THIS BOOK IS SO FREAKIN’ AMAZING! And it has dragons in it (and I love dragons). But let me start at the beginning – Princess Lena cannot rule Dragonwall unless she finds a mate. Her father, the king, summons all the unmated dragons to the capital for a chance to find a mating bond. Unless she can find her mate, Lena will be forced to give up her crown and let one of the dragons rule.

I loved this book, and I need more of Melissa Mitchell’s books (I need to get to Dragonwall Series). Princess Selena is an amazing character who is very unprincessy and she causes a lot of trouble – I liked her because she was so natural and she actually made of a lot of mistakes, but she always took responsibility. Also, Tristan is most definitely book boyfriend material – where can I get one? He is mysterious, gallant and HE ACTUALLY RESPECTS LENA’S CHOICES. He is not pushy, and he is incredible.

I enjoyed the worldbuilding a lot, and I’m usually very picky about that – I like the idea of Drengrs (dragons who also have human forms), and I only wish we could find out more about the world (though I suppose it’s described in her other books). I liked the selection part, it was very intriguing and then all the fighting. This book was really my type of book. And I liked how this time all the men were summoned to be kind of chosen by the princess where usually in books it’s the girls that have to compete for a prince. I won’t say more because don’t want to spoil anything, but I highly recommend this book.

I could not put this book down. This is a truly heart-warming coming of age story filled with excitement, adventure and discovery.

Melissa Ricketts has a way of capturing the imagination and drawing the reader in.

When I read that this story was a cross between The Selection and Gladiator, I knew I had to read it. The story focuses on Lena, a princess who must marry before her 18th birthday or she must give up the throne to insure the prosperity of the kingdom. All eligible men are called to the palace to be tested. Will Lena find her destined mate? If she doesn’t them the men can compete to attain the throne, and then what will happen to her?

Lena is a great protagonist, who is smart, mischievous, and sassy. She is a schemer, especially when she doesn’t get what she wants. Though a bit immature at times, she is also fierce and determined to have her voice heard. She resents many of the rules and restrictions placed upon her because of her gender and social status. Her character goes through much growth throughout the story as Lena tries to reconcile social expectations and rules with her own needs and desires.

Lena’s love interest isn’t introduced until almost halfway through the story, so it is more difficult to connect to him. However, he has an interesting background, and his chemistry with Lena is great.

An interesting coming-of-age romance with humans, dragon shifters, sprites, and more, For the Crown will appeal to readers who enjoy young adult fantasy with strong female characters, dynamic worlds, and romance. Thanks so much to Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

So I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story but from reading the synopsis and seeing it described as the selection meets the Gladiator, I knew I would have to give it a go and I was not disappointed at all!

I loved the plot and loved the characters, plenty of twists and plenty to keep you coming back for more.

Highly recommend and can’t wait for more from this author.

Although I 1000% knew what was going to happen in this book, I did enjoy the journey. The dragons reminded me a bit of Seraphina, and it took me a few chapters to fully understand the selection type ritual, the length of time dragons live, the role of the riders, etc. I wish some of that had been better explained early on. Still, I enjoyed the story!

Thanks Netgalley for the free e-ARC

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Title: For the Crown
Author: Melissa Ricketts
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This was a wildly imaginative world that mixed humans and dragon shapeshifters (Drengrs), with some full dragons and sprites thrown into the back story. The world building was solid and unique compared to what I typically read - I might now be somewhat addicted to the idea of dragon shapeshifters.

The main character, Lena (Selena), is a human girl who is the daughter of the Drengr king and queen, but the kingdom's rules for succession do not allow a fully human queen to rule. As the Crowned Princess, the only hope she has of ascending to the throne is to find her perfect Drengr mate by her 18th birthday. If she can find her Drengr mate, the Drengr magic allows for a mind meld to occur between the pair and the Drengr's long life span is also passed to the female half of the pair. However, Lena balks at the requirement that she tie herself to a mate in order to rule. Her fierce spirit is admirable and she resents the rules that prevent her from ruling in her own right.

