Bisexual female rage with DRAGONS!? Sign me up! I knew this book was going to be great from the dedication. It felt a little like House of Dragons but without weird Uncle marriages and more female kickassery. A great time all around! Can't wait for book 2!

Elemental magic, dragons, FMC. What's not to love? I felt like this book also did an incredible job of tying in some unique cuktural elements that created a more immersive world. There were a few sections that felt a little bit predictable, but overall, I really enjoyed this and will definitely be following along for the rest of the series.

The premise is really intriguing but I really did not care for Aemrya. She was a little too headstrong for me and I found myself uninterested in her pretty early on. The world building at first seemed really cool but then I feel like it was sort of like things were being thrown at us faster than I could make sense of it. Overall, I just don’t think this one was entirely for me and that’s ok! I’m happy I got the chance to try it out.

This book had so much potential. A hidden queen that needs to reclaim her throne, dragons, fire magic, betrayals. The plot was really interesting, and yet I found myself bored through most of it.

I think this book lacks soul. The characters all felt very cardboard-y and one dimensional. All their interactions were either cliche or just bland. Had even once character been more interesting, this could have been a really great book. Unfortunately it was a miss for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Random House for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I ended up DNF'ing this book around 20%. I was excited for the story as the description sounded like everything I'd want, but in truth the FMC, Aemyra was so absolutely insufferable I couldn't continue. The first chapter gave so much world building, but with absolutely no explanation of what anything meant, which isn't a huge dealbreaker (I always manage to figure it out as the story goes on), but combined with her attitude, I just didn't want to finish the book.

This book started of really good! But there were times where it definitely felt a little cheesy & stereotypical. I often love predictable tropes in Romantasy, but I didn’t feel a lot of originality with this one. This FMC reminded me of every FMC who ever wanted to take back her kingdom (there’s been a lot). The only aspect I found cool was that she’s a blacksmith! Overall the writing was good, the plot was decent, the political intrigue was well-established. I think it just wasn’t for me.

DNF at about 30%. I liked the premise, and Aemyra had potential, but the pacing was off and none of the characters had any depth to them.

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Expected release date: May 27, 2025

I was so excited to read this book. The dedication got me pumped, and the opening sentence really sucks you right in and had me already chuckling, but unfortunately it went downhill from there. I ended up DNFing at 20%.

I feel like this book had SO much potential. I was so excited for the Celtic influence and the pronunciation guide was a must that I think should be required in all fantasy books. 😅 However, there were a lot of words thrown in that while we now knew how to pronounce them, there was no context as to what they meant. I found myself totally confused and not understanding the foundation of the world, the magic, and how things worked.

Then there’s the FMC…I truly have never hated an FMC before. She was bitchy rage in all the wrong ways. It was clear from the beginning that she thought she was better than everyone else but it was in this overly cocky way that I just couldn’t connect with.

Overall I just think this could have been fleshed out better. 2 ⭐️’s instead of 1 for the sole reason that I think this really does have great potential.

Content Warning: misogyny, violence, war, death, attempted forced hysterectomy, family trauma

+ This gives Game of Thrones and House of Dragon vibes but no incest (thank goodness)! I think it mostly resembles House of Dragon with the political intrigue and world-building which has a territory that used to worship Goddesses and practice magic and is now overrun with men practicing the True Religion, they are called the Chosen or Covenantors. Also there is a mad king – sound familiar? Anyway, I actually enjoyed the GoT/HoD vibes a lot – this world is merciless and cutthroat.

+ Aemyra is not only the rightful Queen in hiding but she is going to fight for her throne. Thing is she’s also naive, impulsive and arrogant. She has a lot to learn about being Queen. I think people reading this might either love or hate her. Growing up being groomed as the future Queen left her making impulsive decisions, thinking everything would fall her way easily. She finds out quickly that the path to winning the throne is not easy at she thought it would be. I like her strength and the things that she had to go through with the Chosen, made me root for her a lot. She is basically fighting for women’s rights.

+ I love the dragons and Aemyra’s bond with her twin brother, Adarian who is the more level-headed and softer side of the two of them. Her dad is a morally grey character who I don’t fully trust but it will be interesting to see what happens her relationship with him in the next book.

+ The romance is a slow build and I went back and forth hating and loving Fiorean to hating him by the end! But that’s what makes me want to read book two – because these two took enemies to lovers to the next level. Their sword fighting and fire fighting battles are intense, and the ending was even more so. There is some spice with knife play but since it’s a slow burn it doesn’t happen until later in the book.

+ There was good action throughout the book, culminating with a fierce battle at the end.

~ One issue I had was reading the Gaelic words. Yes, there is a vocabulary list to help readers, thank goodness but I did get frustrated at times.

~ This is an enemies to lovers to enemies romance for now. Prince Fiorean doesn’t show much emotion but when he does confess to how he feels about Aemyra – it’s so good. But still, I felt like leading up to their spicy scene, there wasn’t much build-up, just a lot of hate between them, would have liked more hints of attraction. So if you expect them to be wooing one another, that doesn’t happen, this is a vicious court they are living in and I’d say the lust wins out first. We’ll see what happens when the emotions come in.

Final Thoughts:

I didn’t know what to expect with this book but I can say that by the end of it I was addicted and will be looking forward to book two. What I love most about it is how it gives House of Dragon vibes with the dragons, political intrigue and ruthlessness of the world. I think I’ve been craving a book just like this for awhile. I was thoroughly entertained by this book and the betrayal at the end left me needing book two asap.

Thank you to NetGalley & The Publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I liked the premise & execution of this book quite a bit. From the minute we open it, the dedication lets us know our FMC ain't takin' sh**, and I liked that. I can usually tell within the first chapter if a book is well written, worth reading, likeable, etc. and this book was immediately well written, likeable, and promising. I think it does suffer from a little cliche, a little 'been there seen that' but it wasn't distracting and there was nothing eye-rolling about it.

For the most part, I liked our characters and the way they were written. I think every character is unique enough and stays mostly true to themselves, apart from maybe the FMC and MMC at certain turning points in the relationship. I do think this suffers a little from baring the reader from the MMC/other characters POV's. Since we are in 3rd person, there was an opportunity there to give us a little hint or insight into what the MMC might be thinking, or even what Aemyra's dad is thinking. His character is probably the most confusing tbh, but since he's a minor character, it's easy enough to move on from it.

Overall, I enjoyed the intensity of this plot. It was giving Game of Thrones meets general Romantasy, so I liked that. It is interesting how much dedication our FMC gives to the religious structure of this world, and the premise that she was "chosen" by a Goddess, and yet we do not see any direct linking or assistance from said Goddess in times of need when Aemyra is asking for it.

I will definitely be tracking this authors work in the future & I am excited to read book 2!

2 🌟 another fantasy romance book with an interesting premise and poor execution. I had pre-ordered this book earlier this year and am truly so sad this did not work for me.

I think my biggest issue with this book is that the writing style is not strong enough to be third person POV. The FMC is annoying, cocky, and continuously making decisions that don’t make sense. The reader can infer her motivations but without being inside of her head, her actions came off as rash and nonsensical. There was no chemistry with the main love interest and the ending was painfully predictable.

Ultimately, I won’t be recommending this book or continuing on in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review 🫶🏼

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: romantasy (more heavily fantasy)
Plot: female rightful heir to the throne takes on current royals and religious group
Emotion: 🧡🧡🧡/5
Spice: 🌶️

Summary: enter a world where the matriarchy, blessed by the goddess, once ruled…key word being once. Now the royal family controlled by the mad king and cursed with only male offsprings have taken control with the help of a religious group who pray to the patriarchy. Sheltered away for too long, the rightful heir to the throne (FMC) must make her stand to right all the wrongs that been done to the land and her people. Oh, and they have elemental (fire) abilities and dragons!

Opinion: This is a great read! There are so many elements that go into the novel to make it a great story- so much going on but it’s not in a bad overwhelming way. Did it have some flaws, yes. Did the beginning start a bit slow, yes. BUT it redeemed itself! The fantasy elements are fun; this is a book about abilities that some are born blessed with and have an elemental base (for FMC it’s fire). Dragon component: 3 living Dragons exist, and those dragons, as well aa other creatures, have the ability to bond the goddess blessed. Romance: THIS IS THE DEFINITION OF ENEMIES TO LOVERS with a tad bit of 🌶️. Emotion: my blood was BOILING! So many times I was raging on the inside! And then a few chapters later I’m struck with sad tears. The emotion was a mixed bag of all the feels and I’m here for it all! Beware, there are many triggers so read the content warning before staring. Ending: I NEED more! Such a cliffhanger, my soul is broken.

Takeaway: I have very high expectations for this series. I would highly recommend if you like extreme enemies to lovers, strong but got a lot to learn FMC, elemental abilities, Game of Thrones, war/war strategies, royal courts, & dragons.

Rating and review posted on Goodreads. Social media posting as well as Amazon review/rating will be posted on publication day.

Loved all the many twists and turns. Loved the enemies to lovers and the royal court drama. I liked the setting of a matriarchal society that’s at odds with a patriarchal society. Aemyra was a bit petulant at times in the book and it really brought out her immaturity. Fiorean seems like he has lots of hidden depths. I hope the author explores him more in the next book. It leaves you on a massive cliff hanger. I definitely can’t wait for the next book.

