A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride

4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the earc copy of this book.

This was a very fun romantasy read for me. It kinda combined elements from several other books that I enjoyed - and I loved that it felt unique with its own identity, Sometimes that feels hard to do when so many fantasy novels lean into the same subject matter.

I loved the FMC. She's spunky and I love that she was a blacksmith. That's definitely not the normal fantasy go to so it was refreshing here.

The story had good pacing and was well written and kept me entertained and smirking the whole way through. This was a fun time for sure.

Looking forward to the second book!

Definitely recommend this upcoming 2025 book to all my romantasy fans. This is a must read.

Thank you again to netgalley

Oh this book is delightful! Can happily admit that I work up cranky most days due to staying up waaayyy too late reading this one! Unputdownable. For me, world building and character development are vital to making a novel worth staying up for and Hazel does exactly that with A Fate Forged In Fire. Already planning on rereading. Ready for your next fantasy obsession?!

Thank you to Delacorte Press (Penguin Random House) for accepting me to read an e-ARC of this book!

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. Though it did start a little slow for me, it picked up speed quickly. The plot itself was interesting but not entirely unique. The premise of a rightful queen trying to take back her kingdom from an imposter king was exciting and well written. The fact that it was Celtic-inspired was something different for me, but I think it added some extra interest.

Aemyra, our FMC, is strong and feisty; though she does have some tender and emotional moments throughout. I believe this only gives her more depth as a character, and it was nice to see that growth from her. There is enemies to lovers to enemies, and I loved every second of it! The utter betrayal at the end just left me wanting more.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy with a strong FMC and dragons! You will not be disappointed.

Holy hell, this book is good. The characters, the world, the magic... it sucked me in from the first page. It is such an original (to me) story, and you could feel the atmosphere around you, choking you, like it did Aemyra. I will be recommending this to everyone next year. 5 stars.

Okay, so this book… whew. Let’s dive in. We’ve got Aemyra, a bratty blacksmith (yes, blacksmith) who’s secretly heir to a throne but has to bide her time until some dude bites the dust. Is she queen material? Not really. But does that stop her from strutting around like she owns the place? Also no. Bonus: she has a hot brother (because priorities, right?).

Things take a turn for the chaotic when Aemyra finds herself in a spicy enemies-to-something-else situation with her sworn nemesis, Fiorean. She promises to kill him. Multiple times. But, you know, she’s got stuff to do—and did I mention he’s hot? And scarred (emotionally and physically, because that’s a must in fantasy romance).

This book gave me House of the Dragon vibes, but without all the family tree gymnastics, which makes it infinitely better. There are dragons, of course, because what’s a fantasy world without fire-breathing chaos machines? And the stakes are so high, it feels like they might just roast the entire cast and take the throne themselves. Honestly, I’d root for it.

Hazel McBride’s world-building is incredible—rooted in Celtic mythology and full of rich details that feel totally fresh. But let’s be real, the marriage of convenience trope was the real MVP here. The tension? The smirking? The fan-self-worthy moments? Chef’s kiss.

The plot twists kept me on my toes, and I couldn’t put it down. Like, is sleep even important when a book is this good? Nope. This one is a must-read, and I’m already counting down the days for the sequel.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be imagining dragons and morally grey hotties for the foreseeable future.

This one started off SO good but didn’t keep that same energy for me by the end. I love the premise of the plot for this book because it has all my fav things in a fantasy. A FMC who’s single handedly saving kingdoms from terrible men, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, dragons, elemental magic, etc. but even though it had all those things it still felt a little lacking

I think it could have used with a little more world building with some aspects. Like there seemed to be things in this universe where the author assumed the reader would get some sort of nuance when there wasn’t any nuance written to begin with, just statement. Idk if that makes sense fully but I just feel if you haven’t read fantasy this wouldn’t be a good intro, not because it’s hard to read (it’s very easy to read) but because I had to use my one imagination a bit more.

All that being said I did enjoy reading the book and found myself rooting for the main character. Also the cover art is so pretty!!

thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC

4.5⭐️ (rounded up) What an absolutely fantastic beginning to what sets up to be a remarkable series. I am still reeling from the ending of this one. The world building is wonderfully rich and descriptive. I revel in the Celtic influences. Aemyra is everything I adore in an FMC sarcastic, confident, and stabby. The tension between her and Prince Fiorean is perfection. I also really loved the matriarchal centric society and the concept of having to fight to keep the patriarchy out. It spoke to me in so many ways.

Highlights:
✨Enemies to Lovers
✨Arranged Marriage
✨Hidden Identities
✨Dragon Riders
✨Cliffhanger Ending

Favorite Quote: “So how can I be fire? If the only thing that makes me burn … is you.”

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

This book was phenomenal. Everything I could want from a dragon rider Romantasy. This story also covers a lot of difficult topics and some very extremely emotional and traumatizing scenes. There are a lot of themes that this touches on that are so extremely relevant in (americas) political climate right now.
I love that it uses Scotland and its history as a rough base for this story. It helps bring the story alive in a way and makes the emotions that much stronger as you know a similar battle (albeit less fantastical) really did happen over similar reasonings.

The characters were realistic and full of fire and had big plans they were trying to reach for even if their young ages caused them to be more reckless than they should. The banter and the fighting was top notch. The emotional/traumatic scenes will have you holding back sobs and rage.

A young queen who is destined to rule is trying her hardest to be the queen her people need while fighting for her throne from all sides. She has to wrestle the seat of power from another of her clans line who are determined to only relinquish the throne with their cold dead hands. On the other side she is fighting against the Covenanters, “conservative” religious bigots who believe their one god is the only one and any who believe or receive power from the old gods is a thing of evil, they are men who wish to hold power over all, especially women and the weak. Aemyra is fighting a losing battle but the goddesses are on her side, aren’t they? Fighting tooth and nail and a flash of a smile she will do what is necessary to secure the crown and protect her people and the last of the remaining dragons.

This book came as a surprise to me! I really thought this would be yet another dragon based fantasy book, but I found it to be unique, exciting, and full of twists. I loved the magic system at play here, the large clan dynamics, and the (sometimes a bit heavy handed) politics between the various religious orders. I also loved the romance elements of this story, with a true enemies to lovers story that reminded me of Outlander. My main complaints with the book are length (I got a bit lost towards the end) and the main betrayal scene at the very end feeling rushed without enough clues to set us up for this scene so it felt a bit shocking and sudden (not necessarily in a good way). Overall though, one of my favorite fantasy reads this year!

I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book in my hands, the cover is beautiful! I was pre approved for this advanced copy from NetGalley, I knew nothing about it but the fact that it had dragons on the cover so I was immediately sold! I cannot say enough how thankful I am for that because I loved this book! This is sort of like House of the Dragon meets the TV show Reign in my opinion.

I read that this is a duology and honestly I’m terrified knowing that, because of everything that happened in book one I feel like book two is going to knock me off my feet. The emotional rollercoaster this book takes you on is unreal! I definitely recommend this for fans of George R.R. Martin!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an early copy of A Fate Forged in Fire in exchange for my honest review.

This book was simply not for me.

I struggled to stay engaged with this book. The world-building felt underdeveloped, and the characters lacked depth, coming across as two-dimensional.

The use of modern language clashed with the 1700s setting, which pulled me out of the story. When I pick up a fantasy book, I anticipate a more immersive “fantasy timeline” feel, which this didn’t deliver.

There was also a lack of high stakes throughout the story, which made it hard to feel invested in the outcome. Additionally, the dragons—a potentially fascinating aspect—were underexplored, with not enough backstory or lore to make them truly captivating.

The absence of a glossary or pronunciation guide made it difficult to grasp certain names and terms, causing me to skim over them. Combined with the slow pacing, there just wasn’t enough to hold my interest or keep me engaged.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC - opinions are my own. 4.5/5 stars!

As the first woman born to her clan in generations, Aemyra is the rightful heir to the throne, but upon the death of the king, his widow and his male heir fight her claim, setting up a conflict between the values of the traditional matriarchical society and the misogynistic and oppressive views of the new faith, which holds that women are lesser and that those gifted with magic are evil. Aemyra must gather allies (including a dragon!) to fight for her throne.

I knew I was going to love this book from the dedication at the beginning - "For the little girls who were told to put their fires out. Burn them all to the fucking ground." If you're looking for Female Rage: The Romantasy version, this is the book for you. This is the first book of a duology and I am already excited to read the second!

Rating 3.5 stars rounded up!

First, a big thank you to NetGalley and Hazel McBride for the ARC! This review is unpaid and 100% my honest thoughts.

Let’s talk about A Fate Forged in Fire: Yes, the world-building starts off slow, but once I powered through those early chapters I was hooked and couldn't put it down.

Our FMC, Aemyra, is the definition of a hidden heir with serious main-character energy. She’s powerful and vengeful, which is great, but oh boy, she’s also got an ego the size of a dragon. Arrogant? Check. Convinced she’s better than everyone else? Double check. But honestly, I’m here for it—her thirst for vengeance makes her journey all the more compelling bur please grow up in the next book.

Now, let’s get to the romance—or should I say, the bloodthirsty battle disguised as romance? This is peak enemies-to-lovers territory. Aemyra and Fiorean absolutely despise each other at the start. And by despise, I mean there’s attempted murder involved. Multiple times. By both of them. Fiorean shows no mercy, and Aemyra? Let’s just say she’s not exactly handing out olive branches. While I won’t be adding Fiorean to my book boyfriend list (sorry, dude), I enjoyed their story.

And did I mention the dragons? DRAGONS. Plus, hidden royalty, a religious cult, and enough romantic tension to light up a city.

Sure, the first half of the book felt a bit tedious, and I still have some lingering questions, but this romantasy is worth adding to your TBR. If you’re into slow-burn beginnings that explode into chaos, romance with razor-sharp edges, and a world full of magic and intrigue, A Fate Forged in Fire is your next read.

I devoured this book! Love the Celtic mythology and the author did a wonderful job world building which takes talent to pull off. The book definitely has spice to it but also plenty of action and twist to balance it out. Can’t wait for book 2

This was a great ride. Blacksmith trying to take her rightful place on the throne, forbidden romance with an enemy prince. What could go wrong?

Dragons. Betrayal. Hot MMC. Bi MFC.

I loved the world building in this book, and the Celtic mythology that was also brought into this. For lovers of GOT and HOD! This book will be perfect!

I really wanted to like this one. It had some fantastic fantasy elements. I loved the world building and the dragons were a great touch. It was centered on a kingdom that was about female power. The kingdom however, had been ruled by a long line of male rulers. A new religious group called the Covenant, had come to the kingdom and were trying to stop all magic and women having power. They thought men should have everything and women are there just to be subservient and have babies. Aemyra has been waiting to become the next queen. She has been in hiding with her family and plans to take over the kingdom as soon as the old king dies. She just has to bond with his dragon. Things go horribly wrong and now Aemyra has to fight not just to become queen but to save those she loves.

I loved the idea about reading about a kingdom where women actually had power, alas that was not the case in this novel. The more I read, the more frustrated I became because Aemyra even though she was supposed to have all this untapped power and was capable of amazing things constantly needed rescuing. Just once I would have liked her to be the one to rescue herself. This is a duology so the book unfortunately did not have a resolution because you have to wait for the second book. There were definitely some steamy moments and I did like the romance until the end of the book. Again, I was frustrated with so many of the characters and the outcomes of their choices. I do want to know what happens so I will probably read the next novel.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

What a debut! Bravo, Hazel McBride, this book was stunning!

As an avid fantasy romance reader, this book was a breath of fresh air! I loved the Scottish themes, something you don’t get very often in these types of books. A Fate Forged in Fire gave me a good mix of Outlander meets House of the Dragons, and it was everything I didn’t know I needed!

I loved Aemyra as our FMC, and enjoyed navigating this world and learning her new role right alongside her. She was confident and sure of herself, but also a product of her upbringing being naive to the intricacies of court life and how to navigate war. She knew only what her estranged father taught her, which was biased and one sided. Watching her come into her own and realize her own desires and ideas on how to rule her people was such a fun ride.

I do wish we would have gotten a more fleshed out description of the bond between Aemyra and her dragon. While I could tell the bond was supposed to be life changing and deep between human and dragon, the importance and depth of the bond was glazed over and quickly written. I felt it odd that Aemyra was tutoring Fiorean on how to build a deeper connection, when as the reader we did not get a good sense of the connection between her and Terrea.

My other critique would be to put the glossary at the beginning of the book! I had no idea it existed until I finished the book, and it would have been so helpful for pronunciation and overall understanding of the world that was being built. While not crucial, as I still fell in love with the world Hazel McBride created, it would have been nice to know how to pronounce names and places!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and cannot wait until the next installment in the duology. The cliffhanger was a real one, and while I’m confident our characters will eventually reach their HEA, I am anxious to see how they get there!!!

This book has many familiar romantasy elements, but it also manages to introduce some new ones. The concept is interesting, but I found the FMC unlikable. I can definitely see an audience for this book, however, and the fast pacing will endear it to romantasy fans.

An arrogant rough-around-the-edges blacksmith (that’s actually the heir to the kingdom) has been hiding her true identity for years until the death of the king allows her to reveal her bright red hair and make her claim to the throne.
The Kingdom is trying to be taken by an uber religious cult that’s infiltrated the royal family and Aemyra needs to bond to a dragon asap and overthrow the rule.

It took me a long time to warm up to the FMC, Aemyra. Her haughtiness and arrogance was a lot to take in, especially when she continued to do rash and unintelligent things but stubbornly refused to believe she’s not the best? Definitely a frustrating character but by the end I liked her more.

The pacing of the book starts out slow as it world builds and then picks up at the end when all the action happens. It was a little too slow for me at the beginning but I understand trying to set up the world and magic system.

The world was fun; I love any fantasy world involving dragons.

The tropes made the plot predictable. Even with the “shocking ending” I feel like I’ve seen it so many times before I can already predict what’s going to happen in the next book.
With that said, I’m still excited to read whatever comes next and watch it all unfold, even if it is overused and predictable. I’ll still eat it up.

Overall I enjoyed this! It was a fun enemies to lovers romantasy with dragons.