Star-Crossed Dragons is a young adult fantasy romance novel by Chris Cannon. It is the first book in the Going Down in Flames series. The novel follows Sara Sinclair, a Blue Dragon ice princess, who is forced to marry an absolute asshat. Sara is furious and doesn't buy into the Blue Dragon Clan's crap that says marriage should focus on alliances and power. She is determined to find a way out of the marriage contract, even if it means running away.

Sara meets Ian, a Red Dragon, while she is on the run. Ian is everything that Sara is not: he's impulsive, reckless, and always getting into trouble. But he's also kind, loyal, and fiercely protective of Sara. As Sara and Ian get to know each other, they fall in love. But their love is forbidden, as Blue Dragons and Red Dragons are enemies.

Star-Crossed Dragons is a fast-paced, action-packed novel with a lot of heart. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the romance is sweet and steamy. The world-building is also excellent, and Cannon does a great job of bringing the world of dragons to life. I highly recommend Star-Crossed Dragons to fans of young adult fantasy romance.

Here are some of the things I liked about the book:

The characters are complex and relatable. Sara is a strong and independent woman who is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Ian is a kind and compassionate man who is willing to fight for what he loves.
The plot is full of twists and turns. I was constantly guessing what would happen next.
The world-building is excellent. Cannon does a great job of bringing the dragon world to life.
Here are some of the things I didn't like about the book:

The ending felt a little rushed. I would have liked to see more of Sara and Ian's relationship after they got together.
Some of the secondary characters were a bit underdeveloped.

Overall, I really enjoyed Star-Crossed Dragons. It's a great read for fans of young adult fantasy romance.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I've been holding off on this book even though I really enjoyed Bryn's story. I just knew this was a forbidden love and would have a lot of secrets and sneaking around. I can handle a little bit of that, but knowing the history of these two characters, I knew this world be almost all of the book.

It was nice to see how things progressed between Sara and Ian. I loved how rebellious Sara was and how she wasn't a true Blue. She is a great actress though!

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this additional installment to a really good series.

This was a fun, enjoyable read that I couldn't put down. I love dragons and the premise of this book truly captivated me. Highly recommend picking it up.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I found this story kind of sweet and that is saying something since it was about dragons. I am sure there is probably and rule out there in the universe from calling them sweet. I love Ian and Sara. They are a good match. I know that they are both putting a lot of on the line since they are a red and blue dragon. This one of those books that kind of makings me feel good.

I really liked this book. I found it to be very interesting and fun. I really liked the characters in the book.

It’s easy to root for Sara and Ian in Chris Cannon’s latest dragon shifter story–their form of rebellion (being friends with–and maybe more!–people who “aren’t your type”) is one a lot of readers can identify with. Add in the whole being able to shift into a dragon part? A fun bonus! As long as you don't think about things too long and hard, that is.

The writing felt really uneven–a whole lot of time is spent on Sara and Ian’s everyday lives at school and with their family, yes, developing their relationship, but ultimately leaving the bulk of their adventure together crammed into the last chapter and epilogue. Much of the details are glossed over, leaving this as a safe read for younger readers but not *quite* as satisfying for older ones. It felt like the author realized she was fast approaching her word count goal so she quickly wrapped things up with the book equivalent of a "here's our life now" movie-style montage.

Star-Crossed Dragons is set in an intriguing world of dragon shifters, somewhere away from the human world but still on the planet we currently live on. There are a lot of things left unanswered (how exactly do they keep their entire world shielded from humans? Are they really self-sufficient, or do they somehow trade with outside groups? No means of manufacturing is ever mentioned, though they have cars, clothes, books, etc. How does shifting work? Where do their clothes, things they’re carrying, etc. go? Has no one really questioned the status quo until Sara and Ian?) but younger YA readers might enjoy this Romeo and Juliet-ish (with a much better ending, for all that it's abbreviated) tale. (Tail? ;))

Rating: 3 stars / C+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Sara Sinclair is a Blue dragon who is being organized into an arranged marriage with someone of her own class who is rather dislikeable. Sara, herself, is not willing to conform to the dragon hierarchy and is challenging ideas in more ways than one. She finds that perhaps love is out there for her but with a red dragon, Ian, which breaks the ultimate law of not being involved with someone outside your clan.
I really found it a little hard to care about the characters as I felt like I was being told everything about them and not really being asked to invest in their story. Perhaps my lack of knowledge of other books prevented me from caring about this particular story. There was a definite world built but I didn't find it overly imaginative - it was a little prescriptive.
It may appeal to readers who enjoy a solid female character within a fantasy setting.

