As a fantasy lover who leans more to the paranormal/urban fantasy side of the genre, and who usually sticks to smaller or romance-focused stories when reading high fantasy, I don’t tend to read a lot about your average scary, large, fire-breathing kind of dragon. I have, however, read some books about dragon shifters, humanoid dragons, half-dragon beings, and dragons who are otherwise somewhat atypical. So that’s what I’m here to recommend!
*Note, since I use it a lot in this post, MC = main character.*
*If you’re considering buying any of these books from Amazon US, I’d appreciate it if you use my affiliate links! It will help support this blog at no additional cost to you!*
Chase the Dark (Steel & Stone Series) by Annette Marie
This is a YA/NA series that combines urban fantasy, a future dystopian/post-apoc Earth, and other fantasy worlds. It’s about a badass girl and her two daemon allies, and it’s full of action, magic, supernaturals, and a slow burn romance. One of the daemons is a Draconian, so his true form has wings and scales and horns, plus a magical aura that terrifies people, and he has a little dragon he’s bonded with.
Amazon // Goodreads // My Review
The Dragons of Nova (Loom Saga) by Elise Kova
This is a fantasy trilogy with a unique world, quite different from our own, and an enemies-to-lovers romance. And, as you can see from the cover (I used the second book, just for this reason), one MC comes from a race of really cool humanoid dragons with different types of magic that come from their organs, which are sometimes harvested by people who want that magic.
Amazon // Goodreads // My Review
Djinn City by Saad Z. Hossain
This book is a wild ride, what with all the powerful, immortal, but also unusual djinn. Like one who lives underwater as a school of fish. There’s a lot of complexity in the plot and djinn society, as some characters try to stop the djinn from destroying a large chunk of humanity. But there’s one MC who does less world-saving and more surviving, and that’s where the dragon aspect comes in, though probably not in the way you think. *SPOILER* This MC is injected with something from a dragon-like wyrm, giving him dragon properties, like being able to withstand fire. *END SPOILER*
Amazon // Goodreads // My Review
Black City Saint (Black City Saint Series) by Richard A. Knaak
This Prohibition Era urban fantasy series interestingly combines aspects of Feirie and Catholicism, the main character being Saint George. It also has a unique dragon element, in that the dragon (the one that Saint George killed) lives in the MC’s head, sharing his body, and the MC is in a constant struggle to keep him from taking over. They hate each other, but they rely on each other. I have to be honest, I sort of love this asshole dragon.
Amazon // Goodreads // My Review
Nice Dragons Finish Last (Heartstrikers Series) by Rachel Aaron
This series feels like urban fantasy, but in an alternate world in a future in which a meteor brought back all the magic the world used to have. The dragons here are essentially shifters, but personality-wise they’re more manipulative and ambitious, which is why the main character, who is nice, is a bad dragon. The plots and magic get more complex as the series goes on, the characters are interesting, and there’s even a bit of romance.
Amazon // Goodreads // My Review
Vanity in Dust (Crowns & Ash Series) by Cheryl Low
I’ll be honest, I don’t know if this series is going to be continued. But I’m including it in the hopes that it will be, because it’s amazing. A super unique and decadent fantasy world, immortals, magic, drugged tea, murderous pixies, duels, ghostly wolves that steal souls, an evil queen, queernormative society, humor, emotion, rich writing, and, at the heart of the story, a vain, scandalous, party-loving prince with a secret deep and compassionate side. And of course there’s a dragon (with a human form) in there somewhere, but I’ll let you learn more about him yourself. *SPOILER* It turns out the MC’s father, who shows up in Book 2, is a dragon, therefore the MC is part dragon. *END SPOILER*
Goodreads // My Review
The Lightning-Struck Heart (Tales from Verania Series) by TJ Klune
If you like ridiculous hilarity, lots of heart, and all the gayness, this is definitely a high fantasy series you should check out. It even has dragons! Actual, non-shifter dragons. But they do talk, and, well, they’re a lot less majestic and dignified, personality-wise, than you might expect dragons to be.
Amazon // Goodreads // My Review
Poised in Either Eye by B. Pigeon & Fell A. Marsh
This one is a light, fairly quick low fantasy about two dragons in human form trying to blend in and live among the humans. And also use their waning magic to do some stealing, because dragons need hoards (and rent money). There’s also a bit of danger and queer romance to top it off.
Amazon // Goodreads // My Review
Cupcakes, Trinkets, & Other Deadly Magic (Dowser Series) by Meghan Ciana Doidge
This series has all the good stuff you’d expect from urban fantasy—magic, lots of supernaturals, action, danger—plus baking! There are a lot of great characters and interesting plots. As for the dragons (who also have human forms), they aren’t part of the story right away, but you’ll meet them soon enough! *SPOILER* It turns out the MC’s father is a dragon, therefore the MC is part dragon, and the eventual love interest is a dragon. *END SPOILER*
Amazon // Goodreads // My Review
Highfire by Eoin Colfer
This is such a fun, heartwarming book about an old, grouchy, eccentric dragon and a somewhat down-on-his-luck teen from the New Orleans swamps becoming friends, plus a bit of action and danger. The dragon in this one, despite living in our normal world, is all dragon all the time. Though he’s somewhat like a talking, bipedal gator, if I recall correctly.
Amazon // Goodreads // My Review
I know I’ve said it before but I want to try that Aaron series. I like the idea of magic coming back…
You should! It’s a good series.
Thank you for this list – I have so many new books to add to my tbr!
You’ve probably already tried the Temeraire and Lady Trent series if you’re a dragon fan, but Diane Duane’s Tale of the Five series has some of the most amazing, unique dragons I’ve ever read (they show up in book two) and After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang has not been read by NEARLY enough people yet!
I don’t think I’ve heard of any of these. Thanks, I’ll look them up!
I like romantic dragon shifter stories but I haven’t read any of the books you listed.
Yeah a lot of these aren’t super romance focused, but still good!
I haven’t really been into books with dragons in them until recently. Both Narnia and the Lord of the Rings books have dragons in them. The martial arts fantasy book series by Kylie Chan has some dragons in them. They are friendly, helpful dragons in those. I haven’t finished that book series yet though. I read Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman has a dragon in it. She has also written two other dragon books which I hope to read soon. Kylie Chan also wrote a dragon series which I may read.
I’ll have to look up the Kylie Chan books! I’ve heard of Tess of the Road but haven’t read that one.
I saw this post and immediately thought of a couple of the books you mention, like The Dragons of Nova and Nice Dragons Finish Last. I still haven’t finished either series yet I loved the first book of each series. I love books about dragons, especially when they are written in an interesting way. I’m sure The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman features dragons as well.
You need to finish series! Haha. Ooh cool, I’ve always been a little bit interested in that series but haven’t read it.