Reviews

Flames of Gold by Liz Delton

seeknewlife's review

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

secre's review

adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

Flames of Gold is an epic fantasy novel that shines. It's got the characters, the world and the narrative. It's got a tightly woven plot that stays together throughout. It's got a set of characters who come to life on the page in front of you. And the world is well built, with magic woven into every atom. And there's a romance, even if it isn't fully realised... we all know where this is heading. Much to my liking, it's a sub-plot rather than taking over the narrative.

We meet Fig pulled from a business meeting to the King. Prince Devryn, running from the coup that killed his father. And a dragonet, unknowingly bonded. Or at least, those are our central characters. One of the things I didn't like was how new characters were introduced; they got a point of view chapter and then were just amalgamated. Sometimes it was jarring, other times you wanted more from the character...

However, this excels in different ways. I fell in love with the characters, particularly Fig; she's both fragile and strong. She's also a headstrong idiot and I can empathise. The narrative is strong, although it's mostly our characters fleeing from the mayhem they have created. But there's more than a hint of a far larger narrative here and colour me intrigued. And the world building? That is excellent. You are missing a lot of details, but you can't help but imagine the world in your mind.

All in all, this is a strong novel. It didn't wow me, but it more than intrigued me. And I'm interested to see what happens next. 

wanderingsoulak's review against another edition

5.0

This book was just outstanding in all the best ways. We meet Fairaleigh, Fig as she chooses to be called, making a living as a mage out on her own away from the castle. She is met with a silversword demanding she meet with the king, who turns out to be her best childhood friend Dev. Now, the adventure is basically from page one, and the book was difficult to put down as I needed to see what happened next. We met a dragonette in the golden woods along with dwarves, and the author did a wonderful job describing the way the magic in this world worked and how the people interacted with it. The tension was palpable at many points in the book, as the three friends continued to try to get to a safe destination. They gather new friends along the way and yet still never know whom to trust. The hits just keep coming in the last half of the book and shocked me with the revelations. I'm excited to see what happens next and am only disappointed that I must wait.

"Stupid will get you killed. If you want to get things done, be bold. Being bold means you can ask for help and still get on with your plans.”

divya_reader's review against another edition

4.0

This was an interesting fantasy adventure that follows Fig as she tries to help prince Dev regain his throne. The story and characters are nicely done.

kmartbooks's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

This is an exciting, fast-paced start to an epic fantasy series that hooked me from the start. Right away, I fell in love with the characters, especially Fig and Mairead. And let’s not forget about the adorable dragonet. He is delightful.

There’s rarely a dull moment. It’s action-packed, full of twists and surprises. I was genuinely surprised by many of the plot twists, which kept the stakes high and the tension strong. One thing that really stood out to me was the unique lore. The silverswords and the sisters were such fascinating and well-thought-out elements of the world. 

Overall, Flames of Gold was an incredibly fun read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast-paced fantasy with unique magic systems, strong characters, and lots of action. 

stacey_unchecked's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

A 5 ⭐ read! 
I loved the big epic journey that Fig takes us on. First, I love her as a character and second, I absolutely adored all the other characters just as much! Emrah is a wonderful dragonet and I think Fang and the dryads were written so well. 
Super cool magic system (elemental) and I think the way we watched Fig come to respect her magic was excellent. 
I'm really excited for the second book of this series. Liz writes a great epic fantasy tale!

lara_lucretia's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

After the King is killed in a coup, Dev his son is on the run to gain allies. With him is a Silversword, Vaelor and a fire mage, Fig. On their journey, they find unlikely friends and help from different magical beings/races. There's also a lot of trouble and of course, they're being chased.

I love, love, love Emrah! He's the cutest magical companion/familiar I've ever read about 😍 
The sassiness mixed with his courage made him my favorite member of this motley crew. 

That there are Dryads in this book made it even better. I really love reading about them and they seldomly play a bigger part in most fantasy stories, but here you encounter Fenra, Vilvan, El (Fenra's brother) and some others from their gathering. They're great side characters with a lot of potential and I enjoyed their storylines a lot. 

My favorite part was the final battle and the revelations during these chapters. I was actually surprised when I thought I already knew everything and the author dropped the bomb. 

This is a great epic fantasy story with a little romance on the side😊

nenacall's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0

The Kings of Tytan have been silverswords for centuries and keep the mages under their control at Carriage House, where they undergo everlasting training.

Prince Devryn (Dev) now King Devryn and his silversword protector, Vaelor are on the run the enclave of silverswords just killed his father the King, and attempted to kill him. He turns to his old friend  Fairlaeigh (Fig) for help, she's a fire mage who left the Carriage House 2 years prior. The adventure begins as they plot how to retrieve Dev's throne after the silverswords took it and seated one of their own.

The world-building is legendary, peopled with dwarves, dryads, mages, knights, and the thought to be a myth dragonet. The landscape is in vivid detail from the golden forest to swampland. The action is non-stop, it's as if Murphy's Law has been enacted. They collect friends and enemies along the way, one will betray them and there is a shocking twist to be revealed.

My favorite part of the story aside from the spark finally igniting for a certain couple is the trip to Vaelor's old home and making peace with his grandmother.

This is what an Epic story should be, great job Liz Delton.