I was allowed to read this book early and I'm so glad I did!

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It felt a little choppy at first, kind of bouncing around during the world building. About halfway through though it seems to find its stride and picks up. I do wish there was a bit more of the enemies before lovers but I still think the author did well not falling into the trap of "insta-lust". There is definite hatred between the FMC and MMC throughout the book.

I love seeing a different style of dragon bond written in this book than what has been in recent ones. An almost innate connection that doesn't require words between dragon and rider. The magical system is also interesting with the different religions thrown in and conflicts between them. It's also nice to have a FMC who isn't amazing at everything and has her own major faults. She's reckless and arrogant and a little naive and her growth throughout the book is well-paced.

The ENDING though. I'm actually angry because now I have to wait even longer for the next book since this one technically isn't even out yet. That cliffhanger and the twist at the end had me wishing the next one was already on my kindle. I'm very excited to see where this story goes.

Thank you for the eARC! I was really excited to read this book because of it's focus on Celtic lore/mythology, dragons, enemies to loves and a strong FMC. Overall I have mixed feelings on the book. I found it harder to get into the plot than I expected. I also think pacing would fluctuate between being fine and then feeling off. I also think the romance didn't really grab me as to their connection. But overall, there's politics, religion, action, romance/spice, and magic. It does feel very game of thrones/house of dragons reminiscent. Which i think is a different take on fantasy romance than most of what has been published recently. Hopefully since as the story progresses in the next book, things will be feel better fleshed out with the writing, pacing, and plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review!

Hell. Yes.

As someone who loved Throne of Glass because of Celaena Sardothien and her sass, I knew this book would be a good one right away. Aemyra is a brat, she is sass, she is a fire breathing bitch Queen, and she knows it and owns it. And I love her for it. Damn does it feel good to read FMCs who don’t give a fuck about what others think about their attitudes.

I love the Celtic vibes of the world, even when it did get hard to read sometimes. I’m not super new to Gaelic, but it is vastly different to English and the other Latin-based languages that I am more familiar with as a scientist. I also love the wide use of redheads in the cast of characters, a bias as I am a redhead with Celtic blood.

I understand a lot of the wariness that critics have with this book. However, I enjoyed the banter, the setting, and the majority of the plot. Was it perfect? No. But most Romantasy isn’t. At the end of the day, it’s a solid piece for the genre and one I will gladly add to my shelf when it’s released.

*Thank you Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride is an absolute page-turner! The characters are compelling, with depth and emotion that pulls you right into their world. The plot is developed well and I really enjoyed the magic system and the world-building that never felt rushed. I thought that the pacing was perfect and honestly never had a really dull moment! If you’re a fan of fantasy with slow-burn romance and high-stakes action, this book is a must-read. Highly recommend!

*This review was posted to my GoodReads account (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/150495613-matthew-gold) and will hopefully be on instagram in the coming weeks (@goldreads13)

To say I am so disappointed is an understatement - this literally had all of the elements I love in a fantasy novel, but it did not get executed and was just another rudimentary romantasy story.

I absolutely adored the beginning, felt the weaving of the world building was interesting. I loved the Celtic lore, the feel of House of The Dragons type theme going, and elemental magic.


The world-building felt both overcrowded and empty—there were too many elements crammed in without proper development, which created plot holes.

It felt like the author was throwing in concepts for the sake of complexity, but without grounding them in the story’s logic or lore.

At the same time, the pacing was so underwhelming that it felt like nothing meaningful was happening.


This is also one of the worst MFC I have read, and I am sorry, I don't wanna rip this to shreds, but she was a bully, condescending, and not at all the type of female character I would support.


Thank you Netgalley and the publishing company for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Fate Forged in Fire Hazel McBride

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for this ARC!

This one was hard! I was really into it up and until about 50%, it was a five-star read, but unfortunately, it slowly started to lose steam from there for me.

Let me start on a positive note: I appreciated the LGBTQ representation, the Celtic-inspired names and phrases McBride used, the world building and the dragons. This novel has strong Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon vibes with its family politics and, of course, dragons.

I’m not bothered by a main character who makes mistakes or isn't immediately likable, because growth usually comes from those mistakes. (Nesta fan here! 😂) But honestly, I didn’t feel like Aemyra grew much at all. She made mistakes because she didn’t know much about court politics, which was expected. However, by the end of the book, there wasn’t much sign of personal growth. Plus, I’m a weenie—I struggle to stick with a book when it just keeps getting worse without any uplifting moments in between. I really needed Aemyra to have more wins 😭 Since AFFIF is a duology, though, maybe the point is that we’ll see her triumph in the second book.

Fiorean and Aemyra’s enemies-to-lovers arc could have been better for me, but I’m pretty sure they’re related, which was hard to ignore. 😂 Also, the things that made them into enemies in the first place didn’t seem like something you could just brush off.

It has tons of potential, but I feel like the execution was a bit off. Despite all of this, I’m still open to reading the second book- I want Aemyra to grow and thrive!

4.5⭐️

I’m calling it now- this will be the romantasy of the summer.

A Fate Forged in Fire throws a lot of the typical romantasy tropes on its head which is so refreshing after reading the same 10 tropes over and over. The politics are intriguing, and the political scheming across all of the characters are what really sets AFFIF a part from similar books in the genre. We get human politics and a smidge of dragon politics- what more could you ask for?! And in addition to the politics, there’s an underlying mystery of trying to figure out who’s poisoning children.

At no point did I correctly guess where the plot was going, and even after finishing the book the only characters I trust are the twins. Everyone else has their own selfish reasonings for their actions, and I predict a lot of political upheaval in the next book.

AFFIF is my favorite type of romantasy- fantasy first, romance a subplot. Yes, it’s a subplot to forward along the main plot, but the romance is not the main focus of the entire story, which I have a hard time finding in the genre.

Also I loved how progressive the book was- an openly bi FMC, gay characters galore, and a character with they/them pronouns, and there was no grandiose explanation for any of those things, they just were. No questions, just statements of facts.

I cannot wait for this to come out to see everyone’s theories on what is going on!!

Overall, this was an enjoyable fantasy. Even with me being an avid fantasy reader, I will say the first third of the book was a little confusing with the wild building and name dropping but it became easier later on. I can definitely see why others compared it to the House of Dragons. Aemrya was a bit of a complicated FMC for me, because while I love feminine rage, she wasn’t my favorite 😅 the enemies to lovers became lovers pretty quick, which I don’t mind but I always love some more buildup. You can tell Hazel put a lot of research in to traditions and lore for this which helped a lot with authenticity. Overall an enjoyable read for fantasy fans and dragon lovers.

It took me a while to get into this one with the world building and trying to get used to the Gaelic. But I was invested around the 40% mark. This reminds me so much of House of Dragon. Even the brothers remind me of Aegon and Aemond. I loved the banter between the FMC and MMC. I wish we go to see more of the dragons and their bonds, but the times we did I was obsessed. I loved Terrea, especially when she was around Adarian lol! I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book after that cliffhanger!! I had a feeling what would happen though!

Tropes:
💍Marriage of Convenience
🗡️Enemies to Lovers
❤️‍🔥Slow Burn
🐉Dragon Riders

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The only reason I give this 4 stars is because it took me a little longer to get into than I would like, and I also felt like some of it was too close to HOTD.

Was able to read this ARC and really enjoyed the story!
Aemyra is fated to be queen and through a carefully laid plan she waits years to execute she finally puts it into motion. What is consistent in this book is that no laid plan ever goes accordingly and she is challenged by a bit of a quick temper and her inexperience strategizing against masters of manipulation and schemes in her rise to be queen.
She reminded me of Sansa and Game of Thrones and yes there are dragons!

This story had twists and turns and kept you on your toes through the original play for power through the last pages. Not sure if this will be a duology or series but you definitely are wishing for more at the end of the book!

BOOK RELEASES May 27, 2025!

This story is pure feminine rage and I am here for it! It pits centuries of matriarchal rule and prosperity against growing religious fervor that subjugates women. Sound familiar? It’s no surprise this story pulled me in from the start, eager to watch Aemyra burn it all down.

There’s dragons, magic based on the elements, an enemies-to-lovers romance, and a story infused with Celtic mythology. Aemyra might be the true queen, but it’s immediately clear she has no idea what she’s doing. She’s fierce, determined, and wants a better life for her people. The banter between her and Fiorean was top-notch and I lived for their fight scenes almost as much as their romantic ones. They both struggle with what they believe to be right and are fiercely loyal to their families. The final pages of this story are full of unexpected, heartbreaking twists and I eagerly await steamy and stunning conclusion!

