I felt kind of thrown into the story which sometimes is nice but I could hardly pronounce so many words and didn't know what was going on. It's not my cup of tea but I'm sure many will like it 🙂

This book was okay. Not my favorite fantasy I’ve ever read. Aemyra drove me nuts for most of the book! She seemed so full of herself. I don’t think her character was suppose to come across the way it did, but she was annoying.

It was also a little predictable that she was the heir to the throne, but I will read the same storyline again and again.

The story was just a little hard for me to follow and the romance was lacking for me.

This is a spicy fantasy romance - with dragons!

The FMC, Aemyra, is a fierce, vengeful fire-wielder who aims to take the throne when the king dies - she's secretly heir to the throne, but she was raised as a commoner. I appreciated the bisexual rep here as well. She doesn't seem quite ready to be queen - I'll look forward to more development in the next parts of the series.

The story dragged a bit at times, but the enemies to lovers trope was spicy and fun to read. I hope that the next books in the series explore the dragons more and allow Aemyra to develop into the leader she'd like to be.

I love me a good romantasy and this met the expectations! The witty banter between Aemyra and Fiorean was so good. It had me giggling throughout and I just love her attitude and sarcasm. Did not see the ending coming and I was devastated!! I can not wait to see if the story continues and what kind of twists and turns will come with that.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!! I am a PA student and read this book in the middle of a really hard testing month; because of this, I didn't have a lot of time to read, so my reading was spread out over a few weeks. Typially, it's really hard for me to stay invested and intrigued when I am not able to finish my book in a reasonable amount of time. THAT WAS NOT THE CASE HERE. This book had me invested and thinking about it throughout the entire time I was reading it. I loved all of the tropes and the writing was done so well! The ending even had me taken by surprise; I typically am very good at calling plot twists and I did NOT anticipate the one here at the end!!

Overall, I give this book 4 stars. I even listened to the audiobook some while reading and thought the audiobook was SO well done!!

I'm so grateful to have received this copy on Netgalley! Thank you so much, it was such a good read an I will be recommending it to EVERYONE.

If your looking for a Celtic inspired fantasy with enimies to lovers and dragons this is the book for you! I don't know how more people aren't talking about this book. I devoured it. I had to know what was going to happen next. The dynamics in the enemies to lovers were perfect. The political intrigue, the battles, the dragons. I loved this book! And with that ending I cannot wait for book 2.

3.75 This was a good romantasy book but the beginning was a bit hard to follow and the ending felt a bit abrupt. This book follows Amerya( listened to the audiobook spelling is going to be off on names) a girl who is suppose to be heir to the throne but was hiding in site till she could take her rightful place when the king dies Amerya and her father place a claim on the throne causing fighting between the two heirs. This book was good but the pacing at times would drag then other times I would be introduced to so much info I found it a bit confusing at times. The other thing was the names were a bit difficult especially when listening to the audiobook. Overall it was a good read that I might continue the series. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

This book was a WILD ride. I really enjoyed reading this book and loved Ameyra’s spunky and fiery personality. There were so many elements that I loved in this book. The magic system felt authentic, and the plot kept me engaged pretty much the whole time. There was a point in the middle where there was a lull but things quickly turned around. A Fate Forged in Fire always kept me wanting to come back for more. I loved the concept of fighting for one’s throne, overturning a patriarchal society and of course the dragons ✨

There was a moment that definitely calls for a trigger warning so read up on those, but otherwise, I recommend the story!

P.S. I will also say the romance is the subplot - not quite the whole focus of the story.

I really, really wanted to love this one. What's not to love about a hidden queen fighting for her throne, magic, dragons, and enemies to lovers? Well... it turns out a lot.
Let's get into my favorite elements to talk about:
-Pacing: So often within this book, it felt like it was being built up to this big climax and I was expecting us to be close to the end and we had 50% or 25% of the book left, but the major, biggest conflict that led to the real climax and ending all took place in like a chapter and then abruptly felt like it ended out of nowhere. I didn't pay enough attention to realize that this was the first book in a series, so had I realized that, I would have realized that we couldn't end the book nicely- it needed a cliffhanger of some sort.
-Characters: While I feel like our main characters were well developed and thought out, they felt very young. Aemrya was supposed to be in her mid 20s, yet to me, she acted like someone much younger. She seemed to forget that her actions had consequences until after they happened and if she had been trained (even in secret) to take the throne for years, wouldn't that have been at least a little more at the forefront of her mind?
-The enemies-to-lovers: Aemrya and Fiorean end up becoming enemies to lovers but it seemed so fake and shallow (and reflecting back now that I've read the whole book, maybe that makes sense with the ending, but while I was reading it, it wasn't believable).
-Other relationships: I did really enjoy the way that Aemrya's relationships with her family were written. She was very close to her family and you could see how close they were and how strong those relationships were. The relationship with her birth father was also really well written- she wanted to make him proud and do everything that he wanted, but that also blinded her to some things.
Overall, I had such high hopes for A Fate Forged In Fire and it definitely didn't meet them. But, I will still read book 2, because I do want to see where things go (and maybe see if things pacing wise get better in future books since that was my biggest complaint in this book).

I was lucky enough to get my hands on the eARC of this book & I was so scared to read it! I hadn’t seen anyone get an ARC and was afraid it would be just another copy-paste fantasy. After my favorite booktuber whatemmyreads read it, I was convinced. And boy was I glad to give this book a chance. I’m 15% in and this is exactly the unique kind of story I was looking for. The way the first 15% was set up, was so refreshing & I loved getting sucked into the action/main plot right away. I can’t wait to see what else this book has in store! 💛

DNF - I didn't like the FMC from the first chapter and couldn't get into it. The unlike-ably arrogant woman describing someone else as arrogant was just too much for me.

This was truly such a bummer. I was looking forward to this book coming out for a while. I was so excited to get an arc! However, I probably would've DNFed this book if it wasn't an arc. There was essentially no plot, no character growth and no world building. It was a cool concept in theory, but that's where the pros end. Would not recommend.

thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the arc!

2.75⭐️3🌶️

Romantasy
Adopted/blended family
🏳️‍🌈, 26yo FMC
Prince MMC
Dragons
Elemental Magic
Secret identity
Betrayal
Political intrigue
War
Rebellion


Tw: childbirth, medical trauma, sexual assault, murder, vomit, gore, religious trauma,

The storyline and overall premise are strong. I really enjoyed the concept. The idea of a female-centric government being overthrown by masochistic men sets up an engaging ideological war, and the exploration of female rage is compelling. However, the execution feels slightly disjointed, and I’m struggling to pinpoint exactly why.

The bond between the dragon and the writer is disappointingly vague. The magical familiar concept is fantastic, and I love the idea, but it wasn’t developed in a way that felt meaningful or consistent. That may be part of the larger issue with the worldbuilding. It feels scattered. A more defined portrayal of the belief systems earlier on would have helped ground the story and clarified motivations.

The characters are interesting, but I never felt fully convinced by anyone’s motivations. It was hard to watch the FMC ignore red flags so blatantly. It made me want to shake her.

The writing itself is good, but the story needs tightening. I won’t be continuing, mainly because I’m just not interested in another overpowered, under-acknowledged female main character. Her birthright didn’t feel earned, no matter how often it was asserted. I wanted to root for her, but she read more like a self-absorbed “it should’ve been me” archetype than a complex, just ruler. She came off as an angry pick-me girl at the start, and it took too long to peel back her layers.

The romantic or interpersonal tension also fell flat. There was too much hate at the start with not enough chemistry or intrigue to balance it. So when the tension finally broke, it didn’t feel earned or climactic.

Lastly, the foreshadowing was predictable. I saw the cliffhanger coming from a mile away, which dulled its impact.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the gifted eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved this title. Perfect for Romantasy readers who enjoy dragons and some spice in their stories! I do wish there was a little more of the magic, setting, and dragons and that fun stuff; but it was still an enjoyable read. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sending this advanced copy my way.

Stars 3.50

Aemyra is determined to bond with a dragon and claim her birthright as queen—but the path is anything but easy.* The enemies-to-lovers dynamic is intense and compelling, often shifting back and forth within a single chapter, keeping the tension high.

While the dragons are described beautifully, I found myself wishing they had more page time. They’re such majestic, integral parts of the story that their limited presence felt like a missed opportunity.

The world-building is rich and complex, immersing you in a fully realized realm. That said, there were moments when the pacing lagged under the weight of all the detail. Still, the ending delivered a powerful cliffhanger that left me eager for the next book.

Aemyra is a queen in hiding waiting to take her rightful place. When the time comes, things don't go as planned and war ensues. Strong women and dragons is always a draw for me, but I found Aemyra to be an unsympathetic character. She is brash and immature and it is hard to root for her. Her romances with both women and men seem contrived. The world building in the story is confusing and many elements seem familiar from other popular series. The pacing is also very uneven with major plot points happening very quickly. This is just the first story in a series and I am hopeful that the writing and editing will get stronger as the story moves forward.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ecopy. My opinion is my own.

as the hidden rightful heir to the crown, aemyra lives as a blacksmith with her adoptive family while waiting for the right timing to reclaim her family’s throne. however as the carefully constructed plans go askew, aemyra finds herself forcibly linked to the reigning family and plans to take them down from the inside.

rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️ | spice: 2/5 🌶️

honestly, the first half of the book took me a while to get into. the world building was kind of confusing and convoluted with so many names thrown around that probably didn’t really even matter much. i ended up just skimming over them because the ones that mattered showed up again, so there really was no point in trying to figure out the world. i also couldn’t help but kind of compare this to fourth wing with the gaelic names, bonding of dragons, special attention to hair color, etc. but it quickly became its own plot after.

after the first half, things started picking up and i finally started to get invested. it became such a fun ride to go through, but i did think the pacing was kind of interesting. a few of the major plot points happened so fast and i wish that there was more buildup to it. there wasn’t anything too special or new with how saturated the romantasy world is these days, but it had all the solid romantasy elements that make me enjoy the book - enemies to lovers that had me up at 2am kicking my feet when they finally started to fall in love, a war/rebellion going on to overthrow a corrupt government, a cliffhanger ending.

i can’t say that i didn’t see the plot twist cliffhanger coming at the end, but dang was i still shocked when it actually happened. i can’t even imagine all the different possibilities that could happen in the next book.

for like someone trained to be the heir, aemyra being so stupid and getting kidnapped so easily felt kind of out of character. and especially with her submitting to the arranged marriage so easily, i was literally like ??? that’s truly character assination there. but i guess that it had to be done to push the plot forward somehow.

however, everything about fiorean and aemyra’s relationship after did have me kicking my feet with that enemies to lover banter. but i do think they fell in love so easily (?), just as i thought a lot of the major things in this book happened so easily without any buildup. in particular fiorean finally unlocking and being able to talk to his dragon; that definitely should have been written out into a longer scene.

like most of me did expect something to happen in the end, but fiorean flipping on her still had me shocked. part of me is also like that’s just so ??? how did it happen when it literally seemed like he was so on board with aemyra’s plans. but i guess we shall see whenever the next book comes out.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher and author for allowing me to read this early.

I loved that the FMC is bisexual, however she’s just not that likable. At about 60% the book just fell flat for me and I struggled to continue.

As much as I love romance and fantasy books, this one just didn’t do it for me.

A Fate Forged In Fire is the first book in McBride's Bonded to Beasts series. While the story line and cover are eye-catching the story just fell flat as I unfortunately didn't care for the main character. She is brash and just not likeable. Maybe others will care for her and like this more than I did because yes there are dragons, magic, a twin brother that I liked way better as a character than our heroine. The cliffhanger ending is ruthless though 2.5 stars, round up to 3.

A Fate Forged in Fire is a Celtic-inspired romantasy full of dragons and rage. Please check and be mindful of the trigger warnings.

First off, I appreciated having a bisexual main character written by a bisexual author!

Aemyra is blessed by fire and born to rule, but she has been living in hiding waiting for the death of the king so she can rise and bond to his dragon. Her land used to be a matriarchy, but is now ruled under the influence of an anti-magic cult called the True Religion.

When the king dies, her plans to take the throne and bond with his dragon all go to crap. She ends up captured by the court and married to Prince Fiorean who blindly supports his corrupt family.

Despite many knife-to-the-throat moments and a lot of tension, I wasn’t captured by their romance. There are definite girl power vibes, but Aemyra herself could be so frustrating as a character. I also struggled a bit with the worldbuilding which didn’t feel totally fleshed out.

I think the dragons were written well, especially the dragon fights. I also loved the way dragons bonded with their riders, and I enjoyed seeing Aemyra bond with her dragon. I’m a dragon-lover, though, so I could have done with even more dragons on page.

I genuinely did not see the plot twist coming at the end of the book. Maybe I should have, but I loved that I didn’t!

Unfortunately, this was a bit hard for me to get into and ended up feeling a little generic, but I think that there is a lot of potential here! I will likely continue on in the series because of that cliffhanger.

Thank you, NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Delacorte Press, for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!