A review by thereviewbooth
A Flame in the North by Lilith Saintcrow

adventurous inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed Solveig & Arneior’s characters. Their relationship brimming with fierce loyalty born of their roles to each other and how long they had been together. I would like to know about how the magic system works and especially why Solveig’s magic is so unique – I especially enjoyed her magic’s unique qualities and the way she thinks outside of the box. I like the threads of Norse mythology woven throughout the story and contained elements that I hadn’t seen before. The other characters in the book as supporting characters felt a little flat in comparison. I hope that the Northern wolves and the Elder history is expanded upon a little more in the next book – both appear important to the current storyline.

The pacing in this book was fairly slow & a little bit of a struggle – I feel like it’s a little bit of a hang-up for the first book in epic fantasies though. The traveling/fight/fleeing to different locations seemed to drag on and I feel it could have been shortened in some way. The places that were visited seemed to be mired under all of the traveling.

There are several things that I still have questions swirling around in my brain regarding. I will continue this series, especially with the hope that the second book goes smoother. I absolutely loved the series Strange Angels, also by this author but under Lili St. Crow – it is YA but I remember tearing through the series and it was my main reason for requesting this book. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy slow-paced epic fantasy quests & Norse mythology. I look forward to seeing where the story goes from this book. I would like to thank Orbit Books & Lilith Saintcrow for a gifted copy of this new and promising Norse-inspired epic fantasy to read. All opinions are my own.