Wrath of the Dragons is the sequel to Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling. I had very high hopes for this book, and while not everything I wanted it to be, it was still really enjoyable. There were parts of this book that were a little slow for me, but I know I would definitely recommend it.The world building and character development was my favorite part of this book. We are introduced to a few new characters in this book snd That made it more interesting. . 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. I can’t wait for the next one.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC

I read Fear the Flames back when it was an indie pub so I have been DYING to get my hands on book 2 ❤️
This book certainly did not disappoint. I almost forgot how much I love all of the characters. Each one of them is unique and but also so cohesive as a group (big found family vibes).
And if you want yearning after the MMC gets the girl? Then you sure as shit will get it here. I just love how Cayden is so attentive to Elowen and never holds her back.
I will say the plot is a little slow in the beginning but it does pick up and there’s a lot of world building/expansion.

No spoilers, but there is a gut wrenching plot twist and cliffhanger at the end that has me foaming at the mouth for book 3. I just hope we don’t have to wait almost 3 years to get it 😅

I actually liked this one more than Fear the Flames, but it was still....fine?

I still can't connect with any of the characters, and the way Elowen (and the frequency) in which she says/thinks the phrase "my dragons" gives me the ick every single time. I can't even say I hate/don't like her or Cayden--I'm just....indifferent to them. Both as individual characters and as a couple. I don't really buy their relationship at all. It's so hot and cold at random intervals that I just can't bring myself to care about it. The refusal to communicate just doesn't work for me, especially at this point in the story when they're literally engaged and Elowen claims to be healed and understanding. SO TALK TO HIM GIRL. Get it toGETHER!

Honestly the best part about this was the found family. Unfortunately, I also wanted more OF said found family and banter vs....whatever this was. It's like we couldn't decide if this was supposed to be a cozy interlude or driven by an impending battle/war, and it just felt weird and messed with the pacing. Not to mention I suffered through so much of that first book for her to get these dragons back, and we barely get anything with them?? They come and go when it's coinvent for them to be used, and then it's like they don't exist. Again, very weird,

I think it's time for me to accept that this series isn't for me. It doesn't have enough fantasy components or plot driven story line to justify how much of the story is romance based. I don't mind romance (I do read and enjoy other romantasy books), but if the plot isn't going to drive the story, then the romance has to. And when the romance ALSO isn't driving anything, I'm just....bored.

Please know this absolutely PAINS me to say, but this was the most frustrating book to read. I was absolutely bored through 88% of it. i know that's very specific, but 85 felt too little and 90 to much.

This is a mid book and it shows. What really ruined this was the constant explaining of things, it almost felt like a footnote in the middle of the story that i never cared to read.

The romance. sigh. The big conflict in the romance in this one is that...they love each other? i hate to be that person, but i don't want to see my couples together for this long all happy and shit. maybe happy is a strong word, but TOGETHER. it just felt like there was no conflict to iron out. just a lot of talking and ribbing each other.

The battles are cool but they were very few and far between. Just lots of talking, preparing, and more definitions to explain.

AND THE DRAGONS. we wanted more dragons, we certainly got them. but they are treated more like scenery rather than characters. they are just there, for treats and fun rides and stuff.

the ending was of course the best part and i cannot wait to read the next one. but i am gonna say i'm very hesitant. Maybe the problem is I had too high of expectations for this one. Everything just felt like one long filler book to get to what's to come and it made me SAD.

the writing is good. the characters are still good. but this is 100% and execution thing for me that did not pan out as expected. i'm still reading books from this author, and i will read the next.

I absolutely LOVED Fear the Flames so I was extremely excited to receive this ARC. I will say that the first half ( maybe a bit more than 50%) was slow for me but the second half really picked up. So stick with it.

I loved the dual POVs and honestly I favored Cayden's POV more than anything. He carried the story for me. His passion for Elowen was everything. Seriously he will burn the world and himself down for her.

The ending is something that will have readers intrigued to pick up the next book.!

Overall I would say it does suffer from the book two slumps but not in the worst way.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author and Delacorte Press for this ARC!

𝓦𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓞𝓯 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓸𝓷𝓼 by Olivia Rose Darling
✨THANK YOU @prhaudio for the gifted audiobook! And thank you to @delacortepress @ballantinebooks & @randomhouse for the egalley!

