Elle Katharine White – Heartstone
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.
Heartstone, by Elle Katharine White
This is a romance in the sense that Pride and Prejudice is a romance. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, given that the premise of the story is Pride and Prejudice, but in a fantasy world with dragons and wyrvens and gryphons, some of which are not happy with humans and would much rather see them all eradicated.
Since I like both Pride and Prejudice and fantasy novels, I was on board for this as soon as I read the promo. I’m glad to say it doesn’t disappoint.
Aliza Bentaine’s father works for the local lord in a position that commands some respect, so when his youngest daughter is killed in a gryphon attack (alas poor Kitty, we hardly knew you…), the lord responds by hiring a band of Riders to hunt down the horde. It’s not just any band of Riders that responds either – Alastair Daired, of the famed Daireds, is a member of the group. If you’re familiar with the plot of Pride and Prejudice, things proceed much as you would expect from there.
One of the things that makes this work is how the author uses the world to take a different look at some of the characters who are perhaps a little less developed in Jane Austen’s work. The expected villain is still there, of course, but other characters become a little more three dimensional and I think the story becomes a little more interesting as a result. I still have a lot of questions that weren’t resolved about the world – I want to know more about the Riders, and the Kingdom, and why the divide exists among the supernatural creatures. I’m hoping that we might see a sequel set in the same world, because I’m curious to see what happens when the events are no longer dictated by the plot of Pride and Prejudice. I want to follow the relationship of Aliza and Alastair and see where it goes, and what other secrets the world is hiding.
So if you’re a fan of either fantasy or Pride and Prejudice, this one definitely gets my recommendation. I’ve read a few of the other retellings that are out there and none of them have struck as much of a chord with me as this did. It’s not a perfect book, but it leaves you wanting more.