This one sounds like something I'd enjoy, but based on the tws at the beginning, I'm going to pass for now. I might prefer to experience this one as an audiobook, so I will check it out in that format once it's published.

I appreciate the opportunity to review and am giving this a 4 star rating based on what I expected this read to be. Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine | Delacorte for the arc.

**I may return to this one before the pub date, and if I find that I'm able to read it, I'll adjust my review accordingly.

A Fate Forged in Fire is a thrilling and exciting fantasy set in a world of magic and contested kingdoms.

Aemyra is blessed by fire, and born to rule. As the contested heir to the throne of Tir Teine, she must bond with a dragon and fight for her place as queen. The matriarchal lines have been overthrown by men seeking power, and Aemyra is the first female born to the ruling clan in generations. But securing her place means fighting against the erratic king, and his brother, the mysterious Prince Fiorean. Aemyra needs allies. But can she find one in the Prince??

I really enjoyed this book!! Aemyra is not your typical reluctant heroine. She is ready to take her place on the throne and wants to rule. But she is young and naive, and still has a lot to learn. The relationship between Aemyra and Fiorean was a very slow burn, and a true enemies to lovers. The book has a lot of world building that comes at you quickly - the traditional matriarchal society of the magical Dùileach, the religious zealots the Chosen and their army, the different kingdoms and their magical bonds… its intricate and explained throughout the story, so I just kinda went with it and figured it out through context. I really enjoyed the Scottish Gaelic language and inspiration woven throughout. I also liked that Aemyra is written as bisexual - it makes sense for her character, especially one who is blessed by and reveres the goddesses. The religious aspect was tough at times - especially given what’s happening today - and the way the Chosen treat females was enraging. The feminine rage was on point in this book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There is a lot packed into this story - political maneuvering, feminine goddesses vs the masculine savior, a romance, a war, oh and bonded magical dragons. It’s a lot, but it pulled me in and kept me engaged throughout, I’m looking forward to book 2 in this series!

Note: there are some difficult topics in this book I encourage readers to consult the content warnings.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Random House Delacorte Press for the advanced copy!! All opinions are my own.

I devoured this book. The feminine rage was *chef's kiss*. The world-building was fantastic and infused with lots of celtic mythology. The enemies to lovers was of the sort that had me wiggling my toes. Butt he biggest thing about this book that brought me to love it from start to finish was the deeper message about how religion can and usually is weaponized against women. Aemyra is both fabulously flawed and unabashedly fierce and I loved her so very much.


This book is for lovers of dragons, real enemies to lovers, celtic culture and mythology, and feminine rage. Some loved tropes to look out for are forbidden romance, arranged marriage and forced proximity, touch her and die.

This book was absolutely beautiful for a debut. Hazel has woven her own story with her characters so beautifully. I absolutely loved the world building and the characters. The ending…WHAT A CLIFFHANGER. I can’t wait to see what her next book holds.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing group for the eARC.

3.5 stars round down to 3. We got the fantasy part down but the romance part was lacking.

Queue feminine rage that seemed to echo the injustice that women face in our own world. You wanted to fight against the patriarchy alongside Aemyra. The fight scenes including the inevitable dragon fight were on point.

However, the romance part failed in execution. What was intended to be a slow burn enemies to lovers vibe instead felt unnatural and forced. Instead of feeling the emotional damage at the end, you were left confused as things seemed to come out of the left field. Take the smut scenes as fan service if you would lol.

Review posted on Goodreads.

I really wanted to like A Fate Forged in Fire, but it ended up falling flat for me. The pacing dragged, and there was so much convoluted info dumping that I often found myself confused or disconnected from what was being explained. Honestly, it felt like a mash-up of House of Dragons and Throne of Glass, but without offering anything new or fresh.

Unfortunately, I struggled to connect with both the FMC and MMC. They were packed with flaws, which can work when balanced, but lacked the kind of personality and depth that make flawed characters compelling. While I’m curious enough to continue with book two just to see where things go, I wouldn’t personally recommend this one.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC of A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride.

