A Fate Forged in Fire is an immersive and engaging read. I absolutely loved the Celtic lore, political intrigue and magic system. I also loved the dragons, how they are bonded and the sheer powerhouses they are. Another powerhouse is the FMC, she is strong minded and doesn’t shy away at all. The world-building is vivid and transporting. The plot is interesting, there is plenty of action! The romantic plot is very well woven in, doesn’t take from the main plot and is a great enemies to lovers. If you like high stakes, dragons and politics then this is a fantasy for you. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

2.5
“A Fate Forged in Fire” has a very strong opening line and a fine enough last 20%.
To get to the (more or less) good part, you do have to work through all the rest before and, to be honest, I don’t even know if it’s worth it.

Ngl, the urge to DNF was strong and very early on in the book (and I’m talking like 50 pages in). But I kept going, because looking at the mostly very positive reviews, I was hoping something would catch my attention and I would find myself invested. That moment never came.
There was one scene & the aftermath of it at almost the end of the book, which I thought was really great! But this is as far as my excitement for the book goes.

“Dragons & dragon bonding, fire magic, matrichary, enemies to lovers, scottish mythology, feminine rage” are only a couple of tropes the book is marketed with and it does sound very fun. It’s not that you can’t find any of those things in the book, but I also can’t say that the author delivered these tropes/plot lines to their full potential.
For example the matriarchy part. The kingdom used to be a matriarchy but over the course of this book (and the 100 years before) it’s not and Aemyra telling everyone she’s the queen doesn't really count as matriarchy in my opinion, though this might be something that will get further explored in the sequel and other books in the series.

I didn’t really care about any of the characters. The only noticeable personality trait of Aemyra was that she certainly never got tired of telling herself, the people around her, the reader and really anyone who would listen, that she *is* the queen and what she will do once she is the one sitting on the throne. Good for her! Oh, and her red hair.

The romance was whatever. The chemistry between Aemyra and Fiorean? Wasn’t there, couldn’t see it.
They did have some good arguments though, can’t deny that.

The writing itself was fine, I guess. I think my main issue was that a lot of the world, people and pacing and naturally the book itself felt really chaotic in every sense of the word.
There were suddenly a lot of names and I felt like I was supposed to know who they were but I didn’t? Who is part of what clan, who is fighting whom? No idea.
Some of the scenes, mainly in the first half, were choppy and unclear. In one moment Aemyra was a blacksmith’s daughter and in the next there was a dead king, war and she tried to claim her throne? How exactly did we get here? Who knows.
In another scene she was mid-fight seeing the ship she was supposed to be on sailing away but then in the next chapter she is very much on that ship discussing strategies?

There is a map and a pronunciation guide in the very beginning and I do think both, but probably the guide more than the map, should be kept on hand while reading.

I can see people enjoying this, though. The dragons were somewhat fun.
I don’t see myself reading the sequel, but I’ll maybe try the duology after this one/next door kingdom.

Love love loved the concept, however for it felt lacking and the writing just did not draw me in the way I wanted it to.

While this book has a really interesting concept and great characters, unfortunately this did not hit the mark for me. While I am positive this book will be such an excellent read for many people, i found the world-building quite hard to get into as well as the overall plot. Most likely a consequence of me reading a lot of heavy fantasy books back to back, I’m hoping I can pick this one back up later!

SPOILERS!!!

What I loved: the Scottish/Celtic undertones running through the book. Being Scottish myself, this was one of the reasons I requested this book, and it didn't disappoint. I loved how strong and non-bullshit Aemyra is, although watching her torture was tough (I would have killed Nairn myself!). Terrea is also a favourite, I enjoy their sense of bonding in comparison to other dragon/rider representations. The spice was very enjoyable too 🔥❤️

What I didn't love: the cliffhanger, but that's to be expected!! Not sure how Fiorean is ever going to redeem himself (although I really hope he does!).

Do you ever want a book to just continue forever because you’re not ready for it to end?
This is A Fate Forged In Fire.
It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

When Hazel described the MMC as Aemond coded she did not lie. I was absolutely obsessed with Fiorean’s character. The slow unraveling, the burning passion, the sassy remarks, the family loyalty. All of it was 10/10. I NEED to be inside his head so badly. I especially loved that he followed through on his “touch her and lose a hand” threats.

Aemyra was everything. The rage was written so well. I was ready to burn the world down with her. I especially loved the bonding moment. The fact she has to sacrifice so much to eventually, hopefully, gain more. I especially loved that she was trained in swordsmanship and languages but still had vulnerable moments and wasn’t an impossible heroine. She had to fight, kicking, screaming and clawing at eyes to gain an inch in the war.

I loved the pacing of the story so much. It genuinely could have gone on forever and I wouldn’t have cared. There was subtle sprinklings of world building rather than an information dump which make it so incredibly digestible in a way some fantasy novels can only hope to achieve.

I’ve already preordered copies for myself and my friends so I have someone to talk to about this as soon as possible.

Thank you so much to Dialogue publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion

This was a compelling mix of heat and heart. The chemistry between the lead characters is intense, and the fast-paced plot keeps you engaged from start to finish. I think a few scenes could have used a bit more depth but the overall story is gripping and emotionally satisfying.

Fantastic gripping read full of magic. A great enemies to lovers fantasy. Love the strong fmc. Look forward to more.

A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride is an emotional, character-driven fantasy with rich world-building and a powerful message of resilience. While the pacing lags at times, the story is heartfelt and engaging. A great read for fans of empowering, magical journeys.

A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride is truly a strong read! Combining world building established in a Celtic/Gaelic society, a political and ruling monarchy established on the basis of matriarchal rule, until tragedy and despots corrupt the line, with the overarching and terrible religious dogmatic influence further subduing and dominating society and control.

Aemyra adopted daughter of a blacksmith and a healer has known since birth that she was destined to rule and save her kingdom from these corrupting influences. Gifted with fire and destined to claim her throne, alongside her twin brother she waits for the corrupted king’s death to stake her claim and bond to his dragon, however, life has a way of not going quite to plan.

Instead she finds herself amidst a court subsumed by controlling religion, deadly politics and enmeshed in an unwanted alliance with the brother to the new King and Heir, Prince Fiorean, and scrabbling to survive amidst a corrupted court and its religious overseers - the Covenanters whose religion dictates their desire to end magic for good.

Amidst all of this Aemyra must find and bind with a dragon to cement her magic, all whilst finding herself embroiled in politics, religion, coercive control, misogyny, violence against women and an enemy to lovers slow burn romance!

McBride delivers a strong, well structured and cohesive plot with one hell of a twist at the conclusion, alongside strong world-building, a well developed and understandable magic system, religious structure and politics that truly resonates with the current insanity that we are all living with.

Aemyra is a strong and empathetic character, who most definite grows and develops as her arc progresses. Including how she deals with and responds to some truly derailing events that hit very hard.

Overall, I very much enjoyed and was engaged by this romantasy debut and I can truly say that I’m now desperate to find out the next chapter in Aemyra’s fight for her people, her magic, her religion and her kingdom! And if I didn’t mention it before, there are dragons! I want more dragons!

Thank you so much Dialogue Books, Renegade Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

A Fate Forged in Fire is unique because of its Gaelic influences, from the main characters all being fierce redheads, to the use of dialect used throughout.

At its core it is an enemies to lovers romance where our main character Aemyra fights for her birth right and Fiorean happens to be there getting in the way of that with all his moods and muscles. Ugh. Swoon.

Dragons and magic are a huge focal point of this book, so lovers of House of Dragon and Fear the Flames you are in luck.

This book made me laugh - the opening line is a good indicator of Amerya’s humour, and it made me sob - Hazel will soon be receiving a bill for my therapy. The spice was superb 👌🏻

And that ending?! I am in denial that I don’t know how long it will be until book 2 will be released.

3,75/4⭐

I really enjoyed A Fate Forged in Fire, the world-building was interesting and creative, but also simple and easy to follow. What I really enjoyed in the book were the characters, I particularly appreciated how Aemerya's journey and characters were developed: it was emotional and strong, while also showing weakness of the characters and their flaws.

That said, the story felt a bit slow at the beginning, and I wished some of the side characters were developed more. I feel like this book was a lot original on several aspects and I hope the next one will be just as much!

Overall, it’s a beautiful fantasy story, and I’m excited to see what the author writes next!

I was so excited to get an early copy of A Fate Forged in Fire. I am such a huge fan of fantasy books with dragons and this one sounded like something I would absolutely love. Unfortunately, I really struggled with this one. I found it quite difficult to get into. You’re really thrown into the deep end with this book, with very little world building. I was confused for so long, and felt like not only did I not know what was going on, but I also had no idea who all the characters were. They were introduced and having conversations, without much detail about who they actually were and how they linked in to the overall families and story.

I really tried with this one. I was determined to keep going and give it a good chance but I ended up giving up at around the 35% mark. I’m not completely sure how many pages that is, as I was reading an eARC on my kindle. I think this book really did have some good potential, but for me it was a little bit too fast paced. Despite me struggling to get into it, it wasn’t because it was slow… but rather so fast paced that things were happening to quickly without me having time to actually form any sort of attachment to the characters. I got 35% in, and decided that I honestly wouldn’t be bothered if a main character died at that point, as I just didn’t really care for any of them. Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me. I do think some people will love this one, and I really wish I was one of them but I decided to cut my losses as life is too short to struggle through a book you’re not enjoying.

4⭐️

This was so good!!! I had heard a lot of talk about this book and so was so excited to pick it up. This is exactly the type of fantasy I love! Good characters, great relationships and a fast paced action packed plot. I loved the dragons element (I have a weakness for dragons lol). I would’ve liked to see some of the side characters fleshed out a little more as we spent a lot of time with the fmc.

Really enjoyed this book! 4 star read for me! Loved the FMC! Defiantly hope to see more from this author in the future

Omg……..I’ve just finished this and I’m sat here open mouthed, I can’t believe it!

What a book! I love a dragon book, and I wondered how this was going to be different from the rest. It was totally original. It was amazing - I loved the world building, the bond, the characters, the Scottish twist, the spice, the dragons, the politics. All of it just came together and made for a monster of a fantasy book.

Think this could be the best book I’ve read this year!

I don’t know how I’m going to wait for the next one!!!!

Wow, I actually do not know what to say. I loved this story from the start, and was hooked throughout. The characters are complex and I love the twist and turns throughout. Looking forward to book 2!

I absolutely adored the premise of this book! I was so excited about the Celtic inspired world and, of course, the dragons.

A Fate Forged in Fire is a solid debut and does a good job of setting up what promises to be a thrilling fantasy duology. I found the world building to be rather confusing at times but overall, I loved the atmospheric and magical world.

I absolutely adored the FMC and found her to be a strong and intriguing character. I really loved that she was bisexual because it is very rare to see bi rep, especially in a romantasy book where the romance is f/m.

I really loved the romance in this book, however, as someone who likes romance to be a very prominent center of the story, I found myself craving more. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the sequel will include more on that front.

Overall, this was a wonderful start to the duology and I definitely intend on picking up the sequel.

4/5 stars

It started a bit slow, but when the action began it reminded me of GoT/HotD but make it celtic which is always a good thing. I just hoped the dragons were a bigger part of it and we could've seen their personality more. I also adored how matriarchal the society in this is since I don't see it that often.

At times I was frustrated with Aemyra, but at the same time I admired how determined she was. I also liked the slow burn romance between her and Fiorean. I just hoped there would have also been his POV so that I would've been able to understand him better.

The ending was very unexpected and the cliffhanger hurt me. Can't wait to read the next one.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and the author for the e-ARC

A fate forged in fire
Author Helen McBride
Release date 27th May
Rating 5 stars CAWPILE 9

This book intrigued me as soon as I saw it, a more historical setting with dragons, sign me up. This romantasy I forsee being one of the next big things so if you get a chance to read this do it.

Remember to check triggers for this one but the story was electric, Aemyra is powerful and a lot more powerful than the men take her for. When she meets Prince Fiorean we embark in the most delicious enemies to lovers and I cannot wait where this story goes and how much the world builds because while I was here for the romance I was also here for the politics and how everything worked in this world. For anyone who needs the itch to be scratched after a couple of other romantasys this year then this one will make you fall in love with this world.

For me I cannot wait to discuss this with everyone who reads it. But this books was everything I needed at this time and I hope it will also for you. Remember there are dragons always remember the dragons.

Review to go up 21st April