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zoetic's review against another edition
5.0
Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire is an entertaining read. The story read slower and the story pacing was steady. There were some twists and betrayals. The romance was slow building, and developed realisticly. There was great character relationship development. There is a great cast of diverse characters. There are characters to root for and characters to dislike. I felt the ending was both bittersweet and satisfying. Overall, Heart Forged in Dragon Fire was very well written. I would recommend Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire to readers who enjoy YA Romance and YA Urban Fantasy featuring Dragons, and to readers who enjoy a steadier plot pacing.
noodlecatreads's review against another edition
4.0
I just can’t get enough of books with dragons.
This was a fun sapphic fantasy story that I devoured in 2 days. There’s a lot of twists and turns (somewhat predictable but it was enjoyable regardless)
This has many gasp worthy moments and the writing is easy to digest.
I found the first 30% a little clunky and didn’t hook me right away but after that it really picked up.
Thank you Entangled Teen for the ARC ♥️
Merged review:
I just can’t get enough of books with dragons.
This was a fun sapphic fantasy story that I devoured in 2 days. There’s a lot of twists and turns (somewhat predictable but it was enjoyable regardless)
This has many gasp worthy moments and the writing is easy to digest.
I found the first 30% a little clunky and didn’t hook me right away but after that it really picked up.
Thank you Entangled Teen for the ARC ♥️
This was a fun sapphic fantasy story that I devoured in 2 days. There’s a lot of twists and turns (somewhat predictable but it was enjoyable regardless)
This has many gasp worthy moments and the writing is easy to digest.
I found the first 30% a little clunky and didn’t hook me right away but after that it really picked up.
Thank you Entangled Teen for the ARC ♥️
Merged review:
I just can’t get enough of books with dragons.
This was a fun sapphic fantasy story that I devoured in 2 days. There’s a lot of twists and turns (somewhat predictable but it was enjoyable regardless)
This has many gasp worthy moments and the writing is easy to digest.
I found the first 30% a little clunky and didn’t hook me right away but after that it really picked up.
Thank you Entangled Teen for the ARC ♥️
dbguide2's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
When I started this I thought I would love it. Everything about this (the cover/synopsis) should’ve given me all the reason to love it and devour it in one or two sittings. Except it took me days to finally finish the book and I didn’t have a good time throughout. Since I juggle multiple reads, if I’m not super interested in a book, I tend to take longer to read it. However, this is under 300 pages, so I should’ve read this in like 2 sittings.
I only cared for two (supporting) characters. If the book would’ve followed them instead of Lotte and Maryse, I would’ve (maybe) rated it higher. I found them both to be annoying and boring. Even when they were in danger or got hurt – I wasn’t interested in it. The book is very dialogue-heavy – which I’m not bothered by in the slightest because I love dialogue – but since I didn’t care for most of the characters – I was less interested in that.
I saw the plot twist coming a mile away and I was annoyed because of how it all led up to it and then everything afterwards. I think one of the biggest issues I had was the pacing and the plot twists. It was so incredible slow – and remember, it’s under 300 pages. It should’ve flown by. But it didn’t. A plot twist would happen and I’d look at the percentage and think “really? At this %?” like why are you putting a big plot twist at like 60% in the book?
I really wanted to like the book and I did really like the whole Dragon Tongue thing and I was interested in that. It was just everything else that wasn’t working for me.
I only cared for two (supporting) characters. If the book would’ve followed them instead of Lotte and Maryse, I would’ve (maybe) rated it higher. I found them both to be annoying and boring. Even when they were in danger or got hurt – I wasn’t interested in it. The book is very dialogue-heavy – which I’m not bothered by in the slightest because I love dialogue – but since I didn’t care for most of the characters – I was less interested in that.
I saw the plot twist coming a mile away and I was annoyed because of how it all led up to it and then everything afterwards. I think one of the biggest issues I had was the pacing and the plot twists. It was so incredible slow – and remember, it’s under 300 pages. It should’ve flown by. But it didn’t. A plot twist would happen and I’d look at the percentage and think “really? At this %?” like why are you putting a big plot twist at like 60% in the book?
I really wanted to like the book and I did really like the whole Dragon Tongue thing and I was interested in that. It was just everything else that wasn’t working for me.
gracerichards11's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ilikesofrito's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
librarygirlreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
carola84's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.0
The writing style was nice but I found the characters and story boring.
paperbackpocket_'s review against another edition
3.0
(Thank you to @netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a review.)
This book was cute, but not a favorite. The premise is that Lotte, a girl who can speak with dragons, is tasked with trying to meditate between a local city and this enormous dragon who has been scaring the city into bringing him money and treasure.
My pros:
- cute sapphics
- background queer and nonbinary rep
- interesting take on dragons that I haven't seen before
- exploration into family dynamics and toxic relationships
All of those things were great. But when it came to execution, I found the book pretty transparent. The main plot twist I predicted from like 20%, in addition to another plot point later in the book. Nothing much happened in the book, either - it was really slow moving, almost like delaying the actual plot so that it would reach novel-length. It was a lot more about character development, which I did enjoy, but books can do both, y'know?
This book was cute, but not a favorite. The premise is that Lotte, a girl who can speak with dragons, is tasked with trying to meditate between a local city and this enormous dragon who has been scaring the city into bringing him money and treasure.
My pros:
- cute sapphics
- background queer and nonbinary rep
- interesting take on dragons that I haven't seen before
- exploration into family dynamics and toxic relationships
All of those things were great. But when it came to execution, I found the book pretty transparent. The main plot twist I predicted from like 20%, in addition to another plot point later in the book. Nothing much happened in the book, either - it was really slow moving, almost like delaying the actual plot so that it would reach novel-length. It was a lot more about character development, which I did enjoy, but books can do both, y'know?
stephanie_mo_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the way that the main character could speak to dragons and I would’ve loved even more interactions like that throughout the story. I also loved the LGBTQ representation in these characters!
