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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Wow, what do I even say except this book was incredible. The worldbuilding is rich and immersive, and every character feels thoughtfully crafted. The romance was beautifully paced and emotionally satisfying. As someone who adores books with dragons, I came in with high hopes, but this story still exceeded my expectations. I’ve read several of Karina’s other books, and I genuinely think this might be her best yet.
Brynla is strong and smart and unapologetically herself and I love that in a main character, especially one who is a woman. Andor is kind and compassionate and swoon worthy. I love that he doesn't let his father order him around and he stands his ground with regards to Brynla despite his father's wishes otherwise. Lemi, the furry companion, stole my heart. He’s not just a sidekick—he’s a vital part of the story, and I’m so glad the author chose to add him.
The epilogue was the cherry on top and leaves us with an exciting tease for what’s to come. It looks like we might be getting an enemies-to-lovers arc in the next installment, and I am absolutely here for it!
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Brynla is strong and smart and unapologetically herself and I love that in a main character, especially one who is a woman. Andor is kind and compassionate and swoon worthy. I love that he doesn't let his father order him around and he stands his ground with regards to Brynla despite his father's wishes otherwise. Lemi, the furry companion, stole my heart. He’s not just a sidekick—he’s a vital part of the story, and I’m so glad the author chose to add him.
The epilogue was the cherry on top and leaves us with an exciting tease for what’s to come. It looks like we might be getting an enemies-to-lovers arc in the next installment, and I am absolutely here for it!
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A mafia-esque romantasy with dragons and rival thieves was such a unique and interesting plot I was not expecting. There's so much to this story and all the intricate character dynamics. Dragon eggs being used as currency and also the source of magic was pretty unique to the romantasy genre. The rivals to lovers trope was fun and entertaining. I really loved Lemi, the loyal dog sidekick to our FMC.
Overall, this was an exciting start to this new series, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
Overall, this was an exciting start to this new series, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
First of all I am AMAZED by Karina Halle’s ability to write any genre. And she writes them consecutively, her brain must be a fascinating place.
I really liked the world building and the premise of this book. Rival cartels from different realms are all contracting thieves and smuggling Suen (nutrients from dragon eggs that give the consumer magical powers). The politics and class dynamics were done so well.
I personally was not a fan of the romance. Just my preference, but I wanted the burn to be a bit slower. There wasn’t enough tension/hatred between the kidnapper and the kidnapped before the enemies became lovers.
I’m so thankful to have received an arc of this book, and I’m excited to see what Karina Halle tackles next.
I really liked the world building and the premise of this book. Rival cartels from different realms are all contracting thieves and smuggling Suen (nutrients from dragon eggs that give the consumer magical powers). The politics and class dynamics were done so well.
I personally was not a fan of the romance. Just my preference, but I wanted the burn to be a bit slower. There wasn’t enough tension/hatred between the kidnapper and the kidnapped before the enemies became lovers.
I’m so thankful to have received an arc of this book, and I’m excited to see what Karina Halle tackles next.
I really enjoyed the world Karina created for this book. It's a unique take on a world filled with dragons and had a decent amount of action to keep you on the edge of your seat. The only thing that made me lower my star by one is that I felt the enemies went to lovers a bit too quickly. I would've loved for it to be a bit more drawn out. Like one minute she's devastated by something that happens, then they next they are banging. I was like wait what? The timing just felt a bit off there. What I loved most about this book is that the series will all be interconnected standalones, so we got that closure on the two main characters without it being drawn out with like 5 books. THANK YOU for doing this. I definitely want to know what happens next in this world but there are so many interesting characters that I'd love to know more of their backstories.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'll be totally honest, when I first opened this book and looked at the map and glossary, I wasn't sure that I was going to like this. The country in the north is called Nordland, the one in the south is Sorland, east is Esland and you guessed it - west is Vesland. And the island in the middle is the Midlands! I was worried that the fantasy aspects would be secondary to everything else just based off of that, but I'm happy to say that other than the naming of things, the fantasy elements were definitely there. They weren't maybe as strong as I typically go for, but I did still enjoy those elements! I liked that the dragons were more like wild animals than characters themselves, and the author mentioned in the acknowledgements that she took inspiration from Jurassic Park on how to handle the dragons - which I definitely picked up on! I did really love Brynla and Andor as characters - Brynla was super headstrong and determined, and Andor was a lot softer and more understanding than I thought he would be, knowing he comes from what is essentially a mafia family.
The pacing in the middle did slow down a bit, but I'm a sucker for a heist story so once that came into play I was all here for it! And I can't not mention Lemi, the teleporting dog! He definitely a highlight of the book - and don't worry - THE DOG DOESN'T DIE.
I believe this is a series of interconnected standalones, so Brynla and Andor's story does wrap up in this book but I have a feeling they'll definitely make an appearance in future books.
Overall, it was fun and I enjoyed reading this, and I'll definitely read the next one!
The pacing in the middle did slow down a bit, but I'm a sucker for a heist story so once that came into play I was all here for it! And I can't not mention Lemi, the teleporting dog! He definitely a highlight of the book - and don't worry - THE DOG DOESN'T DIE.
I believe this is a series of interconnected standalones, so Brynla and Andor's story does wrap up in this book but I have a feeling they'll definitely make an appearance in future books.
Overall, it was fun and I enjoyed reading this, and I'll definitely read the next one!
This was unbelievably good. Fast paced, solid plot, full of action and a love story that made me feel gooey inside.
