Embarking on my first adventure with an ARC in the fantasy genre proved to be quite a delightful experience, and I'm genuinely grateful for having chosen this particular book. However, a twinge of guilt crept in as I realized the book had already hit the shelves, and I found myself fashionably late in penning down my thoughts for a review.

I'm absolutely enamored with this book! The joy I experienced following Arwen Novakson and King Drae Valdren's journey was beyond containment. The dragon element was a pleasant surprise, and I never anticipated falling so deeply in love with this story. There was constant squealing, and I found myself shedding tears throughout the read.

I'm counting down the days until I can hold the hardbound copy of this book, and can we talk about how gorgeous the cover is? The visual appeal of a book cover is a big deal for me when I'm deciding to make a purchase. I'm practically bubbling with excitement to dive into the sequel of this series and soak in all the captivating artwork within the pages. The way the art aligns so accurately with the book's descriptions just adds to the whole experience for me.

Ughh! I can already feel the waterworks coming when I finally have the physical copy of this book in my hands. It's officially climbed up to my list of all-time favorites! If you're into dragons, fantasy, and a sprinkle of romance, I wholeheartedly recommend this gem. Trust me, you won't regret it!

I enjoyed the story itself, but at times the main character was a bit too "pick me" and a lot of the story moved at a weird pace - almost too quickly, I think it would have benefitted more from a bit more suspense and slow burning. I did enjoy it overall though!

I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews for this series but I don’t get that all. I really enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the overall feel of the book. The world building just pulled me right in.

It was an easy read for a weekend away.

I liked Arwen and her fierce independence. I enjoyed the ying & yang between her & the Dragon King, Drae. Although I’m not a huge fan of the Bachelor tv shows, this was fun despite the high stakes, her life on the line because of her secret.

I’ll definitely be picking up the rest of the series.

Loved it! It’s a fast paced book that gets right into the story and builds the world as you go along. It’s part of a series but can be read as a stand alone. I’ll definitely be picking up the other books.

Thanks Netgalley for this copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3.5) The Last Dragon King by Leia Stone. Thank you to @netgalley and @read_bloom for the ARC.

This book is part of the Avalier series, but can be read as a standalone.

“The Dragon King is looking for a wife.” And due to his dragon genetics he needs someone powerful enough to carry a baby to term. Troops and sniffers are sent throughout his kingdom to bring back any eligible women with magical power. Arwen is 1/2 dragonfolk, half human who has taken on the responsibility of providing for her mother and sister, following her father’s death. When her mother hears of the sniffers she tells Arwen a secret that could cause the death of her and the king.

The story has a really nice flow to it. Although I found the story slightly predictable, it was a very quick, cute read.

Personally, I wish this book had more spice, and more world building. However these factors won’t prevent me from checking out the rest of the series.

I was excited to read this well because I love dragons in fantasy (GoT super fan), but this one fell short for me. The characters were too YA to be in the roles they were in. The main character spent too much time trying not be like other girls, but she ended up being a cliche like other girls.

The Last Dragon King is absolutely riveting I could barely put it down. Arwen is a fierce to be reckoned with and Drae such a forlorn and tragic history who could not help but fall for Arwen the moment he sat her drenched in Cougerin blood. A match fitting for the days that will come. I was thrilled to see his council wrong about Arwen and Drae’s heir and now they glimpse a future worth fighting for! I honestly can’t wait to see what comes next

The Last Dragon King is a standalone fantasy romance, but also the start in the Kings of Avalier series. Leia Stone has already written several books, however this will be my first book I'll read from this author. I was drawn to the cover, as well as the description: This book will be perfect for Fourth Wing fans. What will Leia Stone have in store for her readers?

The synopsis of this book had really drawn me to the story. It really describes the storyline very well, without giving any spoilers away. Arwen and Drea are wonderfull characters which you'll really get to know well. Arwen is an ordinary girl from a small village, however she hunts which makes her special. She only has little magic, so when the sniffers come to her village she is sure they won't choose her. However, they do choose her because of the great amount of magic they smell. What she doesn't know is her mum has kept a secret for her, which could change everything. Arwen needs to cope with this shocking reveal fast and can only hope Drae doesn't choice her as his wife.

The storyline has a nice flow to it, making The Last Dragon King an easy-read. This book features a "he falls first" trope as well as dragon shifters and evil queens. I really enjoyed reading this book. Leia Stone has a really nice writing style and also manages to create a great worldbuilding.

The Last Dragon King is one of my favorite dragon books so far. This book is amazing and makes me really curious about what else there is to come in this series. I can't wait to start reading other books by Leia Stone, since I think her other books also will be awesome. Just because the book is sometimes a bit too fast paced, I give The Last Dragon King a 4.5 star rating.

★ ★ .5 | 🌶

18+ check TWs

Note: I try my hardest to not include spoilers in my reviews. However, spoilers and how you define a spoiler is subjective. Proceed with caution.

*A special thank you to Netgalley and Bloom Books for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

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I’m definitely having mixed feelings about this one, y’all.

The beginning of this book started off strong. We had a strong FMC, who kind of gave off Feyre vibes. But, as the story progressed, Arwen turned into a “not like other girls” type. Which I didn’t love.

As for Drae and Arwen as a couple, I liked it in the beginning. I just wish there was more tension. There was a lot of telling instead of showing, which just wasn’t helping their chemistry. The story as a whole could have been longer, or we could’ve had more time to grow attached to the characters. I just wasn’t invested as much as I wanted to be.

There were two main things that bumped this book down from a 4 star to a 2.5 star: the deaths and the mistress storyline. I mean, I could understand the first death, but the SECOND? Completely unnecessary for the plot. Just a death, to have a death. Especially of one of the best characters.

As far as the mistress plot line, it gave me such an ick that I had to force myself to finish the book. It was thrown in as a conflict at the last minute and I just didn’t like it. It didn’t need to happen.

All that being said, I do think I will read the next book just to give the series the good ol’ college try.

Three and a half
I quite enjoyed the beginning of this and the premise of a Kings magic being tied to both his heirs and his people was an entirely new one to me. I even quite liked the heroine although I can see some readers might find her views and reactions perhaps frustrating. I think for me as much as I enjoyed it the romance was just too juvenile although I hasten to add this isn’t a children’s book. The couple had communication issues and that meant their “romance “ yep I did intend the clarification, just didn’t quite convince me. However I would like to know how things progress and I’m very intrigued by the Elven King so not a waste of my time.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

OBSESSED. THANK YOU FOR THIS BOOK!

I couldn't put it down. This book was awesome and I'm obsessed.
Right, now to an actual coherent review. First of all thank you so much to NetGalley, Bloom Books and Leia Stone for this book, I am so grateful.
This book was perfectly paced and super engaging, so much so that I read it in one sitting. It has been such a long time since I last sat down and read a book without needing breaks so thank you for this wonderful addition to the romantasy genre.
I loved that one of the biggest messages I got from this is the fact that a woman can be a warrior AND a mother and both make her a strong powerful woman. I felt very empowered by Arwen the entire way through; she was feisty, defied social norms and fought for what she believed to be right but also felt just as powerful when *SPOILER* deciding she wanted to marry the one she loved and have babies. There needs to be more books like this in the genre that show how motherhood is just as powerful a weapon as a sword.

As soon as I finished this, I bought the second book on kindle because I just had to see more of the fantastic and interesting world Leia Stone has created!

The Last Dragon King is absolutely riveting I could barely put it down. Arwen is a fierce to be reckoned with and Drae such a forlorn and tragic history who could not help but fall for Arwen the moment he sat her drenched in Cougerin blood. A match fitting for the days that will come.

I was thrilled to see his council wrong about Arwen and Drae’s heir and now they glimpse a future worth fighting for! I honestly can’t wait to see what comes next.

Was a quick enjoyable read. Will be continuing the series. Wished there was a little more growth in Arwen.

A quick bingeable book that started off really really strong and was gripping with tons of potential. She’s a fun writer and overall was a quick easy read.

This is a fun romance with the rags to riches/girlfriend (wife) competition tropes. Our ML needs a woman to bear his offspring and secure his kingdom. She is just trying to protect her family and keep them fed. Due to her not skipping town in time, she winds up drafted unwillingly into his wife contest. She is spunky, snarky and doesn't sit down and shut up. Certainly no royal in their right mind knows what to do with her. So it makes her perfect. It really is an enjoyable story and deserves a good read.

This was a fun read! What I liked about this book is that the world building was easy to follow, it was action packed, and fast paced. I pretty much read this in one sitting, it was hard to put down. The only thing I didn't like was how abrupt the ending was, it felt a tad rushed, but maybe that was just me. Overall, I liked the story the premise was interesting, and the romance was pretty decent.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC!