After the force of nature that was Fear The Flames, I definitely went in to this sequel expecting things to go down. But still, I WAS NOT PREPARED. It’s the kind of book you need to take a moment after reading, to fully digest everything that happened. And by “take a moment,” I mean you need to go into a dark room, sit in a corner and rock. What a WILD RIDE. It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with book 1, and Wrath was just… more of everything, in all the ways. More romance, more longing, more banter, more spice, more action & angst, and more dragons. But there was also more complexity within the story, as the author delved deeper into each of the characters’ pasts, and their relationships going forward. My emotions were all over the place, exactly how I like it. I’m not gonna spoil this for you but all I can say is BRACE YOURSELF. Book 3 can’t come soon enough. 😩

🎧The duet narration: Hannah Van Der Westhuysen reprised their role as Elowen, & Stewart Clarke was added to the cast to voice Cayden. Hannah, as always, was brilliant and dynamic, with their signature smoky tones and heartfelt portrayals of each and every character- they were perfection. And Stewart, with his luscious, velvety timbre, had me weak in the knees with his portrayal of Cayden. He brought out all of the strength and vulnerabilities of this beautifully layered character. Together, these two created a phenomenal listening experience, and I cannot recommend this audiobook enough. 👏🏻👏🏻

I needed a few days to process my thoughts about Wrath of the Dragons and yet, I'm still messed up about the whole thing. I mean - what is that ending? Im so heartbroken. Please tell me Book 3 is coming soon. Arrggh!

Ok now that I've gotten my dramatics out of the way, let's talk about the book. It's so refreshing and entertaining to read Cayden's POV in this book. That man is the epitome of a down bad man who would do anything and everything for the woman he loves. The way he yearned and pined for her in this book is chef's kiss. I felt his words and emotions through the mind torture he puts himself into. Many of my highlights are all on his POV chapters and I'm glad I did because those passages are probably ones I'm going to reread just to keep me fed before Book 3 comes out. Besides swoon and sweet moments the book offers, it is also action and world building packed. I learned so much in this book about the gods and that world and how it affected Cayden and Elowen. The war and fight scenes are so well written - I just dont enjoy them, that's on me. I'm in love with the family they formed between the two books (even the new additions wink! Wink!). My wish is to see more of the side characters past life and for them to find love too.

Overall, I am heartbroken but I was also happy for 80% of the book. I enjoyed the romance, the world building, the plot and the twists. I cannot wait to read Book 3. It cant come soon enough.

This one just didn’t work for me. I felt like the beginning of this book was so boring. It was totally different from the first book in the series

This is a true romantasy! There is a good mix of romance and fantasy. I absolutely loved Cayden…I mean “My Wife” is becoming one of my favorite tropes. I also enjoyed how much more we get of Elowen and her dragons and understanding her connection with them. In this book, once again the banter was good and the side characters are great. The world is expanded within this book which I also appreciated. My main critique of this book would be the length. It did feel it was a bit repetitive at times but besides that this is a good read.

Dual POV. Dragons. Found Family. Banter. Though the beginning felt a little slow, the second half will keep you hooked until the end! Having Cayden’s POV was the best part.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for this ARC!

This book WOW. Like just wow. So I have to start with a round of applause to Olivia for the character development Elowen goes through (her bond with her dragons stopppp so cute) Their friendship and loyalty?? The POWER?! This book had me so enraptured especially being such a book 1 fan.

So the romance and spice was so beautifully written, but reading both Cayden and Elowen start breaking down their walls and truly understand their traumas, had my heart SOARING! Don’t get me started on my man Cayden (ilysm). I take no complaints on the slow burn and yearning- it was always the way and yall know what you signed up for reading this beauty.

With so much to learn the kingdoms and important characters, as I reader I did appreciate the occasional repetition for world building. The way the book ended had me gasping, crying, and fully spiraling into depression hence the jump into Dramione FF again (LOL). So OBVIOUSLY I need book three immediately. *MISS OLIVIA IM READY FOR THE 3RD BOOK*

Thank you DellRomance and Olivia Rose Darling for my E-ARC 🥹🫶🏽

✨Tropes✨
⭐️ Arranged Marriage
🌙 Dragons
💫 God Lore
⭐️ Tortured Hero
🌙 Rebellion
💫 Touch Her and Die

Second book vibes at their peak—brooding enemies‑to‑lovers turned royal power couple, epic dragons, betrayals and political intrigue that won’t let you blink.

