Imagine the street racing scene but with dragons instead of cars and you get Dragon Den.

Dragon’ Den by Kriss Dean is a thrill ride of a book. It’s got badass dragons, gangs, a little romance, and a lot of speed. I fully enjoyed this story for exactly what it is - an entertaining, action-packed romp of a read. I wasn’t expecting a magnificent piece of literature, it’s more of a “popcorn flick” in book form.

If you’re a big fan of The Fast and the Furious franchise or a part of the car enthusiasts community you will love this book. It’s the crossover that the “Fast Family” and dragon obsessed didn’t know we needed.

If you love Dom Toretto and Brian O’Conner you’ll love the MMC. I personally liked Dragons Den, but I also perfectly fit the reader profile of who would. I am a car girl and big into racing. Some readers may find it uninteresting purely because of the subject matter. To be completely honest, there are a lot of Fast and the Furious haters out there and that’s the first line of this books summary - which may turn people away. It’s too bad for them though, right? Show me a 10 second dragon anyday.

Markus is a young man brimming with ambition, but his skills lag behind his lofty aspirations. Instead of impressing the girl he likes and his classmates at dragon school with a formidable Black Clubtail, he ends up with a small Graytail dragon named Loki. Despite this setback, Markus still has a shot at winning her over—he just needs to impress her brother and uncover the mystery behind the stolen dragon collars.

In this world, dragons are not bonded naturally but are forcibly linked to their riders through obsidian collars that create a mental connection. When a rider dies, the dragon is confined to underground stables until a new rider claims it with a collar. Dragons are exploited in races and fights, used like roosters or dogs for spectators' entertainment. It's a grim world that the book only touches on superficially.

The main focus of the book is not the world itself, but Markus's preoccupations with three things: Amira, the girl he likes; Loki, his dragon; and his mission. Markus isn’t concerned with moral complexities or the origins of things—his primary goal is to win Amira’s affection. When an opportunity to impress her arises, he becomes easily distracted by the potential for romance, which jeopardizes his mission.

While the world-building could be more developed, the book leaves readers wanting more—more about the dragons, the dragon school, and the mechanics of the collars. Markus is a relatable character, a normal guy driven by his desire to be with the girl he likes. Amira is a well-rounded character herself, and their interactions feel genuine. The friendship and budding romance between Markus and Amira are believable, making me eager to pick up book two when it’s released.

This had a lot of promise but ultimately it felt rushed. The Dragons were fun but they felt underdeveloped the story was rushed and disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yggdrasil Press for the advance reader copy.

Maybe I went into this book expecting too much. Maybe I didn’t want to read a book that is basically a direct rip of the first fast and furious but instead of cars it’s dragons.
When I say direct rip, I feel like the author sat and watched the film while they wrote it on repeat so they could copy everything.

I personally found fourth wing to be one of the worst books I’ve read - but due to its popularity I thought this would at least have better dragon descriptions and world building. It did not.

I also had an issue with how the characters seem to be school age and again in order to add sexual content they aged them up but not the dialogue.

I may have enjoyed this book if it was from the point of view of the dragons.
Unfortunately 0 stars is not an option - so it’s rounded up.

I LOVED this book. I haven't read a dragon book from a male POV since I read Eragon as a kid. I didn't think I was gonna like it for that reason. It blew my expectations out of the water. The story was so different than any over read before I loved the dragon racing and the rush you get from the MMC constantly getting into very dangerous situations. Highly recommend

DNF at 20%

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book because it was definitely not working for me. First off, the book immediately started with the main character objectifying the female (love interest?) Amira and I was like oh? this is what we're doing. From there, I found Markus completely insufferable with no redemption in sight.

Also, I don't expect every book to be completely new and original content, but this did feel like a hodgepodge of Fourth Wing and How to Train Your Dragon without many original ideas. There wasn't much world building and the world building that did happen didn't make any sense.

As I didn't feel like this was going to be the book for me I decided to DNF it but thank you to Yggdrasil Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 20%

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book because it was definitely not working for me. First off, the book immediately started with the main character objectifying the female (love interest?) Amira and I was like oh? this is what we're doing. From there, I found Markus completely insufferable with no redemption in sight.

Also, I don't expect every book to be completely new and original content, but this did feel like a hodgepodge of Fourth Wing and How to Train Your Dragon without many original ideas. There wasn't much world building and the world building that did happen didn't make any sense.

As I didn't feel like this was going to be the book for me I decided to DNF it but thank you to Yggdrasil Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I truly appreciate the arc but this one wasn't the best.

It felt borrowed.

I wont go into anymore.

