Some mixed feelings but overall really fascinating fantasy read. Giving this a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Give me female rage in fantasy!! This book absolutely delivers on this point. In a world built on the power of women which has been co-opted by the patriarchy, Aemyra is the unapologetic female protagonist of our dreams. I do admittedly think her sanctimonious nature can be a bit grating and it definitely toes the line of unlikeable, but we wouldn't give a second thought of she was a male character, which I think is honestly the point.

I'm here for the fantasy but I honestly could've left the romance behind. For an enemies to lovers trope, I feel like the differences and at time inability for Aemyra and Prince Fioren precludes any real chance at love. But BIG kudos to Fioren for respecting boundaries.

After an initial slog, the book goes at a breakneck speed and dragons are the best so I will be anxiously awaiting Book 2.

This was a really interesting book that I could t put down. The characters were mysterious and intriguing.

Enemies to lovers meets the House of Dragon vibes. Bratty blacksmith destined to be the queen finds it's finally her time to shine and claim her rightful spot on the throne, but of course there's obstacles in the way. The story was a bit slow to start but definitely sucked me in after a bit more of the backstory set in. I could've done with a little more world building since this is the first book of the series and a lot of information was provided, but also seemed a smidge lacking with providing a full background. Overall though, it turned out to be a very compelling read and I look forward to the next installment in the series!

Expected publication May 27, 2025
Thank you to Hazel McBride, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book is good, not great. I think it could have used a few more rounds of editing. The pacing in the first half was off and it truly felt like an uphill battle to get to anything interesting. I also bounced off the writing style a bit. McBride's prose is clunky and it kept me at a distance. It was hard to get close to the characters. I might have put it down if I wasn't reading the book to write a review.

I liked the premise and what McBride was trying to do. She just didn't quite get there. The plot is interesting enough and I did want to know how things would shake out in the end. I don't know that I would pick up the second book though.

Honestly I should write a longer review but what tot really need to know is:

If you wanted to be ahead of the rush, beat the hype and get in on the ground floor of the next BIG thing, grab this immediately and jump in with both feet. Truly extraordinary story, wit, and worldbuilding.

I'm a bit torn on how to rate this one. I wanted to be obsessed with this story and part of me was. Yet, there were a few things that kept me from being completely immersed. Overall, I did enjoy it and am looking forward to book 2 in this duology!

First off, I love when a book has me guessing and speculating what will happen not only in this book but in the sequel as well! This definitely had me doing that and I am curious to see whether any of my theories prove true in book 2. Throw in dragons, a trove of beloved romantasy tropes, & magic and I'm sold.

However, there were two things that kept this from being a 5-star read. First, the FMC, Aemyra, at times comes across as rather sanctimonious and excessively judgmental. Still, there is a repeating theme that not everything, particularly people, is what it seems at first glance. Aemyra begins to show a greater understanding of this throughout the story and I am hopeful that similar character development will continue in the sequel.

On another note, some of the specific similarities to House Of The Dragon made it difficult to view this world its own entity. Considering that this story began as an idea for Aemond Targaryen fanfiction this is understandable, and while I absolutely love fanfiction, this knowledge often had me unintentionally comparing this world to Westeros. This is not to say that I outright held this inspiration against the story, but, it made immersion harder.

(Note: Please make sure to consider the trigger warnings beforehand. There are scenes & themes that can be quite traumatic.)

Wow. This was a wild ride. This story is, in my humble opinion, is comparable to the depth of story as Game of Thrones but without the length and tons of feminism. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire story. The action did not let up. Similarly, the high stakes became higher. The constant twists until the end were great. I enjoyed the character building of Aemyra and Fiorean. I was crying over multiple parts of this story - and I’m furious with the ending, which is indicative of a great story that will need to be resolved in the second book.

The trigger warnings should not be overlooked by any potential reader- the story is graphic and painful.

Thank you SO MUCH to Delacorte and NetGalleh for the early egalley.

3.5-3.75 stars

I’ll be honest I keep going back and forth on this one. There were some things I enjoyed, some things that didn’t really work for me and some things that I’m not sure about.

Let’s get into it.

