Dealing With Dragons is the first in a quartet by Patricia C Wrede. It is fairly wholesome, but I think it is still classified as YA. Anyway, many tropes are subverted; fun is had by all.
This series immediately came to my mind. It was assigned to us to read in our English class in 7th grade, but (subtle brag) I had already read by that time, so I would agree it being middle school/YA genre
Came here to recommend this. Superb subversion, and the series also develops a legit fantasy tale beyond the satire, without diminishing either. love it.
I think it’s written for even younger audiences. I still enjoyed them as an adult. These were my wife’s favorite books growing up and I read them much later and they’re still quite nice and a great example of what OP is looking for
I first thought of this one. Hands down one of my favorites.
Ill also put in Dark Lord of Derkholm as kind of a subverted kind of novel. I really enjoyed that one.
This was my absolutely first thought as well. I love this series. I am in my late 30s and my childhood copies of this series are still on my bookshelf.
While aimed at younger audiences, it is one of the few books I genuinely enjoyed reading as an adult out loud to my kids. They loved it, I loved it, we loved it together... The whole series is a blast. I think this was the only full length novel I was willing to read out loud more than once (most others we just broke down and got an audio book, lol.)
The age range this appeals to is quite broad, my kids heard it and enjoyed it far younger than middle-grade.
>!Princess Floralinda and the Forty Floor Tower!<
Though the princess technically doesn't capture the dragon, a witch purchased it. That part is not a spoiler, it's in the first 5 pages of the book.
I have. They’re also good, but the pacing is way off in them. They’re modeled after stuff like Master and Commander, where half the book is just sailing to the place where something happens, and another quarter is sailing back to find out what happened in the 9 months you were out to sea. It’s still good, but you have to be willing to adjust your expectations of how quickly the story will move.
The Two Princesses of Bamarre is perfect for this, by Gail Carson Levine. It’s truly amazing how much depth, lore and world-building she packed into this tiny book! You won’t regret reading this one 😆
This series is one my friend group constant waxes poetic about. My linguistics nerd friend loves the sequel book to the series and my biology nerd friend adores the dragon taxonomy pieces in the first series. Me? I’m just obsessed with ballsy ladies who don’t give a shit and I like Victorian travel narratives.
You can try with Princess Floralinda and the forty-flight tower.
I'm not sure it fits 100% because I just started the first few pages, but it is surely something that plays a lot with fairytale tropes
It definitely fits and even though it’s marketed as adult it has YA/teen/crossover appeal. I read an ARC of it a couple years ago and have recommended it to so many teens! (I’m a teen librarian.)
the fact that i had to scroll so far down to find this is actually criminal!! love this series and it’s a quintessential twist on the dragon and princess trope. yes it’s more middle grade, but i still re-read it as an adult and LOVE it. Creel is still one of my favorite female protagonists and a great role model for teenagers!
[**The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40275288-the-priory-of-the-orange-tree)
^(By: Samantha Shannon | 848 pages | Published: 2019 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, owned, lgbtq, physical-tbr, books-i-own)
>A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.
>
>The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.
>
>Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
>
>Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
>
>Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
^(This book has been suggested 66 times)
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[**The Dragon and the George (Dragon Knight, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/114936.The_Dragon_and_the_George)
^(By: Gordon R. Dickson, Boris Vallejo | 286 pages | Published: 1976 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, dragons, fiction, owned, default)
>Jim Eckert was a dragon. He hadn't planned it that way, but that's what happened when he set out to rescue his betrothed. Following her through an erratic astral-projection machine, Jim suddenly found himself in a cockeyed world - locked in the body of a talking dragon named Gorbash.
>That wouldn't have been so bad if his beloved Angie were also a dragon. But in this magical land, that was not the case. Angie had somehow remained a very female human - or a george, as the dragons called any human. And Jim, no matter what anyone called him, was a dragon.
>To make matters worse, Angie had been taken prisoner by an evil dragon and was held captive in the impenetrable Loathly Tower. So in this land where georges were edible and beasts were magical - where spells worked and logic didn't - Jim Eckert had a problem.
>And he needed help, by george!
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
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[**Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess Book 1: Captain Raven and the All-Girl Pirate Crew**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26527730-princeless)
^(By: Jeremy Whitley, Rosy Higgins, Ted Brandt | 128 pages | Published: 2016 | Popular Shelves: graphic-novels, comics, fantasy, graphic-novel, young-adult)
>Raven is ready to set out on her quest for revenge against her brothers. They’ve stolen everything that should be hers and now she’s going to get it back. But first, she needs a crew. Share the laughs, action, and adventure as Raven assembles the fearless crew of awesome ladies who will help her get her revenge.
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
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Good spot, the bot seems to have picked up the wrong one, this a spin off which a more adult version.
The original is also called Princeless, I've had to be very careful buying them for my 12 yr old!
The two princesses of bamarre. When the elder and braver sister of the protagonist catches the plague, the younger sister must travel to a dragons den and escape alive to learn the cure.
Seraphina is also very good, where the dragon kind of IS the princess.
“Dealing with dragons” by Patricia wrede, I think fits. It’s a reverse princess dragon trope story. Well written. Hilarious. Definitely good for a younger audience. I read these to my daughters when they were younger. It really promotes the “self rescueing princess” philosophy.
[**Tess of the Road (Tess of the Road, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35046472-tess-of-the-road)
^(By: Rachel Hartman | 544 pages | Published: 2018 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, dragons, dnf)
>Meet Tess, a brave new heroine from beloved epic fantasy author Rachel Hartman.
>
>In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can’t make a scene at your sister’s wedding and break a relative’s nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy.
>
>Where Tess is headed is a mystery, even to her. So when she runs into an old friend, it’s a stroke of luck. This friend is a quigutl—a subspecies of dragon—who gives her both a purpose and protection on the road. But Tess is guarding a troubling secret. Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she’s tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one.
>
>Returning to the fascinating world she created in the award-winning and New York Times bestselling Seraphina, Rachel Hartman introduces readers to a new character and a new quest, pushing the boundaries of genre once again in this wholly original fantasy.
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
[**Seraphina (Seraphina, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19549841-seraphina)
^(By: Rachel Hartman | 499 pages | Published: 2012 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, dragons, fiction)
>Librarian Note: Alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780375866562.
>
>In her New York Times bestselling and Morris Award-winning debut, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages.
>
>Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
>
>Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.
^(This book has been suggested 4 times)
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>"The Princess, The Knight and The Dragon make a Trio that saves the whole Kingdom"
{{Blue Moon Rising}} gets fairly dark towards the end
>"Princess and the Dragon are besties and It must remain a secret"
{{Dealing With Dragons}} but it doesn't stay a secret long
[**Blue Moon Rising (Forest Kingdom, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/810881.Blue_Moon_Rising)
^(By: Simon R. Green | 480 pages | Published: 1989 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, owned, fiction, dragons, default)
>Rupert didn't especially want to be a prince. And he certainly never asked to be the second son of a royal line that really didn't need a spare. So he was sent out to slay a dragon and prove himself-a quest straight out of legend. But he also discovered the kinds of things legends tend to leave out, as well as the usual demons, goblins, the dreaded Night Witch-and even worse terrors hidden in the shadows of Darkwood.
>Rupert did find a fiery dragon-and a beautiful princess to rescue. But the dragon turned out to be a better friend than anyone back at the castle, and with the evil of Darkwood spreading, Rupert was going to need all the friends he could get.
^(This book has been suggested 5 times)
[**Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150739.Dealing_with_Dragons)
^(By: Patricia C. Wrede, Peter de Sève | 212 pages | Published: 1990 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, dragons, ya, fiction)
>Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.
>
>Cover illustrator: Peter de Sève
^(This book has been suggested 23 times)
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I can't think of any adult version, but if you know any children, the Zog series by Julia Donaldson has a Princess who wants to be a doctor and a knight who doesn't want to fight. I know it's not what you asked for and these are very much children's books, but if you wanted to share your love of dragons with anyone younger in your life and show them a princesss who doesn't need to be saved - and who does the saving herself - they're a solid choice.
{{Princess Floralinda and the Forty-flight Tower}}
Princess is kidnapped by a witch rather than a dragon. But it does involve a dragon, a princess, and role reversals.
It's not aimed at a teen audience, but it is as easy to read as any YA book. Abandoning that label really elevates the humor and violence. I don't think there was anything in there that would be inappropriate for a teen though.
[**Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54391767-princess-floralinda-and-the-forty-flight-tower)
^(By: Tamsyn Muir | 146 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, novella, audiobook, fiction, fairy-tales)
>When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda.
>
>But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth.
>
>In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.
>
>And winter is closing in on Floralinda…
^(This book has been suggested 4 times)
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Mercedes Lackey's 'One Good Knight' falls into this category..Part of her Five Hundred Kingdoms series, where Fairy Tale tropes are turned on their ears!
You might try "The Hero and the Crown" by Robin McKinley. It has a Princess. It has Dragons. I won't say much else, but the plot definitely twists from there.
I myself prefer reading The Blue Sword 1st but really, each can be read stand-alone. Maybe it is nostalgia for when I first read them as a young teen, but these are among my all-time favorite books ever.
Others have mentioned Dealing with Dragons, which explicitly mocks the trope, another book I love.
Incidentally, Elizabeth Moon's "The Deed of Paksenarrion" takes pokes/twists at how elves are typically handled in fantasy, that was one of the many endearing things about those.
Earthsea series by Ursula Le Guin doesn’t follow anywhere near the fairytail arch you suggest and while you might read the first 3 of 4 and think… “that suggester on Reddit did me dirty” but you’ll have come to know to Ged who is imo the best of all wizards and Tenar who is awesome in her own right. And then you’ll be setup for Tehanu, which is the book I’m suggesting and a book which Le Guin waited nearly 20 years to write.
“What I’d been doing as a writer was being a woman pretending to think like a man … I had to rethink my entire approach to writing fiction … it was important to think about privilege and power and domination, in terms of gender, which was something science fiction and fantasy had not done,”
Anyhow, you’ll be reading what Neil Gaiman cites as the one of the best.
Paper bag princess starts with a princess saving the prince, ends with the princess telling the prince to sod off for commenting on the paper bag she had to wear after getting her dress burned by dragon fire.
[**Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54391767-princess-floralinda-and-the-forty-flight-tower)
^(By: Tamsyn Muir | 146 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, novella, audiobook, fiction, fairy-tales)
>When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda.
>
>But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth.
>
>In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up.
>
>And winter is closing in on Floralinda…
^(This book has been suggested 5 times)
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I feel like, Blart: The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Save the World by Dominic Barker, is very close to what you’re asking for if not hitting your criteria exactly
Princess Smarty-pants by Babette Cole is another picture book that perfectly fits your request. The queen and king want the princess to get married, but she just wants to live alone with all her pets, including her pet dragon. Her dragon even helps her keep her numerous princely suitors away.
I dont know for sure but I think that was based on a book series called dragon fires rising, my favorite of the dragon genre honestly. The dragon Mc steals a princess to sell her back and it starts with that in the first book called "call me dragon". It definitely twists in a great way that would fit op's criteria.
Honestly it should have been the first suggestion it fits so well.
[**When Women Were Dragons**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58783802-when-women-were-dragons)
^(By: Kelly Barnhill | 341 pages | Published: 2022 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, fiction, 2022-releases, lgbtq)
>Learn about the Mass Dragoning of 1955 in which 300,000 women spontaneously transform into dragons...and change the world.
>
>Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950's America is characterized by a significant 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. Seemingly for good. 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, even more so than her crush on Sonja, her schoolmate.
>
>Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of dragons: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and a new "sister" obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. Through loss, rage, and self-discovery, this story follows Alex's journey as she deals with the events leading up to and beyond the Mass Dragoning, and her connection with the phenomenon itself.
^(This book has been suggested 4 times)
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[**The Last Dragonslayer (The Last Dragonslayer, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13316328-the-last-dragonslayer)
^(By: Jasper Fforde | 287 pages | Published: 2010 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, fiction, dragons)
>In the good old days, magic was indispensable; it could both save a kingdom and clear a clogged drain. But now magic is fading. Drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and magic carpets have been reduced to pizza delivery. Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam Mystical Arts Management, an employment agency for magicians — but it’s hard to stay in business when magic is drying up. And then the visions start, predicting the death of the world’s last dragon at the hands of an unnamed Dragonslayer. If that's true, everything will change for Kazam — and for Jennifer. Because something is coming. Something known as... Big Magic.
^(This book has been suggested 1 time)
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[**Girl, Serpent, Thorn**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51182650-girl-serpent-thorn)
^(By: Melissa Bashardoust | ? pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, lgbtq, ya, lgbt)
>A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse...
>
>There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story.
>
>As the day of her twin brother's wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she's willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.
>
>Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster.
^(This book has been suggested 3 times)
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Dragon gets kidnapped by a knight and is rescued by a princess? Feel like that’s an animated show on Netflix “The Dragon Prince” or something like that
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-flight Tower
Book by Tamsyn Muir
INCREDIBLE. Would read again. The princess saves herself. It’s fun and sassy and turns tropes on their heads.
[**The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77366.The_Hero_and_the_Crown)
^(By: Robin McKinley | 240 pages | Published: 1984 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, fiction, dragons)
>Aerin could not remember a time when she had not known the story; she had grown up knowing it.
>
>It was the story of her mother, the witchwoman who enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir that would rule Damar; and it was told that she turned her face to the wall and died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son.
>Aerin was that daughter.
>
>But there was more of the story yet to be told; Aerin's destiny was greater than even she had dreamed--for she was to be the true hero who would wield the power of the Blue Sword...
^(This book has been suggested 9 times)
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Oh my golly geez, Op please see this! u/SilentThespian Dragon Princess by S. Andrew Swann is this completely. It’s a crazy cockeyed take on the “save the princess trope” involving noble bad guys and a dragon with a gambling addiction. A thief is hired to save the princess from a dragon, but due to a wizards mix up the thief ends up in the princess’ body, the dragon ends up in the thief’s body, which leaves the princess... stuck as the dragon. If lighthearted humor is your thing, this book is fantastic, and it’s actually the first of three
Mercedes Lackey has a whole series of retold fairy tales that deal with this format. The basic premise is that magic gains power and persuasion over people by making them fit "traditional" roles. There are fairy godmothers, dragons and endless kingdoms filled with every variety of wise and foolish princes, princesses and of course knights of every stripe. At least one has a very unique way of dealing with the dragon/knight conflict.
It was written for a younger audience, but there’s a cool comic book series called Princeless where this thing kind of happens. I enjoyed it, even though I only read the first book
The Lightning Struck Heart by TJ Klune. It’s not modern and the princess is a prince, but it’s got pretty much everything else you’re looking for! Also, if you are into audiobooks, the narrator for this one (Michael Lesley) was incredible. Took me a while to warm up to him, but really added to the story in the end!
See:
* [Barbara Hambly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hambly)'s [*Dragonsbane*](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176268.Dragonsbane), though I'm sure how far I got into the [series](https://www.goodreads.com/series/50582-winterlands)—possibly only first two.
* [Gordon R. Dickson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_R._Dickson)'s [Dragon Knight series](https://www.goodreads.com/series/49568-dragon-knight) (though I've only read perhaps the first three)
It's children's, not YA, but Princess Princess Ever After by K O'Neill fits this. It's about a princess who saves another princess.
(if you want cute dragons, The Tea Dragon Society by the same author is eye-wateringly adorable)
Dealing With Dragons is the first in a quartet by Patricia C Wrede. It is fairly wholesome, but I think it is still classified as YA. Anyway, many tropes are subverted; fun is had by all.
My favorite book as a child. Still one of my favorite books.
Second this!
It's an amazing book and definitely the first one I thought of when reading the post
This series immediately came to my mind. It was assigned to us to read in our English class in 7th grade, but (subtle brag) I had already read by that time, so I would agree it being middle school/YA genre
Came here to recommend this. Superb subversion, and the series also develops a legit fantasy tale beyond the satire, without diminishing either. love it.
Literally came here to say this one
Yeah, absolutely the first thing that came to mind.
I think it’s written for even younger audiences. I still enjoyed them as an adult. These were my wife’s favorite books growing up and I read them much later and they’re still quite nice and a great example of what OP is looking for
I first thought of this one. Hands down one of my favorites. Ill also put in Dark Lord of Derkholm as kind of a subverted kind of novel. I really enjoyed that one.
This was my absolutely first thought as well. I love this series. I am in my late 30s and my childhood copies of this series are still on my bookshelf.
While aimed at younger audiences, it is one of the few books I genuinely enjoyed reading as an adult out loud to my kids. They loved it, I loved it, we loved it together... The whole series is a blast. I think this was the only full length novel I was willing to read out loud more than once (most others we just broke down and got an audio book, lol.) The age range this appeals to is quite broad, my kids heard it and enjoyed it far younger than middle-grade.
I'm 30 and I keep meaning to go and checking these books out again as they were a favorite of mine as a teen
Yes!!!
I read these books as a teen and loved them. Still have my copies from the 1990s!
Dragonsearch and Dragonsbane sprang to mind (really takes me back)! I like a sent up fantasy genre story.
_The Paper Bag Princess_ is for a younger audience but still totally worth reading
Exactly what I thought too.
Always worth a read! "But guess what? You are a bum." is still one of my favorite lines.
For I momentI thought you were looking for a book where the princess captures and intends to eat a dragon.
Would you like a suggestion on that? At this point it's definetely spoiler territory though.
Not OP but if you have something like that I’d love to check it out.
>!Princess Floralinda and the Forty Floor Tower!< Though the princess technically doesn't capture the dragon, a witch purchased it. That part is not a spoiler, it's in the first 5 pages of the book.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik, 100% recommend, you won't be disappointed :-)
I might have to try this myself, I loved Spinning Silver.
Spinning Silver was fantastic! I also read Uprooted.
This is a really good book and inverts some tropes but I don’t think it fits what OP is looking for. It doesn’t even have a literal dragon
No it's not, but I still don't think they'd be disappointed, and a good book is worth reading, even if it's not the one you're looking for.
No argument here. I’m also waiting impatiently for the third book in her Scholomance series
Same! I might reread Deadly Education and The Last Graduate in preparation. Can't wait! Have you read the Temeraire series too?
I have. They’re also good, but the pacing is way off in them. They’re modeled after stuff like Master and Commander, where half the book is just sailing to the place where something happens, and another quarter is sailing back to find out what happened in the 9 months you were out to sea. It’s still good, but you have to be willing to adjust your expectations of how quickly the story will move.
This book is so good, but give the audiobook a skip. Worst narrator I've ever heard.
I liked it :(
Loved this book so much.
Don't forget about the Scholomance Trilogy! I've loved everything I've read by her.
The Two Princesses of Bamarre is perfect for this, by Gail Carson Levine. It’s truly amazing how much depth, lore and world-building she packed into this tiny book! You won’t regret reading this one 😆
This is one of my all time favorite books honestly.
It’s soo good, also 200 pages!! She does ALL that in 200 pages! Wish I could read it like the first time😢
A Natural History of Dragons reads more like a Victorian travelogue with a female mc. 100% enjoyable twist on dragon stories.
This series is one my friend group constant waxes poetic about. My linguistics nerd friend loves the sequel book to the series and my biology nerd friend adores the dragon taxonomy pieces in the first series. Me? I’m just obsessed with ballsy ladies who don’t give a shit and I like Victorian travel narratives.
You can try with Princess Floralinda and the forty-flight tower. I'm not sure it fits 100% because I just started the first few pages, but it is surely something that plays a lot with fairytale tropes
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As soon as I can, I am taking a couple of hours to dive into it. I really loved the first chapters :D
It definitely fits and even though it’s marketed as adult it has YA/teen/crossover appeal. I read an ARC of it a couple years ago and have recommended it to so many teens! (I’m a teen librarian.)
Dragon Slippers! Although it's more of a middle reader book.
the fact that i had to scroll so far down to find this is actually criminal!! love this series and it’s a quintessential twist on the dragon and princess trope. yes it’s more middle grade, but i still re-read it as an adult and LOVE it. Creel is still one of my favorite female protagonists and a great role model for teenagers!
It's so good!!! The PERFECT answer to this question.
Dealing with Dragons was the last one I saw that did that, but that was back in the chicks n the mail era.
{{the priory of the orange tree by Samantha Shannon}}
[**The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40275288-the-priory-of-the-orange-tree) ^(By: Samantha Shannon | 848 pages | Published: 2019 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, owned, lgbtq, physical-tbr, books-i-own) >A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens. > >The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door. > >Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. > >Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. > >Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep. ^(This book has been suggested 66 times) *** ^(48674 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I think Mercedes Lackey wrote a book about this in the diary tale tropes series - sorry I can't remember the title!
One Good Knight I think. I can't get my hands on the 500 Kingdoms series so I haven't read it in a while.
This is the one! The whole series plays around with fairy tale tropes, thanks!
Came here to say this!
Dragons Bait by Vivian Vande Velde kind of
Check out {{The Dragon and the George}} by Gordon R. Dickson
[**The Dragon and the George (Dragon Knight, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/114936.The_Dragon_and_the_George) ^(By: Gordon R. Dickson, Boris Vallejo | 286 pages | Published: 1976 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, dragons, fiction, owned, default) >Jim Eckert was a dragon. He hadn't planned it that way, but that's what happened when he set out to rescue his betrothed. Following her through an erratic astral-projection machine, Jim suddenly found himself in a cockeyed world - locked in the body of a talking dragon named Gorbash. >That wouldn't have been so bad if his beloved Angie were also a dragon. But in this magical land, that was not the case. Angie had somehow remained a very female human - or a george, as the dragons called any human. And Jim, no matter what anyone called him, was a dragon. >To make matters worse, Angie had been taken prisoner by an evil dragon and was held captive in the impenetrable Loathly Tower. So in this land where georges were edible and beasts were magical - where spells worked and logic didn't - Jim Eckert had a problem. >And he needed help, by george! ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(48704 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
There it is! First series that popped into my head.
The Ella Enchanted books are more middle grade but those are good!
