Unfortunately, I will be DNFing this book. The premise is interesting enough. However, the main character is insufferable. She is the "rightful heir," but after about 25%, I felt no urge to root for her success. She is too juvenile to lead this kingdom, regardless of her bloodline. The magic system and dragons are interesting in theory, but not enough for me to want to keep reading. The MMC is also not likable, and I have no desire to see them get together. I will say I think there is an audience for this book, and it might appeal to people who are fans of romantasy.

I am writing this with my eyes half open from staying up all night to finish this book. I could not put it down. When the enemies start to become lovers, we are all trapped and can't leave until we see it happen right?
This was great! I loved the Scottish Gaelic setting, I loved their history and names, I loved the magic system, I loved the dragons - they were done in a different way and it was refreshing, and I loved our FMC and our MMC.
Aemyra was such a badass Queen who really held her own while being bombarded with evil on all fronts, and I really do mean on all fronts (I don't like or trust her dad at ALL). I cried with her while she experienced loss, I screamed with her as she suffered assault, and I also gasped in horror at the ending.
Fiorean said all the right things and gave us all of the feels. And the amount of times he said, "my wife" had me swooning. And I love that we were able to learn about him, but that he is also a good mystery to figure out in the next one.
I honestly am completely enthralled with this world and can't wait to find out what happens to our Queen and her Prince.

I had high, high hopes for this book based on the synopsis. It sounded like a magical adventure with a fierce FMC, and in some ways it was, but in far more it fell flat. It was incredibly hard to get in to. I know I have an uncorrected proof, but the number of run on sentences and poor word choice in the first several chapters almost led me to quit altogether. Additionally, the amount of world building and specifically difficult to pronounce or remember Gaelic words made it hard to follow.

The FMC had good intentions but wasn’t the fierce heroine I expected.

Overall, it wasn’t my cup of tea. I love romantasy, but this just wasn’t it for me.

Out of respect for the author I won’t be posting this on my page.

A Fate Forged in Fire follows Aemyra, a blacksmith with special powers who is secretly a lost queen waiting to be called out of the shadows. When the moment finally comes, she must face reigning Prince Fiorean and his family. Aemyra is willing to risk it all for her people, but she lacks support and a dragon to call her own. As Aemyra battles for the throne and seeks a dragon, she gets to know the prince who vexes her. Can two rivals for the throne ever be anything more?

I enjoyed A Fate Forged in Fire! At first, I struggled with the world-building and slow pace of the story. When it picked up and things began to click into place, I was along for the ride. Aemyra is a fierce and dedicated queen. I enjoyed the queer rep, though the end of her relationship with Sorcha was a little disappointing. Aemyra and Fiorean have excellent chemistry between them. Of course, I absolutely loved Aemyra’s dragon!

A Fate Forged in Fire kept me guessing until the end and that cliffhanger made me eager for the sequel! With plenty of betrayals, romantic moments, and action-packed fight scenes, it is not one to miss. Readers who enjoy strong heroines, dragons, and romance will enjoy A Fate Forged in Fire.

Thank you to Hazel McBride, Delacorte Press, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did I imagine Rhaenyra Targaryen the entire time reading this? Yes I did. Aemyra is fighting to get her birthright back and save her people. I enjoyed the plot a lot, especially how religion came into play if you have watched/read game of thrones think of like the faith of the seven. It gave those similar vibes. I will say the romance aspect was predictable but I had fun. My only issue was the beginning of the book it was kind of tough to get through and I got confused a bit. Also wish there was more moments with the dragons. I had fun reading this and I will need to read the next book I need to know what will happen next! Thank you Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the opportunity to read this arc!

Thank you to NetGalley & Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

A Fate Forged in Fire has all the qualities that typically result in a high rating from me, but for some reason, I just struggled to connect to the story and the characters. Aemyra as the fmc, while strong-willed, fierce, and determined, came off as impulsive and irrational. For all her attempts to do what was right for her kingdom, the majority of the story we see her leashed and in captivity, forced into a marriage with her rival that does little for her growth other than to provide for some decent banter and rather dark moments later on. While reading this, the plot and overall vibe was giving very much Game of Thrones, with its religious order attempting to manipulate the royal family, dragons, and just overall political turmoil. There were moments where I felt the almost cinematic quality of the story, but again, something about Aemyra's erratic nature and the sporadic pacing of the plot took away from what could have been a thrilling fantasy romance. The romance I found to be a little unconvincing since it was founded on so much dislike for one another, but I understand that is the nature of the arranged marriage trope. And it did ultimately result in some fiery (no pun intended lol) couplings. The last 50 pages or so had me enthralled and I could not rest until I knew what happened. I will most likely pick up the second installment to follow along!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc! 💞

This book was a wild ride full of emotion, angst, and betrayal! It is a Celtic-inspired Romantasy that starts off slow with world building but then quickly sets off in motion!
It has dragons, magic, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and political intrigue.

If you like powerful FMC’s, you will love our girl Aemyra! And if you love a society based on a matriarchy, you will love this books plot! A blacksmith with fire magic abilities must outsmart a treacherous regime to claim her long forgotten throne and battles not only dark forces but also her growing attraction to a rival dragon-riding warrior.

This book is a TRUE slow-burn. The enemies were enemies for a WHILE before they became lovers. The banter, the tension, and attraction between these two was on fire. So much so, I’m surprised it didn’t light my kindle in flames!

Now for the dragons! The concept of the dragon bonds made my heart melt. I absolutely adored it and any scenes with the dragons quickly became my favorite. They are more than just companions, they play a huge role in the narrative.

And that ending? I’m dying for more!

I struggled with this book. It has everything that I usually enjoy in a romantasy: dragons, politics, a capable FMC, and action. But the problem with this book, is, for me, the character development and by extension, the romance, and the pacing.

I will say this book is action packed. And there is a rich backstory that the author attempts to develop.

This book has incredible potential. But it needs a lot of work in the character development. Aemyra, the FMC, is angry. Which I usually love. But that is her whole personality. There’s nothing really else. And for someone who is supposed to be queen and the chosen, she’s outmaneuvered like all the time. And Fiorean, the MMC, doesn’t really seem to have a personality either. And because of that I don’t really buy their romance.

But I think part of that is the pacing. It takes 40% of the book to get moving. The two characters don’t even interact much until this. Then, the book moves TOO fast. Things go from being almost over explained for the world (where I am still confused) to not explained enough. I needed it in the middle and I never got it.

Overall, I think this book has a lot of potential. If you like dragons, enemies to lovers, angry FMC, and Gaelic inspired, you’ll enjoy this.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I saw a post from the author of this book last year and was immediately dying to read this book! That cover?! Amazing! Every time a new chapter started I felt like I was dropping into a completely different part of the book and wasn't able to completely get ahold of what was going on. There were SO many characters with very unique names and I don't think there was enough world building going on for me to remain engaged in the plot. Ultimately this was a DNF for me. Thank you to Delacorte Press for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

I'm sorry, but this book is just boring. I wanted to like it because some of my friends recommended it to me and really enjoyed it, but at 20%, it felt like nothing was happening, and I'm sorry, but I have too many books on my TBR to read this much of a book that has nothing going on for it.
I might have tried to give it another chance if I'd enjoyed the characters, but unfortunately, the FMC's pick me attitude got on my nerves realllllll quick.
A Fate Forged in Fire is not the book for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

Reading this book was a roller coaster experience. The first quarter was a lot of information that primarily left me confused as to the dynamics of the current conflict, how each of the clans was involved, and how it all connected back to the dragons and their history. Once I got through it, though, and all of the chess pieces started actually moving, the board started to make more sense, and I was able to better engage with the story. Some moments were stronger and more impactful than others, and I constantly teetered between a three and four-star rating.

A Fate Forged in Fire includes some very relevant themes and powerful scenes that, at times, had me on the edge of my seat and/or rather emotional. While I think the story clearly conveyed the overall messages it intended to, I found the FMC to be lacking. She was mostly all talk, and when the action did come, her choices were not encouraging. She even makes a few remarks about how many mistakes she makes, and I get it. I am all for flawed characters, no one is perfect, but she just rarely seemed to be the one making the big power moves or the big takedowns, which I needed to see given what a core theme of the book was.

I did enjoy and appreciate the bi rep, the fact that the story didn’t shy away from real and raw topics, the bond between Aemyra and her brother, Adarian, as well as his character, and the banter between Fiorean, the MMC, and Aemyra.

The “enemies to lovers” got me because I saw the dynamic of the enemies being a near impossible thing to transition out of to become lovers on account of what they’d done to each other, so when it actually hit, I was pleasantly surprised. How the author allowed for it to happen was done well and helped me along as the slow-burn built.

The dragons were not as big a part of this as I had anticipated, which was fine given the history explained, and I think the author left some doors open for them to become more of a main character in the next book.

The ending both did and did not go down as I expected, and some of the final actions frustrated me. Overall, though, I did enjoy the story, but I’m not sure yet if I’ll be seeking out the next book in the series because this one didn’t give me the truly epic vibes I was hoping for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishers for the digital ARC.

A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride - released 5/27/25

A fast paced fantasy romance with a fire breathing FMC and a morally gray MMC. This has good world building and magical elements, WITH dragons. This definitely had a House of Dragons and Game of Thrones vibe with opposing clans claiming rights to the throne.

There is also political drama in the form of heavy handed religious righteousness. Mostly meaning magic is bad and women are less than.

I recommend this book if you’re a romantasy fan and need some dragons in your life.

Enemies to lovers
Plot twists
Dragons
Magic wielders

If you’re looking for a violent, slightly-gory, slightly-traumatizing tale of dragons, clan wars, and female rage amidst the backdrop of religious extremism (painfully resonant for the current political climate) — you’ll devour this one.

A Fate Forged in Fire is inspired by House of the Dragon, so if you’re part of the Targaryen fan club and are on the hunt for something to fill the void between seasons, this will absolutely do the trick — this is a spicy, twisty celtic House of the Dragon…down to the intra-family romance and all.

The two main characters in this are of the same ancestral line, making them both eligible for the throne of Tir Teine. It also makes them cousins — though there’s no family tree included in this, a little DIY research and a friend’s DMs with the author illuminated the fact that yes, the love interests are related — something that ought to be disclosed in any sort of preliminary TW/CW lists preceding this book in my opinion. It’s hard to root for two characters when you they’ve got the same eye color and hair color due to shared genetics, ya know? Moreover, there are some elements of the romance between them that felt rushed and unbelievable considering the nature of the events of the book, which made it even more difficult to root for these two.

But if you’re able to repress their ancestral connection, and like a quick burn romance, then this is a fun, easy read! This book came to me at the exact right time — I was craving violence, bloodshed, and a reason to be furious with controlling men (hello, luteal phase!), so I devoured this over the course of a few days, and I'll absolutely be picking up the sequel because I must know what happens next.

There’s a bit of a steep learning curve with Celtic names, and the beginning is a little slow to start, but if you can handle a few gruesome tropes, enjoy a headstrong, arrogant chaotic bisexual FMC that can forge a sword and kick your ass, and are looking for a fun, twisty, dragon-y good time, pick this one up when it releases at the end of the month!

Ultimately this was a 3.5 for me — 4 star exciting vibes, but 3 stars for the overly rushed romance and the intraclan lovin'.

Rating: 3.5 ⭐

This book was a lot. I really struggled originally with the pronunciation of some of the words used, having learned after the fact that their was direct Scottish Gaelic within the text which is awesome but took me out of the story a bit every time I had to pause to figure out how to properly read a word or a name. A Fate Forged in Fire is a third person POV as we follow the story of Aemyra and a society that originally was a matriarchy and has been taken over by a group known as the "True Religion" which values a patriarchal society where women are simply for breeding. This felt...very relevant for the times we are currently living in and having a society/world-building that was centered around a revolution to return to a matriarchy was a vibe.

I did find myself getting lost at times, I'm still unsure about the situation between Fiorean and Aemyra being from the same clan but also lovers. If I have a misunderstanding about that situation or not that I missed a clearer explanation somewhere in the book may be on me. Aemyra does make some questionable choices and comments through the book that had me questioning her and totally frustrated. I think this is to help show the reader that she is still growing and has lived a relatively sheltered life in terms of her true role of Queen by her father.

I wanted more dragons. I wanted to see more with the dragons and understand the logic of the levels of being bound to creatures and how they enhanced the magic but was also like an interwining of souls. I also struggled to believe the chemistry between Fiorean and Aemyra, it felt like they truly hated each other and then a random switch was pressed and suddenly they were into each other.

Despite these things, I did enjoy the book I promise! It took me a bit to get into the world and the story, but once I did it was a fun read where I was able to fall into the story, and while I guessed the cliffhanger, I had still been hoping that my guess would be wrong. There is much more than the surface level of the ending scene than meets the eye I think though. A level of manipulation that runs multiple layers and I don't think there are many people left Aemyra can actually trust.

I am excited to see the next book and how this duology concludes. I am left with so many questions and anything that fights the patriarchy is a win in my world.

Thank you so much to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the E-ARC, all opinions are my own.

This was a very fun fast paced fantasy book with elemental magic and dragons (and other magical creatures). Overall I enjoyed it. I liked the plot of the book a lot, however I was left confused about some of the world building. I know this is a series so maybe that was intentional and we will find out more from the next book. I loved the matriarchal society with goddesses and women inheriting the throne instead of men. And oh boy the True Religion pissed me off with their treatment of women. Definitely lots of feminine rage. So much political scheming and vying for the throne that it reminded me of Game of Thrones. The FMC did make a lot of hasty stupid decisions which annoyed me sometimes. The romance doesn't start til well over half way through the book so while this is a romantasy, the romance is more slow. There is a forced marriage situation and lots of "my wife" situations from the MMC. There were several moments where I audibly gasped. And that cliff hanger was crazy at the end.

You guys approved me for this e-arc in 2024, and since then I have been *struggling* to get through this. I absolutely hate DNFing ARCs, but I gave this one multiple tries, and ended up stopping at about 25%.

I requested A Fate Forged in Fire initially as I had seen the author advertising the book herself and it seemed right up my alley - dragons, fantasy, badass women…however the intro to the book was…disappointing and confusing.

I felt like we were thrown into the middle of a story, rather than the beginning. I don’t know if it was the author’s intention to make the FMC unlikeable/insufferable right from the get go and she has character development later on, but it truly was enough for me to not root for Aemyra during the scenes where she is taking on her role as dragon queen/attacking the kingdom? Or something.

In the same vein, we were kind of dumped with a whole of of information about Aemyra and her true identity, but I feel as if we weren’t really given enough time or story/worldbuilding/lead up to this point for me as a reader to care or even understand what was happening.

I think if the intro to this story was more fleshed out and the characters were likeable, I may have given this book more of a chance.

I appreciate the chance to read + review early, but unfortunately this one was not for me. I hope it resonates with other readers.

I didn't actually finish this. I really like the premise and some of the world building but the characters didn't feel fleshed out enough and I just didn't care about them.

This lovely fantasy novel has all of the beautiful elements of a classic story with magic and bravery. Our main character is a girl names Aemyra who rises from the ashes from being an orphan who has been trained in midwifery and she has a hidden gift for magic which she must hide based on the suspicions of the time period. I will say that this book does have some dark themes so please proceed with caution. Other than that it was a very good story.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

A Fate Forged in Fire presents an intriguing premise with a richly imagined world that unfolds gradually and organically—a welcome departure from heavy-handed exposition. The Celtic-inspired setting and the measured reveal of political and magical dynamics offer depth and potential for compelling storytelling.