On the flip side, I was so close to DNFing this book. I figured out the “twist” at 25% and then everything dragged and dragged while I waited for it to be revealed. It felt like we were dancing around the plot with little hints throughout when it felt so obvious to me. Eventually, I just wanted to skip to the end which is never good.
Overall, this is an enjoyable read and does paint a fun fantasy setting with plenty of dragons (who doesn’t love that?)!
On the flip side, I was so close to DNFing this book. I figured out the “twist” at 25% and then everything dragged and dragged while I waited for it to be revealed. It felt like we were dancing around the plot with little hints throughout when it felt so obvious to me. Eventually, I just wanted to skip to the end which is never good.
Overall, this is an enjoyable read and does paint a fun fantasy setting with plenty of dragons (who doesn’t love that?)!
em_writing's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
There are very few categories of second world fantasy that grab my attention, but when Erica Hollis reached out to offer me and ARC of Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire one word in particular stood out … dragons. What can I say? I’m an horrendous Welsh stereotype. I see giant flying lizards in the title and I commit. And never have I been more grateful for my innate dragon related compulsions because this book was fab.
In a world where dragons consume gold, the resource that humans have foolishly chosen as currency, being gifted with the ability to talk to dragons is treasured. Lotte Meer might only be sixteen, but she’s already made a name for herself as a dragonstongue, working as a successful dragon/human mediator, with a few gnarly burn scars to prove it. So it makes sense when she’s approached by the townsguard of Morwassen’s Pass to deal with their dragon problem. What doesn’t make sense is anything that this particular dragon does. He’s set up his hoard in the abandoned castle that towers above the town, and is demanding the people bring him a regular tithe of riches, or he’ll huff and he’ll puff and he’ll burn their homes to the ground. It’s unheard of, but if Lotte’s going to get paid, or indeed survive this job, she must get to the bottom of why the dragon is behaving this way and figure out a way to move him on without getting anyone killed. Or, anyone else, anyway.
As mentioned above, the dragons sold Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire to me, but I wasn’t quite aware of how amazing they were actually going to be. I actually cannot stress this enough, the dragons in this book were fantastic. Hollis makes use of bits of inventive dragon lore that I had never seen before, including specific elements of dragon language (as a linguist I was fascinated by the fact that the dragons used “we” instead of “I”) and, of course, the fact that these dragons don’t just hoard gold because they’re big scaly magpies and coins are shiny, but rely on it for sustenance. And Hollis doesn’t dump this information on you in chunks of exposition; it’s woven into the Lotte’s interactions with the creatures, shaping the world and giving each encounter its own personality. From typical forest dragons, hiding in caves and avoiding humans like the plague, to urbanite dragons, who choose to dwell amongst the bustling populus of Morwassen’s Pass in gambling halls and street side trees where they can stealthily collect what they need to eat, every dragon is unique and you will remember every single one. My only complaint is that I could have read a thousand more interactions with these creatures, but that’s really not a complaint now, is it?
The extent of the mystery element in Hearts Forged was also a very welcome surprise. It was fun to see a dragon book take a typical quest and turn it into a question: why is this dragon doing this? Why does he keep making bigger and bigger demands of the town? Did I figure out where the story was headed about 30% of the way through? Of course, I did (my brain is wired to look for hints and foreshadowing now, I’m sorry), but I had one hell of a ride watching the characters pick up information and try to piece together the clues themselves. I also love the little thrill of having my suspicions confirmed, inch by inch, and looking to see if I can predict exactly how everything is going to play out, so figuring things out early is never a negative in my book. Plus, did I mention the dragons? Because when you’re investigating dragon problems, you get to talk to dragons like it’s freakin’ CSI Lonely Mountain. I just … I had a blast with this one, okay?
I want to give a special mention to the side characters in this adventure, as well. I loved Scyler’s big sibling energy, and Danil’s “chill in a storm, but I will bite your ankles if you hurt the love of my life” vibe. They were perfect, and absolute couple goals. Hollis did a really great job of making the background characters pop throughout, and I think a lot of readers will quite like to see more of these two in particular, which is always a sign you’ve done the job right.
As for the romance element, which is a big part of the original blurb for Hearts Forged … I think as a YA sapphic romance, it’s really lovely. It’s cute and sweet, with a tiny touch of angst that makes it feel exactly right for a couple of teenagers who are still figuring out what relationships should and shouldn’t look like (both romantic and familial). And Hollis does the unusual and welcome thing of having the conflict in their relationship resolve in a fairly organic way, rather than prolonging the angst long past where you’d normally find mutual understanding.
My only issue here really was that there was just something missing from love interest Maryse’s character for me. I liked her initially; she was loveable and interesting, and I enjoyed the fact that Lotte had to work to be her friend. But, without being spoilery, I just wanted a scooch more oomph at the end, something that rounded out her character arc. Instead, it’s sort of left to happen off page, which I guess is representative of real life. However, in something this fantastical and otherwise perfect, it just didn’t land quite how I wanted it to. For others, though, it might feel right on the mark.
In summation, if you think dragons are the frick-frackling best and want something with a juicy mystery at it’s core and a touch of budding teenage romance, Hearts Forged in Dragon Fire by Erica Hollis is the book for you and why are you still here go buy yourself a copy now*. Now, I’m off to live in the vague hope that Hollis decides to turn this obvious standalone into a procedural series where Lotte gets to travel around with Maryse and solve dragon crimes. Hwyl fawr ❤
*This book does have a bit of graphic violence, character and creature death, injury, and parental trauma, so be wary if those things are triggering for you.