The Dragon Next Door is a sapphic ace romantasy novel, written by Vanessa Ricci-Thode. A kinda cozy proposal, featuring a queer normative world with two strong female main characters involved in a slow-burn romance, an adorable dragon that we will see growing and a really interesting magic system, especially if we take in account how the limitations work, crafting a really enjoyable read.

Tollar just wanted to deliver a stolen dragon egg to its kin, jumping onto the next adventure; as she was planning to safe keep it in her long abandoned home, asking help from her neighbour and long-time friend, Beenala, who reluctantly accepted to use her pyromancer powers for it, was a good option. But things become even more difficult when the dragon hatches and refuses to leave them, forcing them to take care of Bale (that's her name), trying to hide her, a really difficult task when you take all in account, adding an element to chaos to the Beenala's life, as they realize they will need to deal with the threat of raiders to keep their community safe.

Ricci-Thode delivers by having two really well-fleshed main characters as part of a romance trope that I've always found quite cute: two friends that always felt something but never knew how to express it. It helps that Bee and Tollar are practically on opposite sides in many aspects of their personalities: while Bee is anxious and tries to be non-confrontational, lacking confidence, we have a Tollar that is sure of her power, but also is clearly dealing with a situation that is much bigger than what she can do. The forced proximity of having to raise Bale acts as the catalyzer for really sweet and heart-warming scenes, suiting perfectly with half of the vibes of the book. Both are strong women, but each one in their own way.
While the rest of the cast doesn't have as much exposure as our duo, most of them have enough scenes to also gain a place in our heart, making us really care for their resistance against the raiders.

There are some interesting world-building choices that really shine on this book: how the concept of ecosystems are applied, the communities that exist alongside the world and a magic system that is limited by the nature, where drawing more power might have consequences for the environment; in general, while it is a character driven novel, we are given a great setting for the story.
The pacing is relatively slower for my taste, but it suits well with the cozy elements; and you can feel how the pacing picks as long as we advance in the book.

The Dragon Next Door is a really enjoyable novel, a perfect choice if you are looking for a sapphic romantasy with a really natural progression, and a cast of well-fleshed characters that will steal your heart. A brilliant novel by Vanessa Ricci-Thode.