As a child, Elowen Atarah was ripped away from her dragons and imprisoned by her father, King Garrick of Imirath. Years later, Elowen is now a woman determined to free her dragons. Having established a secret kingdom of her own called Aestilian, she’s ready to do what’s necessary to save her people and seek vengeance. Even if that means having to align herself with the Commander of Vareveth, Cayden Veles, the most feared and dangerous man in all the kingdoms of Ravaryn.
Cayden is ruthless, lethal, and secretive, promising to help Elowen if she will stand with him and all of Vareveth in the pending war against Imirath. Despite their contrasting motives, Elowen can’t ignore their undeniable attraction as they combine their efforts and plot to infiltrate the impenetrable castle of Imirath to steal back her dragons and seek revenge on their common enemy.
As the world tries to keep them apart, the pull between Elowen and Cayden becomes impossible to resist. Working together with their crew over clandestine schemes, the threat of war looms, making the imminent heist to free her dragons their most dangerous adventure yet. But for Elowen, her vengeance is a promise signed in blood, and she’ll stop at nothing to see that promise through.
Genre: fantasy
Publication date: October 2023
Mature content: yes
Review: I absolutely loved the first part of this book. It's interesting, fast paced, and the tension between Cayden and Elowen is off the charts.
But then a series of small details stated piling up. First, in some parts the plot slowed down considerably, making the book feel longer than it really is. Second, some details are just too unrealistic, even for a fantasy novel (a war camp with all the luxuries of a palace, stolen dresses that somehow are just the exact size needed, etc). And then there's the violence. Cayden and Elowen revel in violence and seem to love each other more when they are torturing other people or when they are covered in blood. I can understand revenge, and can understand rage. But taking pleasure in violence is a step onto a dangerous world and somehow when they took this step I couldn't view them as anything other than psychopaths. It's obviously a personal issue of mine, but I just couldn't get past it.
So, while Fear the Flames is well written and the story is original and interesting, it did not live up to my expectations and I couldn't stomach some of the character's choices in any way, so I can't bring myself to actively recommend it.
Fear the Flames is book one in a series (the second book still unpublished at this time), but I didn't feel it ended at a cliffhanger and as of right now I don't feel the need to go on reading this series...
Happy readings otherwise!
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