I love a fast paced book but I feel as though it lacked background, and because of that I just couldn't connect with the characters. It immediately starts off with them trying to break their dragons with collars, and none of that was explained in a way that I could really get into what was happening because I was confused. I think the beginning could've used more finesse, and that would've helped me get into the book more.
I loved the concept and the cover which is why I gave it two stars but I was expecting how to train your dragon and fast and the furious but didn't feel like I received it.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

I really loved the idea here. It was honestly pretty well written with descriptions and dialogue as well. However it was so closely tied to fourth wing that I felt a little guilty reading it at some points. It reads more like a really well done fanfic. I also don’t like how the dragons are originally described as curling up in stalls - like they are dogs. Dragons are fierce, not pets.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210496254-dragon-den

I really liked the synopsis of the story and there was great potential! But overall I was missing depth. There were a lot of School and Dragon related things that didn't make sense imo and which were never explained. Sadly a DNF for me, so I then googled and tried to see if my questions were maybe answered later in the book, but reading a lot of reviews, that didn't seem to be. Maybe book 2 will dig a little deeper. :=)

As excited as we were about this book, it unfortunately fell beyond flat. We don't mind when two book or two movie themes are similar, but we do mind when it seems they are nearly identical down to specific names and plot points. It was really hard to read once you realized that. There was nearly no world building, and nothing made sense. We definitely would have preferred a huge info dump than just the nothing that we got. It was the same with the characters, we were just point blank told things about them, not shown. If you are reader, then you know exactly what we mean. We kept going for the sake getting this as an ARC, but stopped once we reached a line that was literally word for word from a movie. It just wasn't possible for us to continue past that. This is a good example of a debut book needing a strong editor who will put their foot down. We do not like leaving negative reviews, because even though this wasn't for us does not mean it won't be for someone else, but we want to be as honest as we can.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy! I sadly ended up DNF because I found too many similarities with another popular dragon book I’ve already read. Loved the concept but wished for some more originality.

Unfortunately this book fell completely short and I did not enjoy it at all. There were so many plot holes, there was no world building. The characters were boring and one dimensional, with no development what so ever.

I was really confused as to why Markus must get close to Tobias, when he was always going on about how much he wanted Amira. His attitude towards every single woman in the book was honestly disgusting. In the first few pages he described how he wanted two different women. He describes them as sex objects and honestly comes across super creepy. He also feels like the type of person who says their "not racists because I have black friends". I'm honestly not sure how it got through a sensitivity check because it felt like Amira being a person of colour was a commodity.

The writing was not at all my cup of tea and seriously under developed. It was written in the first person but felt like there was no feeling in it. The plot was seriously under developed, didn't make sense and kept going back and forth. The world building didn't make any sense either and I felt kept contradicting itself, however that could be because there was barely any.

Overall this book was not something I enjoyed and would honestly never recommend.

This was definitely an interesting book. It was unique and different. The world builidng was something I hadn't ever read before. I very much enjoyed it. Markus is a pretty likeable character. Anything to do with dragons and Fast and Furious I'm in to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.5/5. stars. This was alright. It was underwhelming in the way that...it didn't elicit the same thrills that I got from watching How to Train Your Dragon and reading Fourth Wing because it was just...literally parts of both medias copy and pasted with new names and new colored dragons. In my opinion, the best part about any dragon fantasy book is the worldbuilding. How are dragons introduced to the world? Especially as this is a contemporary fantasy, how did dragons come to the modern age and interact with humans up to the timeline of the story? Not much is explained, and I feel like leaning more into that or developing that would have been appealing.

The characters...are flat. I wanted to like having a male POV of a YA Fantasy, since I actually don't read too much of that, but I couldn't get invested. This book needs to be fleshed out and edited a bit more. There's potential, but new material needs to be included, and dimension needs to be added.

Thank you Yggdrasil Press and NetGalley for providing me the Advanced Reader copy of Dragon Den by Kriss Dean. First, I'd like to state upfront that I decided to DNF this book at 67%. I accepted this book because of the inspirations by The Fast and the Furious, Fourth Wing, and How to Train your Dragon.

This book was described as a "fast paced, action packed romantic urban fantasy INSPIRED by The Fast and the Furious, perfect for adult fans of How to Train Your Dragon." immediately caught my attention. Being a fan of both The Fast and the Furious and dragon-themed books, the combination of the two in a single novel excited me, and I eagerly seized the opportunity. It is truly disheartening to receive a piece of literature for free and feel compelled to give it a low rating. While I sympathize with Dean as a debut author, as a passionate reader, I believe in giving honest feedback to uphold the integrity of literature. Offering constructive criticism can aid bot the author and publisher in refining the text before it's finalized, ensuring a better reading experience for all.

What caught me off guard, however, was the author's approach of essentially mirroring every scene from The Fast and the Furious in a play-by-play fashion, capturing each detail meticulously. To illustrate, please see examples below...

-Dom, The Fast and Furious 2001 "It's not how you stand by your car...it's how you race your car."
-Tobias, Dragon Den 2024 "It doesn't matter how you stand, it matters how you race."

-Brian,The Fast and the Furious 2001 "But if I win, I take the cash, and I take the respect. To some people, that's more important.
-Marcus, Dragon Den 2024 "And if I win, you can have your two grand buy-in back. I'd rather have your respect. For some people, it's worth a lot."