2.5/5

I have to start this review by saying I think there are a lot of readers out here who will enjoy this and a significant part of my rating is that I'm experiencing romantasy burnout. A Fate Forged in Fire has a lot in common with a lot of other romantasy books that I've read - The Bridge Kindgom, The Hurricane Wars, Throne of Glass, and Fourth Wing. Readers who like any (or all) of those, and want more like it, might want to give this a shot (especially if they are also fans of HBO's House of the Dragon). On the other hand, readers looking for a romantasy that feels unique will not find it here. It shares a lot of tropes and plot points with those aforementioned books (enemies to lovers arranged marriage, political intrigue, a lost ruler attempting to reclaim her throne, bonding with dragons, etc.) but I enjoyed all of those books more than this one unfortunately.

I'm not typically a reader that cares if an adult book "feels YA" but I really struggled with it here. Aemyra, the protagonist, is supposed to be 26 but she reads more in the 18-21 age range (and I think if she was meant to be younger I'd like her more as a character). I also felt like the feminist themes of the book felt very heavy-handed in a way that would be less of a problem in a book geared toward younger audiences but felt annoying here. I liked that it is (unfortunately) quite relevant to today's society but I didn't need the book to straight up explain basic feminist issues and ideas to me. In addition, a lot of the humor didn't land for me and a lot of the dialogue felt jarringly modern.

The Celtic-inspired worldbuilding is interesting and I appreciated that religion played a significant role but I wish more was done with that aspect of it. Ultimately the religion seemed to just came down to patriarchy vs matriarchy which wasn't as compelling as I hoped it would be. Similarly, I liked the dragons (and other magical creatures) but they were significantly underutilized in terms of the plot (though perhaps they'll play a bigger role in the sequel?). The political intrigued also lacked layers and because of that it was all quite predictable. I never felt immersed in the world or invested the plot.

I also just did not care about the characters or the central romance. All of the characters felt one-dimensional and I don't think I'll remember them much in a few months. I was initially intrigued by the true enemies to lovers set up of Aemyra & Fiorean but they shifted to lovers too quickly for my liking (it was particularly frustrating when one chapter ends with the line "a queen could never take her enemy to bed" and then two chapters later that's literally happens (Aemyra please get a grip). Despite liking some of their scenes together, it felt as if their relationship wasn't built on much outside of physical attraction and relied too heavily on standard tropes instead of true relationship development. Though I will say, hopefully without being too spoilery, I did enjoy the ultimate ending and the state of their relationship by the end of the book. Their relationship over the course of this book became a bit more interesting in hindsight because of it and sets up a potentially interesting sequel.

Ultimately, my reading experience was significantly influenced by the fact that I've read a lot of books with a lot of these same elements and the entire time I kept thinking how much I enjoyed those more. I think it's likely that this book will have an audience that adores it (likely new romantasy readers) but overall I was underwhelmed.

What a rich world! I love all of the world building, though it did seem like it was A LOT at once and could have been better paced throughout the course of the book.

While the FMC was made to be very strong which at times came off as being too forceful.

There was a lot of potential in development of the plot and the romance between the FMC and MMC, but it just wasn't as fulfilling as I was hoping for. That said, I did enjoy the book even if it wasn't my favorite. It will definitely resonate well within the romantasy genre.

A Fate Forged in Fire started off really slow, debated even DNFing at one point but I’m glad I kept reading because things really picked up the second half of the book! I enjoyed the magic, the dragons, and the slow burn of the enemies to lovers. I do think the world building could have been better or clearer, I was very confused the first few chapters. Overall, a decent start to a romantasy series. I will be anxiously awaiting the next book after that cliffhanger!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Fate Forged in Fire is fierce, feminist, and full of dragons!!

Hazel McBride crafts a world steeped in Celtic myth, matriarchal legacy, and a rising storm of religious suppression.
Think dragons that are loyal to the bone, magic that simmers beneath the surface, and a heroine chosen by the Goddesses to reclaim a crown that patriarchy would see buried.

