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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Note: This is an ARC review.
Heart of Chaos is a fast-paced, engaging fantasy read that pulls you in from the first chapter and doesn’t let up. From the moment we meet Eisa, her life is turned upside down in an instant, and the momentum never really slows, with one thing happening after another. While this makes for an exciting, compulsive read, I would have loved for the pacing to ease up in the middle, allowing for more time to settle into the world and the characters.
Eliot’s writing is sharp and concise, making the story easy to sink into without overly flowery or complex prose. The world-building is intriguing, offering enough to set the stage and players, though there were moments I wished for a little more depth.For instance, what’s the hierarchy of the dragons? We know they’re divided by colours with some being more rare and powerful than others, but is power the only thing that differentiates them? And how was this hierarchy determined? And by whom? These things might get explained in the next book, but I feel like it’s important enough information to include in the first book in a series.
The cast of characters is well-drawn and likeable (except for the ones who aren’t meant to be, of course), and while I enjoyed following Eisa's and Arik's journeys, I found myself wanting a deeper emotional connection to them.Eisa, in particular, takes everything in stride and faces challenges with truly remarkable composure and at times, it felt a little too... convenient, maybe, that she went with the flow. She’s thrown into a life-or-death situation while already dealing with a chronic illness that threatens to shorten her life, yet she rarely seems overwhelmed by it all. I understand that this is a fantasy novel, but a bit more emotional weight in her reactions would have made her journey feel more grounded and compelling.
The romance leans towards the fated trope rather than outright insta-love, but there’s an early expectation that Eisa and Arik will end up together, and they don’t put up much resistance to it. Eisa does push back against the idea of being mates, but not with the level of intensity I’ve seen in other fated mates stories. There’s an element of "I don’t like this because it feels like my choice has been taken from me, but I’m still going to go along with it." For example, when Arik asks her to choose him in The Rifting over another character (Einar), it’s framed as a noble request—he needs her help to save their world. However, in the end, she chooses him not out of conviction but because Einar threatens her, and she generally finds him to be awful. While it seems like she made the choice of her own free will, the circumstances make it feel more like she was backed into a corner, especially since The Rifting began much earlier than expected. The whole situation felt a little strange—like she had a choice, but not really.
In terms of plot, the story unfolds in a familiar way, which makes it easy to follow, though it doesn't have as many twists as some might expect from a fantasy/romantasy. While this doesn’t take away from the enjoyment, it does mean that the book lacks the kind of surprises that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Overall, Heart of Chaos is a fun, fast read with engaging writing, an interesting world, and a solid cast of characters. While I would have liked a slightly slower pace and deeper exploration of both the world and its characters, I still enjoyed it enough to want to continue the series.
If you're looking for a dragon fantasy set in a Norse-inspired world with a spicy romance and fast-paced writing, then this is an enjoyable pick.
Heart of Chaos is a fast-paced, engaging fantasy read that pulls you in from the first chapter and doesn’t let up. From the moment we meet Eisa, her life is turned upside down in an instant, and the momentum never really slows, with one thing happening after another. While this makes for an exciting, compulsive read, I would have loved for the pacing to ease up in the middle, allowing for more time to settle into the world and the characters.
Eliot’s writing is sharp and concise, making the story easy to sink into without overly flowery or complex prose. The world-building is intriguing, offering enough to set the stage and players, though there were moments I wished for a little more depth.
The cast of characters is well-drawn and likeable (except for the ones who aren’t meant to be, of course), and while I enjoyed following Eisa's and Arik's journeys, I found myself wanting a deeper emotional connection to them.
Overall, Heart of Chaos is a fun, fast read with engaging writing, an interesting world, and a solid cast of characters. While I would have liked a slightly slower pace and deeper exploration of both the world and its characters, I still enjoyed it enough to want to continue the series.
If you're looking for a dragon fantasy set in a Norse-inspired world with a spicy romance and fast-paced writing, then this is an enjoyable pick.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
medium-paced
I have always loved Madeleine Eliot's books and Heart of Chaos the first book of a trilogy didn't disappoint. The way she can create such an immersive, captivating and rich fantasy world, with amazing world building, an engaging storyline and well developed characters is just perfect.
From the very first page I was hooked with such an original and unique story line and characters that instantly captured my attention and wouldn't let go, even the side characters had so much personality that I couldn't help but become invested in their story and root for them. The world building in this first book is perfectly set up to continue growing throughout the series, it is immersive and clear with vivid descriptions that makes everything so easy to understand especially with the lore of this fantasy world.
I absolutely loved the way the dragons are introduced and found it such a unique twist to dragon Shifters. In this world they come from a rift which is just like a door to another dimension where their form is pure chaos energy and they need to bond with a person's soul so they can survive and live, sharing conscious thoughts with their bonded human in one body which they can shift between the forms. One of my favourite parts was the banter not only between our main couple Arik and Eisa but also from the snarky dragons!
The slow burn romance between Arik and Eisa was written so well, my heart hurts for Eisa and the life she has lived but to see their relationship slowly develop was so beautiful so when the spice came it was delicious and worth the wait. Madeline has always written such beautiful romances between her characters and this is one of my favourites. I can't wait to see how the story develops further I will patiently be waiting for book two!
Thank you so much to the author for the opportunity to read and review this before publication. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
From the very first page I was hooked with such an original and unique story line and characters that instantly captured my attention and wouldn't let go, even the side characters had so much personality that I couldn't help but become invested in their story and root for them. The world building in this first book is perfectly set up to continue growing throughout the series, it is immersive and clear with vivid descriptions that makes everything so easy to understand especially with the lore of this fantasy world.
I absolutely loved the way the dragons are introduced and found it such a unique twist to dragon Shifters. In this world they come from a rift which is just like a door to another dimension where their form is pure chaos energy and they need to bond with a person's soul so they can survive and live, sharing conscious thoughts with their bonded human in one body which they can shift between the forms. One of my favourite parts was the banter not only between our main couple Arik and Eisa but also from the snarky dragons!
The slow burn romance between Arik and Eisa was written so well, my heart hurts for Eisa and the life she has lived but to see their relationship slowly develop was so beautiful so when the spice came it was delicious and worth the wait. Madeline has always written such beautiful romances between her characters and this is one of my favourites. I can't wait to see how the story develops further I will patiently be waiting for book two!
Thank you so much to the author for the opportunity to read and review this before publication. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have made no secret that I love everything this woman has written, and this is my favorite so far. My only regret is that I devoured this advance copy in 24 hours and now I have to wait to find out what happens next!
This Norse-lore inspired romantasy has a unique take on dragons with dragon shifters, so we get not only the relationship between our MCs Arik and Eisa, but the banter between their sassy dragons. Imagine a large, tattooed, growly viking man who is soft only for her with a possessive dragon to match, and they play off each other beautifully. (I seem to remember a threat of being turned into dragon-hide boots?) I digress. Sassy dragons ups the banter factor by 1000x. The supporting cast and characters, dragon and otherwise, are top tier, and you will immediately be rooting for them with the obvious exception of UGH one old man. This was a captivating story, and the unique lore was woven into the prose so you get the world-building along with Eisa and it's impressive without being overwhelming or unwieldy. The burn is SLOW and the spice is ON POINT. This is a fantastic ride and I am so excited to see where this goes in the next book!
Read if you like:
- Norse Lore
- Dragon Shifters
- Chronic Illness Rep
- Hurt/Comfort
- Touch Her and ☠️
- Fated Mates
- Only One Bed
- "Eyes on me" *swoon*
- Spicy cozy romantasy
This Norse-lore inspired romantasy has a unique take on dragons with dragon shifters, so we get not only the relationship between our MCs Arik and Eisa, but the banter between their sassy dragons. Imagine a large, tattooed, growly viking man who is soft only for her with a possessive dragon to match, and they play off each other beautifully. (I seem to remember a threat of being turned into dragon-hide boots?) I digress. Sassy dragons ups the banter factor by 1000x. The supporting cast and characters, dragon and otherwise, are top tier, and you will immediately be rooting for them with the obvious exception of UGH one old man. This was a captivating story, and the unique lore was woven into the prose so you get the world-building along with Eisa and it's impressive without being overwhelming or unwieldy. The burn is SLOW and the spice is ON POINT. This is a fantastic ride and I am so excited to see where this goes in the next book!
Read if you like:
- Norse Lore
- Dragon Shifters
- Chronic Illness Rep
- Hurt/Comfort
- Touch Her and ☠️
- Fated Mates
- Only One Bed
- "Eyes on me" *swoon*
- Spicy cozy romantasy
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I cannot put into words how much I enjoyed this book! This is Madeleine's best writing yet, and I've loved all of her books. I wasn't ready for it to end and can't wait to revisit this world in book two.
If you're into dragons and Norse mythology, this book is for you.
If you're into dragons and Norse mythology, this book is for you.