Review published on Goodreads 11/7/24

Very few books have had me in an absolute chokehold from the very first line. A Fate Forged in Fire is one of them. I experienced probably every single human emotion while reading this book. I laughed, I sobbed, and I giggled and kicked my feet like a schoolgirl with a crush.

This book has everything that I look for in a romantasy: enemies to lovers, magic, and, most importantly, dragons. There were lovable characters, hateable characters, and absolutely loath-able characters. It was fast paced, thrilling, and had me on the edge of my seat needing to know what happened next. The only reason I didn’t read this book in one sitting is because I need sleep. The world is Celtic-inspired with elemental based magic and two warring religions, arguably the most important aspect of this book.

A lot of what happens in the book is so relevant to our world today, especially how the women are sometimes treated. I’m not sure if the author intended to make those parallels or if they kind of just happened. Either way, it had me sobbing with anger, frustration, and heartbreak for the characters, which is something no other book has been able to do. Pretty impressive if I do say so.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely, even though it made me sob at 1a.m. If any part of my review intrigued you or made you interested in reading the book, listen to your instinct and READ IT!

This book is for you if you enjoy fantasy with a dash of romance! With a matriarchal pagan religion under attack from a monotheistic outside religion that aims to destroy a culture, it is evident that the world building had a lot of Celtic influences. Considering that crazy cliffhanger of a conclusion, I hope the second book shows us more of the nation.

This book was absolutely amazing. I went into this honestly not expecting much as it was an uncorrected proof and I've not heard of this author but this was one of the best books I have read all year. I learned this is to be a duology i believe, but i wish it would be way more because i would buy them all. This is definently a 5 star rating book. Aemyra is an amazing character with depth that I did not expect to see. I really enjoyed the relationship and acknowledgement of Terrea and Aemyra. The enemies to lover with Fiorean was written perfectly and had me really engaged. And I don't want to spoil anything but the villian aspect wirh Alfred was one of the best I have seen. I strongly recommend this book to everyone. I started this book last night and ended up reading over 70% while I was at work and couldn't stop. If you enjoy fantasy, enemies to lovers, magic, dragons any of it then get this. The book is well worth a pre order.

Wow!!!!

If you want a female rage with all types of betrayals and an interesting magic system, this is for sure the book for you!

Aemyra is a very complex, yet kind character. I loved the way her character's decisions felt relatable, especially simple mistakes that many of us would've also made. It helped to make her feel real and build a certain level of trust.

Now the enemies to lovers to enemies plot was so good. I did feel like they had a really interesting dilemma that made them enemies in the first place. I'm interested to see if the MMC will continue to be the enemy, or if it's somehow for some level of the greater good.

Overall, the story kept me interested and the plot twist was pretty unexpected so I enjoyed getting to read something I honestly didn't see coming. I will most definitely be continuing this series as more of the books come out. I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy of this when it is published.

WHEW i wasn't ready. i was not. A fate forged in fire is SO GOOD. the feminine rage i needed. It is a true screw the patriarchy story. Plus dragons. i truly at no point knew where we were going (not in a bad way) every time i thought i had it figured out i was wrong. I read it all in two days and could not get enough.. . while the FMC is 26, she is flawed. She was not raised in the courts. I found myself understand her struggle to understand what it meant to be queen. I cannot wait to see book two! i need it IMMEDIETLY

I heard that this was a debut... If that's true, it's one heck of a debut and if not, it's a hell of a book anyways! How dare you leave me in the lurch like this, ma'am.
This was thought-provoking, exciting, and DRAAAAAGONS! Eek! I could go on about this one for awhile, but I won't. I'll just say this: My favorite debut book the first half of the year was James Logan. My favorite debut for the second half of the year is by Hazel McBride.

4.25/5.0

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this eARC!

This book had me in a chokehold a quarter of the way through. The first quarter was very hard to get through. The world building felt slow and it really only picked up after that first part.

The world building, albeit slow, was great. We learned a lot about the society and magic system and goddesses and their significance in the world.

The romance was a slow burn for sure. I definitely was able to get a feel for where the slow burn was heading and it was slightly predictable based off some context that was provided. What I will say is that the spicy scenes had me blushing and kicking my feet. The main protagonists love interest isn't what you'd expect once you get past the hard exterior.

The twist ending had me gasping every couple of minutes and while I had an inkling as to what was going to happen a couple chapters before hand, it still didn't take away from the shock factor of reading it on...paper? Kindle screen???

Overall, this book was a 9/10 for me. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy slow burn romance, political dramas, and cliffhangers that leave you craving more of the story!

This book started out so slow. But when the action picked up it just swept you away. It did suck me in and make me want to stay up late to finish it. Aemyra is a girl after my own heart. She has a fire of her own that does not come from her elemental magic. Join Aemyra on her journey with all its twists and adventures. It's a journey you won't regret taking.

I absolutely loved this. It was such an addicting read with female empowerment, captivating characters, and plot with the romance we all want! This was the perfect read for anyone craving more from House of the Dragon. It had its heart wrenching moments but also female rage/revenge to balance it out. Would definitely recommend!!

By chapter 3 I knew this was not going to be a book I would be comfortable reading. Unfortunate because the premise sounded so good!

Hopefully it will reach the correct audience.

I realized at chapter 4 that this book wasn’t for me. I’m sure it will be great for the right audience.

Thank you for the gifted ARC and opportunity to preview it.

Ooooooooooh man this was SO GOOD🙌🙌

Aemyra has been hiding her whole life in Tir Teine waiting for the moment the King dies so she can bond to his dragon, take back the throne that is rightfully hers, and protect her people from the oppressive group The True Religion who are pushing anti-magic teachings. When the king finally dies Aemyra's plan fails horribly and she finds herself in a dangerous position with her biggest foe Prince Fiorean, a powerful fire wielder who is arrogant, cocky, and cold. When Aemyra finds herself forced into an alliance with the Prince she must be careful because the corruption runs deep and she can trust no one.

This book has it all; magic, dragons, political and religious intrigue, dragons, corruption, betrayals.
The author pulls from her Scottish roots which I LOVE. I recommend using the pronunciation guide, I found myself having to use it frequently in the beginning but by the middle I was comfortable with the language. It's a lot at the start and I do wish the guide was at the beginning of the book instead of the end. The conflict in this is heavy. The True Religion is an offensive and misogynistic group that is trying to rid Tir Teine of magic, their matriarchal society(who believes the one true Goddess blessed them), and believes women should be used for their womb and not much else. It will make you sad and furious. There is a scene near the end of the book that is disturbing and heavy that brought me to tears. I would check the trigger warnings! And the ending....😳
This is an excellent fantasy that I HIGHLY recommend and I expect it to blow up when it comes out.
Thank you to Netgalley and Randomhouse for the ARC

I read this book in a day and absolutely loved it! It felt fresh and unique. The world building was comprehensive yet not overwhelming and I loved the setting. The magic system is elemental and unique. There is a Scottish Gaelic pronunciation guide at the back of the book which is excellent as well.

Aemyra is the hidden heir to the Tìr Teine kingdom, hiding until the current king passes so she can bond his dragon and claim her birthright, guided almost entirely by her semi-absent father. The kingdom has fallen under the influence of the True Religion, which oppresses magic users and influences the crown heavily. Aemyra's plan all goes sideways after the king's death and the story really kicks into high gear. Aemyra has a very distinct moral code and is incredibly loyal so those values guide her actions. She is the embodiment of a strong female character.

The enemies to lovers was done exceptionally well. They weren't pretending - they were actually trying to kill each other! When we get the political marriage, I thought the vibe would change instantly but it was well done and involved some tough vulnerability and conflict resolution between the two characters which I felt was so genuine in terms of advancing development.

The ending had me gasping. My heart hurt at the end of the book for Aemyra. How am I supposed to wait another 1-2 years for book 2? I NEED to know how this resolves. It was so good!

Thank you Penguin Random House and Hazel McBride for the ARC!

I felt that while this book was very interesting, but there was a lot of information that was difficult to keep straight. First, I enjoyed the magic system in which we have various powers that people are born with. I think it was a great idea, but I didn't think it was looked into enough. We only really learned about fire (which I understand the main characters use) but I feel like others would be helpful to better understand the magic system as a whole. I wish there could be more depth to her sexuality and her relationships with her brother and father. Overall, the main character is complex, but I didn't feel like we understood the "why" she was the way she was. The writing almost felt disjointed; really deep and intricate at times and then quick like she wanted to just get to the next thing. I almost would say to extend the book in order to see more depth in the characters. I thought her relationship with Fiorean was confusing in the beginning and while I enjoyed the tension between them, I felt like the jump from enemies to lovers was quick. I really enjoyed the ending and felt like she set it up for the second book well. Overall, I enjoyed the story but felt like there was so much going on that I had a hard time keeping everything straight.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read this as an advanced digital copy via NetGalley; all thoughts are my own.

This book from the start is very heavy on the world building and lots of information to take in.. also do your self a favour and flip to the pronunciation guide in the back it will come in very handy

Once I got over the initial world building this story really picked up it was really enjoyable
I can’t wait to see what comes next

As a typical fantasy book, this one had loads and loads of information dumping. The world building was clump up and shoved down our throats. After we get past that, the story gets quite enjoyable <3

#AFateForgedInFire #Netgalley

So the first half of this book was a bit … all over the place? A lot happened and a lot to keep up with, including all the names and pronunciations. Actually, it would definitely make it easier to have the pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book rather than the end!

But the second half was phenomenal!! Honestly the relationship between Aemyra and Fiorean, their banter and their chemistry, made everything else worth it!

I’m not trusting daddy dearest and Alfred has GOT to go! Can’t wait for the next book 😁

3.5 🌟
As a reader I don't necessarily have to enjoy the whole story to enjoy the story as a whole. That's what I feel here. Until like the 96% point I thought I might like it overall. By 98% I was ready to throw my hands up and be done.
I liked the overall idea of this book, but others just weren't for me. I liked the world building, elemental magics, and animal bonding.
I didn't really care for most of the characters. The FMC was almost too impulsive and angry for me. At some points it felt necessary and fit well, but others it almost felt like a forced emotion for everything. But maybe other readers will relate to her better. I just didn't feel she was ever as humble as she claimed.
I almost wanted to like the MMC at some point. Until it all felt pointless.
Still has potential. Someone will love this, it just wasn't me.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance at reading this book.

This is very much so a teen book disguised as an adult read. I mean, I hope this is billed as young adult, because there is a great steep of a divide between this and Juliet Marillier. I have a ruler / level in which I rate all (everyone) who wants to write about Celtic / Druidaic fantasy.

The problem with this book is you got a female antagonist who does nothing but whine, complain, and rage against the machine (er, monarchy).

In this book, it's a women driven monarchy. Well, it was, until women heirs were hard to come by... and those are who bond with dragons / lead. Our female lead is the daughter of a clan who was ... kicked out? exiled? passed over? in exchange for a new religion that doesn't use magic. Sure the book started out good with her being a blacksmith, using menstrual blood to help her magic, and being outspoken... fearless, even.

But then that bravado started to piss me off. I then realized that she was just a 'insert moody, brash, non-girly girl stereotype'. She had no character or depth to her. She did things just to be the ~special, hidden princess~.

The romance was supposed to be enemies to lovers, but at 60% in the book when she gets wed to him, I felt no feelings for him, and at 70% when they finally start having feelings and they screw... just didn't feel it. Also, her last lay was a female, and she has never bedded a male... there is a line in which he says before they consumate that it'll hurt probs because he is so thick (and she has never been fucked by a man). She says she can take it... then he tells her that she can ride. We're all supposed to laugh because she rode him... yeah, sorry, wasn't really feeling the romance.

Dragons, court politics, not knowing who to trust, and some romance - count me in.

Unfortunately for me, this book was harder for me to become obsessed with. I think the main problem was I didn't love our FMC. I had different expectations for her, and some of her choices felt just like not right? and then when I felt like I was finally getting into it, getting emotional around the 65-75% of the book, the author threw me for a loop with how she ended this book - and not in a like "omg I didn't see this coming" but in an "omg I don't like this".

Moral of the story, well written but maybe not for me.