This book has something to say, and it says it boldly. McBride’s commentary on the weaponization of religion against feminine power is spot on!
It’s not subtle and that’s the point. There’s rage, resilience, and raw truth woven into Aemyra’s journey, and while her idealism sometimes had me yelling “girl, no,” it also made her growth feel earned. She doesn’t harden like so many warrior women written before her she softens with purpose… but that cuts deep. 🗡️

The romance is there, but this isn’t your typical swoony love story.. The slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers tension simmers under a much larger story.
I did find myself wishing we had more depth in the magic system because it’s intriguing but too often mentioned in passing, especially when it comes to elemental powers. And honestly? More dragons, please!! 😍
The ones we do get are amazing.

This book is going to set Booktok on fire, I think, and I totally get why. Is it perfect? No. But it’s compelling and absolutely addictive. I’ll be first in line for book two!


Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Hazel McBride for the ARC!

DNF @23%. I really wanted to love this one, especially with its clear House of the Dragon vibes and strong nods to Scottish lore ( I'm a sucker for both). I just don't love how it was executed I guess? The concept is compelling, but i mostly struggled to connect with Aemyra. She is all bark and no bite. and I just couldn't find a hook to pull me into her story. The worldbuilding felt underdeveloped, yet shoved into your throat the second you opened the book. It was hard to keep up yet not enough at the same time. I can see this working for a lot of people, however it wasn't for me.

4 stars

First thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the eArc. Pub date 5/27/2025

I struggled where to rate this. It took me until around 70% mark to not be able to put this book down. I just didn’t connect with the characters as well in this story. This is written by a Scottish author. There is a lot of usage of Gaelic throughout the story, and there is a glossary, but there were also a lot of words used not in the glossary and found I had to google the meaning to fully understand the context. It would have been great to have these words in the glossary as well.

It’s a Celtic inspired fantasy romance with true enemies to lovers. We follow Aemyra a blacksmiths daughter, who’s waiting to claim her place on the throne of an area that was once built on matriarchal rule, now ruled under the True Religion and their anti magic teachings.

I’ll probably read book 2, as I am at least curious to find out if the fmc and mmc find their way back to one another.

Review posted on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7434680477

A Fate Forged in Fire” was such a fun ride! The characters are bold, the action never lets up, and there’s just the right amount of magic and chaos. Totally got sucked in and didn’t want to put it down. If you’re into fast-paced fantasy with a bit of fire (literally and emotionally), this one’s worth checking out.

𝔸 𝔽𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕕 𝕀𝕟 𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕖

In a world rooted in Celtic mythology and shaped by matriarchal power, A Fate Forged in Fire throws readers into a battle between tradition, magic, and a rising tide of patriarchal oppression.

The True Religion—eerily reminiscent of Christianity—seeks to silence feminine power, suppress the worship of the Goddesses, and erase the magic they bestow. But one woman—blessed by the Goddesses themselves to be the next great Queen of Tir Tiene—won’t go down without a fight.

This is romantasy that leans hard into the fantasy. The world-building is rich and immersive, the dragons are everything I want in dragons (fierce, loyal, and literally ride-or-die), and the magic system is both unique and powerful. While there’s a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers thread, it never overshadows the story’s deeper themes.

𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴…

One of my favorite things about this book is that McBride doesn’t hold back—her statement on how religion can be weaponized against women is clear, unapologetic, and powerfully handled. It left me both enraged and empowered, and honestly, we need more stories like this in the world.

Aemyra, our FMC, is feisty and flawed in all the right ways. I was frustrated by her naivety at times, but I also appreciated how it exposed the manipulation and cruelty of the men around her. Despite the fact that she could resort to violence, her first instinct was to create kindness, softness, in a world that would break her and expose her sharp edges. And that contrast? It hit hard.

And reader beware: the ending will leave you banging your head against the wall wanting to know what happens next.

