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A review by lynnns
A Fate Forged in Fire by Hazel McBride
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
When I say I devoured this book, I might have to go back and read it again because I read it so quickly. I needed to know what was going to happen next at the end of almost every chapter. I could not put it down.
The story feels very House of Dragony, but romantasy and without anyone marrying their uncle (though I only realised afterwards that the MFC and MMC might be first cousins which is only one rung on the ladder down, but I guess was the done thing in royal circles in times gone by… (Unless I got the family history wrong, which is possible given the speed reading.)
The story follows Aemyra, the fiery daughter of a hot, exiled prince who seems to have slightly mixed morals. She is unknown to the other side of the family - the ruling clan. When the king dies her dad says it’s time to step up and take the throne for herself, but she’s a bit naive and honestly, a bit daft at some points. So things don’t quite go the way she wants. (She does wear a banging gold dress though.)
There’s political scheming and religious zealots and war and dragons and a really hot cousin (possibly slightly removed, I’m not sure (I hope he is)) and a cray cray cousin who at one point chops off an already dead guys head. And there’s a hot, adorable brother too, who I can only hope features as one of the MMCs of the future duologies.
The story was easy to get into and incredibly enjoyable. I enjoyed the world building and the magic system and the use of Celtic mythology. Can’t wait to see more of those in future books. And the bad guys were written so horribly well.
As a Gaelic learner, I did appreciate the care & effort put into the Gaelic in this book (both of which has seriously lacked in other books about bonding with dragons...) I especially loved the use of little terms of endearment. The pronunciation list at the beginning would have gone along really well with a glossary. Having to go get in my phone and look up words I didn’t know really interrupted the flow. The only thing I struggled with was breithday. There’s already a way to say birthday in Gaelic, so I don’t really know why it the author decided to make up a new rhymey word. It felt a bit silly. (Very specific irritation there...)
I can’t decide if it was fast paced or if I just ate it up. But I really loved this book and cannot wait for the next one.
The story follows Aemyra, the fiery daughter of a hot, exiled prince who seems to have slightly mixed morals. She is unknown to the other side of the family - the ruling clan. When the king dies her dad says it’s time to step up and take the throne for herself, but she’s a bit naive and honestly, a bit daft at some points. So things don’t quite go the way she wants. (She does wear a banging gold dress though.)
There’s political scheming and religious zealots and war and dragons and a really hot cousin (possibly slightly removed, I’m not sure (I hope he is)) and a cray cray cousin who at one point chops off an already dead guys head. And there’s a hot, adorable brother too, who I can only hope features as one of the MMCs of the future duologies.
The story was easy to get into and incredibly enjoyable. I enjoyed the world building and the magic system and the use of Celtic mythology. Can’t wait to see more of those in future books. And the bad guys were written so horribly well.
As a Gaelic learner, I did appreciate the care & effort put into the Gaelic in this book (both of which has seriously lacked in other books about bonding with dragons...) I especially loved the use of little terms of endearment. The pronunciation list at the beginning would have gone along really well with a glossary. Having to go get in my phone and look up words I didn’t know really interrupted the flow. The only thing I struggled with was breithday. There’s already a way to say birthday in Gaelic, so I don’t really know why it the author decided to make up a new rhymey word. It felt a bit silly. (Very specific irritation there...)
I can’t decide if it was fast paced or if I just ate it up. But I really loved this book and cannot wait for the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death of parent
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder