5 fire-breathing dragon stars. Idk, just all the stars. Liv has a way of storytelling that is both familiar and unique at once. Elowen is so badass and strong, and Cayden is so broody and protective and nurturing (but literally only to El). The magic system and world building, the growing alliances turned possible found family, the dragon babies… AND THAT ENDING?!?? MA’M we need to have words (but like totally nice and maybe just shed a few tears)

4 🌟

WOW!?! What a book. Fear the Flames was a top read for me in 2024, so I was excited to see the next chapter of Elowen and Cayden’s story!

This book was so enjoyable! It is everything you’d want in a romantasy: bloody battles, magic and revelations, scheming and politics, dragons, and of course romance hehe! 🤭💓 I loved getting to see how the story progressed and all the new information we learned (and it was a lot!!).

The pacing of this book started off a little slow and felt a bit chaotic at times. There were parts where I wasn’t fully engaged, but then there were others where I was curled up on the floor with my knees to my chest, flipping pages as fast as humanly possible! 🤣 I do wish the book had been just a bit shorter, as some parts felt a little repetitive, and there was almost too much poetic language and love declarations (if that makes sense lol). I also wish we got to see and learn more about Elowen’s dragons!

I truly love Elowen and Cayden, both as individuals and as a couple. They complement each other so well, and the connection between them gives me life!! The spice in FtF was a favorite of mine, and it’s safe to say this book didn’t disappoint either, hehe 🤭

I absolutely adore Elowen. She is such a force to be reckoned with, and I love her character (she 100% gives me Aelin vibes)!! And Cayden? He is man-obsessed and I love seeing how much he loves Elowen. 🥹

To end this review, all I will say is that ending had me crying at 11:52 pm last night and I need the next book ASAP.

Thank you so much Delacorte Press & NetGalley for the arc!! 💓

"Wrath of the Dragons" is the fiery sequel to Fear the Flames, throwing Elowen and Cayden into the heart of political unrest and emotional turmoil. As they’re forced to unite against rising threats, old wounds resurface, especially for Elowen, who is still reeling from Cayden’s supposed betrayal. He’s determined to win her back, and while his efforts are heartfelt, the romance this time around didn’t pack quite the same punch.

Around a third of the way in, I started noticing a shift. Instead of experiencing the characters’ emotions through action or interaction, I felt like I was being told what they felt through inner monologues. This “telling over showing” made some of the romantic moments fall flat, especially compared to the emotional highs of the first book. Combined with a few repetitive scenes, the story began to feel a little bloated, like it could have been tightened up without losing anything essential.

But just when I thought I was drifting out of the story, the last 10% completely pulled me back in. The emotional payoff was worth it—I cried, genuinely. The ending reminded me why I connected with these characters in the first place.

One thing I’ve always loved is Elowen’s bond with her dragons. That connection is still here, but I kept wishing they had more of a presence. They’re central to the plot, yet they didn’t feel as fleshed out as they could’ve been. I wanted more fire, more development, more personality from the dragons themselves.

On the bright side, the banter between characters really shines. Whether it’s Elowen and Finnian, Cayden and Finnian, or even Saskia and Ryder, the dialogue adds energy and depth. And the dual POV? A fantastic choice. Getting inside Cayden’s head adds so much to the story and gives the reader a fuller emotional experience.

While the book doesn’t reinvent the romantasy wheel, it still offers memorable quotes, strong emotional beats, and characters that stay with you. Some of the conversations did start to feel repetitive, but the heart of the story is solid.

If you loved book one, you’ll likely enjoy this continuation. It’s a bit slower to spark, but once it ignites, it burns bright.

I’ll be back to write a thorough review once my tears dry up but for now; thank you to Netgalley, Delacorte Press, and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this story early. Thank you to Olivia Rose Darling for writing it!

SPOILERS BELOW!

I'm back. I have sat on this book for a long time but I still don't have the exact right words for how incredible this series is. I love that stepping into Olivia's writing feels like watching a movie. The attention to detail, world building, and imagery are so good the words literally flew off the pages. I am so obsessed with Elowen's energy and her characters resilience, her attitude is 10/10 and the fact that she's just a girlie who wants to read and bake in her spare time is my fav.

CAYDEN VELES, MY KING! I loved the version of Cayden we got in this book, it was everything that I loved in Fear the Flames but amplified and 10x as feral. He's also literally just a cutie patootie and his reading glasses were killing. me.

