I loved this book! I checked it out at the library because the cover is so colorful - don’t judge me :) It’s a cozy YA fantasy with dragons, a heroine who doesn’t wait to be saved by anyone, and a rich boy with an abusive father. Taking place at a dragon sanctuary, Farren’s father is a dragon vet. Farren’s dream is to win a scholarship at an elite school so she’ll have the funding to search for gold dragons, which are thought to be extinct. James is a dragon racer, the son of a brutal track owner who abuses both his dragons and his son. He is also Farren’s nemesis; they’ve been at odds forever because of their class differences.

The metal crafting magic system, class based so lower grade metal workers have little upward mobility, is unique, and the slice of life view into the work at the sanctuary are fascinating. I don’t to give away too much of the plot - the slow reveals kept me up late reading. This was a fun find.

I grabbed this title because it’s read by one of my favorite narrators, Natalie Naudus. She could make the back of a cereal box dramatic and exciting. I’ve read The Keeper of Night by Baker and was left feeling kind of meh. Japanese Gothic, however, was engaging, mind-twisting, and hard to put down. The fathers are awful - toxic, brutal, emotionally distant, leaving two damaged children in the wake of their unbelievable selfishness. There are jump scares, gore, and a deranged example of noble honor. I loved it