This book was so much fun.
The writing was pretty average, better than a lot of other Fantasy Romance in the same demographic (New Adult), but some things were just a little silly. The magic the bonding with a dragon gives doesn't always make sense. Unlocking doors, and refilling pens with ink is silly. 

I did really like the characters, even though they were cliches. Everything was a little "on the nose". But that didn't bother me. The twist at the end wasn't that big of a shock, but also the groundwork for that twist was set up, so it didn't bother me that I wasn't surprised. The only thing that was a bit of a shock was one character's death. I wasn't expecting it, and it did make me a little sad. I liked that character.

The plot, outside of Violet trying not to die, took a bit to get it's legs. The romance was actually not rushed. They had a 'thing' for months before they dropped the L-word. Which is better than most Romance books I've read where it's a handful of weeks at best. This was a believable Hate-to-Love romance. The semi-love triangle also wasn't done poorly either. This is the other way I don't mind that trope. I like that Violet has a lot of agency, and stands up for herself, and others.  Even though her kind heart nature kept almost getting people killed, including herself. The nickname Xaiden gives her, isn't as cringy as other nicknames in this genre. 

I think people's reasons for not liking this book are 1000% valid, but I also think that some of them went into this book expecting a different type of story. I love this kind of fantasy romance. Is it a little cheesy? Yes. But I love it regardless. I initially wasn't going to buy this book, but I might now. This might be a book I'd re-read. 

I would not recommend this book to people who prefer a book with a lot of political intrigue and an action-based plot. But if you're down for a good time this could be a book for you.