Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

At first I'll be honest I was a little confused and trying really hard to get into it! The world building comes in so fast and it took me a while to fully grasp what was going on. However, 50% into the book, things started to get pretty interesting..... Also I wanted to really like the FMC but I found her annoying at times and so cocky. I wanted to scream when she had so many opportunities to escape and well... it did not happen. The MMC idk... I feel like there's more to him than what we got.

The ending though.. OK that got me. I teared up during that one sad part with the FMC (TRIGGER WARNING) and I just wanted to RAGE. And the betrayal??? I had a feeling but still.. it hit me.

A Fate Forged in Fire - Hazel McBride
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/🌶️🌶️
“𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯.”
🔥🐉🗡️🐦‍🔥

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Hazel McBride for the e-ARC!
It’s givingggg House of the Dragon.. which makes sense actually bc I think I saw somewhere that before publishing it was a fanfic? And I loooove me some HoD.

If you love a determined FMC, dragons, fire magic, a plot twist, and rebellion… pick it up!!

I’m coming out of a slump and this book was a little hard to grasp onto at first. It is Celtic-inspired so the language and word choice does reflect, and between my slump and my half of a brain cell I had to push through. But once the plot starts thicken though, I was hooked! And the ending??!! So intrigued to know how the second book will go.

Hmm... This one is difficult for me to rate/review. I keep jumping back on forth on the rating, leaning more to a 2.5 but willing to round up. It felt like this had bits and pieces from a bunch of different novels that are put together, but don't really quite fit.

Basically, you have Aemyra, a 26 year old wannabe badass who has an affinity for fire. She's actually the only female heir in a former matriarchal society that worshipped Goddesses, but had to be kept hidden as the throne is currently held by males. A new religious order has a foothold and is trying to change the society from female driven to male. (Think the barefoot and pregnant type extremist view). Throw in some dragons and you have the makings of an interesting read...

...and yet. Hmmmm....

The character of Aemyra is difficult. While I understand McBride is attempting to develop the character, she just doesn't hit right. She a badass with no common sense, yet she is ready to take one the current monarchy for her throne... but she doesn't want anyone to get hurt... but she wants to bond to a fierce dragon... but she walks right into obvious traps... but she is smart and know how to heal children... For someone who has been supposedly trained since birth to start a rebellion and take back her throne, Aemyra does not present that type of persona.

The romance with Fiorean is also... odd. Aemyra makes it pretty damn clear in the beginning and then throughout the novel she prefers the company of women, which I was excited for. How would McBride keep this interesting in a stereotypically heterosexual situation/setup? Oh, let's make her bisexual instead... and then beyond lustful for Fiorean instead to the point where she has to pleasure herself while thinking of him because they have been separated for like 3 days.

Overall, it feels like McBride takes the easy way out with each plot point. There really isn't anything earth shattering or shocks you with this novel. I sincerely hope this stays as a duology and does not get drawn out into a series instead. While reading it was able to keep my attention, but when I stop I didn't feel the strong full to pick it back up to read. This will be a pretty quick read as a nice cleanser after a heavy novel.

This one is gonna be a hit! I just know it. I absolutely loved this books, you have sexual tension, dragons, bonding, kingdom fighting, rightful ruler. Pretty much everything you want in a fantasy you can find in this book. My only complaint would be that the pronunciations of the words were hard to figure out and I wish in my arc copy it was in the beginning of the book so I was able to read through them first to have a better idea. But that’s also my preference. I can’t wait for everyone else to read it so I have more people to talk to about this book!

This book had everything I enjoy in a fantasy read and more! There was romance, slow burn, dragons and a very strong and fesity FMC. I continued to root for her as she reminded me a bit of myself, where she has all these amazing plans, but nothing worked out in her favor. It reminded me that not everything will go according to plan, and I can either give up or try again.

Hazel McBride's writing was very detailed and smooth that I felt like I was in the world she created. I m currently in my dragon era, and this did not disappoint. Can't wait to see more from Hazel McBride.

perfection. i loved this book and already wanna do a reread. it was so addicting and easy to follow, loved it. i can't wait to reread with the audio

Brigitte Knightley said to read this so I read it🧎‍♀️

I really enjoyed A Fate Forged in Fire! It was the perfect mix of fantasy politics and a spicy romance. Aemyra was a great FMC, and I loved her journey as a hidden heir. While she was very confident in her status as queen, she seemed impulsive and underprepared for her role, so I look forward to her potential character growth. I loved Fiorian even when we were supposed to hate him lol. This is definitely a slow burn, in romance and plot, but I devoured the second half. I can't wait for the next book in this duology! I'm hoping for a bit more worldbuilding, magic, and dragons.

✨Check TW✨

❤️‍🔥 Celtic inspired
❤️‍🔥 Ragey, bi FMC
❤️‍🔥 Enemies to lovers
❤️‍🔥 Political intrigue
❤️‍🔥 Betrayal
❤️‍🔥 Big dragons

I'd recommend this for fans of A Fate Inked in Blood and House of the Dragon.

Thanks to NetGalley, Hazel McBride, and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC.

Aemyra and her brother grown up as the children of a town healer and blacksmith but are actually hiding a secret claim to the thrown. McBride provides you with loss, passion, the dangers of religion, and a touch of spice. I enjoyed the dragons and hope for more in book 2.

𓍢⊹ 🔥 𖧧 ࣪ 🗡️

“Aemyra had been forged in fire, but a queen would rise from the ashes.”

— thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the arc! please check tws before reading!!

🔥 enemies to lovers
🗡️ many dagger to throat moments
🔥 feminine rage
🗡️ marriage of (in)convenience
🔥 lots of “my wife”

i don’t really know what to say about this book! i liked it at times and then i didn’t and just have mixed feelings overall! the beginning was filled with so much world building that i feel like could’ve been explained better, i found it so confusing!! after reading more it started making more sense but it still wasn’t so enjoyable at the start!

i don’t know what to think of the fmc; i feel like the book made her out to be this strong and powerful fmc which at times she was but i feel like she barely accomplished anything if that makes sense? all her plans kept going to shit and i was just asking myself when something would change! i kept rooting for her to win and sadly it never happened :(

i wish we got more or fiorean, his character was okay and a bit bland but there was literally nothing more!

now my favorite thing about this book would definitely be the enemies to lovers! i think it was done well and i enjoyed the tension and hate between the characters!

i also wish there was more dragons!! i absolutely loved the authors take on bonds and would’ve loved to see more of it!

the ending i saw coming because sadly i saw a review with a slight spoiler hinting at it and i honestly would’ve been completely oblivious had i not seen that! THAT BEING SAID… (i think) i will be continuing this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. Unfortunately I have been struggling to read this book for over a few weeks now. It starts off well, but the main character irks me and I can’t seem to want to continue. I may come back to this, but it’s a dnf for me.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars

Love dragons? And TWINS siblings? Pick this book up! Yeah, like now, now.

Here the MFC EARNS her dragon, and it was no easy task. The main reason i picked up this book is because (as you can see) of the dragons.

I loved the interactions between the siblings and their family. The writing is amazing and very unique. Some PLOT TWISTS! Loved it!

At first however, it was hard to get into (just like any other fantasy world) and definitely felt like Aemyra had a lot of hatred in her heart towards males. Her reason for it at the beginning was not sufficient. Her personality was something that it took me a while to get used to. I mean, even to her brother she was like that.

I understand her wanting to have a dragon (I mean, who wouldn’t?) and the way she earned it? Wow, was not expecting that.

Also, keep in mind this is a new fantasy world so there will be lots, LOTS of character and places names that will be somewhat confusing. Throughout the book, I had to keep going back and forth to the map because I could not memorize the continents and people. But then again, maybe it is just me.

Overall, it was definitely a difficult read but readers will get used to the plot and setting. Thanks for the ARC!

I am going to take a break from this, and come back around to it in a week or two because I just could not get into this.

I can't quite put a finger on it, but something about the main character just irked me-I did not like her personality and couldn't get very far into this at all. I'm going to try again in a bit and then update my review - I don't want to post any reviews on sites yet until I give it another go.

I really did enjoy the twists and turns in this one.
It has a nice dense magical system, Duileach's are blessed by the Goddess. And there are Duileach for different elements. In recent decades an oppressive anti magic religion, the True Religion, the 'chosen' have infiltrated the nearby countries drudging up anti magic sentiment gaining power. A formerly matriarchal country, Clan Daercathian was led by queens who were all fire duileach, bonded to great dragons, but no female heirs have been born in a century. Males have taken over the crown and their magic has been waining, dragons failing to thrive, people fearing a curse on the country and their people, of Tir Teine. They wait for a true queen to be born again.

Aemyra is the first to be born. Raised in hiding with her twin brother Adrian, they're from a branch family, cousins to the current rulers. Raised by a Healer and a Blacksmith, they aren't exactly what you'd call a typical Princess and Prince. They were still tutored to take up the roles expected of them in secret by their father who visits in secret when he could.

Waiting for the current king to die, Aemyra is just waiting to stage her coup and reveal herself as the True Queen. She's brash, bisexual, blacksmith and healer, she doesn't take crap from anyone. But she has to be careful, keep her hair constantly covered, and try not to reveal the vast amount of power she has. Adrian was born without power, he's not a Duileach- but a very talented swordsman and blacksmith as well. They always knew their lives would change.

She finds herself in a precarious situation when things don't exactly go as planned, knowing who she can truly trust may just cost her everything. It's an enemies to lovers to enemies again wild ride and it's a really good one! It's got dragons, stabbing as flirting, fighting, court intrigue, and a revolution to come.