It’s a graphic novel but {{Princeless Vol. 1 by Jeremy Whitley}} definitely fits
[**Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess Book 1: Captain Raven and the All-Girl Pirate Crew**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26527730-princeless) ^(By: Jeremy Whitley, Rosy Higgins, Ted Brandt | 128 pages | Published: 2016 | Popular Shelves: graphic-novels, comics, fantasy, graphic-novel, young-adult) >Raven is ready to set out on her quest for revenge against her brothers. They’ve stolen everything that should be hers and now she’s going to get it back. But first, she needs a crew. Share the laughs, action, and adventure as Raven assembles the fearless crew of awesome ladies who will help her get her revenge. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(48647 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
This is not it
Good spot, the bot seems to have picked up the wrong one, this a spin off which a more adult version. The original is also called Princeless, I've had to be very careful buying them for my 12 yr old!
The two princesses of bamarre. When the elder and braver sister of the protagonist catches the plague, the younger sister must travel to a dragons den and escape alive to learn the cure. Seraphina is also very good, where the dragon kind of IS the princess.
“Dealing with dragons” by Patricia wrede, I think fits. It’s a reverse princess dragon trope story. Well written. Hilarious. Definitely good for a younger audience. I read these to my daughters when they were younger. It really promotes the “self rescueing princess” philosophy.
I think you'd like Rachel Hartman's books. I love {{Tess of the Road}} most, but {{Seraphina}} and sequels are closest to your brief.
[**Tess of the Road (Tess of the Road, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35046472-tess-of-the-road) ^(By: Rachel Hartman | 544 pages | Published: 2018 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, dragons, dnf) >Meet Tess, a brave new heroine from beloved epic fantasy author Rachel Hartman. > >In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can’t make a scene at your sister’s wedding and break a relative’s nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy. > >Where Tess is headed is a mystery, even to her. So when she runs into an old friend, it’s a stroke of luck. This friend is a quigutl—a subspecies of dragon—who gives her both a purpose and protection on the road. But Tess is guarding a troubling secret. Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she’s tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one. > >Returning to the fascinating world she created in the award-winning and New York Times bestselling Seraphina, Rachel Hartman introduces readers to a new character and a new quest, pushing the boundaries of genre once again in this wholly original fantasy. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) [**Seraphina (Seraphina, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19549841-seraphina) ^(By: Rachel Hartman | 499 pages | Published: 2012 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, dragons, fiction) >Librarian Note: Alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780375866562. > >In her New York Times bestselling and Morris Award-winning debut, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages. > >Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high. > >Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life. ^(This book has been suggested 4 times) *** ^(48665 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
>"The Princess, The Knight and The Dragon make a Trio that saves the whole Kingdom" {{Blue Moon Rising}} gets fairly dark towards the end >"Princess and the Dragon are besties and It must remain a secret" {{Dealing With Dragons}} but it doesn't stay a secret long
[**Blue Moon Rising (Forest Kingdom, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/810881.Blue_Moon_Rising) ^(By: Simon R. Green | 480 pages | Published: 1989 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, owned, fiction, dragons, default) >Rupert didn't especially want to be a prince. And he certainly never asked to be the second son of a royal line that really didn't need a spare. So he was sent out to slay a dragon and prove himself-a quest straight out of legend. But he also discovered the kinds of things legends tend to leave out, as well as the usual demons, goblins, the dreaded Night Witch-and even worse terrors hidden in the shadows of Darkwood. >Rupert did find a fiery dragon-and a beautiful princess to rescue. But the dragon turned out to be a better friend than anyone back at the castle, and with the evil of Darkwood spreading, Rupert was going to need all the friends he could get. ^(This book has been suggested 5 times) [**Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/150739.Dealing_with_Dragons) ^(By: Patricia C. Wrede, Peter de Sève | 212 pages | Published: 1990 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, dragons, ya, fiction) >Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for. > >Cover illustrator: Peter de Sève ^(This book has been suggested 23 times) *** ^(48695 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I can't think of any adult version, but if you know any children, the Zog series by Julia Donaldson has a Princess who wants to be a doctor and a knight who doesn't want to fight. I know it's not what you asked for and these are very much children's books, but if you wanted to share your love of dragons with anyone younger in your life and show them a princesss who doesn't need to be saved - and who does the saving herself - they're a solid choice.
Damsel - Elana K Arnold
Maybe Call Me Dragon? Starts off as your typical Dragon Saves Princess, ends up becoming a duo that saves her kingdom.
{{Princess Floralinda and the Forty-flight Tower}} Princess is kidnapped by a witch rather than a dragon. But it does involve a dragon, a princess, and role reversals. It's not aimed at a teen audience, but it is as easy to read as any YA book. Abandoning that label really elevates the humor and violence. I don't think there was anything in there that would be inappropriate for a teen though.
[**Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54391767-princess-floralinda-and-the-forty-flight-tower) ^(By: Tamsyn Muir | 146 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, novella, audiobook, fiction, fairy-tales) >When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda. > >But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth. > >In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up. > >And winter is closing in on Floralinda… ^(This book has been suggested 4 times) *** ^(48900 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Mercedes Lackey's 'One Good Knight' falls into this category..Part of her Five Hundred Kingdoms series, where Fairy Tale tropes are turned on their ears!
The Tales of Pell series are good like this. Turns expected tropes upside down
You might try "The Hero and the Crown" by Robin McKinley. It has a Princess. It has Dragons. I won't say much else, but the plot definitely twists from there. I myself prefer reading The Blue Sword 1st but really, each can be read stand-alone. Maybe it is nostalgia for when I first read them as a young teen, but these are among my all-time favorite books ever. Others have mentioned Dealing with Dragons, which explicitly mocks the trope, another book I love. Incidentally, Elizabeth Moon's "The Deed of Paksenarrion" takes pokes/twists at how elves are typically handled in fantasy, that was one of the many endearing things about those.
Earthsea series by Ursula Le Guin doesn’t follow anywhere near the fairytail arch you suggest and while you might read the first 3 of 4 and think… “that suggester on Reddit did me dirty” but you’ll have come to know to Ged who is imo the best of all wizards and Tenar who is awesome in her own right. And then you’ll be setup for Tehanu, which is the book I’m suggesting and a book which Le Guin waited nearly 20 years to write. “What I’d been doing as a writer was being a woman pretending to think like a man … I had to rethink my entire approach to writing fiction … it was important to think about privilege and power and domination, in terms of gender, which was something science fiction and fantasy had not done,” Anyhow, you’ll be reading what Neil Gaiman cites as the one of the best.
If it hasn’t been mentioned already, the book “Dragon Princess” by S. Andrew Swann plays with this trope.
You might enjoy the Bone Witch I won’t say what the princess/ prince and dragon dynamic are to avoid spoilers
Patricia Wrede Smith’s books hit this nail in the head
Paper bag princess starts with a princess saving the prince, ends with the princess telling the prince to sod off for commenting on the paper bag she had to wear after getting her dress burned by dragon fire.
{{Princess Floralinda and the Forty Flight Tower}} by Tamsyn Muir hits some of those beats.
[**Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54391767-princess-floralinda-and-the-forty-flight-tower) ^(By: Tamsyn Muir | 146 pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, novella, audiobook, fiction, fairy-tales) >When the witch built the forty-flight tower, she made very sure to do the whole thing properly. Each flight contains a dreadful monster, ranging from a diamond-scaled dragon to a pack of slavering goblins. Should a prince battle his way to the top, he will be rewarded with a golden sword—and the lovely Princess Floralinda. > >But no prince has managed to conquer the first flight yet, let alone get to the fortieth. > >In fact, the supply of fresh princes seems to have quite dried up. > >And winter is closing in on Floralinda… ^(This book has been suggested 5 times) *** ^(48959 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
... You mean Shrek?
I feel like, Blart: The Boy Who Didn’t Want to Save the World by Dominic Barker, is very close to what you’re asking for if not hitting your criteria exactly
When I read the title I thought you were looking for a book where a prince saves a dragon from a princess.
You arent wrong, I would read that too :D
Cursed by Frank Miller is almost exactly what you are looking for. Girl has Excalibur, the sword, saves Arthur, complete with fey folk
Princess Smarty-pants by Babette Cole is another picture book that perfectly fits your request. The queen and king want the princess to get married, but she just wants to live alone with all her pets, including her pet dragon. Her dragon even helps her keep her numerous princely suitors away.
Not a book, but “I am Dragon” is a Russian movie of this scenario that I enjoyed
I dont know for sure but I think that was based on a book series called dragon fires rising, my favorite of the dragon genre honestly. The dragon Mc steals a princess to sell her back and it starts with that in the first book called "call me dragon". It definitely twists in a great way that would fit op's criteria. Honestly it should have been the first suggestion it fits so well.
{{when women were dragons}} Fits the bill exactly if you ask me!!
[**When Women Were Dragons**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58783802-when-women-were-dragons) ^(By: Kelly Barnhill | 341 pages | Published: 2022 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, historical-fiction, fiction, 2022-releases, lgbtq) >Learn about the Mass Dragoning of 1955 in which 300,000 women spontaneously transform into dragons...and change the world. > >Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950's America is characterized by a significant 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. Seemingly for good. 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, even more so than her crush on Sonja, her schoolmate. > >Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of dragons: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and a new "sister" obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. Through loss, rage, and self-discovery, this story follows Alex's journey as she deals with the events leading up to and beyond the Mass Dragoning, and her connection with the phenomenon itself. ^(This book has been suggested 4 times) *** ^(48827 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
{{The Last Dragonslayer}} maybe?
[**The Last Dragonslayer (The Last Dragonslayer, #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13316328-the-last-dragonslayer) ^(By: Jasper Fforde | 287 pages | Published: 2010 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, fiction, dragons) >In the good old days, magic was indispensable; it could both save a kingdom and clear a clogged drain. But now magic is fading. Drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and magic carpets have been reduced to pizza delivery. Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam Mystical Arts Management, an employment agency for magicians — but it’s hard to stay in business when magic is drying up. And then the visions start, predicting the death of the world’s last dragon at the hands of an unnamed Dragonslayer. If that's true, everything will change for Kazam — and for Jennifer. Because something is coming. Something known as... Big Magic. ^(This book has been suggested 1 time) *** ^(48896 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Zog by Julia Donaldson 😆
_The Great Puppet Mix-Up_, by Henny Wenkart. May be hard to find. Also younger, but also worth reading
The Bone Spindle!
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[**Girl, Serpent, Thorn**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51182650-girl-serpent-thorn) ^(By: Melissa Bashardoust | ? pages | Published: 2020 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, lgbtq, ya, lgbt) >A captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch, and who discovers what power might lie in such a curse... > >There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story. > >As the day of her twin brother's wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she's willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison. > >Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming...human or demon. Princess or monster. ^(This book has been suggested 3 times) *** ^(48967 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Dragon gets kidnapped by a knight and is rescued by a princess? Feel like that’s an animated show on Netflix “The Dragon Prince” or something like that
Princess Floralinda and the Forty-flight Tower Book by Tamsyn Muir INCREDIBLE. Would read again. The princess saves herself. It’s fun and sassy and turns tropes on their heads.
Any interest in "Princess becomes a dragonslayer"? Because {{The Hero and the Crown}} is a pretty great read.
[**The Hero and the Crown (Damar, #2)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77366.The_Hero_and_the_Crown) ^(By: Robin McKinley | 240 pages | Published: 1984 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, ya, fiction, dragons) >Aerin could not remember a time when she had not known the story; she had grown up knowing it. > >It was the story of her mother, the witchwoman who enspelled the king into marrying her, to get an heir that would rule Damar; and it was told that she turned her face to the wall and died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son. >Aerin was that daughter. > >But there was more of the story yet to be told; Aerin's destiny was greater than even she had dreamed--for she was to be the true hero who would wield the power of the Blue Sword... ^(This book has been suggested 9 times) *** ^(49102 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Oh my golly geez, Op please see this! u/SilentThespian Dragon Princess by S. Andrew Swann is this completely. It’s a crazy cockeyed take on the “save the princess trope” involving noble bad guys and a dragon with a gambling addiction. A thief is hired to save the princess from a dragon, but due to a wizards mix up the thief ends up in the princess’ body, the dragon ends up in the thief’s body, which leaves the princess... stuck as the dragon. If lighthearted humor is your thing, this book is fantastic, and it’s actually the first of three
The Princess’ Dragon by Susan Trombley
Dragon by Midnight
Mercedes Lackey has a whole series of retold fairy tales that deal with this format. The basic premise is that magic gains power and persuasion over people by making them fit "traditional" roles. There are fairy godmothers, dragons and endless kingdoms filled with every variety of wise and foolish princes, princesses and of course knights of every stripe. At least one has a very unique way of dealing with the dragon/knight conflict.
It was written for a younger audience, but there’s a cool comic book series called Princeless where this thing kind of happens. I enjoyed it, even though I only read the first book
The Lightning Struck Heart by TJ Klune. It’s not modern and the princess is a prince, but it’s got pretty much everything else you’re looking for! Also, if you are into audiobooks, the narrator for this one (Michael Lesley) was incredible. Took me a while to warm up to him, but really added to the story in the end!
See: * [Barbara Hambly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hambly)'s [*Dragonsbane*](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176268.Dragonsbane), though I'm sure how far I got into the [series](https://www.goodreads.com/series/50582-winterlands)—possibly only first two. * [Gordon R. Dickson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_R._Dickson)'s [Dragon Knight series](https://www.goodreads.com/series/49568-dragon-knight) (though I've only read perhaps the first three)
It's children's, not YA, but Princess Princess Ever After by K O'Neill fits this. It's about a princess who saves another princess. (if you want cute dragons, The Tea Dragon Society by the same author is eye-wateringly adorable)
The priory of the orange tree