Most stories ease you into their worlds, but the first paragraph is an arranged marriage contract. Then you get the dragons and the dual point of view. Just hold on tight, this is one wild ride…

This book draws parallel to a lot of difficult topics, like class and financial division, what is expected of males and females, social standards, and even the governmental rules and requirements that can sometimes make no real sense at all.

We follow the dual perspectives of Sarah, contracted to marry Ferrin (a cold-hearted, obnoxious, infuriating Blue Dragon); and Ian, the Red Dragon that Sarah falls for. Governmental rules dictate that you cannot marry or have children outside your station. But what if your heart belongs with someone other than your intended?

“Because we all have our quirks. Greens analyze everything. Black Dragons can be overly dramatic. Reds have volcanic tempers. Oranges wish we’d stop talking to them. And your Clan (Blues) is uptight and uses antiquated language.”

The writing and plot was somewhat slow in places, but the characters carry this story so well that I barely noticed. Also, I found out that this is a prequel to Chris’ Going Down In Flames series, where we follow Sarah and Ian’s daughter and I’m very interested in reading it after this taste of his world…

OK, wow, it took me the entire book before I realized this was a prequel to the other series about dragons by the same author. Woops! That would have helped me prepare for the ending a little bit sooner than when we got there. I guess this proves you totally don't need to read the main series in order to enjoy it.

This world is pretty wonderful. There are dragons, kept separate from society and managed into stereotypical clan roles. The blue dragons, of which Sara is one, are the most uptight of the bunch. They are tasked with managing money and are generally wealthy folks. Their mate pairings are also 100% business arrangements. It might not be so bad if Sara wasn't paired with the worst of the worst. It's while she is trying to hide from this horrible match that she meets Ian. He's a red dragon, so lives more modestly and focuses more on protection and strength. The attraction is instant and they are in serious trouble.

Clans in this world are not intended to mix, especially, but not exclusively, because both are already paired and promised to other people. That, of course, does not stop this Romeo & Juliet couple. Do they make some bad decisions? Sure. But they're so young! As an intro to the world, I think this is a good one. It gives you some good and bad, and even some redeeming Blue dragons, too. While the ending is a little... sad... it should make you want to pick up and see what happens some years later.

When an iceless ice-princess is rescued by an easygoing Red with a penchant for rescuing, a love that will change their world as they know it is born.
As always, I loved every last word of this new addition to the Going Down in Flames world.
Star-Crossed Dragons is a prequel detailing how Bryn MaKenna’s parents came to be rebels who broke every rule in the Directorate’s rule book, and is well-worth the read whether you’ve read Bryn’s series or are new to Chris Cannon’s dragons. Sara Sinclair has lot less ice-princess in her than the average Blue dragon, a fact which doesn’t go unnoticed or appreciated by her parents or the Dragon she’s intended to marry: Ferrin Westgate. For those readers like me coming to the parent story after devouring the daughter’s, there’s a lot more of Sara in Bryn than you might expect, as Bryn often seemed more red than blue. And Ian MaKenna is irreverent, and exceptionally easy-going for a Red, despite his formidable temper. He doesn’t care overmuch about anything, until he encounters Sara, who doesn’t at all fit his perception of a Blue female. And as for Ferrin, who is legally the third point of this “love-triangle” is truly obnoxious, even as a teenager. Those new to this world will love to hate him just as much as those of us who already had expectations of his younger self because we’re familiar with the grown-up version interacting with Bryn and Jaxon.
This is a fresh perspective, going into the world of dragons a generation sooner, through the dual POV of two dragons who grew up imbedded in their Clans, and brings a whole new level of understanding to Red and Blue behavior, and how the Directorate has evolved and stubbornly stayed the same since the Speaker’s daughter couldn’t be content with her intended and fell in love with a Red dragon instead. A wonderfully witty companion to Bryn’s series, and I could easily see this leading into a follow-up book about Sara and Ian’s life in the human world, overlapping with Bryn’s timeline in the end, or even further exploration of dragon couples, from rebels, to contracted to marry, to denied a marriage petition. And, as always, while the ending is clear and satisfying, I’m eager for any more to come from this world of dragon shifters!

This was a fun YA paranormal romance, but it felt very YA. The writing wasn’t incredibly detailed or varied and it sort of fell flat for me. I think for a younger YA reader, perhaps 13-16, this would have been much more enjoyable. I still rated it 3 stars because although it may not be perfect for all 30-something readers, I do think there is an audience for it and I didn’t find any errors, just not my preference.

I had a hard time putting this story down. It was engaging and well developed. The author took her time building good characters and a well developed story line.

If I were to be critical on anything it would be that at different points there was no Segway from one point to the next. It would sorta jump to the next day mid page and my brain had to catch up. Also, Not being aware this was a prequel to a series already out, put me at a disadvantage and made the epilog a bit too fast and confusing.

Once I went through the authors page I found out it was a prequel and felt better. I also added the series to my TBR list.

I would definitely recommend it's a great story and long enough to keep you engaged.

When I started this book, it was really interesting. The story really captured my attention and held it. However, I feel that the last 2 chapters were a bit rushed. Everything was going so smoothly and then it all suddenly came to an end.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. It had some good humour that was entertaining and I really enjoyed the story.

Snarky comments, an annoying blue dragon and a forbidden romance..... Sigh! What’s not to love? Reading this story was like coming home. It felt good and comfortable and gave an insight in the family background of Bryn and Jackson.

I was so excited to read this book. I wanted to know how everything started. This book is a prequel to the Going Down in Flames series. It tells of how Sara and Ian meet and got together. The other books do not need to be read for this book to make sense. I loved seeing how Sara and Ian got together and how Ferrin acted with Sara. I'm glad I got to revisit this dragon world and I look forward to reading more from it.

4.5 stars

Bittersweet because it's a prequel(and has allusions to Romeo and Juliet), and you know how it has to end, but you end up falling for the characters anyway.

Recommended.

Enemies to lovers, sneaking around for said love, and bada** dragons. This has it all. Honestly from the moment I saw the cover i knew I needed to read this book. I am so happy that I got the chance.
I read this in one sitting and throughily enjoyed each moment. The fact that she found a dragon for her and was willing to go for it was amazing

Interesting idea, I love Dragon shifter stories, and the title stating star-crossed is exactly that, two people from different clans fall in love so we get a forbidden romance, however, it started as a more like friends-lovers connection, the twist we got at the beginning I really thought it would be enemies-lovers but it twisted. The romance is good, the pacing is on and off, I really wanted more from the storyline. The characters are alright the world-building was interesting, but definitely needed more action and suspense. The dual POV helped to get a better perspective. Good points for romance and world-building, definitely a YA PNR book.

Chris Cannon soars with STAR-CROSSED DRAGONS. I love Chris Cannon’s Going Down in Flames series. I was thrilled when I found out she wrote this prequel about Bryn’s parents. This paranormal fantasy is suitable for young adults.

I enjoyed reading about Bryn’s parents blue dragon Sara Sinclair and red dragon Ian McKenna. The story begins around the time Sara is contracted to marry Ferrin Westgate. Sara meets Ian soon after she is intended to Ferrin. I really enjoyed this story. Sara and Ian were brave to go against the directorate for love.

STAR-CROSSED DRAGONS was skillfully written. I appreciated how things that happened in the Going Down in Flames series were referenced. This story made me want to reread the series. I recommend this book to people who enjoy stories about dragon-shifters. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Okay so upfront 3 stars means I thought it was good... that said don’t go into this expecting a Fantasy novel. This is a YA romance set in a semi fantasy world, and I’d say it’s more magical realism.

I enjoyed the story and the HS love situation going on, however I kept expecting for it to take off. At one point I was like okay is this the first in a series and they’re setting the foundation/world building for the next one?!? Turns out that’s not the case. So there’s no real climax to the story, no REAL tension, like you expect from true fantasy. However you get some drama and a HEA like any good romance novel should have!

Once I stopped looking at it from a fantasy perspective (because hello dragons), I enjoyed it as a teen romance. I liked Sara as a character and would have liked to of seen the author really push her further. Ian was sweet and there were moments of fire (pun intended) from him. I’m a side character kind of girl and I thought the ones in this story were good. Although Sara’s mother ended up being a disappointment and it didn’t make sense. IYKYK

I’d recommend this wholeheartedly to the 13-17 year olds and anyone else older as long as you go into it with the appropriate expectations.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.