The overall plot advanced so nicely despite actually destroying me mentally and emotionally. I love the intensity the politics and that you could just feel something deeper brewing as we reached the peak of the story. When Cayden almost... and then UGH Ryder blowing up at him "you have a WIFE!" I screamed. Like actually screamed.

I adore the dragons and their relationship with Elowen, her coming into her power was written so well and the entire magic system was just unique in a way that was so fun to read. Seeing more personality from the dragons and how their relationships with her differ was just *sobs*.

The end of the book? Please don't ask, literally consider me illiterate. I cannot read. I do not know how it ends, I just forgot all of the words. Very chill ending, did not emotionally destroy me or leave me sobbing on my sunporch uncontrollably, in the dark (seriously, there's proof on instagram). Crashing out in the group chat. Begging for the next installment in the series, nothing like that. Absolutely C H I L L.

Overall, an absolute six-star read and another example of second books of a series being the BEST ever. Although of course, I also loved book one. This one just had that extra oomph that instantly triggered a book slump upon finishing it (the best kind of reads!!) Forever a fan of Olivia Rose Darling ~

The man that is Cayden Veles - his quotes alone could carry this book. Add in dragons being fully present, and an exploration of magic, and this was an enthralling read. I enjoyed the political intrigue aspect, but especially enjoyed the emotion between Cayden and Elowen. This book built off of book 1 wonderfully. There is a lot going on here, so admittedly a reread of Fear the Flames would have helped. But the characters are strong, the relationships between them engaging, and the fantasy aspects will pull you in. Overall 4.5 stars.

Really really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately made it 21% through it, pacing was a little too slow and feel like too much happening at the same time.

I would like to scream about this book from the tallest roof top please and thank you....
Oh my god was this amazing! I absolutely loved everyone in this book and i love olivia so much

4.5 🖤

Cayden! My man, he really stole the show the first half of this book. While I understand Elowen was upset with him she was very introverted the first half of the book so it felt a little slow.
However this book was action packed, we learn even more about the dragons and their personalities, and we get tons of new characters but also get to see our favorites.
I do really love Cayden and Elowens relationship and I’m glad it’s lead to Cayden getting a relationship with the dragons too! Overall this book was a ton of information about both MCs, multiple fights with the opposing side, and lots of Elowen bonding with the dragons!
The ending of this book had my jaw on the floor and I am SO excited for the next one!
Thank you so much Delacorte press for the arc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
I think this might just be the most romantic book I’ve ever read. When I say I want a man who’s absolutely OBSESSED with her, I do in fact mean Cayden Veles. From the moment he found her, this man has made every single decision since thinking of Elowen. Yes, there’s war and court politics and duty and responsibility, but to Cayden? It’s all secondary to his queen. Omg I’m literally still swooning. One of my fave quotes describing him is “For Cayden, a quick errand can range from killing someone to picking flowers for me” which I think sums up his character pretty well.

Now Elowen, my gorgeous, sweet, knife-throwing, precious, vengeful, Queen of Dragons is the definition of 🥰🗡️😠🌸😘⚔️😏💖😇🔥😈🎀👸🏻☠️💅🏻 Honestly, idk if I want to be her or be WITH her. My poor girl has been through so much and been so strong. And then that ending!!!

Also the dragons basically just being overgrown babies was the best. They’re such cute little divas, I love them. I need MORE.

This book was everything I wanted and everything I didn’t know I needed. Idk how I’m supposed to wait for the next book 😭

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the Advanced Reader Copy for review. All opinions are my own.

0.75 stars ⭐️

ok soooo disclaimer: I did not like the first book. But I tried the indie version and then the traditionally published version, and saw some improvement! So I was really hoping the upward trend would continue, and that the series would be on the upswing. Alas, just the opposite actually.

If you loved the last season of game of thrones, but wished it could be more like Onyx Storm, but really need the main character to have modern day relatable hobbies, then this book is for you! And I hope you enjoy it! But in that case please don’t read the rest of this review haha

——-Spoilers below——

I had the arc with no page numbers, so I didn’t find this out until i was nearly done with the book but this book is over 500 pages long! And nothing happened in the entire first half of it. To me it felt like a lot of the content that was cut from the indie version of Fear the Flames got recycled into the intro of this book: tons of cringy banter, lots of shopping, characters hanging around having aimless conversations, etc. Meanwhile, there should be like, a war starting? Training happening? Negotiations? Any other kinds of responsibilities that a new king and queen of a nation would have?? Elowen is supposed to be the queen of two nations now, but spends all her time hanging out with friends, reading, baking, and pouting. (We actually never hear Aestilian mentioned again in any significant way past the half way point when they evacuate everyone, which also, how??) So that’s basically the first half. The characters get on my nerves so much bc they are so flippant with their responsibilities! Who is managing this kingdom???

Cayden: i’m so angry and mean and i waste kingdom funds to buy gifts for elowen
Elowen: im baby, i like to bake and do my hair and then bathe in the blood of my enemies
And while in theory that could be fun I guess, it just didn’t work for me. Cayden really infantilizes Elowen in his povs and I just really didn’t like reading his perspective. His backstory is such a classic copy paste dramatic daddy issues bastard story that I slept through it basically, and Elowen develops retroactive trauma from her uncle as the readers are told a bunch of abusive stiff he did to her that we didn’t see at all in the last book.

Their relationship continues to not work for me, the random mistrust from the marriage clause goes on for so long and then is resolved by just sort of, brushing it under the rug? The smut is not good, it’s got all the cringey dialogue and words you’d expect (and using a signet ring?? Gross! That’s so unsanitary, I pray for your postal workers) They also don’t technically say “i love you” to each other until about 60% in (post-wedding, by the way) and it’s treated like this big moment for them, this huge reveal to the characters, but like in my mind was just crickets. Obviously they love each other, didn’t they say it last book? Idk it came so late in the book that it felt very stupid haha. Like yeah duh you love each other. I still can’t figure out why, but that’s another thing.

We also got some world building and backstory in this one too, but it all just felt very shoehorned in, like the author had thought of something cool after writing the first book and retroactively put it in. What is godly land?? They’re apparently on it. Magic is apparently something people can do now (and I’ll give you one guess what powers are going to show up for our main characters). We spend a lot of time trying to decide if it’s safe for Elowen to try and unlock some secret magic she just decided she has, and then when she does it’s extremely poorly defined. She can see through her dragons (sure, ok), manipulate dragon fire but only sometimes (….okayyy), and also sometimes soul healing?? Huh?

On that note, guess what this book adds into the story! Hint: if you’ve read any fantasy romance in the past few years, you’re destined to come across this.
If you guessed fated soulmates, you’d be correct 😭 Yep that’s right, Elowen and Cayden were fated to come together because their souls are linked. To me this makes Cayden’s little parade moment from book 1 extremely cheap and stupid, and that was like the one part of his story I liked.

The plot of this book was also very weak, I’m still not sure exactly what was going on with it, but you know we had some battles, some negotiations, some bloodbaths, a Cayden death fake out and whatnot. The dragons had some good moments I suppose. But it was all just very predictable and muddled. I literally forgot the King, Elowen’s dad, was alive for the whole book until she killed him at the end.
Then of course we had to have another crazy death! Oh no! Elowen! She died! Give me a break. 🫠 You’ll never guess what kind of magic our dark and brooding love interest develops in response to this. Just kidding! It’s shadow magic! Of course it’s shadow magic! Why would you expect something original at this point 😭😭😭

So now I guess because no one can live with the consequences of their own actions Cayden is going to go do some levels of hell plot to get Elowen back, but I won’t be reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc! I’m sorry that I didn’t like it 😢

I was lucky enough to received an e-ARC back in June, and from the very first page, I was completely hooked. It picks up right where book one left off and doesn't miss a beat. Liv’s storytelling is stunning every word feels purposeful, every moment impactful. The pacing, the emotion, the atmosphere every piece of this book fits exactly where it’s supposed to be.

Happy release day to Elowen & Cayden part 2! Huge thank you to Olivia, @netgalley @randomhouse for sending me the e-ARC of WOTD! I feel so lucky to have read this early because I’ve been longing for it since the beginning of February when I read and finished Fear the Flames! Oh and the cherry on top has to be that my preorder of the international edition arrived early! Just look at how beautiful she is! 💖

Such a wonderful feeling to return to this world! You can’t help but fall in love all over again with Cayden with every page you read — and trust me there’s a whole lot of pages to read in this one! There were so many times throughout the book that had me on the edge of my seat. Can we also talk about how this one ended on that cliffhanger?! OMG! 🤯 I NEED BOOK 3 LIKE YESTERDAY ALREADY!

