I like the idea behind the book, the bare bones idea but unfortunately fount the execution lacking. The thing with books like this, protagonists fighting to get back a throne or respect or land, titles etc is either they completely give it up until they're convinced to fight or it's to the other extreme, they fight and are tough, certain of their dues being owed. The problem is the perfect one is somewhere between the two. This book followed the latter strategy. The family have hidden in plain sight and are amassing an army etc. The problems I had are with the characters and how it just did not feel organic, it felt forced and the main protagonist was not likeable either.
Not for me, maybe better as a YA.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hazel McBride for the ARC ☺️

I really enjoyed reading this book, it had everything in it that I love! Dragons, a strong FMC, enemies to lovers (but then back to enemies)! Ended on a cliff hanger that has me excited to read the next book!

Aemyra is a likeable character who goes through so much and is betrayed at every turn, I only hope that this changes in the next book! I had high hopes for her and Fiorean, I did not expect the betrayal from him at the end!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Dialogue Books & author Hazel McBride for allowing me to read this early: I am eternally grateful to have experienced this book.

Some fantasy books ease you into their world, gently guiding you through the lore and politics like a courteous host. A Fate Forged in Fire is not one of those books. Instead, it dumps you straight into the middle of the action, hands you a vaguely threatening map, and basically says “Good luck, champ!”. Around the 15% mark, things start clicking into place, and from there, it’s a wild ride of betrayal, ambition, and oh—did I mention the DRAGONS?!

At the heart of this book is Aemyra, a heroine I adore. She’s not here for power—she wants the throne for her people, and she’s written in such a strong, determined way that you HAVE to root for her. Is she impulsive? Oh, absolutely. Does she make some truly questionable choices? Also yes. Her dynamic with Prince Fiorean is chef’s kiss—instant rivalry with just enough tension to keep you guessing. Are we getting a rivals-to-lovers arc? Maybe… Their verbal sparring? Delicious.

And then, THEN, there’s the dragon. Aemyra bonds with a massive, mysterious dragon, and plot twist—she’s a girl dragon. (Cue Donkey from Shrek: “I mean, of course you’re a girl dragon! I love you!”) Speaking of Shrek, the parallels are undeniable. Aemyra’s forced marriage to Fiorean gives off major Fiona-and-Lord-Farquaad energy, and when Terrea swoops in to chomp a guard in half during a dramatic rescue? That’s some peak ‘Dragon eating the priest at the wedding’ vibes. I would’ve preferred if she ate the priest here as well, but I’m not about to complain. If Shrek was medieval political fantasy with House of the Dragon aesthetics (just swap the ashy blondes for auburn-haired warriors), that’s what we’re working with here.

Hazel McBride does a phenomenal job crafting a world that feels lived in—one where women like Aemyra have been silenced for too long, and where every decision carries weight. The power dynamics, the betrayals, the absolutely infuriating way Aemyra is manipulated… I was SEETHING by the end. And just when I thought I had a grip on the plot, BAM, the ending knocked me flat. I came in expecting enemies to lovers, and instead, I got enemies-to-maybe-lovers-to-oh-no-you-did-NOT-back-to-enemies and I am not okay. The betrayal? The AUDACITY?? Me and my girl Aemyra? We do NOT forgive. We do NOT forget. My trust, like Aemyra’s, has been shattered, and I demand justice in book two.

Final verdict? This book HURTS, but in the best way! Aemyra is a brilliantly written protagonist, even when she makes frustrating choices (girl, please think before you act, I beg you). The tension is impeccable, the dragon bonding had me cheering, and the betrayals had me ready to throw my e-reader across the room. If you love badass heroines, dragons with perfect timing, and fantasy books that emotionally wreck you, A Fate Forged in Fire belongs on your TBR!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go scream into the void until the sequel drops.

