Realm of Thieves

Thieves of Dragemor, Book 1

De: Karina Halle

Narrado por: Jack Hart, Saskia Maarleveld, Chris Tester

One of Paste’s Best Fantasy Books of June 2025!

Two thieves vie for dominance in the illegal dragon egg trade, putting both their lives and their hearts on the line in this scorching romantasy from New York Times bestselling author Karina Halle.

For Brynla Aihr, crime and survival have always gone hand in hand. Ever since she escaped the fanatical dragon-worshipping cult that controls her homeland, she’s had to carve out a life doing the unthinkable: stealing dragon eggs. Egg theft is illegal and, in most cases, fatal. To breach a dragon's nest means a harrowing journey through the ancient wards spelled to keep the monstrous beasts confined. Dragons can’t get out and only those with a death wish can get in.

Despite the risks, dragon eggs are highly coveted for their magic. An illegal trade flourishes under competing criminal empires, and Brynla’s loyalty has always been to the highest bidder. Until she finds herself kidnapped and blackmailed by Lord Andor, a formidable lieutenant of House Kolbeck, and thrust into the dangerous political games of rivaling dynasties.

Brynla and Andor clash at every turn, sparking heat in ways Brynla’s never felt before. But in a world that’s prophesized to return to the dragons, and rife with betrayal and secrets at every turn…how close to the flames is she willing to stand?

©2025 Karina Halle (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Realm of Thieves should be on every Romantasy lover's 2025 must-read list! Karina has crafted a captivating, magical world full of danger, mystery, romance, and, most importantly, DRAGONS!”—Jennifer L. Armentrout, #1 New York Times and international bestselling author

"Realm of Thieves is as creative, charming, and clever as its spectacular heroine, Brynla. Blending dragons, magic, banter and spice, Halle delivers the perfect romantasy read."—USA Today bestselling author Kate Golden

"Clever. Thrilling. Seductive. An utterly hypnotic adventure that I can't wait to continue."—USA Today and internationally bestselling author K.A. Tucker

Fantastic performances and story

Really well done! I cannot wait for the next installment in the story! Leno stole the show for sure <3

Unique dragony romantasy!

4.5 ⭐️ I would highly recommend to all romantasy fans. Unique magic system, strong FMC, fun animal sidekick. I really enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to the next.

Wonderful first book of this new Romantasy series!

Realm of Thieves
By Karina Halle
Book #1 of the Thieves of Dragemor Series

4.5 Star Review!
4/5 Spiciness Level
5/5 Audiobook Narration

Favorite quote: “No one is buying any horny tea.”

Shortened Review & Quick Rundown:
I highly recommend starting this new fantasy romance series! There is a unique storyline with captivating characters and it has a HEA! There are non-friendly dragons, stolen magic, mafia families and more all together in one book! A quick rundown: There are many different dragons of different sizes. Within their eggs is “suen,” and when taken into the body it gives magical abilities! Since these eggs are obviously highly coveted and with dragon trade being illegal, there are powerful mafia style families who rule the dragon egg thieving business. Our FMC is thief. Our MMC is also a thief and he is also the son of one of the other rival powerful mafia leaders. That makes them enemies. He kidnaps her in the hopes to recruit her and her magical “dragon egg-finding dog” to his family business. Sparks start to fly between them and their relationship keeps being tested. Later, when they decide to try to work together and pull off the ultimate heist, will they succeed in making his family the most powerful in the world? Most importantly, how do they get to their happily ever after?!

Audiobook Information:
Highly recommend the audiobook version of this book! It is a dual narration style, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld & Chris Tester. The narrators do a wonderful job of narrating this book! The FMC and the MMC speak all of the characters extremely well with emotion and great variation between all of the characters they voice. The epilogue is narrated by Jack Hart as Vidar, the MMC of the next book in this series!

Genre, POV & Tropes
Realm of Thieves by Karina Halle is book #1 of the brand new Thieves of Dragemor romantasy series. Dual POV, whole chapters alternate between the FMC and the MMC. Tropes include kidnapping, morally grey main characters, magic, magic dog, deadly dragons, powerful cult-type religious group, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and HEA. I believe this is considered a standalone within an interconnected series that will need to be read in order. The epilogue is from the POV of the next book’s MMC.

SPICE:
I rate spice level at 4/5. He falls first. There is a period of intimacy between the two in a cave in Chapter 16 with some sensual tension. Heavy flirting & drunken propositions in in Chapter 18. Explicit spice in Chapters 21, 25, & 26.

FMC:
Brynla Ahir is an Eslander, being originally from Esland. Daughter of Branne and Sonja Aihr. Born under the lavender moon, she has rare lavender colored hair. I calculate she should be near 21 years old. The prologue begins after her father is killed by the Black Guard, her mother had been taken to the Midlands to die by the Black Guard also, and leaving her an orphan at age 12. They are killed for being rebels, being against the leaders of Esland which makes her the daughter of rebels. So, she is forcefully taken away from her Aunt (the only family she has left) and forced into the Daughters of Silence convent against her will. Here the pre-pubescent girls are completely stripped of their identities, names changed, head shaved, and placed into a black cloak that covers every inch of skin. They are forced to remain in complete silence, not even allowed whispering to one another at any time or they risk a severe punishment. Her name is changed to “Daughter of Pain.” She did eventully escape the convent becoming a fugitive of Esland. She becomes a resident of the Dark City in The Banished Land and living with her Aunt Ellestra Doon. She earns money from thieving dragon eggs in the Midlands and selling them to House Dalgaard. For unknown reasons and unlike everyone else, Brynla is immune to the magical effects of suen. She is a strong female character, surviving against all odds, and just wants to live in peace with her Aunt.