🐉 Slow-burn
🔥 Found family
🐉 Dual POVs
🔥 Groveling
🐉 Touch her & d!e

Favorite quote: “𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒂𝒔𝒌 is 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔.”

Don’t wait! Run & grab your copy today because you don’t want to miss out on this one! Happy reading! 💖

It was so nice to be back in this world, I love the girl tied with the dragons, and I love seeing Elowen’s relationship with the dragons grow in this book. We spend a lot of time with Elowen riding and learning the dragons, she learns their native language, she just overall develops her strength, skill, and abilities throughout this book and we see so much growth with her. I also loved seeing her become a Queen, she learns what it means to take care of a kingdom but also to truly fall in love for the first time, to balance her love for Cayden and her friends with her citizens and just overall become a Queen who doesn’t back down, who takes risks, and is willing to sacrifice for her kingdom.

Cayden grows so much too, he becomes a great partner to Elowen, he takes time to learn her, grow with her, and make sure she knows he’s absolutely committed and willing to die for her. It takes time for her to trust him and when they do, omg these two are perfect, they are becoming one of my most favorite fantasy couples as they’ll go further than the ends of the earth for each other, they’ll save each other many time over, and they’ll do anything to protect their loved ones. I loved how the Gods became so heavily involved in this book, along with powers and adding in more and more plot lines that is leading to something big, that I cannot wait to read the next book!

A good follow-up to the initial book in series (Fear the Flames). Lots of banter, exciting battles and deeper bonding (both with the mains and the dragons). And although yes, I did get some vibes from Game of Thrones, there was enough differences to feel unique and new.

This book is centered on the upcoming and inevitable clash between our heroine Elowen and her evil, abusive father...who also happens to be a king and her the only heir. We are introduced to some new characters (both good and villainous), watch as Elowen continues to bond with her precious dragons and witness the deepening feelings between Elowen and Cayden. There are twists, turns and surprises throughout, and the denouement, while very satisfying, is also heartbreaking and sets up the lead-in to the next book very well.

My only caveat here, and it's really just a personal occasional irritant, is the overly sweet and overpowering "love" in the love story. I got that they loved each other deeply, but at times I felt like it was almost being beaten into my brain and could have used a little breather from that intensity.

Overall, I found it a well-plotted continuation of the story and will look forward to future adventures in this realm.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Ballantine / Delacorte Press for providing the free early arc of Wrath of Dragons for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Epic battles, dragons, fem rage, and an insatiable love story. This was a perfect book two! You get so much character time, world building and dragons in the first half of this book, then 90% on it’s pedal to the metal action, and I ate it up! The ending was legendary and sets book three up so well. It’s now one of my most anticipated releases!

I loved learning more about Cayden’s backstory. His fighting scenes in the demon’s den?? Approved 🙂‍↕️ I found myself still wanting to learn more about the dragons, but I really loved their appearances throughout the book, especially at the end!

💭 “I will no longer be at the mercy of men, but they will beg for mine.”

Elowen is such a fierce fmc, I was so proud of the way she stood up for herself and the ones she loves. The found family between Elowen, Cayden, Saskia, Ryder, and Finnian is so special! Ryder is absolutely hilarious 🤣 If you enjoy epic battle scenes, shameless flirting, groveling & banter, or Cayden in general, you will devour this!!

💭 “I look for her in everything, everywhere. I see her eyes in the mundane details of my day that make me crave the moment i’ll be with her again.”

Thank you so much to Olivia & Netgalley for gifting me a copy of this eARC 💗

3 stars. Wrath of the Dragons is the follow up to Fear the Flames. Elowen and Cayden need to work together to form a front against warring nations. Elowen is still hurt from Cayden's supposed betrayal but he tries his hardest to win her love and trust. They flirt, fight, argue, and sometimes see eye to eye on what works best for the greater good.

I had a hard time getting into this book and I think that's more of a me issue than an issue with the writing. Although, this book isn't ground breaking, there are some different plot points one sees in romantasies. The banter was fun but a lot of the conversations were repetitive, in my opinion.