Whilst I enjoyed the idea of the story I thought the execution slightly fell short. It is very obvious that this is inspired by House of the Dragon and whilst this is not a deal breaker it is off putting to an extent. I thought the world building was fine but there was a lot of information dropped without much explanation which was confusing.

The main character was frustrating for the most part, she made decisions which were ridiculous and her emotions would flip for no reason. She watches her adoptive mother die and like an hour later is flirting with her enemy. The romance felt flat, there was not enough chemistry between them to really sell it.

That all being said the premise was interesting enough I will continue with the series. I like the magic system and the dragons worked well. All in all this was a fast paced read which had its issues but was intriguing enough that I want to know what happens next.

Born as the first daughter of the clan after over a century of being without a Queen, Aemyra bides her time until she can take her rightful throne. Yet, when the coup happens, she is thrown into a game of politics that she isn't prepared for.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

I was utterly hyped for the book because I've been following the author for quite some time on Instagram now. Bisexual adult female main character? Yes, I'm in. Scottish/Celtic-inspired world-building? Hell yes! Unfortunately, the book just fell flat for me. The plot idea and the world-building are interesting on a superficial level, but if you think too much about either, it just unravels and leaves you with more questions than answers. I could forgive shoddy world-building if the writing style and the characters were great, but neither is great either. The writing is extremely wooden and sometimes reads like a first draft. The dialogue is cringy. The characters, though? Oh dear. Oh dear.

The side characters are utterly flat or fall into stereotypical tropes. I can forgive either if it were just one or two side characters, but it concerns every side character. There's no depth to any of them. (This is utterly sad because a bunch of them are the FMC's family.) The two main characters though? Haha, no. Aemyra is stupid, single-minded, utterly ruled by her emotions (to the point of never thinking about what she is doing, so she always ends up in worse situations), never listens to anyone, stubborn, so fucking arrogant and full of herself, acts almighty and edgy while also belittling everyone else, and doesn't behave like a 26-year-old woman. She acts as if she is 16 years old and is a typical Mary Sue character. She has special hair & eye colour, she is utterly powerful (to the point where she can't even control her power because she's so emotional), and she gets a special dragon, too. She is the queen of all pick-me female characters because, for all her feminine rage etc., she looks down on women who aren't like her. If you write a rage-fueled FMC: make her empowering and not looking down on other women.
The MMC has absolutely no character depth. He is loosely inspired by Varys/Little Finger from GoT by acting as if he is pulling all the strings in the background but there's not one single brain cell in his head. Of course, he's a feminist when it suits him.

The chemistry between them doesn't exist. They are the "enemies-to-lovers" trope and while they do have the "I want to kill you" aspect down, they don't have a logical development from "I want to kill you" to "I want to fuck you/I love you". It just happens out of nowhere and then they fuck like rabbits. The sex scenes are boring as hell, too.

I'm only giving this two stars because the dragons have more personality than dragons in other recent fantasy novels.


✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

TWs & CWs: death, general violence and gore, sexual content, physical abuse of the FMC (by the ends of side characters), the death of parents and a sibling, attempt at a forced sterilisation of the FMC

Trope(s): enemies-to-lovers, feminine rage

Genre: Fantasy

Heat/Spice: 1 🌶️

DNF’d at 30%

Main character was not very relatable
I read the original fanfic and think that some of the modifications made were not serving the story as they were done to mask the fact that this is derivative material.

Did not make content since review is not positive

Thank you NetGalley and Hazel for an arc of the book! Okay so I loved this, it did take me a while to get into but when I was there it was amazing. The world building is so good and I’m excited to see where the story goes. I did think I wanted more yearning from them both but that twist at the end made up for it. Cannot wait for book two!!

"You are the light, Aemyra, shine for us."

I think this is going to be my favorite read of 2025 and I know it is still early in the year but I absolutely loved this book. It had me hooked from early on and it is very fast paced and full of action.

Aemyra is working as a blacksmith but is secretly heir to the throne. They have a plan to claim back the throne from the unrightful heirs but it is not going according to plan..