If you love dragons, magic, and women trying to take down the patriarchy, this is definitely a book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

"It's surprising how many lies people will believe if they are said with enough conviction."

A heart-racing tale of dragons and queens and fire. The enemies to lovers in this is so deeply real that there was a point where I actually was convinced no romance could possibly be forthcoming and I must have applied for the wrong ARC.

This was a lushly built world. I appreciate the trust the author has in the reader to derive information from context - we got enough explanation to keep things from getting confusing, but she left out pages of definitions and awkward info dumps masquerading as dialogue and conversation that no actual human would say. Same with her use of Scottish Gaelic terms - they are largely left to their context rather than defined within the pages.

I'm normally able to see plot twists coming a mile away, but I never knew where this tale was going to turn. Nothing felt like it was chucked at us just to be surprising, it just simply defied prediction. I'm feeling positively heartbroken by the ending, so hopefully the sequel is well underway *fingers crossed*

Also, I didn't think anything could ever rival Trial of the Sun Queen for the best first line, but my goodness does this take a shot at the title.

Rating: 4.25/5
Spice: 2.5/5

Tropes:
- REAL enemies to lovers
- Dragons
- Arranged/forced marriage
- Celtic culture and lore
- Matriarchy vs misogyny
- Touch her and die
- Bi blacksmith FMC
- "My wife"
- Forced proximity
- Female rage

Thank you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy.

From the first 3 pages of A Fate Forged in Fire, I was hooked.
The world-building and pacing is so natural, I felt like I was right there alongside the characters. The blend of action, fantasy, romance, and plot twists kept me engaged until the very last page.
What really stood out to me, though, was the strength of the main character, Aemyra. Even when she was uncertain or vulnerable, she always knew the power of her own judgment.
The story beautifully showcases how Aemyra continually embraces her right to stand up for herself-especially when it comes to her body and autonomy. The exploration of radical religion overtaking the country and its impact on women is such a poignant and timely theme. Aemyra's fight against the patriarchal structures being built around her is both empowering and inspiring.
Aemyra's journey of self-discovery, rebellion, and resilience is something I won't ever forget.
If you're a fan of fantasy, romance, a blend or looking for a powerful story about a strong female protagonist fighting against a newly emerging patriarchy, A Fate Forged in Fire is a must-read. It's a beautiful story about reclaiming strength, fighting for what's right, and finding your voice.
Huge thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Delacorte Press for gifting me an advanced digital copy via NetGalley - all thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

DNF at 30%

I'm sure the target audience of romantasy readers will enjoy this. Unfortunately, I already feel this wont be an enjoyable experience for me so I thought it woud be best if I DNF now. Lately I'm only seeking something different in the genre, because I got tired of the formula and the tropes and I didnt think this one was doing anything so far to stand out for me. But like I said, I feel like romantasy readers will enjoy this regardless.

4🌟 enemies to lovers romantasy. Aemyra who is secretly the rightful heir to the throne and her twin have been in hiding since birth waiting for the ruling king to die and to bond to a dragon to get her kingdom back. Fiorean, the kings son has to do everything he can to stop her. the magic system how elemental magic could be amplified by the bond to an animal, i loved Aemyras description of the bond to her dragon Terrea. i was hooked from the first paragraph of this book, i never see queer rep in fantasy FMC and i loved that! thank you to Random House & NetGalley for the ARC!

So I was not able to read all of this but I'm still giving it four stars. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the book. I loved the characters, the plot was insanely interesting, and I wanted to continue reading it I just couldn't, This was much more fantasy heavy than I was expecting and fantasy is a genre I very much struggle with. I have a hard time keeping things straight and tend to just end up confused. Everything that I read of it was fantastic I could just feel myself losing what was going on.

For people who love House of the Dragon and Throne of Glass as much as I do. Court politics, gender/religious hierarchies, magic, dragons, Celtic mythology, and beautiful family bonds, with a huge epic ending. Need the next book asap.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc!