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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
if there’s one thing about cassandra clare it’s she will be DESCRIBING
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
I read this book like crazy, amazing read.
adventurous
mysterious
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
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve never experienced a book more desperately in need of a polycule than this…and I believe Cassie could pull it off! My soft spot for Cassandra Clare makes me forgive her for many of the plot and world building errors here. It’s hard to make the jump from YA to adult. It’s hard to escape the world you’ve been exclusively writing in for almost 20 years. There is so much going on to lay the foundation that Cassie’s character work (where she has always shined) falls flat a bit. I will read the next one but there BETTER be more yearning.
This was exactly what I expected it to be — entertaining. That’s the word I kept hearing in reviews, and it really does fit. I found myself wanting to get back to the book every chance I had, which hasn’t happened in a while. Even though not much happens — it’s clearly a setup book — the pacing pulled me in, and I enjoyed the read.
There’s a strong sense of worldbuilding here. It’s not perfect, but there’s real effort behind it. The different cultures are obviously inspired by real-world nations, and while there isn’t much in the way of distinct histories, the setting still feels layered. The magic system is barely introduced, but that seems intentional — like something being saved for later in the series.
The structure was interesting. We follow Kel and Lin in third person, while Prince Conor, despite being central, isn’t given a POV. Instead, we see him entirely through their perspectives. That created some nice tension and let the narrative stay grounded in the experiences of two very different people.
What didn’t work as well for me was the Sarthe situation. If ambassadors exist in this world — and we’re told they do — then diplomacy should be a two-way street. The political move that Sarthe pulls off wouldn’t have worked if Castellane had someone on the other side doing their job. And if they didn’t, I’d have liked some acknowledgment of that. The book also deals heavily with nobility and court intrigue, but the broader political structure is vague — I wanted more clarity there.
The writing was smooth and engaging, and while this is marketed as adult fantasy, it still carried the tone and tropes I remember from Clare’s earlier work — found family, loyalty, secret mansions for training. I haven’t read her books in over a decade, back when they were at their peak popularity, so I’m not sure how her writing has evolved or shifted since. But this didn’t quite feel like a departure into adult fantasy, at least not in terms of emotional depth or maturity. Moments of intimacy are implied, but the overall vibe remains more YA than adult.
That said, I genuinely enjoyed this. The book makes you feel like you know the main characters well, while still leaving room for future development. It’s a strong foundation for a series, and I’m already planning to pick up the next one. Hopefully it’ll bring more plot momentum and a deeper look into the magic, politics, and mysteries that were only hinted at here.
There’s a strong sense of worldbuilding here. It’s not perfect, but there’s real effort behind it. The different cultures are obviously inspired by real-world nations, and while there isn’t much in the way of distinct histories, the setting still feels layered. The magic system is barely introduced, but that seems intentional — like something being saved for later in the series.
The structure was interesting. We follow Kel and Lin in third person, while Prince Conor, despite being central, isn’t given a POV. Instead, we see him entirely through their perspectives. That created some nice tension and let the narrative stay grounded in the experiences of two very different people.
What didn’t work as well for me was the Sarthe situation. If ambassadors exist in this world — and we’re told they do — then diplomacy should be a two-way street. The political move that Sarthe pulls off wouldn’t have worked if Castellane had someone on the other side doing their job. And if they didn’t, I’d have liked some acknowledgment of that. The book also deals heavily with nobility and court intrigue, but the broader political structure is vague — I wanted more clarity there.
The writing was smooth and engaging, and while this is marketed as adult fantasy, it still carried the tone and tropes I remember from Clare’s earlier work — found family, loyalty, secret mansions for training. I haven’t read her books in over a decade, back when they were at their peak popularity, so I’m not sure how her writing has evolved or shifted since. But this didn’t quite feel like a departure into adult fantasy, at least not in terms of emotional depth or maturity. Moments of intimacy are implied, but the overall vibe remains more YA than adult.
