3.75/4 I don’t read a lot of romantasy but this was fun! Usually I’m cringed out by the spice scenes for being randomly placed, but the scenes felt natural in this book. I enjoyed the overall plot and characters. I just wish this wasn’t so fast paced. It felt like I was racing through scenes when I wanted more time and depth in the story.

Thank you netgalley for an eARC!

I didn’t find this read to be particularly engaging. Some parts were interesting, and I somewhat enjoyed the worldbuilding, but overall I found myself uninterested in this one. I would say my biggest gripe with this book was the fact that Aemyra and her love interest were “from the same bloodline” but the readers are never really told how related the two of them are (or if they were, it was very brief and I missed it. I would have preferred a little bit more emphasis on how they’re not first cousins. Unless they are first cousins…in which case…ew).

I also found it a little difficult to take the book seriously when they referenced the True Religion, because I just kept thinking of True Religion like the jeans company.

Aemyra has grown up disguising herself and her true identity. Using her fire magic working in the forge until the sick king to dies, Armyra plans to stake her claim to the throne as the first female heir of Tir Teine in a century. The True Religion has gained power and favor with the royals and Aemyra is determined to stop them. She also plans to bond a dragon to prove her power. But when she gets captured and forced into marriage to Prince Fiorean, she doesn’t expect to fall for him. But can he and his family be trusted? Or has the True Religion poisoned them against the true magical heir?

With fire magic, dragons and a fight for the throne this book did not disappoint!

Was this best fantasy, I’ve ever read? No, not at all. But was it entertaining? One hundred percent!!

The dragon aspect and potential for a strong female lead are what had me picking up this book but the plot kept me interested more than anything.

I love that this book touches on something that is an issue in our current society: the view of women. Some possibly triggering situations are created to really drive home the view of women in this world.

I’m new to the enemies to lovers to enemies trope but I’m enjoying it so far and that’s what you find here. I’m curious to find out how things ended up the way they did in the next book.

A couple of drawbacks in this story are the main character and the world building. It felt like the world building wasn’t the focus so some of elements of the world I would have liked more information on, Most was bare necessity and little information given. Enough that it had me feeling a little lost at times.

Now, Aemyra is a strong FMC but she is awfully infuriating. For someone meant to be queen, she makes so many obviously terrible decisions. She can’t help herself and she knows it but does little to change that about herself. I’m hoping to see some major growth of her character in the next book.

I also think the main male lead can be annoying at times well. He refuses to admit obvious wrongdoing despite the clear proof.

If I’m talking about wanting to read the next one, you can bet this was at least an enjoyable read. It has some issues but still a great read!

This book took a while to get into, but was fairly entertaining. Fans of Fourth Wing and The Bridge Kingdom would enjoy this one, I think!

DNF @60% Thanks to Netgalley and Hazel McBride for this Arc! All opinions are my own!

To start on a positive note I loved the world-building and Celtic inspired elements, and the overall concept. This story had a lot of potential but it fell flat for me honestly . Plot points were very predictable, the writing style was odd, characters lacked depth, and the romance was rushed. It led to me not caring about the plot or anything within it. It felt very unpolished and could've used more edits. The book put me into a two month reading slump.

This book was an absolute page-turner that hooked me right from the very first line! While the instant love between the characters felt a little predictable, it couldn’t overshadow the captivating complexity of their relationship. The high stakes infused throughout the plot had my heart racing, and the portrayal of dragons was nothing short of spectacular, weaving a thrilling layer of excitement and depth into the story. All in all, it’s an exhilarating mix of romance and adventure that left me thoroughly entertained!

Amyra is a blacksmith who wields fire powers. She and her twin brother have lived in relative obscurity considering she's the first female heir born in over a hundred years in a matriarchal line. By rights, the crown is hers, except no one knows about her. And she doesn't have a dragon because they're all claimed. Also, she somehow hides in plain sight for ten years with a wrap covering the distinguishing red hue of her hair that would mark her as royalty. It's enemies to lovers to I'm not sure what to call it right now.

There are parts of this novel I really like, and parts I really dislike, which made an overall rating difficult. I generally enjoy myth-based fantasy, and that part of this novel is quite good - although not all of the Gaelic words are as evident from context as they could be, which can be distracting. The overall plot is also well done. Where I had problems was with the main character, who does a startling and unlikely about-face regarding one of her enemies, and which, to me, knocks her character down from a strong, independent woman in charge of her own destiny to a woman whose good sense and priorities are overridden by her hormones. It dragged what started as a really good book down significantly. It's likely I'll still read the sequel, if only to see if Aemyra learns from her mistake, or if she repeats it, believing that the person who betrayed her wouldn't do so a second time. I can only hope she learns.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall: 3.75 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC—and yes, I’m so sorry for not getting to it on time. Kindle slump and adulting really kicked my ARC game to shit.

Anyway, let’s get to the book. I liked the premise, and overall, it’s a good story. There were quite a few things I genuinely enjoyed:

✨ The world-building was rich and immersive.
✨ Dragons! Always a win for me.
✨ The fight for the throne kept the stakes high and made the plot compelling.
✨ I also appreciated that the author didn’t shy away from difficult topics happening in the story. For me, these moments were handled thoughtfully and really helped build the FMC’s character.

Two things were a struggle for me:

First, the words. I swear I tried—I even spent time on the Pronunciation Guide just so I could get by, but I was struggling. The moment the audiobook came out and I could get hold of it, I snagged it! And guess what happened?! This bitch finished it in a day! (Well, the last 50% in a day.) The audio really saved me, and I’d recommend the same to anyone interested in this book.

The other thing was that ending. You know that meme of Jennifer Lawrence saying, “What do you mean? What do you mean?” Yeah, that was me when the final twist was revealed. I felt personally betrayed, Hazel.

Anyway, this is a good book, and I’ll be waiting on bated breath for the sequel.

This book is definitely on the slower side, but I didn’t mind it—maybe because I’m conditioned by Asian dramas to appreciate a good slow burn. A solid chunk of the story is dedicated to worldbuilding and history, which I found really interesting. I especially loved the detail that the kingdom was once a matriarchy—how cool is that?

I found out this story was inspired by House of the Dragon, and I could *definitely* feel that vibe while reading. While it’s less about political intrigue, it leans more into strategizing and being one step ahead of your enemy—which made the tension even more gripping.

Our FMC doesn’t always make the smartest choices—more than once, her decisions land her in trouble—but I couldn’t help rooting for her. I kept waiting for the moments when she’d finally get the upper hand and show up her enemies, and when they came, they were so satisfying.

This is a classic enemies-to-lovers romance, packed with angst and tension—and yes, it ends on a cliffhanger! I genuinely have no idea how the characters are going to come back from *that* plot twist, but I’m definitely picking up the next book to find out.

I Am So Pissed at Myself for Not Reading This Sooner.

I was given an advanced eARC of A Fate Forged in Fire, and gods, did I mess up by not reading it the moment it hit my eReader.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. I can't tell you how many times I found my heart racing. At one point, I was pacing the room and raged right alongside Aemyra.

Aemyra is everything you would expect a secreted-away would-be queen. She’s carved from steel and a spitfire. She is absolutely not here for anyone’s bullshit. From the moment she steps forward—not just as a blacksmith’s daughter or a midwife, but as a force of prophecy and power—she walks through fire in a way that absolutely channels Daenerys Targaryen vibes. She commands the page.

The twists were brutal, the stakes were high, and Aemyra? Damn this woman would not break.

This is the kind of romantasy that grips you by the throat with pagan fire, dragon bonds, and whispered oaths of vengeance, and refuses to let go. Aemyra doesn’t just survive. She claims destiny by the throat and dares anyone to stop her.

On a side note: this is very Paganism(Brigid) vs Christianity (True Religion) coded.

Trigger warns: Knife Play

❝ A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride ❞ - 4.25 ★

Okay why did I let this sit on my kindle since OCTOBER 2024?!! I just needed some heavy persuasion because wow what a story.

The world building at the beginning was personally a lot. My brain is so slow and when there's a lot of new names, characters, languages introduced, it can be much to process. It took me a while to get the hang of it and I think around 20% I got more into the story, and wow it was action-packed!!

Aemyra is a fierce and strong fmc, I'll tell you that much. The sprinkle of romance in this book was so good too, I mean.. THE TENSION?? Oh my it was so good. Since I'm a romance girlie through and through, I really loved to enemies to lovers aspect so much and it was really TRUE ENEMIES TO LOVERS!!

It was a slow burn, kinda slow paced storyline but filled with so many great things and let's not forget to DRAGONS!! Any story with dragons in it, give it to me!!
The war plot was so exciting and felt like I was watching a movie towards the end. And oh my that ending.. what a plottwist and now I'm SO excited for the next book because I need to know everything!!

Ps. the magical part of the fmc and mmc having a fire-power was so cool!

