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kimwritesstuff 's review for:
Fear the Flames
by Olivia Rose Darling
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I liked this book, but I had some issues with the plot and understanding of the magic system. I felt like this book could have been better if there was like maybe 25 pages more of background information describing the magic system. There were also several instances where a chapter would end and suddenly at the start of the next chapter, the characters would be somewhere new. There weren't enough transitional scenes.
Elowen is a very strong female main character which I appreciate, and she has appropriate responses to very severe childhood trauma. She has panic and anxiety attacks, which are written with care and the character isn't seen as less then because of it. I hate when a fantasy character has been through years of abuse and is fine because they're "strong". That's not a great message for anyone. Honestly, I loved all the characters in this book. I loved that Cayden was a mean cinnamon roll and Finnian was Elowen's brother in all but blood. I also thought the character motivations all made sense, even the twist in the end was well plotted.
The story progression does make sense, we start with Elowen and Finnian in a kingdom they created. When her and Finnian are on a spy mission in a neighboring village, Elowen meets Cayden for the first time. She finds out that Cayden want's the lost princess for an alliance. Of course, it turns out that he also wants to help her get her dragons back and maybe get in her pants along the way. I liked the slow burn, touch her and die romance. I wouldn't really call this enemies to lovers though.
Other than the lack of explanation of the magic system and the pacing issues, I liked this book and I'm excited to see when the next one comes out.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Delacorte Press for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.
Elowen is a very strong female main character which I appreciate, and she has appropriate responses to very severe childhood trauma. She has panic and anxiety attacks, which are written with care and the character isn't seen as less then because of it. I hate when a fantasy character has been through years of abuse and is fine because they're "strong". That's not a great message for anyone. Honestly, I loved all the characters in this book. I loved that Cayden was a mean cinnamon roll and Finnian was Elowen's brother in all but blood. I also thought the character motivations all made sense, even the twist in the end was well plotted.
The story progression does make sense, we start with Elowen and Finnian in a kingdom they created. When her and Finnian are on a spy mission in a neighboring village, Elowen meets Cayden for the first time. She finds out that Cayden want's the lost princess for an alliance. Of course, it turns out that he also wants to help her get her dragons back and maybe get in her pants along the way. I liked the slow burn, touch her and die romance. I wouldn't really call this enemies to lovers though.
Other than the lack of explanation of the magic system and the pacing issues, I liked this book and I'm excited to see when the next one comes out.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Delacorte Press for the advanced copy, all opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault