I have read this complete series and I can say that this first book is not at all like the other 3.
We meet Arwen who is a hunter and just wants to live her normal life until the Dragon King, Drae, sets his search for a new queen who can bear him an heir.
At first I was like ‘Dragons?’ But also when you here the words, wife, queen and heir. You kind of cringe a little. Arwen was a very strong FMC and is the obvious choice but I did appreciate her fight to choose what she wanted. She didn’t want to be queen at all but decided to be a knight no matter her feeling for Drae.
I think the biggest highlight is the big plot. The human queen trying to bring war to all the magical beings using technology and science. The fact that this bigger plot spans 4 books is what made me keep reading for sure.

I love the world of leia stone. I couldnt put this book down looking forward to find out what would happen next. Following arwen finding out shes more then the human she thought herself to be. To trying to find a way to get the king to love her and not kill her because of her bloodline. Plenty of love and action involved.

I didn't love this book. The writing style was too modern to immerse myself in the story, with lots of slang. Also, there were a couple of plot points I didn't love, as other reviewers have mentioned.

DNF at 80%. This book was unfortunately not for me, I knew it was YA and I enjoy a lot of books in the YA genre, but this book just seemed over the top immature in some places. The FMC was very unlikeable, she was very judgey of other women and constantly asked questions/brought up topics that were not appropriate, than was confused that people reacted poorly to her. I did enjoy how the MMC had no issues with her joining the army and having a job that traditionally was only for men, but when they started to negotiate how they would go about giving the kingdom an heir I just couldn't go on anymore. This book had a lot of great elements and gave a similar feel of other fantasies I have enjoyed, but the immature dialogue and choppy plot was unfortunately not for me.

Overall rating: 3.5
Spice: 2
The Last Dragon focuses on Arwen, a girl in a poor village of hybrids. She lives an uncomplicated life, supporting her mother and sister, and enjoys her simplistic lifestyle. Her whole life is upended, however, when Drae, the Dragon King, appears at her village searching for a wife powerful enough to bear an heir. As Arwen is gathered away from her community and into the rich and opulent Jade City, lines are drawn, relationships are formed, and secrets are exposed.
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Leia Stone does a wonderful job of creating a page turner. The plot definitely flows—each time I think Arwen and Drae will catch a break, there’s another twist or shock that adds to the plot. I definitely didn’t hate or dislike the book, and would recommend it to people looking for a fast-paced, fun read. I did, however, want to like the novel a lot more. For me, some parts were rushed, and others lacking, and overall the novel could’ve been stronger in some areas.

If you’re looking for a sensual novel, this novel will definitely satisfy your itch. Though there aren’t extensively graphic spicy scenes, Drae and Arwen’s relationship is swoonworthy. I love their chemistry, their banter, and the sparks! Even before their relationship, the tension between Drae and Arwen is there. The overcoming of conflicts towards the end of the novel made the relationship 100% more realistic, and I loved seeing the actions, conversations, and resolution between both characters. In my opinion, the tensions within the relationship worked to strengthen the bond. To any love-triangle haters (like me) no worries! The pair are devoted to each other relatively early, and remain so despite issues.

Trigger warning: the book touches heavily with infant loss and stillbirth

Things I liked
The tension between Drae and Arwen was beautifully executed. The issues between the two were raw and realistic, and even worked to demonstrate the passion and dedication between them. There are two main conflicts within the relationship, and I loved how they overcame and resolved the issues.
HEA! As much as I’m drawn to angst, I also love when characters get their happy ending. After years of back to back hardships, I loved the ending for Drae. It was so heartwarming to see his show of emotion and happiness at the end of the book, and the resolution of the book felt so cleancut. The ending truly felt like the finishing bow on the present.
Things that didn’t work for me
Unfortunately, the characters lacked depth to me. I absolutely adored the character aspects that were shown, but it felt like these characters weren’t individuals. Instead, it felt like these characters were tools, solely made to further Arwen’s and Drae’s plots and development. Regina (who I loved btw) was never really explored as Regina, and was instead casted off as Arwen’s friend, idol, and mentor. I would’ve loved to see the characterization of these people—their likes, dislikes, passions, and personalities (other than agreeing with or helping the MCs). Even Arwen, who was totally kickass, fell victim to the same treatment. Her actions primarily focused around hunting, and she had a tad bit of a superiority complex, typically claiming she wasn’t like other girls that liked pretty dresses and makeup.
I did find the relationship a bit insta-lovey. After about one day together and a bit of banter, Arwen has a deep crush on Drae, and Drae reciprocates tenfold. I find their relationship adorable, but it did feel a bit rushed.
Some key parts of the plot felt more told than shown.
The aforementioned points all combine to create the typical YA novel format. I believe if I was younger, the book would have been on my reread list. Despite the heavy themes, however, the novel still felt young in a way (which might be because of the young MC).