Read if you like:
- Enemies to lovers (done really well!!)
- DRAGONS
- Celtic Romantasy
- A badass fmc
- Scottish Gaelic

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the e-ARC via NetGalley! <3

I enjoyed this a good bit. I'm always a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope, so I also liked that aspect of the story. The opening really hooked me in, though I do wish that this story was overall a bit more fast-paced. The magic system was compelling, too. I did struggle to maintain my engagement toward the middle of the story, as the pacing really slowed down. As the story progressed, too, I struggled with the Gaelic terms---I thought it was cool to include them, but they really pulled me out of the story when I encountered them. The social commentary built into the world was definitely relevant, though at times I felt like the MMC was just really bullying and a bit irredeemable.
Overall, this was enjoyable but I struggled to maintain my engagement, and found myself not super immersed in the world at times.

This was a pretty good. Loved the enemies to lovers aspect and the elemental magic. I just wish it wasn’t such a slow burn. It was super slow in places and I got really bored.

The premise of A Fate Forged In Fire is compelling, set in a world with dragons, matriarchal rule, and a hidden queen eager to reclaim the throne. I was immediately intrigued and really enjoyed the opening chapters, especially as Aemyra interacts with her family and friends. I felt that the strongest element of this world was the ideological struggle between those devoted to the goddesses and those who followed the Savior. I felt Aemyra's anger towards the priests and found myself rooting for her mission.

However, as the story progressed, I was struggling to stay engaged. The pacing began to drag, and I had a hard time connecting with the characters. The MMC especially came across as a bully and while the misogynistic society is an intentional part of the world-building, I couldn't get past it.

Additionally, the frequent use of Gaelic terms throughout the book, while adding authenticity to the world, often pulled me out of the narrative as I found myself unsure of how to pronounce them.

Overall, while the world-building was engaging, the characters didn't resonate with me enough to continue to the next book.

2.5 stars!

I'm a bit disappointed in this book because the description sounded SO good and it has dragons, and I see a book with dragons and I wanna read it. Unfortunately, I did not like either of the main characters or understand how they established any level of trust between the two of each other. I think we were also very quick to forgive, and I wanted to feel more of the enemies part of enemies to lovers. It also took me a bit of time to read this book because I did not feel like I cared at all about what was happening for 70% of the book.

That being said, I may still read the sequel? Because the end did really intrigue me, and I'm hoping some of my issues will be flushed out in the second book in the duology.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

1 Star
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC.

I could not get into this book and ended up DNF 26% into it. I did not connect with the characters and it seemed to drag on and oooonnn.

If you're a reader looking for what feels like real and true enemies to lovers, this is the book for you. While Aemeya's magic - and the magic system as a whole - wasn't something new or groundbreaking, the tension was on point. The political intrigue, the dragons & the bonding to those creatures felt much like the elements of a fantasy that I'm familiar with and that I enjoy reading - which helped to make navigating the world much easier. The world building was familiar without being too cookie-cutter, and when I tell you that the enemies to lovers tension between Aemya and Fiorean was peak... trust me. A little bit of knife play in a fantastical setting? YES PLEASE! An arranged marriage that leads to more? HELL YES! This really has everything that a fantasy romance reader would enjoy.

I think its kind of important to note that this book was inspired by House of the Dragon. Just in case anyone spent most of the book going: aren't these two....related? And then finding out that that was kind of the point. Its not nearly so egregious as HotD and I think they kind of wave away HOW related but yes, its definitely a factor and should maybe be a heads up for a lot of readers. Not me obviously, since I like both HotD and this book but yeah, heads up!

A Fate Forged in Fire has dragon bonding and powers the way I thought Fourth Wing should have. I'm a sucker for A) dragons and b) Avatar powers and this book has both so I was sold pretty early.

The book follows Aemrya, a young woman working as a blacksmith with a secret to hide: she has super powerful magic. But that secret hides an even bigger secret: she's the first female heir to the crown in generations. Led by her father after the death of the king, Aemrya takes her first step towards becoming queen but runs into all sorts of problems first. Most caused by her own self.

I think this book succeeded for me in having a really good and terrifying bad guy situation happening. The kingdom has been historically matriarchal but with no female heirs for so long, a patriarchal religion has seeped into the continent and started oppressing women. Please check trigger warnings because there is one of the most upsetting scenes I have read in a book in a long time in here because of the oppression and control that begins.

The romance was fun, if a little color by numbers but they have good tension and good scenes.

I saw a lot of complaints about Amerya as a character being cocky and brash and while she is this, I felt it was refreshing since I read way too many romances and romantasy with shy "im just a girl" energy. Aemrya is there to rule and it was the first time in a while I felt like the main character had the confidence to do it. Yes, she makes dumb choices and consistently gets her but kicked but we are here for her journey to make better choices and kick others butts in the end so I'm hopeful for the next book.

Overall, a really fun dragon ride.