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

2.5⭐️….. bruh. The ending was good, but wasn’t enough to make up for the boredom I endured. I’m free!!!!!! I love Cayden Veles <3

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Dell Romance for the eARC in exchange for an honest review*

This world is such a rollercoaster and man do I LOVE this rollercoaster! The politics, the travel, the battles - they all leave you on the edge of your seat! You get to know more about Cayden's story which for a top-tier book boyfriend we NEEDED his backstory and it did not disappoint. The Cayden and Elowen moments were amazing and just made you root for them. When Elowen wanted one of her dragons to take her home, discovering where her dragon took her just made my heart melt! What an outstanding world to get to be apart of!

“We exist through what and who we love, it fills the cracks hatred chisels within us and gives us a reason to trudge through our worst moments.” ⊹ ࣪ ˖

Thank you so much Delacorte, Dell Romance, and Random House for the arc! Wrath of the Dragons was such a highly anticipated read this year and I’m giving this book 4 stars ₊˚⊹ ᰔ Let’s go over my favorite things, least favorite things, and everything in between:

What I Loved:
- Equal parts romance and fantasy: the plot cannot exist without the romance and the romance cannot act alone without the plot. I think Olivia has done an amazing job between both books of really highlighting that Elowen and Cayden’s romance fuels the story and their romance shapes the plot!
- Both a character and plot driven story so if you’re someone like me who gets attached to characters easily, you’ll love book 2 (and the series as a whole). Olivia fleshes out every character so it’s easy to get attached!
- Dual POV!!!! Getting Cayden’s perspective really rounds the story out and as a reader, you get so much more out of the reading experience
- Banter between all characters, not just Elowen and Cayden, but between Elowen and Finnian, Finnian and Cayden, Saskia and Ryder, etc., gave them all so much more depth! I love my found family so much 🥹
- The YEARNING!!! I’ve said it once and I’ll continue to shout it from the rooftops: bring! back! yearning! men!
- Strong political intrigue that really pushed the plot forward. A lot of focus on power dynamics, balances, and imbalances
- Most of the love declarations hit and were beautifully written! So many quotable lines of dialogue that I wish I could hang up all over my house in the form of pretty art prints
- I love the domestic scenes 🥺 I think it’s important to not only show the action, but also the small moments and scenes where everyone is just kind of existing. Whether they’re getting ready, talking back and forth, out shopping, I think those moments are really important in a book like this

What I Didn’t Love:
- I think there are a lot of moments that feel more like tell, not show. In so many moments between Cayden and Elowen, we are being told through their own monologues how they feel rather than showing it through actions. I think that’s part of the reason why some of the romance didn’t hit the same as it did in the first book. Not only did things feel a little repetitive, like we had seen them already, but we weren’t seeing it play out, instead being told how they felt through internal monologues.
- I think this partly adds to the story being a little longer than I think it needed. Because things were being told rather than shown some of the time, and repetitive moments, I personally think it was a couple of pages too long. Towards the end of the book, I started to get taken out of it a bit (HOWEVER okay listen, the last 10% got me back. I cried, sobbed even.)
- I love the relationship Elowen has with her dragons and it’s one of the main reasons I loved book one so much. That being said, I do wish we got more of them. More of their wrath, more of their own development. Basically, I wish they felt more like characters in a story that so heavily revolves around them.

While Fear the Flames is still my favorite in the series so far, I do think Wrath of the Dragons is worth the read (or else I wouldn’t be giving it 4 stars) and carries on the story! I really love these characters and this world Olivia has created and am excited for the eventual release of book 3🥹🐉

Steamy, exciting, and filled with adventure, Wrath of the Dragons was such a roller coaster! One of my favorite parts of a romantasy is the found family and this one absolutely delivered on that aspect. The addition of Cayden's POV was exactly what this series needed. The longing and devotion he felt throughout the book was evident in those chapters and really carried the story.

As far as the fantasy aspects go (world building, magic, etc.), at times it felt a little unclear or there was an excess of information at times that didn't seem connected, but seeing the ending, I do hope it'll all come together in book 3. The ending was honestly super shocking. I was not expecting it to take this route, so I'm intrigued to see where this story will go next!

⚔️ found family
⚔️dragons
⚔️marriage of convenience
⚔️dual POV
⚔️ groveling
⚔️“my wife”
⚔️ dual povs
⚔️ morally grey/black mmc