Elowen Atarah evolves from warrior princess seeking vengeance into a queen wrestling with power, legacy, and trust. Her inner strength and vulnerability feel so earned—I rooted for her every step of the way. She questions her identity and her right to the throne, making her deeply real and fiercely relatable

Cayden Veles, the Demon Commander turned reluctant king and husband, steals the spotlight with his fierce loyalty. In his POV we see the devotion that drives him: wickedly protective yet emotionally open. Watching him wrestle with his love for Elowen and his thirst for revenge adds layers to his character that cement him as a memorable fantasy hero

The dragons feel like family, they are menacing, playful, and protective in equal measure. The broader cast is well-rounded and invested in the main duo, making scenes of strategy, diplomacy, and conflict feel emotionally grounded

The pacing stumbles in the early chapters, plot pelt a bit slow/info dumpy before things pick up in the latter half. The magical and political systems can get muddy; it sometimes felt like worldbuilding moments were crammed in without enough payoff yet—but hopefully everything threads together in book three.

The ending hits so hard—it took me by surprise, and now I need the next entry ASAP.

Wrath of the Dragons was the perfect second book in the Fear the Flames series. It gave us a thrilling and steamy romantasy filled with warring kingdoms, shifting allegiances, cutthroat diplomacy, revenge, dragons, magic, and fated lovers who have a tender, angsty romance marred by secrets and betrayals.

Elowen is an excellent protagonist. She is bonded with five dragons, is completely bloodthirsty, and lives for vengeance against her father. She is deeply in love with Cayden, but struggles to trust him and let him in. Cayden is damaged, morally grey, brutal, a brilliant strategist, and is absolutely unhinged. He conquered a kingdom for Elowen, but lost her trust in the process because he forced a political marriage on her that she didn’t want. Watching him grovel to get her back was fantastic.

If you want a high-stakes romantasy where love and political intrigue collide, and the protagonists navigate shifting loyalties, the risk of betrayal, personal desires, and the cost of duty, pick this one up. I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you to Dell Romance, Delacorte Press, Random House, Penguin Random House, Olivia Rose Darling, and NetGalley for the ARC.

📔Wrath of the Dragons
✏️ Olivia Rose Darling
📆 July 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

READ IF YOU LIKE:
⚔️ dragons & wyverns
⚔️ elemental magic
⚔️ warring kingdoms
⚔️ magic worshipping cults
⚔️ sleeping gods
⚔️ found family
⚔️ dual POV

Anyone who reads this book be forewarned that you will suffer, but you will be happy about it….mostly. This series has cemented itself into the category of epic romantasy akin to Maas & Yarros. Just about everything a fantasy lover could want is stuffed within these pages and written so flawlessly. From the world to the characters, dragons and magic and age old gods. Beautifully done… even with that ending. Hurt me some more because I need to know what comes next.

Thank you so much to Delacorte Press for the ARC!

Oh my GOD! I’m so obsessed, this sequel was literally everything to me. Cayden Veles the man that you ARE 😭 The YEARNING?! Please I need 5 business days to recover 😭😭

I loved the immersive world building in this book. We go to new kingdoms, we interact with new characters, and it’s truly such a ride from beginning to end. I really loved getting to see more of Cayden and Elowen’s relationship blossom from the ending of Fear the Flames. On top of that, the storyline that book 3 is set up for at the end of book 2 is really going to be so incredible to see! It was everything that I needed and I’m so grateful to been able to read this advanced copy!! Thank you so much again!

First: thank you Netgalley, Ballantine, and Dellacorte for this advanced copy!

After being absolutely enamored with Cayden and Elowen and their found family in Fear the Flames as an indie read THEN Getting the trad published edition last year, this was my MOST anticipated book of all of 2025!!

- marriage of convenience (but not anymore...)
-DUAL POV 😮‍💨
-overseas journey
-more dragons
-battles
-“my wife”
- found family

I savored Wrath of the Dragons because, if you don't know already (how could you not?) I LOVE these characters and this series and I knew as soon as I read the last word I would NEED book three...and, what can I say, I am always right.

I am already dying for the next book. Cayden Veles is book HUSBAND material and I am still having so much fun on Elowen's bad bitch revenge tour. The BANTER is still so good and the quotes are still so QUOTABLE.

We connected more with each of Elowen's five dragons, we have deadly "my wife" scenarios, we have both Elowen's and Cayden's besties meshing to form one big happy found family that would do anything for each other.
"To the families we choose."
"And to one more day with them,"

Olivia Rose Darling's writing is SO so beautiful-- making you feel everything Elowen and Cayden are feeling for each other, their family, the dragons, the rage/revenge!

