If you like throne of glass and Lady Of darkness series then this book is for you. It's like they joined they 2 books together. It wasn't a bad read. Some parts were actually really good.

Absolutely enjoyed reading this book because it had a cocky woman assassin, hidden dragons, a hate to love relationship, and of course, political games where the main characters are caught having to decide what they firmly believe in. Are there some parts of the book that could have been better explained or explored? Yes. But the gist of the story and writing is enough to keep you going once you start consuming the book.

Many thanks to the publisher for the e-arc! April 18th is fast approaching and I would not be surprised one bit if this book starts accruing special editions.

Assassin Arla Reinhart must team up with her rival ambassador Hark Stappen to journey across kingdoms to uncover the secrets that will save their world. Dragonhart is a new romantasy that will appeal to readers of Fourth Wing and When the Moon Hatched. For dragon fans!

Loved the enemies-to-lovers dynamic, My favourite trope and it was super well done. I also enjoyed the world development. 5 star, enjoyable read,

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Dragonhart. The story has potential, and the author shows promise with their debut novel, but I struggled to connect with the characters, particularly the heroine, Arla. Despite being an undefeated assassin, she was repeatedly bested or surprised within the first 25% of the book. Her arrogance felt more temperamental than earned, which made it hard for me to empathize with her.

The writing and pacing were solid, but some sections dragged, especially with the overabundance of descriptions and inner monologues. While I was promised a dragon, the fantasy elements were sparse, and the lack of world-building left the story feeling more like YA fiction than a full-fledged fantasy.

The romance, involving a bickering ambassador from a rival kingdom, felt more frustrating than charming, and their quest lacked the depth I was hoping for. Overall, Dragonhart reminded me of Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Fourth Wing, but it didn’t offer the originality I was looking for. It has potential, but it wasn’t quite the right fit for me.

Dragonhart is fantastic!

We follow Arla, a young woman who has risen to the role of the kings assassin after being orphaned by a brutal invasion of her city by the neighbouring kingdom. The story begins when the king tasks her with travelling to the border with the ambassador of the kingdom who killed her parents to investigate stolen shipments of “iron”. She soon finds out that the shipments are not what they seem and she might need her enemy to save herself and her kingdom.

This one has:
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Found family
- Grumpy/ sassy dragons 🐉

This is genuinely the first book I’ve read where I can safely say that anyone who liked Fourth Wing will love it!

I can’t wait to read what happens next!

Thank you to Netgallery and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I did really like this book! We love an enemies to lovers situation and the magic was really interesting. Love a dragon bond and when the dragons are sassy. The only thing was that it felt a bit rushed. It being labeled as book 1 implies that the story will continue so I hope that is the case because I feel pretty unresolved at the moment. Getting to the secret kingdom and the enemies suddenly becoming lovers just felt really fast and sudden. Just felt a bit jarring to race towards the finish line and all of a sudden it was over.

This was an easy read and one i would recommend to fans of SJM, Sarah A Parker and Rebecca Yarros.

With a great plot, well-rounded characters and just enough intrigue to spur you on, Dragonhart does a wonderful job of keeping you engaged.

Dragonhart had such a good plot--an enemies to lovers trope that really made you wonder if the enemies would become lovers, a morally grey FMC, a fight against evil, and of course: dragons (which improve just about any book, if you ask me).

I struggled at first to immerse myself into the story because of recurring awkward wording choices, but when I set the book aside I found myself drawn back because I genuinely wanted to know what was going to happen next--the sign of a good plot and intriguing storyline if ever there was one.

This book is for those who love dragons and FMCs more feral than those dragons.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I had so much fun reading Dragonheart. It's one of those fantasies that are so easy to fall into! Highly recommend.

If you just finished Throne of Glass and need more of those vibes, you might like this. I, however, did not. The whole book is all tell and no show and thus fell flat. It also has a very YA feel, but it's not actually YA.

Arla is one of the most unlikeable, rude characters I've ever met. She's also supposed to be the King's Assassin, but she's 19 and way too impulsive for her job. She constantly loses her composure and is rude to everyone. It's annoying.

For a romantasy, it felt like both the romance and magical world building were wildly underdeveloped. All of a sudden the main characters with no sexual tension and clearly hate each other are kissing. Then they love each other and I did not see how they got to that point.

Maybe the worldbuilding behind the magic and dragons will come in later books, but I wish there had been more of a setup for it because I just didn't care and was bored at a certain point. At about 70% in, the story starts to pick up and feel less like a Throne of Glass copycat, but it wasn't enough to pull me in.

If you ignore a lot of plot holes and are just here for the vibes, you'll enjoy it. I was just very disappointed and will not be continuing the series.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

CW: language, sex

This book had so much potential, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. Arla was frustrating, her behavior felt immature for a king’s assassin and the constant reminders of her title didn’t help. Hark had his moments but their arguments in the first half were exhausting. The worldbuilding, especially the fantasy elements, was underdeveloped, making it hard to care about the lore or the dragons. While the story picked up later on, it wasn’t enough to fully redeem the book for me. I wanted this to be my next obsession, but sadly, it missed the mark :(

This was a really easy fantasy to get into. I was immedietly invested in the characters and loved how sassy Arla was. Enemies to Lovers is my favourite trope and I do think it pulled it off well! It was fun and faced paced, but it did feel simiilar to some other books I have read. The vibes were great and I would recommend it!

This was a strong debut novel and I liked the premise - a girl rises from her humble beginnings as an orphan to become an assassin, then is sent on a quest to help save the kingdom. There was a decent amount happening in the plot that kept me turning the pages.

For me, the characters could have used more development. Arla is designed to be a strong female lead, but comes across as cocky (and sometimes doesn't seem good at her job). She read as more of a YA character, holding a grudge and generalising in a way that came across as a bit childish. This might be because she's young (one could argue too young for the job her character has been given) but it makes her a bit unlikable at times. She shows some growth as the book goes on, but I think she could have been better developed. I liked Hark, but again despite having sections from his POV we didn't get a ton of depth or character development.

Overall, the plot was fun - your typical romantasy, with a twist and some dragons thrown in. It wasn't anything mind blowing but it was an easy read that kept me engaged. I think the author shows a lot of promise and look forward to future books.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I'll be honest - I lost all respect for Arla over the business with the bow and arrow. She is the worst assassin who ever assassinated in fiction! Oh, you're bad with a bow and arrow but you love it? Well you've got two options cupcake. Either don't waste energy carrying it, and then risk your life using it, OR you PRACTICE. You practice until your arms tremble and your fingers bleed and you can hit a bullseye every time! She tantrums in lieu of a personality, she's foolish, she's reckless, and her character type has been done before WAY better. The writing is quite overblown, apart from the fight scenes which are distinctly half-baked. Annoyingly I may be tempted to read the sequel because something compelled me to finish it, but I will definitely approach with caution!

Dragonhart is a very well written book. I can tell that the author has talent when it comes to writing and I enjoyed reading it. What I wasn’t a huge fan of was that it felt like it took the story of assassins blade and fourth wing and combined them. There were parts that felt like I was just rereading the style of those two stories. I enjoyed the book but the I didn’t feel like there was any new component to a storyline that has already been created by other authors. The relationship between Arla and Hark was fun to read, I always enjoy enemies to lovers and they had well written banter. Arla was basically Celeana Sardothien, full of confidence and the kings assassin… and then suddenly there are two sassy dragons thrown into the mix adding commentary to Arlas’ antics - we’ve seen this done before…
It’s hard to rate this book because it was good, but is that because it follows a pattern of two other books that have been very successful?
If you are someone that misses the world of throne of glass and fourth wing then this book gives you a nostalgic feeling of those worlds. Personally I would have liked to have seen something a little different.
The world building was very descriptive and the characters were well written, if you’re new to fantasy then this is a great one to start with.

Let’s talk Dragonhart 🐉✨—because this book had me feral one moment and then side-eyeing certain choices the next 👀. It’s giving Rebecca Yarros and Sarah A. Parker vibes, but with a more classic fantasy feel.
Enemies-to-lovers? ✔️
Forced proximity? ✔️
Dragons (kinda)? ✔️
Magic, political intrigue, and a morally grey assassin FMC? Absolutely.

What I LOVED 💖
🔹 Hark Stappen—cocky, charming, infuriating ambassador? Say less. He’s got that “smirks while dodging knives” energy, and I lived for his constant back-and-forth with Arla. The banter was top-tier, no notes.
🔹 Arla as an assassin? Chef’s kiss 🍽️ She’s broody, ruthless, and so done with everyone. If you love an FMC who throws knives before words, she’s your girl.
🔹 Hark’s found family—Sebastian, Jack, and Kase were giving chaotic family energy, and I’d happily read a spin-off about them.
🔹 The romance? TENSION CITY. "I hate you." "Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart." SCREAMING. That first kiss? That fuck it moment? I died. Resurrected. And died again.

😬 What didn’t quite hit:
• The final battle felt like it was speedrunning its way to the finish line. Like, where was the angst, the epic payoff, the glory?! I needed more tension, more high stakes. Arla’s revenge arc had all the right ingredients but ended up a little undercooked.
• The dragons. Were they cool? The concept was intriguing. But I wanted more. More lore, more presence, more fire-breathing chaos. If you promise me dragons, I expect to FEEL their power in the story.
• The somewhat predictable plot. It was engaging, don’t get me wrong, but if you read a lot of fantasy romance, you could see some twists coming from a mile away.

Favourite Quotes (aka proof of my slow descent into madness)

🔹 "Gods, I'd love to stab you."
"I'd like to see you try, sweetheart."

🔹 "This is a bad idea."
"The worst."
“I don’t even like you.”
“You’re the bane of my life…
Fuck it.”

🔹 "When I touch you again, I want you to remember every second of it."

Final Thoughts ✨
If you love an angsty enemies-to-lovers romance with deadly banter, a broody assassin FMC, and a golden retriever menace of an MMC, Dragonhart delivers. It’s not perfect, but it was still a damn good time. Just be prepared for that ending to leave you wanting a bit more.

3.75 ⭐️—because Hark and Arla’s banter alone deserves it.

I enjoyed this book! I love a good feisty FMC who stands up for herself and takes no b*llsh*t from others and Dragonhart delivers that. The story did start a bit slow and therefore it took me a while to get into it. This made me lose interest in the story during the first part of the book. However, assassins, dragons and romance all make up for that in the rest for the story since they form the perfect combination for a thrilling Romantasy!

Dragonhart by Abbie Eaton is a fantasy novel filled with magic, dragons, and political intrigue. It follows assassin Arla Reinhart, who is forced to work with Hark Stappen, an ambassador from a rival kingdom responsible for her family's death. Together, they uncover dark secrets threatening their lands.

Pros:
✔ Engaging enemies-to-lovers dynamic – Arla and Hark’s relationship is filled with tension.
✔ Strong world-building – The magical setting and dragons are well-crafted.

Cons:
✘ Character inconsistencies – Arla’s skills as an assassin sometimes feel underdeveloped.
✘ Slow start – The story takes time to build momentum.

Despite some pacing and character issues, Dragonhart is an enjoyable read for fantasy lovers who appreciate adventure and romance.

Final rating: ★★★½ (3.5/5)

A lot of potential here but didn’t meet it.

Arla was so irritating omg I wanted to pull my hair out. She argued like a literal child and felt like a forced character. She’s supposed to be a kings assassin but was proven incompetent like half the book.

Hark deserved better. But then again he would argue back in the first half of the book and I was like 🥴 the things he said didn’t leave the best impression icel.

The fantasy aspect wasn’t properly introduced and I lost complete interest halfway thru for me to want to care about the dragons or the lore.

So disappointed because I was really expecting this to be the next best thing 💔

ೃ⁀➷ Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC! ♥︎