I had a hard time with the pronounciations of the names of people and cities but I was glad we had a pronounciation guide and a map to show us where we are. With the ending and cliffhanger that we got I am very excited to read the next book.

Some of the tropes you can expect in this book are:
- enemies to lovers
- dragons
- bonding to magical creatures
- elemental magic
- knife play
- forced marriage
- betrayal

I normally don't compare books to eachother but I think if you really liked the dragons from Fourth Wing and the main character in Throne of Glass, you will like this book.

There were so many elements which I loved and a few things that I would have preferred being executed differently. As a whole, I loved the vibe of this book. The world building with the influences of Scottish culture were really well developed and this immersion made me enjoy the experience of reading this story. I also loved the relationships with the dragons, and this aspect made it especially clear that this author was heavily influenced by House of the Dragon/George R R Martin. The romance wasn’t the strongest aspect of the story, and though the pacing was somewhat inconsistent with lulls for major sections, I still was still invested enough to continue to the end.

The part of the story which felt somewhat forced was the characterisation of Aemyra. It felt as if Aemyra was written to represent the modern-feminist trying to tackle real-world issues, but she herself was so critical and judgemental of other females and it just felt that this characterisation was attempting to portray her as a ‘not-like-other-girls’ character. This aspect impacted my enjoyment the most despite several other great elements such as the world-building and the dragons. If this is part of her journey through the series, then I look forward to seeing this change in her charcter future books.

I have been waiting for this for what feels like ages and it was everything I hoped it would be and more!

This is a very captivating and brilliant example of taking popular tropes but putting a new or different spin on them - we’ve all read books where the FMC turns out to be a long lost heir but Aemyra already knew her heritage and was patiently biding her time until she could step up and take her place.

One of the main hooks for me was the incredible history and world building rooted in Celtic mythology and how easily it was to take on board. This was mostly delivered via the FMC but I especially liked that the storytelling troupe gave us some parts too - I thought that was quite clever.

The subtle foreshadowing had me intrigued from the get go! I’m also of the opinion that the author has left some Easter eggs for book two in here too so I’d love to share theories with anyone!

There was plenty of action to keep the storyline moving at a good pace and those last few chapters were WILD! I stayed up far too late one evening just so I could finish it and regret nothing - although that cliff hanger-hangover is a tough one!

I’d also like to give a special mention for the pronunciation guide - this was so incredibly useful and made my reading experience feel much more immersive.

"This is so you remember that a woman has her own power, and that you do not have any right to take it from her."

Honestly unsure why I'm so shocked at how insaaane this was! The plot was incredible, the writing was perfect, the TRUE enemies to lovers back to enemies again was EVERYTHING!

Aemyra is a red-headed, bisexual queen (literally and figuratively) who stands her ground, protects her people and shuts down horrific men who think they have control over women's bodies.

There's amazing dragons. Characters to love and also despise. A Prince to swoon for, and one to avoid at all costs. A glorious map to look at. Castles and swords and adventure. There is spice, and the banter was bantering so hard. I will warn you there are some horrific moments to power through as a woman, but it's written so well. Can't fault this book at all, absolutely amazing, can't wait for book two!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Dialogue books for sending me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This story does cover some challenging topics so I would advise readers to check the trigger warnings.

As a major house of the dragon and romantasy fan, I just HAD to read this book and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This book consumed my every waking thought from the minute I picked it up. The world building was really good and the book was well written as a whole. Although you could tell this book was heavily influenced by house of the dragon, it still kept me intrigued - it didn’t feel like I was reading something I already knew the answer to. The story had me laughing, crying, screaming and raging throughout.

The slow burn true enemies to lovers romance was executed really well. Although I saw the ending coming, and felt the final battle was a little quick with a rather abrupt ending, I enjoyed the story as a whole and will 100% be picking up the next book to see what happens after that cliffhanger!

This book was enjoyable.. the FMC is full of attitude and sass and the MMC is edgy and dark ... the storyline was action packed and full of energy... I couldn't put it down.

A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride is a masterpiece!!! I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't put it down for a second. The characters are fantastic and the story is immaculate.

The magic and politics of this felt intriguing and I really enjoyed these elements! However I struggled to gel with the characters and the main romance storyline fell a bit flat, and I felt the story would have been stronger if it held more focus on familial bonds.

This book 🥹♥️

The story follows Aemyra, our FMC, who was born to be the queen of a territory who was once under matriarchal rule and values, but has since been governed by kings. After hiding for years as a blacksmith, it’s now time for Aemyra to claim back her throne.

A true slow burn enemies to lovers with a badass FMC 🔥 Aemyra is such a great character and I adore her attitude and determination. She really is unapologetic, knows what she wants and is determined to get it. Atta girl!

The world building was great& I loved how historically the whole system was a matriarchy. This made so many parts of the story very interesting, different&explained a lot about how the FMC grew up and her belief system.

The relationship between Aemyra and her twin brother was lovely&don’t get me started on the MMC! Fiorean my man ♥️ I absolutely loved him with Aemyra&the fact that he was protective of her, but also knew when he needed to step down and let her take revenge into her own hands. They don’t agree on everything because they are both very loyal to their families, who both have conflicted interests, and it makes their dialogues&relationship dynamic super interesting.

The battle scenes with dragons were amazing and so well written, I was fully immersed in them and could truly feel how high the stakes were.

The ending?! 😱 It’s a great cliffhanger and I’m so so curious to understand what happened!

Am already way too excited and ready for book 2 🫡🐉💚

Thank you so much to Hazel McBride&NetGalley for the opportunity to read the e-arc ♥️

And this is how enemies to lovers is done!!Brilliant, captivating, and utterly unputdownable. I DEVOURED this in one sitting. The characters are richly developed, each with their own compelling arc, and the world they inhabit is vivid and immersive. The story grips you from the start. This book is a true gem, and I can’t recommend it enough.All the stars!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

A Fate Forged in Fire - @hazelmcbrideauthor
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Random House via @netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC ahead of its release in May!

I was so excited to see this be approved as I’ve followed Hazel for ages on social media and couldn’t wait to read her work. The premise sounded SO cool and interesting and it didn’t disappoint 🙏🏻.

If you are an enemies to lovers fan like me then you’ll love this. It is done brilliantly. They really are true enemies. They despise each other. You wonder how on earth that will ever change because it seems impossible. I looove when it’s like that, so props to Hazel for writing it so well.

The world building is intricate and detailed but as this is book one in a series, it’s warranted. The story blends Celtic mythology with elemental magic, so description is welcomed and builds intrigue and adds so much depth to the story. I’m very much looking forward to seeing where the information leads in the next book.

I don’t want to give too much away about the plot - I’ve already said enough I think - but this book is fast paced and action packed and very exciting. Please do pick it up on May 27th 2025 when it’s released!

A fate forged in Fire is book 1 in a expected duology, and has the bones of a fantastic fantasy story, which includes; dragons, a strong heroine, high stakes, political intrigue, woman's rage and some much loved tropes.

Oh my god book one isn’t even out yet and I need book two. (#ARCproblems).

The Celtic culture and Gaelic language are handled so beautifully throughout I really could feel myself transported to the rich and vibrant Scotland I love.

The FMC truly is one you can root for throughout.. though I will say I did find her a little childish at times, she seems to sulk a fair amount but yknow… her life warrants that on occasion.

The political atmosphere was really well handled, though I actually would have liked to get more into the nitty gritty of how everything worked I know that isn’t to everyone’s taste - the dowager queen and the true religion were a really compelling foe.

And enemies to lovers… but true enemies to lovers… I’m here for it. I’m so anti insta-love so this was refreshing.

For fans of Throne of Glass and Game of Thrones 100%