Thank you to Netgalley, Brittany Gossin and the publisher for allowing me to review this ARC.

Unbound had a great premise - Fast-paced adventure, criminal heists, magic, a high-stakes plot and character path crossover (big fan), however this one fell just a little flat for me.
I found it great that all 5 characters had their own distinct personalities and their stories were easy enough to follow, because with this many main characters, it can be difficult to achieve. The author did a great job there. I did wish that the romance aspect was fleshed out (literally) a little more, but that is just personal preference more than anything against the book.
I did really enjoy how fast-paced this story was, and I didn't have to wade through too much world building and back-story to get to the good stuff, which I appreciate. Readers who enjoy group adventure style fantasy will really like this book.

This one ended up being a comfortable, if not slightly predictable read for me but does set the scene well for the next book in the Dragonflight series.

I love it when a good fantasy comes together. Dragons, human, blood witches and old grudges. It’s. A perfect mix for this story. An epic quest to find the shard, an object that grants the holder whatever it desires. I devoured every word and can’t wait for more!

UNBOUND 🐉 4⭐️

Ok so two things. 1. the MAP IS STUNNING 2. Is there a second book because that ENDING, I NEED TO KNOW.

Multiple POV, blood witches, dragon shifters, kings/queens rulers what’s not to love? Quite a bit of world building and tricky to understand what’s going on at the beginning with the multiple POV, but very quickly you do understand as the twists start happening very early.

Bring in Avalon FMC a princess and her father is forcing her into a marriage she doesn’t want. Then we have Keagan is MMC dragon shifter on Dragonflight. He needs to get medicine for a disease, ‘the blight’ which is effecting all dragon shifters. However dragon shifters aren’t allowed outside of Dragonflight or over the wall. As per the kings orders, they’ve been forced to live in exile and gradually become extinct. Keagan has had enough and ventures to Vicerona to find medicine in the hopes he doesn’t get caught.

Then we have the thieves, The Syndicate - Zedlock, Rosalie, Rowena and Malcolm. Rowena is an integral character in the story and love the development throughout.

Keagan and Avalon’s stories both start separately with multiple POV’s then they both bump into each other in Vicerona in the undercity under no pretences.

Avalon is going to go find the crystal that’s needed to make the medicine Keagen needs however it’s within blood witch territory and that’s when the journey begins.

The tension, spice & world building had me fully immersed into the story and I can’t wait to see where Avalon and Keagan’s journey continues.

Things I LOVED

🐉 ONE BED
⚔️ STABBY FMC
🐉 DRAGONSHIFTER MMC
⚔️ SHORT CHAPTERS
🐉 ENEMIES TO LOVERS
⚔️ BLOOD WITCHES
🐉 QUESTS & ADVENTURE
⚔️ SPICE 🌶️🌶️

Thank you so much Victory Editing and Brittany Gossin for the ARC.

I will be posting a review on my TikTok page NANCY|booktok and Instagram page Nancy.bookstagram on the day of release as well as tagging the publisher and author.

Thanks to the author, Victory Editing, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I think Unbound has an interesting and compelling concept, but unfortunately this wasn't a great execution for me.

The world never really solidified for me, in a combination of the weird technology mix, the half-baked languages, and too much telling instead of showing. This also made the writing clunky, with odd breaks to define the words the characters were using, and the occasional anachronism (lipstick on a pig, as one example).

I also didn't get any true connection or chemistry with the characters' interactions: everything felt surface level. Ava and Keagan were insta-love without any relationship development or tension, and I could not care about whatever was going on with a tepid kind of sort of love triangle for Malcolm, Zedock, and Rowena.

This is the first time I’ve read one of Brittany Gossin’s books. The story was amazing. It kept me intrigued. I really honestly couldn’t put the book down. The story line is great, the characters are wonderful, and even the writing style is on point. The lead characters are my favorite. They are so spunky and full of life and sarcasm. The plot is insane, the climax is unexpected, everything about this book and series so far is perfect! I can’t wait to finish the rest of the series. And I will most definitely be reading every other book wrote by Brittany Gossin. Thank you. 🩷

Fantasy novels have a special way of sweeping readers off their feet and transporting them into entirely new worlds — places where dragons soar, magic pulses through ancient forests, and heroes rise from the most unlikely places. This book is no exception. Rich in imagination and brimming with heart, it delivers an unforgettable tale that blends high-stakes adventure with deeply personal storytelling.

The world-building is one of the novel’s strongest assets. From the first page, readers are immersed in a universe that feels both vast and intimate.

Absolute page turner I could not put it down I absolutely love the interactions between the dragon brothers and the princess is super relatable. Would and have recommended this book to other

Though enjoyable, I found some aspects of this novel irritating to read.

The interactions of the Syndicate, particularly in chapter 1, were quite contrived. Malcolm feels almost like a stock character, but I see room for character growth in the next installment.
Avalon and Keagan are much more intriguing characters, although, they also lack a certain depth. Additionally, it would be impossible to ignore the very clear parallels between them and the protagonists of Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin. There are quite a few plot elements from Mahurin's novel visible in this story, as well as notable similarities to the Grishaverse novels. Not a bad thing, but worth saying.

The writing style starts very literal and has a very YA tone considering it is marketed as adult fiction. Many things are repeated or reiterated in multiple ways. For example, the sheer amount of prison metaphors used to describe Ava's life. I got it...she feels trapped - What else? I will admit this does improve as the story progresses and there are some fun moments - sky pirates for example. Once you hit about halfway things start to become much more engaging.

Despite all of the seemingly negative aspects I cannot pretend I didn't really enjoy the book. It does have great pacing and great action. I am curious to read the next installment (mostly because the Ava and Keagan plotline has been left criminally undone).

It is, what I would call, comfortable reading.

3.5 stars

i actually had a really fun time reading this book. we follow five povs: Keagan, Avalon, Rowena, Malcolm and Zedock. each of these characters are after the crimson shard for it’s magical properties, although their motives for wanting it are different. Keagan is a dragon shifter, Avalon is the princess of Vicerona and Rowena, Malcom and Zedock are part of a crime syndicate. i liked all the characters but Malcolm took a while for me to warm up to, he’s a bit of a jerk for the majority of the book. i never felt overwhelmed by the multiple povs, which was nice. they were all very distinct and felt necessary.

the romances were kind of insta love, especially Keagan and Avalon but when i tell you i got so invested in their relationship by the end anyway.. i fear i need the next book cause the way this left off is criminal!! i also enjoyed the heist aspect and i want more of Rowena in her blood witch role cause she’s more of an enigma to me right now. Keagan’s whole storyline with his family and the other dragons was a punch in the chest for real. i do think the world building could’ve used some more depth though and i felt like things didn’t have a moment to settle. im just curious to see where the story will go from here on out, there’s a lot of potential honestly.

Unbound by Brittany Gossin offers an immersive and captivating journey into a beautifully crafted fantasy world. One of the standout features of this book is its exceptional world-building. Gossin has created a rich, complex universe where magic, myth, and adventure collide, drawing readers into a setting that feels both fresh and fully realized. From the first page, it's clear that the author has put considerable effort into creating a world that feels alive and vibrant, with unique elements that set it apart from other fantasy novels.

Another aspect that I particularly appreciated was the shifting perspectives between characters. Each character brings their own voice and perspective to the story, offering deeper insight into their motivations and struggles. This technique not only keeps the narrative dynamic but also allows readers to connect with different characters in meaningful ways, enhancing the emotional depth of the story.

The fantasy elements in Unbound are both fun and inventive. Gossin introduces some new concepts that add a layer of excitement and unpredictability to the plot. Whether it’s the use of magic, the creatures that inhabit this world, or the twists that emerge as the story unfolds, there’s always something fresh to discover. The magical aspects of the book are particularly enjoyable, with enough intrigue to keep you hooked and curious about what will come next.

Overall, Unbound is a highly enjoyable read for fans of fantasy. With its strong world-building, engaging multiple perspectives, and exciting magical elements, it stands out in the genre. If you enjoy immersive, imaginative fantasy with a touch of mystery and adventure, this book is definitely worth picking up.

This book follows a set of thieves including a blood witch who are hunting down the Crimson Shard. However Keegan a dragon shifter & a human Princess are also hunting down the Crimson Shard for their own personal reasons. Even though this book included dragons, witches & a compelling magic system something felt missing for me personally.

The pacing is quick & I think Romantasy lovers will enjoy this one. I was definitely more interested in Keegan’s & Avalon’s POV rather than the thieves. There’s high stakes & heist style adventure which keeps the plot moving and keeps your interest.

I would of loved a little more world building & for the thieves characters to be a little bit more fleshed out. However, this may come with future books

Thanks Netgalley & the publisher for providing me an arc copy to review

This book was AMAZING! This was my very first dragon shifter book and it did not disappoint. The relationships, the spice, the magic system… SO GOOD. Thank you netgalley for this e-arc!

Unbound brings together a compelling mix of magic, heists, and high-stakes adventure, but unfortunately, it didn't quite meet my expectations. The premise is exciting: a group of thieves, including a blood witch, is on the hunt for the elusive Crimson Shard, while Princess Avalon and dragon shifter Keagan seek it for the salvation of their people. There's potential for a gripping story here, but I found the execution fell a bit short.

The dual narrative structure was an interesting choice, giving us multiple perspectives on the quest for the Shard. While I appreciated the diversity of characters, I found myself more engaged with the storyline of Avalon and Keagan than with the thieves. Their journey felt more personal and emotionally driven, particularly as they battled the plague affecting the dragon shifters. However, I felt the thieves’ motivations—especially the dynamics between Malcolm, Rowena, and Zedock—weren't as well fleshed out, making it harder to connect with their quest.

One of the main issues I had with the book was its resemblance to other fantasy works, particularly Six of Crows. The city of Vicerona felt very much like Ketterdam, and the criminal elements of the story were a bit too familiar. For me, this lack of originality took away from the excitement I was hoping to feel.

In terms of world-building, I found that Unbound didn’t delve deeply enough into the setting to make it feel fully immersive. While there’s magic, intrigue, and political scheming, I felt the world lacked the depth necessary to truly bring the stakes to life. The motivations behind the characters' actions, particularly the thieves, didn’t always feel fully developed, leaving some plot points feeling predictable and simplistic.

That said, the book does have its strengths. The pacing is quick, and the action is engaging. The stakes are high, and there’s a sense of urgency that drives the plot forward, especially with the looming threat of the plague. I also appreciated the diverse cast of characters, and while I wasn’t as emotionally invested in every storyline, I can see how readers who enjoy a large ensemble cast might enjoy this aspect.

Overall, Unbound has potential, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While the characters, world, and plot have their moments, the predictability and lack of depth in certain areas made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. However, fans of fast-paced fantasy with heists, magic, and dragon shifters might still find it an enjoyable read.

If you enjoy:

- Heist-style adventures with a large cast
- Dragon shifters and magic
- Fast-paced fantasy with political intrigue

...Unbound might be right up your alley.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Although I devoured this book pretty quickly and overall enjoyed it, I have to admit that I don't think this book was quite ready for publication. While it's a fun read in general, it had a lot of glaring issues that I struggled to overlook.

Let's talk about the characters. We've got Keagen, a dragon shifter, who seeks out a magical object called the Crimson Shard to save his people from a disease that's killing them. Avalon is a sheltered princess who's encouraged by her mentor and father figure to pursue the Shard to help save the suffering people her real father, the king, ignores. Then, we've got a crew of thieves—Rowena, Zedock, and Malcolm—who seek the Crimson Shard to erase their debts.

Malcolm is perhaps the least likeable character I have ever encountered in my entire life. I found him to be slimy and selfish, and he was never redeemed in my eyes at any point. Now, maybe I'm going to sound like the friend who's too woke, but Zedock being a black male character who's apparently "known for" being stupid and violent is very questionable, in my opinion. Finally, the male characters were constantly looking at the female characters' hips and backsides. It was really distracting and kind of creepy to have that mentioned several times; it made me feel like those characters were weirdos instead of attractive or desirable.

I really wish this book had expanded on its worldbuilding, because I think it had the potential to be really interesting. However, the way it was done made it seem as though the author wasn't really sure what time period she wanted this book to be set in. First, the characters decide to travel somewhere by boat; okay, pretty standard for a fantasy novel. Then, they discuss boarding an aeroship once they reach their destination; pretty cool and not something I typically see! But wait, then the other characters are talking about traveling using an...automobile? But then they settle on using horses instead? I think this could work just fine if any of it was further elaborated on, but it wasn't.

Now, one of the main things that stood out to me from the very start is that this book seems to take bits and pieces from other books and games.

For example, the thieving crew and heist feels very, very much like Six of Crows, with the city of Vicerona sounding almost exactly like Ketterdam. Malcolm and Zedock come from a place called Kerizan, which sounds shockingly like Keramzin to me, a place also from the Grishaverse.

But that's not at all. I immediately noticed a lot of names and places from World of Warcraft. For example, this series is called Dragonflight, which is the name of a recent WoW expansion. But it also has a city called Undercity (just like WoW) and a place called Alestraza, which is shockingly similar to the World of Warcraft character named Alexstrasza—who just happens to be a dragon and a main character in Dragonflight. While we're talking about game references, the author also seemed to nab the word Dovahkiin from Skyrim/The Elder Scrolls, which means Dragonborn in that world. These could just be coincidental, I suppose, but they seemed way too specific to be, in my opinion.

I really struggle to understand why this book is marketed as slow burn, because that could not be farther from the truth. Within 2-3 days of meeting, these characters were supposedly "in love." Meanwhile, two other characters randomly "decided to be together" without actually having that conversation on screen, despite the fact that one half of that relationship was romantically interested in someone else for years. But all of the sudden, they want to be with this other person? And we don't even get to see a discussion about it?

What bothered me the absolute most about this book, though, is the very obvious lack of editing. There were so many dangling modifiers, inconsistencies, punctuation issues, and insanely unrealistic dialogue.

The unrealistic dialogue was the biggest issue to me. The characters didn't really use contractions in their speech, which comes off as extremely stilted and unnatural. Then, there were bits of dialogue like, "Stay here. No matter what you hear, keep everyone here." See how unrealistic that sounds, with here/hear being repeated that many times in just two sentences?

This book was absolutely filled with inconsistencies. There was one paragraph that contained both "cannot" and "can not" almost back to back in the same context. There was a place called Toezan, but there was one instance just a couple of pages apart where it was spelled both "Toezan" and "Tozeon."

Listen, I promise I really did enjoy this book overall, though I don't think I would continue the series. But I believe it could have really benefited from several rounds of intensive editing to resolve all of the above issues. These are problems I would expect in a fanfiction or story posted online, but certainly not in a published novel.

After some debate, I rated this book 2 stars out of 5. I would have given it 3, but I found myself thinking about and noticing all of the errors and issues more than the actual plot and events of the book.

Unbound centers around a group of characters, each on a quest for the Crimson Shard. The story splits into two main storylines: one follows a group of thieves, including a blood witch, who are after the Shard for personal gain, while the other follows a princess, Avalon (Ava), and a dragon shifter, Keagan, as they search for the Shard to stop a plague threatening dragon shifters. While I appreciated the dual plots and multiple points of view, I found myself more invested in Ava and Keagan’s evolving romance, particularly their enemies-to-lovers dynamic. I enjoyed the slow-burn tension between them, though I do wish their relationship had been given more room to develop—towards the end of the book, their romance felt rushed and unrealistic.

That said, the story had its flaws. The pacing was uneven, and the plot felt a bit too convenient at times. Several plot points, especially involving Ava’s character and her struggles, seemed to lack depth. While her relationship with her father was mentioned, it didn’t feel like a central conflict, even though it was supposed to shape her journey. Additionally, I found myself wishing for more world-building. The stakes of the quest and the reasons behind the characters’ motivations didn’t always feel fleshed out enough, leaving some of the plot points feeling too simplistic.

One thing I did enjoy, though, was the diverse cast of characters. The thieves, including the blood witch, added an interesting dynamic, though I didn’t feel as connected to their storylines as I did with Ava and Keagan. Still, the multiple POVs allowed for a more rounded view of the story and the different characters' perspectives, even if I wished some threads had been developed more.

In the end, Unbound was an ok read, but it didn’t fully captivate me. While the romance between Ava and Keagan had potential, the lack of world-building and the occasional reliance on convenient plot points made it harder for me to get fully invested. It’s a good start, and I’m curious to see how the series progresses, but I would have liked to see more depth in both the characters and the world they inhabit.

I received an ARC of Unbound by Brittany Gossin from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Witches and dragons and crooks, oh my! This book is brilliant for those chasing a similar vibe and feel to Six of Crows with a tiny dash of Stardust. With kingdoms and underworlds, witches and pirates (of both sea and sky!), quests, dragons, and secrets, there’s something for everybody in this book. The world building is super easy to get your head around which means rather than learning a complex magic system you can get stuck straight in with the story. It’s chock full of found family and forced proximity with a sprinkle of only one bed and dash of forbidden romance (think princess to a kingdom falling for the exact species daddy dearest labels as the absolute enemy and threat to the kingdom). I loved the individual POV’s that really help you fall in love with every character in this novel and it’s set up the start of the series very well with intrigue as to where the story can go next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

La historia sigue a cinco personajes principales, cuyas vidas se entrelazan en la búsqueda de un artefacto mítico: el Cristal Escarlata, una reliquia que otorga a su poseedor el poder de cumplir cualquier deseo.

Keagan Ragnor, un cambiante de dragón que lucha por salvar a su familia de una plaga mortal. En su camino, debe atravesar un peligroso muro que separa su tierra de la amenaza que acecha desde el norte.
Avalon Tremaine, una princesa que se niega a aceptar su destino de un matrimonio forzado, ve en el Cristal Escarlata su única oportunidad para cambiar su futuro.
El trío de criminales Malcolm Thorpe, Rowena Blackridge** y Zedock Cannon también luchan por obtener el cristal para borrar sus deudas y asegurar su supervivencia.




La historia es entretenida, corta, con toques de romance, con magia y dragones.





Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fuckkkkkkkk
I didn’t even make it 25% through this arc before I was off buying a limited hardback from the author for $70 😂
I don’t even care! Take my money!
I need the second book now

It’s like Six of Crows + plus dragon shifters + carrion MMC (banter and looks but a dragon) + and imagine Dorian’s personality but a short blonde chick as the FMC

I’m still reeling from all the twists and the battle scenes.
This book is gonna screw with your emotions

Netgalley arc.
This is my first dragon shifter book and I love it. The fantasy and story is a great and easy read, the story delivered through 5 diff main characters, it can be confusing for me until few chapters in and I get use to it. I enjoy every element, the fight, the romance and all its exciting

This book was AMAZING. The relationships, the spice, the magic system… SO GOOD. At first, I was a little confused by all the different point-of-views, but I got into it quickly! Can’t wait for book 2!