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3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First things first if you say the word “dragon” you have my attention and this book definitely delivers the dragon. That means bonus points but not an automatic pass because at this point I’ve (finally) learned that dragon air mileage varies greatly. I’m still trying to decide exactly where this landed, so I’m throwing it in 3-star for now.
Kingdom of Flames and Flowers is book 1 in a duology? Trilogy? Not sure. But set your expectations accordingly because it absolutely ends on a cliffhanger. (I handle those badly even when I know they’re coming. That’s on me.)
Since this is an incomplete story, I’ll allow room for the usual “random mentions that will evolve into plot threads in later instalments”, general unresolved plot threads, and characters not reaching their full potential (yet).
The story starts out with some Hunger Games-esque vibes where girls and boys from various districts (of varying wealth) are taken from their homes every couple of years. Something sinister is up with it, of course, but the boys seem to get the better deal. The girls get thrown into a fairly familiar “contest for position” scenario. MC Mari is a poor girl from the poorest district.
And if that had been all, I’d have been out, but I’m happy to report that there’s a lot more to it and the “contest” gets sidelined in favour of exploring more of what is REALLY going on: the fact that the kingdom is walled and domed in, and also under some kind of curse involving a dragon. (Hello dragon!)
Mari is a street-smart girl and she figures out that something’s up fairly soon, but she’s also a little naive and in some ways just… not very smart. There were moments where she had good instincts, dragged down a little by the moments where I was waiting for her to put 2 and 2 together. And waiting. And then waiting some more. It felt a little dragged out at times as if to build tension or to work towards a twist while she figured things out, but that didn’t quite land because the twists involved were not that surprising and the overall story would have been fine without dragging it out.
In any case, Mari sets out on a mission to investigate and save the kingdom from its curse, and she’s determined not to let the limitations of her background get in the way. This forces her to lean on other characters at times and her options are a little limited.
There’s a king who seems to know what’s what, but he’s jaded and possibly scared. He does something I hate in fiction, which is to blather on mysteriously and wander off (more than once), leaving Mari with more questions than answers and leaving me just generally frustrated. If you only have five minutes, the least you can do is talk straight. (This too felt like it dragged things out unnecessarily.)
There’s also the thing about the dragon and the prince. Which I won’t spoiler here but I expect it won’t take readers all that long to figure it out. Which is also why it grated a little that Mari took a while to connect the dots. There’s two parts to it and the first one especially should have clicked for her. The second one… benefit of the doubt.
In any case, the LI also proves to be unhelpful, kind of wishy-washy and/or dense, and honestly… a bit of a dick. There are some possible reasons for that in the narrative and there’s a good chance it will improve in the next book, but with where things are left at the end I’m not convinced this is something I should be rooting for (yet). I’ll allow room for improvement on character there.
Then there’s the other “flowers” / contestants, who had potential but didn’t get much chance to shine. Some are helpful, some are not, and some do a complete 180 near the end which may or may not be explained later.
Mari looks for answers despite almost everyone being either unhelpful or actively against her, and she does manage to make progress. Occasionally people actually help her a little and we learn more about the mysterious curse and the world in general. By the end of the book, she’s more resolved than ever.
There is a lot of potential here, and despite a few things I find personally grating in fiction, there was enough in the storytelling to keep me going. I guess I like a leading lady who stumbles her way through rather than kicks ass all the way. Sue me.
And the world-building, once it moves past the contest trope, genuinely interested me. There’s more to the dragon-curse, the world is a lot bigger than we get to see, and I’d like to see where it goes. I’ll definitely read on to find out. I’ll probably reconsider some of my thoughts above once I do, because judging what is effectively only part of a narrative feels a little weird.
If you like your fantasy with a healthy dose of dragon and a dash of (possible) romance with spice, give this one a chance and see where the dragon miles take you.
First things first if you say the word “dragon” you have my attention and this book definitely delivers the dragon. That means bonus points but not an automatic pass because at this point I’ve (finally) learned that dragon air mileage varies greatly. I’m still trying to decide exactly where this landed, so I’m throwing it in 3-star for now.
Kingdom of Flames and Flowers is book 1 in a duology? Trilogy? Not sure. But set your expectations accordingly because it absolutely ends on a cliffhanger. (I handle those badly even when I know they’re coming. That’s on me.)
Since this is an incomplete story, I’ll allow room for the usual “random mentions that will evolve into plot threads in later instalments”, general unresolved plot threads, and characters not reaching their full potential (yet).
The story starts out with some Hunger Games-esque vibes where girls and boys from various districts (of varying wealth) are taken from their homes every couple of years. Something sinister is up with it, of course, but the boys seem to get the better deal. The girls get thrown into a fairly familiar “contest for position” scenario. MC Mari is a poor girl from the poorest district.
And if that had been all, I’d have been out, but I’m happy to report that there’s a lot more to it and the “contest” gets sidelined in favour of exploring more of what is REALLY going on: the fact that the kingdom is walled and domed in, and also under some kind of curse involving a dragon. (Hello dragon!)
Mari is a street-smart girl and she figures out that something’s up fairly soon, but she’s also a little naive and in some ways just… not very smart. There were moments where she had good instincts, dragged down a little by the moments where I was waiting for her to put 2 and 2 together. And waiting. And then waiting some more. It felt a little dragged out at times as if to build tension or to work towards a twist while she figured things out, but that didn’t quite land because the twists involved were not that surprising and the overall story would have been fine without dragging it out.
In any case, Mari sets out on a mission to investigate and save the kingdom from its curse, and she’s determined not to let the limitations of her background get in the way. This forces her to lean on other characters at times and her options are a little limited.
There’s a king who seems to know what’s what, but he’s jaded and possibly scared. He does something I hate in fiction, which is to blather on mysteriously and wander off (more than once), leaving Mari with more questions than answers and leaving me just generally frustrated. If you only have five minutes, the least you can do is talk straight. (This too felt like it dragged things out unnecessarily.)
There’s also the thing about the dragon and the prince. Which I won’t spoiler here but I expect it won’t take readers all that long to figure it out. Which is also why it grated a little that Mari took a while to connect the dots. There’s two parts to it and the first one especially should have clicked for her. The second one… benefit of the doubt.
In any case, the LI also proves to be unhelpful, kind of wishy-washy and/or dense, and honestly… a bit of a dick. There are some possible reasons for that in the narrative and there’s a good chance it will improve in the next book, but with where things are left at the end I’m not convinced this is something I should be rooting for (yet). I’ll allow room for improvement on character there.
Then there’s the other “flowers” / contestants, who had potential but didn’t get much chance to shine. Some are helpful, some are not, and some do a complete 180 near the end which may or may not be explained later.
Mari looks for answers despite almost everyone being either unhelpful or actively against her, and she does manage to make progress. Occasionally people actually help her a little and we learn more about the mysterious curse and the world in general. By the end of the book, she’s more resolved than ever.
There is a lot of potential here, and despite a few things I find personally grating in fiction, there was enough in the storytelling to keep me going. I guess I like a leading lady who stumbles her way through rather than kicks ass all the way. Sue me.
And the world-building, once it moves past the contest trope, genuinely interested me. There’s more to the dragon-curse, the world is a lot bigger than we get to see, and I’d like to see where it goes. I’ll definitely read on to find out. I’ll probably reconsider some of my thoughts above once I do, because judging what is effectively only part of a narrative feels a little weird.
If you like your fantasy with a healthy dose of dragon and a dash of (possible) romance with spice, give this one a chance and see where the dragon miles take you.
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
No
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Went looking for a quick and fun read and decided to check this book out. I want to fight the author's editor. The plot itself is nothing new but had so much potential to be fun. However, the writing is absolutely rubbish and had me shaking my head numerous times.
Wow, what a fun and exhilarating read!
Storm has a very easy writing style that allows you to relax and really dive into the world she's created. Kingdom of Flames and Flowers had some similarities to the districts and trials of the Hunger Games but made better with dragons and curses. While reading you're constantly asking yourself what you're missing and trying to piece together the puzzle with the FMC, Mari. She is likeable, brave, preceptive, and willing to question what has always been.
I highly recommend this to NA readers who want a nostalgic taste of the books we read as a teen but upgraded to fit our maturity. There was suspense, mystery, romance, and betrayal. It was paced well and had several plot twists. Overall, just a fun, refreshing read that left you on a cliffhanger wanting more.
There was cursing, a couple of explicit intimate scenes, and death. Additional TW were offered at the beginning of the book and right before they happen in the chapter.
I received this title in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Raven Storm for the opportunity, it was such a pleasure!
Storm has a very easy writing style that allows you to relax and really dive into the world she's created. Kingdom of Flames and Flowers had some similarities to the districts and trials of the Hunger Games but made better with dragons and curses. While reading you're constantly asking yourself what you're missing and trying to piece together the puzzle with the FMC, Mari. She is likeable, brave, preceptive, and willing to question what has always been.
I highly recommend this to NA readers who want a nostalgic taste of the books we read as a teen but upgraded to fit our maturity. There was suspense, mystery, romance, and betrayal. It was paced well and had several plot twists. Overall, just a fun, refreshing read that left you on a cliffhanger wanting more.
There was cursing, a couple of explicit intimate scenes, and death. Additional TW were offered at the beginning of the book and right before they happen in the chapter.
I received this title in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Raven Storm for the opportunity, it was such a pleasure!
I didn’t realise this is a reverse harem book. This style of book just isn’t for me unfortunately.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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:
No
Dnf'd at 70%. Writing was haphazard and mediocre and I hadn't realized it was a mfm.
2,75
Igrzyska Śmierci i Rywalki połączone w jedno, ale w gorszym wykonaniu. Wszystko pośpieszone, plot twisty bardzo przewidywalne. Raczej spróbuję przeczytać następną część.
Igrzyska Śmierci i Rywalki połączone w jedno, ale w gorszym wykonaniu. Wszystko pośpieszone, plot twisty bardzo przewidywalne. Raczej spróbuję przeczytać następną część.
One of those books where you turn off your brain and just enjoy the ride.