While Dragon Den offers an interesting concept with its dragon-riding academy setting, it falls short in execution. The underdeveloped world-building, lackluster characters, and rushed romance may leave readers wanting more. However, fans of urban fantasy romance might still find elements to enjoy, especially if they appreciate a quick-paced narrative.
I really wanted to love this but it just wasnt for me. I'll try it again in the future.

I'm sorry to say I was not a fan of this book. It feels like it needed more work from the author and from editors before being ready for publication. The writing and storytelling felt sloppy and undeveloped and the plot felt a little too similar to other dragon-based stories I've read. The characters also weren't very well fleshed out and felt one dimensional. I can't say I would recommend this unfortunately.

Thank you to Yggdrasil Press for the eARC!

While the premise was promising, I was just along for the ride as the ebook version in the arc was not formatted well, and it made it hard to read. However, I did enjoy the story, it was entertaining and fast paced. I love the idea of Fast and Furious meets dragons. It pulls you in and does not let go. My only advice for ARC readers is to ensure the format on ebook can be read easily as it makes it much easier to get through the story.

The amount of fantasy book with dragons that have come out since Fourth Wing is kinda crazy. Don't get me wrong, I love dragons in books but it's just a little overwhelming. That being said, I was not a big fan of this book. While it had some from moments, I kinda wish I had just DNF'd.

Tried picking this up a few times over the last year and finally officially DNF-ing it. This just didn't work for me at all, I didn't enjoy the characters or the lack of world building.

Book received for review.

It was a dnf at the first 20% . I didn’t stand the protagonist and the writing didn’t work for me because i’ve found it a lot superficial . And the story it had a lot of potential but it hadn’t the chance to fully use it!

This was a very fun fast paced story and well dragons very much increase any rating.

It’s a little tried and true but our main characters enemies to lovers was deeply enjoyable and I absolutely enjoyed every page.

Only lost a star because in maintaining its fast pace things had to remain slightly surface level- but I have a new author to begin reading!

Sadly I did not like reading from the pov of the MMC. The way he thought of the female characters rubbed me the wrong way.

I'm a proud dragon girlie but sometimes I think that this is an overused plot point, just as it is in this book. Some dragon stories are written very well while others are just trying to be successful.

The premise of this was cool, but the book wasn't for me! I would highly recommend taking another few months and fleshing this story out. It felt like it needed a lot more work.

The premise of this book and the plot were interesting. I enjoyed the flow of the book and the characters, however I found it missing something and I found myself confused at some points until later on in the book. Overall a good book.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read (Read July 2024)

The book sounded great, the synopsis and the cover really sold it to me (who doesn't love dragons?). Unfortunately, the book I found tricky to read. The book was compared to other popular books such as Fourth Wing, which I expect has painted a picture of what I was expecting before reading, which it unfortunately did not meet. The writing, I found at times, hard to follow along. I wanted to learn more about the world, instead it felt like we were straight into the deep stuff without properly understanding what was going on around the characters.

I unfortunately could not get into this one - I have kept it on my TBR for the future but it didn’t get me from the start.

There is a lot of weight on dragon books at the moment and I think it’s affecting the writers

A school for dragon riders and an urban dragon setting struck me as having a ton of potential in this book.
And obviously the pretty cover made me want to read it !

This book lacks the depth that the plot requires to be compelling. Although this technique of bringing the reader up to speed on the events of the story doesn't always work—the story starts in the middle of Markus' journey—it didn't work this time.
Partly because we don’t get much information from before the book begins. The reader is left in these situations and must handle whatever comes up. This also hurts the character building as well, since we haven’t been with them from the start, the reader doesn’t know them and can’t connect.
I certainly couldn’t connect with anyone.
The pace of this book was too fast and I felt like I couldn't connect with the characters or care about what was going on in the world. This book should have been about 100 pages longer to slow down and build relationships between the characters and the reader.

Dragon Den by Kriss Dean has a great premise. Dragons, military school and a mystery to be solved? Sign me up. The action scenes were quite good and the ending was well executed. However, i felt like i was missing some world building and a bit of character development. The urban fantasy aspect was interesting and it was a fun read. The writing was vibrant and the pacing was good. It was a nice read and i hope to read what comes next in this world.

3 stars

The premise of this book was great! Dragons, military school, solving a mystery type plot that is right up my alley. What fell short, and I mean massively short, was the worldbuilding and characters.

The easiest way to explain the worldbuilding situation is that it felt like this was a book 2 in a series. I am missing all of the worldbuilding from book one. How do you get into the school? What do you do beforehand? Is there some kind of test to get in? We pick up at what seems like halfway through the school year. We learn nothing about even the reason behind the school. If there are only 18 dragon riders in the whole program, then how do they even stay open? The school was set in Oregon, but it is sometime in the future because of the obsidian, yet transports are done by semi trucks, not planes…or dragons? Everything just felt very lacking.

The characters. I understand not every book needs to have a huge cast of characters, but it would have brought a little more life to the story. Catrina, Jonas, and Theo have zero character traits. I can’t tell you a single thing about them except that Theo is gay (which was randomly talked about ONCE near the end of the book). Even Loki had little backstory or any kind of character development. Markus wasn’t even likeable! All he cared about was sleeping with a pretty girl and getting to keep a dragon.

The action scenes were interesting, and I liked the ending to a degree, but I was just so confused the entire book. It felt half-baked and left me with too many questions.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fun read with a well thought out plot & wonderfully magical setting. Loved this book and the little nods to how to train your dragon throughout. A nostalgic, whimsical read.

Love an academy setting and dragons. Similar vibes to fourth wing but still unique in its own right. Truly loved it!

I just finished Dragon Den by Kriss Dean, and honestly, it was pretty underwhelming. The bond between Markus and his dragon, Loki, was cool, and the action kept things moving, but the story felt way too familiar. There were so many similarities to How to Train Your Dragon, Fourth Wing, and The Fast and the Furious that it sometimes felt like a mashup of those rather than its own thing. The characters didn’t have much depth, so I never really connected with them, and the world-building was almost nonexistent, which made it hard to get fully into the story. If you’re looking for something fast-paced and fun, you might still enjoy it, but for me, the lack of originality and weak storytelling made it a letdown.

This was a decent read but it took a while for me to get into the story. I am a sucker for anything dragon-related. The writing just left more to be desired.

Thanks to Yggdrasil Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I approached Dragon Den with high hopes, as I love stories featuring dragons and intricate world-building. While there were aspects of the book that showed promise—such as its unique premise and vivid imagery—I ultimately found it difficult to connect with the characters and the pacing of the story.

I gave it my best shot, but I wasn’t able to finish the book. This might be a case of the story not aligning with my personal preferences rather than a reflection of its overall quality. I believe readers who enjoy a slower burn or a more introspective narrative might have a better experience with this book than I did.

Thank you to the author for their creative effort; I hope this story finds its audience among other fantasy enthusiasts.