The Artist and the Dragon is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with themes and motifs from The Phantom of the Opera, and set in a gaslamp fantasy world akin to Bridgerton, but with magic.

4.25 stars and ohmygoodness this took everything good from The Musician and the Monster and made it even better, developed some incredibly rich characters, and added in a fun mystery!!

In this Sleeping Beauty x Phantom of the Opera fantastical story, Bronwyn and Malik struggle to stay away from each other (which of course they’re doing strategically—and not doing very well) while rooting out a dangerous rebellion in the kingdom that leaves Drystan and Ceridwen at risk (now king and queen because duh). With references to Disney stories galore, yearning to the nth degree (Malik is down bad crying the gym literally), and shapeshifting magic, this book truly has it all!!

While I enjoyed the first book, it felt much more surface level and I wasn’t sure what to expect coming in but this absolutely blew me away. The improvement, the depth, and the plotting of this book were just out of this world!!

Thanks so much to Megan Van Dyke and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Imagine Bridgerton setting, Sleeping Beauty plot and MMC is obsessed with her as in Phantom of the Opera.

They were so freaking cute together-| was obsessed! This book was such a fun read. He's a totally smitten prince but has to pretend he's not, while she's in love with him but thinks he's over her.
Now she's got another guy courting her, and the prince is not handling it well. I loooove the jealousy trope. All this drama goes down while they're trying to stop dark magic wielders from sneaking into the castle and causing chaos.

"I realized that it would be far worse to never tell you how I feel, to never truly be yours, than to savor every moment we could have together, even knowing that they might be our last. I would rather have you and lose you than have never had you at all."

I loved this book so much, retellings are always my favourite thing to read and this one didn't disappoint. The writing was so beautiful and from the moment I started I couldn't put it down, the slow burn romance, the yearning and the angst just everything was done so well. The storyline was also so well developed and it all moved at such a good pace from start to finish. Highly recommend!

Thank you so much to the author for the opportunity to read and review this before publication. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

The Artist and the Dragon by Megan Van Dyke is a beautifully executed blend of Sleeping Beauty and Phantom of the Opera with Bridgerton vibes and magic. I loved the first book of this duology so I was very excited to continue on with the journey and I thoroughly enjoyed Bronwyn's story!

At the heart of this story is the reluctant partnership between Bronwyn, a gifted artist and sister to the newly crowned queen, and Malik, a charming but secretive prince. Their chemistry from the first book carries into the sequel perfectly and I loved their tension and banter.

Beyond the romance, the book weaves an intricate mystery involving mysterious "dragons" and a deadly curse threatening Bronwyn's sister. I thought the author balanced romance, suspense, mystery, and political intrigue very well, and it was hard to put this down.

If you love a reimagined fairytale, slow-burn romance, and a bit of mystery, I highly recommend The Castamar Duology!

I loved the concept of a re telling of the sleeping beauty and I was not disappointed in this novel, indeed I read it, and didn't want to put it down. The characters were well drawn and the story was brilliant. Highly recommended.

Review will be posted to Goodreads and Instagram on March 27th 2025 @ approx. 10:30 PM CST

Breathtaking. Absolutely, positively breathtaking.
This book had me so glued to the pages that it took me less than 24 hours to finish.
Malik and Bronwyn are absolute perfection.
The pining? The angst? The SLOW BURN?
I’m obsessed with it ALL.
By the end of the book, I was shedding tears at how perfectly it ended.
I would recommend this to LITERALLY everyone.

Thank you to net gallery and the author for allowing me to read this ARC!

This gives off Bridgerton vibes but add magic into it! I didn’t know this was the second book in a series when I requested it. The cover caught my eye and I thought it was like an interconnected sandal one kind of book. So I was slightly lost at first until I looked up book one. Will have to go back and read it soon.

It was a good read though. Bronwyn can’t stand Malik at first, but Malik is a gush over her. When these evil Dragons cause Bronwyn’s sister to be afflicted with a sleeping curse, her and Malik go in disguise to find the dragons and break the curse. The Dragons live in high society disgused so the two have to go to balls dressed for high society. Malik has to play the part of a handsome arrogant playboy and Bronwyn a high lady. The flirting they do with others really gets on each others nerves which is delicious. Love it! So much angst and slow burn.

🎨- Grumpy/Sunshine
🎨- Sleeping beauty retelling
🎨- Banter
🎨- Touch her and die
🎨- Hurt/Comfort
🎨- Yearning
🎨- High Society balls
🎨- Slow Burn
🎨- Magic
🎨- Happily Ever After