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.

3 -⭐⭐⭐

The Last Dragon King is the first novel in the YA Fantasy Romance series, Kings of Avelier. Each book will follow a separate couple but there is an overarching storyline to pay attention to as these kings face a threat to their entire realm. In this one we follow Arwen and Drae. Arwen is a young hunter from the village of Cinder in the far regions of Embergate that rarely is looked upon...until the Dragon King announces his search for a new bride. As a mainly human in the world of dragons, Arwen does not anticipate to even book looked upon...until a secret is revealed and she quickly learns to survive Arwen must win over the king before he discovers the truth...and kills her.

This book started so strong and was such an easy read.

Arwen is a feisty heroine we love who can kick butt, be witty, and has an innate kindness to her. I loved seeing her take action and not hold back.

Drae is a character I struggled with as I truly felt for him with the loss of his children and need to complete his duty. It is only explained later the importance which rubbed me the wrong way but we will get to that. I could see his struggled between duty and a growing connection to Arwen.

This book is a YA romance so while there is one spicy moment it is very loosely describe so I would say 1 spicy pepper. It is slow burn and the tension between these two is HIGH as they have to describe between duty, safety, and love.

Now, the story had this initial premise that intrigued me with a bridal competition with magic before evolving into a political intrigue against a looming enemy that help open things up. I enjoyed the side characters that engage with Arwen and helped fresh out the world by showing us small corners that covered by the politics and lore. The fantasy world of dragons, the fun twist of modern weapons being made in this world, and the villain continued to draw me in. Yet the focus on the Dragon King needing an heir gradually took over the story in a way that I felt was very forced. He lost his previous wife to childbirth as well as suffered miscarriages and his entire focus is this (this isn't a spoiler, it is mentioned at the beginning); even though he cares for Arwen there is this struggle to find the right Queen to bear his children and they offer some weird solution that turns moot. Arwen gradually loses her fierceness in the name of this story element and I was sort of bummed - I wanted to see her in a more regal form.

Overall, I thing there is promise here but the ending didn't stick the landed like I wanted it to. I will check out the next book though as the introduction of that king as me VERY curious.

Thank you Bloom Books for this review copy.

The Last Dragon King has a lot of mixed reviews but personally I really enjoyed it. It was easy to read, so great if you’re exhausted and don’t feel like keeping up with 286 characters and their backgrounds. 😂

Told from the pov of Arwen, a strong young woman that has helped to provide for her mother and sister by hunting. She also has been completely unaware of who and what she truly is.

The Dragon King needs an heir, and has summoned all eligible young women, including Arwen.

I thought this was well written, with a little romance but nothing smutty, which I didn’t expect anyway as it’s labeled as YA. I certainly will be wanting to read book 2.

Bonus for me was finding out that the author lives in the same town as I do!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 26 Dec 2023

I was excited to check out this book as Leis Stone seems to be making a name for herself as an upcoming romantasy author. Unfortunately, this book really didn't work for me.

I really enjoyed the first few chapters, however. I thought the main character was interesting, had a unique voice, and was appropriately fiery and independent. The writing was also fast-paced and drew me into the world quite quickly. While I didn't feel like there was anything overly unique on the world-building front, it seemed to still lay a fairly good foundation for what seemed like a promising love story.

However, once the romance began it quickly began to go down hill for me. I understood the basic premise about child-bearing and the difficulties therein. But I feel like the way the author approached this romance left a bad taste in my mouth. It had a strong "purity culture" vibe to it that I was most assuredly NOT for in my romance. Beyond that, I felt like the romance we did get happened too quickly and wasn't built on any true connection between the characters, It felt very juvenile at times; again something I absolutely do NOT want from my romance book. And to really hit the last nail in the coffin, the "love story" spends a significant chunk of the last quarter of the book with the two romantic leads discussing how they can have affairs to get around the child/miscarriage issue, which, again, was fairly yucky and not what I wanted from a romance novel. Of course, they don't go through with this and it's meant to be a great moment, but it was the definition of "too little, too late."

I'm not sure where to go from here. The author has some other book coming up that I'm interested in checking out, but this wasn't was such a miss for me, that I'm unsure whether it was a one-off or whether this author just isn't for me. Either way, given how many great romantasy books are coming out, I think readers can find better offerings than this one.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this!

I honestly think I’m not the right audience for this book, this is DEFINITELY YA, so it’s written simpler. I believe Cinder village is supposed to be a nod to Cinderella, so that’s fun. Arwen is okay. She’s giving very much “I’m not like the other girls” vibes throughout, so much so it became repetitive and a little frustrating. Some of the dialogue was cute, but there’s no real character development/relationship development. The characters weren’t necessarily unlikeable, but I didn’t feel any connection to them. This book was very short, so many of the events felt rushed/come out of nowhere. It felt almost like I was reading a draft and chapters may be missing because it skips through events so abruptly. It was an okay read! Maybe better for a much younger audience.

This book is written in the 1st person with one point of view (Arwen’s) for a majority of the book until the final chapters. It follows Arwen, a girl born in a poor village when she is selected as a potential bride for the Dragon King. It is a relatively fast paced, short book with decent writing.

The Last Dragon King started off with so much potential, the story had so much potential….but then it just didn’t live up to what I was hoping for. The world building was ok, most of the characters felt pretty flat to me, the plot was rushed and underdeveloped. The romance was meh, the spicy scenes were minimal. Too much revolved around the wombs and children, it got a little too weird at times. The writing style along with the main character were immature at times as well.
I liked the idea of this book and this story line, it was just too rushed for me. If you like shorter books and avoid high fantasy because of how the world and character development drags on, this book might be right up your ally. If you are into pregnancy tropes this might also be for you. I’m still currently debating if I will reach for the next book in this series or not. Overall, I would give this book a 2.5.

“If I don’t love anyone, then they can’t destroy me when they die.”

“The Last Dragon King” by Leia Stone is a fantasy romance about Arwen. Arwen thought she only had a little magic but when the King is in search of a new wife to carry his child, he must test the magic in all the girls. The King has so much magic that he needs a woman that has strong magic as well or both the mother and child will die during the birth which leads him Arwen. When she finds out that she is very powerful she is whisked away to the palace for a marriage selection process. Arwen must hide her secrets and her disdain for carrying a child with the King. But once their feelings grow it gets harder and harder to hide the truth of her lineage.

I loved this book so much. I absolutely love marriage selection books and Arwen is a super strong female main character. I love how brave she is and her struggles with her temper but still having compassion and kindness. It has a ton of magic and action which made it so I didn’t get bored at all. I will definitely be reading the next book when it comes out. 5 out of 5 stars from me.

-Multiple POV
-Pregnancy Trope
-Marriage Selection
-Dragons
-Magic
Strong FMC

"The Last Dragon King" introduces Arwen, a resilient and hard working protagonist thrust into the role of provider in the wake of her father's death. Born and raised in an almost forgotten town, her life takes an unexpected turn when the Dragon King selects her as his bride, unraveling a perilous secret she must conceal.

While the premise held promise, reminiscent of a fusion between "The Bachelor" and "The Hunger Games" with Dragonkin, the narrative fell short due to the characters and pivotal plot elements.

The female protagonist adopts a regrettable "I'm not like other girls" stance, disparaging fellow women who embrace more feminine lifestyles. Any budding connections with female friends is also abruptly severed, contributing to a disheartening narrative choice.

The Dragon King himself lacks redeeming qualities, exhibiting a personality akin to wet cardboard, and perpetuates harmful stereotypes by applauding the protagonist for not conforming to traditional femininity.

Additionally, the development of the central relationship takes an unusual turn, and an uncomfortable endorsement of purity culture in the latter part of the book diminishes the impact of the intimacy between the MCs. "The Last Dragon King" thus emerges as a narrative marred by questionable character dynamics and thematic choices.

The Dragon King is looking for a wife and any woman of child bearing age are being asked to present themselves for magic testing. They must have enough magic to be able to produce an heir for the king. Arwen doesn't believe she has a chance, being only 1/10 dragonkin and is shocked when the kings ‘sniffers’ tell her she is being chosen as a possible wife. She is thrown into even more shock when her mother tells her a secret, one which could get her killed if the Dragon King finds out about it.

Gotta say I thought this book had a lot of potential. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. I liked Arwen, but sometimes she came across as too stubborn and immature. I also didn't like that Drae’s magic, and by extension the dragonkins magic, was tied into him having a child. It just didn't make sense. I did think the world seemed interesting. Especially the night queens kingdom. They seem to be in the industrial era whilst everywhere else is medieval. However I dont think it's enough for me to continue the series.

Rating 3 stars
*I received a review copy from NetGalley for my voluntary and honest review

It’s roller coaster of emotion. It is well written and a quick read. It flows and is fun. Arwen is interesting to follow.

I also liked the pictures through out the book.

But the plot has one glaring plot hole that once I caught on kind made the whole story not quite work out. The king is looking for a really powerful woman to have his child…. And his general is that but is never even considered.

This book was alright. I think the plot was very rushed, I felt as if I were reading an abridged version of the actual book. Because of that, I felt no connection to any of the characters and found myself very confused as to how things evolved so quickly. I felt this story had potential but was so rushed that it fell flat. Additionally, all the information is spoon fed to the reader, you don’t need to think about anything happening because the author gives it all on a silver platter. The basis of the story was interesting enough to finish the book but I felt nothing for characters I should have felt a connection to. I did not feel sad at any of the deaths and I did not really care about the progression of the love relationship. So many characters and backgrounds could have been further explored to give the story more depth and complexity, but for some reason the author believed it better to time skip? Sad to see the potential was there, but fell short.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

This was such a fun read!

I read it nonstop and devoured the book in just a few hours (3 hours to be exact😆). I truly enjoyed this book. The pacing was fast. The world building was easy to follow and understand. It was action packed and very exciting. And lastly, my favorite, the romance was swoony.

The things that led me to rating it 4 stars is the ending. It just ended abruptly and it felt like a chunk of the story was missing. I would have loved it of we got a glimpse of the family life of Arwen and Drae.

This novels includes magic, dragons, and other creatures, but this novel focuses more on the dragons. Drae, the king of dragons has a problem finding a woman who will be strong enough to bare his children and also have them be born alive. If he cannot have an heir, the dragons will lose their powers and be susceptible to the Nightfall Queen. Arwen lives in a village, supporting her mother and sister by hunting. Her life is simple, but the Dragon King comes looking for a woman to bare his heir and Arwen gets chosen, but she doesn’t have dragon blood, or does she? Arwen learns the truth about herself, know what she must do. Drae is getting weaker and a bride needs to be found soon who can carry a baby to term and survive. With the Nightfall Queen attacking and Drae and Arwen trying to figure out things between them, it will be a rather bumpy ride. I received this novel from net galley and the publisher as an arc. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Last Dragon King started strong, faltered near the end, but then recovered. This book wasn't tagged as Young Adult, but it read like one. It was action packed, and fast paced. There wasn't a lot of world building nor was there an overly complex plot. The major appeal for me was that it is very, very entertaining. I could not stop turning pages and read this straight through in one sitting. It's also a complete story with a happy ending.

The drawback was that a very emotional and pivotal decision was made in a rushed and careless way. It really hurt the development between the two main characters and if it had not happened so close to the end, I might have stopped reading. Thankfully, the story recovered in a matter of pages, but it would have been better for the book if it had not happened that way at all.

Arwen lives with her mother and younger sister in a small, poor village. Her family counts on her to hunt for the food they eat. The king is looking for a new wife and Arwen is taken to the capital city to see if she holds enough power to carry his heir.

I thought this was a good story overall. I like the premise of it. I felt like it was kind of rushed towards the end but glad to see there is a second book so many we will get more answers in that one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was not for me. Started out really promising, interesting world, premise was good, but then the female main character turned AWFUL. It became so clear the author was trying too hard to make the main character a female “not like other females” character and it was not done well.