Book: The Last Dragon King by Leia Stone
Publisher: SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books
Publication Date: 12/26/2023

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read this is in one evening! Super easy read! I am on a major dragon kick right now and this was my first dragon shifter book so that was super interesting.

It's Dragon Shifter king meets the Bachelor! I think this is a fantastic teen read!

As a person who is in their 30's, I personally would have loved to have this book really fleshed out and for Drae to be more charismatic. There could have been more character development. I also think the opportunity for spice is definitely there. I am not a fan of time jumps and this book had a few.

This has made me a Leia Stone fan! I look forward to reading more of her work!

3.5 Stars

The Dragon King is looking for a wife with enough dragon magic to produce an heir. Arwen is just a lowly human with only a trace amount of dragon magic, or so she thought. After learning the truth about her bloodline, Arwen finds herself looking for every possible way to live.

This book is an intriguing dragon shifter, fantasy romance. The character artwork throughout the book was a nice addition. And I couldn't help but feel for Arwen and all the emotions she went through throughout the book. I thought this had a decent plot and story idea. I just wanted there to be more - more world building, more details/descriptions about people and places, deeper dialogue and interactions between characters. Overall, it was a fun read for me.

This book initially presented a promising premise, but it faced challenges that impacted its overall quality. The execution of the premise fell short, and the writing style, characterized by repetition and a somewhat juvenile tone, hindered the narrative flow and diminished the overall reading experience.

The portrayal of Arwen, the main female character, as "not like other girls" —evident through her choices of wearing trousers, hunting, and having a healthy appetite, to name a few examples— quickly became tiresome. Her habit of expressing every new piece of information in the form of a question grew increasingly annoying as the story unfolded. Not to mention her depth and complexity (or lack thereof) left much to be desired as well. The attempt to paint her a “strong female character” fell flat every time. Her eventual acceptance of her husband's "duty" to bed other women in order to produce an heir, coupled with her silence or swift forgiveness regarding some rather questionable past actions, proved to be especially frustrating since I believe this perpetuates harmful stereotypes. What is more, her unnecessary self-sacrifice, when she had the agency to leave and say no, sends troubling messages about the portrayal of female characters and their roles in the story. Furthermore, the book seems to perpetuate a purity culture that left a bitter taste in the mouth. The missed opportunities to address these issues in a more thoughtful way detracted from the overall potential of the novel.

The inclusion of Drae’s point of view in the final chapter felt forced and failed to generate the intended sympathy. This decision disrupted the narrative consistency and highlighted the underdeveloped nature of the character, rather than adding depth.

The use of contemporary slang felt out of place in the fantasy setting, diminishing the immersive quality expected in the genre. Additionally, the repeated use of the term "magical womb" became a distracting and eye-roll-inducing element. The misuse of the term "depression" within the novel raised concerns as it seemed to trivialize the struggles of individuals dealing with this serious condition, indicating a lack of sensitivity in addressing such serious topics.

In summary, despite the promising premise, the book suffered from issues such as the portrayal of the main female character, awkward attempts at modernization, and questionable use of terminology. These shortcomings overshadowed the potential for a captivating fantasy narrative, making it difficult to fully engage with the world the author aimed to create. Overall, the book proved to be underwhelming and disappointing.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

The Last Dragon King by Leia Stone was such an enjoyable read, it was exactly what I needed to get out of my rut. It looks like this book was published last year and is the first of The Kings of Avalier series. One of my favorite fantasy books I've read this year.
The Dragon King is in search for a new wife after suffering a heartbreaking tragedy. He sends out men from his royal guard to search for a new wife that can also bear him a child. The only requirement is that the women must carry their own magic in order to survive childbirth. When the King's sniffers chose Arwen as a candidate, her Mother is forced to tell her the secret's she has kept secret all these years. Will the Dragon King choose her as his wife or will she return home with money for the inconvenience to help feed her family when she returns?
For a fantasy book this did not have a lot of world building, but more focused on the characters. If you love fantasy for the world building this may not be for you. But I loved the characters, the relationships, it was both beautiful and heartbreaking. I did feel like the ending could have been drawn out a little more, I enjoyed the ending although it did feel a little rushed. I couldn't wait to start the second book The Broken Elf King. and I'm already on book #3 The Ruthless Fae King. The Kings of Avalier Series is such a fast, fun read. I will be checking out more by Leia Stone.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.