When Dealing with Dragons

By DANA SWIFT

Bonding with dragons gave humans magic to craft metal--now, two school rivals have to work together to protect a priceless secret, all while fighting their growing attraction to each other, from Dana Swift, author of Cast in Firelight.

Copper-crafter Farren Walsh is set on following in her father's footsteps to become a dragon veterinarian. The only thing more powerful than her love for these magnificent creatures is her hate for those who exploit them for their precious metal. That includes her classmate, an arrogant dragon racer named James Murphy, whose silver-crafting family represents the worst of human greed and dragon abuse--plus, he's the biggest competition for the college scholarship she desperately needs.

When James strongarms his way into interning at her family's dragon sanctuary for the summer, it puts everything at risk. Farren isn't just the plain copper-crafter she seems. She's hiding a secret that could not only change her life, but their society as a whole. And James, trying to find refuge from his controlling father, harbors his own secret, years-long crush on Farren. Hating James might be harder than she thought, but Farren can't risk getting too close: the fate of an endangered species is at stake.

When Dealing with Dragons is a delightful young adult dual-POV romantasy about cross-class romance, finding family, and creating a better world for creatures big and small.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250402433
• ISBN13: 9781250402431
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Wednesday Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 13 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Beautiful and well written book

A YA fantasy that truly is for everyone, not just ya readers. About a young girl dealing with a boy that is hiding secrets, her own family secrets, class systems that are limiting and unfair, caring for dragons and just being a teenage girl. So much for one person. How this young person handles everything going on in her world, struggling to do the best that she can is utterly relatable. The addition of so many different types of dragons and that they are so different from other books I’ve read. I loved it. They are fascinating without taking away from the main story. They are woven in, in a beautiful way. I normally don’t care for books about teenagers as I’m far from that age and generally it’s annoying to hear teens complaining about everyday issues that don’t matter once your older. This book it different. We have a young girl with so much on her shoulders that a young person shouldn’t have to deal with. Life and death issues in some cases. No one should deal with that… but that’s not how life works. Loved reading this book and how the story develops. It is a sweet story with a happy ever after ending. A good read. Arc read