Okay, so this book seems to have some pretty poor reviews. Many say it feels similar to a Game of Thrones book or fanfic, I however really enjoyed this book! It took about 20-30% to really get going but by the end I was hooked and I can’t wait for the rest of the series to drop! This book does have a vibe like it wasn’t thoroughly edited and it could have used a heavier hand with the editing so fingers crossed they do that before it hits the shelves. The entire first part is name dropping and trying to build this world but without much explanation so it doesn’t make sense or pull you into the story. You have to ignore the first 20-30% and then it’s fine. The main character does act young and impetuous but it works for this book. The true test will be if I can remember anything about this book by the time the next one comes out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I tried my best to trudge through this book, but frankly my dislike for Aemyra just made this story a no for me. The romance was half baked, though I always love bi/pan rep, and her energy towards other women drove me insane. I definitely can see where McBride pulled from House of the Dragon and the fight scenes were very interesting. I was hoping this would fill a gap left in my post Fourth Wing reading, and it truly felt like a chore to read.

I really tried to enjoy it but I just couldn't . All the characters were insufferable more especially the mmc. I was so close to ending it because of the way he acted towards to fmc. The book focused more on the spice instead of the development of their relationship. The synopsis looked promising but I fear this is a no for me

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc. The Arc was provided in exchange for my honest review.

I felt that the FMC was a bit hard to read at times (so vengeful and wishing death on everyone one minute, and the next saying that she would rule in peace is just one example). I also felt like she was a straight-up man hater and it didn't read as a strong feminist (which is what I'm assuming the author is going for). I liked the plot a lot however and felt like it was GoT meets Vikings. I am and will continue to read this series, I hope that Aemerya becomes a bit more palatable in book 2.

I almost felt like we needed 1 more instance of them softening towards each other before they initially kiss, because I'm truly believing they HATE each other. But again Fieoran was softening and we could see that. But overall I liked that they actually had tried to kill each other first- no fake enemies to lovers here!

I will not be posting this review to Goodreads. I will only be posting my rating of one star.

Random House reached out to me via NetGalley and sent me this book in exchange for an early review. I did not request to read the book.

At a glance, I was very excited to read A Fate Forged In Fire, as it was marketed as a Celtic romantasy, with dragon bonds and a queen in hiding. However, this book did not deliver, despite the ingredients list including some of my favorite tropes.

From the very first page we had more focus on sex, ego, and virtue than story line, and the story line very much suffered for it. I felt thrown into a world whose tale started long ago, and I was unable to catch up, like a child who sits in on story time at the half way mark and misses all the world building. I had no skin in the game. I just didn’t know enough about this world or its characters to care. It was hard to look over the poor writing and annoying characters. So much of the story felt forced and the story structure and arc felt, awkward.

The plot (outside of the romance) of the story entirely revolves around a religious war. If that’s your thing, you may enjoy this, but for me, it was a hard pass. It wasn’t a pass, necessarily for the material, but for the context and execution.

Overall, I did not feel the story delivered what was promised by marketing. The ingredients were there, the execution in my opinion, was not.

First I would like to thank Random House ,Hazel Mcbride,NetGalley for lettitng me read this E-ARC for an honest review! I loved everything about this novel!! It has fantastic world building inspierd by Celtic Religion, a Badass main character who will stop at nothing to gain thier rightful place as Queen, A True Enemies to Lovers trope done right, intriguing politics, and Dragons ! I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoyes Enemies to lovers, badass Main Charaters and House of the Dragon! Though I'm limited to five stars i would give it ten if possible!

Hazel McBride truly deserves praise for giving us something so unique. I won't lie, I had just come off of Onyx Storm when I started this book and I was burnt out on dragon bonds and enemies to lovers romance. But this book, *happy feet kicking in the air*, it was like diving into 68 degree pool on a 105 degree day. While bonding with a dragon plays a crucial role in the story and Aemyra's character development, the book doesn't overindulge in endless sassy exchanges between her and the dragon. In fact, the dragons’ appearances are impactful and influential without ever overshadowing the main plot.

As a reader in my late twenties, it was exhilarating to have a female protagonist around my age rather than the usual 16- to 21-year-old lead. Aemyra’s journey felt more grounded and relatable, adding an extra layer of depth to her character development.

Now, let’s talk about Fioran. Can I just say how much I adored the true enemies-to-lovers dynamic here? His character isn’t just a pretty face with a chiseled body—THANK YOU! The tension between them is woven into the dialogue and their actions, not just his physical presence. There are no repetitive descriptions like "his eyes darkened," or "his muscles rippled," or "Gods, he was beautiful when he was murderous." Instead, you feel the tension in the blades, in their words, and in the intense back-and-forth, in the subtle body language. You root for them, and it’s so satisfying to see the relationship unfold in a way that feels natural, not forced.

The world-building was just as impressive. It was so well-researched, and the lore of the world was explained in a way that I never felt lost or confused—nor did I feel like I needed to have done a deep dive into Celtic mythology to understand it. The balance between rich storytelling and accessibility was chef’s kiss.

Speaking of chef’s kiss—those plot twists at the end? Perfection. I pre-ordered the second I finished and can’t believe I have to wait for the official release—let alone another year for book two. It’s going to be a long wait, but if this book is any indication, it’ll be more than worth it.
Move over Fourth Wing, A Fate Forged in Fire is taking flight, and in my personal opinion, it just might be the better beast.