Overall, the book isn’t bad! It will appeal heavily to a YA audience, as the book is not overtly confusing or hard to follow. Lovers of romantasy, fast-paced novels, and dragons should definitely look into this book!

* I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a 4.5 / 5 ⭐️ read for me

This book follows the story of Arwen, an 18 year old girl who has become a hunter to feed her family, and King Drae, a dragon king who is searching for a woman with enough dragon kind in her lineage to give him an heir.

After Arwen is selected as a potential wife for the King, she is taken to the castle along with the other possible candidates. However war is brewing, and Arwen’s powers might be more than they appear.

I really really enjoyed this book. The characters were likeable and funny, Arwen and Drae had great banter and chemistry and the world-building was fantastic and well explained. Arwen was a bad-ass fmc and I like that she took no shit from anyone around her.

I do wish this book had a little more spice than it does, with only one brief scene depicted, but overall it was a great read and I’m looking forward to reading the sequels

The premise of this book was interesting to me, but I think the dialogue and the execution of the premise is very unrefined and needs some work. I would have liked to see more build up with the romance and more explanations for certain conflicts..

I really enjoyed this book. I thought Arwen was very mature for being only 20. And Drae was pretty level headed for someone with such responsibilities.

The story was pretty intriguing and I kept turning the page to see what happened next. I gave 4 out of 5 stars only because of the ending. At first, it was one scenario but then all of a sudden, it was another without the consequences of the first one. Especially with the premise of this book. I’m probably not being too clear but I don’t want to post spoilers. Anyways, it was a good read and I’ve grabbed the rest of them to continue on.

This book was so good. I thoroughly enjoyed this book way too much. Absolutely love all things PNR. So well written with amazing characters and the words just flowed on the page.

I love losing myself in a Leia Stone world, and The Last Dragon King: Kings of Avalier is no exception.

This read has a slight Cinderella reimagining feel to it. The king must find a new wife at once, and he sets out to visit each village in his kingdom. Coming upon Cinder Village, he chances upon a young hunter, a woman, carrying her kill upon her shoulders back to her home. He is instantly intrigued.

That young woman, Arwen, is blissfully unaware of the interest in her. She wants for nothing more than to care and provide for her mother and sister, kiss the boy in the village who has captured her interest, settle down and perhaps have a family, and happiness, of her own.

Theur meeting leads us to a tale of secrets. Long ago battles and wars. Tragedy and loss, duty and honor before self. It's a much deeper and darker story than finding the right person. It's very much a story of self discovery and sacrifice for both Arwen and Drae.

As with all of Ms Stone's stories, the world building is imaginative, detailed and interesting, with a mix of old and new technologies, and the ancient powers that battle them.

As this is the first in a series, the next kings are named. Their heroine's are not. But bread crumbs give us some indication of the men we'll be reading about in upcoming books.

For me, this is a 4.5 star read. Top notch world building, interesting characters, attraction but no real steam except for the wedding night. Overall, an excellent read, and one I recommend for the romantasy fan.

This is a relaunch with Bloom Books, and I was given a copy to read by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of my favorite series!!! This book got me into Leia Stone's books so quick! This was such a good first book in a series. I loved the whole book!

"The Last Dragon King" by Leia Stone is the first book in the Kings of Avalier series, a captivating tale of love, magic, and epic battles. The story follows Arwen Novakson, an eighteen-year-old with magical abilities. While her magic is not particularly strong, she is shocked when the magic sniffers select her as a potential wife for the Dragon King, who is seeking a partner with enough dragon magic to produce a powerful heir.

Despite the unexpected opportunity, Arwen discovers a terrifying secret about the strength of her magic that could put her life in danger if the king were to learn the truth. As she navigates the challenges of court life and witnesses the king courting other women, Arwen finds herself falling for the charismatic Dragon King. However, the risks of their relationship become apparent as a magical war looms, forcing Arwen to decide how much she's willing to sacrifice for love.

This fantasy romance, perfect for fans of authors like Holly Black, Sarah J. Maas, and Rebecca Yarros, promises an engaging and unputdownable read with elements of dragons, magic, and a forbidden love story.

Quick, easy romantasy read. Completely predictable but fun nonetheless.

Even though the book is quite tropey, it was a good read. The characters are fun and stay true to themselves. Arwen is quite sarky, which I always like.

I would have liked to see more of the actual "contest" I think. Would have been cool to see this developed further.

