This cover is everything. How could I have not asked for an ARC?

We are following Daisy and his friend Wild-Eye as they are headed to put out a fire in the woods as the towns' volunteer firemen. When they get there, they find the surprise of a lifetime. A dragon! Better yet, she is sitting on a nest of eggs. (We will ignore poor Goose, who is burnt to a crisp on the floor of the camper). Soon, they come up with a scheme to sell the baby dragons to make some quick cash. Too bad it won't be that easy.

This was so fun! I loved the backwoods, small town setting. The humor was great. Our main characters had lots of heart, and of course, baby dragons.

I have already pre-ordered the second book, and can't wait to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, this book caught my attention initially because of the cover, but one I started reading I was pleasantly surprised by how captivating “Dragon Kinds of Oklahoma” was.

This story follows Daisy, a “six-two shithouse of aging muscle, a fine mullet…”. He was injured in a work accident leaving him permanently disabled. Even with having to deal with his disability and other mental health issues, Daisy tries to live a better life. One day, Daisy and his best friend Wild-Eye go put out a fire, as volunteer firefighters, in the mountains. However, they quickly stumble in the middle of a huge dragon smuggling scheme. They quickly realize that there is a profit to be made with the dragon.. this is where Daisy’s story begins.

Going in to this I thought this was going to be laugh out loud, knee slapping funny, but there was a lot more serious topics covered. With Daisy going through so much and his friends having their own troubles too, this read brought attention to the situations most small towns go through. There were definitely moments where one of the characters reminded me of someone from my small town.. it is relatable in that sense. I was captured by the story and the interaction with the Dragons too. There were funny moments and even better quips from the side characters.

This was a pleasant story and enjoyable to see the growth Daisy goes through. However, it wasn’t my favorite but it wasn’t at all bad. I enjoyed my time reading and with the characters (definitely the dragons). I just don’t see myself continuing into the next book or rereading this.

Thank you to NetGalley and author Ferrett Steinmetz for the opportunity to read this and for the ARC.

Final rating: 3 stars ✨

Tropes:
LGBTQIA+ rep
Magic
Disability rep
Found Family
Dragons

Sometimes you pick up a book just because it has a silly title and a funny description. But I am finding more and more those books often tend to be surprisingly deep, for sure still funny, but tackle things I wasn't expecting going in and appreciate seeing (see also Strange Love by Ann Aguirre). This book fits that bill directly.

It is really funny and a good time. Though it does have a couple of very specific cultural references that will date the book rather quickly (Netflix, Lady A, etc.), they are not excessive as others books I have seen where I had to put them down for trying to be too hip. More just a forewarning to people who don't like pop culture in their books.

What I most liked about this book was how well it shifted back and forth from jokes about dragons and living in the country to very real and frank discussions about how capitalism has deeply impacted rural America. Discussions of how there are no real winners but at least people have empathy for each other and about hoarding of power.. Additionally, the character roster showed the real diversity you can get in a rural town, with secondary characters being queer, BIPOC, and indigenous. Everyone knows everything about everyone but not everyone cares and people leave well enough alone. I think if you haven't experienced much of rural America, this is actually a pretty reasonable glimpse from some of the towns I have been to in the past. Overall, a shorter fun read that left me feeling good after for having picked up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book.

Ultimately this book was not for me. I could see it appealing to some and the name and premise are what got me. But somewhere about a 1/3rd of the way into the book. I just stopped caring. I wasn't really connecting with any of the characters and I wasn't interested in the plot. As someone from Oklahoma who has lived here my entire life, the setting also felt like a caricature. I know it is a fantasy novel and the realism is light, but if you are including real places, at least try to be accurate.

I will recommend this to anyone needing a light fun time with non-traditional fantasy elements.

Gosh I loved this read.

If that cover draws you in, you'll probably enjoy this book.

Everything it sets out to do, it accomplishes well. Blending modern issues of addiction, class struggles, and stagnant life with characters that are well-realized.

Daisy being the protagonist really makes this novel though.

He is the amalgamation of these issues and through him and Wild-Eye's discovery of the dragons readers are treated to a really fun narrative.

My only critique if any is that though the book remains squarely in the genre of urban fantasy, the worldbuilding feels a little disjointed. It reads like the IRL world as we know it wrapped around the idea of classic fantasy creatures without seamlessly merging the two.

I received this as an Arc on NetGalley and when I signed up I thought “Ok, a magical redneck dragon book this could be fun” I was not prepared for the meth references and oxy addicted townsfolk haha. However to my surprise I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, almost realistic in some references and may have single-handedly pulled me out of my reading funk. It is a fast read that I found well written. The cover art me old school fantasy vibes which also helped draw me in. I am eager to read the next book!

4⭐ for the fun of it 😂

This is such a fun, quick read to mix it up a bit.

You've got a small, backwoods town in Oklahoma with a drug problem, some smuggled German dragons and a likable MMC who's a pill-popping redneck, half-druid named Daisy.

Honestly, it was a lot of fun, I see great potential for the series and look forward to future books!

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read and review.

Honestly, I went into Dragon Kings of Oklahoma blind (because how could I say no to this amazing cover 🤣), and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how funny it was.

I really enjoyed this book, I would have been happy for it to be longer and get to know more of the people in town because I feel like this series could have a lot to give.

It was exactly what I was expecting it to be but humor wise it could have been better.

If I was being nit-picky I would say that it needs one more proofread as there were some sentences that didn't sound right.

Growing up as a dragon lover in BFE, I was really excited to read this book.

While there were a few plot points that left me questioning the author's choices, overall, it was a fun, quick read with silly characters and lovable dragons.

I give it 3.5 stars

𝐞𝐀𝐫𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
3.5 🌟
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Ummm, what in the house of dragons is this? All I can say is that I am highly intrigued and will definitely continue the series. Lol
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Sept.3
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Thank you, Netgalley, Self-Published, and the author for the eBook in exchange for my honest review.

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: satire, fantasy
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: fast
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: Tiger King but lovable criminals with a mild pill problem
⚠️: it's a satire. The humor is dark. An entire town is hooked on oxy

When I say I cackled...

“You can’t hand a bunch of yee-yees something dangerous and not expect them to turn it into a toy.”

This was incredibly funny, well-written, and just what I needed. I cannot put this into a box- it's satire, fantasy, there's a quest to hide and save some baby dragons, a town full of questionable hicks, and some true backwoods battles.

I adored the little baby dragons. The imprinting bond with the MMC. The queer hick rep. The lovable pill poppers and the small town vibes.

Hysterical and wildly entertaining.

I absolutely will be continuing this series.