Initial Thoughts
I was really intrigued when I saw this was a YA story about Vlad the Impaler. Vlad is such an interesting historical figure with a complicated history and I was eager to see how the author was going to handle that.

Some Things I Liked
I enjoyed the historical elements. I liked the use of other languages, authentic places and real family names. It felt well researched.
Andrei. He was the only character worth anything.

Some Things I Wasn’t Crazy About
Vlad. He was no vampire. He wasn’t a book boyfriend. He was a brat and he annoyed me to no end.
Ilona. It’s a bad sign when I don’t like two out of three central characters. Ilona was terribly boring and I felt like she didn’t really do anything to merit the attention of both Vlad and Andrei.
The plot and pacing. Several (what I’m assuming are pivotal) moments are only glossed over or alluded to which leaves the reader with huge gaps of time. I couldn’t understand why Vlad and Andrei both liked Ilona but it’s implied that they spend time together outside the scenes we read. Too much of the plot took place off the page and therefore the actual story was quite dull.

Series Value
I can’t see much series value here. The story isn’t set up for too much more that isn’t exactly as history played out. Furthermore, I didn’t like any of the characters enough to want to know more.

Final Thoughts
This is really a 2.5 star review for me. I struggled with this book and I think similar minded readers will feel the same issues. I will round up for a debut but I don’t feel compelled to read more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A new take on infamous Vlad Dracula, except now with a teen love triangle. At first I was so interested in the premise... but by the time I finished the book, I just couldn’t get how flat it fell for me. The story revolves around Vlad Dracula, who has long lived in the shadow of his father and older brother, suffering their cruelties and wanting so badly to prove himself and be worthy of the throne. His only friend is his cousin Andrei Musat and both boys find themselves at odds with one another when they meet Ilona Csaki, who is newly betrothed to Vlad’s older brother who is inheriting the throne.... for now. The only things we get about Ilona is that she is gorgeous and “isn’t like other girls” because she likes science and isn’t afraid of blood. She’s throwing her feelings between both boys and is constantly just out here being “not like other girls” (sigh). The whole book mainly focuses on the love triangle between the three with Vlad essentially being the bad boy while Andrei is the nice guy. Throughout this book there are political assassinations, war, and so forth, yet all those things are essentially glossed over for this tepid love triangle. I found myself caring less and less for these unlikable characters and was just happy to have made it to the end of the book. I had high hopes for this book and was just disappointed, I do adore a Vlad Dracula take but this one just didn’t work out for me. It felt much more middle grade than young adult and all the characters were unlikable and you just can’t really find yourself caring for any of them. The only thing that I was truly invested in was Vlad versus his older brother for the throne, after that I was just left with meh for everything else.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Swoon Reads for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Loved the premise and really wanted to love the story, but the execution fell very flat for me. The writing doesn't sing so I never felt immersed in the story. The characters also didn't feel fully fleshed out or compelling, so I wasn't invested in them--which is probably why the love triangle also didn't work for me. Furthermore, the story felt much more MG than YA; definitely not as dark as it could have been. That being said, HEART OF THE IMPALER was obviously well-researched, so those who love the history and lore of Dracula will probably enjoy this.

A perfect pick for AND I DARKEN fans!

A glimpse into the dark and twisted young life of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula). Historically accurate and sweetly haunting, the story is also told by Ilona (engaged to Vlad’s older brother) and Andrei (Vlad’s cousin). Both Vlad and Andrei fancy Ilona, but she is a pawn in Wallachian politics and her father’s machinations. She is never given a choice, until she chooses her own path. Andrei will have to choose between the man he loves like a brother and the woman who has his heart. Vlad must decide how far he is willing to go to get what he wants.

Sweet romance simmers throughout the book. Historical, cultural, and political details are woven seamlessly in the tapestry of the story.

Heart of the Impaler by Alexander Delacroix is perfect for fans of An I Darken by Kiersten White.
Loved the history side of this story, it was cool to learn that all the characters were based on real people.

It was kind of a weird read but I was entertained. Characters were a cardboard cutout of what they could have been. The comparison to the Keirsten White books was what brought me in, I would recommend this to those that wanted something similar, but I wouldn't give it as the first read.