3.5 stars.

Really enjoyed! The dynamics and relationships was what kept me hooked. Wish there was more! I did find there could have been things added to make the story better.. I’m fine with lighter/ not deep reads so that’s not what I found it was lacking. Although it seemed like things where a bit all over the place at times

I decided to give this book a try based on its blurb, and it didn't disappoint. The story was short and fast-paced and it left me wanting for more. I am now fully committed to reading the entire series, it is that enjoyable.

The story follows the last (would it be the last?) dragon king and his quest to keep his empire and citizens safe. It has dragon shifters, magic, romance, what more can you ask?

I received the ARC via NetGalley and I'm giving my honest feedback.

This book started off well, and I was honestly enjoying it. Unfortunately, that changed after the first several chapters.

Plot development became rushed, with the author often telling us things had happened without showing us via characters and scenes. This caused the relationship that rapidly developed between the two main characters to feel unnatural.

Things went even more downhill from there with random, undeveloped turns in the story, an insistence on the virtues of female sexual purity, sexist double standards, incredibly cringeworthy choices and reasons for those choices, a painful attempt at a sex scene, and a volley of contrived attempts to create tension.

I was really disappointed with how this book progressed, because I actually really enjoyed the author’s writing style. Her prose is easy to read and grabbed my attention from the first page. The initial concept was good, but the story development fell flat and left a lot to be desired.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the advance digital review copy of this book!

I had a hard time reading the book. There was a lot of parts that felt so rushed and unorganic. You can definitely tell that this book got its ideas from A Court of Thorns and Roses. I did have to stop reading this book as an adult. However, as a young adult it may be worth the read if you're in to shapeshifters and rushed ideas.

Cinderella meets the Hunger Games meets dating shows.
A girl from a small village finds herself unexpectedly a candidate to become queen when she finds out that she may have a more magical heritage than she'd always believed.

Arwen is the older sister in a family who lost their father. She takes up hunting to support her family in a small town with few extra resources. After a successful hunt, she returns for a festival but instead has her world turned upside down.
 
I'm very split on this book. In one case, I was hooked and finished it in a few hours. On the other, I have some issues with a few parts of it.

I love the beginning of this book. Yes, it has parallels to other stories, but it also has an amazing FMC. I immediately loved Arwen, and Drae was intriguing. I got nervous when all the queen candidates got together and expected the book to go into the usual catty girl competition stuff. It was pleasantly surprising when that was not the case. Female characters supporting each other, cheering each other on and accepting differences was a nice change.

Some of the book did feel a bit rushed, and I wish certain aspects had been flushed out more. That being said, sometimes it's nice to just enjoy a quick read! It also had an odd mix of purity until marriage and other views of having families. Neither of those things are bad, and it takes all kinds of people and relationships to make the world the place it is. I do look forward to reading more of this series in the future and exploring the other characters that were introduced or mentioned!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

It was a quick and easy read. Interesting at times, slightly slow and boring at other times. It wasn’t my favorite book. I feel like it was studied and not fully developed.

<b>3.5 stars</b>

The Last Dragon King by Leia Stone is my first book by the author. It's a fantasy shifter romance with lots of drama, angst and twits and some interesting characters.

It's a cross over between Cinderella and Bachelors. The Dragon King needs to get married soon to save his kingdom and he has just lost his wife after three stillbirth. So a kingdom wide hunt is on for eligible woman with enough magical power to carry the heir. Arwen thought it has nothing to do with her as she is a simple mixed blood but her mother discloses that she is actually highborn. Not just any highborn. She is the last surviving queen from the enemy Eclipse Dragon clan. She gets picked up by the sniffers and now she has to survive hiding the truth and definitely not fall for the King.

The FMC and MMC are quite young. 18 and 21 respectively. I liked Arwen. She is strong and sassy and sometimes impulsive. She protected and helped her family to survive through poverty and hunger with her hunting skills. She didn't like the idea of getting uprooted from her family and to be thrown into a contest because she isn't a normal girl. Being a royal guard is more enticing to her. But the King's tragedies intrigued her soft heart. He can very well be her death but the heart wants what it wants. I feel her heartbreak and misery through the story as she had to make some really difficult decisions. She showed her courage and stubbornness very well.


But I am so confused about King Drae. He is nothing like the alpha I expected him to be. He is all over the places with his emotions and his decisions. He wanted to choose Arwen because of her bravery and her fierceness but he never did. He chose another woman because his counsel thought she is better suited for carrying the heir. Only after that option wasn't there...he confessed his love. And again and again, Arwen made sacrifices. I really wanted to like him. But Arwen totally eclipsed him.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily