Heartstone

This has the the sort of worldbuilding I’d be unsurprised to find in a fairytale retelling - but instead of retelling a fairytale, it sets Pride and Prejudice in a world with dragons, gryphons and hobgoblins.

When Lord Merybourne hires a group of Riders to deal with the gryphons who are threatening Hart’s Run, Aliza’s mother sees an opportunity for her daughters to marry someone who would take them to live somewhere safer.

“Surely you see what an opportunity this is!” Mama said.
“Yes, I do.” Papa’s voice was stern. “It’s a chance to get rid of these accursed gryphons once and for all. Of all people, I’d think you’d appreciate that most.”
“Of course, of course, but I’m talking about our daughters.”
“Oh? show more Were they planning to slay some of the beasts themselves?”
“Robart!”
“If these Riders are apprenticing, I’ll give my hearty consent to whichever girl wishes to take up the blade. You and I will both sleep easier if they know how to defend themselves. [...] I was joking, my dear.”
“Well, I’m not! And anyway, a husband lasts longer than an apprenticeship.”

I enjoyed Aliza’s lively first person narration and the way Heartstone translates Pride and Prejudice to a different context. It would be easy for a fantasy P&P to keep the context of the main developments much the same as P&P, but Heartstone roots these developments in its fantasy world. So certain events - such as the arrival of new people in the community - occur, but for different reasons. This all meant that, in spite of knowing P&P so well, I had so many questions I wanted answered: What was the history between Daired and Wydrick? What was going to happen to Leyda?

There are also a few ways, both big and small, in which Heartstone diverges from P&P. It surprised me more than once. I was initially wary when I heard of this book’s existence, but it is fun! Pride and Prejudice is still superior, of course, but Heartstone has dragons - dragons! - and does a good job of being its own story. show less

It's a [Pride and Prejudice] retelling with dragons! Now before that single sentence makes you say, "Umm, no thanks, I don't do dragon books," let me just point out that normally neither do I but this one charmed me enough to put a Staff Picks sticker on it before I returned it to the library where I work. In this version, Aliza Bentaine lives in a small community being threatened by gryphons. When the lord of the manor calls in a group of Riders to rid the neighbourhood of the plight, amongst them is Alastair Daired and his dragon Akarra. Translating the classic plot of P&P to a fantasy setting is a unique approach and it's as much fun to see how White renames characters, reinterprets them mildly in some cases to better fit the show more setting, and adds in a ripping climax to the novel without moving so far from the source material to bother this die hard Janeite. Recommended if you enjoy a P&P retelling, regardless of your general fondness for dragon books. show less

Heartstone is, as promised, Pride and Prejudice but with dragons (plus, like, various other magical creatures, there aren't actually that many dragons if we're being totally honest here--also a significantly higher death toll). And that's cool. But I liked it even more than I expected because it diverges from the Austen meaningfully and thoughtfully/thought-provokingly at a number of points, many of which are moments or dynamics in which the original story is driven by misogynistic cultural ideas or archetypes (the gossipy middle-aged woman who is just Too Much, the flirt, etc.). It's a great deal of fun!

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Actual rating: 4.5/5

Full disclosure: Pride & Prejudice is one of my favourite books ever, and I try to read/watch as many retellings as possibile, just because I love it so much. That's possibly one of the reasons why I whizzed through Heartstone, but it's definitely not the only one! Whether you are a die-hard P&P fan like me, or you've never even heard of Jane Austen, Heartstone is very likely to capture you from the very beginning.

This fantasy retelling is set in a world where humans and mythological creatures coexist, some more peacefully than others. There was a great variety of show more creatures involved, some adorable and some incredibly sinister, and of course there were dragons! I loved how the Riders displayed their bond with their creatures, and I particularly liked Akarra, Daired's dragon. Despite being a scaly, fire-breathing creature, she displayed a fully dimensional personality and the ability to demonstrate feelings like compassion, friendship and loyalty. In case you couldn't tell, I LOVED her!!

The rest of the characters were also fairly well developed, although some of the secondary characters could have been explored more in depth and that would have been super. Aliza and Daired were also adorable, and there was actually slightly more chemistry than in the original. I enjoyed seeing how the story developed very independently (and with dragons! Did I mention dragons already?), but at the same time featured all the most iconic scenes from the original. Reading this book felt like going back to a place you loved after a long time: familiar enough to make you feel comfortable, while different enough to surprise you.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The middle part was just a tiny bit too slow, and that's the only reason I'm not giving it a full 5 stars. Definitely recommended to everyone!

For this and more reviews, visit Book for Thought. show less

Well, that was lovely. Pride and Prejudice with dragons? How could I not read this?
I was overwhelmed at first by the flood of references to the magical creatures populating this world, but I’m glad I kept reading. White seems to be in the baptism-by-fire school of world building, but things fell into place soon enough.
The original storyline is recognizable throughout, with some imaginative alterations by the author. All the character names have changed, but it’s clear, without their being exact copies of the originals, who they are.
White serves up gentler versions of many supporting characters—Mari is a scholarly bookworm with a particular interest in magical beasts, rather than a supercilious prude. Madame Bentaine has different show more motives for wanting her daughters married off—hopes of relocating them to a less dangerous area—and isn’t as shrill and hysterical as Austen’s Mrs. Bennet.
Charis, a warrior with a tragic past, is a more sympathetic Caroline Bingley.
Wynce Curdred is the best new name for a character, especially if you take into account the portrayal of Mr. Collins in the 80s miniseries—yet even he is shown to better light after we see him married and at home with Gwyn (Charlotte). Aliza even repents of her ill-will toward him when she visits.

After all, I told myself, there were worse things in the world than well-dressed men with a habit of overemphasizing.

I could babble on for a long time with comparisons to Pride and Prejudice. Making comparisons, tracking where I was in a story so familiar to me—that was a big reason why reading this was so fun. White changed a lot, but in inventive ways that worked with her fantasy world and smoothed out the sharper edges of Austen’s wit—never in a way I perceived as disrespectful of the original novel or its author. One change that completely took me by surprise is the big showdown with Lady Catherine became instead a big showdown with Lady Catriona’s dragon. I loved that so much.
I scanned a couple of lukewarm reviews that started by saying they had never read Pride and Prejudice. That might have been why they didn’t like it more. On its own, this might not be a masterpiece of historical fantasy, but as a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, it’s a creative standout. I think a familiarity with the original is the key to maximum enjoyment of this book.
I’m excited for the planned sequel. show less

Aliza Bentaine lives at Merybourne Manor with her parents and sisters Anjey, Mari, and Leyda. Her other sister Rina was killed in a gryphon attack, so now the Riders and their warrior beasts have come to clean out the gryphon nest. Aliza's first encounter with a Rider is with their leader, Lord Alastair Daired in the middle of a hobgoblin fight where he's getting pelted with mud by Tobble who lives in the garden with his relatives and friends. Daired stepped on Tobble's toes, and they return fire with mud and Gnomic curses. As a result, Aliza and Daired take an instant dislike to each other though Anjey and another rider, Brysney, hit it off right away. Still, Aliza keeps running into Daired and his dragon Akarra; he still riles her show more though she's pretty friendly with Akarra. All differences are set aside when the Greater Lindworm awakens from its centuries-long sleep and begins to ravage the countryside.
As a fantasy, this book is very good. The worldbuilding is wonderful with all sorts of beasts including dragons, centaurs, wyverns, lamias, direwolves, and banshees, different classes (Aliza is a lowly nakla while Daired is a lord), different languages, and some religion. The battle scenes are crisply drawn, the herblore fits in well, and the characters fit their roles well. There's whimsy; one passage: "The roads to Dragonsmoor were hard and rocky, and four days bouncing around a cramped carriage had given us all an unlooked-for empathy with churned butter."
However, this is more than a fantasy novel; it is also Jane Austen fan fiction. I love Austen and I've read quite a bit of Austen fan-fiction as well as the original novels. Some are successful, but most falls flat (I'm looking at that vampire book especially). I really worried that this one would be a mess, but I loved it. If you haven't read Pride and Prejudice, you'll enjoy this anyway, but knowing the story is based on that book just enhances this book. The author was very smart to stick to some basic outlines and characters. Daired (Darcy) is still arrogant, snobbish, handsome, and with a heart of gold. Aliza (Lizzie) is a bit more undefined; the book is told in her first person POV and reflects her confusion over her feelings for Daired, first her dislike, then her realization that she was wrong and her burgeoning admiration for him that grows to love.
What the author did that I really like was to change some of the characters to reflect the genre. While Austen used caricature for Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and others to display some of the social strictures of her time, Ms. White has softened most of them and made them much more likable which is what you want in a fantasy. They may still have faults - Wydrick (Wickham) is particularly unlikeable but in a way that fits the fantasy aspect. I really liked Lady Catriona who was very pleasant and let her dragon take on the characteristics of the original Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Charis (Caroline Bingley) also receives much better treatment in this version.
There's some romance (it is based on Pride and Prejudice after all) though only about as much as one would expect in a fantasy book. But it's not too mushy for fantasy readers, but enough for the Janeites: "He leaned close, his forehead almost touching mine. "I wrote it once, and I mean it still. Whatever happens in the next few days, I want you to know that I wish you every happiness the gods can bestow. If I don't-"
"No." I brushed four fingers against his temple. "May Odei give you strength, Janna give you courage, Mikla keep you safe, and Threll take your enemies. You're coming back."
The author has a sequel coming at the end of the year, and I can't wait. Meanwhile, Heartstone is a book that's going on my reread list. It's that good. show less

This was book was described to me as “Pride and Prejudice, where Darcy is a Dragon rider” and I was like, uh, say no more. I’m in.
I’ve read my share of P&P adaptions, some good (Bride and Prejudice) and some hideous (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) – but this, this one is my favorite.
“Elizabeth” called Aliza in this, lives in a world were monsters are real. Her father works for the Lord Merybourne, who, when faced with Gryphon attacks, hires Riders to free his land. Darcy, one of the great dragon lords, arrives, and as expected, is appalled at the backwater hillbilly-invested land he’s been hired to protect.
The story faithfully follows the P&P narrative, with enough fresh twists (and dragons) to make it a show more stay-up-late-too-see-what-happens sort of read. Yes, we know Aliza and Darcy get together in the end – but how? That’s what matters – that and, does she ever get to rid the Dragon?
If you enjoy fantasy worlds and/or P&P, this is the book for you! show less