In order to find her mate, all unmated Drengr are summoned to the capital for a 2 week period wherein Lena is expected to get to know the men before a ceremony is held to determine which is her perfect mate. If no mate is found, Lena is expected to relinquish her crown and will live an ordinary human life span unable to ever rule the kingdom she loves.

Lena must confront feelings of resentment, anger and failure throughout this story. She must also confront her own troublesome ways and find a way forward when everything she dreamed of seems out of reach. As she goes through this process, she resents the fact that she is obligated to follow certain paths that are dictated for her rather than doing what she wants for herself. But will Lena find that sometimes fate has a way of choosing paths for us that we never even imagined? And can she put aside her stubborn nature to find a compromise? You will have to read it yourself to see how those questions play out.

This was my first read set in the Dragonwall kingdom but it definitely will not be my last. I found Lena's character to be highly relatable as I also struggled with preset expectations back when I was 17 and had to learn how to balance what I wanted with what I could actually accomplish and what was best for me in the long term.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for allowing me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I personally, wasn't a fan of the ending but that could just be because I'm a bit of a cynical person. As someone else had said, it doesn't really give you the chance to root for anyone as you already get the feeling that someone is her mate which is slightly disappointing. I would happily read the other two books the author has written as I enjoyed the world and the idea behind the story and Drengr. I will say that I didn't really like how the story skips in some places and then tries to explain what happened in the next chapter. Overall, I give this book a 3.

I really enjoyed this book, the premise of dragons and riders was an original one for me and I found myself getting sucked into the world. I was a little bit disappointed that the synopsis introduced a character that didn’t appear until halfway through the book, I would have preferred to read the selection part of the book not knowing who her suitor would end up being, it detracted from the story but I liked the characters of Daryn and Ivrir nonetheless. There were some parts in the first half of the book that I found slow but the second half more than made up for it, especially the action packed ending.

I was really drawn into this book by the characters. I thought the main character was great and I really enjoyed her interactions with the other members of the palace. The way the society was set up was interesting and I enjoyed learning about their traditions and seeing her interactions with both the members of her own palace and the potential princes. I did wish there had been a little more world building to better understand why their society worked the way it did and the history of this land but I felt I got enough to still enjoy the story. I did initially go into the book thinking it was geared toward the older end of YA but the romance is pretty tame and while there is violence and some gore I think the writing and overall style of the book is still suited toward the younger end of YA. That said I overall enjoyed this book and would be interested in seeing more of this kingdom.

This book was ok for me. It wasn’t a sweep you off your feet book, but it had its moments. The characters were fine, but not what I was hoping for, it was a light read, but not something that will stick with me or be a favorite.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

For The Crown was marketed as The Selection Meets Gladiators. I think The Selection meets half-dragon hotties would be a better comparison. This book is a stand-alone but I would love to see some more from this world/story.
Lena is the crowned princess of Dragonwall. The law states that she must find her Drengr mate before her 18th birthday or she must forfeit her crown and right to rule as queen. Drenger and men blessed with dragon powers. They are able to switch between the tow formes and retain the strengths and beauty (Cue dreamy look.) of their dragon form. I did find Lena to be (Sometimes annoyingly so) immature. I felt like I was reading about a girl much younger than 17 who was in training to be the queen from birth. While there were times I rolled my eyes, I did still really like her. I think she does grow and mature throughout the book. I even got teary at the touching ceremony. And that hardly ever happens to me.
Because Tristian comes into the book so late I felt like I didn’t really get a chance to get to know him as well as some of the other competitors. He was so crowned in mystery even up till the second or third task. But at the end who can avoid loving Mr. Galiant.
Overall I really enjoyed staying up wayyy past my bedtime two nights in a row. I really hope this book gets the love it deserves. That ending scene was beautifully written!

