Cayden’s POV undid me in the best (and most brutal) way possible.

This sequel was highly anticipated and it delivered everything I hoped for and more. As the perfect follow-up to Fear the Flames, it gave us deeper lore, higher stakes, and a romantic tension that absolutely BURNED THROUGH THE PAGES.

The final 30% of this book wrecked me, absolutely SHREDDED MY SOUL.

There were more dragons than I ever expected, and the romance? Next-level. The way Cayden sees Elowen truly sees her and what he feels for her? GOD TIER.

Elowen’s journey to claim her freedom and the chosen family she finds along the way was both beautiful and devastating.

Cayden's pure, unadulterated burning obsession and passion for Elowen? The things this man would DO for this woman and how it made me feel should definitely make me question my sanity a little bit. *bites fist*

And THAT. ENDING. *sobs in draconic agony* I was not ready to have my heart ripped out like that. Book 3, I am BEGGING you to be gentle, but I already know it's going to be drenched in absolute SUFFERING and I cannot wait.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

“They were fools to make an enemy of you. Now slaughter them for it. You are the dragon queen; you are everything your father feared you’d become. Force him to watch as you burn his reign to the ground.”

Wrath of the Dragons is the second book in the Fear the Flames series (and I’m pretty sure there WILL be a book three!!! WotD follows Elowen after she is reunited with her dragons. She is building an army to enact vengeance upon her father and those who have done nothing but tear her down. She’s coming for her throne and her kingdom!

Honestly, I think this might be one of my top 5 favorite series!!! They way Cayden Veles has me in a chokehold…I think I melted every time he called Elowen his wife. This book started out with Elowen denying her true feelings for Cayden and him proving every moment that he wants her as his wife and as his queen. While Elowen is determined to burn down everyone who gets in her way, Cayden is right there with her burning it down if people do not get out of her way. He begs, he grovels, and he delivers the most swoony worthy MMC I’ve read in a romantasy book in a while!

I absolutely cannot wait to read book three!!! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine | Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion/review. Since this book was published, I purchased the hardcover.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This took me while to read. Not because I wasn’t interested, but I just had no time to read and I really wanted to savor it. I LOVED having Cayden’s POV in this book. It was just so good. I enjoyed learning more about his background too.
The dragons were so cute, like fire breathing puppies. 😂 There were a lot more characters introduced in this one and I kept losing track of who was who.
The magically aspects were interesting, but I felt like I needed more information there. Damn, that ending 😭😭😭

🥀Dual POV 🫠
🥀Marriage of convenience
🥀Dragon Queen x Demon King
🥀Found family
🥀Epic battles
🥀Dragons

In Wrath of Dragons, Olivia Rose Darling delivers a gripping sequel that blends high-stakes fantasy with slow-burn romance and political intrigue. Picking up after the events of Fear the Flames, this installment sees Elowen and Cayden forced into a fragile alliance- bound by duty, revenge, and unresolved passion. As kingdoms clash and loyalties shift, Darling masterfully balances epic battles with emotional depth, exploring love, betrayal, and the cost of power. With rich worldbuilding and a fierce yet vulnerable heroine, this romantasy is perfect for fans of enemies-to-lovers dynamics and dragon-fueled drama.

Fear the Flames was one of my top reads last year so I was so excited to be able to get an early copy of Wrath of the Dragons. I highlighted so much in this book. Cayden is everything ! The way he loves Elowen is so beautifully fierce. He is my favorite book boyfriend at the moment. I liked how we got to know Elowen's dragons more during this book. I really enjoyed the book overall but at certain times I felt a little disconnected compared to the last book. The ending almost destroyed me with that cliffhanger and it will be so hard to wait for the third book.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine/Delacorte Press for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the first book, but this sequel started a bit slow for me—mainly because Elowen really aggravated me in the beginning, and some of her inner dialogue felt immature and repetitive. The pacing picked up about halfway through, and the action and political intrigue in the second half reminded me why I enjoy this series. While it didn’t hit the same magic as book one, it ended strong enough that I’ll still be picking up the next installment.

wrath of the dragons

I want to start by saying thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I want to preface my review by saying that I truly loved the first book, and I had really high hopes for the second in the series, but unfortunately I was left disappointed. This could be because I hyped it up too much in my head though.

I’ll begin with what I did like.

I liked the anxiety representation. I haven’t come across this much, so it’s nice to see.
I like the yearning in this book (duh, why else would i read this genre lol) but I think that having Cayden’s POV really gave us that extra yearning that everyone is looking for, and I really liked being able to get his perspective.

As far as what I liked… that’s about it.

I felt like the writing was better in book one.
Book two came across as really immature, and could be improved upon. It was also repetitive, like the same line within a few sentences of each other. It could use a bit more editing, but all of this may have been addressed before the book release.

Don’t even get me started on the FMC’s attitude in this book… she killed me. She was so incredibly annoying and hard to like, I wish I had better things to say about her. She was immature and frankly kind of a brat, and when did she get so prissy and materialistic? What happened to the girl who was happy with the little things? Why do we now need the biggest ring and the nicest things? I feel like her personality did a 180 in this book, and not in a good way.

Not to mention the dynamic with the MMC in the beginning was so hard to read, I’ll admit it improved a little bit later in the book but they just were not giving compatible. He couldn’t respect her boundaries, and she wouldn’t stop being immature. Silent treatments and pillow walls on the bed? We’re joking, right? The romance overall seems rocky. We don’t like him, but oh now suddenly we’re getting married and we love him again. I really had a hard time following.

MMC is so dramatic. We’re at a crossroads so here’s a knife, just kill me then. What lmao

40% of the way through:
Please don’t tell me we’re introducing wyverns.. Yep, we’re introducing wyverns. This seems familiar.

The last 20% FLEW. Battles are over really quick in my opinion, like how did they defeat them so fast?

The last 5% left me an absolute mess, and this made me so frustrated because why was so much effort put into making the ending so good but not the entirety of the book??? Ugh.

Overall: This book doesn’t feel unique in any way. Not up to par at all with book one. It definitely took inspiration from other popular books, which was disappointing. I had a hard time picking it up at times to continue reading, it was soooo slow - like way too slow. I love a slow paced book but this just dragged on and lacked any substance.
I do not think I’ll be picking up book 3, though I am curious what will happen next, I just don’t think I am on board with the immature writing and new personality developments of the main characters.

2/5⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A massive thank you to Ballantine | Delacorte Press for allowing me the opportunity to read the ARC for this book! I can believe it’s already been a week since it’s release into the world📖

I have quite literally NEVER highlighted and annotated a book as much as I did while reading this. The above are only a handful of some of my favorites. The beginning was a little slow to start and had a lot of back and forth between our two main characters, but it did little to distract from the overall magnificence of this book

I thought I was a Cayden Veles girl after Fear the Flames, but boy was I wrong because this man CONSUMED my soul reading his point of view in Wrath of the Dragons. Cayden is THAT man. The most unhinged “touch her and die” and “I will destroy this world and everyone in it for you” vibes but in the best way

Lastly, I fear I may never recover from that ending. If you have also been personally victimized by the ending, I NEED someone to discuss it with and I NEED the next book asap😩

What an incredible follow-up to Fear the Flames. This book was so good! The world building, the politics, the new character introductions, the romance ( hot AF), the DRAGONS?! Such a highly entertaining read. In this book our characters are plotting, planning, and heading to war to seek some serious revenge. We had some incredible action, but we also had trauma to work through and a love that has no bounds. Cayden Veles?! I am in love with his character. He would do anything for Elowen, just a true quote burn the world down for you and worship at your altar " kind of man and I couldn't get enough. Elowen? She has been through so much trauma and still has so much heart and love to give. On top of that she is the definition of a badass. The found family, all the side characters, I've grown to love them all. I'm obsessed with the dragons and was so happy to get to know them all and see their bond with Elowen. We learned so much more about this world and the history in this book and I loved it so much. That ending?!?! How will I survive until the next book?! There were zero misses in this book, just an incredible romantasy overall. Oh, and of course I can't forget to mention the spice, SO HOT. Everyone needs to go read the series! A huge thank you to Random House and Netgalley for this gifted ARC, and thank you Olivia for giving us this story!

📚 ARC Review: Wrath of the
✍️ Author: Olivia Rose Darling
📅 Release Date: July 29th, 2025
🏷️ Genre: Romantasy
🌶️ Spice Rating: 🌶️ 🌶️.5
⭐️ Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
📖 Book Overview
Cayden Veles, fearsome Demon Commander, overthrew a kingdom to save Elowen Atarah-only to trap her in a marriage of convenience as part of his revenge. As Elowen steps into her birthright and prepares for war, she must decide if she can trust the man who broke her heart to help her reclaim her throne. Wrath of the Dragons delivers epic battles, shifting alliances, and a searing, slow-burn romance set against a war-torn fantasy world.
✨ First Impressions
I picked this up because I loved Fear the Flames and was wanting more. From the start, I was hooked when Cayden’s point of view showed up on the first page. I couldn’t wait to see how he was going to win Elowen back.
💘 What I Loved
This book nailed the growth of Elowen's and Cayden's relationship. I loved watching them grow. This was something that I was hoping to see in this book and glad I got to see them find out more about each other. I adored the wedding scene. I literally cried with how beautiful their vows to each other were. I could list so much more of what I love about this book but I am just going to leave it as this….. “My Love, My Wife, My Elowen”
😬 What Didn’t Work
I would say that the first half of the book was falling a little flat for me. As much as I was excited to see Cayden and Elowen work around each other, I just wished it would have picked up pace —but overall, I was in.
🖤 Final Thoughts
If you love dragons and Morally Gray MMC, this one delivers. This book left me ruined (in the best way). I needed the third book yesterday!!!
Romantasy lovers: don’t skip this.
✅ Would I Recommend?
Yes, if you’re into Morally gray MMC, Found Family and Dual POV. Maybe not if you aren’t into the chosen one archetype or into slow growth.
📢 Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts are my own!

Thank you to Ballantine, Delacorte Press, and the author for the ARC of Wrath of the Dragons.

This was an infinity star read. WOTD is the sequel to Fear the Flames, which is centered around Elowen Atarah - a princess who was abused by her father until she got away and went into hiding for years. She allies with Cayden Veles - a commander who seeks revenge on Elowen’s father. Since this is a sequel, I obviously don’t want to give any spoilers for the plot. But I do want to talk about how much I absolutely adored this book in a spoiler free way. If you’re looking for emotional damage, this is the book for you!!!

what to expect:
-high stakes political intrigue
-dual POV (and DUET audiobook!!!)
-marriage of convenience-ish
-he would burn the world for her
-found family
-stabby, take no shit FMC
-morally black MMC
-dragons!!!

This book was incredible and I don’t feel like I have adequate words to express just how phenomenal it was. It was everything I wanted and more for the follow up to Fear the Flames. Elowen and Cayden have both easily taken top spots on my lists of favorite FMCs and MMCs. Elowen has absolutely had it with men who are trying to run her life and tell her what to do. She really finds her footing in this book in a big way.

“If my enemies didn’t want to face the monster they created or watch me align myself to another, then they should’ve tightened my chains. I was beaten by men who will face me on the battlefield, and they will cower under the might of House Veles. I was born from the ashes of the fires they tried to burn me with and built a kingdom with my bare hands. I am everything they never thought I’d be, and I hope they hear my name and look to the sky with fear so overwhelming they feel it in their bones.”

Cayden is the pinnacle of a man who would literally light the entire world on fire if she asked him to. He is lovesick in the best way and will unalive anyone who even looks at Elowen the wrong way. Their VOWS?!?! My soul left my body during this scene.

“Love is supposed to be something light and beautiful and pure, but what I feel for the woman sleeping beside me could lay waste to armies and end worlds.”

The absolute love and devotion between these two is unmatched. You can feel the adoration and desperation for each other leaping off the page and I want to drown in it. The ending of this book truly ripped my heart out and my jaw was on the floor for the last several chapters. It was actually diabolical. Olivia really said “what can I do to provide maximal emotional damage” - and wow, did she succeed 🥲 I fear the ending of this book actually ended me. I have so many questions and need so many answers and I cannot wait for the next book!

5/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
2/5🌶️🌶️

What to Expect:
🐉DRAGONS!
💜Mages, Gods, etc.
🐉MAJOR TENSION!!!
💜Morally Grey/Black MMC
🐉Flirty MMC
💜“My Wife!”
🐉Found Family
💜GOT Vibes (IN A GOOD WAY!)
🐉Magic
💜Dual POV
🐉SPICE!

Y’all. Wrath of the Dragons had me in a LEGIT CHOKEHOLD from page one and never let go. Elowen is fire and fury personified—grieving, vengeful, and oh, so powerful—and watching her rise from the ashes of everything that’s been stolen from her was nothing short of cinematic perfection. She’s reclaiming her power, her dragons, and her future, one battle at a time, and I was fully ready to ride into war right next to her. Every scene, every confrontation, every calculated moment of dragonfire and vengeance—ORD wrote it like her keyboard was on fire.

But let’s be real… Cayden Veles is EVERYTHING!!! This man redefines devotion. His POV cracked open his soul in the most gut-wrenching, beautiful way. He’s ruthless to everyone EXCEPT Elowen—she is his mercy, his soft spot, his entire world, his heart. The yearning, the groveling, the protectiveness??? I was DEEEAADDD!!!! Their dynamic was raw, mature, and emotionally loaded, with just enough banter and heat to keep me spiraling through every chapter wanting more and more. “My Wife!?” energy? Send help. I SIMPLY CEASED TO EXIST!!! It always gets me.

I haven’t stopped thinking about the ending since I read it. The emotional damage was personal, the cliffhanger criminal, I need book three immediately because I cannot live like this, and I (like so many others…) will be sending my therapy bill to ORD!!!

I’d like to thank Olivia Rose Darling, Delacorte Press/Ballantine, and NetGalley a HUGE thank you for sending this one over for me to DEVOUR!! I am seriously obsessed and cannot wait for book 3!!!

I wanted to like this book, but to me it fell prey to the curse that often befalls a second book in a romantasy series: it attempts to expand the world but just makes things extremely confusing, the "conflict" between the love interests feels both contrived and too easily resolved, and the stakes just don't feel as high as the first novel. It's still enjoyable, but it was relatively lackluster for me.

I struggled to entirely grasp the plot, but here's my best shot at a summary. Elowen and Cayden have just conquered the kingdom of Varaveth and Elowen has reunited with her five adult dragons. Now, they are in a war against Elowen's abusive father's kingdom, Imirath, and they must rally other kingdoms to their cause, all while maintaining the front that they have an adoring marriage. But Elowen is still smarting from Cayden forcing her to marry him.

A lot of this book felt predictable, but maybe more importantly, it just didn't feel like there was enough narrative tension. I found myself skimming often, wanting to get to the good stuff, and then feeling disappointed. Elowen wrestles with feeling like Cayden has betrayed her, but her feelings are not all that complicated, and there's not really a build to an emotional confrontation that provides any satisfaction. Cayden's feelings are also so intense and overwrought that I was rolling my eyes at some points. The worldbuilding also just completely went over my head, and I wasn't invested enough to figure it out. It's been a while since I read the first book, so I'm sure that didn't help, but I think this book would have benefited from a quick recap, as opposed to the kingdom names, dragon names, and pronunciations. A lot of people seem to love this book, so maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it?

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you so much for this arc! This was a highly anticipated release because I loved book one.

As much as I enjoyed parts of this book, I will say it was a bit of a let down due to my high expectations. While yes, I understand this is a romantasy, I really wanted some more world building and less relationship focus. It felt like the world was neglected a bit to make space for the amount of romance. This was sad for me because I would’ve loved to read so much more about the world and the creatures.

That being said, I did really enjoy this book and it built nicely off of the first one, especially in terms of romance. I found that the first half dragged a bit, but the second half really picked up and had a lot more action!

3.5 stars

I am giving this a 3.5. I do not think it was as good as the first one. However I do love a girl getting battle ready. The plot twist at the end though, if I am waiting 4 years for book 3. We are going to have a problem! The one thing that was driving me crazy was how Elowen and Cayden were so back and forth. I’m totally on board with people overcoming emotional barriers and everything but it took them over half the book.

What in the holy hell. Olivia Rose Darling had NO right to rip my heart out of my chest and stomp on it like that.
I will need 5-10 business days to recover from this. 😭

Because this review is less than 4 stars, I will wait until this book has been released for 2 weeks before posting the review to Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. I will add the links once I have posted the reviews to those sites.

“What I feel for her defies the logic I’ve lived by. I don’t like calling it love; it seems too mundane a word and too hypocritical.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Thank you NetGalley for sharing this ARC with me

I can not even begin to tell you the level of disappointment I have with this book. I wanted to LOVE it and walked into this story with all the hope for the best book adventure this year. Instead, it was one of the most painful reads. I normally will not DNF a book but this one had me seriously considering it at 26% and really really considering it at 43%. Reading this through the first half, really had me feeling like it was a job and forcing myself to keep opening the book. I do recall struggling with Fear The Flame when I read it, thinking it was slow but then really enjoying it towards the end. It was other reviews that I saw that mentioned surprise ending that had me pushing through.

Cayden literally carried this whole entire book on his back. Elowen was really difficult to connect to which made it really hard to understand Cayden’s obsession with her. The first half was basically Elowen giving Cayden the cold shoulder, spending his money in pay back because (as its mentioned multiple times) Elowen has expensive taste and like finer things and Cayden constantly comparing Elowen to fanciful things or threatening everyone in her name until she miraculously forgives him and they get married. It feels like filler material to make the book longer.

It was even past half way that it occurs to her she is “in love with him”. I mean did the whole first book even happen?!

Anyways, the book does pick up around 53%. Really and truly, from the wedding on should have been the entirety of this book. The first half could be cut out and you wouldn’t have missed much and saved yourself a lot of time. I give this ⭐️⭐️⭐️ solely for the last half of the book and yes the surprise twist at the end. I will continue this series with the third book but maybe via audiobook. I hope the author is able to focus and create material that is relevant to the actual story because the cliff hanger that we’re left on sets up for the possibility of a phenomenal continuation of the story.

WOW – I did not see that cliffhanger coming! This series is the perfect entry for those who are into fantasy, especially if you're a beginner or in a bit of a reading slump. It’s a story you'll devour quickly! Cayden is all green flags, and I loved the banter between him and Elowen, and his brother.. it brought was comical and yet charming to see Cayden fall to his knees for Elowen.

The spice in this book was just right for my taste—not too much, not too little. The pacing was solid throughout, though it did take me a moment to get a feel for the different regions they traveled through.

I also noticed a nice improvement in the writing style. The author really refined the language in book two compared to book one. While some of the dialogue in the first book felt a bit too modern for the setting, it felt more grounded and fitting in this duology.

Thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this!

I lowkey have been so burned out from reading the same type romantasy books over and over BUT this book still held my attention and was bingeable which I appreciated!! I could tell a lot of world building was meant to happen in this book. and above all I LOVED liv’s writing, there were so many good + moving quotes!! I think this is her best writing so far, the themes of loss, grief, depression, love, and self growth were so prevalent and written beautifully. and the romance was HOT!!

Wrath of the Dragons is the highly anticipated sequel to Fear the Flames, which was one of my favorite fantasy books of 2024. This one is politics HEAVY, because book 1 ended at a point where Elowen has major decisions to make about whether she wants to seek revenge against her father, and how to navigate alliances with other kingdoms in the ongoing war. Cayden is determined to seek revenge on Elowen's father and will do anything to fulfill that goal, even if that means forcing Elowen into a marriage of convenience for political sake.

Elowen and Cayden are at each others THROATS in this book and are back to having major issues. Elowen feels like she can't trust Cayden and is determined to push him away, despite the clear feelings for him and comfort he brings her. Cayden is determined to protect Elowen and accomplish her goals, all while pursuing her. The stakes were high in this book but so was the tension!! I felt like half of the book was just back and forth between the two of them, but once they finally gave in to their feelings again in the second half, I loved where their relationship started to go.

This was a great second book and I cannot wait to continue this series. Elowen is such a badass, yet emotional and vulnerable FMC and I love seeing her grow. Thanks to Dell Romance for the free book!!

Thank you to Dell for the eArc.

Woah - what an ending!

I really enjoyed that we got Cayden’s POV in this installment, and I felt like there was more politics in this one, but the first three-fourths of the book, I struggled to feel a connection to the main characters. I liked the side characters more and wouldn’t mind getting their POVs.

I wanted to love this story so much, but it just fell a little flat for me for all but the last 10% of the book. I think the last 10% had the intrigue I was looking for throughout the entire series to that point. I’m hopeful for the third book based upon that ending alone.

I do think the author has really quotable writing, and there were several passages that really spoke to me.