A review by whpltab
A Flame of Hurt and Harrow by T.S. Howard

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

The main character of A Flame of Hurt and Harrow is Faron, a seventeen year old boy who has been a part of a criminal guild for five years, since his father and twin sister were killed, and he was blamed for it. To pay for his continued acceptance into the guild, Faron must steal and kill for money. However, the crimes he commits eat at him, and the death of his sister, eat at his will to live. Synick, Faron’s only friend, and the guild master’s favorite apprentice tries to help, lending Faron money, and helping Faron with jobs, but he can only go so far until the Guild master notices. 

When an old friend of Faron’s father asks for Faron specifically, with a job for him, Faron discovers the secrets that his father had been keeping, and that his sister is definitely alive, and most likely trapped. Synick promises to help Faron escape, and keep the guild master from realizing for some time, and Faron escapes.

Along the way, as Faron encounters slavers and other monsters masquerading as people, he realizes that it’s so much easier to commit crimes when he feels like his need is greater than someone else's than when someone else is forcing him to do it. 

This book does a fantastic job of showing how the world isn’t anywhere close to black and white, as Faron must steal and kill others to survive, and to find his sister.

And as the book flashes back to the day Faron’s father was killed, and Hadria was taken, we learn that Faron’s father might not have been who Faron thought he was, and that there is something seriously bad happening to their world that he might have been the cause of.

Faron’s battle with his own consciousness takes up a large part of the book, as he refuses to kill or steal from others for the guild, is forced to steal and kill on the road, and as he gets closer and closer to Hadria, and to the truth of what really happened to his family.