Thank you to Netgalley, Dell Romance, and Random House for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Un invested. Lots of political drama between religious and pagan beliefs. Combine that with a whiny FMC who’s “not like the other girls” and I DNFed 25% in.

This was a good book and great story. It has a great magic system, dragons, royalty and lots of action. I throughly enjoyed reading this book, even so, that I finished the last 16 chapters in a couple of hours. If you like magic, dragons, royalty then this book is for you.




I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Fate Forged in Fire has a lot to love for the romantasy readers. Enemies to lovers, dragons, action, spice, and a stabby FMC, it hits all the tropes that are currently trending. The story follows Aemyra, a princess who has been raised alongside her brother in secret by a blacksmith and his family. While she learns swordcraft and smithing, she is waiting for the day when she can bond to a dragon and finally reclaim her rightful throne. Only one thing stands in her way: the current King Evander and his brother, Prince Fiorean. When the time comes to announce her claim, things go terribly wrong, and she is forced to flee with her brother and biological father (who has been amassing an army and planning the coup all this time).

Readers who loved Feyre, Aelin, and Violet will also probably love Aemyra. She's cocky, talented, and beautiful. But that's about it. She's young, I know, but given the weight of her mission, one would expect that she would be a little bit smarter. Truthfully, this girl is an idiot. She made bad decision after bad decision, ultimately leading to her capture by the prince. That being said, she cares for her people and her passion is admirable. I just wish she had thought more with her head and less with her libido.

The romance was....okay. I am not a romance reader, so perhaps I am not the best judge of how it was portrayed. But the enemies turned to lovers far too quickly for my liking. This man is supposed to be her rival and true enemy, yet a few scenes of being kind to her and she's head and over heels. I don't dislike relationships in fantasy books--I love them, in fact--but I need to feel the characters fall in love. I just didn't see that here.

All of that aside, the world building and the magic system is beyond cool. The author's passion for Scottish history and mythology really shines, and I applaud the research and time she put into crafting her world. The political intrigue was well done for the most part, but it did start to fall apart when Aemyra was captured. While she was going to dinners and seeing the inner workings of the enemy, her father and brother were seeing the real action. It felt like there was a disconnect between Aemyra's story and that of her family's, and it left me a little confused when things come to a head in the last few chapters. I almost think this story would have been better served being told from her brother's POV, or at least a dual narrator.

If you enjoy reading for the vibes and love action and dragons with a dash of spice, then you'll likely enjoy A Fate Forged in Fire. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The plot and pacing was quite slow to start but it did pick up towards the 60% mark. Wasn't my favorite but not a bad story

Holy hot fire! I was in a reading slump for a while but not a anymore. McBride writes beautifully and her writing style fully enraptures me in the story. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed reading this one. The characters were complex and I enjoyed the relationship dynamics between them all. The conflict of religion and how far deep it can effect a nation. There we're antoganists but many felt morally grey due to the dueling perspectives of the characters. The main heroine was flawed but that's what I enjoyed most about her! She doesn't know what she's doing. I enjoyed watching her grow! I highly recommend checking this series out! The book had me burning for more 🔥

I could not put this book down it was SO GOOD. The pacing was perfect, driving strong characters and intriguing world building. The Scottish Gaelic names were difficult to figure out which took me out of the book a bit at the beginning, but once I got used to them, it all flowed very nicely.

Honestly my only critique is that there needs to be more clarity on the familial distance between the FMC and MMC because it's a bit confusing as an American reader who has no experience with Clans/Kin etc.

Really excited for the next book and subsequent duologies in the series- Hazel is immediately a must buy author for me!

This book was good but could be better. The plot was slow to get into. It wasn't until about halfway that I really found myself wanting to pick this book up and read it.

This was a great read! It was a little confusing in the beginning as there was a lot of names drops with places and then more info dump. I do wish the map was bigger (guessing it will be in the physical book) and it didn’t seem like all the places that they talked about were on there. There were some sentences that seemed repetitive and can’t really go into it as don’t want to give any spoilers. However I really enjoyed the explanation of bond in this book and loved the dragons. I am very excited for the next book in this series.

I was really excited to read this one but sadly, it did not meet my expectations. I found the plot to be quite slow––often boring, which made me not enjoy the rest of the book, which is unfortunate because again, I was really looking forward for this one.