My soul has been destroyed, I’ll be sending my therapy bills to Liv.

Where do I even begin? First of all, Elowen is the FMC I grew up dreaming about. From a very young age I have loved beautiful things, clothes, jewelry, hair…I have expensive taste. I rarely dress up these day but I’m that girl who actually LOVES to dress up and get pretty. If I could also wield knives and slay my enemies while keeping my hair perfectly coiffed I would do it. Basically Elowen is my spirit sister. The world is the fantasy world every Disney watching girl dreamed about with castles and beautiful land, and DRAGONS!

Cayden…..myyy maaaan is just drool worthy! I had to go stand in the freezer a couple times. Iykyk. He is so damaged and broody, I just want to make him food and make him believe he deserves good things. I LOVED getting his POV, we really got a deeper glimpse into his soul.

The found family. 🥹 I love them. Their banter, their devotion to each other. It’s so good.

The plot is…..blown wide open. I have so many theories floating around in my head and I don’t think the group chat with my girlies will stop anytime soon. Liv, dear…we can add you right? That cool? K thanks.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the arc!!

This was so good I couldn't believe it. I love Olivia's writing because her writing gives women and victims the revenge and story they want. She allows the FMC to take a violent revenge, she doesn't make her characters weak and cover in a corner. LOVE IT!

“They wanted war, give them hell.” Cayden whispers before kissing the top of my head.’

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to encapsulate the way that reading Liv’s words make me feel. And that’s the first thing I want to say. Her writing and the way she speaks so eloquently and beautifully about such raw and real experiences never fail to amaze me. I highlighted more in this book than any other. Just wow.

The way that Liv expanded the world, lore, and magic system in this book was phenomenal. It was all intricately woven into the plot in a way that was so well done. The politics, the secret language, and new characters all fell into place so perfectly, I ate up every bit of it and cannot wait to get back into this world in the third book 😭 I loved visiting the new places in this book, the adventure aspect of it was honestly one of my favorite parts. I could read TOMES about these characters going on more journeys to new worlds.

Having Cayden’s POV in this book elevated the story and his and Elowen’s relationship SO much, I adore that man with every fiber of my being. There is truly, I MEAN TRULY…… NOTHING that Cayden wouldn’t do for Elowen, and that kind of relentless and earth shattering love is such a beautiful thing to read. I was infatuated the entire time. Cayden and Elowen’s growth together working through the events that occurred in the last book and how that affected their relationship was so refreshing and was handled so maturely. Their relationship will forever be the standard, and there will never be any dethroning Cayden as book boyfriend, sorry, book HUSBAND #1.

The pacing in this book was flawless, and while there was SO MUCH ACTION and I LIVED FOR IT, the smaller intimate scenes between the characters carried the story just as much. UGH. I could go on forever. I already want to reread it 😭 I have a few books that I call my “soul books”, but Wrath of the Dragons has solidified the Fear the Flames series as my first and only “soul series” ✨🐉

Yearning, tension, romance, protective MMC! I love Cayden so much!! I was hesitant to read this one after both particularly enjoying book 1 but Cayden and the side characters really built book 2 up and made me feel more connected and invested. Add dragons to anything and I'll read it but this was such a beautifully written book. The fantasy aspects are fun and keep you entertained and engaged as well!

This was so beyond good that I cannot stop thinking about it. One of my very top reads of the year. The world gets expanded so much and we get to see way more of the map and also dive way deeper into the lore. The political maneuvering was written so well and had me always questioning who to trust. Absolutely loved the action this book and I was on the edge of my seat during many battles. Elowen, is an incredibly relatable FMC and as in Fear The Flames I adore that she can be strong and also vulnerable and soft. Basically everything that makes a romantasy great it had and then some.

Now we have to talk about Cayden and the romance. This man has been elevated to my top book friends list and then some. The yearning, the absolute dedication, the lines.

I don’t want to say a single thing about the ending but just know you will be dying for book 3!

MISS OLIVIAAAA

THAT ENDING??? HOW DAAAAARE YOU.

Oooof. I am not well after finishing Wrath of the Dragons. I loved Fear the Flames so much, and was SHOCKED I was able to read the arc for this one.

This book was soooo so good. I loved the dual pov (CAYDEN!!!!), the battles, the DRAGONS, the romance. It was so good. I need book 3 now.

This books was amazing! I absolutely loved the first book in this series. The world is perfect and the found family in this book was great. I highly recommend this book!

I didn’t ~love~ the first book in this series, but I thought that this one redeemed this series for me.

The world building and character development that we get in this book really strengthen what we got in the first book.

I lovedddd Cayden’s POV. Honestly, he might be the reason I liked this book. The angst, the yearning, the desire to do anything to protect his woman. Love.

We get action in this book immediately. We just jump right into it so there isn’t waiting around for the story to get going. The pacing was pretty consistent in terms of action throughout the whole book.

The POV jumps back and forth between Cayden and Elowen, and I love that we are able to hear both of their thoughts. It isn’t very repetitive in terms of POV either (there aren’t repeated scenes).

Super glad I decided to continue this series instead of leaving it at the first book.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own and are in no way influenced by the manner in which I received this book.

Phenomenal. The found family in this book is what dreams are made of. For this second book, I expected war and action but I got so much more. Cayden as an MMC might be one of my favorites. The bond with the dragons and connection to magic jumped up a lot in this book. I can’t wait to see where this series goes

UMMMMM THE CLIFFHANGER??? HELP?????

What a fun ride!! Reading this book truly felt like being in a fantasy movie. All the action, moments between friends, and the intimacy between our main characters….goodness. The world building in this series is beyond epic. You truly fall in love with majority of the characters each in different ways.

Wrath of the Dragons throws you into the story immediately following the end of Fear the Flames. Cayden & Elowen’s dynamic is top tier. Im pretty sure I highlighted every single thing Cayden said. I could NOT. STOP. BLUSHING. My guy is a gonerrrrr for El.

I’m not sure what to do after that cliffhanger besides stare at the wall for the rest of the night. I truly did not see this cliffhanger coming and I am so curious to see how book 3 plays out!

Thanks NetGalley for the arc!

I was really excited to get into this book, I was obsessed with the first one! However I was a bit underwhelmed. The first half was very slow, the plot was so slow moving it felt a bit irrelevant at times, and the romance wasn’t growing. Once it started to pick up I enjoyed it but was still underwhelmed with some of the plot, I felt like her coming into her magic could have been a more important point that could have been expanded on.
The ending was rushed however I liked where it ended up, despite the first half of the climax also being a bit flat.

This universe is fun and I do enjoy the characters a lot and I’m just a bit sad that maybe my expectations were a bit too high, I am interested to see where the next book goes.

This book was amazing! It was so so so different than the first but it moved the story forward so beautifully. While I miss the heists of the first book, the FMC really comes to embrace her new power and standing. The MMC’s pov was so refreshing and developed. This book has the same vibe as Shadow and Bone, and was an excellent sequel.

SO GOOD!

Some times sequels can be hit or miss and this one was a homerun slam!

Olivia took us right back into the world of Elowen and Cayden, and while it did take me a chapter or two remind myself of everything that happened in book one, I never felt like I was missing huge chunks and spending most of the book trying to remember everything or thinking I needed to do a re-read of book one. That just shows how great of a write Olivia Rose Darling is!

I absolutely LOVED getting Elowen AND Cayden's POVs in this book! That was something I was really missing in the first book and having the ability to read into both of their minds and backstories was a huge boost in my like of this book. Cayden was such an interesting character in book one and I really enjoyed getting to learn more about his thoughts and perspectives. BOY IS OBSESSED!

Elowen is such a badass and she really grew into her own in this one! She was a lost princess no more...she was the Dragon Queen and she has no mercy when it comes to defending her people.

Cayden is the ultimate partner for Elowen. He will defend her to no ends, but also let her do her own thing and solve her own problems because he knows that she is MORE than capable of being independent. The smirks and looks of pride he gets when she's being her badass self is so good! He also helps her deal with her mental health in a positive way and reminding her that she doesn't have to face them on her own. He literally says to put him on the front lines the next time she is dealing with her anxiety over anything. He WANTS to help her and take the pain away, and he was her to WANT him to help her. Boy doesn't shy away from anything.

I could go on forever, but my fingers are starting to cramp. LOVED this one and highly recommend it!

THAT ENDING...WHOA.

When is book 3 coming out?! Please say 2025!!!

Firstly, thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I am beyond honored.

The ending of this book is SO shocking? That is not the turn I expected to take, omg.

Cayden carried this book on his mf BACK! Loved him!

What I struggled with, was the pacing of this book. The beginning was strong, but once you hit the 60% mark, the story lulls a bit. It’s a lot of info dump vibes, and then the story picks back up at 90% and it’s all action from there.

I also, sometimes struggled with the politics and magic system. They felt a bit messy.

The dialogue would get a bit confusing and I didn’t know who was saying what, which could also be jarring.

However, I love the love story in this, and the found family. Which is what saved this book for me, and after that ending I do plan to read book 3, because WTF!!?

3.75-4 stars ⭐️

an incredible second installment!

the first installment of this romantasy series follows the lost princess and her reluctant alliance with the commander of the enemy kingdom to free her dragons & seek revenge over her father. the journey elowen, cayden, and their loyal band of thieves undergoes is perfectly picked up with ‘wrath of the dragons.’

without a doubt, in my most unbiased and humble opinion, ‘wrath of the dragon’ is the blueprint for what a second book in a romantasy series should be! this book consumed my heart and soul! picking up right where we leave off, our dragon queen is left to figure out how to work with cayden in order to win back her throne, now that she has (SPOILER FROM FTF) freed her dragons! liv did an INCREDIBLE job of allowing our main characters to feel the weight of the events from the first book, balancing both their desire to fight for a better world for the future, but also for the ones that they loved. seeing elowen & cayden take on their new roles so effortlessly showed how, even coming from such different backgrounds, they were chosen to lead vareveth, together.

one of the most beautiful (i say one because everything about this book was beautiful) was being able to learn more about our demon king cayden veles through his pov. watching him open up to elowen about his past, and learn more about the way he sees himself through his inner monologues just truly solidified him as the best book boyfriend in the entire world. the way he treats elowen with such a level of love that, at times, he truly doesn’t understand just shows how perfect they are for each other. the angst. the tension. the banter. everything about this was ABSOLUTELY incredible. cayden is the yin to clown’s yang and it was so incredible to read their journey together.

finnian, ryder, and saskia were characters that we all fell in love with in ‘fear the flames’ and being able to learn more about them makes my heart HURT for them. they are all so pure and have gone through so much, and knowing that they are all fighting this battle together is just perfect.

liv!! you have truly outdone yourself with this book! the balance between adventure, action, emotions, and love was handled so incredible! you can truly see how much care you put into this story and it feels like a labor of love! you are a literal angel, and you deserve all of the flowers for this one!

⚔️ 𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐬 ⚔️

♾️⭐️ | 3🌶️

-marriage of convenience (but not)
-celestial symbolism
-DUAL POV 😮‍💨
-overseas journey
-epic battles
-“my wife”
-lots of breadcrumbs
-morally grey/black MMC

I have never had a book affect me as deeply as this one did.

Olivia Darling creates the epic and dream-worthy world that any romantasy girlie who grew up watching LOTR fantasized about, for those of us who want to wear ethereal gowns but also stab some people and slay armies on our dragons, and make a man skilled with a sword yearn.

Both our characters introspection and development are so emotionally impactful and inspiring. Elowen, is a top tier FMC, who overcomes so much, but at no point in the story did she ever feel unrelatable. I would follow her into battle without a doubt.

“𝙈𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙄 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙨.”

And Cayden… I could write a separate post for him. He’s so damaged but devoted to Elowen, he’s the ruthless Demon Commander, but he’s good to her. He’s possessive but never holds her back. He would destroy anyone who stands between them. And he’s officially been bumped up to Slade/Kingfisher level book boyfriend. I said what I said.

“𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙𝙨.”

And side characters are becoming so involved that I’m dying for their POVs because I’m so deeply invested in what happens to them too.

Furthermore, the fantasy elements in this are the best of the best and I’m so excited for all of it. There are breadcrumbs galore sprinkled throughout the book but you still won’t be prepared for what’s to come. The mystery and lore will have you highlighting and theorizing like crazy.

To sum it up, this book was EASILY my top read of the year and I’ll never be the same.

Get your preorders in now! Wrath of the Dragons releases July 29th, 2025. Thank you Liv, Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

There aren’t words to describe the excitement I had at being selected for this ARC. I absolutely loved Fear the Flames and shamelessly begged for a chance to read Wrath of the Dragons early. I will definitely admit that I had high expectations. WOTD absolutely delivered and I enjoyed every minute - even the gut-wrenching ones.

Elowen was already an incredible MC and the addition of Cayden’s POV made you love him all over again. We saw the world expanded on page, and Olivia did an incredible job showing us instead of telling us. The new characters we met were interesting and I cared about them almost immediately. I already have suspicions about some relationships that may be brewing. I also thought the increased involvement of the gods was done really well!

The ending ripped my heart out.

OLIVIA. You know what you did.

But we love it.

I’m really torn with this book. I really liked Fear the Flames. I thought it had great focus and heart. This book has serious tone issues. The first half at least is like whiplash between feeling like a contemporary romance vs. Game of Thrones. I guess they have restaurants with hostesses in fantasy where they ride horses and dragons???? Why did they need to fake love when they were engaged and she was mad at him for the benefit of the kingdom?? These are just two examples where it read very contemporary romance to me, but then the next chapter we are in a war camp speaking to generals?? My brain was just really confused. And I think this author would dominate if she wrote contemporary romance!!!! I wish she would switch genres!! A dragon book needs more time and focus on the dragons. I was expecting more bonding and training with them. Now I will say the last 200 pages of this book were great and very emotionally rewarding. I just struggled on the path to get there. I will keep reading though because I liked the cliffhanger.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from NetGalley, of one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2025, Wrath of the Dragons by Olivia Rose Darling! I finished it last week and I’m finally getting around to posting my review but oh my gosh…
if you like dragons, epic love and epic adventures, found family, MEN WHO YEARN, “my wife” , celestial symbolism, politicking and diverse world building you should read this book!

This is how you do a second book! This book made me blush, it made me cry, it was so exciting to explore new parts of the world and meet new characters. There was so much world building in this sequel and so much character development. The first book in this series, Fear the Flames was such a comfort read to me (not a single character has ever known comfort, ever in their lives) but it’s such a cozy ambiance, I just love it idk what else to say. I absolutely cannot wait to receive my official copy of Wrath in a few months when it releases

One of my most anticipated books of the year and it didn’t disappoint 🥰 I was so excited when I received an early copy from NetGalley, I do believe I squealed LOL
Where to start, chapters from Cayden’s point of view - yes please! More history about the dragons - very interesting!
And a ending where the author unapologetically ends on a cliffhanger ☹️🫣😢 this was me the last chapters of the book 😃😍🤨😟🥺🥺😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I can’t wait for the next book I need to know what’s gonna happen! Thank you so much for the early copy!!