Wrath of the Dragons was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I am devastated to say that it suffered from "middle book syndrome" and I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped. My biggest issue was pacing. the whole first half had major pacing issues. Not much happened to progress the story and we went from a plot driven book in Fear the Flames, to a character driven book in Wrath of the Dragons. I am still such a huge fan of book one that I will absolutely continue in the series, but this installment bumped this series down a tier for me.

This book was such a riveting sequel to one of my top reads of last year.
I cannot WAIT to see where we go in book 3.
The tension between Cayden and Elowen, the maddening desire to tell them to just DO IT ALREADY.
The pain I felt when the death of you know who happened. And the absolute devastation of our morally grey cinnamon roll. Ugh. I cannot wait for book 3.

I will say, as an avid fantasy reader, the little inserts of “drinking games” and modern day things was a little hard for me to overcome. But it was minute.

Also, Cayden trying to talk to small children? Hilarious.

Overall, 5 stars. Can’t wait to reread it!

I received this NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review! I want to give a huge thank you to NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Olivia Rose Darling for this opportunity. I am beyond grateful!

Genre: fantasy
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spicy: 🌶️🌶️
Trigger warnings:Abuse, Alcohol, Animal abuse, mAnxiety, Assault, Death, Murder, PTSD, Religion (fantasy gods and goddesses), Torture, Violence

This book made me feel:

WOW. JUST WOW.
There are so many thoughts and emotions running through my mind. The first is asking myself why life has kept me from reading this book way sooner (I really should’ve just ignored all other responsibilities in favor of this book). I'm kicking myself so much over not being able to binge this so much sooner, because this sequel to Fear the Flames was SO good!!!

This book picked up immediately after the events of the first. The entire book was a mix of fast paced storytelling and writing without skipping all of the slower, present with the characters' moments. There are some time skips here and there to help push the story forward making the book long without being overly long. Olivia’s writing is just as great as the first book. Cayden and Elowen’s banter is seriously top tier. I love their dynamic and the dualities of their personalities so much. Cayden is soft just for her. Elowen wears dresses, baked, and reads romance novels but is also not afraid to stab someone.

In this book, we get to learn so much more of Cayden’s backstory: specifically how he grew up,his parents, and how he met Ryder and Saskia. We also get quite a lot of chapters with his POV which I was totally not expecting but it was a very, very nice surprise.

Our characters also have a lot of emotional depth. We see relatively realistic reactions within a relationship in the fantastical world created. We see anxiety and PTSD very prominently. This is probably one of my favorite parts because it’s truly not just a one scene and some type of inclusion. Mental health is tackled throughout the book along with displaying a healthy relationship.

At the beginning I was worried about how I was going to feel about the book mainly because second books tend to be a little weaker overall. There's a lot of expectations that are put on a second book especially when the first was so good. I think this sequel delivered very well. There was a lot of plot setup to the main battle at the end. We traveled a lot in this book. There was loads of information on all the kingdoms and the history that are thrown at the reader. We gained quite a bit of new information, met quite a few new characters, and learned of new places - I’m very curious to see how it’ll all pan out in the following book.

The romance was *chef kiss*. Again, I just love the dynamic between our two characters. They are so in love with each other even when one is mad at the other. Their dynamic is kind of: be mad at me all you want, but do it while I hug you. They had a lot of spicy, sexy moments that had me swooning. Seriously, romance is absolute perfection.

There were so many favorite moments but I’ve got to mention 1) Elowen asking one of her dragons (it might’ve been Venatrix but I honestly can’t remember which dragon it was for sure) to take her home. And they take her to where Cayden is. She is not under any kind of duress. Just, he is home.

The last, maybe 5 or 10 chapters especially, was an absolute rollercoaster. All different emotions we’re running through my head. I was definitely crying through the last five chapters. Bawling my eyes out with large tears dripping unstoppable down my cheeks type of crying. But the third book is set up so nicely from the end and just like with the first book: I NEED the third one in my hands like yesterday.

Favorite Character:

We get to revisit Aestillian and its people. I really enjoyed getting to meet the kids from the Aestillian orphanage. We met Oliver, who is one of the orphanage kids and I immediately fell in love with him. He was adorable. And his conversation with Cayden had me cracking up laughing.

Favorite quote:

“Be angry at me all you wish, but you’ll never be rid of me.”

“Has anyone ever told you it’s rude to stare?” “Has anyone ever told you that I’m rude?” “Nobody had to. I caught on rather early.” He chuckles again. “Why am I going to look at snow and buildings when I’ve been starving for the sight of you all day?”

Ryder’s voice fills the space. “Why is it always first light? I think we should start appreciating afternoon travel.”

“Do you think I can make the vein in his neck pop if I spend enough money?” —— “All I have to do is smile and you’ll let me drain your accounts?” “Breathing works just fine.”

All I’ve done with my life is wake up and try to survive to the point that I’ve forgotten how to live.

“Don’t give me those eyes,” he murmurs, stepping closer but still not touching me. “I’ll carry you back upstairs and keep you there for days.” “I—” I shake my head. “I’m still upset with you.” “I’ll get on my knees again if you want an apology. You’ll be loving me by the time I’m finished.” Oh, sweet gods.

I grasp her chin with my free hand. “If you want me to kiss you, all you have to do is ask.”

“We don’t live the kind of life where I can be mad at you today and not know if it’ll be my biggest regret tomorrow. I don’t want to take anything for granted. I want to live, no matter how awful the circumstances may be.”

Why can’t love find a way to untwine itself from tragedy?

The greed of humanity harming innocent creatures , it’s a timeless, wretched tale.

“You’ll find your sea legs eventually.” “I much prefer my land legs,” she huffs. “My lap is still available if you’re scared of the sea monsters swimming below.”

He chuckles, stepping closer to me so only I’m able to hear his prize. “If I win, I want you to wear another one of those lacy sets for me.” “Deal,” I whisper. <—— I am holding out for a continuation to this in the future books!

“If you change then I’ll spend the rest of my life finding new reasons to love you.”

“You don’t have to be a perfect person to be loved.

“We cannot create a better future if we live in the past”

“There’s often truth in tales, even those meant for children.” She (Saskia) scoffs. “I prefer factual texts, not fairy tales.” “How dull your library must be, my lady.”

To be misunderstood is an awfully lonely feeling. You can say exactly what’s in your head but feel as if you’re talking to a brick wall when saying it to the wrong person.

“The only way to survive this world is by becoming more powerful than those that stand against you. Indecisiveness is the death of success. All it takes is one moment of hesitancy for failure to find you. Use this journey to make your peace with what you must do, and how your life will change, and see it done.”

This was a solid 3.5 stars for me! Very similar to fear the flames I very much enjoyed the banter between Cayden and Elowen. Cayden’s POV chapters were my favorite I love a man who yearns. I wish there had been more of a focus on the world building however it is very much a romantasy so it was more focused on the romance. I WISH there had been more dragons I really want to see that relationship grow with Elowen. The ending had me shook and I’ll likely continue the rest of the series!

Thank you to Ballantine and Netgalley for the arc!

This book has my heart and soul. I am still picking up the pieces of my shattered heart.

I loved the first book in this series but THIS?!?!?! This is how you write the second book of a series. It had everything I could have wanted from a fantasy romance.

The whole character line up is amazing. The heart and humor. The devotion and love they have for each other. It doesn't get better than this. I have zero notes.

I switched between the physical book and the audio. The narrators of the audio were phenomenal!

I still have a headache from crying so hard at the end of the book.

Thank you to Ballantine, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book even though I didn't need it because I immediately went to buy the physical and the audio as well.

I'm not entirely sure I can put my feelings into words right now. I was not expecting that ending.

I love Elowen and Cayden's relationship. I love Ryder, Finnian and Saskia. It was so fun to see more of the other kingdoms and meet new friends. I need to have book three in my hands right now because I am not okay.

I DNFd this at 38%.

Fear the Flames was somewhat mid to me, but I typically find that if I feel book 1 in a series is mid, book 2 blows my mind. However, that wasn't the case for Wrath of the Dragons.

A lot of the same issues I had with book 1 remain: it's overwritten—a LOT of telling and not showing—Elowen is both uninteresting and the most important person in the world, Cayden is down baaaad, bad and I can't figure out why or (when that happened) so their love story is unbelievable at worst and uninspired at best, the magic is flat, the world-building is boring, and the action scenes are muddled and confusing. To top all this off, Wrath of the Dragons was so painfully boring. It has the same formula as book 1 where there is a lot of down time and waiting around for things to happen, something happens—very quickly I might add!!!!! the action scenes are SO short—and then it's back to downtime and banter. Which, arguably, can be said about a lot of books. In such cases, it is pertinent to have MCs I can empathize with, enjoy journeying with, and am rooting for, especially when the book is over 500 pages. I can't say that I feel anything for this cast of characters.

I don't think this series is for me, but if you're the type to love dragon rider fantasy novels and the chosen one archetype, this might work for you.

Thank you to Ballantine, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

This book picks up right after the events of Fear the Flames except this time there's some tension between Cayden and Elowen. Especially given how the events of the last book ended the tensions are running high and the stakes are so much higher for them now. We get to learn a lot more about the rest of the world and lore of this world during this book.

Elowen & Cayden are back to their banter even after everything they've been through. I love them so much and their bond is something else. There's a nice balance of them and their romance with the rest of the story. We also get some clues for what their relationship might be mirroring which I think is really interesting and it's something im looking forward to seeing in the next book!

I also really enjoyed seeing the different countries in Ravaryn and getting to spend some time exploring in each place. It made the build up the battles so much more intense and seeing how everything played out more interesting. There are definitely lots of questions to be answered which will hopefully be done in the next book. So much happened and happened so fast in this it will be interesting to see the aftermath of everything in the next book too.

The found family aspect of this series is really sweet. In this book again we get to see them be there for one another and be the family that they chose. Although, we don't see too much of them all together the moments that they are together are more special.

I really like the new characters we meet in this. They aren't fully part of the group yet but there is definitely potential for them to be & I think that will be really fun. They were woven into the story really nicely and I'm excited to see more of them in the next one.

Wrath of the Dragons also explores more of the magic in Ravaryn. We're introduced to the gods and goddesses, mages and hints are dropped of some characters who have magic which I'm really hoping we see more of!

The dragons are the truly the main part of this book. We spend so much time with all of them and get to see more of their bond with Elowen and each other. If i had to pick I think Sorin might be my favorite, but getting to know their personalities in this was really fun.

Also… this ending?! That cliffhanger is something else, I think I screamed when I realized that this wasn't a duology. The ending of this book has set up the next book so well.. I'm really curious to see what happens and where else we go!

This also gave some 'House of the Dragons' vibes at times which was fun and although it takes a minute for the story to pick back up the short chapters made it easier. If you like dragons, prophecies, broody guys who will do anything for their girly and chaotic found families I would definitely recommend this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc!

(Goodreads review posted on 8/2)

Wrath of the Dragons
5 ⭐️

I'm just speechless. I can not wait for the next book! That cliffhanger has got me yelling. Ahhh I can not wait for the next.

I received this as an ARC, this opinion is mine and mine alone. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Olivia Rose Darling for an absolutely phenomenal book.

I’m a woman. My taste for blood stems from the need to replenish what was drained from my body when men decided I was not a person, I was property.

Cayden Veles is a whipped bitch (i love him for it). I really enjoyed getting to have his pov this book! I love watching a man grovel and Cayden falling over himself groveling to get back in Elowen’s good graces had me giggling??? I was also super happy to see Elowen get to know herself outside of basically who she was groomed to be, as well as getting to have a stronger relationship with her dragons that she was always robbed of. Elowen and Cayden both had been robbed of families and have formed their own together but also in each other and we love a good wholesome moment (even if it they are a bit unhinged).

Still, this book fell a bit flat and was super at times. BUT?? THAT ENDING?? I don’t even care if it was a cliffhanger my GOD i’m SAT and waiting for the next one because wtf was that i’m so excited.

I’m super thankful for the arc! I’d probably rate this book overall a 3.75 ⭐️’s and 4 rounded up

Looking for a romantasy that’ll put your heart through the wringer? This one delivers.
 Cayden might just be my new favorite MMC. His POV completely stole the show for me. The tension and banter between him and Elowen were perfection, but it’s Cayden who carried this book. I loved his complexity, his growth, and the groveling.
This story has it all, adventure, dragons, a strong FMC, found family, political intrigue, and rich world-building. It’s not a quick read, but I feel at the second half you won’t be able to put the book down. The ending will have you desperate for the next book.

OMG!!!!! That ending destroyed me😭😭😭
I absolutely loved Fear the Flames and didn't like I could like this more but oh was I wrong because yes I did.
To finally have Cayden's POV was amazing and the things he says and does for our girl Elowen are just chefs kiss!!! So much happens in this book and I simply could not put it down. I have lived watching Elowen and Cayden grow and to learn more of her bond with her dragons has been amazing.
If you haven't read this series yet take this as your sign to start. I need book 3 like I need air in my lungs!!!

What you'll find in Wrath of the Dragons:
- dual POV
- found family
- partners in crime
- political intrigue
- spice + tension
- banter that is ABSOLUTE PERFECTION
- marriage of (in)convenience
- reclaiming a throne
- elemental magic
- epic battles + an oversea voyage
- "MY WIFE"
- dragons, of course!
- SO MUCH FREAKING YEARNING!!!!
-ends on a cliffhanger

OKAYYYY so this was incredible! Olivia’s writing is beautiful. She has a way of making you feel like you’re actually a part of the story and not just a reader. I absolutely loved Fear the Flames, but the way I inhaled Wrath of the Dragons is actually insane!  Cayden's POV is EVERYTHING, trust me! Cayden Veles is my book husband because the devotion that he has for Elowen is unmatched! AND OF COURSE THE THINGS HE SAYS TO HER HAD ME WEAK AT THE KNEES! I love them both SOOOOO much. Their character development is refreshing and realistic! I felt like I was a part of their family and with them every step of the way. The entire book was amazing from start to finish and constantly kept me on my toes. SO MUCH HAPPENED. One of my favorite things was learning more details about Elowen’s dragons, who are actually major divas lol.

OH MY GOD!!!! MY CHEST HURTS!!! I can’t even deal with the last like 15%!!!! I AM NOT OKAY!!!! THAT ENDING?!? LIKEEEEE HELLO WHAT?! I NEED BOOK 3 IMMEDIATELY!!!!! THIS BOOK MADE ME FEEL EVERY SINGLE EMOTION KNOWN TO MAN!!! I CAN’T EVEN FORM WORDS!!! Read this, K? That is all.

Thank you to Ballantine | Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy!

I love this series and was super happy I got to read this one early because as soon as I finished Fear the Flames, I had to know what happened right away and now I'm in the same predicament but now have to wait for Book 3. That ending ended me. How? I just know I am going to suffer in the next few months thinking about Elowen until the next book comes out. I loved this book though. Reading Cayden's POV has been life changing. That man is so pathetically down bad and I dont blame him. He has a way with words spoken and thoughts and in this book, he's proven he will go lengths (I mean do anything and everything) for our dear Elowen.

Please consider me for Book 3. This is one of my favorite romantasies this year and ever.

5 stars!

4.25 stars

Fear the flames was one of my favorite books I read last year so my hopes were extremely high for this second book in the series.

The first half of this book was slow. It took me a while to get through it and the book struggled to hold my attention. With that said, I am so dang happy that I kept reading because the second half of this book was phenomenal. The first 60% took me about a week and a half to read, and the last 40% I finished in an afternoon because I couldn't put the book down.

This book, especially the first half, really focuses on the romance and anything else brought up feels like a sub plot. I was also missing that found family warm fuzzy feeling I got in the first book. The side characters really took a backseat in this book and the focus was mainly on Elowyn and Cayden.

Cayden carried this book for me. He was so wonderful, and that mouth of his had the butterflies in my stomach fluttering. Elowyn on the other hand felt somewhat apathetic in this book. She wasn't as strong as in the first book and I do feel like her character took a few steps backwards. She did find her footing by the end, but I definitely wanted more from her especially in the first half.

The ending (No spoilers here) was so exciting and this series took a turn that I was not expecting but it has me so excited for the next book in this series. I felt all of the feelings and I was uncontrollably sobbing at one point.

This book did suffer a little from the sophomore slump, and felt a little more like a stepping stone for the series rather than a phenomenal book, but also this stepping stone was important and I did still enjoy reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy!

This book is a solid 4.5 ⭐ (4 for the first half and 5 for the last half)

This book jumps right in where the previous book left off. As it’s been a while since I’ve read the first it took me a chapter or two to get my bearings, (a short recap of the previous book would have been nice, I know most books don’t do this, I wish they did). I had forgotten how much I like this writer’s style and the view on love and life she show in these books (mostly from Cayden). Indeed, just as in the first book I find myself sharing many quotes (Fable) that speak to me as I’m reading. She has a nice turn of phrase as my Gran used to say.

The World - We see more worldbuilding in this book than the previous one. We get to know much more about the backgrounds of the different types of dragons (this does slow the pace down a little for the first half of the book). We see more of the politics this time. Possibly a little too much for me as I feel it drags out the first half of the book.

Characters - I love these characters, although they can feel at times a little repetitive in their thoughts/feelings. There isn't quite the same level of banter between these two as the first book but it is still there. Cayden carries this for me, he is unapologetically ruthless whilst being infinitely patient and loyal, (and let’s be honest, he often gets the best lines).

Pacing - I found the pacing at the beginning of the book a little slow but I feel this is mainly because we are being reintroduced to the characters. Once we get passed that it picks up a little but it's still slowed down to some extent by the extensive time dedicated to the inner thoughts of Cayden and Elowen. It's at about the 50% mark when the pacing picks up and the story really picks up, and that last 30%? OMG!

Plot - We pick up where we left off, with Elowen and Cayden trying to fins their feet in the new world are attempting to build. For the first 50% their relationship is front and centre. As we move forwards we see more action as Elowen and Cayden work to build an alliance with other kingdoms.

The ending - I don’t usually specifically review the ending of a book but my goodness, what an ending? Olivia what are you doing to us?! I struggled to read as I was actually crying. Please tell me you are working on the next book as we speak. Anyone who reads this (and has a heart) will need that next book ASAP.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this.

Magic wielders, mythical creatures, witty banter, found family, gods, action, spice. If you haven’t read this series, you NEED to!!

This book made me laugh and made me cry. That ending!? I’m not going to stop thinking about it any time soon. As I was reading I just kept thinking, you cannot end the book here!! Thankfully the story kept going while also giving a crazy twist of an ending. I can’t wait for the next book.

The characters! I love them all. The character development of Cayden and Elowen’s is phenomenal. I love their relationship. Having a dual POV added so much to the story. Cayden is the golden retriever while also morally gray with touch her and die vibes. Easily a top five book boyfriend.

Also, the endless amazing quotes from the book? I’m going to need to buy another copy so I can highlight every single one (while also keeping my perfect shelf trophy).

This series is criminally under hyped. Booktok do your thing! And dear publisher, please bring the sprayed edges to America! Those versions are absolutely gorgeous.

The one thing that irked me about the book was the overt nods to other fantasy series. There are memorable quotes from Game of Thrones, ACOTAR, Throne of Glass with slight changes to the wording. I also got strong Khaleesi vibes with the forgotten language used with the dragons. It’s by no means a dealbreaker, but it did pull me out of the story when it happened.

Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I literally screamed when I received it!

I loved this book just as much as the first book! This book was well written and paced. The romance, yearning, and tension between characters in this book so enjoyable to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romantasy books and dragons.

Oh my gosh I loved this book so much! I loved having the dual pov. I am obsessed with Cayden, and he is my new favorite MMC. I was not expecting that ending though, because what?!? I am looking forward to the next book and getting more of Cayden. But I am very curious where the story will go now. Thank you netgalley and Olivia for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Elowen and Cayden are back after the explosive finale of Fear the Flames. Tensions are high as the kingdom is on the brink of war.

This book was definitely setting the stage for an epic finale in the next book.

The romance heated up, there was a lot of action, and some great reveals. Overall a fun read and the dual narration from PRHA was fantastic. I did wish there was more addictive plot than romance in this one.

🤍 Thank you @delacortepress for the arc
★ ★ ★ ★/5
Steam: open door