In a kingdom bound by fire and blood, one competition will decide the fate of the realm.
Mary never wanted to be royalty - or even rub shoulders with high society. A dragon Rider —a warrior— with a fierce spirit, she’s more at home on the battlefield or flying high in the skies than in the halls of power wearing a dress she can’t run in. But when she’s chosen and duty-bound to compete for Prince Nikolas’s heart—and the throne— to save her Kingdom from rebellion and invasion, her life is changed forever.
As rivals vie for the crown, whispers of rebellion stir, and her bonded dragon, Rhaegal, cryptically pushing her in the direction of the Prince, all bets are off. With everything hanging on by a thread, Mary must fight not only for her future, but for the survival of the Kingdom itself.
In a game of fire, steel, and love, only the strongest will rise.
“You didn’t come here to win a crown,” he said. “You came here to protect the kingdom, to be a rider.”
If you are a fan of the Selection series by Kiera Cass mixed with just a touch of Fourth Wing then this book will be right up your alley! I absolutely loved the story. Although a lot of it is predictable, it’s a comforting kind of predictable. The ending sure throws in a twist though (no spoilers 😉) and a cliffhanger that will leave you needing to find out what happens next! I definitely recommend this story.
✨Tropes✨ 🐉 Competition/trials 🐉 Dragons x Dragon Riders 🐉 Love Triangle 🐉 Snarky Dragons 🐉 Dating Show 🐉 Court Politics 🐉 Fated Mates
✨Summary✨ Mary is a dragon rider who is hand selected to participate in the televised competition to be the crown prince’s wife. The commander in charge, Yewen, works closely with Mary as she is not only in the competition, but she’s also apart of the security team since she’s a dragon rider. Sparks fly between Mary and Prince Nikolas, but sparks also fly between Mary and the commander. As the competition narrows down, Mary is developing genuine feelings between Prince Nikolas, yet there’s also something between her and Yewen. The more time spent with Nik, the more Mary realizes she has a deep connection with him. Will Mary choose Nik and become the future queen of the kingdom she has sworn to protect, or will she choose the life of a full time dragon rider.
✨Critiques✨ While this book has decent bones, there were a few things that could have been improved upon. The premise of the story could have been fleshed out a little bit better as to avoid a VERY strong resemblance to Fourth Wing, especially in the beginning. Some of the lines also seemed a bit immature and out of place in the setting. The romance between the commander, Yewen, and Mary seems rushed and therefore, a little unbelievable. I understand that perhaps it was intended that way with how things progress in the story, but I feel like we never get the true tension of will they/won’t they with that story line.
✨What I Enjoyed✨ I liked Mary’s personality. She was enjoyable to read as a FMC. I wasn’t too annoyed with her and I thought she had a certain level of maturity that’s not often seen with characters that age. I found that very refreshing. I also enjoyed the romance between Nik and Mary. It still felt a bit rushed, but I enjoyed their scenes together.
👩🏻My Recommendation👩🏻 If you like the idea of the show the Bachelor but set in Fourth Wing, this is the book for you. It’s a great premise, but it just needs a little more editing and fleshing out. However, this story has likable characters and good bones.
Thank you to the author for providing the ARC and the opportunity to review this book.
I have some mixed feelings about this book because I enjoyed some parts of the story but not others. I'm going to layout what I liked and what I think could be improved since this is the author's debut book. I think it is a charming read that could be compelling with some refinement.
What I liked: I appreciated the similar vibes the book had to "Fourth Wing" and "The Selection" and liked the idea of the mash up. The book starts after the FMC has been a dragon rider for a while which I enjoyed but I feel we may have missed out on the connections she had with the other characters. She starts off tough and strong but we miss all her capabilities which kind of comes up later. I liked the other characters for the most part but I don't feel they were as developed as they could have been. I think I would have liked the side characters more if we spent more time together before the FMC split apart.
