The world building is interesting but lack of introduction made me felt it all just happened and didn't even try to engage and involve readers into it. It described the spicy scenes way more detail than the plot, it's kinda disappointing for the storyline is intriguing to me especially from the second half. As for the characters, i don't know i just can't connect with them. I know it's supposed to be a fast-paced read, but i was hoping it would be told and arranged better.

Thank you Netgalley and Yggdrasil Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It has dragons and it's based in two of my favorite movies so for that of course I had to read it... Without spoiler is a good read and it was for me, so if you like dragons, you like races and Fury from how to train your dragon you must read

What started as an interesting concept mixing the Fast and the Furious with How to Train Your Dragon - turned into a page-turning, tension-building, dragon-loving, twisty novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Whilst some moments were quite cheesy, like the line from the movie that was edited to suit dragon racing not cars... But overall the characters had raw backstories that transformed this into one you just won't want to put down. This is one for those who love dragons and cars and the thrill of everything in between. This was a real delight and an original piece.

This has been a difficult book to rate. I’m generously giving it 3 stars. I have a lot of strange feelings about it but ultimately I did finish it and had an okay time doing so. This probably will have spoilers as I work through my feelings.

Overall the book is an easy, surface level read. The writing and characters give very YA vibes but there was some more mature content. The little spicy scenes took me by surprise tbh. Don’t get me wrong, I like spice, I love spice, but it felt very out of place here. The story would not have been very different or negatively impacted if the romance was fade to black or even left out entirely. There was very little character development and the relationships felt very quick and forced. The entire book happens within a matter of days but without any world building it seems to go even quicker.

I unfortunately don’t think this book lived up to its description. There were too many direct plot points taken from the Fast and the Furious, multiple conversations that were nearly verbatim. It really took me out of the story and I actually had to put the book down and switch to something else a couple of times. The conversation about “what’s that restaurant” “oh you can take me there instead” just made me want to stop reading and watch the movie instead.

I also don’t know how all of these recent books are set in a place of higher academic learning but there’s very little school-related work actually being done. Who just lets a bunch of teenagers run around committing felonies?? If anything this was Gossip Girl with a few dragons. A group of rich, privileged teens just running around rampant - idk maybe I’m just too old for these plots now. (I’m 35 since that’s actually relevant.) And Markus makes me really really glad I never had to live inside the mind of a 19 year old boy. I enjoy plenty of books with male main characters and male POVs but he seemed particularly juvenile and self centered. Thank goodness he had Loki to redeem him.

Beginning this story was like being dropped into the middle of a story - I really missed the world building and history. I’m also not a fan of how the author chose to “break in” the dragons which seems to be collaring them against their will. There’s certainly not enough world building to suggest the dragons are really all that thrilled into being bound to humans as the collars alter their brain chemistry or something like that I think. Again, just not enough really went into developing this plot point. Really most plot points. There seemed to be a whole lot going on but it was all so surface level it just fell flat for me. I doubt I’ll pick up any possible sequels, I just didn’t care enough about any of the characters, even the dragons. Though I did appreciate that there were actual stakes in this book and everything wasn’t just tied up in a pretty bow.

this book was so hard to like for the first 60%

character development? none
plot arc? none

people HATED the MMC with zero type of explanation for 0% of the book, and there was no world explanation or anything. this book could of been made 20 pages longer to include some of this stuff and it would of probably made it better.

it was a short, fast read, when it wasn’t frustrating having zero background information it was fun.

the last 20% of this book made it 2 stars, because at that point i at least had some character development information. and it was fun and captivating, for that 20%.

For fans of:
- Fourth Wing
- Fast and Furious
- The Expendables

Markus is kind of a dummy. He has huge aspirations and his heart is in the right place, but his execution is a bit lackluster. Luckily, things tend to go Markus' way regardless, so when he fails to break a dragon (which usually ends in expulsion or death) he is able to earn his way back into the Dragon Rider academy by solving a mystery for the local law enforcement. The stakes are high and he wonders if he will ever be able to keep his place in the academy without betraying any of his friends.

This book includes:
- dragon riders and dragon school
- heists galore
- high stakes
- rivals to friends
- urban fantasy

"Dragon Den" is a quick, lighthearted read. Markus makes soooo many silly mistakes and that kept me very entertained while reading. His dynamic with Amira is super cute and I liked watching their friendship grow. It took me a second to get used to a world that included both dragons and trucks, but I liked the urban aspects of the fantasy by the end.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Yggdrasil Press, and Kriss Dean for the opportunity to review this book. This review is also available on my GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863

Markus is a dragon rider at Dragild Military Academy. As part of the graduation requirements, he has to break a dragon, and he has his eyes set on a Black Clubtail. Unfortunately, Markus’s ambitions get the best of him, and he fails to break a dragon, meaning he has to leave the school. He is unexpectedly given a second chance and a dragon with the stipulation that he has to infiltrate the Dragon Den and figure out who is stealing obsidian.

I was intrigued by the overall concept of this book, but it didn’t quite work for me. There wasn’t quite enough world building. I wanted more information about the dragons, especially the ones sleeping in the volcano. The concept of breaking dragons by putting collars on them didn’t really work for me. I just felt bad for the dragons being forced to go against their own will because of an obsidian collar. I also struggled connecting with any of the characters. Markus in particular was really selfish, mean, and overall just seemed ungrateful for the second chance that he was given. I don’t really understand how Mamba decided to let Markus collar him with almost no effort after he killed anyone who tried to get near him before that. It was a predictable, but disappointing ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for the ARC.

This book needed a lot more story building and maybe a redo imo. It has so much potential but just kind of fell short for me.

I had high hopes for this book, but ultimately had to conclude that it was not ready for publication, and the publisher did the author a disservice by submitting it for reviews before some of the issues could be addressed. A decent premise that needed better development and more careful attention to detail. I won’t be submitting a public review because I don’t think that’s fair to the author.