MMC:
Lord Andor Kolbeck is the hero of this story. His father is Torsten Kolbeck, Sjef of House Kolbeck. His horrible uncle is Kjell, who rules by Torsten’s side. He has brothers’ Vidar (the oldest and heir to House Kolbeck), Steiner (the brainiac) and sister Solla (able to move things with her mind). Suen has given him strength, speed, and the ability to heal with his hands. After he was unable to heal his mother from a fatal illness, he was deemed worthless by his own father and uncle. Because of this, he was unwillingly betrothed to Princess Odelle of House Haugen. It was made very clear this is his only purpose for being in this family and without the betrothal he is completely worthless to them. Andor never actually agreed to this marriage, does not want to marry her, and has never even met her. He is doing anything he can think of to make himself have enough value to his father so he does not have to go through with the marriage. He believes Brynla and Lemi are the answer. He sees something in Brynla, something “more” to her than just being a normal human. He plans to kidnap her and bribe her to come and work for House Kolbeck which will be providing something of value to his house. He does seem to have a bit of the “middle child syndrome.” He is impulsive, reckless, maybe a little jealous, and often leaps before he looks.

STORYLINE/PLOT:
Brynla and Lemi are kidnapped by Andor, taken to Norland and expected to work for House Kolbeck. They both know that House Dolgaard would kill her, her Aunt, and maybe even Lemi for working with House Kolbeck. So, in exchange for working for House Kolbeck, Andor will help get her Aunt out of the Dark City and relocate her to Norland as well to live freely and comfortably, safe from those who would do her harm. Then, when Brynla has done enough work for them, she will be fully released to live freely with her Aunt in Norland, safe from House Dalgaard and Esland forever. Andor just wants to provide something of value to his House in order to be released from his betrothal and be seen as more than worthless by his father. They end up learning the possible location of a mythical dragon egg that provides suen of an amazing power. If they can get their hands on it, it would ensure House Kolbeck would become the most powerful House in the world, allowing Brynla and Andor to live the lives they want, however they want. So, Brynla, Andor and his siblings all plan this important, dangerous, massive heist for this highly coveted egg held within the Daughters of Silence convent in Esland. Neither Brynla nor Andor expect to develop feelings for each other, but this IS a Romantasy after all! Are they successful? How does their story end? There are some amazing twists and turns in this story! It does end in a happily ever after for Brynla and Andor. The epilogue sets up book 2 from the POV of Vidar and it sounds like it is going to be an amazing book, too!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION/UNDERSTANDING THIS WORLD AND THE PEOPLE IN IT:
Looking at the map, the Realm of Dragemor consists of 5 main continents. The land to the west is Vesland, the land to the north is Norland, the land to the east is Esland, the land to the south is Sorland, and sitting right smack dab in the middle is the Midlands.

The Midlands is surrounded by wards that keep all the dragons held within it. So, the only place to hunt dragon eggs is there, in the Midlands. It is a narrow, volcanic island in the middle of the ocean.

There are many different dragons of different sizes from cat sized to 40 foot long. There are the Sycledrages, Elderdrages, Blooddrages, Deathdrages, and the rumored Slangedrages. Within their eggs is “suen,” the magical substance inside the yolk, and when taken into the body it gives the human (or animals) magical abilities.

Since these eggs are then obviously highly coveted, there are powerful mafia style families called Syndikats who rule the dragon egg thieving business. The head leader of a Syndikat is called a Sjef. These Syndikats are: House Kolbeck of Norland, House Dalgaard of Sorland, and House Haugen of Vesland.

House Kolbeck is located in Norland, in the city of Stormglen. It is run by Sjef Torsten Kolbeck and his brother, Kjell. Torsten is father to our MMC, Andor. Norland is the northern continent, is a rainy & mountainous land, and is divided into five peaceful kingdoms. House Kolbeck services each of the kingdoms in the dragon trade.

House Dalgaard is located in Sorland. It is run by three vicious, violent brothers with the leader being Sjef Ruunon, and they are partially controlled by the Kingdom of Sorland. Sorland is the southern continent and is the oldest kingdom in the world.

House Haugen is located in Vesland. In Vesland, the women rule the families. The land of Vesland is ruled by Queen Anahera as is House Haugen. House Haugen is not quite as powerful as the other houses. They control the suen trade in the West. Vesland is the western continent and is a fertile, tropical land.

Esland is the eastern continent. Most of it is ruled by the Saints of Fire, a dragon-worshipping religious cult. They have a convent named The Daughters of Silence where Brynla was sent after her parents died. The Saints of Fire (SOF) believe in a prophecy where the wards will fall and allow the dragons to escape, incinerate the entire world, and ultimately return the world to the dragons. The SOF have been providing sacrificial offerings to the Midlands dragons believing they will be spared death and rule the world at the dragons’ sides. These people are derogatorily called “Soffers.” The SOF have a military force called the Black Guard.

The southernmost third of Esland is what’s known as The Banished Land, a harsh, unforgiving terrain with a desert climate, and is not ruled by the Saints of Fire. Their capital city is called the Dark City. It is located completely underground and its location is hidden from anyone wishing to harm the people in it. The people who live in The Banished Land are truly living free, or Freelanders.

Freelanders are exiles from Esland who live in freedom in the Banished Land.

There is a detailed glossary listing important details. Also, there is a brief history of the dragons at the beginning. These are helpful & I found them more helpful after I read the book. The book is in depth with the world building and its easy to get lost on who is who & what is what. The glossary helped to sort it out in my head.

Happy Reading! ♥☻