I would give this 4.5 for the ARC - only reason for the half star is the grammatical errors - usually this does not bother me, but there was a lot of them.

The story overall though is 5/5 stars !! This one absolutely blew me away.

This book nailed the balance between rich world-building, high-stakes plot, and swoony romance. Action-packed, politically charged, and full of DRAGONS. I adored the *fuck the patriarchy* vibes in this one.

The banter was everything, the spice was just right, and that ending? Liv stabbed my heart and twisted the knife. I need the next book yesterday.




thank you to net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review *

Thank you to the publishers for gifting me this e-arc !

As someone who loved FEAR THE FLAMES , I just knew this second one would give what it needed to !!
The first book was epic , but as always Olivia had managed to give the readers what they want ( cough cough CAYDEN VALLES ) And DRAGONS ! This sequel was epic and the world building was * chefs kiss * .
To see the dynamic build between Elowen and Cayden compared to the first was so raw and real ! Not to mention the Queen that Elowen is becoming! The character development was paced so perfect , along with the story ! In short this is just as good as the first !!!!

THE ENDING !!!! I need book 3 ASAP !

Wrath of the Dragons by Olivia Rose Darling is an absolute firestorm of a romantasy. This sequel really ramps up the stakes—think epic battles, political intrigue, and dragons galore—while dipping into dual POVs so you get both Elowen and Cayden’s inner worlds .

Elowen’s growing into her power, Cayden’s glow-up as a fiercely protective love interest is next-level, and their chemistry? 🔥 But heads-up—it slows down a bit mid-book and leans heavy on world-building (I got a bit lost on alliances and royals), though it all explodes again at the end.

So if you’re into strong, brutal fantasy with steamy romance, political machinations, and some serious heart-tugging, this one’s for you—just power through the middle, okay?

I’ve been holding my breath since Fear the Flames ended, and Wrath of the Dragons did not let me exhale—it only deepened the ache and raised the stakes. Olivia Rose Darling has crafted a sequel that doesn’t simply continue the story—it elevates it in every possible way.

This book is a war cry wrapped in longing. A kingdom in ruins built on the fragile scaffolding of trust. A love story where every kiss could be a blade—and every betrayal, a bruise you choose to wear.

Cayden Veles and Elowen Atarah are the kind of characters who demand your attention and then quietly break your heart while holding your hand. The push and pull between them in this book is deliciously messy—two rulers bound by duty, haunted by their pasts, and dangerously close to becoming their own undoing.

Cayden, still wrapped in shadow and vengeance, is no longer just the Demon Commander—he’s a king shouldering a crown that costs more than gold. His decisions are brutal, calculated, and sometimes impossible to love… and yet, I do. Fiercely.

Elowen, reunited with her dragons and facing down the legacy of a father who taught her fear instead of love, shines in this installment. She’s political fire and emotional ice, caught between what the world needs from her and what her heart dares to want. Watching her rise—hesitant, hungry, heart-bruised—was one of the most rewarding parts of this entire journey.

But this isn’t just about romance—it’s about strategy, power, grief, survival. Kingdoms are falling. Allies are shifting like sand underfoot. And every decision feels like a dagger balanced on the edge of fate.

The world of Ravaryn is expansive and beautifully dangerous. The diplomacy is sharp. The battles are cinematic. And the dragons? Still the most powerful emotional tether in the entire series. There’s something primal and poetic about them—how they reflect the characters’ inner chaos, their rage, their freedom.

📌 If you love:
— Morally gray lovers trying (and failing) not to fall apart
— Marriage of convenience that’s anything but convenient
— Political intrigue with teeth
— Loyalty tested by war and trauma
— Dragons as symbols of grief, power, and rebirth

Then Wrath of the Dragons will destroy you in the best way.

Darling doesn’t flinch from hard emotions. She makes you sit with them, bleed with them, question what love looks like when trust is a currency both characters have spent too recklessly. And somehow, amidst all the bloodshed and heartbreak, there’s this tiny, flickering hope.

This isn’t a story of easy answers. It’s a story of earning forgiveness. Of fighting for more than survival. Of building something from the ashes when everything you were taught to want is no longer enough.

And I am so ready for what comes next.

Thank you Olivia Rose Darling, Ballantine, Delacorte, and NetGalley for the eARC!

A fierce, emotional sequel that raises the stakes in every way, Wrath of the Dragons continues the journey of Cayden and Elowen with even more danger, depth, and dragons. As ancient forces awaken and loyalties shift, the bond between the two leads is tested like never before. Their growth… both individually and together, adds real heart to the fire and fury of this world. With rich lore, pulse pounding action, and a romance that simmers beneath the surface, this is a sequel that absolutely delivers!

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine ad Delacorte Press for this eARC of Wrath of the Dragons by Olivia Rose Darling.

I couldn’t finish this book. I got about halfway through before I had to give up. I was hoping that some of the mistakes from the first book would be fixed because I really enjoyed the relationships in the first book, but the constant use of similes and inner dialogue really took away from the plot. Unfortunately, this book had the same problems. The unnecessary inner dialogue stopped the plot from moving forward. I started skimming pages to get back to the plot, but it was too hard to find. I read over half the book and felt like I was no closer to any kind of plot climax, and I couldn’t see where the book was going. I felt like the side relationships were taking a backseat to the overwhelming inner dialogue. I just wanted more and got pages and pages of words without any payoff. I really wanted to like this, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you Net Galley and Olivia Rose Darling for the eARC of this book. These are my honest opinions.

While this is a book I was so excited to receive, it is one that didn't live up to my excitement. I really wanted to love it and the ending left me reeling in the best way, but the whole first half of the book was relatively repetitive and boring. There was very little involving the dragons in the entire first half of the book . It focused on the drama of Cayden and Elowen's enemies-to-lovers relationship, which was already covered in book 1.

The pacing was pretty slow with the book picking up around 40%-50% of the way through. After the mid-point, the story fully engaged me. The travel to different areas, the boat voyage, her dragon rides with Cayden, and the courtly politics that came into play leading to the battle were all well done. This very much feels like a middle book connecting two stories rather than being a story on its own.

If you enjoy series and don't mind "middle book syndrome," this is worth a read. The ending is gasp-worthy. I don't want to spoil anything, so that is all I will say on it. There will very clearly be another book after this. Will I read it? Yes, because I need to know more.

Tropes:
Found Family
Revenge
War and Politics
Violent main characters with a soft side

No quotes at this time, but there were some great ones in there.

I just want to say I loved book 1 and book 2 surpassed my expectations!! 👏🏼👏🏼 “my wife” is always a turn on

What an epic follow up to Olivia Darlings first novel Fear the Flames! After completely falling head over heels for Elowen and Cayden I was so excited to get their next story. And everything about this book was worth the wait.

I love that we immediately pick up where we left off in book two. The secrets, betrayals and war just in the horizon. With a tension filled romance that has you on your knees. I love that we really get to know more about Cayden in this book, getting his POV was so fun to be inside his head and how he viewed Elowen. And we finally get to see the dragon queen come into herself. Find her confidence and learn just how powerful she can be. I love seeing such a strong amount of character growth mixed in with an intriguing plot. This story could be a bit slow at times but I throughly enjoyed all the small moments the most. Getting to see Cayden and Elowen open up to each other more, the banter between the friend groups and what an epic found family it is, how grumpy Cayden is but how truly soft he goes only for her.

The world building in this was done really well and easy to follow along. I love getting to know more about the other Kingdoms and the history of the gods. I’m so invested in how this story turns out and I have no idea how to wait until the next one after that stunning and heart wrenching cliffhanger.

I enjoyed this book and the continuation of the storyline from the first one. Thank you for the opportunity to read it early!

A glorious follow up to Fear the Flames! What a ride. While this one was a bit slower to start, the last half was so full of action and unforeseen twists that had me on the edge of my seat.

I really enjoyed the way this one focused on building such a beautifully enriched relationship between Cayden and Elowen. But not only do we get to see love grow between our MC’s, we get to see Elowen strengthen her bonds with her dragons and within herself. Elowen is and will continue to be one of my favorite fantasy FMC’s ever and she only gets better in this sequel! Cayden, Cayden, Cayden…the MAN that you are. His love for Elowen truly knows no bounds and every word out of his mouth was a damn poem.

THE ENDING. Olivia, I will be sending my therapy bills directly to your door for that one. In a million years I could’ve never guessed that ending. Both extremely excited and scared for book three!

What to expect:
-dual POV’s !!
-“my wife”
-dragons dragons and more dragons
-found family
-some serious brutality
-feminism representation

Loved reading the spellbinding and mesmerizing paranormal story. While Cayden and Elowen are fighting for their lives, Cayden almost dies, and Cayden will do everything he can to win back the kingdom for Elowen and revenge the wrong done to Elowen and her dragons. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting romance story. Can't wait to read the next story in the series by the phenomenally talented author, Olivia Rose Darling!

5 stars!!
AHHHH OMG I NEED THE NEXT BOOK DESPERATELY
I loved the first book but somehow this was even better than the first one I'm in love with this please bury me with it

I need the next book immediately I don’t know how I’m going to survive that cliffhanger. I absolutely adore Elowen and Cadyn, their development in this made me swoon!

The writing was amazing I absolutely could not put the book down. Like one sitting devoured it. The action the tension the banter the spice everything was perfection. I could not be more obsessed with this!

I cannot wait to add this one to my trophy shelf!

1 million stars/5

It has banter, it has drama, it had spice, it left me emotionally wrecked.

So freaking good.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

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. 🥹💀