A review by linzvonchillinstein
To Flame a Wild Flower by Sarah A. Parker

adventurous 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Book 3 was such a good balance of getting some answers while still drawing out the mystery.

I still get frustrated sometimes with Orlaith or Rhordyn refusing time and again to ask the questions they want to ask, but felt that mooost of the time we had enough insight into how their experiences and trauma have bred a deep enough level of distrust to warp their worldview and prevent them from communicating. It made it almost as satisfying to have Orlaith willing to just ASK questions of Rhordyn as it was to hear him give her direct answers.

I also really appreciated getting answers without unrealistic info dumps. Such an amazing balance of clues hidden in plain sight and pieces of flashbacks.

Seeing Rhordyn ask Orlaith to serve him food; hearing Orlaith talk time and again about how any food or water handed to her by Rhordyn was so delicious; and even in book 1, the knowing glances between Zali and Blaze when Orlaith is moaning over a bread roll he hands her was so much more gratifying and telling than a long-winded discussion about mating rituals and food.

Showing not telling always makes me feel like the author trusts their readers. As an added bonus it makes me feel certain I’ll pick up on more in a re-read.

Which isn’t to say there wasn’t ANY clunky exposition (

Cainon in the barrow with Baze

) but imho it’s hard not to have a little bit of that in a fantasy world. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book where an author walked that line so well for so long.

The Baze revenge subplot was great, loved seeing more of him and getting a better understanding of where he’s at. Wanted more Kai and Vicious in this book, can’t wait for that reunion in book 4. 

I have so many new questions:

What’s the deal between High Septum and Cainon? Is Vicious the beast guarding the Island? Is Madame Strings an actual person or just a persona played by different people? Is Rhordyn Bjorn? Is Orlaith going to shift into the beast she keeps seeing? How old is Zali, and what’s her backstory? What is the recipe for these honey buns we hear about every two chapters?

 

I read somewhere that there is a discord server for fans of this series. If you are reading this and you are in that discord, dm me pls. I want in.