A Fate Forged in Fire | Hazel McBride | 4 ⭐️

“Weak men would rather guilt strong women than become strong themselves.”

A Fate Forged in Fire, the first installment in a Celtic-inspired romantasy duology, is a fierce and breathtaking tribute to raw, unrelenting feminine rage.

The story follows Amerya, a seemingly harmless blacksmith who has spent her life hiding a dangerous truth — her identity as the chosen heir to a lost matriarchal throne. Gifted by the fire goddess Brigid, Amerya is destined to reclaim the crown in a kingdom now ruled by generations of kings allied with the True Religion — an oppressive, anti-magic force that has warped society and suppressed the goddess traditions. Her best chance at reclaiming her power? Bonding with a dragon. Her greatest obstacle? Prince Fiorean.

This book is heavily plot-driven. Once I found my footing, I was fully immersed, constantly guessing what would happen next. There's a political marriage of alliance, deep religious conflict, the unraveling of an intricate world with long-hidden histories, and even a dash of murder mystery.

Our bisexual FMC is an absolute force — bold, sharp-tongued, and burning with purpose. She’s driven by a clear and passionate desire to free her people, especially the women who have suffered under patriarchal rule. Amerya isn’t perfect; she’s impulsive, raw, and has room to grow — and that’s exactly what makes her so compelling.

The book weaves together dragons, elemental magic, and a once-matriarchal society teetering on the edge of reclamation. I adored the setting and its feminist undertones — though “undertones” may be too soft a word for the rage that simmers on every page.

I won’t sugarcoat it: this book was a tough read at times, and it hit close to home. Hazel McBride is commendably transparent about the trigger warnings, which include but are not limited to themes of child loss, assault, women’s rights issues, delicate family dynamics, and deeply emotional religious trauma. These themes are handled with care but pack a serious emotional punch. If those are difficult topics for you, I’d suggest reviewing the warnings before diving in.

Still, despite (or perhaps because of) the heavy themes, A Fate Forged in Fire feels timely and necessary — the kind of story that demands to be heard. The final chapters left me absolutely stunned—the multi-faceted betrayals!!! I’ll definitely be following Amerya’s story into book two.

A heartfelt thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC. And, of course, a huge thank you to Hazel McBride for writing such an important story and sharing it with the world.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book. This book includes enemies to lovers, forced marriage, elemental powers, and DRAGONS. I really enjoyed the world building and would love to have seen more description of the different fire creatures that those blessed by Brigid bond. I feel like the story has so much potential. The development of the relationship of the FMC and MMC was very well done. Would love to know more about the future of these characters.

A Fate Forged in Fire
by Hazel McBride
Bonded to Beasts #1
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: May 27, 2025
Random House
Ages: 18+

Aemyra is in hiding, at least until the king dies; then she will take back the throne as she, the first female born with the gift of flames, is the rightful heir. But not only will she have to fight against the king's male heirs, she must also defend her people against the priests of the True Religion, a group of men set out to destroy magic and oppress women.

The coup fails, and she escapes, but 'weeks' later she falls into a trap because she's rash, and is imprisoned within the castle she swore to reclaim, and forced to marry Prince Fiorean, the second in line.


While this started out slow, it did pick up here and there, and the action scenes were pretty violent. The characters were really good, though I feel that there needed to be more of a history about the dragons and how the magic between them and the humans started, plus the history about how the magic began to fail, and no females born without the magic. It was all hinted at, but more details would give readers a deeper understanding, thus feeling more a part of the world than just an observer. And anyone with any type of knowledge of 'real world' religions will have no problem guessing which one of them inspired the religious practice in this story.

As for the characters, the idea of Aemyra was good, but some of the things she did were just stupid. I did not like Fiorean or his brother, though that might have to do with their names being so weird. A lot of weird names, at least for me, take some of the enjoyment away from the story because I have to spend more time implanting the names in my brain, with who, what, why, etc., than it coming automatically as with simpler/common names. I'm not saying unique names are not cool, but too many of them cause the issue.

The story was good, though I was not surprised by the 'twist'. I figured as much, but hoping not because without it, this could have been a stand-alone... so now I have to wait for the next. And I had to take a star away because of the adult content; it was not needed, and I skipped it. So, because of that content, and not the violence, this book is not suitable for readers under eighteen. I also don't consider this a romance. Sure, it's there, but it is the cringey stuff, not romantic.

3 Stars

I know it is only April, but I can already tell you that A Fate Forged in Fire by @hazelmcbrideauthor is one of my favorite books of 2025. This is the best dragon book I have ever read. The BIGGEST thank you to @delacortepress @penguinrandomhouse for this stunning arc!

If you like books that explore themes on all that is wrong with politics, misogyny, the wealth gap, and especially religion, you have to pick this book up.

You follow the story of Aemyra who is trying to win back her crown, in a society that used to believe in the matriarch and follows the religion of the goddess. Aemyra has to fight for her place as the patriarchy of the divine religion takes over society and threatens to both physically, mentally, and emotionally devalue women and reduce them to only their womb. Not only does this patriarchy look down on Aemyra for being a woman, but they have vilified magical powers. Previously only women have ever ruled, and the world started falling apart once the men took over.

This book dives deeply into some real serious problems we are experiencing in the world today. So real, In fact, there were certain parts of this story that I definitely struggled to read. The abuse of power is felt by not only women, people with wombs, the lower class, the disabled, but by people of all minorities, and this book explores it all.

I was excited for a brash, spitfire, bisexual FMC, and Aemyra didn't disappoint, though she does come off as an unlikeable protagonist. There's a lot going on without nearly enough world-building to back it up, unfortunately. A lot of potential, but needs some more love.

Romantic Fantasy
Dragons and Magic
Female Rage
Queer / Bisexual FMC
Political
Celtic-Inspired

A FATE FORGED IN FIRE - HAZEL MCBRIDE

I always make notes on my phone when I read, and once I was about midway through A Fate Forged in Fire, I wrote: brilliant - no notes. The idea of 'no notes' - which means that I can't think of anything I'd change - remained the same right through to the last page. I think this book is excellent.

Aemyra is the protagonist; the secret heir to the throne, she has the power to wield fire and has been raised to take back control over Tìr Teine, which was once governed by a long line of matriarchs. But, of course, nothing is ever that simple, and the book starts explosively with a coup that goes wrong.

The book manages to maintain this intensity throughout, and the action ramps up significantly as Aemyra and her forces represent Celtic-inspired pantheism fighting against those that support the New Religion. And there's so much more: dragons (I loved the bond between these and their riders), enemies to lovers, spicy romance, betrayal and court intrigue, to name but a few.

If you love fast-paced romantic fantasy that doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of war, this one's for you. Always check the trigger warnings.

Thank you to Hazel McBride, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC.

Release date: 27 May 2025

Review score: 5/5

TWs: injury detail, d*ath, s*xual content, medical trauma, s*xual assault

Dragons, Celtic lore and a spitfire FMC; this book has so many good things going for it. I was intrigued when the story started with a bi FMC that has a strong body and backbone. The magic system was slightly unique and the idea of a ruling matriarchy was intriguing. I love the relationship Aemyra and Adarian, it felt like a solid sibling bond. Beyond that, the relationships felt a little weak in this story. The romance between Aemyra and Fiorean felt like it came out of nowhere with no real foundation to hold it together. I also wasn't sure I bought the bond between Aemyra and Terrea. It felt like it came on too quickly without much struggle. A lot of this book felt like it was dragging then all of a sudden we would have action that did not last long enough. The heart of the story is one we've heard a thousand times. Common nobody is actually chosen one is actually a hidden princess with overpowered magical abilities. The execution could have been improved to help it stand more but I still enjoyed it mostly. All of that being said, I am excited to see what happens in the next book.

Fast-paced, but often left me feeling annoyed. The female main character frustrated me the most — her attitude toward other women was baffling. She’s not someone I could support; calling her condescending would be an understatement.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review this eARC.

I absolutely fell in love with this story. This is a Celtic inspired fantasy romance with dragons, politics and betrayal (😣) and it was so, so good! The world building took me a bit to grasp, but once I was in it, I didn’t want to stop reading. I loved how much depth the characters had, especially our MMC. Our FMC, Aemyra, is one of my new favorite female characters. I loved her wittiness and how well it matched Fiorean’s, but also that she shamelessly put infuriating men in their place. Back to the FMC and MMC though, the banter between the two of them was perfect and had me giggling. I really enjoyed the plot of the story and I’m really looking forward to learning what happens next!!

I hope you consider adding this one to your TBR, the message is important 🫶🏻

Ok. (sigh) I really wanted to like this book, but it was hard to get through. The FMC was not my cup of tea, and it was hard to feel any empathy for her. I emphasized with her situation but not her actions in response. The magic system and the story/histories of old gods and new were veey interesting. Best part of the book were the dragons. haha! I always love when dragons are bonded with their riders. Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

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!