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A review by laurenbrennan
Broken Flames by M.K. Ahearn
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Firstly, I have to say thank you to this author and publishing team for allowing me to review an Advanced Reader Copy!
This is somewhat of a “different” almost 4-star review than I’d usually give, based on the fact that what I received was a copy that isn’t fully edited!
I loved the premise for the book, and I do think that the story points were well thought out. Frankly, the ending was (very pleasantly) unexpected for me, and was headed in a complete different direction than I’d have guessed, which I liked a lot. I’m a sucker for a good plot twist, and the ones in the book actually caught me by surprise! I didn’t find any of them predictable. I also think that for a shorter book, the characters were also surprisingly thoroughly developed. Also, as marketed, it is definitely a SLOW burn.
I’d say that the pacing was a double-edged sword for me. I enjoyed the fact that the whole story was a quick read and that the pacing was fast and exciting, but at the same time there were occasional moments where I might’ve wanted more details or backstory. Also, I think there was an aspect of the writing style that was somewhat of a diversion from my recent “usual.” This author seems like she’s not huge into fluff! She’s gonna stick to the meat and potatoes and provide necessary details and only necessary details. Again, this helped move the plot along, but was not what I was expecting, or similar in style to most of my recent reads.
I’ll definitely give this author another try; I preordered “Lost in Love’s Realm” to read next from her, and I am very excited to see how her writing style translates to short stories, because I think I’ll love it!
Edit April 2024: I’m readjusting some of my reviews (especially with my ARCs) to better reflect differentiation between my reads, and to reflect a more honest picture of my opinions! Changed from 4 stars to 2 stars…I think with this being my first read from a truly debut, self-published, indie author, I had no context of where my standards should be, or how to appropriately and kindly rate the title as a member of an ARC team.
This is somewhat of a “different” almost 4-star review than I’d usually give, based on the fact that what I received was a copy that isn’t fully edited!
I loved the premise for the book, and I do think that the story points were well thought out. Frankly, the ending was (very pleasantly) unexpected for me, and was headed in a complete different direction than I’d have guessed, which I liked a lot. I’m a sucker for a good plot twist, and the ones in the book actually caught me by surprise! I didn’t find any of them predictable. I also think that for a shorter book, the characters were also surprisingly thoroughly developed. Also, as marketed, it is definitely a SLOW burn.
I’d say that the pacing was a double-edged sword for me. I enjoyed the fact that the whole story was a quick read and that the pacing was fast and exciting, but at the same time there were occasional moments where I might’ve wanted more details or backstory. Also, I think there was an aspect of the writing style that was somewhat of a diversion from my recent “usual.” This author seems like she’s not huge into fluff! She’s gonna stick to the meat and potatoes and provide necessary details and only necessary details. Again, this helped move the plot along, but was not what I was expecting, or similar in style to most of my recent reads.
I’ll definitely give this author another try; I preordered “Lost in Love’s Realm” to read next from her, and I am very excited to see how her writing style translates to short stories, because I think I’ll love it!
Edit April 2024: I’m readjusting some of my reviews (especially with my ARCs) to better reflect differentiation between my reads, and to reflect a more honest picture of my opinions! Changed from 4 stars to 2 stars…I think with this being my first read from a truly debut, self-published, indie author, I had no context of where my standards should be, or how to appropriately and kindly rate the title as a member of an ARC team.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault