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The Dragon Has Some Complaints
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jul 26In this heartfelt and humorous fantasy, a dragon whose three heads bear rather…different personalities finds family in the most unexpected of places.
From the Nebula-winning author of Someone You Can Build a Nest In!
Garrodigh was once a four-headed dragon, among the most powerful in Kardoša. After an unfortunate incident, he now has three heads, one stump, and a daily whirlwind of internal bickering. Centerhead wants to rain death upon all humanity, Bottomhead is like a feral cat, and Upperhead is under the delicate delusion that he is, in fact, human.
When a nearby battle goes awry, Garrodigh sneaks into an elite dragon rider academy, pretending to be tame to get free food and a warm bed. Lucky for him, rider Rania Albright is desperate enough for a dragon of her own that she overlooks his eccentricities.
As Garrodigh recovers under Rania’s care, all three heads start to turn, for the first time, in the same direction. Each wants to protect her from the invaders who killed their fourth head—the same invaders who seek to conquer Kardoša. When the academy comes under attack, can this wild dragon and his wilder rider save their homeland together?
This cozy fantasy intertwines epic battles with loving friendships, sharing an utterly unique perspective on what it means to be a ‘monster.’
From the Nebula-winning author of Someone You Can Build a Nest In!
Garrodigh was once a four-headed dragon, among the most powerful in Kardoša. After an unfortunate incident, he now has three heads, one stump, and a daily whirlwind of internal bickering. Centerhead wants to rain death upon all humanity, Bottomhead is like a feral cat, and Upperhead is under the delicate delusion that he is, in fact, human.
When a nearby battle goes awry, Garrodigh sneaks into an elite dragon rider academy, pretending to be tame to get free food and a warm bed. Lucky for him, rider Rania Albright is desperate enough for a dragon of her own that she overlooks his eccentricities.
As Garrodigh recovers under Rania’s care, all three heads start to turn, for the first time, in the same direction. Each wants to protect her from the invaders who killed their fourth head—the same invaders who seek to conquer Kardoša. When the academy comes under attack, can this wild dragon and his wilder rider save their homeland together?
This cozy fantasy intertwines epic battles with loving friendships, sharing an utterly unique perspective on what it means to be a ‘monster.’
400 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 14, 2026
19 people are currently reading
1358 people want to read
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Want to read
November 25, 2025John Wiswell really saw that meme with the three-headed dragon and made a whole book out of it, but his dragon has one head that wants to annihilate humanity, one that thinks it's human and one that just wants some good head scritches, and I love absolutely everything about that.
Want to read
November 6, 2025PLEASE BE A REFERENCE TO THIS MEME
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I also have some complaints.
tl;dr: This book was not for me. I mean that both in the sense that I didn't like it much, and also in the sense that it wasn't intended for the kind of person I am.
If you're the kind of person who will love this book, or have already read it and loved it, reading this review may only annoy you, and you may be better off skipping it and reading one that will reinforce your views instead. I always implicitly write my reviews for people who value the things I value (writing craft, especially) and enjoy the things I enjoy. I write positive reviews to direct them towards books I think they would like, and negative reviews to direct them away from books that are probably not going to be to their taste. If you have different priorities and enjoy different things, what I have to say will not be of much interest to you.
This review is going to be as much an expression of concerns I have about the current cozy fantasy genre in general as it is about this book in particular, though starting from thoughts I had while reading this specific book.
The first thing that bothered me about this book is that it feels like one long point-of-view violation. The viewpoint character is the relatively sane and sensible central head of a three-headed dragon; the other two heads have issues. Upperhead has the delusion that he's human, and Lowerhead has become almost animalistic. All three, including Centerhead, have lost memories because of the trauma of the loss of Lefty, the fourth head, who was favourable towards humans and worked with them. That obscured backstory may partially explain why this supposedly wild dragon not only understands but freely uses so many human concepts, including trans men and women (who he identifies instantly as such), cathedrals, apothecaries and vacations -this last itself being an anachronistic concept for the setting. However, while he recognizes ink and paper, he doesn't understand what writing is - but uses the verb "read" in a metaphorical sense multiple times.
How this came across to me is that the author wasn't putting in the effort, or maybe didn't even think about the need, to characterize someone based on what that sort of character is familiar with and would know and value. Reading some of the reviews of one of his other books reinforces this idea; multiple reviewers mentioned how a solitary swamp monster who had previously had limited and brief interactions with humans seemed to have a complete and instant grasp of how abusive human relationships work, as seen through a this-worldly current-state-of-psychology lens. To me, this is a basic craft issue.
And this is a problem I have with the cozy genre in general. Not only is the worldbuilding often thin, little more than generic sword & sorcery scenery flats, but those scenery flats stand behind people who are, in their attitudes and ways of thinking, completely indistinguishable from mid-2020s US people of a particular type (to which the authors belong). My suspicion is that they are so embedded in a filter bubble that emphasizes doctrinal purity that they are almost unable to conceive of people who might think differently from them, except as othered and villainized; that they have no functional sense of history; and that they believe implicitly that everything they think, and the way they behave, cannot be improved upon and therefore should be universalized. As a young person, I was in a community like this myself, and even though the content of the beliefs could hardly have been more different, I recognize the patterns. And to me, exploring other perspectives and ways of thought is part of the point of speculative fiction.
In the typical cozy book, basically every single character (who isn't a villain or at least an opponent) is queer in some way, and most of them are at least one of neurodivergent, disabled, or struggling with anxiety or depression. In these days of self-selecting groups ("found family"), this may be the lived experience of the author; everyone they know is like this. But it's like the famous example of the journalist who, when a political candidate won an election, protested that nobody he knew had voted for him. It says more about the narrowness of the person's experience than the actual constitution of the world at large. I should note that I don't have a problem with people being queer, neurodivergent and etc. These are ways that real people are, and I respect them as fellow humans. But it isn't how everyone is, and universalizing it places me and people like me, who don't have those characteristics (except that I am arguably slightly disabled and occasionally anxious), in an outgroup, just as much as earlier literature placed people who did have them in an outgroup. It's not true inclusiveness if there's still an outgroup, even if that is the people who were traditionally the ingroup. It's still not fully honouring our shared humanity.
In this particular book, the pervasiveness of these types of characters is more or less its only claim to belong to the cozy genre, since it's about a war between diverse refugees from a lightly sketched fascist-imperialist country and that country's military. Nobody here is living the equivalent of a Japanese "slow life." It's more like the demimonde of the Weimar Republic left Germany (though the names are mostly Eastern European), found an uninhabited island, tamed some dragons, created a flying city using the antigravity magic of the dragons, and held out against a much-less-efficient Nazi regime, with Britain pretending to help, but actually out to take half their land and half their dragons in return for minimal assistance. (That is, at least, slightly more worldbuilding than cozy authors often bother with.)
The other thing that annoyed me about this book, and the main reason I gave it up in the middle, is the character Raina, who becomes the rider of the dragon central character. She is the complete opposite of the kind of character I like to read about. She's outwardly naive and optimistic to the point of getting on people's nerves, while on the inside she's a complete emotional bombsite who uses alcohol and casual sex as forms of maladaptive coping. And what escalated her from "annoying character" to "reason to put the book down and not pick it up again" was that the dragon declares to Raina that she is everything a human should want to be, which is a statement I couldn't disagree with more strongly. To me, that's not unconditional acceptance; it's enabling.
If you don't care about the POV issues and can cope with Raina, this is a competently written book with the right emotional beats to appeal to plenty of readers. In the author's afterword, he mentions that the copy editor remarked on how clean it was, and I agree that it has fewer issues than average, but there are some words used in odd senses, and a few small words like "to" and "the" dropped out of the occasional sentence in the pre-publication version I had from Netgalley. (Missing words are a hard thing to spot unless you have the knack of it.)
It's not a terrible book. It just very much is not for me.
tl;dr: This book was not for me. I mean that both in the sense that I didn't like it much, and also in the sense that it wasn't intended for the kind of person I am.
If you're the kind of person who will love this book, or have already read it and loved it, reading this review may only annoy you, and you may be better off skipping it and reading one that will reinforce your views instead. I always implicitly write my reviews for people who value the things I value (writing craft, especially) and enjoy the things I enjoy. I write positive reviews to direct them towards books I think they would like, and negative reviews to direct them away from books that are probably not going to be to their taste. If you have different priorities and enjoy different things, what I have to say will not be of much interest to you.
This review is going to be as much an expression of concerns I have about the current cozy fantasy genre in general as it is about this book in particular, though starting from thoughts I had while reading this specific book.
The first thing that bothered me about this book is that it feels like one long point-of-view violation. The viewpoint character is the relatively sane and sensible central head of a three-headed dragon; the other two heads have issues. Upperhead has the delusion that he's human, and Lowerhead has become almost animalistic. All three, including Centerhead, have lost memories because of the trauma of the loss of Lefty, the fourth head, who was favourable towards humans and worked with them. That obscured backstory may partially explain why this supposedly wild dragon not only understands but freely uses so many human concepts, including trans men and women (who he identifies instantly as such), cathedrals, apothecaries and vacations -this last itself being an anachronistic concept for the setting. However, while he recognizes ink and paper, he doesn't understand what writing is - but uses the verb "read" in a metaphorical sense multiple times.
How this came across to me is that the author wasn't putting in the effort, or maybe didn't even think about the need, to characterize someone based on what that sort of character is familiar with and would know and value. Reading some of the reviews of one of his other books reinforces this idea; multiple reviewers mentioned how a solitary swamp monster who had previously had limited and brief interactions with humans seemed to have a complete and instant grasp of how abusive human relationships work, as seen through a this-worldly current-state-of-psychology lens. To me, this is a basic craft issue.
And this is a problem I have with the cozy genre in general. Not only is the worldbuilding often thin, little more than generic sword & sorcery scenery flats, but those scenery flats stand behind people who are, in their attitudes and ways of thinking, completely indistinguishable from mid-2020s US people of a particular type (to which the authors belong). My suspicion is that they are so embedded in a filter bubble that emphasizes doctrinal purity that they are almost unable to conceive of people who might think differently from them, except as othered and villainized; that they have no functional sense of history; and that they believe implicitly that everything they think, and the way they behave, cannot be improved upon and therefore should be universalized. As a young person, I was in a community like this myself, and even though the content of the beliefs could hardly have been more different, I recognize the patterns. And to me, exploring other perspectives and ways of thought is part of the point of speculative fiction.
In the typical cozy book, basically every single character (who isn't a villain or at least an opponent) is queer in some way, and most of them are at least one of neurodivergent, disabled, or struggling with anxiety or depression. In these days of self-selecting groups ("found family"), this may be the lived experience of the author; everyone they know is like this. But it's like the famous example of the journalist who, when a political candidate won an election, protested that nobody he knew had voted for him. It says more about the narrowness of the person's experience than the actual constitution of the world at large. I should note that I don't have a problem with people being queer, neurodivergent and etc. These are ways that real people are, and I respect them as fellow humans. But it isn't how everyone is, and universalizing it places me and people like me, who don't have those characteristics (except that I am arguably slightly disabled and occasionally anxious), in an outgroup, just as much as earlier literature placed people who did have them in an outgroup. It's not true inclusiveness if there's still an outgroup, even if that is the people who were traditionally the ingroup. It's still not fully honouring our shared humanity.
In this particular book, the pervasiveness of these types of characters is more or less its only claim to belong to the cozy genre, since it's about a war between diverse refugees from a lightly sketched fascist-imperialist country and that country's military. Nobody here is living the equivalent of a Japanese "slow life." It's more like the demimonde of the Weimar Republic left Germany (though the names are mostly Eastern European), found an uninhabited island, tamed some dragons, created a flying city using the antigravity magic of the dragons, and held out against a much-less-efficient Nazi regime, with Britain pretending to help, but actually out to take half their land and half their dragons in return for minimal assistance. (That is, at least, slightly more worldbuilding than cozy authors often bother with.)
The other thing that annoyed me about this book, and the main reason I gave it up in the middle, is the character Raina, who becomes the rider of the dragon central character. She is the complete opposite of the kind of character I like to read about. She's outwardly naive and optimistic to the point of getting on people's nerves, while on the inside she's a complete emotional bombsite who uses alcohol and casual sex as forms of maladaptive coping. And what escalated her from "annoying character" to "reason to put the book down and not pick it up again" was that the dragon declares to Raina that she is everything a human should want to be, which is a statement I couldn't disagree with more strongly. To me, that's not unconditional acceptance; it's enabling.
If you don't care about the POV issues and can cope with Raina, this is a competently written book with the right emotional beats to appeal to plenty of readers. In the author's afterword, he mentions that the copy editor remarked on how clean it was, and I agree that it has fewer issues than average, but there are some words used in odd senses, and a few small words like "to" and "the" dropped out of the occasional sentence in the pre-publication version I had from Netgalley. (Missing words are a hard thing to spot unless you have the knack of it.)
It's not a terrible book. It just very much is not for me.
Want to read
November 16, 2025"In this heartfelt and humorous fantasy, a dragon whose three heads bear rather…different personalities finds family in the most unexpected of places."
and it's a "cozy fantasy that intertwines epic battles with loving friendships, sharing an utterly unique perspective on what it means to be a ‘monster." sold!
and it's a "cozy fantasy that intertwines epic battles with loving friendships, sharing an utterly unique perspective on what it means to be a ‘monster." sold!
Review of advance copy received from Author
It's rare that a book takes me by the lapels and insists I ignore my bedtime to finish the last arc of the story in one go before I sleep, but that's definitely what happened here. I'll do my best to keep my review as spoiler-free as possible, which will be a challenge because John Wiswell has written such a damn fine story, and it's going to be a story you'll want to talk about with other people.
We experience the world through the eyes of Garrodigh, a three headed (once four headed) dragon. Each of his heads has its own personality, experience, and view of the world. Bottomhead is simpler and less conflicted, with food-based priorities. Centerhead views himself as the brains of this operation, with a cynical view of humanity and an equally cynical view of other dragons. And Upperhead...well, he's got a lot going on, too.
The story deftly weaves and subverts fantasy tropes- a missing almost mythical leader, who will surely return in a time of need. A dashing champion rider, and an upstart getting her first chance. They're warm and familiar and written by the hand of someone who loves them enough to playfully spin them around and set them in a new direction.
Overall, this feels like a story about identity. What does it mean to be yourself, and what does it mean to be seen by others, and the messy places where those intersect. It asks, what can you learn about yourself through the eyes of those that see you? How do we remain ourselves when the world wants or us to be a version that doesn't feel comfortable or true? It explores how we come into our own when we accept all the things we can be and choose to step into what we want to be, with the support of those we decide to listen to, who tell us who we are. Garrodigh's internal and external interactions as he decides what being a dragon should mean are at turns poignant, bittersweet, hilarious, and painful.
When I think of John's writing, I think of Geena Davis' quoted approach to create gender balanced movies- add into your screenwriting instructions when a crowd gathers, "half of them are women." It's always a delight to see transgender characters on the page and in the background of a story, and the representation feels fluent and right at home within the world of the story. The winged city of Kardoša is diverse in many different ways, and the text tells us that through easy glimpses of crowds, background characters, and main characters of different races, genders, and disabilities. For a story with the bulk of it set in the air, the descriptions and sense of place and culture are grounded. Kardoša is somewhere I want to spend hours of time outside of the text- exploring its streets, experiencing its culture, making friends with its people.
My favorite types of movies, music, books- any media really- are those where you can see how much those involved enjoyed their craft. "The Dragon Has Some Complaints" clearly was written with a deep enjoyment and excitement for the story the author wanted to tell, and it shines with it. Without spoiling the story for you, this book is an incredible amount of fun. There are so many incredible surprises- you'll want to read it along with a friend so you can turn to each other and yell at each other about them.
We experience the world through the eyes of Garrodigh, a three headed (once four headed) dragon. Each of his heads has its own personality, experience, and view of the world. Bottomhead is simpler and less conflicted, with food-based priorities. Centerhead views himself as the brains of this operation, with a cynical view of humanity and an equally cynical view of other dragons. And Upperhead...well, he's got a lot going on, too.
The story deftly weaves and subverts fantasy tropes- a missing almost mythical leader, who will surely return in a time of need. A dashing champion rider, and an upstart getting her first chance. They're warm and familiar and written by the hand of someone who loves them enough to playfully spin them around and set them in a new direction.
Overall, this feels like a story about identity. What does it mean to be yourself, and what does it mean to be seen by others, and the messy places where those intersect. It asks, what can you learn about yourself through the eyes of those that see you? How do we remain ourselves when the world wants or us to be a version that doesn't feel comfortable or true? It explores how we come into our own when we accept all the things we can be and choose to step into what we want to be, with the support of those we decide to listen to, who tell us who we are. Garrodigh's internal and external interactions as he decides what being a dragon should mean are at turns poignant, bittersweet, hilarious, and painful.
When I think of John's writing, I think of Geena Davis' quoted approach to create gender balanced movies- add into your screenwriting instructions when a crowd gathers, "half of them are women." It's always a delight to see transgender characters on the page and in the background of a story, and the representation feels fluent and right at home within the world of the story. The winged city of Kardoša is diverse in many different ways, and the text tells us that through easy glimpses of crowds, background characters, and main characters of different races, genders, and disabilities. For a story with the bulk of it set in the air, the descriptions and sense of place and culture are grounded. Kardoša is somewhere I want to spend hours of time outside of the text- exploring its streets, experiencing its culture, making friends with its people.
My favorite types of movies, music, books- any media really- are those where you can see how much those involved enjoyed their craft. "The Dragon Has Some Complaints" clearly was written with a deep enjoyment and excitement for the story the author wanted to tell, and it shines with it. Without spoiling the story for you, this book is an incredible amount of fun. There are so many incredible surprises- you'll want to read it along with a friend so you can turn to each other and yell at each other about them.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Such a nuisance she was. Perhaps Centerhead's favorite nuisance.
I managed to nab an ARC of this off NetGalley, and I had so much fun reading it. I love dragon books and grab all the ones I can, but never thought I'd have the opportunity to read from the point of view of a multi-headed dragon. Wiswell has crafted truly lovable characters here; each of the dragon's heads have their own, stand-out personality that helps them worm their way into your heart and stay there. Sometimes, I'll find that characters in books are all blending together in their personalities and voices, but not so here! Besides the three dragon heads, each character was unique and stood out as individuals.
Wiswell's humor had me laughing out loud at several different points; if you were a fan of Someone to Build a Nest In, I think you will find a lot to love here, too, both in the character work and the familiar style of humor. Also, if you are a fan of a sort of down-on-their-luck monster, you are bound to like this! Additionally, I think the book had some truly brilliant chapters that I loved reading.
I found The Dragon Has Some Complaints to be a story with a lot of themes, but what really stood out to me were its themes of chronic pain. The book is narrated by Centerhead, just one head on the great and mighty dragon Garrodigh. But Garrodigh starts the book as a dragon who cannot fly and is limping around the wilderness.
I spent this whole book waiting for the big twist to come, and when it did,
Overall, I loved this book! I would give it a 4/5 stars. I think there were minor details I wish had been expanded on more, such as world building, and I think some more build-up to the eventual conflict and plot points could have been warranted. There were a few spots where I felt the story dragged just a little. Ultimately, what really matters is that I enjoyed the book, and enjoy it I did, quite a lot!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
It's weird to think of this as a found-family story, and yet, it sort of is, albeit as well as an external family, the main family that three-headed dragon Garrodigh finds is himself. Garrodigh didn't always have three heads, but his fourth was blown away by a cannonball, in the same fight that damaged his leg and wings. Since then, he's not quite been himself, with his Upperhead thinking that it's human, Centerhead that hates all humans and wants to destroy them, while Bottomhead is just a bit dozy. And yet, by the end of the story, all three personalities of Garrodigh are much more comfortable with, and supportive of, each other, than at the start.
This all happens when Garrodigh opportunistically sneaks into a human city and into the dragonrider academy where he pretends to be an injured, tame dragon to get food. But he doesn't expect Rania, someone who's been waiting for the opportunity to bond with a dragon. Heck, nobody could expect Rania, who keeps garlands of flowers in her satchel just so she has something to fling around, and "can see" auras and thinks that Garrodigh (or Mr Slithers, as she names him) is just the bestest dragon ever. And slowly, as well as healing physically, Garrodigh begins to heal within his soul(s), and to care deeply for Rania.
This was just a delight from start to finish. Each of Garrodigh's three heads has a distinct voice as well as personality. Our PoV is from Centerhead, being the head that's most lucid at the start, despite his hatred of humans. They all miss Lefty, and having lost him, have lost so many memories and parts of themselves. It's never clear if all dragons with multiple heads have distinct personalities, or if that's just part of Garrodigh's trauma, as the only other dragons that talk to Garrodigh in the book have just one head.
The city-state of Kardoša itself is almost my platonic ideal of a state. Formed of immigrants and refugees, they still welcome anyone who is need of help to their borders. Not everyone believes wholeheartedly in this mission, as Rania, who is a refugee from the nation currently at war with Kardoša, finds out, to her sorrow, but even this bullying is more bluster and boredom than hatred.
There are aerial battles between airships and dragons, lots of (human) sex (although all off-page, other than the annoyance the noises cause Garrodigh) and a huge amount of love. Both between Garrodigh and Rania, between the different parts of Garrodigh and between the people and the nation that sheltered them, creating something worth protecting and fighting for. There is a certain amount of eating of people (they all deserved it) but this still a really cosy book where everyone just wants to take care of each other.
Thanks to the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This all happens when Garrodigh opportunistically sneaks into a human city and into the dragonrider academy where he pretends to be an injured, tame dragon to get food. But he doesn't expect Rania, someone who's been waiting for the opportunity to bond with a dragon. Heck, nobody could expect Rania, who keeps garlands of flowers in her satchel just so she has something to fling around, and "can see" auras and thinks that Garrodigh (or Mr Slithers, as she names him) is just the bestest dragon ever. And slowly, as well as healing physically, Garrodigh begins to heal within his soul(s), and to care deeply for Rania.
This was just a delight from start to finish. Each of Garrodigh's three heads has a distinct voice as well as personality. Our PoV is from Centerhead, being the head that's most lucid at the start, despite his hatred of humans. They all miss Lefty, and having lost him, have lost so many memories and parts of themselves. It's never clear if all dragons with multiple heads have distinct personalities, or if that's just part of Garrodigh's trauma, as the only other dragons that talk to Garrodigh in the book have just one head.
The city-state of Kardoša itself is almost my platonic ideal of a state. Formed of immigrants and refugees, they still welcome anyone who is need of help to their borders. Not everyone believes wholeheartedly in this mission, as Rania, who is a refugee from the nation currently at war with Kardoša, finds out, to her sorrow, but even this bullying is more bluster and boredom than hatred.
There are aerial battles between airships and dragons, lots of (human) sex (although all off-page, other than the annoyance the noises cause Garrodigh) and a huge amount of love. Both between Garrodigh and Rania, between the different parts of Garrodigh and between the people and the nation that sheltered them, creating something worth protecting and fighting for. There is a certain amount of eating of people (they all deserved it) but this still a really cosy book where everyone just wants to take care of each other.
Thanks to the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received a free copy from DAW via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Release date July 14th, 2026.
I liked Wiswell's previous two novels and was excited to get a copy of his latest book about a dragon infiltrating a dragon rider stable. In The Dragon Has Some Complaints, three-headed dragon Garrodigh is old, injured, and desperate. In a last bid for survival, he tricks his way onto the dragon stable on the floating city of Kardosa where he's nursed back to health—and also inevitably gets invested in Kardosa's endless losing war.
I liked both Someone You Can Build a Nest In and Wearing the Lion, but for me, The Dragon Has Some Complaints edges over the cute line and is just a bit too life-affirming. Wiswell's strength is his alien character voices, and I liked Garrodigh's tendency to occasionally eat people and the heads' three distinct personalities: one of them keeps putting things in its mouth, one of them thinks it's secretly a human hallucinating the whole "dragon" thing, and poor Centerhead is left to steer the body. But ultimately, the plot was just a bit too cute. I was expecting a ruthlessly ambitious twelve-year old in dragon school, and instead I got a dragon stable and a very soggy twenty-something who's into auras and affirming emotions. I wish the story had leaned a bit harder into the comedy and tension of Garrodigh's reckless fraud, like the very funny detail that all tame dragons can talk but they're just too lazy to bother. But instead the story centers Garrodigh finding love and acceptance and learning that humans aren't all that bad.
Aside from my issues with the plot, I found the worldbuilding to be simplistic. It's one of those setups where there are only three countries. In this case, one of them is the mostly perfect floating queer utopia and the other two are the cruel homophobic aggressor countries attacking it. It's a character-focused story and I don't think Wiswell is particularly interested in the complexities of the political situation. Unfortunately, the neglect of the larger stakes in favor of the smaller stakes didn't work well for me. I didn't care about Rania's romantic dramas, especially through the remove of Garrodigh's perspective. Even Rania's beloved bonded dragon Garrodigh has limited patience for the melodrama...
The concept of a multi-headed dragon with three very conflicting personalities was great, but I think that The Dragon Has Some Complaints slid into the sort of cozy-branded fantasy I don't enjoy. But don't listen to me, I'm a hater who loves gore and angst. I know lots of people will enjoy a sweet and affirming fantasy novel about being healed of your wounds and finding your place in the world. However! Not me.
