Lime Cultivist
Dragon Books
Burning Stars
(Rurik Redwolf)
Burning Stars is a standout dragon series in a number of different ways. First and foremost is the way that these books focus on medical trauma, disabilities, depression, war, and disease: weighty themes that give the series a real sense of purpose without feeling edgy or overdone. It's also one of the only dragon worlds I know that features a combination of fantasy and sci-fi elements. There's plenty of advanced technology to be found in the world of Fatea, from cybernetics, to flying vehicles, to a dragon form of the internet. These 2 aspects blend together almost seamlessly, and book 1 in particular (Ashen Dreams) establishes a lot of this worldbuilding that keeps you coming back for more. There are also no humans in the world of Burning Stars, which is rare in fiction, and something I always count as a bonus.
Burning Stars is somewhat less character-oriented than many of my other favorite dragon series, but it still has its share of likable ones. The main character, Virith, is a one dragoness army, and much of the supporting cast, including Zethra, Ilayda, Barasul, Serthal, and more, are memorable in their own ways. There's a certain special creature we meet in Ashen Dreams who is fascinating to me on a conceptual level, and while I won't name her here, I can't wait to see what happens with her as the series progresses.
The pacing throughout Burning Stars (and Ashen Dreams in particular) is great. Every book felt shorter to me than they actually were, and there's always something interesting going on to keep you invested. The battle scenes are bloody and painful, making you appreciate the brief moments of calm even more. I'm picky when it comes to endings, as you can see from my other recommendations, but for once I have no complaints about Burning Stars. Imagine that.
I do, of course, have a short list of other problems. These books were self-published, which has resulted in a number of spelling and grammar issues throughout the books. Ashen Dreams is definitely the better book of the two, but Afterdark, being less than half the length, is still worth a read too.
I eagerly await the rest of this series. A must read for dragon fans.
Length: 524 pages (Ashen Dreams), 36 pages (Requiem), 247 pages (Afterdark). The next book in the series will be called Blackout.
Wings of Fire
(Tui T. Sutherland)
Given this series' popularity, there's a good chance you've heard of it before. Different dragon tribes, travelling the world, saving dragonkind, etc.
Wings of Fire does have some serious issues when it comes to its worldbuilding and overall plot. Animus magic was a writing disaster, the ending of each arc feels rushed (especially arc 3), and several characters felt like they didn't get the spotlight they deserved. Despite its many problems, however, I still love Wings of Fire at the end of the day.
One of the best things about WoF is its characters. There are so many lovable dragons in these books: Glory, Starflight, Moon, Turtle, Qibli, Thorn, Fathom & Indigo, Blue, Cricket, Swordtail, Sundew & Willow, Snowfall, and more, and these dragons' stories are told in a way that's both easy to follow and hard to forget. It's the simple pleasures sometimes, and Wings of Fire delivers in terms of a straightforward and enjoyable kid's series with some heavier topics in it that an adult can appreciate too. I'm looking forward to arc 4.
Length: Currently WoF has 15 mainline books of varying lengths, 2 side books, a few short stories, and several graphic novel adaptations. It's a real journey if you want to start from the beginning!
Axtara
(Max Florschutz)
Axtara is the newest arrival in Elnacier: a small kingdom that's sitting on the edge of civilization, full of untapped potential. The green dragon hopes to set up her own bank, but of course, things aren't going to be as easy as they might seem.
Axtara is a series that sits firmly in the slice of life category. These books are rarely concerned with big battles or world-changing magic (at least not yet), and are instead on the cozier side of things, looking at the everyday troubles a banking dragon and her human friends can face.
The main dragon herself, Axtara, is a lovable character, and you can't help but get excited with her whenever one of her banking deals goes through. She's obsessed with banking, and a math nerd too, but under it all she has a good heart and cares about the kingdom of Elnacier and its people. Equally lovable is the other main character of the series, Mia the human princess, and she plays a pretty important role in the overarching story as well. The two of them make a great team.
The writing of Axtara can be a bit slow and repetitive at times, but aside from that, this is definitely one of my favorite dragon series out there. I'd recommend it most to slice of life fans.
Length: 314 pages (book 1), 484 pages (book 2). A 3rd book should be releasing in the near future.
Silver, Sand, and Silken Wings
(Heiko Ehlers)
Sylph, a young dragon, has been searching for answers about her past, and she grows frustrated as the world and the people around her seem to be hiding the truth. Eventually the dragon and her human friend, Brandon, decide to go on a journey to uncover the answers for themselves.
Silken Wings didn't exactly stand out to me at first, but in the end it's a well-rounded adventure story about finding your own path in life and not letting the past drag you down. Sylph is quite the personality, and the series makes great use of the desert setting that takes up a large portion of the first book. There are several minor spelling and grammar errors throughout book 1, but it's never enough to detract from the overall experience.
Book 2 is similar to the first, although I found myself getting a bit annoyed by the amount of innuendo and lewd jokes in it. The 4 main dragons worked well together, and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the connections that were formed by the ending. If you've read it, you know who I'm talking about!
Bonus points to this series for introducing the word "pfod" into my vocabulary.
Length: 488 pages (Silver, Sand, and Silken Wings), and 568 pages (Sapphire Stars and Sandstone Hearts).
Upon Wings of Change
(Crystal Scherer)
Humanity has been wiped out by aliens, and the only survivors are a group of people that were kidnapped by scientists and transformed into dragons. These people retain their memories and levels of human intelligence, but new instincts also take over their unfamiliar, scaly bodies. The dragons now have to figure out a way to coexist with the aliens that have colonized Earth before things potentially get even worse for their kind.
Creative premise aside, Upon Wings of Change is a slice of life story which looks at the unusual but endearing relationship that can form between bonded pairs. The two main characters, Tahsa and Taureen, work surprisingly well together, and I think the story starts to get very interesting as soon as the creatures known as sicora are introduced to the world.
My biggest problem with Upon Wings of Change is that I found the ending to be very disappointing: I think it missed out on a lot of potential themes and character development. Still, as a whole, this book was a relaxed and enjoyable read similar to Axtara, and it stands out as being one of the most unique dragon stories I've read so far.
Length: 386 pages.
Royal Red
(K. C. Shaw)
The third slice of life book on this list, Royal Red is a short standalone story about an artist dragon named Rose who journeys across the land to find inspiration for her paintings.
My favorite aspect of Royal Red is how the book looks at the topics of aging vs youth and rich vs poor. There's a particular side character named Beryl who I found to be both sympathetic and memorable despite only showing up for a brief period of time, and the middle portion of Royal Red is especially worth a read due to its focus on the aforementioned themes.
I do wish this book had been longer, or at least more centered around one specific location. Rose doesn't like to spend too much time in one place, and so I feel like we only got a taste of the greater world and characters that could've been. Overall though, Royal Red is a cozy and easily re-readable book, and an ideal pick for travelers and/or artists who also love dragons.
Length: 194 pages.
(Note that Royal Red is 18+ only, as it contains a short sex scene. The book itself has a warning about this content before it begins, but I figured I should mention it here too.)
Honorable Mentions:
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The Dragon's Call (Peter Dressler) - Part of me wants to recommend this book, while another part is very much against it. The Dragon's Call is a combination of frustrating, disgusting, interesting, and unforgettable all at the same time. It's the strangest dragon book I can think of, and I've re-read it several times already. As you can tell, I have very conflicted feelings about this one. Read it if you never want to look at dandelions the same way again (seriously).
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Dragon Prayers (MJ McPike) - A rather sad story about dragons who are raised as livestock and slaves under the hands of humans and elves. While not my absolute favorite dragon book out there, I still like this one, and I especially like its main character, Iniki. The author seems to have disappeared off the face of the internet, unfortunately, so it's unknown if we'll ever get a sequel.