"I was born into a world that doesn't accept my power, but I'll carve a place here for myself and my dragons with both blades and flames."

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an ARC of Wrath of the Dragons in exchange for an honest reivew.

Wrath of the Dragons picks up pretty much exactly where Fear the Flames left off with Elowen and Cayden settling into their new home and learning how to be king and queen as well as figuring out where their relationship stands after the revelations that came out at the end of Fear the Flames against the backdrop of the oncoming war.

Oh where do I even begin with this book?! I loved every single page of this book from beginning to end! Cayden, the man that you are is something not of this world in the best way possible. He understands the stakes and the danger that Elowen is in, however he doesn't hold her back or try to tell her that she can't fight her own battles. Instead, he is the first one to stand behind her and encourage her to do whatever is needed and that he will be there if she needs him. The banter in this book has to be mentioned! It is so entertaining and so fun between all of the characters that were established in Fear the Flames as well as some new cast members that I can tell are going to be fan favorites as the series goes on especially Zale and Zarius.

The emotional rollercoaster I went on throughout this book was so real but I loved every minute of it from the fun of the first 20-30 pages to the crazy battle in the middle of the story to the horrific and mean cliffhanger at the end of the book. I think the cliffhanger at the end of this book is going to cause "Onyx Storm" level anger within the fanbase and I can't wait to experience it.

Overall, I loved this book so much and I'm so sad that I have to wait for the next book to come out before I can get more of Cayden and Elowen but I know it will be worth it and I can't wait to read it.

If you loved Fear the Flames, do not miss this amazing sequel! If you haven't read Fear the Flames, do yourself a favor and pick it up! 5/5 stars!

Wrath of the Dragons is the second book in a Fantasy Romance series from Olivia Rose Darling and after waiting almost 3 years for it I’m happy to say it exceeded all my expectations, I absolutely loved it and already can’t wait for book 3.

I fell in love with Elowen and Cayden’s story when I first read it when it was indie published 3 years ago, I loved it even more when I reread it when it was republished last year and this second part to their story simply blew me away, the author created such a fascinating world with interesting and perfectly paced plot and incredible characters that I couldn’t put this book down and am obsessed with this story. There was a lot more of politics, preparations for war and some epic battles here and while the first book was a bit faster paced, this one allowed us to get to know the characters and their backstories better, I loved learning about it but it made my heart break a few times, they all went through so much and I loved seeing them finding happiness with each other. I loved how much character development Elowen and Cayden had in this book, they both had new roles they had to embrace and I loved every second of seeing them do just that, they weren’t always perfect, but were amazing as main characters and I love them both so much. The romance was absolutely incredible here, I love the marriage of convenience trope and with how the last book ended I knew Cayden would have some groveling to do but I didn’t expect how much gone he would be for his queen, I mean he literally tattooed her name on his finger (both sides too so he could always see it) and called her his wife any chance he could, even before they were officially married, and when Elowen finally gave in to her feelings too they were so perfect together and a true power couple, I love them together so much, they have such an amazing banter, great communication and their relationship is truly beautiful, I can’t wait to see them again, especially after what happened at the end, it truly broke my heart and I need them to have a HEA ASAP. I also loved seeing more of the dragons here, they all had their own personalities and I had so much fun seeing their often playful relationship with Elowen and of course all members of the found family are amazing and I already miss them.

Wrath of the Dragons is the perfect sequel to Fear the Flames, I love this series and the characters so much and definitely recommend it to everyone. The next book can’t come soon enough!

Oh my gosh Miss Olivia outdid herself with book 2 of this series!!!!! The way Fear of Flames started and ended was a rollercoaster, but with this second book, the high stakes and marriage?? And CAYDEN, oh. my. gosh.
This book really has everything you need, high stakes, war, yearning, Cayden, and a rollercoaster of a plot line!!!

First I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the arc. I found Wrath of the Dragons to be so much better than Fear the Flames! They were both great reads but something about the character development in book 2 made it so much better. I loved the groveling that the MMC had to do! Their love story was amazing. And the ending was devastating in a good way! I cannot wait for the next book in the series and see where the author takes it.

