On paper, this book had all the things I fall for in a typical Romantasy book - a map and pronunciation guide to start things off, a strong FMC, enemies to lovers, and the thing I was most excited for, DRAGONS! I was intrigued by this world that was completely dominated by women. Women are the ones in charge and the ones who inherit the throne. They are the Queens and there are only goddesses and no gods. The very beginning of the book was full of so much information though and didn’t get fleshed out well which left me confused. The world building felt rushed and could have been better developed.

The first half of the book felt very heavy in politics. The second half had a lot more action but overall I wasn’t a fan of how the FMC behaved. The way she talked felt more like the way a crude man would which just made me cringe. I also didn’t feel the chemistry between her and the Prince so found the romance lacking. He was often mean to her but would sometimes be nice but then switch back to being mean and by the end I was just confused about how he actually felt towards her and what his plans for the future really were.

For a book marketed as a dragon story, it took a long time for the dragons to appear. I was hoping that they would be a more central part to the story.

Overall, it was well written but I was often confused or turned off by what was happening. I don’t feel like I understood it well or connected with it in a meaningful way so I will not be continuing the series in the future.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

2/5 Stars | Dragons + Drama + Disappointing

What I liked: This gave House of the Dragon vibes, and I love House of the Dragon. Also, dragons. I really liked the idea of this book: that a queen hidden in plain sight would come back to rule her kingdom and protect her people.

What I didn't like: The world-building was lacking. The FMC was SO aggressively dumb and short-sighted. The plot felt like zigzagging back and forth from one place to the next, and it didn't connect well; this was so hard to follow that it took me 4x longer than it should have to finish this book. I kept avoiding picking it up because I didn't want to be annoyed again. The magic system was not fleshed out enough. Some of the scenes were so wildly violent. The relationship between the MCs was unbelievable and incredibly insta-lust. I struggled to get through this one, thinking there would be a payoff at the end, but it was predictable at the end as well. Unfortunately, this was a great idea, but it was less than a great execution for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advance copy of this book!

*A Fate Forged in Fire* by Hazel McBride is an enthralling fantasy that weaves together rich world-building, intense action, and emotional depth. Set in a world on the brink of war, the story follows a determined protagonist who must navigate treacherous lands and confront powerful enemies. McBride's writing is vivid, immersing readers in a realm where magic, danger, and personal growth collide. The complex characters and their evolving relationships add layers of depth to the plot, keeping readers hooked. With its gripping storyline and compelling themes, *A Fate Forged in Fire* is a must-read for fans of epic fantasy.

This has the potential to be THE book people are raving about.
The beginning is rather slow, it took me weeks to get about 20% into the book. I almost gave up. I initially had quite a few critics in the beginning, but this mostly came with the language in the book. I was confused about some of the terminology and world building. But over time, I began to understand. I would recommend the pronunciation guide be at the very beginning as well as perhaps adding a glossary.
I would have liked more descriptions of the main characters physical appearance as well.

The end is very good. I definitely did not see that coming at all. Any of it. Bravo.

I completely lost myself in the pages of this captivating book. The author, Hazel McBride, masterfully transports us into a rich and detailed world of dragons, intrigue, and complex relationships within a ruling clan. I was immediately drawn in by the intricate world building, which is deeply rooted in Celtic mythology and filled with lush descriptions.
The deeper into the story, I found myself becoming increasingly engrossed in the banter and magic, politics, family structures, and social circles that were woven together.

"A Fate Forged in Fire" follows Aemyra, a sassy, stubborn and powerful fire wielder who is determined to reclaim her rightful place on the throne of Tir Teine. As the rightful heir, Aemyra is driven by a desire for vengeance and a deep sense of responsibility to the land, which is suffering under the oppressive rule of the True Religion, a group that demonizes magic use. However, reclaiming her throne isn’t for the weak.

Talk about enemies to lovers!! The dynamic between Aemyra and Fiorean is a perfect example of the enemies-to-lovers trope. These two characters initially despise each other, with Fiorean showing no mercy towards Aemyra for a significant portion of the story. Aemyra, in turn, attempts to kill him multiple times, and Fiorean retaliates in kind.

Despite their animosity, there is a slow and subtle buildup of tension between them. Fiorean is the first to fall for Aemyra, and he expresses his feelings first without words and eventually with small comments, carefully dancing around her and trying to hide his growing affection. The tension between adds an extra layer of excitement to the story.

Thanks to NetGalley & Delacorte Press for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. DNF at 20% of the way through.

Aaugghhhh!!! Another book advertised as fantasy but is just a romance with a mild fantasy background!! Curse you, publisher!

I don't really like these romantasy titles that are just chasing behind the coattails of the more successful ones. (The successful ones aren't even that good anyway...)

So, this book has an incredibly annoying and egotistical protagonist. But it's apparently okay because she's the DESTINED ONE and is SUPER MEGA POWERFUL. She runs into this snarky obnoxious PRINCE who is very SEXY. I'm sure they meet again and make out later in the book but their dynamic is just "annoying self-centered idiots can't handle having the two biggest egos in the same room and NOT make out immediately".

It doesn't help that the worldbuilding is very scattered and confusing, which is why this falls under romantasy because it's not the primary focus--the annoying protagonist hooking up with an equally annoying guy is the main goal here.

No thanks....

It's been a hot minute since I read a book that gave me so many whip lashing emotions. This book truly has so many working parts and court intrigue, love, lust, hate, violence, hate, betrayal, twisted family bonds, hate...that I just want to take a good week long break from reading anything emotional. I may need a good Hallmark Original movie night to make myself feel good again.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, & Random House Publishing for the eARC!!! I was thoroughly entertained! I need the next STAT

The MFC, Aemyra is exceptional, while also being someone I want to just...smack and hug at the same time. She is the character that I felt the most for, as she so dearly wants to be a good queen, a protector of those she loves and to the people she is set to rule , and yet she is also the character most misunderstood, judged, and betrayed. No one trusts her because they judge her for what they hear or deduce through manipulated means, and not through her actions...that is insufferably irritating. The MMC makes me want to knee him in his balls. I have no words to translate my feelings for him at the end. I can say no more without spoilers.
If you are looking for a book that comes close to Fourth Wing while also in some cases superseding it, then this is the book you want to read next. Be prepared for a gauntlet of emotions. There are a few trigger warnings which include a attempted mutilation, so I would suggest looking at those trigger warning first before purchasing.
Can't recommend this book enough! Great job McBride!!!

NO REGRETS!!!!
5 outta 5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this!

I struggled in the beginning of this, I honestly believe it was because I struggled with pronunciations of the words. In my head, I couldn’t get a flow with the words/spelling. Moving the pronunciations guide to the front vs the back is highly recommended, I wanted to throw my kindle across the room when I finished the last chapter & the next page was the pronunciation guide.

The FMC was a little confusing or maybe bi-polar with her beliefs & what she stood for. One second she felt like a badass, take no shit & burn them to the ground FMC to sitting by & letting the world happen to her with minimal push back.
I wanted her to win so bad, I wanted her to succeed in everything she was doing but definitely felt those moments of inconsistency in personality.

I did enjoy the storyline, I was hooked & couldn’t put it down for the majority of the book. I love when an ending surprises me & thats exactly what I felt when reading the last couple chapters. I am hoping there is a second book & that we get the MMC’s POV. I think this book would have been a solid five with a chapter ending in his POV or dual POV.

It was a decent fantasy book, but wasn’t a fan of the MFC at all. While this book will probably appeal to many it just wasn’t it for me. Thank you for the opportunity to receive and review this book!

3.5 rounded to a 4 because the good stuff was really good. I loved the Scottish spin on this story, and while the plot wasn't necessarily bringing anything new to the fantasy/romantasy genre, I still found it interesting and was engaged throughout the entire book, especially after reaching the halfway point. The romance aspect was a highlight, and I felt myself really enjoying the character development between the two characters and their plots.

However, I felt like the pacing for the first 50% of this book was really wonky. There wasn't enough buildup to some of the most important plot lines (dragon bonding, political marriages, etc) and the parts in between those important chapters seemed to really drag. This would've been a solid 3 stars if the romantic aspect didn't make up for the pacing issues that made the first chunk of the book a slog to get through.

𐙚 - Enemies to Lovers
𐙚 - Fantasy World
𐙚 - Political & Religious Intricacies

The Fate Forged in Fire offers all the elements that Romantasy readers adore—dragons, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a rich fantasy world with a matriarchal twist. The writing is detailed, and the political and religious intricacies are engaging, though the world-building often feels overwhelming with a barrage of names and lore. Aemyra, the fiery FMC, is polarizing— strong and resilient, but at times insufferably, arrogant, and inconsistent. The romance, while present, lacks chemistry with pacing issues. The cliffhanger intrigues, but the book’s execution is divisive. It’s a mixed bag that may or may not spark interest.

Rating: ✰✰✰/5

Thank you for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. ・❥・

3 stars/5. This book has all the things the typical Romantasy fan loves - strong FMC, dragons, enemies to lovers, plot intrigue, a world map, and pronunciation guide. The pacing of the story was well done, but I felt the large world building information dump in the beginning made it hard to push through, especially because all the names of Goddesses and territories were thrown in randomly hoping we understood it. I love the idea of a woman lead dynasty, but I don’t think this struck the chord for me. I found the FMC annoying, trying to exert overly manly actions just to prove herself. The romance was appreciated in the second half, but I wouldn’t say I understood or connected with it. The way the book ended in regard to their relationship has me puzzled as to either of their true feelings because I never really understood them in the first place. I enjoyed the authors writing, but feel like some of the plot was missed opportunities or lacking. It was average, but I likely won’t be reaching for book 2.

Thank you NetGalley for this title- I was really excited for this read...

I love dragons, love female main characters, love fantasy, love romantasy.... did not enjoy this book...
Another tropy "trying to be like other popular books" rather than something with thought or originality.

The main character was trying to be a strong independent women but came off as a childish big headed bully- I guess this could make her more relatable but I did not like her therefore did not feel any attachment to her. And why do we repeatedly talk about how similar she looks to the love interest...? Gross.

The plot had so much potential to be so exciting and interesting, but it was slow and I found myself forcing to keep reading.
Maybe it's because I know this stemmed from GoT/HoD fanfic... but it felt a lot like fanfic...
Underdeveloped lore because the lore was intended to be known already from that universe...

I did think the magic system was interesting- though a little confusing/could have been explained better.

Enemies to lovers, a mad king, dragons, and women in power. When this book finally gets going, it takes off. But, you have to stick with it in order to get to that point. I originally didn't think I was going to continue with this one - there was a lot of backstory in the beginning that felt a bit convoluted, and I didn't know why I was supposed to care about any of these characters. And then Aemyra gets taken by her enemies and I NEEDED to know how she was getting out of that scrape. I 100% knew the love story was going to happen, seeing as this is a romantasy and all.. In the last chapter I knew how things were going to end before we got there. Having said that, there were absolutely parts of this book that were interesting, engaging, and bad-ass.

Aemyra is definitely a flawed character. She falls for someone she's not supposed to and this clearly blinds her to appropriate decision making. I've read some reviews that gave her a lot of flack for that but at the same time, do we all not remember being love struck young women? It turns us into idiots. She's also under a ton of pressure to become queen and is attempting to balance restoring her world back to the rule of the matriarchy and not killing a bunch of innocent people.

The second half of this book is what I could not put down, so if you can make it to that point you will not be disappointed. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book!

This Scottish enemies-to-lovers romantasy had me on the edge of my seat! It features dragons, a healthy dose of female rage, a fierce, fiery, & a little arrogant FMC, lots of magic, and a morally grey & broody MMC. I loved the matriarchy vs. patriarchy aspect of the book, as well as the world-building and political intrigue.

The book really explores what it means to be a good ruler and the difficult choices they have to make, as well as themes around family, revenge, and the oppression of women.

And I've been seeing everyone say it, but THE ENDING 😫😭🤪 I will definitely be anxiously awaiting book 2!

Thank you to Net Galley, Delacorte Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Aemyra is hiding with her twin and adopted family until the king passes. Then her father comes and does his best to put her in place as the new queen. Their plan fails.
Aemyra is then lured into a trap from the man that killed her family but she’s unable to kill him.
She is forced to marry her enemy.
This book was alright. Just very predictable.
It even has that line, not a threat, it’s a promise.

This book was fun! It had a slow start but it did start to pick up and get more exciting. The FMC was incredibly annoying at first and I almost DNFed but she got better. I always love a good enemies to lovers and a true slow burn and this book did not disappoint in those ways plus the dragons were great.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was culturally shocked i always forget The Isles have their own language. What an amazing story. The dragons the legends the twins all perfectly created to be swoonworthy. The romance was weird it felt a tad Stockholm at times but it didn't I don't know what to 🤔. I will add to my list of read it now I need a copy.

Okay first off , thank you to the publishers for this e-copy !


This is my favorite read of the year . AND ITS NOT EVEN OUT TILL NEXT !!!!!!!!!!

This is what I want from a fantasy book with dragons .
I want a connection, I want FIRE , I want a BOND , I WANT DRAGON RIDERS !!!! And that’s what I GOT !!
This book is House Of The Dragon , with Outlander in the most brilliant way .
My gosh , the world building , and magic system was tremendous. I was on my toes the whole time I was reading this , because it’s so high stake , I WAS LIKE WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT !?

You have a lost queen who was forced into hiding with her twin , who is ready to claim her throne , but as always there is obstacles … and dragons .

The romance was giving , and it was a slow burn that had me GASPING. TRUE ENEMIES TO LOVERS !!!

Our FMC is strong , and in a world full of men she is the QUEEN WHO IS RIGHT TO RULE !! This is very female driven and about the matriarchy. She’s fighting against the odds and proving that WOMEN CAN DO ANYTHING!!!! There was a scene that had me absolutely sobbing because of what happens to her BY MEN ! and it absolutely broke me . Women are so strong !

I also appreciated the fact that this is heavenly Scottish and focuses on the history of it !

This was so good … and the ending ….. I need book 2 RN ! 😫

If Game of Thrones and Outlander had a baby, it would be this drool worthy book!
A Scottish inspired Fantasy, full of heat, banter, politics and battles!

In a land built on matriarchy, there hasn't been a queen for over 100 years. Crumbling under mad kings allowing a new religion to poison the minds of the people of Tir Teine against the use of magic, a female heir hides in secret for years waiting to ascend the throne. Hiding in plain sight, Aemyra, the rightful heir, blessed by fire from the goddess herself, finally has her chance to seize the throne when the king dies, but when plans go amiss, becoming queen may be more difficult than she anticipated.

This took me longer than normal to get into and finish, partially just life but also a bit of confusion during some of the initial world building and pacing, but once I was in... I WAS HOOKED! Like *storming off into another room to read cause my boyfriend was breathing too loudly* hooked!!

Thoughts and Potential Spoilers:

I loved this book. If you're a Throne of Glass fan and missing a bit of our beloved "Fire Breathing Bitch Queen" Aemyra definitely gives off some Aelin energy! Aemyra is fierce and rage fueled! There are times she comes off as arrogant (especially when seeking vengeance), and runs in to traps without thinking, and though it was a *throw the book screaming WHAT ARE YOU DOOOOINNNGGG* moment, it lead us to some of our major conflicts. There are also some moments that seemed like a conflict of character. In a world that historically a matriarchy is honored, and women are actually celebrated compared to most fantasy books, sometimes Aemyra drags on the women of court. Reading it, I saw it as her pitying the women who are essentially brain washed by the True Religion to be meek, but it could come off a bit wonky like she's looking down on them. Not the total "women supporting women" vibe that I feel like she should have? But I think that depends on how you read it, cause again I read it as empathy/pitying the women. She does mention multiple times wanting to liberate them and the court and does encourage them to stand up for themselves a few times too.

Don't even get me started on Fiorean. From the moment our MMC stepped into a scene I was smitten and rooting for an enemies to lovers plotline, but to get a forced marriage?!?! Chefs Kiss! He goes from swinging a sword at her and stopping her from escaping to "take your hands off my wife." and giving her a dagger to kill her assailant and looking on with pride?! SWOON. I would've absolutely adored a bonus chapter from his POV, because we learn there is so much more to him than what we see through Aemyra's POV. He is fiercely loyal to his family, but doesn't agree with their politics/religion, but walks a very narrow line trying to do what he feels is right, and essentially plays for both sides a bit. I really enjoyed their dynamic and banter and especially seeing their marriage become one on paper to something more!

Lastly in regards to McBride's writing, I would never have known this was a DEBUT fantasy! I thought the writing was very intentional. The worldbuilding was just the right amount that you understood the gist and weren't too bored or confused for a zillion chapters. Gave enough hints that you could see some of the twists coming but I was also completely blindsided by some. Everything was very detailed and played out like a movie in my head! Congrats Hazel, now I'm suffering while waiting for my physical copy because this book did just in fact become a new personality! Bravo!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for providing me a digital arc! All opinions are my own.