I liked Wiswell's previous two novels and was excited to get a copy of his latest book about a dragon infiltrating a dragon rider stable. In The Dragon Has Some Complaints, three-headed dragon Garrodigh is old, injured, and desperate. In a last bid for survival, he tricks his way onto the dragon stable on the floating city of Kardosa where he's nursed back to health—and also inevitably gets invested in Kardosa's endless losing war.
I liked both Someone You Can Build a Nest In and Wearing the Lion, but for me, The Dragon Has Some Complaints edges over the cute line and is just a bit too life-affirming. Wiswell's strength is his alien character voices, and I liked Garrodigh's tendency to occasionally eat people and the heads' three distinct personalities: one of them keeps putting things in its mouth, one of them thinks it's secretly a human hallucinating the whole "dragon" thing, and poor Centerhead is left to steer the body. But ultimately, the plot was just a bit too cute. I was expecting a ruthlessly ambitious twelve-year old in dragon school, and instead I got a dragon stable and a very soggy twenty-something who's into auras and affirming emotions. I wish the story had leaned a bit harder into the comedy and tension of Garrodigh's reckless fraud, like the very funny detail that all tame dragons can talk but they're just too lazy to bother. But instead the story centers Garrodigh finding love and acceptance and learning that humans aren't all that bad.
Aside from my issues with the plot, I found the worldbuilding to be simplistic. It's one of those setups where there are only three countries. In this case, one of them is the mostly perfect floating queer utopia and the other two are the cruel homophobic aggressor countries attacking it. It's a character-focused story and I don't think Wiswell is particularly interested in the complexities of the political situation. Unfortunately, the neglect of the larger stakes in favor of the smaller stakes didn't work well for me. I didn't care about Rania's romantic dramas, especially through the remove of Garrodigh's perspective. Even Rania's beloved bonded dragon Garrodigh has limited patience for the melodrama...
The concept of a multi-headed dragon with three very conflicting personalities was great, but I think that The Dragon Has Some Complaints slid into the sort of cozy-branded fantasy I don't enjoy. But don't listen to me, I'm a hater who loves gore and angst. I know lots of people will enjoy a sweet and affirming fantasy novel about being healed of your wounds and finding your place in the world. However! Not me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
—3.5 stars—
The Dragon Has Some Complaints is the story about a dragon with three heads—Bottomhead, whose motivation lies almost entirely in food, Upperhead, who is convinced he’s actually a human, and Centerhead, who’s desperately trying to keep them all alive and together—and the unlikely bond he forms with his rider. It’s sweet and heartwarming at times, but also has more than enough invasion and conflict happening in the background to keep things interesting.
First of all, I don’t often read books with non-human (okay, non-bipedal) protagonists, so this was a new venture for me! Seeing the human characters through Garrodigh’s (Centerhead’s) eyes was such a fun writing choice, and how he described their interactions was hilariously cynical at times. Each of the separate heads has their own journey to finding themselves, and i really appreciated how Centerhead’s plan changed from infiltrating the human forces and destroying them to helping them in their own battles. Such a good depiction of character growth!
Another character arc i really enjoyed was Raina, possibly the most cheerful dragon rider of all time, though i (like Centerhead) was initially a little dubious of her unrelenting optimism. One large facet of this book is identity and finding yourself, and seeing Raina grow into her bravery and courage was so endearing to see. She’s most assuredly a sunshine character, and it got to the point where i would smile every time she was on page. The little background hints of her relationships did make me wish we had her pov too, but i think the book worked remarkably well without it!
While The Dragon Has Some Complaints has a large focus on the war with the FFR, i do think it also could have benefited from some more expansive world building. It worked well enough, and i really enjoyed the world John Wiswell created, especially the welcoming nature of Kardoša, but there were points when i would have appreciated some more in-depth information on how the dragons became tamed, or even how the war started in the first place.
I would also say it definitely took some time for me to truly get into the story, though i was very invested for the last third of the book! The earlier parts could have been condensed or shortened a little for me, but it ended up working out overall.
(many thanks to John Wiswell, DAW, and Netgalley for this digital ARC! all thoughts and opinions are my own.)
The Dragon Has Some Complaints is the story about a dragon with three heads—Bottomhead, whose motivation lies almost entirely in food, Upperhead, who is convinced he’s actually a human, and Centerhead, who’s desperately trying to keep them all alive and together—and the unlikely bond he forms with his rider. It’s sweet and heartwarming at times, but also has more than enough invasion and conflict happening in the background to keep things interesting.
First of all, I don’t often read books with non-human (okay, non-bipedal) protagonists, so this was a new venture for me! Seeing the human characters through Garrodigh’s (Centerhead’s) eyes was such a fun writing choice, and how he described their interactions was hilariously cynical at times. Each of the separate heads has their own journey to finding themselves, and i really appreciated how Centerhead’s plan changed from infiltrating the human forces and destroying them to helping them in their own battles. Such a good depiction of character growth!
Another character arc i really enjoyed was Raina, possibly the most cheerful dragon rider of all time, though i (like Centerhead) was initially a little dubious of her unrelenting optimism. One large facet of this book is identity and finding yourself, and seeing Raina grow into her bravery and courage was so endearing to see. She’s most assuredly a sunshine character, and it got to the point where i would smile every time she was on page. The little background hints of her relationships did make me wish we had her pov too, but i think the book worked remarkably well without it!
While The Dragon Has Some Complaints has a large focus on the war with the FFR, i do think it also could have benefited from some more expansive world building. It worked well enough, and i really enjoyed the world John Wiswell created, especially the welcoming nature of Kardoša, but there were points when i would have appreciated some more in-depth information on how the dragons became tamed, or even how the war started in the first place.
I would also say it definitely took some time for me to truly get into the story, though i was very invested for the last third of the book! The earlier parts could have been condensed or shortened a little for me, but it ended up working out overall.
(many thanks to John Wiswell, DAW, and Netgalley for this digital ARC! all thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Read on Netgalley
The Dragon Has Some Complaints is a hilarious yet heartfelt story about a three headed dragon named Garrodigh who takes refuge at a dragon riding academy for food and shelter after he’s wounded. Only for a cheery and eccentric rider named Raina to claim him as her own and tend to his health, all while he plays along to appear as a tame dragon. With war surrounding Garrodigh’s new home and new rider, the three heads, with three different personalities, began to work together to protect Raina and all she cares about.
