“𝑰 𝒗𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅, 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌.”

I’ve been looking forward to this book for a while, especially after finishing Fear the Flames last year. However, when I started reading this I’ll be honest the first few chapters were a bit of a drag for me. There was a lot of setup and court politics, and I kept waiting for things to really get moving. But once the action kicked in, I was pretty much invested.

I actually enjoyed the dual POV so much more this time around. It gave the story more depth, and Cayden’s chapters in particular stood out. Seeing things from his perspective made me understand his loyalty and struggles in a way I didn’t before, it added layers to his character that weren’t as obvious before. I also liked how the dual POV balanced out the tension between him and Elowen, making their relationship feel more grounded and emotional.

Elowen’s arc was solid too, she’s stronger now but still human which made her decisions and mistakes feel real. Her moments with the dragons were some of my favorites because they weren’t just there for show, they had weight and purpose, adding tension and magic to the story. The world-building around the dragons felt more detailed and vivid this time than the first book.

By the end, I felt like the buildup really paid off. The last few chapters were intense and satisfying, with enough twists to keep me on edge. It left me curious and excited for what’s coming next. This book might have started slow, but it definitely ended with a bang.

Wrath of the Dragons comes out tomorrow, so don’t miss the chance to grab your copy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK | Zaffre for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

6. Stars!!!!!✨💫⭐️

First of all can I say being in Cayden Vales head/pov made this book 6 stars for me, he is the absolute epitome of a male on his knees YEARNING!!!! He is a man who hasn’t experienced the love he deserves until elowen and even then he still thinks he doesn’t deserve it. I love him and he is 100% in my top 10 book boyfriends😭 I have waited since 2023 to read this book since the indie book release and it did not disappoint! I took my sweet time with this one as I didn’t want it to end!

The first part of the book was quite emotional as elowen has lost all trust in Cayden after the marriage announcement, which is understandable after the betrayals she experiences from alliard in the first book. Elowen is constantly torn between the pull she feels towards Cayden and his charm, and protecting her heart from more heartache. Let me just say the love confession in this book is up there with acomaf chapter 54 & 55. Mind blowing!!!!

The found family in this series is hands down one of the best found family’s I’ve read about, the banger is top notch and the friendship Finnian & Elowen have is so so beautiful and so rare to read about! I love when they all get drunk together it’s hilarious 😭🤣 & I can’t wait to get to know the found family they pick up along the way a bit better I reallllly liked them and how well they slot in with the crew!

The overall plot is very war and politics heavy which I reallllly did enjoy! Think acowar! Visiting hopeful allies and making deals. I lovedddd how Elowen always dressed for the occasion and how well Olivia described her outfits, always so true to her character! I loved the scenes on the ships too Cayden suits wearing billowing white shirts🫡😍

The dragons all have their own personalities and are very much involved in this book, we get a lot of dragon rides, dragons acting like dogs 😭 and being very protective over their mama! Elowen treats the dragons with such adoration just like they’re her own babies ♥️ they’re also her calm, when she rides her dragons she finds peace..

Expect lots of ‘my wife’ moments, earth shattering romance, mind blowing spice, #inappropriateuseofasignetring and a cliff hanger that will have you reeling for book 3!!!! I can’t believe you did that to us Olivia 🤣

Thank you zaffre books for my physical arc & thank you netgalley for my ebook arc! I’m so so grateful ♥️

Any epic fantasy series with a large cast, high-stakes battles, some serious romantic pining and fiercely protective dragons will always have a place on my bookshelves, and Olivia Rose Darling’s Fear the Flames series is a brilliant example.

Those who love romantic leads who are unapologetically head-over-heels for each other will adore Elowen and Cayden, who have the protective, adoring and supportive traits romantasy readers can’t get enough of. They’re overdramatic and intense, but you can’t help but swoon at the way they stand up for each other in all situations and constantly fight for the good of the other.

The found family elements are strong, the worldbuilding is clever and the kingdoms are explored much further in this book. There’s closure for some plotlines and the beginning of whole new adventures in others. And the dragons, so fierce and yet so soft with Elowen, take centre stage in all the combat scenes, where new magic is discovered and explored. All in all, it’s a very strong sequel, keeping you hooked and involved in the series.

The only gripe I have with it is that the first half feels slower in terms of pacing and plot, but I do understand how much set up is needed to do the explosive finale (and cliffhanger!) justice. I’m very eager for the Orpheus and Eurydice vibes I can see book three exploring, and I know these characters will take up residence in my mind until I get my hands on the next instalment of their story.

Unfortunately struggled getting into the characters and storyline, especially with no recap for book 1

DNF @ 30% until I can reread book 1 again and gain a better understanding as to what’s going on.

When I finished the first book and realised I had to wait for the next, I was devastated. Imagine my excitement when I saw it available on NetGalley soon after.

For me this book surpassed the first, which I did not think was possible. The world building is so intricate and astounding. Not only that but the characters feel authentic, and I loved that rather than become less herself because of the relationship, she remained strong and true.

Phenomenal story.

⭐ 4 stars ⭐

Wrath of the Dragons is a thrilling sequel in which the stakes are higher and the world much bigger. I found it to be a really enjoyable read that gripped me from the very first page.

Fear the Flames gave us the foundation of the world-building, but this book expands upon it quite a lot. This was one of my favourite aspects, since we could see how different each kingdom was in terms of culture, religion, magic, etc. I also appreciated that our main characters had to face both internal and external political issues, which, in my opinion, gave dimension to the plot.

The characters also felt three-dimensional. I loved how nuanced each of them were, especially the main group of friends. The fact that both MC were actually morally grey was a plus for me: they were selfish and they worked towards their own benefit and I am here for it. The new characters also added a lot to the story and I’m really excited to read more about them in future books. Apart from all of this, the dragons stole the show every time they appeared on page and them having such distinct personalities was a delight.

Regarding the romance, I enjoyed the tension and the angst that could be felt right from the start. The initial conflict didn’t make too much sense to me, but I did like that it was one-sided and both MC knew that it all stemmed from the FMC’s insecurities. Once they were past that, it was all smooth sailing and, honestly, perfect.

The plot was very entertaining, fast-paced and it hooks you up from the beginning. However, sometimes it felt like too much was happening and there was not a moment to breathe, mostly around the last third of the book. I also found the sequencing of some scenes confusing at times, meaning that you first read the action and then you read the explanation of what was going on, so it felt like you usually start in the middle of it. Luckily, this didn’t occur during any major plot points, so I wouldn’t consider it a major issue.

Overall, I really loved this book and I would recommend it to everyone who loves dragons, morally grey characters and high stakes romantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK | Zaffre and Olivia Rose Darling for the eARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

Elowen continues to be one bada$$ warrior queen!  Her queendom, her new found family, her friends, they are all in danger unless she and her dragons can cement her claim to the throne.  No biggie, she just has to unalive her d!ckwad of a father, disempower his cronies and allies and make some allies of her own.

Cayden is morally grey but at heart a good man, even if he himself struggles to believe that at times.  His belief in Elowen is fierce and unwavering and he will go to the ends of the Earth to secure her future.  He has his own reasons for unaliving her father but he will ensure she gets her justice before he seeks his revenge.

Cayden, whilst being the strong MMC is also a yearning/grovelling mess of a man. Elowen's telepathic/emotive bond with her dragons was so powerful but I'm maybe hoping for a wee bit of that to bleed on over to Cayden now. This is such a female forward book and I love that Elowen does not shy away from being girly as well as a warrior.  She may wrap herself in the finest of trappings but after being subjected to the trauma of her past, I'm all for letting the woman have her softer moments.

I really dropped a tear or two at the ending - talk about a cliffhanger!  I really enjoyed all the side characters, they all add something to the storyline and flesh out the MC's personalities too. Finnian and Elowen are so sibling like it's hard to remember sometimes that they aren't actual brother/sister.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for this ARC of Wrath of the Dragons.

Prepare for vengeance, dragons and a love that sets realms afire.

With dragons at her back and vengeance in her blood, Elowen must depend on Cayden both her reluctant partner and political pawn to secure alliances and wage war across Ravaryn.

ARC Review – Wrath of the Dragons by Olivia Rose Darling

Back again with Elowen, Cayden, and the rest of the cast—and I’m happy to say book two was another enjoyable ride!

Much like the first book, this one is a solid 4-star for me.
It’s a mix of high-stakes battles, tense political drama, cozy downtime moments, and that classic found family warmth that really keeps things grounded. It’s definitely on the longer side and does feel a bit slow in parts, but the strong side characters and emotional beats help carry it through those stretches.

I always get a little nervous when a couple gets together early in a series because it can sometimes lead to forced conflict or unnecessary spice just to keep things interesting. But thankfully, that wasn’t the case here.
Elowen and Cayden’s relationship continues to develop in a way that feels mostly authentic and emotionally layered. There’s still a lot they need to work through, especially Elowen, who I feel like really struggles with communication.
Cayden? Total sweetheart. He’s patient, supportive, and gives her space when she needs it. I did find myself wishing Elowen could give him the same grace sometimes—it’s frustrating when one person seems to carry most of the emotional weight in a relationship.

Now… about the spice. Personally, I could do without it, so I appreciate that the scenes are minimal and placed with a bit more care than you see in a lot of romantasy. They don’t completely derail the plot, which is a big win in my book. That said, when they do happen, I can’t help but feel like Cayden’s personality does a full 180. Sweet, emotionally mature Cayden suddenly turns into BookTok’s favorite alpha male, and that shift always pulls me out of the story. Just not my thing—but your mileage may vary!

Plot-wise, I’m still very much hooked. The ending definitely left things on an intriguing note, and I’m curious to see how the story pivots in book three. There are some exciting stakes building, and I have a feeling we haven’t even scratched the surface yet.

And of course… the dragons! I loved every scene with them, and still wished we got more —seriously, I’ll never say no to more dragon action.

Overall, Wrath of the Dragons is a strong follow-up to book one. I can see a lot of readers falling even more in love with the series here, especially if you enjoy a good mix of romance, fantasy adventure, and chosen family dynamics.

Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 ✨

“𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬.”

I was supposed to rate this lower because up until the 50% mark almost ✨nothing✨ happened. Well, except the miscommunication and the unnecessary drama between Elowen & Cayden. I mean we went from b@nging each others brains out in the end of Fear The Flames to playing the game: “I don’t want to talk to you but I want you” in repeat.
This was so immature to me and it dragged out the story a lot, almost felt like a fill up. And ok he didn’t do something so overly bad to be treated this way.
I really hope she forgoes the immature phases in the next books, to me it’s just lazy writing.

The good news is that after the 50% mark the story picks up and we see some new much needed fantasy elements and worlds.

Can we have a moment for the amount of times pastries are being mentioned in this book? Also feeding birthday cakes the dragons?!!! 🤣💀😬
PLS NOOO..
Ah about the dragons, they still don’t have a big role in the story, I mean there is some riding and more appearances than the first book but nothing too engaging.

But what I really loved was the end. It just delivered and I don’t want to spoil it, but because of the end I would read the next book! Also I feel that Cayden is the one who carries the books! He is one of the hottest and thoughtful MMCs out there 😮‍💨 I still couldn’t connect with the FMC 🙂‍↕️

One last thing I want to mention that I didn’t take into consideration though, is the fact that the end reminded me a bit of the end of a very famous book with bonded dragons. I mean the wall of the shadows and the darkness inside him etc? Basically he also obtained shadow powers? And he went all wild to avenge her and save her? If you’ve read OS then maybe you’ll find some similarities 🤷🏻‍♀️

𝐀 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.

☄️Dragons
☄️ Found Family
☄️ Politics
☄️Marriage
☄️ Touch her or him and die
☄️ Revenge
☄️ Mythical Gods
☄️ He's pathetically obsessed with her
☄️MMC spoils the FMC
First I want to start with thanking NetGalley and Olivia Rose Darling for giving me this opportunity 🙏🏻 💗
The second book in the series of Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling
I have to say the ending took me by surprise I didn't expect it ! I can't wait for the third book ..
The plot in this book was a combination of politics, diplomacy and war. We see Elowen and Caden finally getting their revenge! And discover things for their selves that probably didn't know... Caden is SO OBSESSED with Elowen we got his POV in this book and I couldn't stop reading. He spoils her, gives her time, getting her kingdom back ! On the other hand something I couldn't stop talking about is that Elowen is for the anxiety girlies reading about her made me feel so seen! She struggles with anxiety and proves to people like me that we can fight and don't let it consume us . Also, I loved the dragons so much , my SHAYLAs they were so cute 🥺

Has me SCREAMING for book 3 already!!
I loved the turn this book took and while others may have seen it coming, I didn't and it was amazing.

First of all thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book. I’ve been desperate to read it since fear the flames last year.
This book has everything I could want in a book, Elowen does not roll over easy and the yearning from both Elowen and Cayden is just exquisite.
The world building and political history is brilliantly explained and explored. The addition of new characters adds more depth and humour into the story.
The yearning from both is wonderful to read and it all makes sense, the my wife moments are just toe curling and the scene with the waterfall I would give anything to see some imagery.
Cayden and Elowen are both so flawed but fit together perfectly.
I loved every moment of this book. The ending however has left me completely breathless and I can’t believe I have to wait for the next one 🙈🙈

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the ARC.

Plot 4.25/5
Characters 4/5
Ending 4.25/5
Interest 3.75/5

Overall 4/5

-I didn’t enjoy this book as much as book 1, but it was still very good. It was strong sequel that followed the first book perfectly and it kind of turned in a way I had expected plot wise. The war was looming and here we have it. It took me a bit longer to get through the pages compared to book 1 and at times I was finding myself distracted, but as a whole, great sequel.

-I still really liked the characters. They were fun, great banter I loved their dynamic. Although, once they had accepted their feelings for each other and actually decided to be together, I felt like it kind of lost its spark. The banter lessened and was switched to more affectionate words, which ultimately made sense, but romance reading wise, I prefer banter and yearning. Which comes to my next point, the smut. It was very sexually heavy at certain points and it felt a little unnecessary.

-The ending was not at all what I expected. To be honest I thought this may be a duality and that it would end here. And to be honest, again, I would have accepted that as an open ending very happily. It would have made me stare at walk for hours on end but whatever. There will be a third book and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

3.75 ⭐️

I love when a man is obsessed and Cayden is obsessed with Elowen!

I love the friendship dynamics in this book the found family is amazing!!
Some of the book felt flat to me and some of the dialogue could be confusing as I didn’t know who was talking at some parts throughout other than that I really did enjoy the book and can’t wait for the next one.

I’m going to be honest here, I didn’t read book 1 until I’d already got the e-arc for book 2 as I heard so much about this series and thought I’d love it. However this didn’t work for me. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to. I almost dnfed both books. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been in a huge slump and that’s why or if I just don’t like it. So I’m going to reread again and see if this changes my mind.

This book didn’t just live up to expectations—it exceeded them. I didn't expect that the second book can get so much more better then the first one (I already loved it and rated it also 5 stars), but I was absolutely surprised how excellent this book ist. It's everything I love about fantasy.

The plot is gripping from start to finish, with a perfect mix of romance and action and dragons.
The world building ist amazing but never overwhelming. The tension got me kicking and falling even more in love with Cayden. I really enjoyed to read in Caydens pov and got the look into his mind and feelings. I fell in love with him even more than in the first book.
I got the feeling that all characters got an amazing Charakter development, which is a big positive point about this book. The romance feels so much more real and deep because of it.
I will absolutely recommend this book to all my friends who enjoy a good amount of romance, fantasy and dragons in their books.

This book definitely picked up where the first one faltered. There’s much more world-building, dragon lore, and character development, all elements I felt the first book lacked.

I loved getting Cayden’s POV in this book - it offers another perspective on the war and really shows how down bad he is for Elowen (in the best way)

There’s significant character growth within their small unit, the found family dynamic is much stronger this time around and is so heartwarming to read. We also get an insight into future relationships *cough Saskia & Zarius*. I do wish we had more scenes with Finnian and Elowen together as their bond is so beautiful and shows what it means to choose your own family. I felt this connection was missing until the very end.

I absolutely loved how the dragons also played a much bigger role in this book. We see more of their connection with Elowen, not just through the bond, but their individual personalities too, which brought so much richness to the story. I loved hearing about their individual quirks and personalities, especially Sorin 🫶🏻

This was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was sweating at the 90% mark, ready to throw my kindle, but it sets up the next installment perfectly.

Overall, this was a wild ride. Despite the emotional turmoil, I’m so glad I gave the second book a chance, I was unsure after the first, but this one won me over to the series.

Wrath of the dragons

🌟 rating: 2.5
📚 Genre: Romantasy
🗓️ Publication date: 29-07-2025 ———Arc received from the netgalley and zaffrebooks
🌺 Tropes: touch her and die, betrothal, banter
👫 POV: double point of view
🌶️ level: 1
#️⃣ pages: 544

I applied for this book because I hear good things about the first one, but complains about the ending being rough, so I held of on reading book 1 until I got my hand on book 2 and I was so excited when I got the arc. I do see the popularity of these books and I do get what people love about these books, but unfortunately they just didn’t hit the right note for me.

I started this book already being very frustrated, the common romantasy betrayal trope of the last 20 pages of fear the flames (the first book in the series) just didn’t sit right with me and didn’t make a lot of sense. So I hated how it dragged on a lot in this book. It felt a lot like adding drama between Cayden (MMC) and Elowen (FMC) just because. I can appreciate all the common romance tropes between them, but at some point for me it just became to much and to dramatic. On top of that (in my opinion) there weren’t ever any serious consequences for any of them for anything.

I did appreciate that this book had a double point of view and that we got Cayden’s thoughts directly from him as well. And the ending of this book is super intriguing as well so I am curious to see how that will play out in the next book.

The main focus of this book is the romance, and personally I would have preferred having a bit more fantasy aspects (the dragons aren’t as big in the story as I would like) as well as politics.

The reason why I am still giving this book 2.5 stars is because I truly think this book isn’t bad, it is just not completely for me. I like my romantasy books to have just a little bit more depth and more political intrigue. But I do feel that the right audience for this book is out there.

Thank you zaffrebooks for providing me with this arc trough netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐
Fear the Flames was one of my favourite books I read last year, so I couldn't wait for the sequel after that ending and it really didn't disappoint. Though of course Wrath Of the Dragons delivers another ending that will make the wait for the next book so painful!

It did take me a little while to fully get back into but once I did i couldn't put this book down, the writing is always so beautiful and captivating and just makes it such a joy to read. My favourite part throughout was the yearning, I always love a slow burn romance but give me yearning any day and wow was it so good in Wrath of the Dragons, I love that Elowen made Caydeb actually work for it in this book and the pay off was amazing. Cayden is the perfect morally grey, burn the world down MMC and I absolutely love these two together!

Thank you so much to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review before publication. These are my honest thoughts.