This debut was fantastic. The queen of fantasy is here. This book did not disappoint, you need to pick it up!

3.5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eArc of A Fate Forged in Fire.

A Fate Forged in Fire is Celtic inspired fantasy romance. The story follows Aemyra (FMC), a blacksmith with fire magic, determined to reclaim her kingdom. However has to work with her enemy Price Fiorean after some complications with her plan. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Aemyra and Fiorean is definitely one of the highlights of the book, though it takes time to truly develop.

The world-building was okay and a tad bit confusing. However as the story progressed, the world and its rules became clearer, making it easier to get immersed in the plot.
This a slow slow burn and I enjoyed the tension between the characters. Some parts of the book I felt had unnecessary filler info. The inclusion of dragons and the complex societal conflicts (with a goddess-worshipping culture vs. a patriarchal religion) added a lot of depth to the world.

Despite these issues, I’m intrigued enough to continue the series and see where it goes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5⭐️

A Fate Forged in Fire is a fast-paced story with similarities to Throne of Glass, Fourth Wing, and Game of Thrones that will surely be a hit in the Romantasy genre.

Aemyra is a princess in hiding who emerges at the death of the king to claim the throne as the rightful queen, the first female born in centuries to a royal line in which the throne is passed to the female heirs. The story follows her play for the throne and is filled with political intrigue, magic, enemies to lovers romance, and a dash of dragons.

At the risk of potential spoilers, I will add that after finishing the story I learned this was initially a HotD fanfiction that was picked up by a trad publisher and transformed into an original story. However, I read the book without this knowledge, nor have I watched the show, so it has not impacted my review.

While I did enjoy parts of the story, overall it fell a little flat for me. I’m sure many readers will appreciate the fast-paced nature of the book, but to me the story (both plot and romance) felt rushed. A lot of the decisions made by the main characters were rash in an attempt to keep the story moving quickly. I mean, in what world would it make any sense for someone to willingly give their enemy and captive a weapon? The book itself is not too long, so I wish that the background and characters could have been fleshed out more.

The world building in the beginning was quite clunky, but it did smooth out as the story progressed. I enjoyed learning about the clans and the world, and I appreciate the authors efforts to keep the Scottish-Gaelic inspired names as accurate as possible. The pronunciation guide was helpful (though I regrettably did not see it in the back until I was already part way through), but I wish I had the audiobook for this one!

One of my main gripes with this book was the heavy-handed feminist themes. It was disorienting to both be in a fantastical world in which the nation is historically a matriarchal society, and yet the women are somehow also oppressed. Every “bad guy” (aka followers of the True Religion) were laughably simple with no depth and just spewed repetitive misogynistic rhetoric (some variations of “a women’s role is through her womb”). While I do think politics has its place in literature, in this instance it felt extremely forced in its execution which took me out of the story. The book touched some on the fearmongering of the powerless populations against the Duileach magic wielders, which was much more believable and intriguing.

I do look forward to the sequel, as the ending does leave potential for an interesting continuation of the saga. I’m confident that this will be a hit for many people, and my critiques for the story may be pros for other readers!

Mixed feelings on this! It was a lot & fast paced but I’m still interested enough to read the next book

Thanks to NetGalley & Delacorte Press for an eARC! Review and opinion are honest and my own

Thank you to Random House Publishing for providing this ebook ARC through Net Galley. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the world building in this story as it is Celtic inspired and would have liked to know more about the other clans as most of the story focuses on one clan. I also liked the magic system. In this Kingdom there are multiple clans and each clan has its own form of magic such as earth, wind, fire and water magic. And people can bond with animals, including dragons, and it amplifies their magic which I thought was really interesting. If you enjoy a story with dragons, political intrigue, female rage, and enemies to lovers I think you will like this book.

Thank you again for giving me the chance to read this ARC.

I feel like it fell short in my opinion. I had no trouble going into this story, the world building was great and the characters were building up to be amazing. However it just felt as the story after 30% through wasnt hitting anymore. It felt dragged and the FMC i guess wasnt my type of girl. She was childish and very annoying. However on a positive note; the world building really was good and the politics was intriguing espcially the dragons.

The beginning really reels you in however, I couldnt keep reading unfortunately.

If anything i might try again when the release date comes, but im not a big fan.

This book caught my attention becuase of it Celtic-inspired world, Gaelic culture, and a setting that seems mystical and deeply rooted in history. The mix of elemental magic, political intrigue and rebellion makes for a captivating and absorbing read.

We follow Aemyra, who has remained hidden since birth to protect herself from those who stole her family's throne. Now, she is determined to reclaim her rightful place as queen of Tir Teine, a kingdom suffering under the rule of the oppressive True Religion, a group that demonizes magic. Aemyra is a force to be reckoned with, but I have to admit that she starts out a bit insufferable. Her stubbornness and impulsiveness made it difficult to connect with her at first, but as the story unfolds, so does her depth, vulnerability, and undeniable strength.

I loved the relationship between Aemyra and Fiorean. Their tension crackles with intensity, and their dynamic is full of biting banter, knife-edge moments, and a slow-burning chemistry.

The world-building is intricate, with Scottish cultural elements, a complex political landscape, and a magic system that is as dangerous as it is fascinating. While the beginning can be a bit dense with the amount of detail, the story moves along quickly and leads to an action-packed, emotionally charged narrative.

Thank you so much for the ARC!!!

So much happens in this book, it felt like a whirlwind. It contains everything a fantasy lover needs: dragons, action, magic, political intrigue, he falls first, and betrayal. Aemyra is the only female born to her clan in a hundred years, which makes her the heir apparent. Except the current ruling family doesn't know this. So when the king dies and Aemyra attempts to peacefully take the throne, things go horribly awry. She is left playing a game that she is ill-prepared for. Aemyra must navigate her father's oversight, her love for her people, her desire for a peaceful kingdom, and her drive to protect her kingdom, particularly the magic wielders and women, from the religious cult threatening to take over the land.

However, because so much happens, it felt like there was a bunch of big build ups of tension that were just released anticlimactically. I was surprised about how much happened in this book. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing and it didn't feel too rushed either. I did feel the same way about Mistborn too and just like that book, I am anxious to learn what happens next for our characters.

I think this book might take off once it releases because of the aforementioned elements. I really enjoyed this one and am anxiously awaiting the sequel!

Review goes live April 21

“To the little girls who were told to put their fires out. Burn them all to the f*cking ground”

I finished this book yesterday and can't stop thinking about it. I needed time to gather my thoughts because by 20% in, I knew this was already a 5-star read for me. I loved every single thing about this book, and I am genuinely unwell after finishing it. This was written so perfectly, and I was immediately hooked and unable to put this down. I need book 2 ASAP and I will beg the NetGalley gods to be an ARC reader for it as well.

“Even without your magic, you burn like wildfire. Before I knew who you were, I could see that. It is not your magic, or your blood, that makes you the right ruler for Tir Teine. It is your heart”

Our FMC, Aemyra, isn't the typical heroine from my romantasy books who must learn to embrace their power...she is bad*ss right out the gate working in a forge creating the best weapons in the kingdom. She is witty and has a mouth on her, fearing nothing and no one. She also likes to start fights and cause trouble, challenging authority and standing up for what she believes in.

“The world is already on fire, Aemyra. We don’t need you burning anything else down”

Aemyra knows who she is and knows what power she possesses but is forced into hiding for 10 years while plans are in motion to reveal her lineage. She is a true queen and the rightful heir to the throne, blessed by the goddesses that are worshipped in this world. Her whole life she has been close to the goddesses, offering prayers and seeing signs that she is on the right path to her fate. She wants to protect the people of Tit Teine and realign them with the ways of the goddesses without fear and oppression. The people know her, and they see the signs that she is goddess blessed when she publicly declares her claim to the throne at the temple of the goddesses as the priestesses all swear allegiance to the true queen.

“Brigid gifted me for a reason, and I will fight with flame and steel for what is rightfully mine”

When the previous king dies and his alcoholic, slightly mad son Evander is set to take over as king and bond to his dragon, a temporary truce is struck between the 2 heirs once she declared her intent until it is settled. Prince Fiorean, our MMC, is bonded to the other dragon that controls the kingdom, and Aemyra's father is bonded to the third who lost the last battle in an attempt to overthrow the previous king. She wants a dragon of her own more than anything, and the one that was bonded to the previous king is who she had her sights on, not knowing that he was already going to be bonded to his son. Even without her own dragon, she is still more powerful than most with her goddess blessed magic, and she might just get what she wants.

In this world, half of the people follow the old ways of the goddesses where matriarchy rules and women have power. The other half of the people follow the True Religion and are called the Covenanters who are embraced by the previous king and his family. They are slowly trying to infiltrate the world and remove temples for the goddesses and build their own while forcing people to convert via torture, prison, and other horrific acts that made my stomach churn. As they slither their way into the courts and into the people, it is a fight for the two religions as well as the two claims to the throne. When Aemyra's plans get thwarted and she can’t instantly take the crown despite her title and blood, she gets kidnapped and forced into marriage with Fiorean. Evander officially gets crowned king, and her army is now controlled by her father while she works from the inside to find a way to claim her throne. Of course, Fiorean isn't just the brute and murderer who also tried to kill her, and our true enemies become lovers in the most epic, spicy, brilliant way. Aemyra endures so much in her castle prison, and the True Religion does horrendous acts that made me cry and feel all of the rage that she felt. I felt this so intensely, and this book was very emotionally heavy at some parts with feminine rage on full blast.

‘Weak men would rather guilt strong women than become strong themselves, and Aemyra was content to show them what strength truly looked like”

As Fiorean's new wife, she acts the part as princess despite being truly a queen, and he protects her fiercely as he starts to see what she sees and how corrupt the court really is. He sees how the True Religion treated her and other women and explains how they took over in other lands. Secrets and truths unravel, and alliances are formed. They begin to plot together as they see Evander lose his mind more and more, going mad like the previous king, and they realize that they want the same for their people.

"It took her a minute to understand that his touch was setting her skin alight without the help of his gifts. It burned through her like a fever, incinerating what was left of her hatred for him"

As armies clash, dragons fight, and wars are waged within palace walls, the plot will continuously have you in a chokehold and you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. The spice between Aemyra and Fiorean was elite. I had a million things highlighted from this masterpiece, but below are my faves:

“I don’t need you to play nice. I want you exactly how you are. A scarred, dangerous dragon rider who isn’t afraid to play with fire”

“I can assure you…I f*ck like I fight” YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS

“So how can I be fire? If the only thing that makes me burn…is you?

“You like to get revenge” he whispered, dragging the edge of the dagger across her jaw “but I make it a f*cking art”

The world building in this book is beautiful and there is court intrigue, dragons, bad*ass FMC, forced marriage, feminine rage AF, touch her and die, and so much more to obsess over. Seriously, every single thing about this book was phenomenal and I highly recommend this to everyone. Thank you SO much NetGalley for letting me get an ARC of one of my fave reads.

Unfortunately, this title was not for me. I tried to get through it multiple times since receiving it a few months ago but decided to stop trying. I liked the premise a lot, but had a hard time becoming engaged due to clunky language and issues with being immersed into the world-building. There is a lot of dropping of proper nouns related to the world in the very first chapters and passages, without a lot of explanation of those in-world names or terms refer to, which made it feel like I was reading a different language. This can work in fantasy sometimes and help immerse a reader rather than overwhelm them with info-dumping, but to me the level with which it was done just highlighted the fact I was reading a fantasy book with no information about the world and playing a lot of guessing games to figure out what was going on language wise. I think a more balanced approach to general terms and in-world terms may have been easier for me. This also prevented me from becoming invested in the characters' journeys and caring more about the plot even when I progressed further. Since I didn't finish the book, I don't feel comfortable giving it a review online and won't be reviewing it below 2 stars here.

The world building and Gaelic words were extremely difficult for me the understand. I struggled with that and also the plot until about 50% of the book. It was boring and dragged on for too long. Halfway through is when I got hooked and needed to continue reading. The banter between Aemyra and Fiorean was fantastic and I loved the scenes with Terrea. I wish we had gotten more of her but totally understand due to the plot. I loved the take on dragon bonds and wish we had gotten more of it.

All I can say is wow!

