Dragonhart by Abbie Eaton is a book that had so much potential but ultimately left me feeling a little frustrated. The world-building is strong, and the idea of dragons and a heroine destined for greatness is captivating, but the story suffers from one glaring issue: the main character, Elara.

Elara, the protagonist, is meant to be strong and independent, but she constantly feels more like a teenager who’s stuck in a cycle of the same emotional immaturity. Her decisions are impulsive, and it seems like every few pages, she’s making the same mistakes or facing the same internal struggles that she should have overcome by this point in the story. It’s a little tiring to watch her go in circles, especially when her stubbornness leads to the same conflicts cropping up over and over again.

I found it hard to stay invested in Elara’s journey when she kept making decisions that didn’t feel like they led anywhere new. The secondary characters were far more interesting, and I often found myself wishing the focus shifted more to them.

Ultimately, Dragonhart is a solid read with an intriguing premise, but it’s marred by a lead character who just doesn’t grow in the way I hoped. If you can overlook her repetitive struggles, it’s still an enjoyable story, but don’t expect Elara’s character arc to provide the emotional payoff you might be looking for.

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!! I knew with "dragon" in the title, it was going to be a good one and it did not disappoint!!

I really wanted to love this book and overall I enjoyed it, however that was mostly due to the last 100 pages or so.
The world building was great and I enjoyed the rediscovery of magic and the exploration of the kingdoms. There was a lot of political intrigue in the build up to the novel, which I think was why I felt it was hard to get into, especially as it’s described as a romantasy and I don’t necessarily think that was always prevalent.
There was enemies to lovers romance, forced proximity, “Who hurt you” and (eventually) dragons.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this e-ARC.

The novel had a slow start and it took me more than half of the book to get into it. I love a strong female protagonist, but Arla did not do it for me as I felt she did not make a lot of growth as a character over time. The lore with the dragons and magic as well as world building was interesting. I would love to see it be expanded in the future because I do love my dragons and complicated political issues.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to pick three words to describe this book, they would be powerful, magical, and dark. This isn't a read for those who prefer to avoid graphic violence; Arla, the main character, is a trained assassin, and her skills are on display on more than one occasion across the course of this story. There were times when her character felt a bit contradictory--one moment, she's incredibly skilled, the other, she's repeatedly making the same mistakes that she herself (and others) consider stupid errors in judgment. It felt odd to me while reading the story, though looking back, I think it was the author's attempt at showing her as overconfident as well as not valuing her life much at the time.

Overall, I did find the story enjoyable, with a well-woven plot and compelling characters. The snarky wit of Arla and Hark carried a lot of their scenes, and although the main villain felt a bit flat (he had no redeeming qualities whatsoever), the stakes were high enough to keep me riveted to the page to the end. Eaton doesn't pull her punches; her characters go through the wringer as the story progresses, and I loved watching Arla's character develop and grow along the way. I will note that there is an intimate scene that does not fade to black, but I was able to skip over it without missing any important plot points, and that's as spicy as the story gets in that regard.

If you enjoy fantasies stories on the darker side, especially with strong female character, you'll likely enjoy this novel.

Dragons are hot right now (literally lol) and this was a great fantasy however I would say this felt more YA than adult in parts, I appreciated the complex and fiesty FMC, the political intrugue and magic system was super interesting, and how religion played into all was unique, overall I think this will be a hit with enemies to lovers/romantasy fans, it reminded me of TOG (FMC gives Aelin vibes) and When The Moon Hatched

This had an interesting premise and the age of dragons in romantasy is definitely burning hot at the moment, so this is definitely coming in at the right time!
That being said, I found the writing style to be quite stilted and a lot of telling rather than showing. I also feel like this felt more like a YA novel/characters rather than the adult fiction it's being marketed as?
Overall I imagine this will be a hit with new readers.

“𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙪𝙧𝙮, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨.”

Ok so I think this one has a lot of potential and while I really wanted to love it, it just didn’t quite get there for me.

The world building is easy, but there’s also a lot of holes for me. That being said, I do think as a debut it was a really good starting place! I think with some refinement it could definitely be a better book overall, and while I did like the story, I honestly struggled with the FMC. She just wasn't very likable for me? Which makes it hard to cheer for her. I get that maybe this was just supposed to be her character & her personality, but I just wasn't really a fan.

There wasn't anything particularly new or shocking about this one, but I can see some people loving it!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
*Fantasy
*Enemies to lovers
*Forced proximity
*Assassin FMC
*Hidden identity
*Found family

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

My biggest issue with this book was Arla, she was unlikeable from the first chapter all the way until the last. It was very hard to relate to her because she had no humility, somehow everything she did was always perfect and so badass. But the problem with that was that we are constantly told rather than shown how “badass” Arla is, we are told so often that it actually made it more unrealistic every time it was brought up. She ended up coming off as juvenile and one dimensional. As the chapters progressed she did get a little less grating but not once did I find her relatable or even loveable. She felt like a knockoff Aelin except we didn't see Arla work hard or sacrifice to be told how insanely special she is, which is why it was so unbelievable to me that she was somehow so special in this book. I think this author forgot that woman can be works in progress and flawed and still be badass and strong.
When Hark was first introduced I did not like him either because Arla talks about how handsome Hark is every time she says how much she hates him which really defeated the whole idea that they are supposed to be enemies. But thankfully as the book progressed and we got to see his point of view he became more dimensional and interesting. I really liked the way we got to see Arla through his POV, it actually made her more likeable.
The story was very slow and stagnant until the 70% mark where it started to pick up. There are things that play out that are obvious, but it doesn’t take away from the story being interesting. I would have rated this a 2 in the first 70% of this book but the last 30% moved it up to a 3.5. I will consider reading the next book hoping that the author makes Arla more realistic because the idea of this book is good.

I seriously love, love, love this book.

The slow burn, enemies to lover romance is EVERYTHING. I'm obsessed with the storyline and just not knowing who to trust!

The writing flows to easily and you cannot help but get caught up in the immersive world. I read this in two sittings - I couldn't put it down.

There are no words to describe how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is absolutely phenomenal and is definitely my favourite read of the year so far. As soon as I read the word 'assassin', I was hooked and I could not put the book down so much that it kept me reading well into the night. Arla is everything and I adored her character and how she grew (I also loved the dragon). The humour throughout the book made me laugh out loud multiple times and the relationship between Hark and Arla - even when they had knives at each others throats made me smile so much taht my cheeks hurt! I would definitely recommend this book to romantasy lovers and anyone who loves enemies to lovers or fantasy because this book is too phenomenal to not read.

Thank you to Net Galley, One More Chapter publishing and most definitely thank you to Abbie Eaton for writing this phenomenal book - words cannot explain how absolutely remarkable it is.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good fantasy with dragons and I'm all about an enemies to lovers trope. The chemistry was good. It had some rough spots for me.

Who doesn’t love a good enemies-to-lovers romance? Dragon Heart delivers just that, wrapped in a gripping fantasy world filled with court intrigue, dark secrets, and a heroine driven by vengeance.

Arla’s journey is one of strength and survival. After witnessing the brutal murder of her family as a child, she dedicates her life to revenge, ultimately becoming the king’s assassin. But navigating the treacherous royal court isn’t easy—especially when it brings her face-to-face with Hark, our enigmatic male lead. Hark is full of secrets, and as the story unfolds, we see both his and Arla’s carefully constructed facades begin to crack.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its character development. Arla isn’t just a hardened warrior; beneath her tough exterior, she’s vulnerable in ways that make her all the more compelling. And as she and Hark uncover a dangerous secret, their relationship is put to the test, leading to some truly heart-pounding moments.

If you’re a fan of fantasy romance, Dragon Heart is a must-read. Abbie Eaton’s debut is packed with action, intrigue, and a slow-burn romance that keeps you hooked until the very end. Highly recommended for anyone who loves strong heroines, courtly deception, and sizzling chemistry.

Arla Reinhart - King’s Assassin is forced to work alongside the Ambassador to the rival kingdom - Hark Stappen.
They embark on a journey that will throw them together against unknown challenges and perils and make Arla question everything she believed.

I felt that the writing really came together in the second half of the book and I can see really great potential for the rest of this series.

For me the first half was a little lacking a bit of substance and the writing felt more geared towards YA. The characters and world building felt a bit one dimensional and so I didn’t really feel invested.

For me the last 100 pages really saved this book and made me interested to see what happens next.