I liked the world building and Aemyra's past and fight to be queen. I loved the dragons and their personalities. There were certain plot points I was able to predict, but there were other plot points that were major surprises. There are characters I thought I liked, but the ending was wild, and I don't know where I stand with many of the characters. The ending is a major cliffhanger, which may bother some readers. There are also some dark moments that could be triggering for readers.

Look if you really like romance fantasy as a genre, you'll probably like this book. For me this book was a little too jumbled for me to really enjoy. I felt like the magic system could have been better explained, the dialogue was clunky, and the main character Aemyra was kind of awful. Also, I lot of the plot was very heavy handed, there was almost no subtlety or twists. I did like the bad guys, The True Religion, but again it was just very heavy handed and it's been done before.

Aemyra is the princess hiding as a blacksmith's daughter waiting for the King to die so she can take his throne. That's it. That's the plan. Aemyra, her twin brother, and her father with like 100 soldiers basically just plan on a surprise coup at a funeral. Guess what, doesn't work. From there the plot unfolds like pretty much every other romance fantasy book.

Aemyra is also very fiery, you know because she has fire magic. She never really has a plan or shows any aptitude at ruling, other than saying she's doing things for her people. She says her father trained her, but it just feels like she's a little kid stomping her foot to be queen. I don't know, maybe I just wasn't in the mood, but I didn't vibe with this book and I won't be reading the second.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Delacorte Press for the arc, all opinions are my own.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allwoing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Fate Forged in Fire is the first book in the Bonded to Beasts duology by Hazel McBride. It is a Celtic-inspired romantasy full of magic and of course dragons. And politics. Aemyra is the FMC and heroine of the book. A blacksmith-turned queen, she is trying to overthrow the corruption ruling the kingdom. Also alonng the way she starts to fall for Fiorian in classic enemies-to-lovers style. It's a bit of a slow burn, but enjoyable.

I like this book, but it took way longer than normal to me to figure out the world-building. It is A LOT. Also, Aemyra's personality is not very likeable and can be off-putting at times. But the dragons more than made up for it! The plot was very good, and even though the pacing was a bit off, the cliffhanger at the end made me curious and eager to read the second book to find out what happens!

I think fans of Fourth Wing and the House of the Dragon series will enjoy this read. I will definitely be recommending it to my Romantasy friends and book club.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I was probably not in the right headspace for this one. It sounded like something I would enjoy immensely - enemies to lovers, political intrigue, and diverse characters.
Unfortunately, I just couldn't connect with the story and the characters like I wanted and needed to keep being engaged with the story. Maybe if I was more in my House of the Dragon era.
Still, people who are more into dragon fantasy and religious conflict would enjoy it more than me and it is still a commendable read for the challenging issues, rich world, and complex characters it presents.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Hazel McBride for the eARC.

Aemryra is the first Queen in centuries, but she has to hide and wait until the current king dies so she can take her rightful place on the throne. There’s a lot of political drama, dragon bonds, and a enemies-to-lovers romance. Aemryra has to decide what she’s willing to do and sacrifice to save her kingdom.

Was this the best romantasy ever? No, but was it fun? Absolutely! It’s not perfect. Some of the characters could have been better, there are plot holes and confusing magic and political systems, but you’re really here for the vibes. You get a real enemies-to-lovers romance between Aemryra and Prince Fiorean that ends in a crazy cliffhanger and an act of betrayal that will leave you speechless.

I’m hoping the series will get better as the characters develop and the political and magic systems improve. The problems with this one won’t stop me from reading the next book. I’m curious!

A Fate Forged in Fire was such an unexpected gem! If you love fantasy with magic, dragons, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, this is one to add to your TBR.

Aemyra is an absolute badass. She’s been hidden away for years, but now she’s finally stepping into her power and ready to take control of her fate. The romance between her and Fiorean is so well done—it’s slow, full of tension, and their chemistry is everything. You can feel the push and pull between them from the start, and watching them evolve from enemies to something more was so satisfying.

The world-building is fantastic. The mix of elemental magic and dragons makes this world feel so alive and immersive. I especially loved how Aemyra’s fire magic is so central to the plot and her growth as a character. The dragon bonds were also a fun twist!

There were some slower moments in the pacing, especially with the political drama, but I didn’t mind too much. Honestly, I was more interested in the romance and the build-up to Aemyra finally taking her place as queen. And that cliffhanger? *My heart*. It definitely leaves you wanting more 😍

If you’re into strong heroines, a little bit of romance with a lot of tension, and dragons, this is a series you’ll want to keep reading. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

This may have just been the wrong time for me to pick up this book. The main character is not someone I connect with, and I could tell the pace would be really slow. This is meant for someone who enjoys fiery main characters, fantasy romance, dragons, political intrigue, and high stakes. I do usually love all of those tropes, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me at this time.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.