This week’s theme for Top Ten Tuesday* is Books with the Word “[Insert Word Here]” in the Title (Choose a word and find ten books with that word in the title.) So naturally, I have chosen to feature books with the word dragon in the title. Terribly original, I know. But to make things a little more exciting, I’ve tried to pick novels with dragons in the title that I’ve already read and/or reviewed and also are less widely known. So no A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin and the like on this list.
*Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
Books with the word “dragon” in the title
1. Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
A dragon. A boy. A journey. Firedrake, a brave young dragon, his loyal brownie friend Sorrel and a lonely boy called Ben are united as if by destiny. Together, they embark on a magical journey to find the legendary place where silver dragons can live in peace for ever. With only a curious map and the whispered memories of an old dragon to guide them, they fly across moonlit lands and seas to reach the highest mountains in the world. Along the way, they discover extraordinary new friends in unlikely places and a courage they never knew they had. Just as well, for the greatest enemy of all is never far behind them – a heartless monster from the past who’s been waiting a very long time to destroy the last dragons on earth.
2. Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks
Gwennore has a talent. An Elf able to track down the cause of an illness and heal it, she’s a valuable asset to her people. When the kidnapping of a young girl thrusts Gwennore into the very heart of the realm of the dragons, she discovers not only a place of power and magic, but also a haunted land, plagued by an ancient curse that all but ensures extinction to the royal family. But when she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko, they strike a bargain—save the country from its cursed illness, and he will return the kidnapped girl. She’s been raised never to trust a dragon, but never did making a deal with the devil feel so good…Silas has no way of curing the family he’s loyally served for years. But when a beautiful elf, long considered the enemy of the dragons, comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to passion and desire in a way he’s never felt before. But can he trust a sworn enemy to save the very existence he holds dear? And can their love survive those that threaten to tear them apart? Check out my full review here.
3. The Summer Dragon by Todd Lockwood
Maia and her family raise dragons for the political war machine. As she comes of age, she anticipates a dragon of her own to add to the stable of breeding parents. Her peaceful life is shattered when the Summer Dragon—one of the rare and mythical High Dragons—makes an appearance in her quiet valley. Political factions vie for control of the implied message, threatening her aspirations, her aerie, her entire way of life. The bond between dragons and their riders is deep and life-long, and Maia’s desire for a dragon of her own to train, ride, fly, and love drives her to take a risk that puts her life at stake. She is swept into an adventure that pits her against the deathless Horrors, thralls of the enemy, and a faceless creature drawn from her fear. In her fight to preserve everything she knows and loves, she exposes a conspiracy, unearths an ancient civilization, and challenges her understanding of her world—and of herself. Check out my full review here.
4. His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.
5. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart—no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon’s presence, even for the briefest of moments—even at the risk of one’s life—is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day. Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever. Check out my full review here.
6. Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce
Quinn Norton is starting over at a new high school and hopes that joining a D&D game will be the trick to making friends. The plan sounds even better when she’s invited into a group that includes Logan Weber, the cute and charming guy she met on her first day of class. But this isn’t your average D&D campaign— this group livestreams their games and enforces strict rules: no phones allowed, and no dating other group members. Quinn is willing to accept the rules, even if it makes Logan off-limits. And she quickly learns that doing so won’t be a problem, since Logan goes from charismatic to insufferable as soon as she agrees to join. As their bickering—and bantering—intensifies inside and outside the game, Quinn can’t help wondering: Is Logan’s infuriating behavior a smokescreen for hidden feelings? Quinn is risking it all, and the twenty-sided dice are rolling!
7. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Once upon a time there was a bad princess…Take one bored princess. Make her the seventh daughter in a very proper royal family. Have her run away.Add one powerful, fascinating, dangerous dragon.
The Princess Cimorene has never met anyone (or anything) like the dragon Kazul. But then, she’s never met a witch, a jinn, a death-dealing talking bird, or a stone prince either.
Princess Cimorene ran away to find some excitement. She’s about to…Check out my full review here.
8. Between Dragons and their Wrath by Devin Madsen
The old kingdom of Paicha has been split into city states, but there are those who seek to reunite the shattered realm-by force if necessary. Amidst the turmoil there are three who will find their destinies inextricably tangled. Tesha is a glassblower’s apprentice who becomes a tribute bride when her city is conquered by the south. In the enemy’s court, she’s perfectly placed to sabotage them, but her heart has other plans. Naili is a laundress in the house of an eccentric alchemist who is awakening to strange new powers. When radicals approach her, she faces a choice between keeping her magic to herself and using it to change the world. And in the desolate Shield Mountains, dragon rider Ash protects the cities from the monsters in the Iipao sands beyond. But, soon he’ll have to learn how to protect his dragon when hunters unlock the secret to killing them. As war sweeps across the land, Tesha, Naili, and Ash must fight for survival against political enemies, dragon hunters, and monsters both within and without. Check out my full review here.
9. When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex’s beloved aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn’t know. It’s taboo to speak of. Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.
In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the tyranny of forced limitations. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small—their lives and their prospects—and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve. Check out my full review here.
10. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
The Omehi people have been fighting an unwinnable fight for almost two hundred years. Their society has been built around war and only war. The lucky ones are born gifted. One in every two thousand women has the power to call down dragons. One in every hundred men is able to magically transform himself into a bigger, stronger, faster killing machine. Everyone else is fodder, destined to fight and die in the endless war. Young, gift-less Tau knows all this, but he has a plan of escape. He’s going to get himself injured, get out early, and settle down to marriage, children, and land. Only, he doesn’t get the chance. Those closest to him are brutally murdered, and his grief swiftly turns to anger. Fixated on revenge, Tau dedicates himself to an unthinkable path. He’ll become the greatest swordsman to ever live, a man willing to die a hundred thousand times for the chance to kill the three who betrayed him. Check out my full review here.
Know of any less mainstream books with the word dragon in the title that I missed? Let me know because I’d love to add them to my TBR! 🙂
This is the third or fourth post I’ve seen with this same theme this week. It’s fun when that happens. 🙂
I just saw another one too and we didn’t have any selections that overlapped? So I get to add more books to my TBR 😀
I enjoyed both the Sparks book and the Novik one.
Anne – Books of My Heart
Awesome!! It’s been years since I read both of them, but I enjoyed them both too!
Dragons are great! I still need to read Rage of Dragons. It’s been on my shelf for too long!
I agree! I feel that 😂 I still haven’t read the sequel, so I will have to reread the first one of these days
I have that happen a lot with books lately. I need to finish a series before starting more. I’m so bad about that!
Me too! It’s so oddly defeating to go read another book in the series and realize you don’t remember much of it at all. Then I have to go back reread the other books first 😩😂
Yes, it is. I’ve noticed that some authors have been doing recaps at the beginning of their sequels now. It’s been so helpful and I wish everyone would do it!
Yes, oh my gosh. I am always so thankful when they do that! Sometimes even with those recaps, I still struggle to connect all of the pieces. 😭😂
I can totally see that with bigger worlds!! I just wish everyone would do it for us. lol
Me too! Let’s normalize it for sure!
Dragon is a good one and so popular these days – nice list!
Thanks! We definitely were all sharing a brain with this one 😂
Dragon was the obvious choice for you, as it’s in your blog’s name! I haven’t read any of these books though.
My TTT: https://laurieisreading.com/2025/04/29/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-the-word-sun-in-the-title/
Thank you, Laurie! It seems a lot of people had the same idea. I love your choice, it’s so summery!