A review by littleredmacks
The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

adventurous mysterious tense medium-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

3.25

There are lots of things to like about this book: the unique magic system, the corrupt powers that control it, hidden magic systems being rediscovered, new magical monsters coming to light, but I didn't feel like the main characters were one of the things I loved about this book. It had some really strong side characters that I cared about much more than the main characters. I found myself rolling my eyes quite frequently at the two main characters interactions because they went from enemies to pining after each other so quickly with little to no evident change in behavior.