This had a lot of potential and I was interested in the storyline itself.

However it was sadly one dimensional. I felt that I was being told rather than shown the story. Unfortunately I didn’t connect with the characters and there was no tangible chemistry between them so I didn’t invest in their relationships.

I love female rage but it’s Arla’s only characteristic the majority of the time and it makes her hard to connect with, certainly in the first half of the book.

Also considering she is supposed to be an incredible assassin she’s constantly being followed, snuck up on and bested. I could possibly appreciate her attitude if she really was that good but she’s arrogant, stubborn and rude to a fault making her incredibly dislikable.

There were several plot holes and issues between characters which were frustratingly brushed over.

The pacing is off and the language is very repetitive, it felt like every other sentence contained the word Gods which really was grating before the end.

Overall the book did improve towards the end but sadly not enough to save it for me.

This book was pretty average. I would give it a 3.75. It felt like a lot of things in this book were taken from other books. Arla, the FMC, felt very Celaena coded to me, but it was like taking all the worst things about Celaena and making it the character's personality. I did not like the FMC, she was extremely arrogant and hardheaded, the whole book she was sitting on her high horse and her arrogance got the best of her. She was extremely reactionary, to the point the MMC, Hark, could not even cue her into things because she would mess it up. The whole mission she could not let it go that the Kastonian government slaughtered her parents and took it out on the Ambassador who is only slightly older than her. She was super annoying and sort of ruined the book and even the romance. She was so arrogant she missed the fact that Hark had the same eyes as Elrod, the Kastonian King. It was very obvious that Hark was the heir and she skipped right over it because she was acting like a child. I did appreciate that she was actually good at fighting and not just said she was. The whole premise of the book was that she was going to find the dragons and predictably she did. After spending the whole book making everyone who said that magic, gods, and dragons were real the moment she saw concrete proof that it was real she knew how to get to the dragons. The dragon's personality was very reminiscent of Fourth Wing and that was a bit off putting.At the end when everything is over and Hark professes his love it was very reminiscent of Rhys and Feyre. The secret town that Hark built and hid from the world to protect people and the way he talks to Arla was too similar for me. Also, like Arla who is prophesized to save the world is just going to stay in this secret city and not trying to change the current world. She is just going to forget all those suffer in Kastonia at the hand of Elrod... I mean what was the point of the prophecy then. The ending made no sense, and I felt like the book dragged on to just end like that. I really enjoyed the romance between Hark and Arla but not enough to get over her behavior. The world felt extremely underdeveloped, there was no explanation how the magic worked or how Hark could build a town over the north border and that land belong to no kingdom. I am curious how the series will go, and I think this could have been a big book but Arla ruins it.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is ADDICTING. This book centers around a world where the dragons and gods have vanished and kingdoms are on the verge of collapse. Arla is the king's assassin who must partner with her sworn enemy, the neighboring kingdom's ambassador.

The enemies to lovers vibes were real. It wasn't just that they disliked each other, it went a layer deeper because of what happened between their countries.

I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Overall, the setup of the book is very fun! You have an assassin female protagonist forced to team up with her enemy nation’s ambassador for a mission to stop mysteriously disappearing traded goods. And of course the whispers of magic and dragons that have long since disappeared, what’s not to love?

Although I am a huge fan of enemies to lovers in a Romantasies, I think the change from actual enemies to lovers went both too quickly and too slowly. I was itching for them to get together throughout the first half of this book, but they kept treating each other HORRIBLY that I had no hope. And when they did get together, it felt off putting and unnatural to me. Some plotlines did feel predictable, but I am intrigued to see how this sets up the rest of the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Dragonhart was a great debut novel to quench my Onyx Storm hangover. Arla Reinhart, FMC me of Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass. A King's assassin, known for her formidable reputation and quick wit. I will say she was extremely off putting and arrogant but I feel that this gives the author a path to have a really wonderful character arc with her in future books in the series.

The pacing was tough. The first half of the book felt slow and uninvolved while the final quarter felt a bit rushed. Overall though, I was fond of the world building and thought the story has a lot of potential to build off of this first installment.

Solid 3.5 stars and I’ll be picking up a copy when it’s released next month!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, One More Chapter/Harper Collins, and the author for the chance to review this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley! ARC read - releasing in April 2025.
A solid 3-3.5 stars - a good romantasy story just missing some depth and chemistry. This has all the right components, but was missing an element of connection to the characters and fire in the relationship between Arla and Hark.

Arla was taken in as a child by the king, an orphan, she trained her way up to become a soldier and then earned the title of the kings assassin. Knowing nothing but violence, she was happy to lead her life in service to the king. Her newest mission would bring her to a neighbouring kingdom that took everything from her. But what's worse than heading into enemy territory in the cold winter? Having to go with the ambassador whose arrogance and ego drive you crazy. Hark and Arla have always had a tenuous relationship, so why not send them off together on a mission? But as secrets and betrayals come to light, Arla realizes that nothing is as it seems in this world of kings, dragons and magic.

Thank you for this early copy, NetGalley!

Dragonhart's premise is really what sold me in to wanting to read this book. While I liked the idea of this, honestly the execution just wasn't for me. I am all for taking inspiration from other books/characters, but this one really felt like a direct reference to Throne of Glass with this main female character. I enjoyed her, but she just didn't feel unique and there were times I just couldn't connect with her. I did enjoy this premise and the male main character, but some of the pacing of this just threw me off. I was hoping for more dragons in this, and I felt the ending was rushed. Overall, this was fine. I'm intrigued enough to wonder what is next, but this was just fine. I'm hoping if this is a series that there is a bit more substance to the story and to the characters themselves.

There is so much potential within this story. It's very close to being one of those epic stories and I have little doubt that its going to be a hit on booktok but personally this wasn't one for me.

I really struggled to connect to the FMC. Yes, she had been through unimaginable trauma and had lost so much. But she comes out looking like an awkward, spoilt, arrogant child who has no idea of the real world. She's 18 and a master assassin except everyone in the kingdom and beyond knows exactly who she is?

She is mad at our MMC no matter what. Mad at him for the crimes of his kingdom. Mad at him for being arrogant. Mad at him... for actually being a good guy and fighting injustice? Mad at him for doing what she wanted to do, and has been doing? I'm very confused. She's mad at him, yet within days bonds with the Prince of the enemy kingdom, who by virtual of his actual blood is way closer to the actual crimes she is obsessed with. So somehow she can separate the literal son of her family's murderer from his crimes, yet cannot do the same for any other innocent within that kingdom?

Also she hated one of the only two 'proper' female side characters, and as far as I could tell, she hated her... because she was a woman? There was a hint at first that she was jealous of her, which ok, could understand, but then as the story carried on, it seemed like she just hated her because she was another woman. Yay for women on women hate?

However. The book did start to pick up for me after the first third, once the truth about the shipments were revealed. Yes, the MFC carried on blaming the MMC for everything which wore thin very quickly, as did her arrogant 'I'm the best' behaviour, but as the story really started to focus in on what was going on, it did pick up. I wanted to like it so much more than I did, and I will probably read the next one because I care enough about the world, if not many of the individual characters.

Dragonhart is the debut novel by Abbie Eaton set to release on April 18, 2025

Arla is our FMC and the King's assassin and is sent on a mission with the ambassador of the neighboring kingdom, Hark Stappen. Their story is one of hidden secrets, hatred born from misunderstandings and past prejudices and realizing that things aren’t always as they seem.

What you will find:
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Rival Kingdoms
Revenge
Dragons
Secret Magic

Spice level: 1/5 One short scene with a few references
Romance: 3/5 Watching our royal assassin realize just how much she cared for the dangerous ambassador she thought she loved to hate was *chef's kiss* perfection.
Pacing: The pacing starts slowly and picks up as the book enters the second half.
Worldbuilding: 3/5 Vivid descriptions and I’m looking forward to finding out more about Eaton’s world
Violence: 2/5 She is an assassin…
Additional info: Dragons show up in the last 30% of the book and we hope there is a Book 2 for more!
Favorite character: I enjoyed following Arla and her journey from where she came from to where she's headed
Favorite quote: “Everybody has a little bit of magic in them, Miss Reinhart, if only you know where to look…”

The book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, but there’s still so much left to explore. I’m really hoping for a sequel that picks up right where Book 1 leaves off. I need more of Arla and Hark now that they’ve finally acknowledged their feelings for each other. And...I’d love to see more of the side characters—Jack, Sebastian, and Kase. You know I’m all about those side characters!

I did receive this arc on NetGalley, thank you NetGalley & One More Chapter/Harper Collins UK for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love a dragon book, but this one wasn't really a winner. The main character was very frustrating, and I couldn't connect with her at all. That made the book a bit of a struggle to get through and I found myself not really enjoying it, even though the plot had a lot of promise.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to Netgalley, One More Chapter/Harper Collins and Abbie Heaten for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Dragonhart is a YA fantasy romance introducing us to Arla Reinhart, the King's assassin and has a fearsome reputation throughout the kingdoms. She is forced to work with Hark Stappen who is from a rival kingdom, who were responsible for the death of her parents. Arla is out for revenge but needs to investigate why shipments are going missing with him.

As they start to work together Arla learns more about magic, gods and dragons in her world which she thought were mere stories. She also begins to see Hark for more than just the disliked ambassador she perseved him as.

This book does have TOG vibes with Arla's role and her sassy attitude, it does also say Fourth Wing but I would only say in the bond she creates later in the plot.

It took me a while to warm up to this book but at 60% something started clicking into place, it is a slow paced story. I do rate this at 3.75 but have rounded up to 4 star. Arla isn't the easiest character to connect with at the beginning, which may have been done on purpose to give her the arrogant assassin profile, but hopefully if this story continues she will develop more.

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

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Lost magic
Multi POV
Forced proximity/reluctant partnership
Slow burn
Revenge seeking FMC

It was like reading a blended version of Dance of Thieves, Queen of Shadows, From Blood & Ash and Fourth Wing without the substance.

I really enjoyed this book at times. However, I was constantly being jolted into plot lines and characters from other books.

The enemies to lovers didn’t have enough slow burn tension. It seemed like they tried to use as many tropes as possible in this book. One bed at the inn, who did this to you, fuck it, close proximity, enemies to lovers. It was too many things at once with not enough depth.

The author did have a talented way of writing suspense into her scenes, which I loved!

2.5 rounded up.


Thank you Netgalley & HarperCollins for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

2 stars DNF at 11%
Thank you to NetGallery and HarperCollins UK publishing for allowing me to read this debut.
I would rate this 1 star but I don't think it's fair enough for me to rate it that as I didn't get far enough in. From the first chapter I had a feeling this wasn't going to be for me, and I acknowledge that I've barely read it so it may have gotten better I just don't like the set up so far. I will say I probably didn't get far enough to get world building as quite frankly I don't have the patience. I've read most of the other reviews and I came to the conclusion that it's not worth it for me to continue. I find this writing style petulant and it reads like young teenagers arguing over something that the context doesn't make the cut for me. I will say it's taken me like 3 or 4 days of continually picking the book and setting it down. Which is really unfortunate for me as when interest is gone, motivation takes over for me and I guess it just didn't work. Now if people don't have expectations going in I think it'd be better and obviously this story has become beloved by some and I wish the best reading experience to all those who decide to pick it up!

Thank you NetGallery and HarperCollins UK once again!

Beneath Castle Grey, there are dragons in a slumber so deep, not even the gods can wake them. This is what Arla had been told when she was a little girl. But now, at eighteen, she was vicious, and angry, and did not believe in the dragons that had once served the gods.

Dragonhart is a debut novel promising an enemies-to-lovers arc between Arla Reinhart, the King’s Assassin, and Hark Stappen, ambassador to her opposing kingdom, all set in the backdrop of a world with gods, dragons, and magic.

Unfortunately, the book doesn’t quite manage to deliver on its premise. The largest problem was the FMC, Arla. She’s extremely arrogant and rude to almost everyone around her. It began to grate about halfway through the book, when she showed absolutely no signs of changing. There was potential for a wonderful character arc with Arla learning to grow beyond her role, but it just…never happens. The interactions between her and Kase, one of the only other female characters, is absolutely terrible. Arla constantly puts her down in a way that feels very specific to being a woman. Arla begins as a haughty assassin, and stays there the rest of the novel.

The best comparison I have is a Temu Aelin, from the Throne of Glass series.

Then we have the MMC, Hark Stappen. He has several POV chapters, though they are infrequent and short. He wasn’t bad, just unremarkable. There was a significant lack of chemistry between Arla and him. I was just waiting for a moment when I could begin to root for their romance, but it just never really clicked.

The plot is what showed the most promise for me. I thought some of the worldbuilding with hidden dragons and gods was fascinating, but the story leans away from it until the last third of the book. Instead, we’re left with Arla complaining about how much she hates Hark and how magic isn’t real for the thousandth time.

Overall, Dragonhart was not for me. If you’re searching for a cure for your Throne of Glass series hangover with dragons and a rage-filled FMC, you may enjoy it more.

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

I felt the immediate Thorn of Glass vibes and I wasn't feeling it. Felt like I needed more backstory than I got. I immediately didn't feel connected to the characters.

Really enjoyed this book overall dragonhart is a promising work with solid characters and a compelling plot perfect for romantasy lovers

I LOVED this. The story was a great mix of epic adventure, moving moments and quick wits. I loved that both the FMC and MMC were snarky, vicious and soft only for each other. The ‘who did this to you’ trope will always get me!

This would’ve been a 5 of not for a few things - but I’m nitpicking.:
1- The main issue was found in the first 20% or so of the book; how repetitive Arla was in stating her hatred of the other kingdom. As a reader, you start to feel taken for a fool and annoyed if you read 5 different times that the character hates X or Z. Once or twice was enough, we get it!

2- The pace was slow which didn’t bother me at all, but the ending felt quite rushed. The discovery in the undergrounds was only 1-2 pages, and the big speech at the end between the two MC felt a bit flat compared to the whole book…

I’m super excited for the next book and this one hasn’t even been published haha!

Had good ingredients strong female lead, action, hints of dragons, adventure. It was too much of a cozy read for me, light and without the depth and complexity of characters that I love. Might suit those looking for a light read romcom. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and One More Chapter for the eArc of Dragonhart

3.75⭐️/5

Overall I really enjoyed the story and it reminded me a little of Throne of Glass with the main character being a female assassin for the king but also struggling a little morally with the killing she carries out. The romance between the two main characters was enemies to lovers, which i always enjoy but sometimes in the beginning the mmc would annoy me with how he would regret the hurtful things he would say but then continue to say them. The world building was good but I wish there had been a but more explanation in the end but I don't want to include any spoilers.

A great debut for the fantasy / romantasy genre. Abbie Eaton has managed to pull together a cast of characters that will open up a great series.
Our FMC is strong and a clear leader from the start and never wavers from that character type. I also like that the author doesn’t turn her into a hidden magic wielder, even though she is really a hidden prophecy in her own right but it doesn’t take away anything of what she has achieved in her own right.
The romance between her and Hark is definitely one that leans on the love hate and creates some banter and sparks.
I’m not sure I’m a fan of the ending and maybe the Dragonhart element of the story is almost like an afterthought and felt like it had been woven in towards the end of writing or even editing…maybe this is where it will open up if it does become a series…who knows, but I do think whether it’s Dragonharts or Harks crew I’ll be looking out for future Abbie Eaton books and this series in particular

I received this book as an ARC and provide an honest review