This was a great book! If you loved powerless then you need to read this book! The story was very fast paced and full of great world building.

*Thank you Penguin Young Readers Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoyed this book and thought that the last 70% of the book was really well done, had a good amount of excitement, twists, and character development. I also really appreciated the dragon connection without overdoing it like some books try to that are not necessarily meant to. My main personal critique is that the first 30% of the book was very slow and it took about that long until I was fully engaged with the book. Beyond that, I loved the characters and story and I am excited for the next one whenever it comes!

This fantasy novel delivers a rich blend of worldbuilding, courtly drama, and political maneuvering. The author skillfully crafts a realm where shifting alliances, hidden agendas, and the struggle for power feel just as dangerous as any battle fought with steel.

The characters are layered and morally complex, each driven by ambition, loyalty, or survival. Protagonists are rarely purely heroic, and antagonists are never wholly villainous—everyone operates in shades of gray, making their choices both believable and compelling. The political intrigue drives the story forward, with betrayals, secret pacts, and unexpected twists that keep the reader guessing.

Dragons + magic + kissing, set in a unique world!

Actually there was SO much f-ing kissing but never with the right guy!

This was a wild ride, a bit slow to start but picked up at 40% and then I stayed up till 2:30am to finish.

This is a rare occasion where I think it’s worth it to stick it out through the slower start. The middle is moving and the pay off at the end is worth the mild slog at the start. The potential for the rest of this series has me screaming “I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW,” despite knowing this book isn’t even released yet.

The folklore, the world, and the magic were interesting and felt fresh enough. I won’t detail specifics (potential spoiler) but I will say the author does some really cool things with the magic and the book itself feels like an allegory for a major real world problem.

Overall I had a really great time with this book and I’m definitely continuing

I do think this book has a few problems and I’m actually hopeful it’ll get a few more editing adjustments prior to pub. One of my biggest issues was repetition in the prose. We’d be told something, then told again a few paragraphs later. I am reading this quite early though (6 months prior to pub) so I’m curious to see if these will be caught as something to edit out or if it’s intentional repetition for the age rage (12+).

Whats to love…
- love triangle (I’m sat for this resurgence in these)
- interesting world, magic, folklore
- DRAGONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- hidden powers, secrets, and lies
- political intrigue
- Corrupt governments
- ridiculously passionate kissing
- utterly HATEABLE villains

Whats not to love…
- repetitive prose
- overly descriptive at times (do we need to know so many physical details about every single person we encounter?)
- all that kissing made the kiss that we want to happen lose a bit of its specialness

I AM COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK. It made me ache from the inside out. The forbidden love that creates a pull to do the unthinkable, until the pressure becomes unbearable and you must face the question of whether it can withstand the strain. THE DRAGONS, something so subtle, but incredibly important and always there. The magic system that upholds power, and those that are fighting, in their own ways, to bring that power away from those who have warped it for their own gain.

This book is incredible. It is everything fantasy is supposed to be, and I love it with my whole entire heart. It is a gut-punch, but is is one that that is so spectacular.

This was such a greatly designed world. In a world of magic and dragons, when you have both, you can rule. When you don't, well you're lucky to be alive.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! This was a really good fantasy and I enjoyed the story, it definitely took a little too long for it to get going but the second half made the long beginning worth the read. The last few chapters really set up the next book and I can’t wait to read it. I have lots of questions!

I did find Ionáin very annoying and shallow. Gry was a delight and a wonderful character. This is a clean fantasy with only kissing!

"But you," said Donn, "you shine. That's what we call you:
Grianán, the shining one. You have something none of us have seen before. We see your light, the way you block the fair one's spidery threads before they can suck us dry. It gives us hope that maybe it doesn't have to be like this, for always and forever.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

I was thinking about DNFing this one because the first half is pretty slow. Also, the formatting of this arc made it easy for me to get distracted (super long paragraphed, sentences that are cut in the middle, etc.). But I’m glad I’m pushed through because I made it to the end and can say I quite enjoyed it! There is a love triangle in here so if that’s not your jam, maybe go away because it’s one of those “seriously, go with the other guy because this guy is being dumb and I don’t know what you see in him” situations. Otherwise, the world was interesting. The magic system is easy to understand. I’m excited for this next book!

Cliodhna O'Sullivan wrote this well and was engaged from the first page, I was invested in what was happening with the characters and how the magic versus lack of magic worked overall. This was a strong start to the Her Hidden Fire series, it had that historical element that I was looking for and was engaged with what was happening. I enjoyed this as a opening chapter and am excited to read more in this universe. The characters had that overall feel that I was wanting and enjoyed the element in this.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin books! If Her Hidden Fire were a romantic candle, it’d be one of those that smells like moonlight and dragon smoke—and probably burns your fingertips if you’re not careful. This is a romantasy that asks: how far would you go to elevate the one you love—especially when it comes at your own expense?
The Setup
Éadha, a lowly servant girl pining for her childhood friend Ionáin—the heir of the ruling family—discovers a truth that flips her world: she is the rare Channeller, not him. That means she’s the true magic-wielder, while he, shockingly, isn’t. It’s a magical twist that sends them both reeling.
The Sacrifice
At Ionáin’s magical trial—a moment that determines his family’s fate—Éadha stakes it all. She pretends her power is his. In doing so, she saves his house from disgrace, but relinquishes her own claim to the prestige and safety she deserves. Talk about giving someone your spark… literally.
Hidden Lives at the Academy
Escorting her secret into a magical academy, Éadha walks a tightrope. She plays the understudy as a "Keeper" while cheering a clueless Ionáin forward. Oh, and there’s Gry—the cryptic, swoon-worthy fellow apprentice—throwing shade with his allure and possibly reading her every secret under those "handsome but enigmatic" looks.
The Dark Undercurrents
Here’s where the fantastical turns bitter: Channellers draw power from Fodder—life-force siphoned from the disenfranchised. Éadha’s gaze opens wide to the price of her gift: a society built on extraction, pain, and hidden cruelty. Her sacrifice becomes moral fuel—not just romantic, but revolutionary.
Final Staccato Thoughts
Power + Privilege: It’s never just about who has magic, but at whose expense—rich vs. servant, hidden vs. heralded.
Love, Rewritten: Éadha’s choice reframes love from a fairy-tale glitter to a torch she carries for others—even if it burns her.
Gry’s Subtext: He’s the “mystery level infinity” guy whose broody side-eye makes you question if he’s ally or mirror to her suppressed power.
Cost of Magic: This book isn’t fantasy lipstick—it peels back the myth of magic and shows the blood beneath the shimmer.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I was a little apprehensive about the Powerless comparison because I don't like books that read as a list of tropes. However, I also don't take book comparisons too seriously because I've found comparisons to other popular books to only be ~40% accurate. I do think the Powerless comparison wasn't very accurate because technically the general idea of people with magical powers vs people without was there but there really wasn't anything in common. I can see the appeal of Powerless because of it's trope-y writing but this book didn't really seem to have tropes.

Initially, I wasn't going to request this book but the references in the blurb to a patriarchal society got me excited because I love feminist-rage books and critiques of the patriarchy. Having a fantasy book also based off of Ireland was definitely a unique choice as the generically British and French fantasy settings, or German if the author is feeling spicy, tends to get a little dull.

There's a helpful pronunciation guide in the beginning that I liked as well as a handy little map too. Starting the book out with an established romantic relationship was definitely a refreshing choice. I like seeing characters with a clearly defined love interest rather then the angsty and overdone will-they-will-they-won't. I loved how the relationship between Éadha and Ionain was done! It was so different and refreshing and they actually felt like people with personalities outside of each other. I didn't like though, that Éadha kept it a secret that she was a Channeler and was faking Ionain's powers from Ionain as I feel like it would have been much more interesting had they been plotting together.

The writing style was definitely very interesting. It actually reminds me of The Luck Uglies in that it's very fantastical and easy-to-read but with a certain grittiness to it. The world-building was fascinating too. There are layers of patriarchy, class, and privilege that feel all-too-real like the way that using channeling literally drains energy out from innocent people (I saw that coming but the metaphor was done so beautifully) so that the powerful (and rich) could benefit.

I will say that I wish the differences between a Keeper and a Channeler were explained a little better. I wasn't exactly sure what exactly a Keeper was and what powers they have that made them different and weaker then Channelers.

TW: Sexual Assualt

The sexual assault plotline was so raw and realistic that I was tearing up. Especially Éadha's feelings of shame and trauma afterwards. When Hera tells Éadha not to blame herself for wearing a pretty dress, it literally made me cry