In her book For the Crown, Melissa Mitchell presents us with a wonderfully imaginative fantasy world populated by humans, dragons, sprites, and drengrs (dragon/human creatures who are able to shape shift between their two aspects at will.) At the center of the book is a wonderfully well drawn strong-willed, mischievous young princess named Lena. She is immediately introduced as she is preparing to spring a prank on the group of young single drengr males who have come in hopes of becoming Lena’s bonded mate. It seems that the drengr are only males and chose a mate by finding the one psychically matched to link minds with him.

The rub in all this is that as princess of Dragonwall, Lena must find a mate before her next birthday or loose any possibility of becoming queen. As a result, all unmated drengr males are ordered to come to the palace to be tested. When none prove to be a match, Lena reluctantly accepts her fate and renounces the crown. A tournament of all mated and unmated drengr are invited to compete, the winner to be named the crowned prince.

The crisis of the story is inherent in what Lena recognizes as the basic misogyny of the Dragonwall’s rules. The unfairness is an affront to Lena—even though through a mated match the human female would gain nearly eternal life. Angered by the unfairness, Lena plots and schemes to find loopholes—or create a few illegal ones on her own. Along the way, of course, Lena discovers her true match in Tristan, a drengr who did not come to the matching party.

The key to the story is that Lena must find a measure of maturity as well as learning her purpose in Dragonwall aside from her role as the king’s daughter. Only after that can she find her mate and accept a new role in the realm.

I only read a few YA books, but this was far and away the best one I have read in that’s genre. I look forward to reading others in the series as they come. In the meantime I will definitely be taking a look at the others by this author.

I was given this book by NetGalley with the promise of a fair and honest review. I am very grateful for that opportunity.

I’m really struggling with what to rate this book. At the moment I am leaning towards a 2.5 star rating and I guess I’ll just get into why...

Okay, so initially this book had everything I wanted. Royalty, a competition, a strong female lead, fantasy elements. I didn’t know anything about this book going in and the summary was slightly misleading for what we got.

Let’s break it down:
1. Nothing happens, literally nothing happens until about 40% into the book. This book does not focus on the competition to become the king via the princess much at all and it is advertised as similar to The Selection series. This is the part I wanted and it was unbelievably rushed.

2. Tristan doesn’t even make an appearance until over halfway through the book and he’s meant to be our male lead. I didn’t believe in their romance at all & their conversations were frankly boring. I would have much rather have read about two birds meeting for the first time.

3. There’s no world building whatsoever. I haven’t got a clue what the world looks like, why it is the way it is, why no women have been born in the royal family or anything. It’s as if the author has presumed us as the readers would know this already.

4. The predictability. Nothing came as a surprise and I was constantly rolling my eyes at the choices everyone seemed to be making. The ending was boring and I wasn’t gripped enough to want more.

Overall this book felt boring and flat. The only reason this isn’t a lower rating for me is that Melissa does have a writing talent but this book felt like it was trying to be something it wasn’t.
<I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fabulous fantasy world centered around dragons!

I’m loving this book. Throughout reading this I had a maniac grin on my face since nearly everything was so engaging. I expected to find another YA fantasy book that was just run of the mill. Those books are fine and I do like them, but this was not it. I would compare this story and prose to Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy instead of Kiera Cass’s The Selection. The beginning did have a similar idea to Cass’s Selection but it was carried out in a much more different way.

The pacing was decent. I did feel the beginning was much more slower than the climax. The story is centered around the characters, so I feel like this impacted the pacing the most.

This has historical accuracy and I’m going to cry. It was used in the book logically and was correctly placed. I am so impressed! Also, thanks author for not tightening Lena down to a size 0 waist size with the corset.

My two favorite scenes are the ceremony bowing scene followed by the garden honesty scene.

The characters were the most important part of the story.
• The main character Lena was lit. She actually learned skills and learned more about herself. Her relationship with others seemed fairly natural. I found her personality to be almost perfectly balanced.
• Tristan was fabulous. My biggest complaint with his character is that he was too perfect. I kind of wanted to see him fail, to be honest. He was too amazing.
• The father and mother are the best supporters of Lena and its fabulous. Lena learned quite a lot from both of them and I’m glad she was able to grow past their mistakes. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I didn’t see the mother a lot. I’ll have to reread to make sure.
• I really liked the handmaidens because they were shown well and they had realistic personalities.

I did find some downsides to this book, though, hence the docking of a partial star.

The biggest was the lack of information about things not relevant to the plot or scene. Every scene is important to either character development or plot development, so everything included is important. It doesn’t include anything else to throw you off and make other guesses. Of course, there are plot twists included that I found witty. It wasn’t missing those at all. I would say it’s like a Youtube video with just a plain green screen and no filters used. It’s GOOD, yes. It was just missing that last element.

This book was very black and white good and evil. You could ask me who was the main bad guys and I would easily be able to point out the people. It could have been improved on this aspect too.

The final downside was the VERY spoilery summary included. I already knew to expect Tristan thanks to that, so I couldn’t really root on Lena with her other relationships before him.

I really enjoyed this!! I’m going to have to get a few copies for me and my friends. They’re going to love it! Thanks NetGalley and the publisher Melissa Ricketts Paperback for the ARC!!

A fun romp through dragon mythology. Lovers of dragon lore will enjoy this newly added title. Great for fans looking for a female lead, and who enjoy stories full of royal intrigue.

The beginning of this has the feel of the Selection, but with dragons and a role reversal. It soon takes its own take shape in Dragonwall.

Lena is a princess and to be able to retain her title, she has to find a mate by her eighteenth birthday. The time is nearing and all the single males are summoned by the king, in the hopes that one of them will be successful. Lena resents the idea, but as this is the law, she has to comply. This doesn't mean that she has to be on her best behaviour. She welcomes them with an entrance that they will not forget. There is a mixture of personalities amongst them. Some are just ambitious and others are in search of their own mates.

Tristan makes an appearance quite late in the story, but his background is fascinating and even though he is not looking for a mate, he participates in the ceremony. Who will be the lucky participant?

Dragonwall is fascinating as are the dragons and their mates. Lena is proficient in helping her father with royal duties, but in other ways she is rather immature. She likes to play pranks. Tristan is very "gallant". The suspense, action and plot building make for a compulsive read. A worthwhile read.

I received a copy from Netgalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding paranormal romance story. Before Princess Selena turns 18, she must mate-bond or lose her crown to become queen. After interviewing 27 hopeful men and having feelings for two of them, Selena ends up not bonding with any of them. When the contest is held to determine the future king, Selena meets someone courageous and gallant who did not attend the interviewing, Tristan. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, full of action and suspense, and a must read love story.
I reviewed a copy of the book through NetGalley.

This story has everything I love in a storyline. Spunky smart princess, a contest, and dragons. There is enough in the plot to take up several books, but it didn't feel as though the pacing was off. Can't wait to read the next adventure.

For the Crown is the story of Selena, a human princess in line for the throne. However, her path is not guaranteed and she must find a Drengr mate to inherit the crown. The solution? Lena meets with 27 eligible Drengr bachelors also hoping to find their mate. For the Crown is a classic fantasy tale that puts a unique spin on the soulmate trope- plus dragon shapeshifters! There was clear character growth throughout and well-developed supporting characters. I was excited to see a subversion of well-known tropes and solid world-building. While I appreciated how well the romance was constructed, I didn’t feel overly invested in it. For me, the world and quest for the crown was more gripping and engaging. I would love to know more about the mental bond between Drengr and see what happens next for supporting characters, such as Evelyn and Daryn. I will definitely be waiting for the next installment in this world! Thank you to Melissa Ricketts and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.