Dragons, political intrigue, enemies to lovers, feminine rage... all the things that would make an epic fantasy novel! However there was just something that didn't click for me on this one. It might just be a me thing, but I didn't really connect to the characters. I still enjoyed my time reading it well enough though!

The FMC was super unlikeable and I had a hard time getting into the story. The pacing dragged and the worldbuilding felt kind of mid. On top of that, the characters had zero chemistry, which made it even harder to stay invested. This one just didn't do it for me, but I tried to like it.

Hazel McBride's A FATE FORGED IN FIRE is certainly an ambitious story. Things come together quite well at the end, but it takes a while for the story to get going. That being said, the chemistry between Aemyra and Fiorean is convincing and the religious tension is interesting. While this wasn't my favorite read, I would still definitely read the sequel (the story ends with a cliffhanger).

I love the idea of dragon books, but sometimes they just don't hit for me. This was a miss for me despite having strong elements. The FMC was intended to be a strong female leader, but sometimes fell short in character development. I also found the relationship between her and the MMC to be weak. But the book had political conflict, dragon riders, and an FMC with powers and hidden identities. Making it an interesting Celtic-inspired fantasy.

I really wanted to like this way more than I did, but the FMC ruined it for me. She was so unbearable and I couldn't stand her. I found myself zoning out while trying to get through this just because of her. She really just had no idea what she was doing (Understandable since she wasn't able to be in a position of power before she took her spot on the throne), but she could have at least had a better attitude towards the people around her and been more likeable and then maybe they could have figured it all out and worked together.

The relationship between the FMC and the MMC needed a lot of work. They were bland, dull, and he just had no personality, while hers was garbage.

The dragons were what kept me from giving this book a lower rating. The scenes with them and the bonds being built and nurtured were great. I really hope that the author explores this more in the next book, although I don't think that I will be giving it a read.

Thank you to Random House Publishing, Hazel McBride, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

"Aemyra had been forged in fire, but a queen would rise from the ashes." (Ch 41)

Celtic-inspired romantasy | Dragon-Riders | Magic | Enemies to.... | Hidden Identities | Political Conflict | Zealots

What's not to love in a book where the FMC is fiery and outraged with a hot as sin temper to match her goddess blessed gifts.

The story is charged, action-tense, fierce. Both gut-wrenching and heart-wrenching. Parts are written in such a way that you can almost feel the ripple of emotion off the pages. It's not sugar-coated. It's a rough and raw ride with an unenviable fight and seemingly insurmountable challenges at every turn.

"A blacksmith could take a tumble in the sheets with a rival, but a queen could never take her enemy to bed." (Ch 30)

Enemies filled with such fire and bite. And... more.

“I will burn you piece by piece. Just a little bit at a time so you feel the pain but will not die. Your body will rot at my hand until it resembles your soul. When your skin is charred and you cannot breathe, perhaps then I will finally send you to Hela.” (Ch 41)

It wrecked me. My cheeks were damp with tears during a couple of chapters. 😭 And the ending OMG. I am not ok.

"“Careful, Princess,” he whispered wickedly into her ear . “You’re playing with fire now.”" (Ch 32)

Cliche half the book and dragged on with the other half. I pushed through because I really wanted to love it but I just don’t think it was really for me.

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for Sept 13th
Amazon and Barnes & Noble reviews submitted
Blog post goes live Sept 21st
Youtube Review live in Weekend Reads on Sept 7th


**TL;DR**: This one was quite mediocre
**Source**: NetGalley - Thank you to the publisher!!

**Plot**: Girl with powers is trying to become a queen and bond a dragon. Fights follow.
**Characters**: One incredibly obnoxious main character and a flat cast around her.
**Setting:** Cold and a norse/celtic (?) inspired. Not a great one.
**Romance**: Flat and unbelievable
****

**Thoughts:**

Sometimes when you’re reading a book you can feel transported and the characters can come off the page as you consume their story. And sometimes you can stare at the page or the screen and be sadly and starkly aware of HOW you’re staring at something and the words are just not hitting. This was that book for me. I was hugely aware of where I was and what I was doing.

Our main character is rage filled and arrogant to the point of obnoxiousness. She has power, yes but she has an abundance of attitude. At the same time the characters around her felt like sketches of ideas. So we had a fire wielding arrogant girl bowling over shadows of people. Then we get romance between Miss Arrogant and the man who killed her family? Make this make sense to me. She seemed largely unphased but continued to spout her attitude.

The dragons were interesting, the idea of the world was neat but since the whole store seemed very focused on this character and the things around her it fell on it’s face. If I’m required to follow her story I’m going to tap out. She’s intolerable and there is nothing around her to keep me going. This was not for me guys, I can’t say I recommend it and I won’t be continuing it.

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.

You know how sometimes you only need to read a few pages of a book before you're sure it's not the right one for you, but you keep reading anyway, hoping that maybe it was just a bad first impression and it will improve, even though it seems to get worse? That’s how I felt with A Fate Forged in Fire. It might finally be time to admit that Romantasy isn’t the genre for me. I’ve been feeling that way for a while now, but after DNFing most of the Romantasy books I’ve tried to read recently, I think it’s finally official.

I feel like I say this with every book that I DNF, but I really wanted to like it. I go into every book expecting to enjoy it. I picked it out, so obviously there was something that piqued my interest enough for me to pick it up. These synopses (I had no idea this was the plural of synopsis and had to look it up) are leading to my downfall, I swear.

In the case of A Fate Forged in Fire, the ultimate cause of my decision to DNF was the main character, Aemyra. (The writing played a part too, but that’s a separate issue.) I don’t think I’ve ever read of a main character like her before, and I’m thankful. There’s only so much you can pass off as “fiery independence” before it scooches into “conceited a-hole” territory, and Aemyra dipped her toe in the second, determined the water wasn’t too cold, and dove right in. It was actually painful to read. Her attitude was always “I’m obviously better than everyone else in the room, all the time, and even though I might make a stupid decision, I’m still better than them because I’m me.” I’m all for flawed characters. In fact, I love them. But this was something else entirely, and to be perfectly honest, I had absolutely no interest in reading about someone who belittles everyone they meet, whether she stated those thoughts out loud or not. I love character arcs, and I understand that some characters start off questionable, but Aemyra’s initial state was unbelievably off-putting, which made me not care at all about her journey.

I mentioned the writing earlier, and I’ll just say it was bland. If I weren’t so focused on an unlikeable main character, I probably would have put the book down anyway because I was bored. For as much as I wanted to like this story, A Fate Forged in Fire was ultimately a letdown.

I received an advanced copy of A Fate Forged in Fire from NetGalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I feel let down with this one, I had such high hopes as I’ve read this authors other works, but I could not get into this! It felt rushed and it just didn’t work for me.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:★★★★
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Hazel McBride
𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 416
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: May 27, 2025

𝐎𝐤𝐚𝐲…𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 had me hooked from the start….and not just because there’s dragons (though..let’s be real..we love dragons).

𝐀 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 is the kind of fantasy romance that just checks all the boxes for me: strong heroine, rich worldbuilding, political intrigue, slow-burn enemies to lovers tension, and magic that feels fresh and exciting.

𝐀𝐞𝐦𝐲𝐫𝐚 is everything I want in a main character—fierce, passionate, and willing to fight for her people no matter the cost. Her character growth was one of my favorite parts of the book. She starts off powerful but raw, and as the story unfolds, you really see her come into her own. I was rooting for her the entire way.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 Prince Fiorean… Ugh. I wanted to hate him. He’s arrogant, cold, and on the wrong side of everything Aemyra stands for……but the chemistry between them is undeniable. Their dynamic is pure tension and fire, and watching them slowly go from enemies to reluctant allies to???? I mean I don’t know with that ending!!!!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 Tìr Teine is beautifully built, with deep roots in Celtic lore, and the whole dragon-bonding system was such a cool twist. And the fire magic? Loved.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 start to what I’m sure is going to be a powerful duology. I seriously can’t wait to see where Aemyra’s story goes next…and what she’ll have to sacrifice to truly claim her throne.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I think the world building was a bit lacking but I am hoping that with the next installment some of my issues with the book will be better flushed out.
All in all, a pretty good book.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this eArc in exchange for review.

This book was an incredibly engaging read. Includes magic, dragons, and forced proximity romance. I recommend reviewing the trigger warnings, as there are certain scenes that truly captivate you. The writing was vivid, sparking the imagination and evoking a sense of fantasy. There is an abundance of feminine rage that is simply magnificent. I appreciated how the connection between spirit animals and magic users was woven into this series. The family dynamics often made me feel a strong urge to lash out at various characters throughout the book. The portrayal of overbearing parents is striking, and Aemrya continuously accumulates drama and trauma as her journey unfolds. Witnessing her strength as the story develops is truly inspiring, and I eagerly anticipate how she will navigate the challenges life presents to her.

3.5⭐️ 2🌶️

I had a lot of fun with this! This is high fantasy with a touch of spice, tension, and dragons!! I enjoyed the world building a lot, but sometimes the plot dragged for me. I think some of the side characters were underdeveloped, the FMC was very dumb at times, and the MMC was nothing special. I did find myself engrossed after about 30% and I needed to know how this ended. I also love that this is set to be a duology!!!
I would recommend, as I feel there are aspects to this that are unique and also, who doesn’t love a good high fantasy romantasy with dragons?!

i was drawn to request this because i thought it might have my treasured enemies to lovers trope, which it did! yay! but this plot dragged for me through the middle third of the book. wish there was more to do with the dragons, and hopefully that will carry through in following books in the series.

I always love to see a new romantasy debut on the horizon!! This book sounded so promising and I was so excited to pick it up. Unfortunately, this book dragged for me. I didn't connect with the romance either. I felt like I was missing more development in terms of the plot and the characters and this really hindered me from forming more of a connection with this book.

Just give me ALL the dragon books right now! A Fate Forged In Fire has a little bit of something for everyone: great world building, incredible dragons, a fiercely independent bisexual MC who takes no shit, and Game of Thrones level political intrigue. The book zips right along and is chockfull of plot twists that will leave you on the floor. I'd recommend it to any of my romantasy girlies.

I loved this! Classic dragon rider romantasy ideas but there are other magical creature bonds too. I did not see the twist coming until it hit me like a truck! This was amazing. Perfect blend of new and familiar.

This story had everything I love in a fantasy, dragons, rich world building, political intrigue, and a heroine who is fierce, flawed, and easy to root for. The tension between Aemyra and Fiorean had me hooked, and I loved the slow burn spark building alongside all the danger.

It’s the kind of book that is immersive, thrilling, and impossible to put down. If you love enemies to lovers , strong heroines, and dragon lore, this one is a must read.