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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
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
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
Thorns and Fire by Helen Scheuerer
Started: 28th July 2025
Finished: 10th August 2025
5/5 🐻🗡🐻🗡🐻
"You're mine to protect-"
Fury flashed as Wren protested. "I'm not-"
"No matter what happened between us..." Torj had to get the words out, had to let her know. "You'll always be mine to protect."
Goodness, this was an emotional ride; something Helen has perfected, with the way she masterfully manipulates the heartstrings.
"You're always safe with me," he told her.
"It feels that way," she admitted, keeping her arm linked through his and guiding him away from the building. "But I'm not sure that's always the case.
The Warsword nodded sadly. "I've let you down in the past.'
"I know you'd never let anything happen to me." She hadn't been talking about her physical safety, anyway; she'd been talking about her heart- bruised and broken by his words."
Thorns and Fire had me:
- eagerly and anxiously on the edge of my seat, awaiting reconciliation
- laughing and kicking my feet at the antics of the group, Kipp in particular
- squealing with delight as Torj and Wren found their way back to one another
- hot and bothered as they continued to find their way back to one another
- screaming at the way they had to keep sacrificing themselves for the Midrealms
- crying because having my heart broken on the way to the hea is Helen's MO
- and left with hope for the love that Torj and Wren share and that they're finally ready to accept and fight for and claim!
"And what is it about these smaller moments?"
"They're what make the infinity bearable. Wren, I..." She heard him swallow, hard. The vulnerability in his voice made her want to turn and look at him, but she was afraid of what she might see in his eyes- or what he might see in hers. "The moments with you, anyway," he went on. "With you, every second feels important."
The emotional anguish and the journey of self and reflection for both Torj and Wren, individually and as a couple, was such an exquisite arc and I'm so grateful Helen is a powerhouse and will be releasing book 3 later this year because I need more of the Midrealms!
"If you were my wife," Torj said, his voice low and rough, "I wouldn't let you go. So that's what I'm doing."
And a special side note for all the Thea and Wilder snippets throughout because I have missed them!
"You're forgetting I'm in love with an Embervale sister too," Wilder said, "If I recall, Wren didn't ask for your protection. In fact, she flat out refused it."
"That's not the point.'
"No, it's not. But tell me, did you take a choice from her? Did you decide on her behalf?"
"I...
"I'll take that as a yes." Wilder shook his head. "You idiot."
Torj folded his arms. "I don't remember you being fucking perfect with Thea during the war years.
Wilder barked a laugh. "That's why I thought you might have learned a thing or two from my mistakes."
"Think again," Torj muttered bitterly.
"Torj, you were the one who told me to be strong for Thea when she was about to walk into the Great Rite..."
"And I listened to you as Wren partook in the Gauntlet. I let her-"
"You don't let an Embervale sister do anything, Torj," Wilder said gently.
Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to be an ARC reader for Thorns and Fire! 🔥
Started: 28th July 2025
Finished: 10th August 2025
5/5 🐻🗡🐻🗡🐻
"You're mine to protect-"
Fury flashed as Wren protested. "I'm not-"
"No matter what happened between us..." Torj had to get the words out, had to let her know. "You'll always be mine to protect."
Goodness, this was an emotional ride; something Helen has perfected, with the way she masterfully manipulates the heartstrings.
"You're always safe with me," he told her.
"It feels that way," she admitted, keeping her arm linked through his and guiding him away from the building. "But I'm not sure that's always the case.
The Warsword nodded sadly. "I've let you down in the past.'
"I know you'd never let anything happen to me." She hadn't been talking about her physical safety, anyway; she'd been talking about her heart- bruised and broken by his words."
Thorns and Fire had me:
- eagerly and anxiously on the edge of my seat, awaiting reconciliation
- laughing and kicking my feet at the antics of the group, Kipp in particular
- squealing with delight as Torj and Wren found their way back to one another
- hot and bothered as they continued to find their way back to one another
- screaming at the way they had to keep sacrificing themselves for the Midrealms
- crying because having my heart broken on the way to the hea is Helen's MO
- and left with hope for the love that Torj and Wren share and that they're finally ready to accept and fight for and claim!
"And what is it about these smaller moments?"
"They're what make the infinity bearable. Wren, I..." She heard him swallow, hard. The vulnerability in his voice made her want to turn and look at him, but she was afraid of what she might see in his eyes- or what he might see in hers. "The moments with you, anyway," he went on. "With you, every second feels important."
The emotional anguish and the journey of self and reflection for both Torj and Wren, individually and as a couple, was such an exquisite arc and I'm so grateful Helen is a powerhouse and will be releasing book 3 later this year because I need more of the Midrealms!
"If you were my wife," Torj said, his voice low and rough, "I wouldn't let you go. So that's what I'm doing."
And a special side note for all the Thea and Wilder snippets throughout because I have missed them!
"You're forgetting I'm in love with an Embervale sister too," Wilder said, "If I recall, Wren didn't ask for your protection. In fact, she flat out refused it."
"That's not the point.'
"No, it's not. But tell me, did you take a choice from her? Did you decide on her behalf?"
"I...
"I'll take that as a yes." Wilder shook his head. "You idiot."
Torj folded his arms. "I don't remember you being fucking perfect with Thea during the war years.
Wilder barked a laugh. "That's why I thought you might have learned a thing or two from my mistakes."
"Think again," Torj muttered bitterly.
"Torj, you were the one who told me to be strong for Thea when she was about to walk into the Great Rite..."
"And I listened to you as Wren partook in the Gauntlet. I let her-"
"You don't let an Embervale sister do anything, Torj," Wilder said gently.
Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to be an ARC reader for Thorns and Fire! 🔥
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
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:
Yes
I needed this! It feels so good to be back in the world of Thezmarr around these characters I love! And we pick up right where Iron & Embers left us all begging for more!
Helen Scheuerer continues to solidify why she is an auto-buy author for me. Her writing is just infectious and doesn't miss a beat for me. Legends of Thezmarr was a series I fell in love with quickly and I love being able to dive deeper into the Thezmarr lore with this Ashes of Thezmarr and all of my favorite characters.
Wren and Torj just go together so well! And their dynamics have such a good balance written in them. My boy Kipp though! He had a ton of great, funny lines in this one along with some great moments. It's great to see him and Cal still showing up and bolstering their love and support for Wren. Thea and Wilder have an expanded role as well in here so it was great to see them back as well!!
And Helen...that ending though. We need to talk haha I'm so glad I don't have to wait long for the next book to come out! I am so excited to see where our journey is taking us in this amazing series.
Helen Scheuerer continues to solidify why she is an auto-buy author for me. Her writing is just infectious and doesn't miss a beat for me. Legends of Thezmarr was a series I fell in love with quickly and I love being able to dive deeper into the Thezmarr lore with this Ashes of Thezmarr and all of my favorite characters.
Wren and Torj just go together so well! And their dynamics have such a good balance written in them. My boy Kipp though! He had a ton of great, funny lines in this one along with some great moments. It's great to see him and Cal still showing up and bolstering their love and support for Wren. Thea and Wilder have an expanded role as well in here so it was great to see them back as well!!
And Helen...that ending though. We need to talk haha I'm so glad I don't have to wait long for the next book to come out! I am so excited to see where our journey is taking us in this amazing series.