A fun read for fans of the romantasy genre, I enjoyed this book even if there was a lot of “tell” and not so much “show”. The plot was interesting and I liked the characters. The MFC reminded me a lot of the MFC of the Throne of Glass series at first, but overall I enjoyed this book and found it fun even if I struggled to finish it. 3.25/5

what a story. was it predictable yes? did i love that? also yes. i really enjoyed the plot and the characters development. i also liked the romance in the end, though i must admit that it felt like 0 to 100 at the end.

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

This book was just wow! I loved it! The writing was really goose the plot, the story and the fmc…loved her!!!!

Just to mention while reading this I had a bereavement in the family, this is why it took me so long to read )
I was gifted this as am advance reader copy,I really enjoyed reading it ,it had a little bit of everything ,I enjoyed the characters ,there wasn't too many for me to keep up with and the different dynamics and purposes they have.
The only one little negative thing I can say is that we as the reader gets reminded a lot that she's an assassin and the abilities she has but it never bothered me to much just the only thing I can point out.
I would say read this book it's a good easy read which you will enjoy

While this book had so much potential and a really interesting plot, I could not finish it because of how frustrating it was to be inside the main characters head. Arla was infuriating both in her immaturity and unearned cockiness. While this could have been an interesting place to develop a character from, there was nothing the entire book! Honestly I just feel disappointed.

3.75 ⭐ thank you Harper Collins Uk, One more chapter & NetGalley.
Enjoyed this one. A true slow burn and enemies to lovers with Arla & Hark.
Arla Reinhart the kings assassin tasked with uncovering the problems in the north of the kingdom is paired with the arrogant ambassador of the enemy kingdom Hark.

Arla is a fiercely independent FMC who most of the time contrasted between bold and confident vs arrogant and bratty. I found her to be a decent FMC in terms of character most of the time however was sometimes irritated by her incessant need to remind everyone that she could kill them easily despite being caught off guard multiple times.

I enjoyed the snippets of banter between the two and felt that this was a good level of enemies to lovers that spanned through out the plot. However, I almost felt that there were not fully developed relationships with the side characters. Definitely wanted more of Seb!

I suspected Harks royal ties from the beginning but found that this revelation was a satisfying element to uncover as Arla does.

I wasn’t sure how or when the dragon part was going to come into play but felt that this was almost a sub plot as there wasn’t much of it? I’m hoping it is fleshed out later on in the series.

‘For once in your life Reinhart, just do as you’re fucking told’ made me laugh

DRAGON FANS REJOICE! THIS IS BOOK IS A MUST READ FOR YOU. READ IT. THAT'S AN ORDER! SERIOUSLY, READ THIS

I found this story to have a lot of potential but it seems rather unpolished. The FMC was hard to get behind as it felt she was just a copied model of some other "famous" FMC types. The book didn't feel adult in its prose. It seemed to lean more immature.

Books with dragons are always on my insta-read list. I will quite literally drop whatever I'm reading to devour them. When I first started reading this, I couldn't believe it was a debut.

Read this if you're a fan of:
- DRAGONS
- A well fleshed out FMC
- Political intrigue
- Enemies to lovers
- High stake romance
- Forced proximity

In a world that is becoming more and more full of dragon romantasy books, this is definitely a standout.

I loved it!!! It has its own unique twist on much loved storylines. Arla can be stubborn, stabby and too much, but I like a stabby and too much FMC! 🗡️♥️🔥 I’m thrilled by her banter with Hark, and attitude with people in general. There are some gut wrenching realizations and hard truths that are heartbreaking, and others that feel so right, which definitely keeps it interesting. The writing is fabulous. Plus magic and dragons, what’s not to love?

Aelin, I’m sorry, ARLA is the royal assassin of the King of Adarlan. Nope sorry again, HADALN. She’s 16, no sorry, 18(just legal enough to make this romance work am I right?) in a world that has dragon and the magic wieldera are eradicated. Copy and paste Throne of Glass tropes aside(I’m aware these are regular tropes) the writing isn’t strong enough to give this book its own voice. It feels like a watered down Throne of Glass almost fanfiction with spice.

Would not recommend.

The premise of this book was really intriguing but unfortunately I just wasn't pulled in by the plot. It started out interesting but then it was too slow paced for me to keep my attention. I wish the author the best of luck.

Overall rating: 3.5

I was really excited going into this book. And I’m not disappointed, maybe a little critical, but not disappointed. I feel like this book has a lot of potential, but I also had some consistent gripes that I couldn’t overcome.

Arla felt like a watered-down version of Aelin/Celaena from Throne of Glass. Like extreme similarities. From Arla’s blonde hair to her “King’s Assassin” role with immense “swagger” to her (of course) loving books and luxury, and even her being an orphan (there were even similarities on how she became an orphan!). A lot of points during the book gave me deja vu…in a carbon copy sort of way. She also didn’t quite fit her role. For an esteemed assassin, I would expect her to be quite skilled. Instead, she easily gets distracted during fights by a boy, a telepathic conversation with a dragon, or even her own thoughts. She also sucks with a bow and arrow and is permanently injured. She is *also* incredibly rash and hotheaded (hello Celaena, again). It makes me question how and why she is trusted with serious political matters.

And speaking of serious political matters…I still don’t understand why the king put her up for the mission knowing her personal philosophies. For me, that was never explained and we just moved on.

The book was also just too much at times. It felt as though it tried to hit EVERY young adult trope (I won’t get into it in fear of spoiling, but if you can think of a fantasy trope, it’s likely in there). At times, it felt like going down a checklist of common plot points instead of plot points being relevant to the storyline.

As for Arla and Hark’s romance. I wasn’t completely mad at it. They were cute in a way, their banter was enjoyable. But there wasn’t a transition from banter to friends to romance. They were playful, then got intimate, then were still enemies (?), then were in love. It was odd—not quite insta-love, but not quite developed either. It was also unnecessarily angsty. A lot of their issues could’ve been avoided from simple communication.

I liked the magic system. I wish it was explained a lot more, but I still enjoyed it. There were a lot of snippet descriptions of the system—the existence of gods, a war, the concept of lineages. However, we don’t get much more than that. I would’ve loved to hear about who the gods were, why they were important, how it connected to the present-day issues. I also would’ve loved more worldbuilding. I enjoyed learning about Hadalyn and Kastonia. Their divides were well explained and I liked the contrast of their cultures (colors, religions/beliefs, etc) despite their similarities. However, we get told of a continent with six other kingdoms one time, then never again. The continent isn’t even on the map. I would’ve loved to learn more about the kingdoms. Do they believe in magic? Do they have conflicts with Hadalyn and Kastonia?

All that being said, I was very compelled to read this novel. Despite my questions, I wasn’t so thrown off that I had to DNF. I didn’t even struggle to read it, and finished it quite quickly. I enjoyed seeing Arla’s growth and her and Hark’s journey. The battle/violent scenes were entertaining and didn’t feel plot-armored. I liked seeing Hark interact with his friend group (Arla…meh, she was incredibly self righteous and angsty). The side characters were pretty diverse to where I was not overwhelmed by their similarities. I also enjoyed learning about the conflict alongside Arla, as well as watching her deal with both her emotions and the issue at hand. It was at those points that Hark and Arla’s relationship swelled and felt authentic.
All and all, an enjoyable read, especially for young adult audiences. I look forward to reading the sequel when it’s released.

* I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I made it to the 35% mark and unfortunately will not be finishing the book. Without being too harsh, the writing needs a lot of work, or perhaps to be marketed to a different audience as it never once felt like an adult fantasy, and felt more aligned with a middle years tone.

The FMC felt like a copy of Calaena Sardothian from Throne of Glass, which was difficult to get past and I had difficulty connecting with or finding her likable.

I think the plot has potential, just needs a lot of work. I know this is the authors debut, and I could see her polishing the book and her work and doing well in the future.

I was gifted an arc on NetGalley - all thoughts are mine.

Dragonhart is a debut novel and has all the bones and elements of a well loved book. It resides from a time where dragons and gods have gone, where our FMC has had to endure the death of her parents because of the crown. It follows Arla, a well-known Assassin as she falls for a MMC who is grumpy, and the ambassador for kingdom she's blames for their death. To her, he is part of the enemy but she can't help falling for his trap.

The world was cute and thrilling, the writing style was refreshing, though at times read like a young adult with alot more spice. I also found there to be too much repetition on reminding you Arla was the King's assassin as though after a chapter or two we would forget. But I still kept reading, I still got hooked as I fell into her story and joined the characters on an adventure where she wasn't unbeatable, where there was political war and plot twists snaked through its pages and where the romance had banter as the enemies became lovers and spice flowed through the writing. The whole book game me a refreshed throne of glass feel and I am excited to see where the author takes this world next.

What a debut novel - fantasy writing at its best with great worldbuilding and characters
that you can become invested in
Arla has trained to be the best , the best assassin the kingdom has , ruled by her sense of right and wrong .
She no longer believes in the old religion of Gods, Dragons and Magic - where was it when she needed it ?
Now her King has need of her , she is to work with her enemy , Hark Stappen , Ambassador from a neighbouring
Kingdom ........................... what can go wrong , the journey starts here
This book was captivating from the start -, politics , magic , an enemies to lovers scenario and not least DRAGONS
I would recommend this book for any fantasy readers who want to try new Authors and be enthralled
from start to finish

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I think this book is a good introduction into fantasy romance for readers who have not yet read a book in this genre. This book has a plot that is very easy to follow, with not too much high fsntasy elements. Also the characters and their relationships are entertaining and fun, without too much angst.

I sincerely hope there's more to Arla and Hark's story and a sequel comes soon. From the beginning, it was compelling to follow Arla on her journey through her life as she knew it because you were just drawn into it. Arla who is a little rough around the edges but soft on the inside isn'tthe heroine you'd imagine initially maybe but she really does grow on you. I also loved that she wasn't prim and proper and had a bit of fight in her. Whilst I was pessimistic about their bond and how it could grow so quickly, it wasn't completely unfathomable and what romance doesn't have its unclear moments and 'how did we get here actually'

All in all this was really such a great read and I'm really looking forward to what comes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC.

This was definitely an impressive debut novel and a great start to a new romantasy series.
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters dynamics and relationships, however, even though I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers romance, I would have liked the romance to but drawn out further, creating more tension and yearning between the two before the point of breaking.
The premise was also really interesting and the pace of the novel allowed for the perfect level of intrigue and tension. I would however liked for more use of the dragons as a plot device as it felt very minimal.

I think this book is a good introduction into fantasy romance! It is very easy to get into and the characters are vibrant and entertaining. While this wasn't the best fit for me, it's one I would recommend! I will definitely recommend it to those who want enemies to lovers and a very stabby FMC!