The queen delivers yet again - Karina is an author I will always read and there hasn’t been anything from her that I haven’t enjoyed. I have been SO excited for this one, the concept of magic, mafia and dragons sounded so good and I’m happy to say that it absolutely hit the mark. The romance was spot on, the canine sidekick was an instant love and the action was 10/10. I cannot wait for my reread so I can see what tidbits I missed, now that I know what happens. 100% recommend this one!

This was a delightful fantasy that mixed Game of Thrones with The Sopranos! Fighting crime families, dragons eggs that give special powers, and a weird cult! This book was unique and quirky. I loved the enemies to romance vibe .

I had a ton of fun reading this. It was right up my alley, a few little plot holes here and there but mostly a great time!

I had such a blast reading Realm of Thieves. I’m a big Karina Halle fan so I was so honored to have been selected to read & review one of her books!

Realm of Thieves is full of adventure, dragons, betrayal, cult-like religions, betrothals, lore & tyrant governments.

The dragons in this story were fun because it wasn’t your type dragon romantasy. I feel like most dragons work with humans. And here they are victims of humans and they don’t like humans because they steal their eggs! I’d be pissed too and attack someone if they tried to kidnap my fictional children and sell them on the black market! lol

I really love the FMC in this book. She’s badass, opinionated and has lavender hair. She’s fierce and hard not to root for and love. She’s sassy yet constantly being judged by others because of who she is, where she comes from. Her reputation is based on assumptions and not for the person she truly is. Shes a rebel girl!!

I absolutely LOVED that they got a HEA at the end. You really never get that with fantasy series. This is a standalone within a series.

My favorite quotes: “I just don't believe in what a government tells me to. And I'll certainly never believe any sort of religion that uses its faith like a weapon"

“Should I have stolen my heart from me, or did I steal it from you?"

🖤 Pretend Prisoner to lovers
🗡️ Quest / Heist
🖤 Dragons that eat you
🗡️ Dragon egg thieves
🖤 Enemies to lovers
🗡️ Found Family
🖤 Prophecies
🗡️ Loss and Grief
🖤 Religious fanaticism
🗡️ Forbidden Love
🖤 Romantasy
🗡️ Touch her & 💀
🖤 HEA

4.25 stars - In short, this book is about two thieves who vie for dominance in the illegal dragon egg trade, putting both their lives and their hearts on the line.

Brynla was forced to lead a life of crime in order to survive after she escaped a fanatical dragon-worshipping cult called the Daughters of Silence. She steals dragon eggs full of suen, which is the magical substance inside the yolk of a dragon egg that gives humans (and some animals) special powers when ingested, until she finds herself taken as Lord Andor's captive. She's forced to work for Andor if she wants to see her aunt again...but things take a dangerous turn, especially when you think no one is watching.

I absolutely adored Andor and Brynla...in fact, here's a few of my favorite quotes from Andor:

"I stand where you stand. And you stand at the forefront of my life. Everything else efalls to the wayside. Every thought, every feeling, it revolves around you, like you've embedded yourself under my skin, deep enough that I couldn't get you out even if I tried."

"What I want more than anything is to matter to you. To be something to you, to be everything to you...I want to be your better tomorrow."

I also loved that there was quite a bit of feminine rage in this book. She is driven by rage against the cult that persecuted and divided her family. This quote slapped:
"I haven't fallen to the wolves," I sneer. "I am the wolf."

This book also had the most amazing animal companion, Lemi! Spoiler: [Although Lemi initially gets hurt, he does not die. Andor heals him back to full health.

I am excited to continue on in these series and find out what sort of secrets, lies, and betrayal will happen in the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

Note: Upon release, I purchased the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the narration by Jack Hart, Saskia Maarleveld, and Chris Tester!

THIS BOOK. I read the damn thing in an hour and a half. I was completely enveloped into the story and the characters and just everything. The world building wasn’t difficult to understand and that’s my biggest gripe with fantasy! The steamy scenes… they were steamy. And the ending left you wanting more!

The premise of this book is SO COOL. I’ve never read anything quite like this. Dragon egg hunting. A magical dog. Dragon egg yolk gives you powers (I’ll take a dozen pls). Mafia-esque family dynamics.

There were some aspects of it that I wasn’t clicking with for whatever reason. I think I struggled a little bit feeling the chemistry between these two main characters.

I really like this author’s writing style so will definitely be checking out her other books!

Dragons, magic, Mafia, fantasy world, adventure, and romance. What more could you ask for in a book?

This was for sure a different take on dragons when it comes to most books involving them. The dragons here are harsh, feared, revered, and very very dangerous!

In this fantasy world dragon eggs are highly coveted and used for their magic abilities.

This book hooked me pretty good for the first several chapters. I would say there is a lull after that until around 40%

If you are looking for a different take on the dragon world I say for sure give this one a try!


3.5/5 ⭐
2/5 🌶️

“I haven’t fallen to the wolves. I am the wolf.”

One of my favorite heroine archetypes is one who is strong enough to know when she can’t do it alone (even if it wasn’t her idea in the first place). Brynla is the perfect example of that. She’s been through some of the hardest trials a person could go through, and came out stronger.
Andor is such an instigator of even his own self and I’m here for it. Like, my guy is just a sneaky dude but it works out for the best.
Truthfully, fantasy tends to be a hard sell for me, even from this author. Turns out, this book got me so fast. I was hooked immediately. The action starts right away, and the drama carries on through the entirety of the story.
The world building and living in this novel is so smooth. We don’t get lost in details, exposition, and definitions (because there’s a glossary!), and I appreciate that so much.
Personally, I was a big fan of the dragons wanting to eat everyone. You know, like dragons.


While opinions in this review are fully my own, I’d like to thank the author, Berkeley Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I write haiku reviews on Instagram but am happy to provide more feedback, if desired. A unique premise, fairly well-executed. Likable characters, especially Lemi.

I knew I was going to like REALM OF THIEVES by Karina Halle upon discovering that Brynla's partner in crime is a large dog. Novels need more canine sidekicks. Dogs make any story better. Sure, they give unconditional love and show their heart in their eyes, but they also have such tremendous personalities and are capable of the goofiest of antics. Love and comic relief every single time. Lemi is perfect.

Canine sidekick aside, I also appreciate how vulnerable Brynla is and how fierce she is at protecting that vulnerability when necessary. Her frank admissions about her severe period cramps (probably endometriosis) are refreshing in their honesty. Brynla isn't afraid to ask for help and never turns down help when offered. I feel like Brynla is one of the most realistically attainable heroine types I've read. There may be magic involved, but she acts like an adult. She doesn't get in a snit when she doesn't get her way; she doesn't shut down lines of communication when angry. She is not entirely ruled by her emotions as so many other heroines are. Brynla is a breath of fresh air after one too many stereotypes.

If Brynla is fierce vulnerability, Andor is tough sensitivity with a little neediness thrown in for good measure. Andor's response to Brynla's confession and request for help for her period cramps was as surprising as it was perfect. He doesn't just lust after Brynla; he truly respects her, and it shows. Also, when he draws a line in the sand, he refuses to let anyone drag him over that line. He has a spine and uses it. Again, a son who actually stands up to his overbearing parent is almost a novelty in fantasy these days, and I enjoyed it tremendously.

The rest of REALM OF THIEVES is just as intriguing. Dragons, religious cults, illegal drug trading, goddesses, political intrigue - it has it all. Plus, at no point in time do we ever meet a king or queen. Royalty exists in Ms. Halle's world, but neither Brynla nor Andor is royalty. Once again, it is rare that a fantasy story does not revolve around a lost royal or a displaced royal looking to recapture a throne. Even better, Ms. Halle packs her novel with tons of action without pages upon pages of backstory, world-building, or character development. An entire month goes past off-page, and it was so surprising I had to double-check what I had read. No training/falling in love montage here. Ms. Halle is one confident author who knows her readers are intelligent enough to know what happens during that missing time and trusts her audience to form a picture of her world through the characters' observations and thoughts.

It is Ms. Halle's trust in her readers that really impresses me with REALM OF THIEVES. She doesn't spoon-feed her readers. Her characters act their age and show wisdom from lived experiences. They don't pretend to be anyone other than who they are; they don't play mind games or other power games. What you see is what you get, and I am all for it. Add that on top of one creepy-as-hell cult, a surprising plot twist mentioned at the very end, and all that action and adventure, and REALM OF THIEVES is a speedy and engaging novel that left me wanting more. This is one series I can't wait to continue!

Realm of thieves

This is a very unique romantasy. Amazing world building throws us right into this intense action filled story. The duel pov works well revealing layer after layer of this fiery romance. Apprehension and angst kept the pages turning. The slow burn is tension filled. This unique dragon filled world with magic, enemies to lovers, suspense and action is a really good read. Cannot wait for more from this series.

Karina Halle has a strong writing style and am excited for more, it was so well written in the genre and was invested in what was going on. this was a strong fantasy romance and worked well as a concept and from the storyline. I enjoyed the way the characters were written and how they were used in this plot. It uses the fantasy elements perfectly and how the dragons were used in this. Overall it was a fantastic story and world that I was invested in, and hope there is more in this world and from Karina Halle.

Realm of Thieves is book one in the Thieves of Dragemor series and was an adventurous and entertaining read with a nice amount of swoon and spice.

I loved the whole Jurassic Park meets Mafia vibes! Our MC’s are on the hunt for dragon eggs, stealing them in order to extract a rare and illegal substance that grants special abilities.

This whole business of thievery and black market trade gave the story a mafia feel while the enhanced powers and dragons added plenty of danger and adrenaline moments.

The romance had some nice moments of swoon and spice but felt a bit rushed to me. I wanted more buildup of the chemistry between Brynla and Andor, but overall, I had a good time and enjoyed their feisty banter.

I love a good sidekick, and Realm of Thieves features a fantastic animal companion, a magical dog named Lemi who completely won me over. This was a fun and swoony escape read for me!

Thank you so much to Berkley & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: fantasy romance
𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚: 🌶️
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: moderate
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: magical dog sidekick

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝:
🥚dragon egg thieves
🐾 magical shifting dog
🎙️narration
🏃🏼‍♀️easy read/palate cleanser

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞:
💕 the romance itself - surface level
⏳ pacing
❓unclear direction of world building/plot

FMC has some endo-type chronic pain, which I think a lot of readers may connect to. She was cool - clearly stubborn and strong. Overall a really easy fantasy read with a cool world (duh, dragons) but not quite put together in a way that would be addicting and bingeable.

At 35% I switched to audio and enjoyed the story a lot more- having two narrators really helped add some depth and intrigue for me. Listened at 1.7x which is slower for me (accents)

We love a book with chronic illness rep!! Especially when dragons are involved.

I thought this was a super interesting take on dragons--Dragon Riders are fun, but thievery of dragon eggs and dragons are just apex predators was so refreshing. I was SO invested in the first half of the book--the world building, the relationship development--you name it!

And then it just...fell off? It hit a point in the middle where it felt like we were going in circles in the name of relationship development. Which would have been fine, because that's an important part of the story, but it also didn't really do that either? I feel like I could have skipped from about 45% into the book to 80% and wouldn't have lost anything at all in terms of character or plot development.

Karina has a super compelling and interesting writing style, and I'm definitely curious enough to read the next book in the series. This one just didn't hit for me the way her books normally do, but it was still a fun and interesting read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read Realm of Thieves by Karina Halle.

I have read Karina Halle’s books before and enjoy her writing and characters. So, I was excited to start this book. She has a lot of the elements I enjoy for a romantasy. Especially dragons. However, this fell apart quickly. The marketing for this story is incorrect. This is not enemies to lovers, and the characters read closer to YA. The conflicts feel closer to guidelines than actual problems. These characters and world building are not fleshed out.

Overall, this was a bit disappointing.

The premise was promising. The execution fell flat.

This book felt like an attempt at fantasy. When, truly, it was meant to be romance. The world-building is present, but it never felt compelling, and unfortunately, neither did the romance.

Plot-wise, there is too much telling and not enough showing. Almost every one of the characters is supposedly skilled and talented in their own way. But we never truly saw that for ourselves. It is simply told to us.

In terms of the enemies-to-lovers storyline, neither Brynla nor Andor was able to sell that narrative. They are attracted to each other from the start. They're oddly protective of each other from the start. So, when it came down to Brynla choosing before escape and Andor, it was obvious what she'd choose. Their love declarations at the end also did nothing for me. It didn't feel earned.

I wanted to love this book. But for the reasons mentioned, it did not work for me.

Though I admit a small part of me is curious about Vidar and his plans, especially after the reveal at the end. So I am not writing off the possibility of checking out the sequel for him.

Karina Halle never disappoints! Realm of Thieves completely hooked me from the first page. The world-building is rich and dangerous, filled with rival criminal empires, ancient magic, and the thrilling (and illegal!) trade in dragon eggs.

Brynla is such a fierce, complex heroine—you can’t help but root for her as she fights for survival after escaping her past. And the tension between her and Lord Andor? Absolutely electric! Their chemistry practically burned through the pages.

Halle masterfully weaves together action, romance, betrayal, and just the right amount of heat, all set against a backdrop of a world on the brink of awakening dragons once again. I couldn’t put this down—highly recommend for any romantasy fan craving adventure and spice!

Thank you to Netgalley and Ace Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

Looking for a romantasy with thieves, rival crime syndicates, and amazing an doggie side-kick with magic powers?? If your answer is yes, this is the book for you!

This book is for you if you love:
• Rival mafia gangs
• illegal dragon egg stealing and heists
• doggie sidekick with special abilities
• enemies to reluctant allies to lovers
• dual POV
•goddesses, magic powers, and politics

The world building was amazing! What a cool world! The characters all felt very real and life-like. This book definitely sets up for more adventure and reveals as the series goes on. I will definitely be continuing this series, especially after that epilogue! 👀

Why I deducted a star: Unfortunately there felt like there was something missing from this book, which is why I'm not obsessed. I couldn't tell you *what* is missing, so take this with a grain of salt. Also, the MCs gave in to their feelings for each other at the flip of a switch, which I didn't enjoy. It felt too abrupt. But other than that, a fantastic story.