As a hobby, I love to study Vlad Dracula as a historical figure. It is interesting to look at his life and try to find truth in the myth. I also love fictional depictions, especially romantic ones, as I see his story as more complex than a simple villain that impaled his enemies. He is a dark historical figure that incites intrigue and romance. I loved this book, especially as it can bring more interest to Vlad Tepes and his history. I intend to purchase this for my collection, but I will also be recommending this to be added to our library as well.

3.5 stars. I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars on this one, so 3.5.

So, I loved the history side of the story. It was one of the main reasons I wanted to read it. The author explains a bit of the history at the end of the book after the acknowledgements. It was cool to learn that basically all of the characters were real people. There is also a glossary at the end which is helpful because there are a lot of Romanian, Hungarian and Turkish words/short phrases. There is also a royal family tree which is pretty cool.

As for the story. I enjoyed it for the most part. Like I said above, I loved the historical aspect of the story, I liked Vlad's character, especially at the beginning, and the politics, though kind of confusing to me, was interesting. Reading some of the reviews, this may be a controversial take, lol, but I kind of felt bad for Vlad. His dad showed him very little attention, and when he did, it usually wasn't good, he was always second best to his brother who was constantly telling him how much he sucked. It really isn't surprising things turned out the way they did.

Now, Ilona bugged me sooooo much, as did Andrei! She is all "Vlad is so intriguing and handsome but idk if I should like that or not" and 2 minutes after he leaves and Andrei is there she is like Vlad who? I'm like seriously? Then Andrei is all meek and mild. I'm not saying that every male character needs to be super masculine, but he is just a little too meek and "let's talk this out guys." This is the 15th century; knife it out first, ask questions later.

Even after writing this whole review and re-living the book I'm still torn on the rating! Ugh!! It's just Andrei and Ilona got on my nerves and it seemed like some of the boyars and Transylvanians came out of nowhere and it was like we were supposed to know who they were. It could be that I missed them from earlier in the book because there were just SO many of them. Definitely recommend though.

A slightly awkward love triangle and some cringe parts, it’s a good read for middle schoolers. I’m curious as to where this series will go.

Ilona Csáki has no desire to marry the voivode's eldest son, but love and marriage are the least of her worries.

The royal family's enemies have already tried to put an arrow through her back—and if anyone discovers her blossoming feelings for her betrothed's cousin Andrei, and younger brother, Vlad, she may just wish they'd succeeded.

Beneath the shadow of impending war, the only battle that will be deadlier than the one for Ilona’s life will be the one for her heart.

Thank you, NetGalley, for selecting me to read this book.

Ok...so you hear about a book that is essentially a teen love story featuring Vlad the Impaler. I know, I know, sounds like a hot mess, right? Absolutely not! I loved Heart of the Impaler! I can't wait to be able to continue the story and see how the love triangle resolves itself. In the mean time, I will most likely go read more about the actual life of Vlad the Impaler. That's what good historical fiction does....makes you want to go read more about the actual events.

Bravo, Mr Delacroix.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early. This book will be released on December 7, 2021.

I am so excited that I got a e-arc of this because for as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with Dracula and Transylvania. Just a disclaimer that this book has NOTHING to do with vampires and it is the historical fiction of Vlad Dracul, Vlad Dracula and the Wallachia throne.

If you go into this book knowing nothing of the prince and voivode, then you will probably not like this book. If you go into this book and not wanting a romance, then this is not for you. There is a love triangle between Vlad Dracul, the Grand Boyar eldest daughter Ilona and Vlad's cousin Andrei Mustaf, heir to the Moldavia throne.

With this book not being released for another couple of months, I definitely don't want to go into much detail and spoilers. There is betrayal, regicide, and executions. It goes into detail the treaty between Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire. It mentions the impaling that Vlad Dracula is famous for.

Going into this I was reminded of other book series particularly Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games. It mentions a game of thrones and the characteristics between our main love interests scream Peeta and Katniss.

I absolutely loved this book. I give it a 5. I didn't know what to expect going into it. I wasn't sure I wanted to read about a romance, but I flew through it just for the romance. The ending made me anxious because I was anticipating a death of some characters.

I hope that there will be a sequel one day.

I have a soft spot in my heart for historical fiction based on real people. Imagine the audacity it must take to look at a real person and write a completely fictional story about their life. An alternate universe, if you will. Heart of the Impaler is almost 100% made up, including the characters of Andrei and Ilona. Not that that’s inherently a bad thing, just worth mentioning.

The book itself was good. It was well-written and I enjoyed reading it. but it did a few unforgivable things.

1. A lot of the action happens off page, like Vlad killing Mircea. This is a pivotal moment in the book and in Vlad’s character development. Arguably it’s the most significant scene in the book, and it’s not actually shown. We see all the build up: Mircea bullying Vlad, etc. but not the most important part. (This is actually why the book got 3 stars instead of 4. It’s unforgivable.)

2. After killing Mircea, Vlad becomes the Crown Prince and Leads the voivode’s armies, and yet we don’t see a single battle with him in command. It’s just skipped over. The book started to become really boring because every time something exciting was about to happen, the scene would change or the chapter would end.

3. This isn’t quite unforgivable, but I felt like the mystery was underdeveloped. There could have been more of Vlad and Andrei trying to investigate the wooden key or talking to more maids. “V.C.” actually was introduced early. The mystery felt like a weird side plot that seemed important at the beginning, got thrown to the wayside in the middle, and then came back when Andrei found the list of who supported whom politically. Ultimately it only became important because Andrei and Ilona were able to find allies against the voivode.

Heart of the Impaler was a good read, but honestly, somebody needs to grab the author by the shoulders and tell him that he needs to actually write the action in his book instead of just describing it.

This book is instantly set up as a love triangle with a teenage Vlad, his friend Andrei, and a girl named Ilona who has been thrust into the society of Vlad's father's kingdom. This book was hard to get into and none of the characters were super interesting.

Heart of the Impaler is Dracula's historical fiction origin story you didn't know you needed - but won't be able to put down!

Heart of the Impaler is an intriguing historical romance about Vlad Dracul as a young man. The blend of historical fact and fiction is really well done. The book is about Vlad, his fictional cousin Andrei, and Ilona (also fictional) the girl they both fall for. Im usually not the biggest fan of love triangles but this one wasn't bad as you could tell from the beginning who would win Ilona's heart. The characters where likable and believable. The romance was absolutely sweet even if some would say predictable. I really liked the evolution of Vlad"s character throughout the book from the downtrodden "spare heir" to the blood soaked, calculating prince he is at the end.
The ending leaves the story open for another book. Im not sure if another one is planned but I would definitely check it out if it is. Overall it was an entertain and quick read that I wold recommend to anyone that enjoys historical romance and has an interest in Vlad Dracul.

I didn't think it was possible to make Vlad the Impaler into a boring character, but this succeeded. None of the other characters were interesting either, so I lost interest and had to force myself to finish.

This book was OK. I Didn't have much high expectations about this book, but I didn't think that this book was great.
The only character K really cared about was Andrei. Ilona could have so much potential, but I think that this potential was lost.
Vlad was quite predictable and acted like a 3 year old baby

I'm a big fan of Vlad The Impaler. Maybe fan is not the right word but I find him historically interesting. There's been many takes on him before but this is the first I've heard of him being part of a YA love triangle. And I'm sad to say I wasn't a huge fan. I felt that the romantic stuff didn't work but everything else was pretty good. Unfortunately the romantic stuff takes up most of the book. Sadly I would not recommend this book. 2 out of 5.

Ilona Csáki is the daughter of a nobleman who has just arranged her marriage to the voivode's oldest son, Mircea. Ilona is not at all interested in Mircea, but she will do her duty, since as a female, she doesn't have the option of refusing her father's plans for her. Ilona does, however, find herself drawn to two other young men from the royal family, Mircea's younger brother Vlad (yes, THAT Vlad) and his cousin Andrei. Ilona finds herself in danger after an assassin tries to kill her. Wallachia ends up in turmoil that is reminiscent of Ilona's turmoil. As she finds herself being drawn closer and closer to Vlad and Andrei, she realizes that her feelings pose the same amount of danger to her as an assassin's arrow. I found this to be a fascinating look into the young adult years of an infamous historical figure, the man who became known as Vlad the Impaler.