“𝙄 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙀𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙣 𝘼𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙣𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙.”

“𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚, 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙢𝙚, 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙄 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙚.”

I loved book one, but book two blew it out of the park. I’m still reeling over the ending, and need book three like right now. Cayden and Elowen are amazing and wonderful and I love them so much. The duel pov was really fun to see and I like being is Cayden’s brain a lot.

“𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

“𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚..”

I really enjoyed the plot to this book, it flowed nicely and I felt every emotion at every point. I loved the dragons, the fights, political back and forth.

“𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙄 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨.”

What a rollercoaster!! I was so excited to receive an E-arc copy as I have been so excited about this book. I love the story of these characters not just Elowen and Cayden but everyone. I love the banter between all of them. This book is well written and the characters all have their own personalities and stand out in their own ways. It was so much more than I could have asked for in a sequel. It left me wanting so much more. I want to see the relationship development outside of the family. I really can’t wait for the next one. This one and the first are definitely on my top list. So good!! I can’t wait for the next,

Oh my gosh! As one of the members of pair this book with on Instagram, Ms. Darling! My heart! How could you!

Okay time for the actual review. I loved the story; how El and Cayden resolved their differences, how their hearts will hopefully lead them to each other again.

I’m sorry it took me so long to read it.

I thought the pacing was fantastic, the lore was woven in perfectly where it didn’t feel like it was info dumping.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025 and I am beyond thankful to NetGalley, author Olivia Rose Darling and Ballantine Delacorte Press for this digital advanced readers copy.

My over all honest rating is 4.5 🌟
The ending has me speechless and it was one I definitely did not foresee coming from any angle.

This book does have some similarities to a few favorites out there, however, I would say it is overall unique in its own way. BUT Cayden reminds me so much of Anakin Skywalker…. and that makes me nervous, at the edge of my seat for the rest of the series… IFYKYK

You get more dragons in this book- I know that was something people had commented on regarding FTF, and let me tell you, Miss Olivia Rose Darling DELIVERED. The found family displayed throughout this book is phenomenal. The magic system and politics I personally found a little confusing at times. The yearning was YEARNING, and listen, I’m here for it.

Cayden’s POV were *chefs kiss* - it made this book better.


Absolutely recommend. And I will now just be pacing frantically until the 3rd book comes out….
Thank you for that Olivia. 😂

I really fell in love with these characters from the first book. I had a little bit of hard time getting into this book until about 30% in then I couldn't put it down. I was not expecting that ending and now I'm stuck waiting for the next one to come out.

This was devastating in a beautiful, but still heartbreaking way. The emotions that this book made me feel… I have never highlighted a book so much (and I never highlight books). This book dives deeper into Elowen’s bond with her dragons as well as court politics. I loved watching her grow and embrace her role as a queen with Cayden by her side (there’s not enough words to explain how much I love this man). Here are some of my favorite out of context quotes:

“My love. My wife. My Elowen.”

“I am Elowen Veles, and I’m coming for my throne with blades and dragonfire.”

“We both know what it is to suffer for wanting a woman that never should’ve been ours. Hold on to yours. From one bastard to another, I pray you never know the pain of fate when it comes to take what you’ve stolen.”

“We’re not plotting without you…Friends have dinner on occasion, though I doubt you’d have experienced that given your repellent personality.”

“I’ll see you soon, mia sirantia.”

I couldn’t (wouldn’t) add my favorite, tragic quote because I didn’t want to cause any spoilers. But to the author we need to talk😭!!

Thank you Net Galley and Delacorte Press for allowing me an Advance Reader Copy of this book!

I really enjoyed Wrath of the Dragons! It’s romantic, swoony, complicated, and passionate. I really love that Elowen is not a helpless FMC. She has a strong personality & knows what she needs to accomplish as Queen. Cayden is of course one of the most perfect MMCs who just YEARNS for Elowen every minute of every day. And he still keeps his badass, scary, burn the world down man card that some book boyfriends seem to lose.

The only thing I will say is that there were a few moments in the book that felt copied/pasted from other books… Examples include From Blood and Ash, Throne of Glass, and A Court of Thorns and Roses. But i’m not too mad because I still had a hell of a good time reading this. The vibes were high and I didn’t want to put it down!

The ending was INSANE and left me dying for the next book. I cannot wait to continue with this series.

OH MY GOSH this book is so good. I have been completely in love with this series since book one. But this one bumped me up to an obsessed level. I devoured this so quick I could not put it down. 5 amazing stars

First of all thank you to DellRomance, Ballantine, and net galley for an early eARC. This book was sooo good! The yearning from Cayden was truly so good and to see him and Elowen grow together was so beautiful. This book had some of the most beautiful quotes. Way to go Olivia Rose Darling for another amazing book and I cannot wait to read book 3!

Dragons. Betrayals. And a heroine who refuses to be tamed. Wrath of the Dragons is a fast-paced, fiery fantasy that delivers on action, romance, and high-stakes tension. The worldbuilding is rich, with just the right amount of danger and magic. I loved the dragon lore and the sizzling chemistry between the leads. It had that perfect enemies-to-lovers spark. Some scenes felt a little rushed, but the plot kept me turning pages, and the ending? Brutal in the best way.

Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and Eragon, but with more spice and bite.

I have for now softly dnf’d it. I wanted to love it but it dragged, I felt so many tropes were being thrown at me and it made it confusing.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine, Delacorte Press, and Olivia Rose Darling for the opportunity to read this ARC. 
Olivia Rose Darling has done it AGAIN. This is the sequel to Fear the Flame, and it completely BLEW ME AWAY. If I could sum up my entire review in one sentence, it would be... Cayden Veles. That's it. That’s the review. But of course, there’s so much more to gush over in this stunning installment of the series.

The story picks up right where Fear the Flames left off, and from the first page I was HOOKED. It’s fast-paced, emotional, and utterly addictive. It’s the perfect blend of politics, romance, found family, dragons (what else could you want), and expansive world-building that kept me addicted from start to finish. This world is getting bigger, better, and more intricate, and I am SO here for it. The deeper political intrigue and the layers of magic introduced had me completely invested, and I loved seeing new sides of familiar characters emerge. I CANNOT wait to see where this series goes with all of the new information we learned. 

Let’s talk about Cayden. Because truly, he is EVERYTHING, and the one true star of this bool. This man is pure gold, everythign that coes out of his mouth is like poetry, and the depth of his love for Elowen?! UNREAL. Getting his POV in this book was a dream. His past wrecked me, but it made me connect with him on an entirely new level. He is a beautifully broken, fiercely loyal man who loves with everything he has. I want him to get all the love, even when he doesn’t think he deserves to be loved. He is truly the man of my dreams. 

Elowen continues to be a total badass, she is strong, stubborn, and fiercely protective. While there were moments her choices felt a bit selfish, her growth was undeniable. Watching her face her past, deepen her bond with her dragons (who are basically massive cuddly puppies), and embrace both her strength and softness made her feel real and relatable. She got major closure in this book, and I loved seeing that. Also, I love that she goes from kicking ass covered in blood to then loving all the fancy things and pretty dresses. Iconic.

The romance in this book? Perfection. The slow burn tension, the banter, the chemistry, it is just all there. Cayden had to earn Elowen’s trust again (after the ending of Fear the Flames), and their journey back to each other was just chef’s kiss. And when the tension finally snapped? The spice was PHENOMINAL. Their love feels rare, raw, and absolutely unshakable.

The found family in this series is SOOOO well done. I want to crawl into the pages and be part of their chaotic, loyal little troop. Finnian, Ryder, Sas, and now newcomers like Prince Zale, Prince Zarius, and Ser Rhys bring so much heart and humor to the story. Seriously, behind Cayden they are my favorite part of the sereis. I loved the teasing hints at potential future romances among them, my shipper heart is READY.

While the first half of the book took a little time to build momentum, the second half more than made up for it with non-stop action and emotionally charged moments. The world-building is richer, the plot more intricate, and the stakes impossibly high.

AND THAT ENDING?! I was SOBBING. Completely unprepared. I need the next book IMMEDIATELY, seriously....like yesterday.
If you loved Fear the Flames, Wrath of the Dragons will leave you absolutely breathless. This series is becoming something truly special, and I cannot recommend it enough. When this book comes out, stop what you’re doing and pick it up. You won’t regret it.

Honestly going into this review I’m going to keep it short as I don’t have much to say. Overall I didn’t really enjoy this story. The writing style was painful, when reading a story I want to be shown what is happening vs. being told. It was a lot of “I did this” “they did that”. It seemed very dry and lacked visual for me. I also felt the world building wasn’t giving what I was needing and overall I was left underwhelmed.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, and Delacorte press for the early digital copy of Wrath of the Dragons.

Sequel to Fear the Flames, Darling's anticipated release combines everything I love in the romantasy genre. From dragons and unleashed powers to an intensely protective MMC willing to do anything for his love, this one has it all. In comparison to the first book, this one has a more intricate plot with new characters and world building to be explored. The writing kept me hooked the entire time, and I found myself connecting dots and theorizing which is always a good sign. The end still threw me for a loop though! Great read and couldn't recommend more. I can't believe I have to wait for the 3rd book.

Let me start by giving a HUGE thank you to the publisher, Ballantine, and NetGalley for the ARC!

In this book, we pick up (almost) immediately after the end of the first book, and get launched right into the fallout of it all. This book had quite a bit more world-building than the first, and focuses heavily on character building as well. We have Cayden's POV on what's happening this time, which I absolutely loved. Without spoiling anything, I will say that the ending had me FLOORED, and I did not see that coming (Well I kinda did... But kinda didn't...).

The book was part adventure, part politics, and I enjoyed seeing both sides and how they played out. I absolutely love Cayden and his dynamic with Elowen, and I loved getting to see them rebuild their relationship.

One of my only complaints is the info-dumping. There were quite a few spots where the story stopped to go into detail about something that could have been explained more naturally over time, or even just throughout the scene instead of that one spot. That, and Elowen seemed a bit more childish in this book than the first IMO. (However, could just be my perception. Take it with a grain of salt)

Overall, I loved the book. I love that there was still a heavy focus on the side characters that we all grew to love, and that the romance healed and grew naturally. I will anxiously be awaiting the next book and plan to re-read the first book as well as this one when I get my hardcopy at the end of the month! Trust me, you won't be able to put this one down!

I could not be more excited to be finished with this book. I really enjoyed (mostly) the first book and was very excited for the second but by the 35% mark was starting to get irritated by the repetitive inner dialogue of Cayden and Elowen. For this being the second book in a romantasy series they did not even kiss until 50% of the way through about they spent the whole book arguing over the same insecurities. Marrying each other and loving each other but not even knowing basic things about one another. By 60% of the way through I was irritated by the lack of good world building and the sudden need to make this a war book and bring in all these other kingdoms with little world building along with wanting to be royals for the betterment of their kingdoms but all I saw them do was either talk about war or piss around the whole time. There are actual political fantasies like The Chronicles of Castellane series where you can see them focusing on the plot of an impending war BUT also seeing the prince actively attempting to do things for the kingdom to better it. The editing of this book was atrocious, and I felt that the word count was way too high and there was too much doing nothing that the battle in the end was rush and very anti-climactic. We could have gotten rid of at least four of Cayden's fights in the pits or fights between Cayden and Elowen and made the story move faster. All and all this series had potential, but it fell flat, it felt like it took stuff from other big series like acotar, TOG, or GOT and the character plot really felt to the wayside and the war side of it was attempting to be in the forefront, but it was not executed well.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine | Delacorte Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.