I liked "The Selection" aspect of the book but I have to admit, I wanted more behind the scenes spying or mystery with the royal romance. It didn't feel as believable with the cameras not always being present or spilling secrets they didn't want shared. I really enjoyed how the competition did not go the normal stereotypical route.
I loved the dragons but would have loved seeing them more in action and interacting with each other. I liked the FMC's dragon Rhaegal but he's really the only dragon that we see interact in the story for the most part.
The steamy scenes were fun and I enjoyed those. I liked that the FMC develops friendships but I think these could still be developed more.
What I think could be improved: I know that the ARC I received was pre-typo reviewed but I think besides that, the book could use a little more editing to make it truly shine. It has the bones but the execution needed some refinement. I couldn't envision what the FMC looked like at first but it was described later but it did pull me out of the story. The dragon rider aspects are eerily similar to "Fourth Wing" but are a little different. The pacing could be better, it was fast paced but I would have liked the story scenes to be smoother and logical. Sometimes I felt like we jumped around in chapters because the FMC was reacting to a situation so she'd have to fly off but we're not really clear how long that takes to get there.
I wanted more world building. I felt we don't get enough information about the dragons or magic. I think those could have been expanded, otherwise it kind of read like a medieval fantasy but there are ballgowns and cameras. So I was a little confused.
The romance was ok, I'm not sure if this was believable or executed as well as I had hoped. I didn't love the wishy-washiness the FMC was dealing with when looking at her love interests but I found it more enjoyable once she was committed to the romance.
Overall, don't let my critiques stop you, I think this book has promise! Especially for those who want more of the dragon rider and bachelor type vibes in a book. It was mostly entertaining and I really found the ending enjoyable. I am definitely curious about what happens in the next book.
2.3 out of 5 rating for me!
(An ARC was provided for an honest review. I leave this review voluntarily.)
It was bad but then it got better. Well mostly the FMC was bad but then got better. Her emotions are all over the place in the beginning. But as the story went on and things started to settle I found myself liking the relationship she had with the prince. Although I preferred the commander… but that’s a personal preference.
There definitely were some flaws but nothing too serious or annoying. Like I said it was mainly the beginning of the book that put me off.
This is more of a light fun read. So don’t expect serious action on anything. The pace is quite fast and they do fall hard very quickly. But like I said it’s just that type of book. When you just want something with romance with a splash of dragons.
There is a small battle scene. But nothing gory. There is spice throughout the book as well. The book does end on a cliffhanger with some new dragons and mysterious cloaked figures making an appearance. Honestly I hope they’re fae.
But anyhoooo if you’re just in the mood for a romantasy but not in the mood for a lot of seriousness. Then give it a try. Obviously there are some things happening in the background that I think will be more focused on in the next book. But this was mainly a romance.
💭 My Thoughts The idea was definitely there but I feel like it was SUPER rushed. It's a crossover between The Selection series & Fourth Wing, but honestly poorly written. Everything seemed to always go in Mary's favor. I believe it was more of a self insert than with a genuine plot. Honestly, I would've DNF'ed but I'm determined not to this year. ✨ Favorite Things • Favorite character: I have nothing good to say here. • Favorite relationship: Especially nothing here. • Favorite scene: None. Literally. • Favorite quote: “As I have said before, I will never understand why you humans play around with different humans instead of just going to your mate.” 🍂 Things I Didn’t Love • There was little to no competition truly & the "plot twist" was seen coming a mile away. • Certain things were repeated multiple times. ie. Yewen's dragon name. Everytime his dragon was brought up it was always followed with something similar to "and that's his dragon". Yes. We know already. • After a certain point, the chapters just became sex scenes drawn out to boring. It literally took her multiple paragraphs to describe a basic yet mind blowing orgasm.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Crown of Steel and Embers was a good read, especially for a debut novel! Though some of the grammar was weird (the narration jumped from first person to third person at times), the overall story was really sweet and enjoyable. The ending was nice since it was a bit unexpected. Not really unexpected given Mary's personality, but a bit unexpected.
The writing style was pretty good, and considering that this is the author's first book, her style will probably only get better. Another thing that was really good was the support from the side characters. There are so many people that love and support Mary, it's amazing to read about. The way the other competitors were almost kind is a nice change from the typical shrew-like behavior from most competitors in other books with a competition for the hand of the prince/king/lord.
I do have a single criticism. It is a bit spoilery...Okay, it's really spoilery. Avoid it if you don't want spoilers. - Worse spoilers:
This was an overall good read. I will definitely read the next book, and if you like a book with sweet vibes along with just a dash of suspense, you should read this one!
Thank you to the author for allowing me to read this book as an ARC! All opinions are my own.
Attention all Fourth Wing lovers going through withdrawal, read this book! it fixed my itch slightly - but now I need book 2 ASAP, especially after that cliffhanger of an ending 🤯 Crown of Steel and Embers is a great romantasy with a side story of a rebellion and battle and aspects of dragons, magic, friendships, and betrayal. It was predictable at some points, but in a comforting way like you wouldn’t want it any other way. I loved the internal thoughts of Mary, and the banter with her dragon. And I loved the King & Queen - so many books that include romance set them as the “bad guys” so it was refreshing to see it differently! Also, Mary and Nik 🫶🏼🫶🏼
This was a refreshing fast paced book, and a fun read! Thank you for the opportunity to read your book 🖤
Ok,so I had mixed feelings on this book but as a start my rating will have to be between 3.7-4 /⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It was actually a fast read! I do have notes for this book:-
*I think if it had more content in between the chapters that would’ve made it more interesting and maybe for an example Mary and Nik’s relationship could have had more ups and downs.
*The book ended with a cliffhanger,and I have no idea what will happen next😫
*My favorite characters will have to be Cora and Rhaegal (The main characters dragon),and Cora (One of Mary’s Best Friends) both of these characters are just so nice and I want an older sister like Cora!
*I read this book wanting support Margaret since this is her first book ever published and she’s a new author, I think everyone should give this book a try.
This book was definitely a fun read! Crown of Steel and Embers is definitely worth checking out. While the story has its predictable moments, it’s the comforting kind, and the twist at the end delivers an unexpected surprise without giving too much away. Though the writing occasionally switches between first and third person, which can be a bit hard to follow, it's still impressive for a debut, and the author’s style is bound to evolve.
The supportive side characters bring a refreshing twist to the typical competition-for-a-prince storyline too! And I found myself rooting for them often!
Overall, it’s a sweet and enjoyable read with just enough suspense, and I’m eager to see what happens next. If you enjoy a mix of warmth and unpredictability, this is the book for you!
I really enjoyed this book. The world and character building, of course the dragons (love me some dragons), the spice, the angst *chef’s kiss*. This book took the romantasy to a different pov. I don’t think I have read a televised romance to save the kingdom type of book. I really enjoyed the strong FMC and the MMC not being the dominant one in the relationship ;) Can’t wait for book 2 because that cliffhanger ending killed me!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
For a debut novel, I think this is great! I loved the FMC and the world the author has built. Definitely recommend if you’re into romantasy books like Fourth Wing and the Selection! It was such an easy read and felt so easy to get lost in the world of Artithea! That cliffhanger ending is just TOO MUCH! Cannot wait for the second book!
What a way to make your name known, Margaret T. Pedersen. Excellent read. Well done!! But .... WHY!!!!! How long will we have to wait for the next one?
Dragons, Dragon Riders, and a Prince. A competition to become the Princess. The banter between Nikolas and Mary makes this an easy read. The rebellion and twists that happen have my head reeling. I completely missed one of the twists.
- I love seeing maps in fantasy books -i aboustly adore this book as it's gives the vibes like fourth wing -some of the story was predictable -I lovehow the ending just throws you a twist - that cliffhanger just leaves you hanging .. wanting to know more