I loved it.
There’s an illegal egg trade where only the brave or desperate go into a ward where dragons are trapped and try to steal eggs.
Why? These eggs have what’s called suen that can manifest and change your body and various magical ways. You can gain power and magic. There’s even rumors that a certain dragons eggs can give you immortality.
Different houses are all vying for this egg.
For if the wards ever come crashing down and the dragons are released, only immortality will save them.
Brynla has escaped a really tragic past and rough life. She lives underground with her aunt and goes egg hunting with her magical dog who is freaking awesome. On a certain quest, she runs into another egg hunter.. who was actually on the hunt for her. And kidnapped her.
Andor Kolbeck is from a rival house. And honestly, you can’t help but love him. He gives off alpha teddy bear vibes. He needs her. Desperately. She’s one of the best hunters and he needs the best hunter.
🗡️ He Falls First
🥚 Rivals to Lovers
🐉 Dragons and Magic
🗡️ Only One Cave
🥚 I’ll destroy the World for you
🐉 Plot Twist
🗡️ Found Family
🥚 Spice!
We can thank Karina Halle for not giving us an intense cliffhanger. It sounds like the next book may be about another character. With the continuing plot. I am not sure, but whatever it is I am already so ready to read it!
Then you Netgalley & Berkley for the ARC.
This started out with a lot of promise. The world building is really cool and the dragon lore was fairly intricate. But it falls pretty flat about a quarter of the way in. The writing often felt juvenile, the female main character's personality dissolves into nothing, the pacing is inconsistent, and the plot is frequently lost to the overdone romance. Plus, the male main character is a walking red flag. I didn't hate it, but I'd hesitate to recommend this.
This started out with a lot of promise. The world building is really cool and the dragon lore was fairly intricate. But it falls pretty flat about a quarter of the way in. The writing often felt juvenile, the female main character's personality dissolves into nothing, the pacing is inconsistent, and the plot is frequently lost to the overdone romance. Plus, the male main character is a walking red flag. I didn't hate it, but I'd hesitate to recommend this.
Thank you Berkeley Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted arc!
This had a really strong beginning—I wanted to love this so much, but it unfortunately fell flat for me. The premise was super unique—a romantasy with mafia vibes, an illegal dragon egg trade, enemies to lovers, and a standalone.
I think my biggest issue with this was the romance. I truly didn’t feel like they had any chemistry, and I think skipping a month’s worth of interactions shortly after meeting was a HUGE disservice. I mean, the book started off with him kidnapping/blackmailing her, and after that month time jump they’re suddenly into each other. It made the romance feel superficial since we didn’t get to see how and why they fell for each other. It felt like they went to bed hating each other and woke up being into each other, despite having very few interactions prior to this point.
If the author had spent more time building the romance, I think I would’ve loved this book. I love Karina Halle’s books, so the writing style was on point. I also found the syndikats and the mafia-like elements to be super fun, and this take on dragons was unique too. This book was fun, but I just didn’t love it. I do think it will have its audience though, even if that isn’t me.
This had a really strong beginning—I wanted to love this so much, but it unfortunately fell flat for me. The premise was super unique—a romantasy with mafia vibes, an illegal dragon egg trade, enemies to lovers, and a standalone.
I think my biggest issue with this was the romance. I truly didn’t feel like they had any chemistry, and I think skipping a month’s worth of interactions shortly after meeting was a HUGE disservice. I mean, the book started off with him kidnapping/blackmailing her, and after that month time jump they’re suddenly into each other. It made the romance feel superficial since we didn’t get to see how and why they fell for each other. It felt like they went to bed hating each other and woke up being into each other, despite having very few interactions prior to this point.
If the author had spent more time building the romance, I think I would’ve loved this book. I love Karina Halle’s books, so the writing style was on point. I also found the syndikats and the mafia-like elements to be super fun, and this take on dragons was unique too. This book was fun, but I just didn’t love it. I do think it will have its audience though, even if that isn’t me.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dragons in romantasy are all the rage right now, but instead of going for sexy dragon shifters or tamable, rideable magical creatures, the dragons in Realm of Thieves are ferocious, wild and above all, apex predators. A long time ago they ruthlessly ruled all but the coldest reaches of the realm of Dragemor, until the people surviving there figured out how to magically trap the dragons in the Midlands, harsh volcanic islands in the center of Dragemor.
When people figure out that dragon eggs contain a substance, suen, that gives humans enhanced abilities, a black market quickly develops, controlled by rich, powerful and ruthless houses on each continent. The protagonists, Brynla and Andor, are dragon egg thieves from opposing houses, forced to work together after Andor kidnaps and blackmails Brynla because he is certain that she and her suen-enhanced dog will be able to help him pull off something that will uplift his position in House Kolbeck. They go from rivals, to reluctant allies to lovers as they navigate the perils of deadly dragons, political intrigue, hostile family and shattering loss.
Both Brynla and Andor have been hardened by the circumstances of their lives, but they deal with it in different ways. Brynla is wary, distrustful and prickly. Andor leaps into things before he looks and has a tendency to be a bit flippant and irreverent.
Realm of Thieves isn't just a spicy action packed romantasy. It takes on some difficult topics too. I loved how loss and grief was tackled and discussed in the book (don't worry, the dog doesn't die!) It also touches on religious fanaticism and the accompanying trauma, and familial traumas.
Thank you so much NetGalley and Karina Halle for the opportunity to advance read and review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness