Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride is a fantasy romance following a blacksmith with a hidden identity as she faces off against the inept royal family ruling over her home. It has dragons! It has spice! It starts with a bang and never slows down!

I went into this completely blind and I'm so glad I did. Once I started, I could not put it down! It had a shotgun start that didn't stop or slow until the very last page. And if that doesn't convince you--our MC was giving major Aemond Targaryen vibes that I ATE UP. And our main girl was so showstopping, I loved her strength and her kindness but most of all that she had flaws and admitted when she was wrong. It was so refreshing to follow an FMC that was so well-rounded.

Needless to say, I gave this book five stars and I need book two ASAP--especially with an ending like that! So so good, make sure and add it to your TBR, you won't regret it!

*SCREAMS IN CLIFFHANGER* Listen, I love powerful women, I love morally grey man that gift strong women knives, and I love dragons. This was an easy 10/10 If you need more convincing to read this the fmc is a bisexual icon, this is enemies to lovers and then enemies, there is birth control tonic which we love to see, the cops are the bad guys, and there’s a not very convenient marriage.

ARC REVIEW - Thank you Net Galley/Random House for the opportunity to get an early copy to review!

In a world where women once ruled many years ago, only male heirs have been born since and the magic and dragons have suffered in return. Aemyra, the first female born in quite some time, hides and bides her time until the moment for her reveal. After revealing herself to claim her throne, she is thrust into a dangerous world of politics, religion, betrayal and romance. This enemies to lovers story based on Hazel’s Aemond Targaryen fanfiction brings a lot to the table.
In hopes of not writing a full novel as a review, here’s my pros and cons list of this story.

Pros
- In the task of making her own world, Hazel EXCEEDS expectations at world building. You can tell there’s so much time, love, and energy, there’s so much detail and consistency. In many books where the world building can be boring, Hazel brings a whole new concept to a commonly overused genre. I’ve never read a Celtic-inspired story before so this was breathtakingly beautiful.
- DRAGONS. ‘Nuff said.
- Once you start, you can’t put it down. I ate this book up in a few days and I could barely put it down. From the first chapter there’s a lot of information but not too much to overwhelm the reader. There’s so much action and just when you think it’s over, you get thrust into a new event you have to finish.

On to the cons. I am keeping an open mind due this being a duology and character arcs not being complete.
- That being said, the FMC, Aemyra, felt like a static character. She was the same at the beginning vs the end with no significant development. So I am hoping that she goes through some changes in book two. She makes lots of dumb choices, and acts consistently arrogant, especially considering she’s 26. As a 23 year old, I found myself cringing at some of her words and choices. But I have hope she will learn from her mistakes in book two because Hazel is a very good author.
- For it being considered a romantasy, there felt to be barely any romance. The two characters don’t get forced into their marriage until a bit over halfway through the book and when they finally move from enemies to lovers, they barely have any time together. So it just didn’t have as much as impact in my opinion. I hope to see more of their relationship in book two.

Besides my problems with Aemyra, this was still a very fun read especially if you read the original fanfiction. I’m still in complete awe of the world building.

Thank you so much to Random House, Netgalley and the author for the eARC!

5 brilliant stars!!! I absolutely loved this book. I was hooked from the dedication page!

I thought the world building was very thorough, and the author did a great job of explaining the world & magic systems.

The characters were so beautifully written and I absolutely loved Aemyra! I'm always drawn to reading books about strong, complex female main characters and she did not disappoint! Her relationship with Fiorean was the most delicious slow burn 🔥 the ending literally has me needing book 2 ASAP though!! I can't wait to read more from Hazel!

I definitely recommend this book! Especially if you are a fan of the following:

🏰 romantasy
🔥 feminine rage
🐉 dragons
🤍 marriage of convenience
🌶️ slow burn
⚔️ enemies to lovers
🥵 "MY WIFE"

This exciting adventure fantasy has everything: politics and intrigue, magic, a queer protagonist, an enemies-to-lovers romantic subplot, and DRAGONS! Aemyra (pronounced Ay-meera) has basically been biding her time with her twin brother and their adoptive family in Tìr Teine, waiting for the death of the king. In the religion and government of Tìr Teine, women are meant to rule and inherit leadership, but the current dynasty has not seen a daughter in generations. Enter Aemyra, a descendant with a rightful claim to the throne. The first problem is that a group of outsider religious leaders has the court in their power, and they are not into magic or matriarchy. The next problem is the new king's brother -- Aemyra soon finds herself closer to court than she had planned. Aemyra has a few surprises up her sleeve, but this is of course the first book in a series and a lot is left unresolved.

I loved that our heroine was not too young (she's 26) and that although she's not perfect, she is still very reasonable and likable. I'm definitely rooting for her and will be awaiting the next book in the series. I would recommend for fans of The Fourth Wing, ACOTAR, and The Mask of Mirrors, but also honestly for fans of The Wheel of Time series (I think you'll appreciate the religious factions, politics, and of course the magic).

Oh my absolute gosh. Honestly, I am a bit lost for words as I try to write this review.

First I want to say thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and most importantly the author for the e-arc of this book.

This book absolutely destroyed me. The characterization was absolutely fantastic. The plot moved along at a fantastic pace. It was well written. It has some of my favorite tropes. It has dragons. It has fire magic. Rebellion. Female rage. Enemies to lovers to... ???? Touch her and die. Betrayal.

It's been awhile since a book has gripped me as deeply as this book has. I highlighted so many quotes, gasped out loud, and nearly cried multiple times.

Well done Hazel McBride. Well done. You've destroyed my heart.

WOW! What a ride. 4.5/5
First off, I love the world building. It’s not too much information that you get overwhelmed, and I liked that the information about the Goddesses, the True Religion, and etc were given slowly throughout the beginning and middle of the book. Sometimes fantasy novels can throw too much at you at once and it just gets to be too much,
I loved Aemyra. What a bad ass bitch. She do be rushing into things sometimes but I adored her.
I think my only complaint is that it did feel predictable in some ways (as most fantasy novels do when you’ve read so many of them), but the few twists and surprises definitely made up for that in the long run.
Very very dope magic system, again very good world building.


I can’t wait to see where this story goes and look forward to the next book!

I feel like right now it’s hard to write a dragon story, as they are so popular. If I’m rating strictly on the dragons aspect of thestoryline, I’d give it 3.5. However the characters and romance in this book fell short for me. The MMC and FMC never felt like enemies, if anything it’s mired of forced proximity. At one point its brought up that our FMC was attracted to the women, not men. This is not brought up again in the story, and maybe that will be addressed in future books. It just felt weird to made that kind of statement and not have any follow up later on. And the end I still felt like I didn’t really know these characters.

This book was so so good - it's a captivating romantasy and an incredible start to what I think is sure to be a very popular series. Ever since I first read Fourth Wing I've been really eating up these dragon rider books; this one was no exception and brought forward so many unique elements that I loved.

A Fate Forged in Fire follows Aemyra, a fire wielder. Her character is strong, gritty, powerful, and hellbent on vengeance!
She's the rightful heir to the throne of Tir Teine. Tir Teine itself is a matriarch and requires a queen in order for the land to thrive, but for decades upon decades there have only been male kinds with male heirs. The land is further weakening due to the oppressive True Religion, a group that basically demonizes magic use because they don't have any themselves.

After living in hiding for most of her life, Aemyra publicly stakes her claim to the throne even though Prince Evander (whose family line has been in power), but the forces Aemyra's father has amassed to help take back the throne are forced to flee. The entire plan caves in and Aemyra ends up being captured by Prince Fiorean, Evander's handsome and verrrry grumpy brother.

When I say I like enemies to lovers, this book is what I mean. These two genuinely hated each other, Fiorean shows absolutely NO mercy on her for a lot of the story, and Aemyra tries to kill him multiple times of course. He definitely falls for her first in the most subtle way - lots of weighted stares and small comments and generally dancing around each other. The tension and buildup is phenomenal.

There was a lot going on with the world building and magic system: Celtic lore combined with dragons, elemental-based magic, oppressive religion, and ... "clans" / lairds but also royalty? It was a hefty mix of stuff going on and though it felt overwhelming at times, it didn't impact how much I enjoyed this book. I just rolled with it and ended up being completely immersed in the story. The romance is so delicious, but the plot is just as good and reached un-putdownable levels around the 50% mark.

Thank you so much to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC! 📚

I was getting worried about the pacing but, wow did it pick up at the end.
Just a few things I was slightly confused about: I thought the forge/being a blacksmith (not sure what else it's supposed to be) was going to be more of a driving factor in Aemyra's story but it felt out of place. Based on the opening scenes, Aemyra was supposed to be this great, magical blacksmith... but where was this in the rest of the story? And then she's a healer but also a warrior? It felt like the FMC had the stereotypical "jobs" that are everywhere in romantasy books these days that it didn't feel special.
The other thing I noticed and was confused about was the time period. It's fine when it's not mentioned because it's a dragon rider with fire power fantasy book, but then why are the dates mentioned in the 1700s and 1800s? Does this story take place in the 1900s in a fantasy world Scotland? I wouldn't have put the dates if it wasn't made clear about the time period, personally.
Besides those things, I liked the story and the characters. I liked that it was basically enemies to lovers to enemies and I'm hoping that ot gets sorted in the next book. I would've liked a little more banter but overall, I would recommend this book and I would read the next one.

This is up there with many of the other dragon books I have read this year. Aemyra is such a strong female character who stands strong for what she believes in even though losing so much. The world building is great as well as the political aspects which plays a big part of the story/plot. Also need enjoyed the cliffhanger of an ending. Can't wait to see when this story goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with this ARC.

Despite being right up my alley, A Fate Forged in Fire somehow completely escaped my radar, but when I found out about this book centering on the lost female heir to the throne in a matriarchal society with the worship of goddesses as the main religion, I was immediately interested. Learning that A Fate Forged in Fire also included dragons, I knew I had to read it. The novel is incredibly fast paced and I never wanted to put it down. I even managed to read it in two days, which is practically unheard of for me this year.

I quickly realized that A Fate Forged in Fire is definitely inspired by House of the Dragon. I love House of the Dragon and the Targaryens are by far my favorite house, so I ate this novel right up. Like House of the Dragon, A Fate Forged in Fire features two branches of a family fighting over the throne and for the very soul of the kingdom. The royal family is definitely inspired by Targaryens, except they have bright red hair instead of silver to identify them to the world as part of the Daercathian clan. And instead of commanding their dragons in Old Valyrian, they use a Gaelic-inspired language.

“Do not forsake the Goddesses! One day a true queen will rise and usher in a new age of prosperity for us and for the dragons.”*

The novel itself reads more like a teen soap opera version of the show with a Rhaenyra type character named Amerya, as the female lead and with an Aemond inspired character, called Fiorean, as the male lead. It’s blindingly apparent where the inspiration comes from in other side characters too, with the mother of the princes behaving a lot like Alicent, and the Aemond character having an older, incompetent brother a lot like Aegon. Despite being far more young adult coded, there is spice in the novel, so I would say it falls more under the “new adult” category.

I was really surprised and somewhat skeptical that the Aemyra’s love interest was the Aemond inspired character, Fiorean. Admittedly, this feels a lot less problematic than Rhaenyra’s actual romance with her literal uncle in House of the Dragon. I am pretty picky when it comes to enemies to lovers and think it’s a really tricky trope to pull off, as it requires such a delicate balance between the enemies part, the reluctant attraction, the transition, and then the eventual romantic relationship. So I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the enemies to lovers romance in A Fate Forged in Fire.

I think the novel handled the process pretty well, despite not quite being on the level of The Jasad Heir, which has set the standard for me for this particular trope. Anyways, I loved that their relationship was a slow burn, which I think is absolutely necessary for this kind of relationship to be realistic in any way. I found the evolving relationship between Aemyra and Fioran compelling, even if the transition was a little sudden for my taste. However, I wasn't a fan that this novel, much like others in the genre, such as The Hurricane Wars, really pushed the whole, “we can never be together,” angle, when truly a simple seduction or marriage would solve almost all the political problems. It just strikes me as unrealistic, especially in a matriarchal society that nobody thinks to use their feminine wiles for the benefit of the realm.

“
A blacksmith could take a tumble in the sheets with a rival, but a queen could never take her enemy to bed.”


Surprisingly, I struggled much more with Aemyra’s characterization than the enemies to lovers romance. I’ll be blunt—Aemyra is so stupid that most readers, like myself, will ardently wish they could shake some sense into her. She makes countless recklessly bad decisions, either without considering the implications for the rest of the world or simply disregarding them entirely. At least both the novel and the character herself don't shy away from commenting on her own lack of forethought.


“‘Are you sure you can do this?’ he asked. Aemyra set her jaw. ‘Have I ever given you reason to doubt my skill before?’
‘No. Just your common sense.’”

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of consistency with her character either. When we first meet her, she's a rebel and a brazen skirt chaser, barely bothering to keep her identity as the lost queen a secret and saying she's going to become a demon and burn everything to the ground. But apparently she has this other side, where she's a diehard noble queen wannabe who only wants what's best for her people, but also doesn't want to kill anyone. These two sides don't mesh together well and it's like A Fate Forged in Fire cannot decide what it wants Aemyra to be. The swinging from one extreme to the other is enough to give readers whiplash. I couldn't help but to compare Aemyra to another lost queen, Seleana/Aelin from Throne of Glass, who had the benefit of an entire series to show more inner conflict and complexities. Sadly, there's just not any nuance to Aemyra.

It doesn’t help that A Fate Forged in Fire is pretty messy and deliciously dramatic. While this makes for an incredibly interesting and edge-of-your-seat read, there’s never a lot of quiet time spent on just sitting with the characters and just getting to know them or their day-to-day life. In fact, most of these side characters don’t really exist outside of their relationship with Aemyra. Her twin brother, Adarian, doesn’t have a girlfriend or hobbies, has time despite his job in the forge to see his sister and make sure her revealing hair is covered, and is ready to drop everything for her at a mere thought. Characters also change their mind and motivations constantly. The writing, especially the dialogue, can be very over the top to the point of being melodramatic, which doesn't really help matters.

In the future novels in the series, I’d really like to see more world-building information. There is not enough information on where magic comes from, how it works, and how the bond works with dragons. The bond is not quite like Fourth Wing, with dragons being able to converse with their bonded humans telepathically, but the dragons are still intelligent creatures, and able to feel the emotions of their riders. However these dragons are more like pets than equals—something I find a little bit disappointing, but maybe this will bond will be further explored and deepened in future entries of the series.

Regardless, it feels very fitting in these times to read about a determined female heir trying to save her matriarchal kingdom from a patriarchal and religious takeover with some help from her new dragon and her former enemy turned lover. Despite it being a little rough around the edges and practically a fanfiction, I really enjoyed reading A Fate Forged in Fire and think its a great read for fans of Throne of Glass, Fourth Wing, and House of the Dragon. A Fate Forged in Fire does end on a cliffhanger, so readers who are not fans of that might want to wait for the next book in the series to release before picking the novel up. I will definitely be looking forward to the next release myself, as I am excited to see where it all goes next.

*All quotes taken from an ARC and subject to change at time of publication.

The synopsis of this book really got my attention, and I was hoping to love it, but I had a few issues with the characters and another couple things I don't want to mention for spoilers. At the beginning, the FMC is her own person and very capable and even skirting on the edge of badass, but then her choices and her attitude get in the way somewhat. There are some very predictable elements (which didn't really bother me) and some things were used a little too much and seemed to be repetitive. I also was not a fan of the ending.
On to the good: I thought this was well written and managed to keep my interest and keep me up late into the night. I also wasn't sure about the romance, but eventually ended up liking the MMC. The world building is a bit 50/50 as there were some confusing things and some really cool things going on. I think this will appeal to A LOT of readers and it will probably be very popular. I will definitely be continuing the series to see what happens.

If you like any of these things, you should pick this book up:
House of the Dragon
Fourth Wing
ENEMIES to lovers
Dragons

Enemies to lovers with a lot of world building and deep DEEP political issues for our girl to overcome. This is going to blow up like Quicksilver. It SHOULD. While we can't readily change our real-world situation, I'm all in on this fantasy to see how far we go to making a better world for the women in this story.

It's a little hard to get through some of the world building, but it's 1000% worth hanging in through it. 7 we travel more through the story, the locations and worldbuilding make more and more sense and click together. Do not give up before 50%. I promise you. I personally loved reading the world building and the underlying issues. The twists and turns were perfectly done, and the intrigue was at full blast.

If you're in it for the romance and not as much for the plot, you'll not be disappointed as the shift will take you more into what you're used to: forced marriage with the enemy. Delicious.

Dragon riders. Magic. Intrigue. Strong fmc. Hot broody male. And did I say forced marriage? So good.

I need the next book yesterday.  Addictive, powerful, meaningful, going-to-read-again story.

Since it's an arc, I can not share quotes, but believe me, there were some amazing ones throughout. Love this writer. Will live in my head. Need more.  Need to know what happens...

I want to preface this with I was provided an eARC by Netgally and Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

This book had it all!
Dragons
Spicy romance
Betrayal
Epic war scenes
Badass FMC

I enjoyed this book, it was a little slow to start but after getting through some world building it was a quick read.
I am looking forward to the sequel, mostly because I am a huge Aemyra fan. I loved how angsty she is and I cannot wait to see how she proceeds.

I agree with other reviews, move the pronunciation guide to the front. Would’ve been very helpful there.

This book is an absolute firestorm of tension, power, and romance. The world-building is rich with Celtic-inspired magic, dragons, and power struggles, making this a perfect read for anyone who loves high-stakes fantasy with a dash of sizzling chemistry. Every moment feels heightened, with Aemyra’s quest for justice and her struggle with her feelings for Fiorean creating an unforgettable journey. A definite must-read for fans of epic fantasy with romance that sets your heart ablaze.

5 stars! I can't stop thinking about the plot twists and the romance. For me, a book is five stars if it distracts me to the point that daily life comes second. It isn't fair to say I finished this book—this book finished me after an unplanned 8-hour reading spree. "A Fate Forged in Fire" is impossible to put down. I can't even begin to organize my thoughts, so here are 10 reasons why you should read this book:

1. It has DRAGON RIDERS!
2. A royal prince + a long-lost heir = forbidden romance!!!
3. There's elemental magic
4. Fiorean would burn the world for her (literally)
5. Sooo much romantic tension
6. It has MULTIPLE knife-to-the-throat scenes
7. The witty banter is top-tier (I bookmarked so many pages)
8. It has positive LGBTQIA+ representation
9. The fantasy world is inspired by Celtic culture
10. The plot twists kept me guessing until the final page
10.5. It's the first in a duology, so there's another book to come!

"A Fate Forged in Fire" is one of my favorite books of the year. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy—I need this on my bookshelf ASAP! I hope other readers get a chance to love this story as much as I do.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

I would like to start off by thanking Netgalley, Hazel McBride and publisher for a copy of this E-arc.

At the beginning I was skeptical on whether I would enjoy reading this book due to the character of the FMC. I was frustrated with her impulsive behavior, wishing she would bite her tongue; think things through before she said them. As the story progressed I realized it was part of her growth. I enjoyed this approach of developing her character.

I was quite heartbroken with all the hardships she went through. Aemyra felt so real to me I hate waiting for the next book. 😭 That cliff hanger got me!!!!

The romance was well paced. Perfect enemies to lovers! World building was fantastic. Dragons were top notch!

This has definitely been one of my best reads so far! 5/5 STARS!

What did I read?! And why am I now going to have to wait for the next book!

Rating: 5/5 🌟
Spice: 🌶🌶

This books is written in 3rd person and I am a person who struggles with 3rd person writing but this book was such an epic story! Aemyra is such a strong and bada** FMC and I absolutely loved how she was written! This book gave me everything I love:

Dragons!!
Knife to the throat!
HOT MMC!
Mythic creatures
and did I say DRAGONS!!!!

There was a scene towards the end that I was like internally screaming cause it was so intense and just no words but rage for the FMC!

Highly HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book! Can't wait for book two even though I know I'm going to be waiting a long time! Guess that just means a reread!

I think there are a lot of readers, especially those on tiktok who will appreciate this book. I will say that it ended up not being to my taste, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have an audience who will be ravenous for the next book as well.

It has adventure, smut, war, politics, and dragons.

I will first list some of the things I really liked about this story:
1. The names. All of the names were amazing, which is a feat, because of a lot of fantasy books have at least one name that makes me cringe.
2. I loved that although the bonding of the dragons had some very predictable elements, Aemyra’s dragon ended up being dark dark purple, which sets it apart from the black dragon trope.
3. The fights scenes were fun!
4. I loved how Aemrya and Adarian really respected and cherished their adoptive parents.
5. Aemrya being bisexual was also a great addition to the plot. As a queer reader representation matters, and it wasn’t something mentioned once and skimmed over.

************************************************

On to the things that bothered me:
1. Some of the language in the sexual scenes was giving me the ick. Sometimes language makes or breaks whether smut is sexy or awkward and cheesy. I personally wasn’t a fan of phrases like slit, cockstand, or suckling nipples. I feel like as a mom, suckling nipples is what babies do, so I don’t love to read about it in a bedroom context.
2. I didn’t hate Aemrya, but I found myself less and less endeared to her as the story unfolded. She held such promise! She’s bold, she’s kind of cocky, and she backs it up with kicking ass. Then she makes idiot mistake suddenly, again and again. I’m sure it was to drive the plot forward, but it does make the reader less interested in her as a character.
3. Small, but weird thing for me. The main love interests sound like they look related. Auburn hair and green eyes.