This book was unfortunately a very big miss for me. While the promise of an interesting twist on the typical dragon element of books initially drew me in, it wasn't enough for me to stay. The near insta love and lack of any true connection to the characters really prevented me from being fully invested in the book. It is an interesting set up for the next books in the series but sadly, I don't think I will be continuing. This book just wasn't for me personally but I would recommending giving it a shot!

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I loved the beginning. It had a beautiful setup and potential magic system. I could see how there could be political intrigue.

And everything was going great until all of a sudden we're halfway through and Andor and Brynla are shoving their tongues down each other's throats? Like hold up? They barely even expressed any interest prior. They didn't even trust one another....or have any sort of meaningful conversations prior. The romance felt too sudden and fake for me to want to continue.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I love everything Karina Halle writes and when she announced this book I was ready to dive in and let me tell you I was everything I was hoping for and so much more.

Brynla is a thief with no powers on her own in the dangerous dragon's eggs trade business. She has a very unique luck for this kind of job and a very cool dog sidekick, Lemi who can teleport. This has put her in the radar of Andor of House Kolbeck, who wants to use Brynla's unique abilities in order to benefit his house and hopefully earn the respect of his father. But Brynla is not as cooperative as Andor wishes, she puts every fight and every stop not to go with him and while there is animosity at the beginning there is also a deeply attraction between them.

Together Brynla and Andor embark in a dangerous mission in order to find a very special kind of dragon egg, but this heist is full of dangerous moments with twist and turns, and a electric slow burn romance.

Everything about this plot called to my Romantasy hearth and I can't wait for more of this series.

Brynla has lost her parents and has been taken in by her aunt after being saved from a cruel cult and all of this has already happened when the story starts! She is preparing to steal a dragon egg with her dog companion from an area where only dragons have been sent to live behind wards. To go is to risk death and worse since this whole egg theft thing is illegal but doing this allows the sort of mafia esque House families to pay her enough to continue living with her aunt in the Dark City. Since being free is all she has ever wanted she is willing to take the risk. While attempting the theft she runs into a rival House’s lord, Andor. He essentially makes her an offer she can’t refuse for her and her aunt to have a better life. What follows is heartache, love, revenge and more thieving.
I cannot wait for the next book in this serious, I am really enjoyed these characters and all of the plot twists. And I am especially interested in the new point of views we will be getting going forward. A really exciting read!

I love this author, but unfortunately this book was not for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review!

One impossible heist after another. Realm of Thieves will keep your adrenaline and keep you awake all night. Oh and btw there are Dragons that aren’t all cute and let you ride them. These are magnificent and deadly dragons. Adventure Danger Dragons with a sprinkle of romance and spice.

I am fairly new to Karina Halle's books but have enjoyed what I have read so I was excited to read her new romantasy. It was fun to read about two dragon egg thieves. Andor and Brynla are from two different areas and he kidnaps and her dog Lemi and takes her home with him and they have quite the adventure. I gotta say...I really loved Lemi! I didn't feel like this was a very fast moving book but I liked it.

I read/listened to the audio. Saskia Maarleveld is one of my favorite narrators and she made it even more enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 10 June 2025

*Realm of Thieves* by Karina Halle is a fast-paced, adventurous tale filled with danger, betrayal, and just the right amount of romance. The world-building is vivid and the cast of characters keeps the story engaging throughout. While a few plot twists feel a bit predictable, the overall journey is entertaining and immersive. A fun, action-packed fantasy read that earns a solid 4 stars.

I really wanted to like this one. I had been looking forward to reading it for some time. The premise of the story was so intriguing and thought it was going to be good. But unfortunately I didn't Love the execution. The characters, story line just seemed to fall flat for me and I could not Bring myself to enjoy this I am extremely sad because this was extremely underwhelming to me. I love Karina Halle and will continue to read her stories. I just don't think that this one was for me.

You had me the moment I learned this was a dragon egg black market plot. The action lined up perfectly with the romance, the mystery elements left you always wanting more and the side-kicks are chefs kiss. This was all around addicting and refreshing!

Romantasy has been a hit or miss with me lately, but Realm of Thieves sits firmly in the middle. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. Many parts felt very well done, but the parts that fell short ended up dragging down my enjoyment level. In all honesty, I did consider changing my rating to a two, but I'm going to leave it as is because I did finish and do want to see where the series is going.

If you've read literally any of my other reviews, I am a sucker for world-building. Please give me all of it. I want. And I loved the world-building in Realm of Thieves. This world is beautifully realized. Truly. Though we only got to see three of the five known kingdoms (and only parts of them, at that), what we did see was wonderfully detailed. Cut out all the other parts, and I would reread this book so many times just for the world-building. I have no idea what kind of cheese (cheese is life) Karina Halle was cooking with while she wrote the world-building sections, but I need more of it in my life. Share your cheesy secrets with the world. Each kingdom had its unique climate, stories, people, history, and everything else. It was like a perfectly homemade, gooey mac-and-cheese that you should probably stop eating before your stomach gets even more upset with you, but your taste buds are screaming for more. It was so good. 10/10 would recommend for the world-building alone.

However, the rest of the story fell a bit flat. The plot, while interesting, started dragging the moment Andor kidnapped Brynla, which is unfortunate, because that was quite early on. I kept waiting for something, anything to happen. Then, suddenly, we would hit a really exciting part, only for it to be over within a couple of pages, and I was left feeling like all of the long, boring parts weren't having enough of a payoff. Don't get me wrong, I kept reading because I was extremely curious as to what the story was leading up to, since the summary makes it seem like we're going to constantly be at each other's throats while vying for dragon eggs, but that was most assuredly not the case. So, aside from the misleading summary and boring bits, I was genuinely interested in where the plot was taking me. And there were definitely some fun parts, enough to keep me reading and curious, so that's a win.

The characters were somewhat unengaging, which in turn made the romance lackluster. Truly, once Brynla got kidnapped, it was like a switch flipped, and now it's all about romance, romance, romance. Of course, seeing as this is a romantasy, I'm not at all surprised and was expecting that to happen. Still, this single-minded focus on it turned the characters into caricatures of themselves, leaving all the interesting parts of them behind. This ultimately made the romance bland because the characters were also bland. Where did your personality go? It's in the wind. Quick, catch it before it gets away.

While not my favorite read, Realm of Thieves had enough pieces for me to be invested in the outcome of the story. I am curious about the books' future, having discovered they're a series, so I will likely continue, but I doubt I'll return for a reread.

I received an advanced copy of Realm of Thieves from NetGalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Raise your hand if you're still in your dragon era?? This needs to be your next read- full of heists, theives, murder, mysterious pasts, magical dragons, and an adorable fluffy sidekick.

I'm super intrigued on where this series goes... are we getting new POVs based on the epilogue??

Realm of Thieves is a mix of dragons, danger, and enemies to lovers tension. The magic system and world-building are inventive and compelling. Dragon egg thieves? So unique!

I love Karina Halle and I loved this Romantasy! I read it with a few book buddies and we all had the same opinion. We want more!

I am a huge fan of Karina Halle’s storytelling and writing, but if I’m being honest, this book wasn’t my favorite. While I enjoyed the ending, it seemed like much of the actual implementation of fantasy elements didn't come into play before then, except with the dragons existing overall or very fleeting moments. I also wanted more from Brynla - she was such a good character but it felt like something was being held back with her - the emotions didn’t seems as strong or raw.

The dragons and how their suen gave those who ingested it powers was an interesting concept - overall, the dragons were very cool! Learning about each species was a fun component of the story. I think book two will take up deeper into the story and hopefully with more drama and action.

Karina is such a diverse author that delves into different genres and romantasy really showcases her talents. I loved the world building and the characters throughout this one and pulled me in from the beginning. I am excited to see where she takes the next one!

A mafia romantasy with rivalry families? YES PLEASE!
This was so much fun, especially listening on audio hearing the narrations of dual POV.
I'm so excited to see where this series goes and the new POV we'll soon be getting!

Book: Realm of Thieves
Author: Karina Halle
Length:432 Pages
Publisher: Ace/Berkley
Overall Rating: 5 Stars

This riveting book hooked me in right from the start with so many twists and turn that absolutely swept me in. Another book that kept me turnings the pages with fascination. Furthermore the entire premise of intrigue and suspense kept me fascinated! A book of high adventure, dragons and love. Another book I highly recommend.


Dragons✔️
Fantasy ✔️
Cult✔️
Ememie to Lovers✔️
World Building✔️
Magic System✔️
Romance✔️
Mafias✔️

Thank you so much to Berkley for an advance copy of Realm of Thieves!

Brynla has found a way to survive her entire life. After fleeing the dragon worshipping cult where she was born, she finds work for a crime family stealing dragon eggs that contain magic. This is extremely dangerous and also extremely illegal, but Brynla does whatever it takes to stay alive.

Along with her dog, she sets out for another mission and just before she succeeds, she is kidnapped while facing a fierce dragon. Her captor is Lord Andor of House Kolbeck, a rival crime family. When faced with an offer she can’t refuse, she goes from thief for the crime families to thrust into the middle of the politics of the world.

I’ve read a handful of Karina’s books so I was stoked to get the go-ahead to read this one early. It seemed so different from her normal vibes. Much more politically driven fantasy/romantasy and less dark paranormal romance. I have to say, this was my favorite of hers thus far. It wasn’t as dark as her other books, but it did toe the line.

Brynla is a trainwreck in the best way possible. Obstinate to a fault, but hilarious while being so. I felt like we got to really go on a journey of self-discovery and growth with her. Andor was a good character as well. I didn’t feel like he was too overbearing or too closed off. He had his secrets, but he was otherwise very open to Brynla. I would say it was slightly insta-love on his part…but it didn’t bother me in the silghtest. More like instant attraction or that he felt some sort of pull towards her that he couldn’t ignore. I want to stress repeatedly that it wasn’t overbearing or annoying, because I do NOT like instalove at all.

Sometimes romantasy can feel very recycled, as much as I love the genre it can be repetitive. And while this had some of the same elements, I thought the idea of the crime families and the dragon eggs on the black market, and the whole backstory was so interesting and I can’t recall ever reading something like it.

The last 25% or so totally flipped the script also, we got an entire storyline that will take us into book two with a whole new outlook on the world and I can’t wait to see what happens!!