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As a fantasy book this was amazing, the matriarchal world slowly being overturned by a new patriarchal religion, the dragons, the magic system, all of it was intriguing and gripping.

This story follows Aemyra who is a princess in hiding, when the king dies she rises up to take her rightful place as Queen since this world believes in the Goddesses and being ruled by a woman.
However the previous king only had sons and was married to a woman who believed in the new patriarchal religion so of course Aemyra faces hardship trying to claim the throne.
Parts of this story really reminded me of the politics of Game of Thrones, as if Sansa was the rightful heir but had to fight Joffrey for it.
I loved the court politics and elemental magic and out FMC Aemyra was easy to root for because she was fierce and wanted to do right by her people.

Unfortunately for me the romance let this story down, I hate Fieorian whatever his name is, everytime he was on page I was rolling my eyes, he was pathetic and had no backbone, I understand he has a lot of growth to go through but surely the idea is to at least make me like him. It was borderline a bully romance.
The first 200 pages solidified him as a villain to me so when the romance started to happen I couldn’t root for it, in my eyes he is irredeemable.

Slight spoilers:
He kicked Aemyra to her knees to bow to his brother, he allowed his brother to damn near strip her naked, he then proceeded to allow his brother to walk in and see her naked.
They mmc & fmc are also distantly related, with the same red hair that runs in the royal bloodline.

He gave me the ick and I wasn’t able to shake it, so when the ending happened I wasn’t even shocked because I expected nothing else.

Unfortunately I won’t be continuing the series because I don’t want them together, lowkey wish it was a love triangle so I could root for the other guy.

But 5 stars for the dragons as always!

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5 stars. Amazing. No notes. I devoured this
Cannot wait to see what else hazel writes!!
Will be posting review on TikTok as well soon

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This book was a fun read. There were things I liked about it but there were also things that didn’t vibe with me. But overall I enjoyed it well enough, it’s just not gonna be one that goes down as a fave.

I loved the culture, the matriarchal society and the Scottish influences on the world. It was really interesting to explore and the plot of trying to save the kingdom from a new Misogynistic religion was interesting.

I also liked how the enemies to lovers relationship was done. There wasn’t an instant attraction and time was allowed for the characters to change their feelings towards each other slowly. It felt more genuine than most of the enemies to lovers I’ve read recently.

However I didn’t really feel I was rooting for the main character to become queen. She was impulsive, reckless and seemed to make bad decisions at every turn. She was really easy to manipulate too. This may be a character growth thing and be addressed in the next book, but I just couldn’t see her making a good ruler at all.

I also felt that the creature bonds were a bit inconsistent. They would talk about how you couldn’t make a dragon do anything and how the bond was a mutual relationship and then talk about taming the dragons in another scene. I also would have liked more focus on the bond, but that’s just my tastes.

Overall, I did enjoy it, but there was a lot to complain about.

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I was really expecting to love this cause I was craving a good fantasy story with dragons, but unfortunately, it didn't hit like I expected it to. It's good, it just didn't make me feel big emotions or give me the feelings that I look for.

I can't say what didn't work for me. I'm not sure if it was the FMC and how often difficult it was to understand her choices or get behind her attitude, the writing style, or the story as a whole. The dragons were really cool, but I just wasn't invested in this world; I didn't feel transported. That could be on me, so take my thoughts with a pinch of salt and check this book out if it calls to you.

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Absolutely brilliant! I loved this book and I can not wait for more! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

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Thank you NetGalley and Dialogue Books for this eCopy to review

From the moment I opened A Fate Forged in Fire, I was completely swept away. McBride has crafted a world that feels both ancient and urgent, steeped in Celtic myth and burning with modern themes of power, identity, and resistance.

Aemyra, was born with fire in her veins both literally and figuratively. A blacksmith blessed with fire magic, she spent her life in hiding, waiting for the moment she could claim her destiny: to bond with the king’s dragon and restore the matriarchal rule of Tìr Teine. But when the king dies, everything unravels. Betrayed, cast into the heart of a corrupt court, and forced into an uneasy alliance with Prince Fiorean, a dragon-rider loyal to the very regime she despises, Aemyra had to fight not just for her throne, but for the soul of her kingdom.

What I loved most was how deeply personal this story felt. Aemyra isn’t just a heroine, she’s a force of nature. Her journey through betrayal, political intrigue, and forbidden desire was raw and empowering. And the slow-burn tension with Fiorean? Absolutely electric. Their dynamic was full of sparks, both magical and emotional.

The world-building is lush, the prose is lyrical, and the themes of resilience, legacy, and the cost of power hit hard. This book didn’t just entertain me; it made me feel seen. It’s rare to find a fantasy that balances action, romance, and social commentary so seamlessly.

If you love dragons, enemies-to-lovers tension, and heroines who forge their own fate, this book is for you. I can’t wait for the sequel.

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Thank you for letting me read and review this book on Netgalley.

This book was so good. I loved the balance of fantasy romance in this and it's perfect if you want to start reading books with a heavier fantasy but equally as good romance.

What you will find in this book:
- Slow Burn
- Banter
- Dragons
- Feisty FMC
- Political Intrigue

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I have found a new favourite author with this 5 star book! I always want to support Scottish authors and find fantasy books that accurately use Gàidhlig and Scottish culture. Reading this book felt like reading about my home and It was really special. It helps that the story was so captivating and I absolutely flew through it. It has the perfect enemies to lovers slow burn, dragons, and a strong female MC.

The plot centers around Aemyra reclaiming her throne in a once matriarchal society, but the corruption runs deep and those in charge will do anything to stop a woman rising to power. Some scenes are very hard to read, especially with the current political climate of some countries, but I loved seeing Aemyra rise up despite the odds. I definitely recommend giving this one a go!

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I thoroughly enjoyed A Fate Forged in Fire! Hazel McBride delivers a fierce, fire-wielding heroine in Aemyra - a blacksmith blessed by the Goddess, caught between her destiny and desire in a kingdom where matriarchal power has been suppressed for centuries.

This book has everything I love in a fantasy book: a strong female lead, feminine rage, dragons, elemental magic, and a sizzling enemies-to-lovers dynamic that kept me hooked. The Celtic-inspired world of Tìr Teine is vivid and beautifully built, and the tension between Aemyra and Prince Fiorean is electric (and infuriating in the best way).

That said, I did wish the romance had been explored just a little deeper before the final act—there’s so much chemistry there, and I was craving more storyline and depth between them.

The plot twist? Absolutely fantastic. It hit hard and set the stage perfectly for what’s to come. I can’t wait for the next book - Aemyra’s fight for her throne is just beginning, and I’m fully invested.

If you’re a fan of Fourth Wing, House of the Dragon, or powerful women reclaiming their birthright through magic and fire, don’t miss this one.

Thank you so much to Dialogue Publishing and Hachette UK for gifting me this E- ARC for review.

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Loved this book soooo much! I got to meet Hazel at Comic con and shes just the best. I loved the way she described her characters and the slow burn.

I can 100% recommend to everyone!!!

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Thank you for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the plot and ideas behind this story, especially the strong female lead who stands her ground. I did, however, find this hard to get in to.

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I don’t enjoy not finishing an arc, I requested this book because I thought I’d really love it but it has been such a struggle.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

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dnf @62%

I hate dnf-ing arcs but I’m not enjoying this book at all. I found the fmc so annoying and bratty. I could not stand her at all. There’s nothing redeemable about her. Like she was so ready to be a queen but can’t fight when she has years of training. The mmc which we don’t get to him fully till 50% of the book, I still found him so bland.

Also since her father is related to someone in the royal family wouldn’t that make the fmc and mmc related. Probably some distant relation but I still can’t get pass it.

There was no point in this book that I found entertaining and attention capturing. I just found myself not caring about anything at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

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I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars on this one. I wanted to LOVE this one, but it didnt quite turn out that way. I liked it, i loved the FMCs fiestiness and unapologetic self assurance.
However, the plot felt rushed. The romance felt... unrealistic (yes I know this is a fantasy), and I couldnt buy into the relationship. It felt flat.
The plot had a lot of influence from GOT/THOD and this was visible in the stori. Storyline had a lot of similarities to Fourth Wing, with the notable difference being that these characters are fully grown and the FMC takes no shit from anyone.

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A kingdom where once the magical ladies rule
Had been taken over by Kings, mad and cruel.
But now a powerful woman is ready to stop hiding
On her and her talents the future is riding.

Aemyra is blessed by the Goddess Brigid with fire
She's worked as a blacksmith for hire
Waiting for the King to die in the belief that then
She can claim her dragon, restarting matriarchal rule again.

With her father secretly plotting and scheming,
Nothing is quite as it was first seeming.
Get ready for surprises, twist and romance
But will it lead to betrayal by chance?

A riveting read with so many turns
The next book in this series is what I now yearn!
For my copy of this book I say thank you
As I share with you this, my honest review.

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Following Hazel’s writing journey, I was excited for this book from the beginning and when I got my ARC from NetGalley I squealed with excitement.
It thoroughly lived up to my expectations. Rich with Gaelic lore and history, this is a fantasy romance well worth reading. Following Ameyra and her dreams of bonding to a dragon and fulfilling her destiny of becoming queen after a life of hiding her identity.
The twists and turns this story took were enthralling. I was hooked through all of it.
Filled with deceit, betrayal, hope and despair, Hazel McBride built this world beautifully as well as the characters in it. I look forward to reading more from her.

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So if you’re looking for a new book with dragons look no further, there’s an abundance of dragon bonding woven with Scottish mythology and a healthy dose of feminine rage that will keep you coming back for more. I have heard a lot of mixed opinions about this book but I was absolutely obsessed. It took a little while to get into, but I came to appreciate that this was Hazel setting up for all of the events that followed what felt like a slightly stilted beginning in order for the story to truly shine. The world building and mythology alongside more political intrigue and plotting than you can shake a stick at had me hooked. A story that very much revolves around Aemyra and her journey to attempt to become queen and save her people from an oppressive anti-magic religion, intertwines with a young woman’s journey to find out who she is and how finding love along the way in the most unlikely of places leaves her open to the biggest fallout of all.

Tìr Teine, once a land built on the idea of matriarchal rule, has spent centuries under the rule of corrupt kings swearing fealty to an anti-magic religion that leaves the people of the kingdom oppressed and suffering. Where dragons were once common and bonded to the fire wielded of this land there are no few with no new dragons being born. We join Aemyra with an introduction to her life hidden away in the kingdom she was born to rule. Gifted with fire magic and an even more fiery temper she waits for the king to pass so she can claim his dragon and her birthright. However, when he plans to awry Aemyra busily realises that her journey to queendom will be one that is hard thought, and will have her questioning everything she knows and believes along the way. Thrust unexpectedly into the court that she is meant to be ruling, Aemyra must form a tenuous alliance with the Prince she vowed to hate. With absolutely everything on the line and fire all around them the lines begin to blur and Aemyra finds herself falling for the one person she can never have. Will she allow her faith in others to lead her awry or will she find herself and a way to save her people?

I originally found her hard to understand Aemyra’s motives and personality, however, as the story progresses she grows on you so much more than I expected. You begin to realise that to a degree that what she portrays is just a front and that she is trying to the best she can for everyone around her. Under the weight of such her expectations of becoming the next Queen of Tìr Teine with so much standing in her way you begin to understand her struggles and motivations. I cried for Aemyra, for everything she looses and being an oppressed woman, seen as only an object in a world that should be celebrating you for everything that you are. Fiorean is a perfectly frustrating MMC for this story, he perfectly pushes Aemyra’s buttons. Reading as these two broke down each others walls while in a perilous position with the royal court was one of my favourite aspects, sparks truly do fly when these two are together and when Fiorean lays claim of Aemyra and become ridiculously possessive and brooding I was absolutely gone for. I mean who doesn’t look a broody dragon riding prince who cuts off the hands of people that touch you?!

For me the plot very much felt like it was setting up for book two, but had me on the edge of my seat nevertheless, especially towards the end. I was prepared for the cliffhanger but I was not ready for it to go the way that it did and now I need book two asap! There are so many secrets and so much betrayal that you frankly don’t know who to trust, with everything on the line all the time and people’s lives constantly at stake you never know which alliances will stay and those that will fall apart. The concept about the matriarchal beliefs being subdued by an anti-magic religion that believes woman are only good for what their bodies can provide was such an interesting and unique spin, you’d be mad not to notice the clear messaging with this. I would have loved to explore the dragons and their personalities a little more, but I am hoping we will have the chance to do so in the coming books in the series. All in all, this is the perfect book for you if you’re looking for an action packed enemies to lovers fantasy with a huge amount of political intrigue, feminine rage and of course DRAGONS!

