REVIEW: The Last Dragon King by Leia Stone

The Last Dragon King by Leia Stone: As news spreads throughout the village that young King Drae is desperate for a new wife to bestow him an heir, the last queen dying along with the magic in the kingdom, Arwen is shocked to discover two things; firstly that she is being chosen as an option given she’s only got about a drop of dragon magic in her, and two, she’s been lied to her whole life and she is in fact perhaps the last remaining pure blood. Strong, resilient and determined, Arwen is thrust into the palatial politics and before long, develops a connection with the king, is placed in the royal guard due to non-plausible circumstances and forced to save herself as the key to the kingdom’s survival.

While a Young Adult fantasy romance, Arwen character inconsistencies occasionally moved beyond what one would expect of an 18 year old. Initially, she was developed well; a hunter in her village and showing signs of deep inner strength that would be expected of a pure born dragon – in rags to dragon style. However, some of her interactions were a dash immature, particularly some of her early treatment of Drae and her almost self-obsessed manner of trying to be oppositional to all other females in Embergate.

Unfortunately Drae was fairly two dimensional as well and whilst conceptually you want the two to hit it off and live happily ever after given the fate of the kingdom, the strange medical plot twists and Drae using his power to prevent Arwen sourcing intimacy elsewhere was frustrating. Conceptually, this ticked a lot of boxes, however, execution was lacking in places, particularly the dialogue and not enough air time given to the fundamental plot elements that were critical to developing tension and gaining audience sympathy.

While it had a solid HEA and left enough on the table to develop the next in the series, it was underwhelming in some critical areas, particularly if you’re hungry for a female lead that is literally going to rock the world.

Book Info:

Publication: 26th December 2023 | Bloom Books | Kings of Avalier #1

Eighteen-year-old Arwen Novakson has magic, but just barely. So, when the Dragon King announces his search for a wife, Arwen knows she won’t be in the running, as the king needs someone who has enough dragon magic to produce a strong heir. But, much to her shock, when the magic sniffers visit her small village, they command her to present herself at the king’s castle as a possible wife. This should be a dream-come-true opportunity for Arwen, but before going, she learns a terrifying secret about the strength of her magic, and if the king ever discovered the truth, he would have every reason to kill Arwen himself. Protecting herself becomes more and more challenging as her magic and her feelings for the king grow. Especially as she must watch him court other women. Arwen can’t help but fall for the charming, empathetic Dragon King, but she knows being together would put everyone in danger―herself, the king, anyone with dragon magic. With a magical war brewing, Arwen must decide how much she is willing to risk and how much she is willing to sacrifice for love.