Aemyra has lived in hiding out of obligation while waiting for the king's death so she can join him as his dragon. She will be the first queen in several centuries. A powerfully blessed blacksmith must use her ingenuity and fire magic to overthrow the corrupt powers that rule her kingdom. While fighting her growing desire for one of her dragon-riding adversaries, Aemyra finds herself caught up in a political game that won't let her continue with her plan.

Opinion: Honestly, I couldn't connect with the story at all. From the beginning, there's a lot of information that was difficult for me to process. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't continue, or I'd have reader's block.

If you're starting to read in English, I don't recommend it, as it's already quite advanced and complicated.


Thanks to Dell Romance for choosing me to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

To become the first queen in centuries, as the gods meant it to be, a gifted blacksmith must use her fire magic and life-long plans to overthrow the corrupt male rulers of her kingdom—while battling her growing attraction to one of her dragon-riding rivals. Tropes include Enemies-to-lovers, Slow-burn, Forced proximity, Forced Marriage, Medieval vibes, Celtic-Gaelic cultures, Dragons, Rare magic, and Female Gods.

Once a land of gods-loving matriarchal rule, Tìr Teine has weakened under the influence of the male rulers and True Religion, an anti-magic (anti-female) group that’s poisoned the kingdom with their beliefs. Aemyra, born to rule and blessed by god-given fire, has hidden away with her twin brother, waiting for the mad king’s death to make her move and claim her throne and protect her people. But when the king dies, her plans to claim her birthright go sideways, and she’s pulled into a web of politics, secrets, and betrayal. She tries everything to avoid more death but she has no real control.

Her greatest enemy is Prince Fiorean, a dragon-rider prince and powerful fire wielder, who stands firmly with his corrupt family. Even though they have fire magic they have long been influenced by priests of True Religion. Cold, arrogant, and more powerful than her, Fiorean is everything Aemyra despises. But as political chaos unfolds, they’re forced into a reluctant alliance that sparks a dangerous attraction neither expected. His brother has stepped into the role as king and appears to be as mad as his father.

As she navigates enemy lines, attempts revenge, and falls for her adversary, Aemyra uncovers the true extent of the kingdom’s corruption—and the sacrifices she must make to claim her throne. In the end we are left with a cliffhanger and heartache. She has already lost so much, what is next? I really hope we get to see some actual action from Aemyra’s gods to back up her beliefs. Otherwise, I think they can’t be used as her leverage for her claims that her birthright, being a woman etc., entitles her to her throne.

Thank you NetGalley for this wonderful eARC!

I unfortunately could not finish this book. I was immediately put off by the main character and her general attitude and demeanor while she is supposed to be helping a woman through labor and a 4 plus page scene of said woman giving birth. There is no way past it for me no matter how intrigued I was by the summary of this story.

DNF at 12% for me! I had really high hopes after the first chapter, but it quickly spun into info dumps and so many character names. I struggled to follow everything that was happening.

A young woman waiting for the right time to take the throne owed to her by birthright from the royals that want her gone. Trying to make her way through court politics within her own family and the enemies.

Things that I loved about the book, the dragons! I am a sucker for a story with dragons working with people. I also loved the relationship she had with her brother. It took me awhile to love the main character, but by the end I did like her and wanted to see where the story went. I liked the overall story and the political aspect of the book. The magic system was interesting, though could have been expanded on a tad bit more.

During the first part of the book Aemyra acted a tad immature for how old she was supposed to be. I did like that it was addressed later on in the story. Additionally, I wish there would have been a bit more of the falling in love portion. It felt a tad instant. 
I think anyone who loves fantasy books with some romance, and a stabby main character would enjoy this book.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next one. I think anyone who likes fantasy with dragons and court politics would enjoy it.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Little bit of a slow read, as it took my majority of the book to get into it. I enjoyed the slow burn aspect.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning! The dragons, enemies to lovers and feminine rage 🔥 i ate it up! I enjoyed the slow burn and that ending blew me away!

This book had a very slow start. Aemyra doesn't start out as a very likeable character, rather egotistical and self-absorbed, but I guess you have to have somewhere to start to have some growth, right ? That said, she was pretty irritating throughout, with dumb decisions left right and center. Her brother is a delight, however, and the rest of her family seem lovely. (The "chosen one" trope. )
I found it difficult with all the different names, accents, etc, and ended up just glossing over most place names because they were (to me ) unpronounceable.
There was quite a bit of action throughout, sometimes "off screen" and we found out about the actions afterwards. Certain deaths occur, and Aemyra immediately does the stupid thing, against all advice, and gets caught ( next trope incoming) She ends up in the enemy's court, trying to battle for her life. The religious faction that is trying to take over the country and subjugate the women has a strong hold in the enemy's court, and they do NOT like Aemyra, upstart young female that she is. She does develop some insight through this period, and becomes a little more likeable.
The last quarter of the book moved much more quickly, and all of a sudden there was a battle. I was a little uneasy towards the last 50 pages, because it didn't seem like it was going to wind up, and there is no mention anywhere that there will be another book. Nail biter !!

I want to first thank NetGalley and Hazel McBride for allowing me the pleasure of receiving this ARC. Then I want to try and give an honest spoiler free review that will hook you in and make you want to be invested like I was.

I will say the book started off a little difficult with all the Scottish Gaelic names. Hop to the end to get the pronunciation guide. Once I got the names down pat it was a wild ride I didn’t want to put down. I believe this can give Fourthwing a run for its money!

True enemies to lovers and perhaps back to enemies but the ending had me wanting book 2 immediately. It’s almost criminal I’ll have to wait so long for book 2.

I feel a little torn, I loved many components that made up the book but I kept getting stuck on smaller details.
Firstly, I enjoyed that it was not predictable plot wise, being able to be caught off guard is a feeling I chase when reading. I did struggle with the pacing a bit, I wouldn’t say it was rambling slow but I had to take a few breaks.
The FMC annoyed me bad, she felt arrogant and presumptive. I will say that was not the case for the entire duration of the story, it was felt in moments.
Nonetheless, it was refreshing to read a book with matriarchal views and I would recommend to others.

Really loved the detailed world building, tension filled romance, and the fierce FMC. Game of Thrones + House of Dragon vibes with some fresh energy and highest of high stakes.

Engrossing high fantasy with a single-minded female protagonist, a strong Gaelic flair...and dragons! Great for fans of Iron Flame and Game of Thrones.

Wow! I loved it! Such an exciting read from beginning to end. I loved the magic system and how the riders bond with their dragons. I really loved the romance throughout the book because it constantly kept me on my toes. And the ending was a huge surprise! I did not expect that to happen the way that it did. And now I am super nervous and excited about the next book and what will happen. If you love romantasy, this needs to be on your TBR.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book.

⭐️ 5/5 | 🌶️ 4/5
Third person POV, single narrative
Romantasy
MF Open Door Romance
FMC: Aemyra, a blacksmith blessed with fire magic who is waiting to bond with the last dragon and claim her throne

Wow! This book blew me away! From the very first page, I was hooked. The story is packed with emotion, twists, sex, and characters you can’t help but care about. I loved how the plot kept me on my toes—just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, McBride threw in a curveball that totally surprised me.

The main character, Aemyra, is so well-written, with a perfect mix of strength and vulnerability. You really start rooting for her and get invested in her journey. And the relationships she builds along the way? So well done. I couldn’t put the book down because I was so invested in what happened next.

The world McBride creates is incredible—it’s detailed, immersive, and you can tell a lot of thought went into it. The themes of fate and transformation are explored in a way that sticks with you even after you finish the book.

There is a quite bit of spice and while the main focus of the story is on the protagonist’s journey and the challenges she faces, there are definitely moments of romantic tension and chemistry. The relationship develops slowly, with a mix of emotional depth and sexy passion that adds another layer to the story.

The romance is intense but balanced, fitting well into the plot without overshadowing the main storyline.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, and Delacorte Press for providing me this ARC of the book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Overall, I LOVED this book.

The FMC, Aemyra, is the LITERAL definition of feminine rage. Strong, powerful, out for revenge. She is a QUEEN ready to take back what is rightfully hers.

That being said, for all of the talk about feminine power and strong women, Aemyra SURE did lose.. OFTEN. I really feel like the only win she claimed was when she bonded Terrea.

I understand that it's probably a set-up for the next book, but she lost SO much and I really wish she could've won at least one battle.

I am hoping Aemyra comes back STRONG in the next book, so I will DEFINITELY be reading any later books (please give our girl a win!!)

3.5 most likely. The beginning was a bit slow but it really picked up once she found herself within the caisteal. There were points where the True Religion seemed not enough of a made up system and was actually a bit uncomfortable in how direct of a tie the author was making it to actual religions. While I get the extremism aspect, and the topics she was exploring it could have been handled a bit better in a way that was closer to a social commentary and not towing the line of an attack. I loved the progression of her relationship with Fiorian, I think I wish there was more time for that to develop. Similarly it would've been nice to see a bit more development with Maggie, they seemed so close to the cusp of friendship and I wish we could've at least gotten one scene for that. I think the bonding aspect of everyone's magic was a really unique part of the book and would love to see more of that with different creatures in the next book.

3.5 stars

I thought the book was very well written and the plot was very well written and did seem like every other book out there and the slow burn was quite the slow burn. I really liked how the book had some darker elements to it and had more of a realistic plot line of how it would most likely look in the real world instead of what you see in most fantasy books. I also like most of the character (you know which character once you read). I love how the FMC is so realistic about things and how strong she is about everything and what she's been though it really makes you feel how strong she is and why she is the way she is. The MMC is okay I have my thoughts about him which I can’t say cause spoiler. I also like the world building as well, I felt like I could really imagine what the world looks like and see what the countries people go though. I will say that I wish the guide on how you say everything was at the front, I wasn't pronouncing anything right and ended up kinda making my own names for everything and I also though the first 50 pages or so were really slow which could of just been me and not really being in the mood for reading Fantasy but after those first 50 pages I was really hocked.

This was unfortunately a flop for me. While the overall plot was intriguing, it just fell flat for me overall. I disliked the main character, the pacing of the book was off, and the world building felt confusing and also just nonexistent. I struggled to get through this one and the ending fell flat for me as well. I do not plan to continue the series

This book has a definite romantasy vibe with a feel that it could be part of an epic series. The main female character undergoes some trials and tribulations, and it's starting the process of learning who she truly is and what she is willing to do for those she loves. There's some swoon worthy parts between the FMC and MMC involving an arranged marriage. The setting is in a sort of Scottish based fantasy land with magical creatures and dragons. There is a lot of Gaelic language used throughout with little explanation of what the words mean, making it a bit confusing. There is a pronunciation guide but a glossary would definitely have been helpful. Also maybe some family trees? Sometimes the writing felt a little forced or didn't seem to flow well. That being said, once I was about 1/3 of the way in, I couldn't put the book down cause I need led to know what happened and the tension was TENSE.

Tir Teine used to be a matriarchy, but it's been generations since the royal line had a daughter. Until Aemyra. She may be the illegitimate offspring of a lesser noble, but her fire magic is powerful and will become more so once she bonds with a dragon. She spends ten years undercover as a blacksmith, waiting for the king to die, but her attempt to claim the throne goes disastrously awry. Then, her hotheadedness keeps getting her into trouble. Despite her father's supposed tutelage in weaponry and statecraft, Aemyra accomplishes very little but falling in love with a man she should despise and distrust. Needs more dragons and more chemistry. Thanks, Netgalley.