Thank you so much to the author and published for sending me an e-ARC to read and review early.

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This book got off to a really slow start for me and I found myself skimming parts of it in the first 40% as it was very description heavy without a lot of dialogue or interesting plot points. I did then get more into the story and everything that was unfolding. Aemyra faces a lot of danger and is in a situation where she’s surrounded by those she can’t trust. Certain relationships develop in different ways during that time and it was interesting to see her character tackle the challenges she faces. There are some characters that made me absolutely rage and so it’s safe to say this book managed to bring out some emotions. I would have liked to see more of the dragons and a bit more plot as not a lot really happens across the story as a whole, so it moves quite slow but does throw in some intriguing situations now and then which kept me reading. That ending left me very stressed out though so I now need to know what happens next - that’s the nature of a great cliffhanger and I hope now a lot of the world building is complete the next book might have more of a punch to it.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

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'A Fate Forged in Fire' is a phenomenal epic fantasy and feminist tale. The influence of the beautiful celtic language, culture, and mythology was so immersive to the story, and fit so well with the elemental magic system this story contains. This novel had such rich and vivid world building, and the political intrigue and the fight for the throne between warring factions reminded me of Game of Thrones. The story-telling was stunning, and the writing style was so detailed and engaging. And of course, the dragons were amazing. However, I would have loved to see even more of them!

Aemyra was such a strong-willed and fierce main character. She was passionate and fiery and completely devoted to her people. I loved her bond with her brother, and especially adored her relationship with her adoptive family.

Unfortunately, despite the incredible world building, I wasn't able to rate this novel five stars as I do have a few critiques.

Firstly, this novel is described / advertised as a "new romantasy phenomenon," which I think is extremely misleading. I wouldn't really even label it as a fantasy with romance. There was an element of 'enemies to lovers' which lasted barely any time at all, and I found there to be no connection between Aemrya and Fiorean either. Our male 'love interest' had barely any personality at all compared to our other characters, and the introduction of a romance felt sudden and very out of place.

Another critique I have is for the switch up of the plot. For the first 50% of this book we go from preparing Aemrya to take her rightful place on the throne of her kingdom, and reuniting her with her father, to her being kidnapped and entering a forced marriage plotline.

In this time, Aemrya receives no contact from her father and is completely uninvolved in the preparations for her taking back her throne, as she is too busy frolicking with the enemy.

At one point she says "I have been working for our cause within the walls of Caisteal Lasair", and I do think this could have made for a very cool and intriguing plotline had this been the case at all. Aemrya spent most of her time behind enemy walls squabbling with the royals and resigning to her fate.

The sudden and fleeting romance plotline really threw me off, and I think this book could have been a lot stronger - and I already found the world building and main plotline fantastic - had it focused more on Aemrya raising her armies herself, rather than being locked in a castle.

Besides this, I'm really looking forward to book two, and I found this an incredibly well written and brilliantly crafted world. I just felt the romance plotline didn't really add anything to the story as I found it a bit bland and much too fast. Therefore, the ending didn't hold as much impact to me.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this!

*I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) for free in exchange for an honest review*

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I actually struggled a little bit to review A Fate Forged in Fire. In theory this book contains all I love in Romantasies: enemies-to-lovers, royal schemes, rebellions, arranged marriages and dragons! Don’t get me wrong, it was a very enjoyable read: my expectations were simply too high after seeing friends absolutely getting obsessed with this book.

The world building was very interesting and I found it easy to follow. I liked the history behind it and how it build the kingdom/realm and of course the dragons and the different family branches that were running for the throne - although this got me a little confused at times and thinking the MCs were some long lost cousins of each other! The writing was ok and I felt that the pace was ok too which lead me to rate this book with 4⭐️.

At the same time, the biggest reason for the 4⭐️ was the FMC and I am that type of reader that when starts butting heads with a main character it’s more than enough to not give it a better rating. I found Aemyra to be arrogant, immature and entitled. From her backstory, I wished she had more humility in her and I struggled to see her growth throughout the book.

This being said, don’t let my review put you off from picking up this book because I still enjoyed it and what I didn’t like as much was entirely personal! If you like dragons, true enemies-to-lovers and rebellions then this book is for you!

Many thanks for the e-arc, all opinions are my own

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