The Dragonhart blurb dragged me in. I mean, I'm a sucker for books with dragons, especially dragon rider books. Who wouldn't want to have a companion that could breathe fire, fly you into the sky and take you where ever you want, and would know you like no one else could. That's pretty dope!

Arla Reinhart is our FMC, the King's Assassin, who is destined to be a dragon rider and I was so looking forward to read a new story, promised to be the newest most awesome book with the tropes we have been force-fed lately. Arla's past trauma is definitely a heavy one that influences her greatly, which is understandable, but it turned her into a one dimensional character. Everything is black and white to her, and while reading this my internal commentary was: "you need some intensive therapy, honey!" She's young enough that her brain isn't fully developed so I'm willing to give her some grace, despite my jaw ache from grinding my teeth.

The tropes 'forced proximity', 'FMC seeking revenge', and 'enemies to lovers' I can stomach when they are done right, but they were a bit wishy-washy here but definitely crafted better than other books I've read lately.

The enemy in the enemies to lovers trope, Hark Stappen is a real enemy - ambassador for the country is the reason behind Arla being an orphan, the consequent trauma, and the need for revenge. "He is arrogant, but handsome" and by the color of his blood he is hated on principle (the invisible line decided by humans on a map determines the color of blood, apparently).

They want to kill each other, which makes them enemies in my opinion, unlike how "bully and victim" is portrayed as "enemies to lovers" nowadays. Why oh why is bullying being romanticising?! It's not sexy, it's traumatising! You can't change my mind on that! Sorry, pet peeve rant over...

The promised dragons showed up late in the book but the build-up was necessary, and since it's a series I will be enjoying my favourite fantasy creature (hopefully) from page one in book two!

There's nothing groundbreaking in this book, or nothing I haven't read before, but it was still a decent read. Dragonhart is a debut so hopefully the annoyances I had with this book will be smoothed out, and shades and dimensions will be added, as Abbie Eaton progresses in her career.

2.75 stars rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review. The opinions are my own.

Fun fact: "Arla Foods" is a Danish-Swedish multinational co-operative and the fifth biggest dairy company in the world, and main producer of dairy products in Scandinavia. I could not get that fact out of my head! It was a bit distracting!

I knew better than to trust the hype — I picked this up for the dragons (because, of course), but I should’ve turned back the moment I saw it compared to books I can’t stand.

Even with low expectations, I still ended up frustrated. Dragonhart felt like eating chicken soup without the chicken — bland, forgettable, and lacking substance.

Here’s what I look for in a book, and what this one didn’t deliver:

Complex characters with actual flaws and growth — not another edgy Mary Sue.
Something memorable, even if it’s weird or niche. This left zero impression.
Consistent, show-don’t-tell storytelling. This was more like a dry essay.
Dialogue with depth, but even the banter felt completely flat. A book has room for rich, layered conversations, but this felt like a poor script. If I wanted that, I’d watch a movie.
Tropes with purpose. I love a good trope when done well. Forced proximity? Guilty pleasure. But this book felt like a treadmill of tropes crammed in for the sake of trendiness, with no deeper purpose or story arc.

A story isn’t just point A to Z. The magic lies in all the messy, meaningful letters in between. And unfortunately, Dragonhart just didn’t spell anything worth reading.

Maybe this book will work better for readers who don’t mind vague storytelling and just want to turn off their brain after a long day, but it left me cold.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, for the ARC!

2.75 ⭐️

overall, i absolutely loved the premise of this book.. it seemed exciting gripping and very very fun to read.... i just feel like the characters were super immature and it read so much more like a YA despite it clearly being a new adult book.

plot˖˚⊹ ꣑ৎ‎
i loved the plot and how fast-paced the story was. it genuinely gripped me and i had a fun time reading it. i felt the tension between the characters was a good gradual build and the different elements of the story were super engaging!

characters˖˚⊹ ꣑ৎ‎
I actually really struggled through the book to read about the characters. The dialogue and their actions felt so elementary. it just felt so jarring to me compared to the plot and the backstory of these characters to have them behave the way they did.

overall, i really loved the premise and i will be reading the next one ... to answer all my unanswered questions !

I really want3d to love this. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me. Might be the most bland book I have read. Everyone and everything feels incredibly one-dimensional. I just felt like this was a case of who the story input characters and then input plot. I DNF at 45%. I just couldn’t continue. I am sure others will enjoy this.

Sadly this is not for me. Might be the most bland book I have read. Everyone and everything feels incredibly one-dimensional. I just felt like this was a case of who the story input characters and then input plot. I DNF at 45%. I just couldn’t continue.

I had high hopes but this really missed the mark for me. It could literally be any other carbon copy enemies to lovers fantasy. The characters were one dimensional and annoying, the romance wasn't very believable and was pretty typical, and it just felt very juvenile overall. I liked the worldbuilding and the dragons and it had potential but didn't reach it

Dragonhart follows our FMC, Arla, the kings assassin on a mission to a neighbouring kingdom alongside their frustrating yet charming ambassador, Hark. This tale gives us magic, dragons, and a forced proximity enemies to lovers plot that you just can’t resist.

I found that the book was a little slow to get going at first, but as I progressed I couldn’t help but feel drawn into the Throne Of Glass/Eragon vibes and the pacing felt much more balanced. The cast of characters were compelling enough but I couldn’t help but crave a bit more depth. The plot twists were entertaining and though I personally felt they were pretty obviously laid out, given the target audience I think this book hits the mark perfectly.

The aspects of dragons and the magic system itself were both intriguing but not explored very deeply, so I would love to see an expansion on this in the potential future books. Overall I felt that this was a great debut novel and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Thank you to Abbie Eaton and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to give an advance review of this book. This is a great pick for fans of a good YA enemies to lovers trope with a feisty FMC. As I struggled to agree with myself on a traditional rating at first, I happily settled that the book felt like a 7/10 for me, so translates to a 3.5/5 star rating - which I really must clarify is not a bad rating at all, I enjoyed this book and I hope you will too!

Sad to say, I DNFed Dragonhart at 40%—I didn’t even have the patience to stick around for the dragons.

There’s just... absolutely nothing that stands out here. The protagonist is the same old formulaic female assassin: edgy, arrogant, stubborn, ridiculously powerful for no good reason, and—let’s be honest—just plain obnoxious. It felt like a character pulled straight from a "dark fantasy 101" checklist without any real depth or nuance.

The book also suffers heavily from the "desperately needs tighter editing" curse. So much of the text is bogged down by unnecessary info-dumps and endless repetition of the same thoughts or facts. The prose itself is painfully dry—lots of telling, barely any showing—and the dialogue? Forced and stilted, with characters who don’t sound like real people so much as walking tropes.

This just wasn’t the book for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and One More Chapter for approving my request to read Dragonhart Abbie Eaton. This was a super fun read, good mix of action and humor, fingers crossed we get a sequel because the story does not feel over!

I’m not too sure why I chose this book. It’s not anywhere close to what I usually read. It felt very Ya-ish and predictable. I did like Arla and her toughness just not her foul mouth. I think there’s a definite audience for this type of book however it wasn’t me.

This romantasy had all the right ingredients—an intriguing world, a compelling premise, and a promising couple in Arla and Hark. While I was hoping for a bit more depth and spark between the characters, I still enjoyed the journey and can see lots of potential in the story. A great pick if you’re in the mood for something magical and adventurous with a touch of romance!

I can definitely tell the author has real talent—the writing flowed nicely and made for an enjoyable read! While the story gave off strong Assassin’s Blade and Fourth Wing vibes (which fans of those will probably love!), While the pacing had its slower moments and I was hoping for a deeper connection to the lore and characters, there was still so much to enjoy in this story I did find myself wishing for a bit more originality to set it apart. That said, it was still a fun journey, and I’m excited to see what the author creates next—there’s so much potential here!

I don't wanna make it a habit to not finish books. However, I've read 30% of this book and I noticed that I wasn't focussing on the story anymore. I was counting the amount of sentences per chapter starting with "Gods..." (too many), I was focussed on all the times to main character thought hateful and violent thoughts without an understandable reason (too often) and I was rolling my eyes every time the hatred these characters felt towards each other was especially mentioned (multiple times per chapter).

It's actually a pity that my brain focuses on these things now. There were a few elements of the story that made me curious. A part of me does want to know what is going on and what role our main character plays in everything. I also quite liked the prince, so far, and was curious to get to know him better. However, the above things are really distracting and it makes it impossible for me to give the rest of the story a fair chance. I therefore think it would be unfair to both the author, the publisher, and myself, to finish this book.

I'm pretty sure there are readers who will enjoy this plot. The story is fast paced and there is a lot of banter. I'm afraid I'm not one of those readers, though.

This was my first time reading anything fantasy and was a nice introduction into the genre.

It follows Arla who works as the King assassin who is sent on a mission to find out what is happening with some missing shipments. But she doesn't get to go alone instead she is forced to take Hark; the ambassador to the neighbouring kingdom, who just also happens to be someone Arla hates.

I did enjoy the book - I thought the plot was explained well, there was good character development, and definitely twists and turns to the story

I found Arla to be a complex FMC - where there things she did and said that i hated yes - was she also only 18 and had been through alot also yes. She knows what she wants and that she is strong enough to get there and achieve it. Arla does not need anyone but herself to save her.

I did feel that things happened quickly once the plot started but I felt like nothing happened for the first 60% of the book. However Hark is a very much who hurt you kinda guy.

There was forced proximity and enemies to lovers but there wasn't as much tension as I would have liked.

I thought this was a really great debut from this author.

I unfortunately DNFed this book. I enjoyed the premise but I felt like it was not developed enough. The main character felt childish and seemed like she was trying so hard to be a ruthless assassin to the point that it felt cringy. This book gets 2 stars because it was a true enemies to lovers which I don't see a lot.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital arc. I really wanted to love this book, but struggled to feel any chemistry between the two main characters. The story seemed to go off the rails when the dragon entered the picture. Arla and her dragon were bonded within minutes, and no relationship was built there. I didn't understand the 'hate' that existed between the two main characters either. The whole thing just felt choppy.

DNF at Chapter 8 / 20%.

Unfortunately this one ended up being really not for me, I just couldn't get into it. My main problem was that I really did not like our main character - her inner monologue was quite rude, and she was always thinking or saying negative things about the people around her, even or especially to people she doesn't know. I didn't like the way she spoke about having "earned" more than poor people because she worked hard - as if these other people don't probably work extremely hard in their day to day lives. However, I could see seeds of character development being sown for her to recognise her arrogant and callous ways, so I don't disagree with her being written this way, I simply couldn't get along with following her for these reasons. The story overall did feel a bit derivative of other fantasy romance works for me, however the plot seems like it will go in an interesting direction, and that combined with the accessible, fast-paced writing will still make this a good read for readers who enjoy Throne of Glass and When the Moon Hatched. I did also enjoy the strong female friendship we got to see between our main character and Halos, and I think the dynamic between our FMC and MMC set the stage for an enjoyable romance as well. Overall, Dragonhart is definitely not a bad book, just not one for me.

Definitely a true enemies to lovers situation! I see so many reviews talking badly about Arla's demeanor, and I just have to say, women don't have to be likeable all the time!! Especially considering she's only 18 and went through HELL at a very young age. She's been molded into who she is, and I think her character still shines despite that. I warmed up to Hark over time, especially once I realized all the good he has done for others over the years. I'm curious to see what happens next with them as well as our other side characters. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

This was not for me. I had high expectations.
I found most things about it unoriginal. That it was more in the form of explaining what was happening than showing and even telling did not help.
I will not be reviewing this elsewhere.

Thank you very much for the eARC.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me, it felt like it had been copied from other very popular fantasy books. In all for taking inspiration but this, not so much.

Arla was insufferable and so childish and I’ll be honest, Hark can do and deserves better.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book follows Arla Reinhart, personal assassin to the King of Hadayn and Hark Stappen, an ambassador from a rival kingdom. Together, they are sent on a mission for the King. This has my favorite trope: forced proximity, so I was really excited to request this and dive in. Also DRAGONS! Unfortunately it missed every mark for me.

First off, Arla is entirely unlikeable. She is immature, whiny, and honestly a pretty terrible assassin. When I have trouble routing for the main female character, I have a lot of trouble getting into the plot of a book. When I did try here, I was met with plot holes, lack of descriptive world building, and an unoriginal, unimaginative magic system. The romance was too fast to be believable and the romantic scenes were cringey because of it.

This read like it was meant to be contemporary, and then the author was pushed into making it Romantasy - with Gods and dragons and whatnot, so that aspect of it was taped together and flimsy. It reads like there was no real interest in fantasy and thus no development of the fantasy elements and setting. This needed more editing, more world building, more character development, more originality, more everything.