This was my most anticipated read of 2026, and I was very pleased that it met my expectations. Garrodigh is our main character that we follow, specifically his Centerhead who is the leader among the other heads, Upperhead (who thinks he’s human) and Bottomhead (who is basically a feral cat that likes food and scritches). Centerhead is a grumpy and harsh head who wants to rain death and destruction upon the world like any good dragon should. Because of his wounds however, he can’t do much anymore. So he pretends to be a tame dragon to be rescued and brought to a dragon-rider academy, with plans to recover then continue his plans of destruction. But his plans and patience are put to the test when he is claimed by Raina, the most cheerful human he has ever seen. Raina helps him get better and stronger all while the three heads begin to fall to her charm and kind heartness. During all of this the city they live in is at war with a strong enemy who was originally responsible for Garrodigh’s injuries and moves to take over the academy and city.
This is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. The dialogue specifically between the three heads is what steals the show in my opinion. I actually laughed out loud more than several times. Despite all the humor there is also a great amount of heartwarming moments between Garrodigh and Raina as they help one another grow and being a shoulder for each to lean on especially when the war gets fiercer. Centerhead coming to trust Raina felt believable with how wary and untrustful he originally was at the beginning. The world building was detailed and rich for a single novel. We learn enough at the beginning from Garrodigh about how the world works but we learn more alongside him when he reaches the academy.
I loved every second of this and I would take even more books following Raina and Garrodigh. But if this is the only one, then it was a delight to read about them. 5/5 stars. Thank you DAW and Netgalley for the digital copy of The Dragon Has Some Complaints
The Dragon Has Some Complaints is a hilarious yet heartfelt story about a three headed dragon named Garrodigh who takes refuge at a dragon riding academy for food and shelter after he’s wounded. Only for a cheery and eccentric rider named Raina to claim him as her own and tend to his health, all while he plays along to appear as a tame dragon. With war surrounding Garrodigh’s new home and new rider, the three heads, with three different personalities, began to work together to protect Raina and all she cares about.
This was my most anticipated read of 2026, and I was very pleased that it met my expectations. Garrodigh is our main character that we follow, specifically his Centerhead who is the leader among the other heads, Upperhead (who thinks he’s human) and Bottomhead (who is basically a feral cat that likes food and scritches). Centerhead is a grumpy and harsh head who wants to rain death and destruction upon the world like any good dragon should. Because of his wounds however, he can’t do much anymore. So he pretends to be a tame dragon to be rescued and brought to a dragon-rider academy, with plans to recover then continue his plans of destruction. But his plans and patience are put to the test when he is claimed by Raina, the most cheerful human he has ever seen. Raina helps him get better and stronger all while the three heads begin to fall to her charm and kind heartness. During all of this the city they live in is at war with a strong enemy who was originally responsible for Garrodigh’s injuries and moves to take over the academy and city.
This is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. The dialogue specifically between the three heads is what steals the show in my opinion. I actually laughed out loud more than several times. Despite all the humor there is also a great amount of heartwarming moments between Garrodigh and Raina as they help one another grow and being a shoulder for each to lean on especially when the war gets fiercer. Centerhead coming to trust Raina felt believable with how wary and untrustful he originally was at the beginning. The world building was detailed and rich for a single novel. We learn enough at the beginning from Garrodigh about how the world works but we learn more alongside him when he reaches the academy.
I loved every second of this and I would take even more books following Raina and Garrodigh. But if this is the only one, then it was a delight to read about them. 5/5 stars. Thank you DAW and Netgalley for the digital copy of The Dragon Has Some Complaints
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to Netgalley and DAW for an ARC of this book. What follows is my honest review.
This book is described as a heartfelt and humorous fantasy which i think perfectly encapsulates what you can expect from this book. There is a war, the characters are outcasts for various reasons and we start the book with Garradigh the dragon so mad at his situation that he plots to infiltrate the floating city known as Winged City and burn it to the ground. But even with those elements it maintains a heartfelt and humorous tone.
Reading a whole book from the POV of a single head on a three headed dragon where all three heads have separate personalities promised to be fun but it also sounded like a challenge. I will say this leaned more on the heartfelt than it did on the fun. I would’ve liked a little more fun and maybe a little more banter/animosity between the three heads at the beginning. That said I didnt find myself wishing to read from any other POV’s. I did wonder at how Upperhead seemed so knowledgeable of human customs when the other heads seemed confused by human behaviour but that’s a minor nitpick. I mostly enjoyed Centrehead’s observations of humans and his insights into the motivations of the humans and dragons around him and having Rania’s POV would’ve taken from that.
Speaking of Rania - she was pure sunshine. I shared Centrehead’s initial skepticism but she really grew on me and I loved seeing Garradigh’s affection for her sneak up on him. I loved that pretty much all of these characters are outcasts in some form or another and it’s interesting seeing a dragon character having to do physical therapy and cope with chronic pain. It’s mentioned in the acknowledgments that the author was unwell around the writing of this book and i think that shows in how prominently illness, pain and recovery features in the story.
I really like Wiswell’s writing style and it’s similarly lovely here (although i did prefer Someone you can build a nest in). It did take me a bit to get into this story - it had a slow start and i think adding more banter or contrast between the three heads may have helped with this. I also found myself curious to know more about how the city came to be floating, how the dragons were tamed and the general history of these people and Garradigh himself.
3.5 stars ✨
This book is described as a heartfelt and humorous fantasy which i think perfectly encapsulates what you can expect from this book. There is a war, the characters are outcasts for various reasons and we start the book with Garradigh the dragon so mad at his situation that he plots to infiltrate the floating city known as Winged City and burn it to the ground. But even with those elements it maintains a heartfelt and humorous tone.
Reading a whole book from the POV of a single head on a three headed dragon where all three heads have separate personalities promised to be fun but it also sounded like a challenge. I will say this leaned more on the heartfelt than it did on the fun. I would’ve liked a little more fun and maybe a little more banter/animosity between the three heads at the beginning. That said I didnt find myself wishing to read from any other POV’s. I did wonder at how Upperhead seemed so knowledgeable of human customs when the other heads seemed confused by human behaviour but that’s a minor nitpick. I mostly enjoyed Centrehead’s observations of humans and his insights into the motivations of the humans and dragons around him and having Rania’s POV would’ve taken from that.
Speaking of Rania - she was pure sunshine. I shared Centrehead’s initial skepticism but she really grew on me and I loved seeing Garradigh’s affection for her sneak up on him. I loved that pretty much all of these characters are outcasts in some form or another and it’s interesting seeing a dragon character having to do physical therapy and cope with chronic pain. It’s mentioned in the acknowledgments that the author was unwell around the writing of this book and i think that shows in how prominently illness, pain and recovery features in the story.
I really like Wiswell’s writing style and it’s similarly lovely here (although i did prefer Someone you can build a nest in). It did take me a bit to get into this story - it had a slow start and i think adding more banter or contrast between the three heads may have helped with this. I also found myself curious to know more about how the city came to be floating, how the dragons were tamed and the general history of these people and Garradigh himself.
3.5 stars ✨
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Another banger from John Wiswell. Will he ever write a book I don't love?
This time, Garrodigh, a three-headed dragon, suffers from PTSD after his fourth head was blown off by a cannon ball during a human war. Each head has it's own personality, so they manage their trauma very different ways: Upperhead believes he's a human and this is all some kind of dream or delusion, Centerhead wants to destroy the humans, and Bottomhead... well, he's a feral doofus (and my favorite one). Their separate ways of dealing with their shared pain provide a lot of comic relief but also serves as a reminder that there's no right way to handle grief, and it's okay that healing is hard.
Rania also has her share of trauma as an immigrant from the very place Kardosa is at war with. She loves and is fiercely loyal to Kardosa, yet the people of Kardosa don't trust her, and some even refuse to be seen with her. She's the kindest and gentlest of all Wiswell's characters, and I was right there with Garrodigh in his quest to see her happy (because yeah, of course she gets even Centerhead to love her).
The world in this book is super engrossing. There's a war raging between two lands, Kardosa and the FFR, and a third offers to help Kardosa only if it bends the knee. There's a lot of tension and a ton of action, especially in the second half, and it was always exciting. But in the midst of this high-stakes war, we also witness the personal relationships and between Rania, Cosmos, Esme, and Oleksiy. It's smaller stakes but still feels so important, not like fluffy filler between action scenes.
If you loved Someone You Can Build A Nest In and/or Wearing the Lion, there's no reason you won't love The Dragon Has Some Complaints. It's got all the humor, heart, and fabulous queer rep I've come to expect from John Wiswell and I want you to read it!
Thank you so much to DAW for the ARC!
This time, Garrodigh, a three-headed dragon, suffers from PTSD after his fourth head was blown off by a cannon ball during a human war. Each head has it's own personality, so they manage their trauma very different ways: Upperhead believes he's a human and this is all some kind of dream or delusion, Centerhead wants to destroy the humans, and Bottomhead... well, he's a feral doofus (and my favorite one). Their separate ways of dealing with their shared pain provide a lot of comic relief but also serves as a reminder that there's no right way to handle grief, and it's okay that healing is hard.
Rania also has her share of trauma as an immigrant from the very place Kardosa is at war with. She loves and is fiercely loyal to Kardosa, yet the people of Kardosa don't trust her, and some even refuse to be seen with her. She's the kindest and gentlest of all Wiswell's characters, and I was right there with Garrodigh in his quest to see her happy (because yeah, of course she gets even Centerhead to love her).
The world in this book is super engrossing. There's a war raging between two lands, Kardosa and the FFR, and a third offers to help Kardosa only if it bends the knee. There's a lot of tension and a ton of action, especially in the second half, and it was always exciting. But in the midst of this high-stakes war, we also witness the personal relationships and between Rania, Cosmos, Esme, and Oleksiy. It's smaller stakes but still feels so important, not like fluffy filler between action scenes.
If you loved Someone You Can Build A Nest In and/or Wearing the Lion, there's no reason you won't love The Dragon Has Some Complaints. It's got all the humor, heart, and fabulous queer rep I've come to expect from John Wiswell and I want you to read it!
Thank you so much to DAW for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the opportunity to read this book.
Have you ever wondered what riding dragons into battle and war is like for the dragon? Well, this book is your whimsical answer! Wiswell masterfully writes three dragon heads with three distinct personalities, motivations, and desires in which you root for all three of the heads, but for different reasons. You also root for the humans you meet a long the way. Raina, Cosmos, and Oleks are all dragon riders who all have their own baggage but will fiercely defend their found home of Kardosa which is a safe have from anyone opposing the restrictive FFR.
There are lots of great elements throughout the book including found family, knowing it's okay to ask for help, chronic pain rep, and fighting for what you believe in or more importantly who you believe in. Overall, I gave this book a 4.75 stars because while it all came together for me in the end I did feel there were moments where the story dragged and could have done with a little tightening up. But I loved the latter 60% of it where I felt we really took off into the story with lots of action, twists, love for both dragons and humans.
Have you ever wondered what riding dragons into battle and war is like for the dragon? Well, this book is your whimsical answer! Wiswell masterfully writes three dragon heads with three distinct personalities, motivations, and desires in which you root for all three of the heads, but for different reasons. You also root for the humans you meet a long the way. Raina, Cosmos, and Oleks are all dragon riders who all have their own baggage but will fiercely defend their found home of Kardosa which is a safe have from anyone opposing the restrictive FFR.
There are lots of great elements throughout the book including found family, knowing it's okay to ask for help, chronic pain rep, and fighting for what you believe in or more importantly who you believe in. Overall, I gave this book a 4.75 stars because while it all came together for me in the end I did feel there were moments where the story dragged and could have done with a little tightening up. But I loved the latter 60% of it where I felt we really took off into the story with lots of action, twists, love for both dragons and humans.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Review of ARC provided by Netgalley.
"It doesn't matter what you are because I've known you your whole life. So, whatever you are, keep being it."
If you've ever wanted to read a full story from the dragon's perspective, then The Dragon Has Some Complaints will scritch that scratch!
You can read the synopsis yourself, but this truly was a wonderful, funny, and cozy-adjacent tale of chronic pain, understanding, empathy, and how we perceive ourselves. I loved the twists and turns, the wordplay, and relationships. The characters are complex and intriguing. I loved it all interactions among Centerhead, Upperhead, and Bottomhead, and I'm pretty sure I am going to slip "She was reduced to a cephalopod of delight" into conversations at least once a week.
Also shout-out to the chapter *specifically* focused on the constant battle of physical therapy. It definitely brought up the deep dark memories of the uphill, slightly improving day-by-day battles.
Also somebody PLEASE confirm with John Wiswell that he was inspired in the slightest by the three headed hydra/dragon meme.
"It doesn't matter what you are because I've known you your whole life. So, whatever you are, keep being it."
If you've ever wanted to read a full story from the dragon's perspective, then The Dragon Has Some Complaints will scritch that scratch!
You can read the synopsis yourself, but this truly was a wonderful, funny, and cozy-adjacent tale of chronic pain, understanding, empathy, and how we perceive ourselves. I loved the twists and turns, the wordplay, and relationships. The characters are complex and intriguing. I loved it all interactions among Centerhead, Upperhead, and Bottomhead, and I'm pretty sure I am going to slip "She was reduced to a cephalopod of delight" into conversations at least once a week.
Also shout-out to the chapter *specifically* focused on the constant battle of physical therapy. It definitely brought up the deep dark memories of the uphill, slightly improving day-by-day battles.
Also somebody PLEASE confirm with John Wiswell that he was inspired in the slightest by the three headed hydra/dragon meme.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In 'The Dragon Has Some Complaints' we are following the POV of a three headed dragon that has decided to domesticate itself among a dragon rider kingdom.
Our main character is a three headed dragon with three distinct personalities. Upperhead believes it is human, bottom head acts like a cat/dog who very much loves treats and head scratches, and centerhead hates the humans (kind of). A dragon rider helps rehabilitate our main character due to severe injuries and together they form a bond.
I really enjoyed the LQBTQIA representation, it was very normalized and did not feel forced. The relationship between Garrodigh and Rania is very wholesome! I very much enjoyed watching both characters trying to find their place in the world and fit in!.
I do wish there was more context with the ongoing war but I believe the novel was cozy enough and full of witty dialouge that I still enjoyed my reading experience!.
Our main character is a three headed dragon with three distinct personalities. Upperhead believes it is human, bottom head acts like a cat/dog who very much loves treats and head scratches, and centerhead hates the humans (kind of). A dragon rider helps rehabilitate our main character due to severe injuries and together they form a bond.
I really enjoyed the LQBTQIA representation, it was very normalized and did not feel forced. The relationship between Garrodigh and Rania is very wholesome! I very much enjoyed watching both characters trying to find their place in the world and fit in!.
I do wish there was more context with the ongoing war but I believe the novel was cozy enough and full of witty dialouge that I still enjoyed my reading experience!.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A review of a free ARC copy from NetGalley, thank you! All opinions below are my own.
A hydra where only the centre head seems rational.
Mr Wiswell, you delightful creative, I enjoyed every moment of this book.
A three-headed dragon tricking his way into a city to take vengeance on them only to have a change of heart and embark on a journey that is equal parts funny, heartwarming and harrowing.
I loved the flow of the story, characters felt believable and the dragon has three distinct selves which is genuinely impressive. LGBT representation is authentic and genuine and the bond between dragon and rider deeply affectionate.
My only criticism would be I’d have loved a bit more information on the FFR and Leonia, but it doesn’t detract from the story.
A recommend for anyone who loves a lighthearted fantasy tale and Found Family tales.
I think this is my favourite piece of Wiswell’s writing! Also Upperhead is totally a human and I love him.
A hydra where only the centre head seems rational.
Mr Wiswell, you delightful creative, I enjoyed every moment of this book.
A three-headed dragon tricking his way into a city to take vengeance on them only to have a change of heart and embark on a journey that is equal parts funny, heartwarming and harrowing.
I loved the flow of the story, characters felt believable and the dragon has three distinct selves which is genuinely impressive. LGBT representation is authentic and genuine and the bond between dragon and rider deeply affectionate.
My only criticism would be I’d have loved a bit more information on the FFR and Leonia, but it doesn’t detract from the story.
A recommend for anyone who loves a lighthearted fantasy tale and Found Family tales.
I think this is my favourite piece of Wiswell’s writing! Also Upperhead is totally a human and I love him.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
man, it kills me to rate this one so low when I loved SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN but ... somehow, despite the main character being a three-headed dragon, I found this to be ... quite boring??
I know. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN.
I honestly can't pinpoint exactly why this one didn't vibe with me. it was kinda silly, kinda repetitive, and I never felt invested enough in the world to care about the deluge of political intrigue. it had cute moments for sure, and I adore the concept. but it all just felt flat.
still, I'm sure this one will find its readers, and I would still recommend to cozy fantasy fans!!
I know. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN.
I honestly can't pinpoint exactly why this one didn't vibe with me. it was kinda silly, kinda repetitive, and I never felt invested enough in the world to care about the deluge of political intrigue. it had cute moments for sure, and I adore the concept. but it all just felt flat.
still, I'm sure this one will find its readers, and I would still recommend to cozy fantasy fans!!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was very witty and funny, a truly pleasant read. A story about a dragon with multiple personalities depending on which head is acting was a hilarious premise, and the book delivered on it. The bond between the dragon and the rider / trainer was very adorable as well. I feel cozy fantasy often needs more humor to keep my interest up, but this one had it in spades. John Wiswell has the talent to write about monsters in a way they speak volumes about human nature. It's also a story of struggling with disability and chronic pain, and it was done through such a sympathetic lens.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Great like all of John Wiswell's books. The main character(s) is very well done, we get his backstory slowly revealed (or most of it?) and see him grow and form new relationships, *plus* there's all the unique world-building and exciting action scenes and other character plots and interactions. Some jaw dropping moments and a few references and allusions that walk the line perfectly between recognizeable and jarring.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Scritto benissimo, divertente (all’inizio), si trascina però troppo a lungo. Per quanto adori Garrodigh e le sue tre teste (Bottomhead soprattutto ❤️) non possono reggere più di trecento pagine di buoni sentimenti, di cui un centinaio solo di riabilitazione. Se fosse stato tutto compattato in due terzi della lunghezza avrebbe funzionato decisamente meglio.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Three heads. Zero chill.
3.75
Arc from NetGalley
3.75
Arc from NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ARC provided by NetGalley
This standalone is about a dragon who hates humans help them in a war against a human empire.
First of all, being in the head of Centerhead (a head that is a part of the three heads that Garrodigh the dragon has) was a treat. He has a grumpy and sarcastic outlook that makes it really funny. And the dynamic between the heads was a highlight of the book: one is feral head that only wants food and the other believes he is a human and the other heads are aspects of his personality.
I also liked the found family found between the dragon and his dragon rider.
Overall, a very cozy and humorous book where the monster is not as monstrous as he appears.
This standalone is about a dragon who hates humans help them in a war against a human empire.
First of all, being in the head of Centerhead (a head that is a part of the three heads that Garrodigh the dragon has) was a treat. He has a grumpy and sarcastic outlook that makes it really funny. And the dynamic between the heads was a highlight of the book: one is feral head that only wants food and the other believes he is a human and the other heads are aspects of his personality.
I also liked the found family found between the dragon and his dragon rider.
Overall, a very cozy and humorous book where the monster is not as monstrous as he appears.
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