However, I struggled to stay engaged with the narrative. While I appreciate the author's intent to create a strong female lead, the protagonist often came across as petulant, judgmental, and impulsive, which made it difficult to connect with her or invest emotionally in her journey. I understand she is meant to be quite young, and perhaps that contributed to my disconnect, but the “special girl” trope has been thoroughly explored in the romantasy genre and felt overly familiar here.

As the plot progressed, the pacing grew chaotic and the storyline increasingly difficult to follow, especially given my dwindling investment. The romance also fell flat for me—it veered into insta-love territory, and I found the male lead underdeveloped. A particularly jarring moment was the revelation that he had killed her family, to which the protagonist—otherwise fiery and reactive—barely responded. That inconsistency in emotional tone disrupted the believability of both her character and the romantic arc.

Despite these critiques, I do recognize the care put into the world-building and the broader themes of societal tension and transformation. This book may appeal to readers who enjoy slow-burn romantasy with enemies-to-lovers dynamics, morally grey characters, and female-driven narratives. While I wouldn’t personally describe the book as feminist, due to the protagonist’s judgmental attitude toward other women, I can see it resonating with fans of Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros, and similar authors.

Ultimately, while A Fate Forged in Fire didn’t work well for me, I believe it will find its audience among readers who enjoy familiar tropes repackaged with fresh settings. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!
(3rd person POV)


I was not prepared for this beautiful high fantasy novel.

Hazel blew me away!
It has a Scottish theme and a descriptive prose. It reminded me of the Disney movie Brave X House of the Dragon.
There is a lot of Scottish Gaelic verbiage. I’m adding a glossary of words I didn’t know the meanings of in case it helps someone else out.
(Spoilers will be after the glossary words)

This book has some HEAVY, dark, brutal scenes after 70%. It isn’t for the weak of heart. It brought tears to my eyes multiple times for our FMC.

Glossary:

Bannocks- round flat bread
Beathach/beathaichean - beast
Breithday- birthday
Caisteal - castle
Cèilidh- social gathering
Copar- copper
A chuisle- my pulse
Dorchadas- darkness
Duileach- elemental
Fearsolais- light bringer
Fèileadh- kilt
A ghràidh- my love
Sgian-dubh- Scottish knife
Sgillinn- shilling, pence, penny
Simurgh- large mythical bird similar to phoenix
Tartan- plaid pattern
Mo luaidt- my beloved/ my treasure
Òmar- amber color


















SPOILERS BELOW👇🏻





Trigger warnings with spoilers:

Very brutal battle scenes with swords
Lots of blood
Beheading
Loss of limbs
Burning people
Non consensual (attempted) vaginal brutality by priest
Very heavy war scenes towards the end













Spoilers below 👇🏻









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


My scattered thoughts after just finishing the book:

Honestly best book I’ve read this year.

The first 70% is setting the scene for the war and Aemyra is trying to forge her way to the top. She almost gets there and the rug is ripped out from under her feet.

The world building in this satisfied me after reading mid books recently. I loved the Scottish vibe, that was new for me and I was constantly searching for things and asking chatgpt questions.


My poor Aemyra has been through it! (Fan cast as Merida in my head)
She is bonded to the coolest purple dragon that reminds me of the girl dragon in Shrek.
She somehow fell head over heels for the lesser of 2 evil princes.

She lost her adoptive family.

Her dad is the most morally gray character ever written bordering on morally black honestly. That man has a dark side and his sword is even named darkness.


Poor aemyra is convinced Feirean is on her side and hell SO WAS I. The betrayal trope NEVER catches me off guard. I even considered it was a possibility but I swear I thought it was going to be her dad to betray her which he still kind of did going behind her back and making orders. Usually it is the MMC doing the betrayal but I honest to gods did not expect it in this book. CAUSE WHY. How long was he planning this?! Is he still secretly on her side and someone going to overthrow his whole family to keep aemyra safe?! Did they plan this together and she’s in on it? No that can’t be possible….
I cannot fathom a good outcome from this. I can’t justify how he could’ve planned this for the better good. I have no words left. I need to ponder this ending as I wait for the next book.