This book promises to be a story of feminine power and rage and on that she for sure delivers. I won’t summarize the plot for you because a copywriter already did that in the blurb, but I will say Aemyra most certainly a confident, outspoken women who knows she’s powerful and doesn’t apologize for it. I appreciate that her character isn’t insufferably obstinate or prideful - a pitfall so many authors writing strong women seem to fall into, so hats off to McBride for that. And generally speaking I like all of the characters (except the misogynists but that’s intentional). Though I can’t say that I formed a particularly strong attachment to anyone. Like anyone could have died at the end and I think I would have been okay.

This feels like the overall theme for me with this one - I liked a lot of things but didn’t *love* anything. Nothing really grabbed me, nothing sparked a feeling of connection to the characters or the stories. It was largely enjoyable but did not WOW me.

The world and magic system I liked.
The plot, while a bit simple, was fine.
The pacing was mostly pretty consistent.
The characters I enjoyed.

I think overall things just fell a little short of this being a GREAT book. It lacked the finesse to make it stand out.

I’ll read the next one and I wouldn’t necessarily not recommend it, but it wouldn’t be the top of my recs list. I am grateful for the arc & also don’t plan to buy myself a copy - this is one I would probably tell a friend “sure, give it a go, but I recommend borrowing from the library”, ya know?

Fat-friendly? Ehhhh, not a major focus but there were two distinct instances the author definitely used fatness as a way to add a layer of “this character is supposed to be repulsive to you”, so subtly she may not even be aware of it, but it’s still kinda fatphobic of her.

Wow. A Fate Forged in Fire was an emotional gauntlet I didn’t see coming. Hazel McBride weaves a story that had me laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next—then questioning my life choices (and the MMC’s) by the end.

From the very first chapters, the banter had me grinning like an idiot. The wit, the sass, the chemistry—it was deliciously addictive. But don’t let that fool you. As the story deepened, so did the stakes and the emotions. There were moments that hit so hard, I had to pause and collect myself. The kind of crying that’s half heartbreak, half catharsis.

And yes—there were swoons. The romance built beautifully, giving us tension, tenderness, and just enough angst to make the payoff all the sweeter… until that ending. Hazel, what did you do to my heart?

Because here’s the thing: by the time I reached the final chapters, I was furious—at the MMC, at his choices, his silence, his secrets. I wanted to throw my kindle across the room all the same.

This isn’t just a fantasy romance. It’s a story about identity, sacrifice, and the messy, raw parts of love and loyalty. It’s beautiful and brutal—and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

4.5 stars — because my heart might never fully recover, and I need answers. (And maybe an apology from the MMC.)

While this didn’t exactly blow me away, I think it is a solid fantasy debut that will probably appeal to a good number of readers. I enjoyed being in Aemyra’s POV and her motivation for ascending as queen, and I found myself rooting for her despite the mistakes she made. The romance was most definitely a slow burn and had a couple nice moments, but it felt surface-level at best. For me, the pacing felt slow, particularly in the first half, and a lot of the world and magic felt underdeveloped. I was also pretty unsurprised by the ending and I don’t feel particularly invested in reading the next book. That said, you may enjoy this more than me - particularly if you’re interested in Scottish lore, dragons, and have a thing for Aemond Targaryen.! Thank you to Delacorte Press for an ARC to read and review.

"To become the first queen in centuries, a powerfully blessed blacksmith must use her wits and fire magic to overthrow the corrupt powers ruling her kingdom - while also fighting her growing desire for one of her dragon-riding adversaries - in the first book of a sizzling Celtic-inspired fantasy romance duology.

Once a territory built on matriarchal rule and values, Tìr Teine has since grown frail from a long line of fruitless kings, the most recent of which have ruled under the influence of the True Religion, an oppressive group who have steadily poisoned the region with their anti-magic teachings.

Born to rule and blessed by fire, Aemyra has begrudgingly lived in hiding rather than risk her life in court, waiting in anticipation for the current king's death so she can bond to his dragon, claim her throne, and protect her people. But when the king dies and Aemyra is ready to take what is rightfully hers, her ambitious plan is foiled, and she is thrust into a game of vicious politics and plots.

Her biggest adversary is Prince Fiorean, a dragon rider and one of the most powerful fire wielders in the territory. Cold, arrogant, and blindly supportive of his corrupt family, he is everything Aemyra despises. But as chaos engulfs the court, they find themselves reluctantly entwined, forced to forge an uneasy alliance - one that quickly ignites into something more dangerous than either of them expected.

Behind enemy lines and slowly falling for her so-called adversary, Aemyra uncovers just how far the rot of corruption has spread, and what she may have to sacrifice to claim her throne."

Drawn in because of the blacksmith, staying because of the dragons!

This book was extremely interesting, and it was a romantasy in its truest form. This was a celtic inspired romantasy that centers around the FMC, Aemyra. In a once matriarchal society, ruled by Goddess-blessed Queens, Aemyra is the first female born in a very long time. Their religion and life as they know it is threatened by a new patriarchal religion whose mission is to show women that their place in society is to be at the will of men. I really enjoyed the villain of this story being the religion and McBride wrote it so well I really struggled to keep reading at some parts because I was so angry at the priests. This book would have gone great with the TTPD Female rage summer last year and I really enjoyed it. I did think it dragged at some parts and the dynamics with her family were a little frustrating as well as her irrational behavior. But her irrational behavior came full circle in the end, and you were given some understanding about her and her father that you did not have before. I was very annoyed at the ending of the book as it ended as I suspected it would, and I am unsure how any of this will end well in one book. I am afraid that the second book will be rushed but I will hold out hope it will end how I want it to. I was a little disappointed in the betrayal and held out hope that it would not happen. I will most definitely will be reading the next book and I really enjoyed the first.

This book's tropes are:
-mortal enemies to lovers to enemies
-matriarchy
-elemental magic
-political intrigue
-bonding w/ mythical creatures
-Celtic-inspired
-marriage of convivence

Thank you NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I’d like to thank Random House and NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a wonderful romantasy that has left me ITCHING to read the next book (which is unfortunate for me since this first book hasn’t even been released yet 😅). I will say that the pronunciation was super challenging for me, especially in the beginning. I didn’t realize that there was a pronunciation guide at the end of this arc copy, and I am unsure of where it will be placed in the final copy of the book.

Like many fantasy novels, the first 30-40% was a little slow because there was a lot of world-building and background (& hard words lol) to get through before we could get into the fun stuff. That being said, it was 100% worth it. I really enjoyed the story, and I absolutely loved how refreshing it was as a romantasy in a sea of many copy and paste romantasies that are enemies to lovers to TRULY be enemies to lovers. It felt unique enough, while also staying true to everything we know and love about the genre. I feel that both our FMC and MMC still have a lot of growing and maturing to do, and I’m excited to see that unfold in the next book. The ending of this one had me on the edge of my seat!

Overall, a solid badass romantasy read. I definitely recommend you check this one out when it releases on May 27th!

A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride is a fierce, addictive ride from start to finish. The heroine’s journey is full of grit, strength, and heart as she fights for the crown that’s rightfully hers—all while navigating a tangled web of political intrigue and betrayal. And just when you think she can’t take on more, enter the slow-burn romance with her sworn adversary… the tension is everything. Add in dragon riders, high-stakes strategy, and jaw-dropping twists, and you’ve got a story that refuses to let you go. I couldn’t put it down.

as a hardcore romantasy lover, i’m actually deceased writing this because i’m in love with it. this is everything i usually love in books all wrapped up in one. i knew from the first page this was going to be amazing and it didn’t disappoint.

A Fate Forged in Fire is a tale of one woman’s fight against the bigotry, heresy, and cruelty that has overtaken her kingdom. Hidden away for years to train in secret, Aemyra is prepared to do anything to reclaim Tir Teine and restore order to her kingdom. In a battle of wills, secrets, and forbidden romances, Aemyra fights for her birthright, the power of women, and the return of magic.

As a debut novel, it is fantastically well written. The reason I rate it a 4 out of 5 is because it was a slow burn – not only with the romance but also with the pacing of the action. I would have enjoyed more action sooner, however, the world building was very important to the story and Aemyra’s motivations. Additionally, I struggled with the Scottish terms since it made remembering characters and locations difficult since they all sounded similar.

Despite my critiques, I quite enjoyed the novel. The female rage is such a unique perspective and not often one I see in stories. While Aemyra is fighting for the kingdom as a whole, the fight for her community of women, the battered, the queer, and those deemed different is distinctly at the forefront of the novel. That subtle perspective change makes me believe this story will emotionally resonate with readers more so than others that are currently published. Readers will rally behind Aemyra because her desire for power is not used to control people but instead a deeply held sense of duty that comes across as very humble.

A few other bits I loved from A Fate Forged in Fire with no context:
Him giving her the gemstone: one of the best enemies to lovers I have ever read
One of the best sex scenes I’ve read: so steamy but also so emotionally charged
One of the best plot twists I’ve ever read: no notes

Fans of Aelin from Throne of Glass and Daenerys from Game of Thrones are sure to be enamoured with Aemyra. Additionally, fans of enemies to lovers, slow burns, magic world building, and romantasy should read A Fate Forged in Fire.

Disclaimer: Thank you Random House Publishing Group for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I did not finish this book and stopped reading it at 43%. I found it difficult to like/root for the FMC and did not enjoy any moments involving the MMC. Although the story and plot had great potential, some plot points did not make sense in how they unfolded and it felt like there was more telling vs showing when it came to the FMC’s development and actions. I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC and am open to reading other work by the author in the future. However, this book was not for me. I found myself being more frustrated with the book than enjoying it.

What a fun ride! This story took a little while to get into due to the heavy use of the Scottish Gaelic language and when reviewing the pronunciation guide inevitably meant I was pronouncing most of the words wrong. Despite that, once you get into the story, it is fast paced, easy to follow and a fun ride.
The dragons were spectacular, The FMC is fierce with a heart of gold and though nothing seems to go right for her throughout the whole story, she is easy to root for. She tries to learn from her mistakes, though how the bad guys keep outsmarting her I found rather annoying after she plotted to overcome her previous mistakes, they were always one step ahead. Sometimes her choices were foolish but she faced the outcomes well and her mental struggles through her losses and experiences were easy to relate to. The MMC I desperately wanted to like but ultimately never really cared for. I LOVED the 'touch her and die' moments though initially they didn't fit into the overall narrative as they were very much true enemies to lovers. I really enjoyed the enemies to lovers and the deep hatred which fell apart when they finally share the truth with each other.
My biggest complaint was that I didn't realise at any point that this would be a series. As I neared the end it became obvious that there was more story to tell so I will now anxiously await the next book!

**SPOILERS**
In the end, I was very upset with our MMC's turn of heart and betrayal to his Queen. Given the progression of the storyline, I wasn't totally shocked as I kind of expected something to happen however I was deeply disappointed that it was him going against her. I really wanted a heroic moment for our FMC to swoop in and save our MMC when things clearly went wrong but alas, he turned on her.
While things are looking rather bleak for our FMC and Queen, I'll be left waiting anxiously for this story to continue in the next book.

My first book by Hazel McBride and I am not disappointed. Told in the third person this is a dragon fantasy that will have you turning the pages wanting to know more.
I really liked that in this book our FMC, Aemyra is aged up. Unlike a lot of fantasies/romantasy she is 26, in her mid twenties. And we see that religion is pretty heavy in the book. I did see that some people said it reminded them of Game of Thrones or House of Dragons and I would say that would be an accurate representation of what it reminded me of as well.
I really liked that our FMC was working as a blacksmiths apprentice. I really liked Aemyra overall as a character. I thought all the characters were pretty well developed.
The story I thought was really well developed it flowed really well. I do wish that I saw that their was a pronunciation guide in the listing in the beginning because I would have ran to that so fast...I need to learn to look a little bit better at the contents breakdown in regards to chapters when I am opening the book. But that was very helpful after the fact!
Overall I am excited to see what is next for this series and am excited to get a physical copy!
Thank you to Random House for gifted copy In exchange for a honest review!

This was a slow start (world building and understanding the world) but I did end up enjoying this read.

I rate this book a 4 ⭐️ 2 🌶️

I can see how this story is influenced by Game of Thrones/House of the Dragons and it was the reason why I was so interested in reading this book (dragons and magic) but of course I'm here for the romance.This is an enemies to lovers to enemies and I'm here for it. The tension between Florean and Aemyra was everything! The ups and downs/push and pull with their relationship (enemies to lovers)

I will be patiently waiting for book- because that cliffhanger--- I need book 2 immediately.