Abbie Eaton did a brilliant job writing Dragonhart, her debut novel. Although it fell short in certain aspects regarding writing style, it was great for a debut novel and I did really enjoy my reading experience; the tropes such as enemies to lovers and forced proximity are some of my favorites which made this a really fun read.

This book has everything you could ever need in a fantasy book... The world-building was exceptional and the characters and the storyline were gripping.

The King's Assassin so full of hate and violence, a mission that isn't all that it seems and the MMC so full of arrogance and dismissal.

I loved the dynamic between Hart and Arla throughout the book, the push and pull between them, the undeniable longing and need that neither recognised at first. I was screaming in my head at them to just get it on and everything will fall into place lol 😆

The storyline follows the characters and of course the evil overlord kings and a dragon (we all love a dragon right?!) Had me so thoroughly sucked into the pages that I couldn't put it down and read it in less than a day!!

I can't wait to see what comes next.

Oh my word, I can’t begin to describe how this books has completely blown past every expectation I had!!! This fantasy novel is beautiful, and the enemies to lovers plot line is so masterfully handled. Arla and Hark are amazing! I was highlighting and making so many notes throughout!! There were twists and turns that I had never expected to take place and they made the story that much better! I am so looking forward to reading any and all future stories that Abbie Eaton releases!! This debut novel had me captivated from the beginning and I am so excited to be able to hop on the Abbie Eaton train early, because I have full faith that she is just getting started!!!!

Thank you to One More Chapter, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to experience the magic early with and ARC of this beautiful story!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
# Pages: 384
Publication Date: 04.18.25

“She was wrath, and fury, and vengeance. She was blood, and fire, and truth, and she would never again be useless.”

*Fantasy
*Enemies to lovers
*Forced proximity
*FMC seeking revenge
*Dragons
*Magic

Book Overview:
The dragons are gone, and the kingdoms are falling. Not even the gods can save them now…
Arla Reinhart, personal assassin to the King of Hadalyn, doesn’t believe in the gods and their dragons who once served the people – not after they abandoned her when she needed them most. But when shipments start going missing and the kingdoms begin to crumble, they may be the only ones who can help.
Forced into working with the arrogant – yet unmistakably handsome –ambassador of the kingdom that killed her parents, Arla must place her hatred for Hark Stappen to one side as they journey across kingdoms, dining with royalty and fighting in taverns, and make an alarming discovery that shatters her heart and forces her to question everything – and everyone – she knows…

“Dragonhart” by Abbie Eaton was one crazy ride! Great job on her debut novel! The vivid world building to the details of the character development, had me hooked. I loved how they all felt real and relatable. From the magic, dragons, adventure, romance, and the story telling, it was a very immersive experience.

I absolutely loved the FMC Arla. She was a stabby badass that had depth to her. Want a badass FMC, look no further!

Overall, I highly recommend this read! It’s perfect for the dragon loving fantasy readers! So many twists and turns. You will more be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC.

I was so excited to read this book, but I ended up being disappointed. I did enjoy the dragon-human connection and the way the bond was portrayed, I enjoyed the fight scene descriptions and could easily engage with the book during those moments, and I liked the relationship tension between Arla and Kase.

However, the writing was really simple, and the characters were a bit boring for me. I usually love assassin books, but this one fell flat for me. I think there was too much telling rather than showing in the book. Arla was supposed to be an excellent assassin, and there were a few scenes where it really shined (the battle in Kastonia’s castle) near the end, but I didn’t enjoy this book until I was about 80% of the way through. It took me a really long time to read it because I wasn’t engaged. Hark, the MMC, didn’t grip me either. He was to naive.

The ideas are there, the story has moments of greatness, but it’s not great as a whole. The ending itself was disappointing as well and again felt very juvenile. If you were to take out the spice, this would be a great preteen story.

This one had all the right ingredients—revenge-driven FMC, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers tension, and, of course, dragons—but it just never fully pulled me in. The worldbuilding had potential, but I found myself wanting more depth to the lore and a stronger emotional connection to the characters. Arla’s journey had some compelling moments, and I appreciated her drive for vengeance, but the pacing felt uneven, with stretches that dragged and conflicts that didn’t hit as hard as I wanted. The romance had its moments, but the chemistry didn’t quite spark enough to make me fully invested. Not a bad read by any means—there were definitely parts I enjoyed—but it ultimately didn’t leave a lasting impression.