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pointeshoebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Simply beautiful. So much LGBT+ representation. Especially for my fellow ace community members. Also no one told me there were pirates!! (You think I would have put two and two together when I first looked at Fairyloot's alternate cover, but alas I did not). Lastly, Alix . . . sweet baby child . . . did any one else smash together Aang (ATLA) and Al (Fullmetal Alchemost) in their head when imagining him? Or was it just me?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Grief, Death, War, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ctara2123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed this! But it felt like it went a bit too fast. I think it would have benefited greatly from more fleshing out of literally all of the characters’ backstories and relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
Moderate: Torture and Gun violence
Minor: Death and War
jasper_is_atypical's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Violence, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: Classism, Death, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
binches's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed this book so much.
It had pirates, runes, automatons, and a world inspired by Ancient Greece. The rich worldbuilding also hints at an even bigger picture with so many different and diverse cultures (though this book mainly stays and focuses on the islands the protagonists grew up on).
What I loved the most about this book (besides the very casual queer representation, we have an ace protagonist, a non-binary side character, and an mlm couple) is that it didn't waste time on unnecessary drama. There are no frustrating fights over whether or not
The conflict that DOES happen eventually has such a significant impact because we had a good build-up for the character's relationships. It feels meaningful because the book didn't dwell on minor conflicts prior.
What hindered me from rating this book 'exceptional' instead of 'very good' is that every now and then the prose left me confused about the logistics of the current situation. There were moments when I didn't know where exactly the characters were or who was saying what.
Apart from that, this has become one of my favorite books that I had so much fun with and that I would recommend to everyone who wants to read about ace girls hanging out with pirates and befriending automatons.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Gun violence and War
the_books_music_life's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I didn't know this book had pirates and open sea adventures!! I love pirate stories/elements.
I was a little wary going into this book since it’s a standalone fantasy/syfy. With most standalone fantasies you get one of two things; a lot of info dumping in the very beginning or you don’t get enough and you’re left confused. You didn’t get a whole lot of info dumping, you got bits and pieces of the history and the world without it overwhelming you. That being said I was a bit confused at the beginning and later on since we didn’t get a whole lot of information but it was cleared up not long after.
I was pleasantly surprised how the author made use of two of the characters pronouns. I have yet to read a book that referenced or made note of it. I also think there was a hint of asexuality rep but it was just a tiny sliver that I'm unsure if it really was there.
I don't have strong feelings for this book. I enjoyed it and liked many aspects of it but it was just okay for me. It might have something to do with the audiobook, I wasn't the biggest fan of the narrators. Or maybe it's because it's syfy and I'm not the greatest fan of it.
Overall this book had a good plot and was fast paced without leaving the reader in the dust. Some of the characters had a good amount of growing as the book progressed.
The ending was ambiguous enough that you can make up what you think/want to happen next, while also giving the story that ending it needs to be a standalone.
I was a little wary going into this book since it’s a standalone fantasy/syfy. With most standalone fantasies you get one of two things; a lot of info dumping in the very beginning or you don’t get enough and you’re left confused. You didn’t get a whole lot of info dumping, you got bits and pieces of the history and the world without it overwhelming you. That being said I was a bit confused at the beginning and later on since we didn’t get a whole lot of information but it was cleared up not long after.
I was pleasantly surprised how the author made use of two of the characters pronouns. I have yet to read a book that referenced or made note of it. I also think there was a hint of asexuality rep but it was just a tiny sliver that I'm unsure if it really was there.
I don't have strong feelings for this book. I enjoyed it and liked many aspects of it but it was just okay for me. It might have something to do with the audiobook, I wasn't the biggest fan of the narrators. Or maybe it's because it's syfy and I'm not the greatest fan of it.
Overall this book had a good plot and was fast paced without leaving the reader in the dust. Some of the characters had a good amount of growing as the book progressed.
The ending was ambiguous enough that you can make up what you think/want to happen next, while also giving the story that ending it needs to be a standalone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, and Slavery
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Physical abuse
Minor: Torture and War
sssssoup's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
I went into this expecting a typical fantasy book with a straight romance subplot but I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t. The cast was diverse and well written; the character were interesting and while Karis started off as a sort of not-like-other-girls type, but by the end she had changed. The found family trope was pretty well done, though I wish we’d gotten to see more of the side characters. I also really appreciated the aromantic/asexual rep with Karis. I’ve never seen a book protagonist with that identity, and it was really nice to read something with a character like that.
The plot wasn’t the most original, but it was well written and done in a new way. The world building was very strong and I could tell the author spent a lot of time on it.
The whole thing felt very different from a lot of young adult fantasy, and it was refreshing to see something unique. It definitely brought something new to YA and I hope to see more stories like this in the future.
The plot wasn’t the most original, but it was well written and done in a new way. The world building was very strong and I could tell the author spent a lot of time on it.
The whole thing felt very different from a lot of young adult fantasy, and it was refreshing to see something unique. It definitely brought something new to YA and I hope to see more stories like this in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Torture
cameronreads's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.25
I really loved this book - much more than I thought I would. I adored all of the characters and was so invested in their stories. Alix especially was a wonderful main character and it was so interesting to explore what humanity was through his eyes. I loved the representation in this as well, across every spectrum. I can only own voices review the non-binary rep - I loved how straight forward it was and how after brief confusion, it was just accepted - and the asexual part of the aroace rep - which was so wonderfully done and addressed fears and thoughts that I have exactly had, but remained hopeful and happy. The relationship between the two main characters developed and grew so nicely, and both of the side romances had me obsessed (although I wished we had seen a touch more of both of them, but that's personal preference.)
I loved the plot and the magic system, and I felt both were really unique. I loved the pirate aspect and how even though there were actual robots it felt very historical. The pacing was done really nicely as well, in my opinion, and there was never a dull moment.
The only thing I had a slight issue with was the consistent and repetative self-blaming. Everyone constantly believing everything was their fault and having very similar internal monologues over and over does get a bit tiresome. But in a way it did make the characters' eventual acceptance of themselves even more satisfying. Really, though I could have done without it.
In the end, I really enjoyed this book, and had so much fun with it.
I loved the plot and the magic system, and I felt both were really unique. I loved the pirate aspect and how even though there were actual robots it felt very historical. The pacing was done really nicely as well, in my opinion, and there was never a dull moment.
The only thing I had a slight issue with was the consistent and repetative self-blaming. Everyone constantly believing everything was their fault and having very similar internal monologues over and over does get a bit tiresome. But in a way it did make the characters' eventual acceptance of themselves even more satisfying. Really, though I could have done without it.
In the end, I really enjoyed this book, and had so much fun with it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Gun violence, and Torture
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a fun and adventurous fantasy with pirates, androids (?), and ace rep! I enjoyed the story, but there wasn't a lot that really stood out to me about it. I wish that the character development was a little more in depth and that I could have learned more backstory about them. I liked some of the side characters better than the main characters and wished they were in it more. But definitely a fun story!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Slavery, Violence, Gun violence, Torture, Death of parent, and Ableism
sophiesmallhands's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This Golden Flame was one of my most anticipated debuts this year and I wasn’t disappointed. The story and plotting hits the ground running; Emily does a fantastic job of orienting the reader very quickly regarding the world we are reading about, who our main protagonist is and her motivations. The enter Alix, a sentient automaton who is a total cinnamon-roll (I have no shame in admitting this is my most favourite type of character!).
As with a few other of my reads for pride month, the world in this book is queer-normative. Karis is asexual, and there are a variety of other queer and non-binary characters. Not to mention a sight-impaired character.
I only wish there was a sequel! The world Emily has created is so rich with many countries mentioned in passing. There was a lot of build-up and then so suddenly it felt like the story had ended; I would love some more exploration and fleshing out of this world in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Torture
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