This book did not disappoint! For one, you can't go wrong with dragons. The setting and Gaelic were interesting to me and I actually really liked Aemyra's personality. The romance between her and Fiorian seemed long to fruition but loved when it all came together. That being said, the cliffhanger at the end is KILLING me. I feel personally attacked! But that will not stop me from chomping at the bit for the next book!
Definitely a must read!!!

Thank you Netgalley for the free e-ARC of this book!

Hazel McBride's A Fate Forged in Fire presents a familiar fantasy landscape, hitting many of the genre's well-worn tropes. While it delivers on some basic expectations, it ultimately falls short of offering anything truly novel, leading to a two-star rating.

The premise itself, a hidden, powerful woman destined to reclaim her throne against a backdrop of political corruption and magical suppression, is a staple of contemporary fantasy. Aemyra, the fire-blessed blacksmith, fits comfortably into the mold of the strong, independent heroine navigating a hostile environment. Similarly, the "enemies to lovers" trope with Prince Fiorean, the arrogant dragon rider, is a predictable, though often popular, narrative arc.

The Celtic-inspired setting offers a glimmer of potential, but it feels underdeveloped. The world-building lacks depth, relying on familiar fantasy elements rather than creating a truly immersive experience. The "True Religion" and its anti-magic stance, while serving as a convenient antagonist, feel generic and lack nuance.

The romantic tension between Aemyra and Fiorean is present, but it often feels forced. Their interactions, while intended to spark chemistry, frequently come across as clichéd. The dialogue is serviceable, but it lacks the spark and wit that would elevate their relationship beyond the predictable.

The plot progresses in a straightforward manner, with little in the way of unexpected twists or turns. The political intrigue, while present, is fairly rudimentary, and the stakes never feel particularly high. The pacing is uneven, with moments of action interspersed with lengthy stretches of exposition.

Ultimately, A Fate Forged in Fire is a competent but unremarkable fantasy romance. It delivers on the basic elements of the genre, but it fails to offer anything that sets it apart. While fans of familiar fantasy tropes may find some enjoyment in its pages, those seeking a truly original and captivating story may be left wanting more. The book felt very similar to many other fantasy novels, with very little done to make it stand out.

A Fate Forged in Fire is a thrilling start to a Celtic-inspired fantasy romance that hooked me from the first page. Aemyra, a fire-wielding blacksmith with royal blood, is a strong, determined protagonist whose journey to reclaim her throne is full of twists, magic, and political intrigue. Her fire magic and complex character made her incredibly relatable and easy to root for.

The chemistry between Aemyra and Prince Fiorean is one of the highlights. At first, they’re enemies, but their slow-burn romance was addicting and well-paced. Fiorean’s cold, arrogant nature clashes with Aemyra’s fiery spirit, creating the perfect tension, and I found myself drawn to their developing dynamic as they reluctantly work together.

The world-building is impressive, with a richly crafted kingdom that feels alive and steeped in history. The political tension and corrupt power structures kept me on edge, and I loved how Aemyra’s journey was both personal and political.

Overall, A Fate Forged in Fire is a captivating blend of romance, magic, and intrigue. The plot never slows down, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next. Huge thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC. Highly recommend for fans of fantasy and romance!

This book had me sucked in from page one and I am absolutely obsessed. I ran and pre-ordered it just so I could own a physical copy.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed a lot of it, but the female main character was very hard to like because she exhibits the tired old trope of arrogant, young, know-it-all who gets into trouble because she's too emotional and the plot needs her to be dumb so it can throw her into peril, multiple times. And while the sex scenes are very detailed and good, the fight scenes are more generic and seem to run shorter. The main characters lacked any deep connection other than the twins, but then there was the moment where the father opens up to his daughter which made me like him more. I wish there had been a bit more of that. I also wish the heroine could have learned more about her captors to shift her view instead of constantly plotting escape and revenge. I also have mixed feelings about the ending. Once again, I feel like our main character was rash, but I do love the consequences and can't wait for the next book to see how she recovers. The writing was solid, no complaints there. Just some plot elements that could have been done better, and the villains who could have been a bit more three dimensional. I caught glimpses of why they wanted to do what they were doing but did they have anything else going for them except pulling out yet another trick nobody saw coming in order to overpower our heroes?

3.5 stars

the first part of the book and the world building with the politics, magic, and dragons was great. As a GoT and fourth wing fan, i love anything with dragons.

i felt like the enemies to lovers was slightly lacking which made the middle of the book not as appealing to me. i was just missing a connection between the two. i did enjoy her relationship with her twin adrian.
- tropes: forced proximity, arranged marriage.

the ending was epic. it jumped back into the tension that was created in the beginning and set up for hopefully a great sequel

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House and Hazel McBride for this eARC! This is the first ever ARC I’ve requested and also the first I’ve ever read and I’m not sure if it can be beat.

I originally heard about this on bookstagram from @madsbookfinsta - I saw it was House of the Dragon inspired & inspired by Scottish culture (written by a Scottish author) and immediately knew I wanted to read it & it did not disappoint!!!

I don’t even know where to begin. First of all, I loved the characters in this book. Our FMC, Aemyra, kinda gives off generic bad ass main girl energy INITIALLY but I really truly think McBride packed so much character development into the story that Aemyra did not feel boring, or stagnant, or cliched, and at the end felt like a real person to me with complex opinions and failures and beliefs. I found myself caring about the side characters, many of whom were surprisingly layered, and let me just say: I don’t usually care about side characters. While the MMC is not “my type” in a fantasy romance, I still really enjoyed his character and think I would die if we got like a single chapter from his POV (exclusive editions?? Please??).

I also really liked what we saw of the world and am excited to explore it more thoroughly. I initially found it a little hard to get into, but I don’t think that’s by fault of the author - there’s a lot of words and sounds I was unfamiliar with and it was hard for me to grasp on to the difference people and places. While reading it I was thinking an audiobook would have helped me with pronunciations, or even a pronunciation guide. Of course, there is a pronunciation guide but it’s at the end. So!! If you are reading this please note: THE PRONUNCIATION GUIDE IS AT THE END!! & hopefully you do not make the same mistake I did.

Additionally, the first ~40% of of the book kind of felt like a prequel to the rest of the book: it’s interesting and good and serves the purpose to set the context for the last 60%, but that last 60% is when things really pick up. I couldn’t put it down and I was reading on my phone since I left my kindle in another state… so if I couldn’t stop reading this on my phone I feel like that’s a glowing endorsement enough lowkey.

So if you pick this up and you don’t feel immediately obsessed I’d encourage you to keep reading, get through the world building and actually learn it (& the language). It was also such a real treat to have a window into another real culture written by an author who’s experienced that culture!!

The only actual feedback I have is I think when this gets published having the pronunciation guide at the front coupled with maybe a glossary of places/important characters would be very helpful!

If you’re still here this is the last thing (I promise): this is I guess actually the traditionally published version of a HOTD fanfic, of a couple who was not even on my radar as one people shipped. So if I went crazy over that romance… yeah! Basically I really loved this read, am excited for it to get the attention it deserves, & am going to lay awake the next few weeks thinking about that ending 🫠

I kind of want to give this book 4.5 stars but I keep going back and forth. There were obvious parts I loved and there were parts I needed a bit more explanation of. Did I guess the major plot points? Yes, but it was still a fun read for me. It stirred up emotions in me and that’s always a good read when I book can do that. Viking inspired, dragons and a dumb yet bad ass FMC. And never thought I needed a fire daddy until this book. I’m lowkey anxious for the next one. Please don’t make me wait forever.

This book will definitely be a hit! It's has an exquisite enemies to lovers with a lot of tension and incredible banter. I love the feminist undertone of the story and the critique to religion. Here are a couple quotes I loved:

“A woman’s purpose can be found in having children. However, a woman is so much more than just a mother. She is an individual with her own passions and desires far beyond those of her husband. Just because we possess a womb doesn’t mean that we don’t also have a brain.”

"Weak men would rather guilt strong women than become strong themselves, and Aemyra was content to show him what strength truly looked like."

My only problem is that the world building was very confusing. At the beginning this almost made me stop reading but I powered through and the story made it worth it. However, I don't appreciate getting to the end of the book and not really understanding the magic system. There are too many different Gods and it is not clear who gets magic or not and the small amounts of information we get in through info dumps. I hope we get more answers in the next book.