Heartstone By Elle Katharine White [Review]

RELEASE DATE:  January 17, 2017
AUTHOR: Elle Katharine White
GENRE:  Young-Adult, Fantasy, Historical, Romance.
PUBLISHER: Harper Voyager
SUMMARY: They say a Rider in possession of a good blade must be in want of a monster to slay—and Merybourne Manor has plenty of monsters.

Passionate, headstrong Aliza Bentaine knows this all too well; she’s already lost one sister to the invading gryphons. So when Lord Merybourne hires a band of Riders to hunt down the horde, Aliza is relieved her home will soon be safe again.

Her relief is short-lived. With the arrival of the haughty and handsome dragonrider, Alastair Daired, Aliza expects a battle; what she doesn’t expect is a romantic clash of wills, pitting words and wit against the pride of an ancient house. Nor does she anticipate the mystery that follows them from Merybourne Manor, its roots running deep as the foundations of the kingdom itself, where something old and dreadful slumbers . . . something far more sinister than gryphons.

It’s a war Aliza is ill-prepared to wage, on a battlefield she’s never known before: one spanning kingdoms, class lines, and the curious nature of her own heart.

 Pride and Prejudice and Dragons, Oh my!!! Yep, you heard me right this book is a retelling of the famous Pride and Prejudice novel. I was pretty much excited when I found this book because I love dragons and also Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice but was it as awesome as it sounds? Nope, but it was definitely an entertaining read. Though I love to read retellings, I also want the story to have it’s own originality which this book lacks a bit. Except for the magical creatures, most of the book felt like a complete rip off of the original story. I know there are dragons and magic in this book which I really loved by the way but my major issue with this book is the dull romance.

Aliza Bentaine lives in a world where creatures like dragons, wyverns, gryhons, hobgoblins really exists. She lives at Merybourne Manor with her parents and sisters. The threat of dangerous gryhons always looms around their town but when a gryhon attacks her home and takes the life of her little sister, Lord Merybourne finally decides to hire a group of dragon raiders to hunt down the gryhons for good. With the arrival of the dragon raiders, Aliza feels relieved that everything is going to be alright until she meets the infuriatingly arrogant dragon raider Alastair Daired. At the first meet, they hate each other’s attitudes but with every meet, they can’t help but feel drawn towards each others presence. In the mean time, something far deadly than the gryphons is trying to wake from it’s long slumber and when it finally erupts, it brings nothing but chaos everywhere.

I liked Aliza! She is exactly what I had expected – stubborn, brave and witty. Alastair is prideful, handsome and arrogant and I always enjoyed his banters with Aliza. Though I liked Aliza and Alastair, the romance seemed a bit dull due to the lack of the chemistry between them. I honestly enjoyed their relationship but I wish there was more Oomph in the romance. Nonetheless, I loved the banters and also the way they slowly grew to love each other. I liked all the magical creatures in this book especially the garden genomes and the dragons. The garden genomes are cute little creatures and I liked the way they feel protective towards Aliza. We have dragons that can actually talk and I liked Alastair’s dragon Akarra who is quite rebellious and I totally love her “I don’t give a fuck” attitude.

The plot is good but I really think it could’ve been much better. The story started with a good start but in the middle I felt pretty much bored because there isn’t anything exciting happening and the story dragged until the story takes an interesting turn at the end which is the only saving grace for this book. Despite the issues, I really liked the compelling writing style of the author. The story was told in third person POV but I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if it was told in first person POV because they always make it easier for me to connect with the characters. The world the author created is bit odd but I definitely loved it. I’m total sucker for fantasy books with magical creatures and this book didn’t disappointed me in that part.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. Though It failed in the romance aspect, it didn’t failed in the fantasy adventure aspect. For a debut author, I really think it’s a great start and I would love to read more books from her.

Recommend it?
Yes!

Though it wasn’t up to my expectations, I really want everyone to give this a try and who knows maybe you’ll love it.

MY RATING:  [3.5/5 Stars]

So, what do you think of this book? Please Feel Free To Comment Below. ❤

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