That said, I genuinely enjoyed this. The book makes you feel like you know the main characters well, while still leaving room for future development. It’s a strong foundation for a series, and I’m already planning to pick up the next one. Hopefully it’ll bring more plot momentum and a deeper look into the magic, politics, and mysteries that were only hinted at here.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
*4.75 ⭐️
i had never read anything by cassandra claire before this, which is surprising since she’s a very established and loved author, but i jsut didn’t gravitate towards her other books?? and then on iron flame release date i saw this and read george r. r. martins review and saw it was new adult and bought it. and honestly, so glad i did. because i REALLY enjoyed this!!!!
this was exactly what i wanted. the world building was seamless and i felt like i was really there. granted in my brain it looks a bit more cartoony than it probably should but still, i can completely envision this entire city. also, i really liked the characters. i loveeeee kel and loved his pov and cannot wait for the next book to see how his story continues. also loved a lot of the side characters. tho i must add, conor needs to show some goddamn APPRECIATION. kel has quite literally devoted his LIFE and whole entire existence to conor. he is being led to the slaughter, genuinely trained to die, AND THEY ALL ACT LIKE THATS FINE??? and he gets no credit whatsoever. it made me so mad throughout the whole thing like come tf on. and then also i love conor bc kel loves conor and i love kel so i love conor?? but also i feel like conor just doesn’t love kel as much as kel loves conor and just keeps secrets from him and lies to him especially about like lin and also the whole debt thing which yeah everyone has secrets and deserves privacy except it felt like such a betrayal (esp the whole lin and conor thing) because KEL IS LITERALLY LIVING TO PROTECT U AND THEN DIE FOR YOU like at least show a little respect and maybe care more and don’t be such a brat? like i love him but again, come onnnnnn. quite frankly i just want kel to prosper and kick ass and i want to see him be a mastermind and out-do all these hoes in the next book because he deserves all that.
mainly tho, i want to point out how genius this whole plot is? like i saw some people say that the first 100-200 pages are hard to get through but i didn’t feel that way at all? once i hit page 5 i was sucked in because i went in completely blind not knowing a thing and once i saw the premise of the book coming to life i was fascinated. like it’s just so genius to me? two brothers essentially through their bond living in this insane place but riding inevitably towards destruction and suffering because one lives to die for the other. like that’s GENIUS??? and then add on top of that all the world building and magic system coming to life that’s rlly being set up for the next book (so excited) and the side characters and that’s not even mentioning lin’s whole plot like?????? i am obsessed and cannot wait to see where it goes.
anyway that’s all. will be continuing this series. actually such a captivating plot. LOVE (kel)
i had never read anything by cassandra claire before this, which is surprising since she’s a very established and loved author, but i jsut didn’t gravitate towards her other books?? and then on iron flame release date i saw this and read george r. r. martins review and saw it was new adult and bought it. and honestly, so glad i did. because i REALLY enjoyed this!!!!
this was exactly what i wanted. the world building was seamless and i felt like i was really there. granted in my brain it looks a bit more cartoony than it probably should but still, i can completely envision this entire city. also, i really liked the characters. i loveeeee kel and loved his pov and cannot wait for the next book to see how his story continues. also loved a lot of the side characters. tho i must add, conor needs to show some goddamn APPRECIATION. kel has quite literally devoted his LIFE and whole entire existence to conor. he is being led to the slaughter, genuinely trained to die, AND THEY ALL ACT LIKE THATS FINE??? and he gets no credit whatsoever. it made me so mad throughout the whole thing like come tf on. and then also i love conor bc kel loves conor and i love kel so i love conor?? but also i feel like conor just doesn’t love kel as much as kel loves conor and just keeps secrets from him and lies to him especially about like lin and also the whole debt thing which yeah everyone has secrets and deserves privacy except it felt like such a betrayal (esp the whole lin and conor thing) because KEL IS LITERALLY LIVING TO PROTECT U AND THEN DIE FOR YOU like at least show a little respect and maybe care more and don’t be such a brat? like i love him but again, come onnnnnn. quite frankly i just want kel to prosper and kick ass and i want to see him be a mastermind and out-do all these hoes in the next book because he deserves all that.
mainly tho, i want to point out how genius this whole plot is? like i saw some people say that the first 100-200 pages are hard to get through but i didn’t feel that way at all? once i hit page 5 i was sucked in because i went in completely blind not knowing a thing and once i saw the premise of the book coming to life i was fascinated. like it’s just so genius to me? two brothers essentially through their bond living in this insane place but riding inevitably towards destruction and suffering because one lives to die for the other. like that’s GENIUS??? and then add on top of that all the world building and magic system coming to life that’s rlly being set up for the next book (so excited) and the side characters and that’s not even mentioning lin’s whole plot like?????? i am obsessed and cannot wait to see where it goes.
anyway that’s all. will be continuing this series. actually such a captivating plot. LOVE (kel)
adventurous
funny
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:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
this feels like a marriage of my 2 fav fantasy series
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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