I am already planning to reread or get the audiobook (because it's a duet!), and the narrator, Hannah van der Westhuysen did such a beautiful job in Book 1, Fear the Flames.

Wrath of the Dragons by Olivia Rose Darling 🐉
Fear the Flames, Book 2
Series

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romantasy
ARC Review
544 Pages
🗓️ July 29

💙enemies to lovers
🐉allies to lovers
💙bounded mates
🐉dragons
💙political intrigue
🐉one bed
💙marriage of convenience(ish)
🐉boy obsessed

❣️ “She wants to protect everyone else, and all I want to protect is her.”

❣️ “Her presence is a moment of peace in a lifetime of pain. 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.”

❣️ “All I have to do is smile and you’ll let me drain your accounts?”
“Breathing works just fine.”

Cayden. Cayden. Cayden. I’ve read plenty of top-top book boyfriends. I’ve read almost as many morally gray book boyfriends because that seems to be where my preferences lie. And yet, Cayden still had me whispering his name into the literature night as he carried this book to the skies.

Sorry for this tiny spoiler but... he gets to ride a dragon and that’s all I could think about even after he dismounted. And then all my thoughts converged into one: Cayden on a dragon = 5 star read.

So folks, that’s it. That’s the review. Other things kept happening and we got tons of info but who cares, really. Cayden was on top of a dragon!!!!!!!!

Yes, yes... Elowen was her amazing self, we still love all the side characters and that ending was unexpected to say the least BUT CAYDEN RODE A DRAGON!

“Wrath of the Dragons” is a sequel that jumps right into the story where the plot left off at the end of “Fear the Flames.” I have to admit that I read these books a year a part and I had trouble remembering the key world-building elements. I wanted to trust the process and keep reading the story, hoping all the pieces would fit together along the way. Darling does an excellent job of adding realism to her characters. They may be fighting for their kingdom, but there will also be lowkey moments that include sitting down at the end of the day with hot tea and a book. I thrive on cherishing these moments and the interactions in their found family friend group.

For those who enjoy:
💚 High Stakes Fantasy
💚 Forbidden Romance
💚 Dragons
💚 Found Family
💚 The Banter!!
💚 Political Intrigue
💚 Wedding Planning

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Oh. MY. GODS

OK Cayden Veles I see you! When you say you want a man that is devoted, Cayden is literally the blueprint! He is obsessed, devoted, feral, and the one to burn the absolute world down for his woman, the definition of if he wanted to, he would. If you have not started the Fear the Flames series yet, I will need you to pick it up for the characters, and most specifically for Cayden, alone. But also, because Elowen is the mfing dragon queen we all have been wanting and Olivia Rose Darling is delivering. She is a force to be reckoned with, on a female rage destruction path to do whatever it takes to make her so called father pay for not only locking her up, but banishing her, torturing her, and locking up her five dragons she has a soul connection with for YEARS. You can absolutely feel the wrath this dangerous couple is burning with through the entirety of this book. And with how we are left at the end? I am DESPERATE for book 3.

Now was this book absolutely perfect? I can't say that, there were some pacing issues that got me a bit yes. I also really wished this book had at least a couple pages of a summary of what happened in book one just simply because of the time between then and now, it would've saved me a bit trying to figure out who the side characters were again. I also wish we could've seen more of the bond between Elowen and her dragons, you are showed their connection a time or two, but I wanted MORE from it, it comes out more as being told than being shown. But these are only minor in comparison. I love the found family, I love that the world is evolving and I honestly don't know what's going to happen moving forward, I feel like our time may get divided more and our POVs expanded to include some of this found family and our leading couple.

Olivia has turned up the tension and the emotional roller coasters in this book, the tension is strong with the impending wars, the alliances needed and the role their gods really play in their fates. Will everyone survive this series? I honestly can't say anymore.

Thank you to Ballantine | Delacorte Press for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wrath of Dragons is a powerful sequel that deepens Elowen’s bond with her dragons as she grows into a fierce, capable queen. Her relationship with Cayden is a true highlight—slow-burn, heartfelt, and built on trust and sacrifice. The banter is sharp, the dragons are both sweet and deadly, and the ending packs an emotional punch.

It starts a little slow, but once it finds its rhythm, it’s a thrilling and emotional ride that leaves you eager for more.