-Dom, The Fast and the Furious 2004 "Cause he kept me out of handcuffs. He didn't just run back to the fort. The buster brought me back"
-Tobias, Dragon Den 2024 "Because this funking first-year old on his fucking Graytail saved my add while you were busy getting shit-faced"

-Letty, Fast and Furious 2001 "You look a bit tired. I think you should go upstairs and give me a massage."
-Carina, Dragon Den 2024 "You do look tired. Let's go to my room, and you can give me a massage."

These are just a few examples that closely resemble verbatim scenes from the film. While drawing inspiration from a movie is one thing, replicating it in a play-by-play fashion crosses the content into plagiarism territory. The plot closely followed the movie's storyline. To me, it seemed though the author had the movie playing and paused to craft the next scene in the book. This seems to be more of a fanfiction novel that is treading dangerously close to copyrighted material, and I sincerely hope that editors and publishers address this before its release. The similarities are striking and need significant adjustments to ensure originality and avoid legal complications.

The lack of world-building in the book is striking - it's particularly nonexistent. As for the characters, there's a glaring absence of development. Readers are thrust into pre-established friendships and relationships, not to mention in the middle of a school year with no background story and context, making it challenging to follow from the start. It isn't until around the 60% mark that we start to receive some background information on certain characters, which feels like a significant delay in getting to know them.

Additionally, the book touches on several social issues, which were somewhat confusing. Throughout the story, various wars were referenced, making it difficult to pinpoint the era in which the narrative is set. Given the presence of dragons and magic, one might assume a futuristic setting (also tagged at Sci-Fi & fantasy) perhaps in the year 2500+. This leads me to question whether racism would still be a prevalent issue in such a distant future. I found somewhat jarring for the author to include a brief moment in a scene while the mention of the female character being black and her safety being uncertain is noted, the narrative fails to delve deeper into the issue, leaving readers puzzled about the intended message. The confusion is compounded by the character's brother, who appears to be thriving and swimming in respect in his underground group, not to mention our MMC wanting to earn HIS respect, which adds complexity to the portrayal of social dynamics within the story.

The lack of world-building in the book is striking - it's particularly nonexistent. As for the characters, there's a glaring absence of development. Readers are thrust into pre-established friendships and relationships, not to mention in the middle of a school year with no background story and context, making it challenging to follow from the start. It isn't until around the 60% mark that we start to receive some background information on certain characters, which feels like a significant delay in getting to know them.

What did I like? Anything involving dragons gets an immediate thumbs up from me. The concept of riders communicating with dragons telepathically is always fascinating. I find the idea of riding dragons exhilarating and it never fails to thrill me. Combining one of my favorite movies with dragon lore was an exciting concept. Specifically, I found Loki to be a standout character - sweet, and apparently quite charming.

In conclusion, I'm hesitant to critique someone's debut novel so harshly. However, the quality of writing and lack of composition suggests more of a first draft in need of thorough editing. At its current state, the book feels more like a fanfiction with potential copyright concerns.

Once again, I want to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this free ARC. However, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book without emphasizing the need for further editing and a comprehensive copyright scan. Regrettably, I believe the manuscript is not yet ready for publication.

P.S. I would be interested in re-reading an updated copy of this ARC if any adjustments were to be made. I firmly believe it holds significant potential, and if crafted properly, it could evolve into an amazing book.

Well… it’s quite literally the entire plot of The Fast and the Furious, including a nearly word to word quote, but sub dragons for cars and some name changes. It also had elements from Fourth Wing with the dragon academy and communication with the dragons. Little to no character and world building. It left a lot to be desired. I’m being generous with 3 stars as it is a debut. IMO it’s not ready for publication, there’s a lot of kinks that need to be worked out and the plot needs to be more original. Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Yggdrasil Press for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Dragon Den by Kriss Dean.

What made me want to read Dragon Den in the first place was of course the Dragons! Anything Dragon AND romance related already has my attention!

I enjoyed the characterization of Amira. She was an independent, admirable character. I felt like I got some ASOIAF vibes from this book while reading. The mentioning of the Green and Black dragons just read very HOTD to me personally. Sometimes I found Markus, the male lead, a little much at times. Especially with him calling himself "I, Markus Fredriksen, the First of His Name" at the end of the novel. I understand what he's saying but like isnt that a bit much? I enjoyed reading all the details that Dean included about the Dragon's and that was the best part of the book to me. I also liked how fast-paced this book was. Some work could be done to edit/fix it, but overall I felt like it was a good start for a debut novel. I give this book 3.5 stars, but I'll round it up to 4.

The premise sounds amazing, as I love fast-paced action-packed dragon stories, and this definitely had that going for it, but I'm sad to say this wasn't for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters, the writing was a little bit cringe and the modern day urban setting didn't get on with me.