4⭐️ This is a strong sequel! This was NOT a filler book. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the eARC!

I was nervous because I didn't like the traditionally published version of book 1 nearly as much as the indie version. However, after reading book 2 I see where the story is leading and see why the author shifted some of the world-building to open up the world more.

The beginning started slow but led to some very important and critical character work that set the stage for the chaos in the middle and the end. The ending took a fun route I really wasn't expecting! Of course the humor and banter never let up in this one either!

After the cliff hanger at the end, I am biting at the bit to see what happens next. And I hope I can expect to see more POVs (👀) to show the impact of the ending of book 2 on the world.

I truly wanted to love this book, but I had trouble even liking it. Wrath of the Dragons was slow and repetitive, and I found myself skipping scene after scene of overdone intensity between characters. We get it: Cayden is a murdery, self-described angsty demon who will kill any male caught breathing the same air as Elowren; Elowren, on the other hand, is broken and traumatized and hides all of that through reckless devotion to her loved ones. I swear, 75% of the book was spent reinforcing these concepts, and what a freaking bore that became.

I did love the wittiness of the dialogue, and some of the introspective commentary was uplifting and inspiring enough to warrant highlighting as I read. I also enjoyed seeing parts of the story through Cayden’s perspective, which I believe was new in comparison to the first book. I think that definitely added some complexity to things.

Overall, though, Wrath of the Dragons seemed to be missing the dragons AND the wrath. Instead, it was like someone ordered a Temu Rhysand and never taught him how to shut off his inner dialogue; it was repetitive and tiresome and really took away from the plot of the book.

This series could have been so good.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wrath of the Dragons
3⭐️

This was a difficult read. I was interested in the overall plot but this had the same issues I saw in the first one. The dialogue comes off a little corny and not believeable, everything is a deep sentimental or empowering statement and people just don’t speak like that all the time, even in fantasy books. It takes away from the moment when those types of statements are needed. There’s still too many dragons and I have no idea who is who or what color they are. The romance between Elowen and Cayden is sweet but again I feel no connection to them. My war on cringe nicknames is still ongoing, this time every time I read sirantia….all I could think of was sriracha.

It took me about two weeks to finish this book which is quite a bit of time for me. It’s always hard for me to tell the length of books on my kindle so that may have contributed. I’m unsure on if I will read the next book, the language really annoyed and frustrated and the overall plot just isn’t doing it anymore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press/Ballantine for this gifted arc!

I have been loving the Fear the Flames series since its self pub days and this one was no different! Clearly Olivia was expanding the lore and world building in this story. At times, the heavy lifting of the story started to feel a bit arduous, but it’s still added to the overall world building. I love the ending of this book and simply cannot wait to read the next one.

Wrath of the Dragons by Olivia Rose Darling 🗡🐉
Okay but WHY did this book snatch my soul and refuse to give it back??
Elowen is that girl. She’s got beauty, brains, and the “I will end you with a dagger and look flawless doing it” vibe. I want to be her when I grow up (and also be besties with her??).
Now let’s talk about Caden. King of “touch her and die.” Sir, calm down—but also don’t ever calm down. The man could burn down a kingdom for her and I’d say “yes chef.” 🔥
After he took the throne at the end of Fear the Flames, I truly didn’t know what direction this would go… turns out it went straight to feral, and I loved every minute of it. 👑🐉
If you haven’t read Fear the Flames yet, you’ve got until July 29th before this sequel comes in HOT. Like, dragons and destruction and I-might-faint level hot.
Go read it and prepare yourselves. Hydrate. Stretch. Pray. 🥹💀

The Wrath of Dragons is the second book after Fear the Flames. This sequel was wild! Where book one centered around a high-stakes heist to free her dragons, The Wrath of Dragons takes a different turn with deeper world-building, political intrigue, and serious character growth. It felt so Game of Thrones in the best way.

Part 3? Absolutely packed with action.
The last 15%? I was on the edge of my seat, sobbing, then shocked. That ending?? I did not see it coming.

This book leans into its own voice more expansive and layered but still delivers tension, heart, and DRAGONS. Plus hello, a found family dynamic that made my heart happy. If you liked the first book, keep going! Just know: the tone shifts, but it’s so worth it.

I think I'm hate reading this series and I can't seem to stop. Although hate is a strong word. The writing style and abruptness of the first book has admittedly gotten a bit better in this book but still too many awkward transitions have gotten through to make this a smooth read. Then there's Elowen and Cayden who I unfortunately don't like. I get that Cayden loves Elowen and that Elowen doesn't trust him but I don't need to be told again and again and again. I get it they're obsessed with each other. Which will be the end of my mini rant. So a lot was put into this book, the world building was expansive in the latter part of the book but I feel it could have been developed more. Lots of ideas but they felt like they needed more attention. Less action and momentum than the first book for sure.
Finnian is still my favourite character. Give me more him, dragons, and less cringe.
Thank you netgalley for sending this arc!

Would I recommend this book? YES. A hundred times YES.

After overthrowing Vareveth's monarchs, Cayden and Elowen must determine how to unite their newly won kingdom while navigating their changing relationship. While Elowen finds herself with everything she thought she could want - her dragons back with her, she realizes that maybe it isn't enough. She begins to consider that Cayden's quest for revenge against her father might be exactly what she needs. As the pair navigate politics and allies to wage war against the man they both despise, they must also navigate the possibility of magic in their veins and their own relationship. I lovingly describe the plot of this series as Throne of Glass meets Game of Thrones.

To be completely honest, this book emotionally eviscerated me. This sequel to Fear the Flames flows beautifully as the author continues to layer incredible elements of magic into the world and introduce new characters and relationships. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going, THE PLOT TWIST OF ALL PLOT TWISTS erupts.

Wrath of the Dragons is easily not only one of my favorite books I've read this year, but also one of my favorite books in this romantasy / new adult fantasy genre. I'm obsessed with every single part of this story- the plot, magic system, religious and political system, and the characters. To be honest, I'm still so overwhelmed by how much I love this series so far that I don't even know what else to say.

There is open door spice, I'd put it at 3/5. Overall I give this book 5/5 stars.

“𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩, 𝙞’𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

wrath of the dragons picks up on the heels of fear the flames. cayden and elowen are gearing up for war as they are simultaneously trying to navigate their new life, and boundaries of their new betrothal. her dragons are free and elowen is re-forging her bonds with them, discovering things hidden deep within her in the process.

i really appreciated how the time was taken to explore cayden and elowens relationship, especially in the aftermath of the events in book one. elowen made that man work for her forgiveness and trust and it took a good chunk of the book to do so, as it should have. and the dual povs??? i mean, we know that man had endless love and devotion for elowen (to the point of murdering hundreds, if not thousands of people for her to get her kingdom back), but his perspective really drove it home and had me on my knees for him.

“𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞’𝙢 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙞 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞’𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨.”

if there is one thing that olivia rose darling knows how to do, it’s write an epic ending. and just like the ending of book one, the ending of wrath of the dragons is absolutely shocking. i’m not sure where i expected the story to go, but i am so excited for what the next book is going to bring. 👀

in the times that we’re living in, all books are political. darlings commentary on women, the fear of strong women and the right to education was incredibly relevant and struck me deep in my bones.

𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩:
⚔️ found family
⚔️ groveling
⚔️ “my wife”
⚔️ dual povs
⚔️ morally grey/black mmc

One of my most anticipated reads of the year and it was EVERYTHING. I was not expecting to be this captivated by book two. In my review for book one I mentioned how this series has room for growth and can become something extraordinary, and damn did Olivia deliver.
The expansion of dragon lore was so multilayered to the bond with Elowen I could not get enough. Speaking of our FMC her character growth was off the charts. As for the MMC not a day goes by that I don’t think of the things he would say. The witty banter is unforgettable. The romance in this book has me fully convinced there is a love beyond just being soulmates. The vows that were exchanged were so beautiful. The land to sea setting was so picturesque and lush, delicate gothic is seriously an underrated interior design aesthetic, and the fashions sounded so exquisite.

In the end the clever plotting unraveled me completely and I realized I was gripping my book and in tears. I have been through cliffhangers ,but this had me thrown of the earths axis. I hope all fans of FTF are ready !

Wrath of the Dragons is the sequel to Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling.

The story picks up right where Fear the Flames left off, only this time it’s a dual POV book. I really enjoyed getting chapters from Cayden’s POV, it definitely made this book more interesting to me. You can tell how much Olivia has grown in her writing with this book as I felt it flowed much better than the first book. It did take me awhile to get into this story, even with the dual POV, but it really picked up in the 2nd half.

We are introduced to a few new characters in this book and I found myself wanting to know more about them and for them to have more growth with the main characters. I’m hoping we get more of them in book 3. I was also a little disappointed that we didn’t get more of the dragons considering the title is Wrath of the Dragons, but it was really more like Wrath of the Dragon Queen.

For me, this book is between 3.5-3.75 stars.

I would recommend this to anyone jumping into romantasy and those who watched Game of Thrones, and wished it only followed Daenerys and her dragons.

Thank you Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I personally enjoyed the first book more, but this was still a solid follow-up. Some parts of the middle dragged a bit, but overall, I enjoyed the story. That cliffhanger at the end has me hanging on by a thread—and honestly, it might just be enough to convince me to continue with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Holy 4.5 / 5 stars! OMG.
First - Caden’s POV and his straight SIMP energy for our girl Elowyn…whew! And the spice?? Next level and lots of it.

🥰 Romance
🫨 Cliffhanger
🪢 Intertwined souls
💍 Marriage
👑 King & Queen (lots of royalty)
🐉🐲 DRAGONS!!!
🌊 Ocean voyage
⚔️ War. War. War.
🔮 Prophecies
🩸 Blood and killing. Like. Lots of it.
❤️‍🔥 Burn the world for you
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Found family

I really liked the time spent on character development in book 2 because after book 1 I felt there were lots of details I still needed to have sorted by the author. With a lack of detailed world building in book 1, it made it a little difficult to track between kingdoms and understanding how magic and the beliefs of all the different gods really worked. I think the author did a great job in exploring the individual trauma for both Elowyn and Cayden which I appreciated IMMENSELY because it gave readers a sincere understanding of their love and relationship.

A note to readers - the last few chapters are very emotional. I didn’t cry, but I definitely followed along in the WHAT ARE WE DOING NEXT AND HOW DO WE FIX THIS?! There were a few points of predictably for me, but it didn’t take away from enjoying the story! Looking forward to book 3 and telling myself to be patient!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an early review copy through NetGalley!

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I tried so hard to. There were parts where I was going to give up but kept holding out hope. In the end the overall book fell short for me. It started strong but at about 20% in it’s just slowed down so much. After the way book 1 Cayden has some groveling to do and Elowen has a lot that she needs to work through. I didn’t feel the burning tension and yearning though between them that I wanted. It felt a like they were walking in circles and there just wasn’t anything to really keep my interest.

At 53% we finally get we were waiting for I’m the first 270 pages and he that felt drawn out.

I did enjoy Cayden’s chapters for then Elowen. Those ones were usually the ones that really held my attention.

I ended up giving this book a 3 instead of lower because the end really was great. The last 40 pages were the best of the whole book and saved the overall story for me.

It’s not really comparable to any books I’ve read recently but it is giving Game of Thrones, Fourth Wing, and Crescent City (maybe Throne of Glass too) all in one. I truly didn’t expect where it was going. It’s a much more complex fantasy than the first one.

I do wish I had read the first one closer to reading this because the character backstories were hard to remember. I was desperate for some recapping (aka hand holding) in this second book. I think I missed out from being confused (who’s this?? why is Elowen mad again??) Also the miscommunication-type trope for like 50% of the book was too drawn out for me. Just talk to each other about your feelings! I’m begging you.

Okay, that’s all. Go dragons 🐉

Check out this review on Fable
https://fable.co/review/000e48de-d364-4d27-affc-570317f0e132/share

I’m begging everyone to go pre-order this book if you liked book one you will LOVE Wrath of the Dragons!

Pre-order if you want:
💜 My Wife Scenes
✨ Epic Battles
💜 Quest for Revenge
✨ Morally Grey MMC
💜 FIVE Dragons

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Olivia Darling has done it again! She has lured readers in with beautiful aesthetics and fated love. After being lured, in not only does Darling uphold the beautiful aesthetics but also weaves a tale of love, honor, healing, and epic adventure.

The world she has created not only holds the power that all fantasy/romantasy readers love but also builds a new and unique world that many have not read before. This sequel will keep readers turning the pages until they devour it all and yearn for book three.

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶.5

“𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆.”

After the events that transpired at the end of Fear the Flames, Elowen and Cayden must now defend their home, their crowns and even their hearts. With warring kingdoms and devastating attacks surrounding them, will Elowen find enough strength to trust her heart and protect what is rightfully hers or risk losing everything?

I’ve been captivated by Elowen and Cayden from the moment I stepped into Ravaryn last year and was so excited to be back with these characters! The world is expanding with new territories and new additions to the found family. The banter and bickering between these friendships were so fun and their sweet moments had my heart 🫠 Cayden Veles did not disappoint! With his YEARNING and knowing how to take care of what’s his, I’m even more obsessed with this man 🥵 Elowen's strength and resilience is inspiring. She'd 🔥 the world down for those she loves and I'm here for it! I also loved seeing the moments of vulnerability between these two. Made me fall for them even more 🥹 This journey had me on the edge of my seat. The battles felt as if I was watching an epic movie scene, making me so anxious. Still not over that ending 😭 Definitely ready for book 3!! So grateful to have had this arc opportunity!

❤️‍🔥Dual POV
✨️Celestial Symbolism
🐉Dragons
❤️‍🔥YEARNING
✨️Epic Battles
🐉Oversea Journeys
❤️‍🔥“My Wife"
✨️Nickname in ancient language
🐉Touch her/him & 💀
❤️‍🔥Feminine Rage

I'm torn on my rating for this book -- think I'm somewhere between 3 and 4 stars.

Wrath of the Dragons picks up right where Fear the Flames left off. Unfortunately, there was a lot I did not remember from the end of FtF so I paused to refresh myself. (Would love if every author included a refresher at the beginning of each new book in a series.)

Now that Elowen has her dragons and is set to marry Cayden, she's got a lot to prepare for before a showdown with her daddy. A huge chunk of this book is expanding upon the world that Olivia Rose Darling built to forge alliances. We are introduced to more characters and they visit a lot of different places. Sometimes it was confusing to keep all the new characters straight (I'm looking at you, Zale and Zarius). There were times when I felt like there was stuff happening with the side characters (I love Finnian, Saskia, and Ryder) and I found myself wanting to know what was going on with them versus the MCs storyline.

While I liked this book more than book 1, I still had some issues with it. I felt that FtF was super tropey and with WotD, it felt very much like a mashup of a bunch of other books and this series struggles with it's own originality. I know that a lot of romantasies can feel the same but here, we were all over the place and it was painfully obvious where inspo was taken from. The pacing was super fast the last 15-20% of the book and I do feel like we needed more background on things cos sometimes, they didn't really make sense or weren't explained (see below past spoiler warning if you've already read the book).

I will say that I was 100% NOT expecting that ending and I was crying like a baby. Of course, I need book 3 cos that was rough. Just please please please do not let book 3 be a repeat of "The Songbird and the Heart of Stone" by Carissa Broadbent cos this could be really really cool or boring as all hell.

Appreciate NetGalley and Ballantine | Delacorte Press for providing the opportunity to read and review this book.

Things I loved/disliked below - beware of ⚠️ SPOILERS ⚠️
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Loved
- Cayden in general and getting his POV
- Dragon rep cos I was screaming about them being nonexistent in FtF 🐉
- Elowen and Cayden being marked by the gods 🥰✨
- Finnian and Elowen's relationship - would love our side character's POVs in the next book or maybe a novella after the next book?
- Ryder and Cayden's bromance
- Elowen and her dragon's wrath 🔥

Disliked
- Elowen v. Daddy felt anticlimactic and that mage came out of nowhere to be the baddie we didn't know we had to watch out for? What was that?
- While I assumed that Cayden would present with some sort of magic, when they came out during his vengeance spree and it was shadow related, I did do an eye roll only because at this point, don't we have enough shadow daddies?!
- Obviously Elowen dying
- Cayden going to immediately summon the Goddess of Souls after he takes care of business. While I love an MMC who will burn down the world for his FMC, he's literally a king and at the end I was like "who's gonna be in charge to clean up this mess?" Cayden is now ruling over an expanded kingdom but peaced out without a convo with anyone

Questions I need answers to!
- What kind of magic/power was displayed when Elowen and Cayden were in the water with the kraken? I wanted to know more but get that they were at war so there was no time for explanations
- In general I need more explanation about the magic/powers cos they seem to come up only as conveniences to move the plot forward
- Do we assume that daddy's new queen is just a consort cos she was left alive?
- Who's dealing with the aftermath of the war? Aren't we worried about potential breaking of alliances?
- Did Zarius kill daddy and take the Thirwin throne? I assume yes but it all happened off page so I would love that to be touched upon in the next book

Proceed with caution as this review spoils the ending of FEAR THE FLAMES.

⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️ spoilers to book 1 FEAR THE FLAMES below ⚠️ ⚠️ ⚠️

You have been warned.

FEAR THE FLAMES by Olivia Rose Darling is what my friend aptly called a potato chip book: not the best, but you can’t help but go back for more. I devoured it in two sittings and immediately picked up WRATH OF THE DRAGONS eager to see where the story would go.

Book 2 WRATH OF THE DRAGONS continues as Elowen and Cayden prepare for their impending nuptials and the war against the King of Imarath. At first I was invested on seeing where the story will take me. However by the halfway point I was bored. The bulk of the first half is dedicated to repairing Elowen’s faith in Cayden and to wedding planning, and I just didn’t fully buy into why Cayden’s actions at the end of Book 1 warranted that level of lingering resentment from Elowen.

Yes, we get more world building and are introduced to a wider cast of players in the war against Imarath. Yet, the action and the fantasy elements took a backseat to the wedding planning when I wanted it front and center. Fans of spicy Romantasy books will enjoy this!

For now, I will DNF at 55%. I will come back and revise my review if I pick this back up, but for now I need to step away.

Thank you Ballantine and Delacorte Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

holy wow this book is so incredible. I love these characters so much and all the different relationships are so well done and so beautiful. the new characters are so fun!
this is such an exciting continuation of the series!! we get to explore more of this interesting magical world. we learn more about Elowen’s dragons. all exciting stuff without feeling like an info dump.
cayden and elowen have the most beautiful and intense relationship. this man worships his woman in a way that no other mmc can. I can’t get enough of him.
I highly recommend this series for lovers of fun fantasy with so much romance, a sweet, feminine, bloodthirsty fmc, and dragons!!
also, Olivia, WTF WAS THAT ENDING??!??! I need book three NOW
*thank you netgalley for the free e arc in exchange for my honest review*