Sapphic romance and dragons? Yes, please!

I enjoyed this one, but it somewhat fell a bit flat for me. I really struggled with it feeling a bit too ya. I just wish the characters could have been a bit deeper, I suppose.

The story is really interesting. The mc speaking in dragon-tongue and working with a dragon throughout this plot was very cool. I do think that I would be more excited about this one if there was more action happening.

Overall, a satisfying read!

Out June 27, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire was an excellent read, and really stood apart from the other recently released books that feature dragons. I really enjoyed every minute, and will be looking for more of Ms. Hollis's works. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This book was so well written. I totally enjoyed the story. It was different than any of the other fantasy/dragon books I’ve recently been obsessed with and that’s what made it so great.

It was definitely a 5 star ⭐️ read for me and one I will definitely read more than once because of how much I enjoyed it.

Get ready for a spoiler free rant because I have strong feelings about this book.

So let me start off with that I was convinced I was going to give this book 2 stars the first 65% of the book. It was so slow and dragged on so much. However, the pacing in the last part really picked up, which made me bump it up to three stars.

This book is VERY dialogue heavy. For a fantasy novel, I was hoping for less dialogue and more world-building, but I did not get that at all. There was pretty much no descriptions of what anything looked like, what the main character's feels and emotions were, and nothing about how the world really worked except for like three pages. On top of it being dialogue heavy, which isn't always a bad thing, the dialogue was just poor. I didn't get any emotions from it whatsoever, and I felt like the conversations, especially the ones where they were talking about their feelings, was very superficial. It was clear that this is a debut novel, and not in a good way.

Something else that bothered me was that I didn't realize one of the characters was a they until the end of the book. I thought they were a he for the majority of it and then finally at the end found out that they were a they. And I'm not saying that I didn't want them to be a they or anything like that. It's more of the fact that I wish I was told in the beginning of the story when I met the character. But no, I pretty much went the entire book not knowing an important thing about them. Maybe it was just me and I missed it?? But I would think I would have caught onto that fact sooner if it was brought up, especially since the character was in the book a lot. Unless the author changed this about them part way through the book and it needs to be edited still. That could be the case, but as of my eARC, this is seriously concerning that I didn't know this until the end.

Let's also not forget that the main plot twist in the book was slightly predictable. I pretty much gathered what was going on before it was revealed, and that was a little disappointing to me. I wish their was going to be a bigger WOW factor in this one, but guessing what I guessed, it just wasn't surprising when I got to it.

And this is just a personal preference, but I was hoping more for the dragons not to be the "bad guys" in this story. I was hoping for a book that the people were working alongside the dragons. This being said, I don't read what the book is about before I dive in to give me an element of surprise, so I'm sure this was mentioned in the blurb. Again, probably just a me thing, so don't take this as a means to not read the book.

Now that's not to say that the book was terrible and you shouldn't read it. This book might be for you. You might love a dialogue heavy fantasy world with a F/F relationship. As I mentioned, the pacing did pick up a lot at the end, making me enjoy the ending (even though I was rolling my eyes at everything everyone said), so that was a plus for me. However, I overall wished this one had a little more world building and the dialogue/descriptions that gave me more emotions.

I was thrilled to read this book because it combines two of my favorite elements: sapphic themes and dragons. Lotte, the main character, was decently portrayed, and I found her complex relationship with her mother and the concept of a dragon-tongue very intriguing. The development of Lotte and Maryse's relationship was a highlight for me, as both characters had to navigate their own familial complexities and matured early in life. They showed genuine care and understanding for each other, gradually lowering their defenses. I particularly appreciated the unique approach to dragon lore, where these creatures subsisted on gold hoards—a departure from the norm in most modern dragon books. The introduction of different dragon species with subtle variations added to the overall appeal.

Once the twist and subsequent secrets were unveiled, the plot became engaging and enjoyable. I appreciated the uncertainty regarding the resolution, which kept me invested. However, despite being a teenager, Lotte's character lacked the strength I was hoping for. Additionally, while I understood Maryse's motivations, I struggled to fully connect with her as an individual due to her predominantly selfish actions. The book lacked emotional depth, making it difficult for me to truly care about and form attachments to the characters. Consequently, the major emotional moments felt somewhat superficial. Furthermore, I found some of the characters' reasoning and thought processes to be naive and implausible. Although the book attempted to explore internal conflicts, it fell short in executing them effectively. Additionally, I figured out the mystery surrounding Ker'kachin early on, resulting in the reveal lacking impact.

Considering these aspects, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars 🌟. While it was an enjoyable read, it failed to deliver the emotional depth that could have made me love it.

Great read. One I couldn't put down. I know that some of the plot twists were obvious, but they didn't become obvious for awhile. So still a surprising plot twist, just not in the moment it happened. I really enjoyed it in its entirety, even when I thought it kept going back and forth from the castle too much, I still wanted/needed to know what happened. Will definitely get for our library system because it will also provide some much needed diversity for our YA collection.

2.5 ⭐️

"Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire" had a really interesting premise, but I was disappointed with the execution. For starters, I was expecting a lot more out of the dragons. There’s really just one main dragon that stays in its lair for the majority of the book and I was expecting to see more dragons and dragon behaviour.

It was nice to see a different take on dragons, with the main character being a Dragontongue and having a more diplomatic role, but the way it was done really stagnated the plot. There wasn’t a whole lot for the characters to actually do since their main objective was just negotiating with the dragon. There was a lot of dialogue with not much in the way of world building or action for most of the book. I might not have minded this too much if I hadn’t figured out the main plot twist 30% of the way in and then struggled to find anything else to keep me going. I felt like I could’ve skipped the whole middle section and jumped ahead to the reveal without missing anything.

I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book, but Maryse really wasn’t my favourite character. Lotte trusted her, but she really didn’t seem to deserve it at times and never fully made up for some of the things she did.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the way that the main character could speak to dragons and I would’ve loved even more interactions like that throughout the story. I also loved the LGBTQ representation in these characters!

On the flip side, I was so close to DNFing this book. I figured out the “twist” at 25% and then everything dragged and dragged while I waited for it to be revealed. It felt like we were dancing around the plot with little hints throughout when it felt so obvious to me. Eventually, I just wanted to skip to the end which is never good.

Overall, this is an enjoyable read and does paint a fun fantasy setting with plenty of dragons (who doesn’t love that?)!

This book was awesome! The dragons are so cool and the aspect of being able to talk to them was really intriguing. I enjoyed the different representation this book offered as well. And I loved that this was different than most fantasy novels with other bits of mystery added to really make it shine. Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for giving me an eARC copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book from start to end. This book started off pretty easy. Definitely YA. Very clear and easy to follow. Very predictable for the most part, but there were times I had no idea where the story was going. I loved the way the dragons were depicted and the thought of seeing miniature dragons around town made me happy. It did have some very dark parts and topics.

Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire is a dialogue rich fantasy with great representation. Lotte is a dragon tongue. She can talk to dragons and is brought to a new town to help with the current dragon issue. Her journey ends up being more than work! Family, love and danger is all ahead.
I wished this story was a bit more fleshed out. I felt like we walked right into the middle of the story but still needed more by the end. Very dialogue heavy but not enough to make me fall for any of the characters. Slow moving but the last half really picks up and is where most of the action takes place. Decent book but just needed more world building to care about the characters and their journey.

I came for the sapphic aspect coupled with dragons - I stayed for the well-written characters and the unexpected mystery/thriller aspect.

Kudos to the author for this queer fantasy/romance that blurs lines between multiple genres. While a piece of the “mystery” aspect was pretty obvious, that didn’t detract from the story for me as it was just so interesting and done so well. I feel like this one grappled with the concept of how money can corrupt easily and how greed can change someone into a monster capable of horrendous acts.

This one also deals with some tougher topics like trauma and parental abandonment/neglect. There were also some scenes that were a bit brutal with some gore - that didn’t bother me but I figure I’d be upfront about it here for any potential readers that might be bothered by it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for the opportunity to read the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

This was a DNF for me. The premise was intriguing, but the execution was odd. Everything important that usually would be used to up the stakes of the narrative had already happened before the book began, like the dragon giving his ultimatum (and to whom if no one could understand him but Lotte?), which conveniently needed the skills of a character other than the first person POV narrator—also established before the book began. So, the story relies on soapy drama instead, like a bully of a brother and a mother who’s abandoned her daughter. I didn’t even have the romance to look forward to, because I disliked both Lotte and Maryse.

Descriptions were sparse and came too late, giving a notion that the story happened in a vacuum. And I couldn’t quite get behind the idea that there was enough gold in a preindustrial society that dragons could eat it. What did they eat before it was processed by humans? And there were so many of them around, yet the society wasn’t entirely impoverished or hadn’t resorted to different means of transaction. All these issues were so aggravating that I had to stop reading. Judging by other reviews, the book gets better, but I couldn’t bring myself to care enough to continue.

Since I choose to DFN this book, I will not be giving it a star rating as I didn’t fully read this book. I will say that I love the premise, I love the sapphic relationship and one of our main side characters uses they them pronouns, which I love seeing the representation. But when you first get into the story, you can kind of get thrown in to where they’re already on the road, and then you get to find out more about our characters, which is a premise that I just never loved. Basically, our main character is a dragon tongue which means that she can talk to dragons and just has this innately born power within her. In a couple cities over there’s a dragon who is taking over the capital and is making everyone pay a tile in gold, which is what dragons eat in this world. So the city finds this girl and brings her in to try to have a peace treaty with this dragon so basically, the only way for this dragon to leave is for him to get some sort of magical artifact. And that’s honestly where I stopped reading because I could see where the story was going and honestly I didn’t love the authors writing style. As I’ve been trying to DNF books quicker and I got about 10% into this book when I chose to DNF it. I just wasn’t excited to keep reading about these characters and to go on that adventure with them. I definitely think that a lot of people will really love and enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire by Erica Hollis
⭐⭐⭐.5/5
🌶️/4

*Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book! Release date is June 26, 2023!*

Lotte Meer is a Dragontongue, a special and rare individual who can speak to dragons. Even though she's only 16 years old, she's being called upon to try and save a city full of hundred of thousands of people. A large dragon has taken up residence in an old abandoned castle. He forces the town to pay a weekly tithe and has tasked them with finding a magical object or else he'll burn down the town. Lotte's job is to try and negotiate peace with the dragon, but this dragon isn't like any other she's met before. Where did this mysterious dragon come from, and what secrets is he hiding?

Simply put, enjoyed it, but I didn't feel that all consuming need to read it. It's a YA book, and I could definitely tell that, yet at the same time there were passages that seemed too graphic for me. Some of the violent acts were described in a way that made me feel a little nauseous. They also dropped quite a few "F-words," which doesn't bother me, but also seemed excessive for a book targeted at YA. On the flip side, the romance was too juvenile. It was a lesbian love story, which I don't have much experience reading, but it just seemed sooo innocent, and not necessarily in a good way. I loved the relationship the two built together, but it didn't really ever seem to work up to romance, they just felt like really good friends. Speaking of friends, I loved the characters of Skylar (nonbinary) and Danil. They helped make the story enjoyable, although they felt designed older than that actually were (19ish). Like, they referred to lot as "kid" in multiple scenarios. I'm 30, and I don't go around calling teenagers "kid". That's minor though. Overall, I really loved the take on dragons and the story itself was interesting enough! I predicted the twists all ahead of time, but I still liked it. It had a happy ending and I'm not sure the author's plan, but it seems like it can be read as a standalone. If you're a huge dragon fan, I'd recommend this!

After Fourth Wing I was in a funk and needed more dragon books. I went into this blind and it was a decent read though on the slow pace side as there was a lot of information and fluff.

I loved the dragontongue and skill to talking to dragons. I enjoyed the little scene with the baby dragons and couldn’t wait for more but it dragged till the end.

The plot twist with dragon transformation was interesting but execution could have been better. I unfortunately did not gravitate towards any character. Bantering was barely there. Quite a dry read.

This story also has a sapphic flare to it but after reading Samantha Shannon work with Priory of the Orange tree it did not feel as natural and quite forced down that I did not care for.

Overall it was a good attempt.

Thank you Entangled Teen for this ARC for an honest review. I wish I loved it more but I’m sure someone will enjoy this

Officially in my dragon era! This book was a breath of fresh air. The characters and relationships were perfect and the the creativity of this story was magnificent. Erica Hollis drags you in and keeps your attention going with the band of characters. You connect to all of them and I'd love to continue reading them in the future. Note to all - not a spicy book but definitely some longing. It was a great blend of both.

Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire is a sapphic YA fantasy novel by Erica Hollis which follows the adventures of dragontongue, Lotte Meer. When a dangerous dragon takes the town of Morwassen's Pass hostage Lotte is the only one who stands a chance of talking him down. The task isn't easy when the dragon could gobble her up in one bite at the slightest misstep. Lotte will have to use all her wit and courage if she wants to stop this dragon or let it kill everyone she's come to care about.

I was very excited at the premise of this novel! I don't know what it is lately with dragon-centered novels in the limelight again but I love it! And adding a sapphic romance onto that is just icing on the cake!

I did really enjoy this novel. I thought the descriptions of the setting were described very well and I could practically picture myself there with Lotte and crew! The world felt very vibrant like I was stepping into a colorful anime or something.

The sapphic romance was very cute to read about, Lotte and her love interest pining away at each other for a lot of the book.

I do have to admit that I guessed the big twist halfway through. I'm not sure if it was predictable or if I'm just a good guesser! But it was still interesting to read about the characters figuring out the twist on their own.

All in all, I think everyone who's looking for a good dragon-filled sapphic book should definitely check out Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire!

Thank you to Entangled Teen for an eARC copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions contained within this review are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

It seems like there is a lot of dragon books coming out lately. I really enjoyed the new take on them this time. Instead of being about dragonriders this one is about the ability to speak to dragons. Admittedly the one twist I predicted but still I enjoyed the f/f love story and the idea behind this novel. I think I'll always be up for a story with dragons!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is a YA fantasy with a sapphic romance.

✅Things to expect:
F/F romance
LGBTQI representation
Dragons
Magical artifacts
Humans talking to dragons
Adventure
Found family

Synopsis:
In a world where dragons exist, Lotte, a dragontongue, is hired to help rid a town of a monstrous dragon terrorizing the citizens.

This was a fun standalone YA fantasy about dragons. I enjoyed the world building and adventure. There is a sweet sapphic romance subplot. The twist was predictable with a lot of foreshadowing, but well done. My favorite part was Lottie’s ability to talk to dragons. I wish there was more plot about that with other dragons as it was really interesting and fun. For a debut novel, this was great and I will read more from this author in the future!

Thank you Entangled Teen for the ARC! 🐉