Absolutely brilliant! Grace Draven is, as always, a phenomenal storyteller. Well and fully drawn characters, a smart plot, and fantastic world building. With Phoenix Unbound, the first of a new series, Draven does not disappoint. This reader was fully emersed from the first word, to the last. I was hugely relieved to find out that this was only the first entry in the series and not the end of the story. There’s so much more if the world to explore, and I cannot wait to do so.

Grace Draven never disappoints. I’ve been a long time reader of hers and Phoenix Unbound carries on her pattern of fine storytelling, intricate worldbuilding, and compelling character growth. I never fail to fall a little bit in love with every one of her characters.

This book was sooooo good!

Gilene is a fire witch with enough magic for little illusions and as long as she lives she will be sacrificed by her village for the spring rites of the empire. Isolated by her village, Gilene only has her duty to her family and even they are wary of her. This year when the sacrificial women are given to the winning gladiators, Gilene is chosen by the prime Azarion, a Savatar barbarian and favorite of the cruel empress. But Azarion can see through Gilene's illusions and he has a plan to escape the Kraelian Empire, which involves Gilene whether she likes it or not. Bullied and kidnapped into abetting Azarion, all Gilene wants is to go home. But the more time she spends outside her village Gilene begins to see that there is more than duty and maybe she doesn't have to burn this time.

I loved it. I devoured it. I want my grubby little claws on the next one.

This is not a happy magic will fix everything romance. Its complex with two broken abused characters at the center of it. Gilene is on the outside of her village and her family. She is what stands between them and death, and she is punished for it. I find her steadiness, no matter the circumstances, and her selflessness amazing. Azarion has been a slave for ten years. He is the gladiator prime and he hold under the torture that brings. Azarion longs to return home to The Sky Below and take up his mantel of leadership. He also wants to bring the empire to its knees and will do anything to do it.

I adored the two main characters and loved watching the romance blossom between them. Azarion and Gilene are unusual in their self-awareness, in knowledge of their strengths and their flaws. They are both driven by devotion, bound by a common goal and tethered by a tiny affection that slowly transforms into a blazing inferno. It took some doing from both sides and watching as they both started to trust was perfect.

The world building was so good. The tribes of The Sky Below and their culture are colorful and vibrant. The rotting of the empire is there in obvious and subtle signs. The traveling merchants outside the guild with their own rules. I am hoping that we run into the healer and the death speaker again.

I decided to go outside my normal reads and venture back into the fantasy romance genre. Grace Draven is a new author to me but, one that I’ve heard great things about. This was an interesting read as the book was a dystopian fantasy novel. I was immediately intrigued and dove in. Think hunger games meets magic. It was an intense ride of a book!

Kindle

Every year a sacrifice must be made to the gods in the form of a handmaiden. One maiden saves her village by going every year and using her secret magic to withstand the ritual. This year, it’s immediately different. The two main characters are oppressed people within this world of high stakes. The gladiator that has survived trial after trial and the handmaiden that willingly takes upon the ritual. Everything changes when Azarion recognizes Gilene and blackmails her into joining her. What starts off as a forced entanglement, leads to big changes that no one is prepared for.



I loved the worldbuilding of the book, it was super descriptive. But, I did think that the middle of the book went very slow, some of the heavy descriptions bogged down the book. My favorite scenes are when Gilene and Azarion have to stay with his clan, Azarion and his clan gave me Dothraki from Game of Thrones vibes. I was right there in those deserts and I could feel the wind and fire in the world. There’s a lot of description that goes into the village and the clan and their customs.



“She was freedom made flesh, and in that moment, she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever beheld.”



I loved the chemistry between Gilene and Azarion. It was slow and had great build up. They were very much enemies that eventually realized they needed the other. And that ending scene, swoon!!! This was a partnership that was built hardship by hardship.



If you’re a fan of vast worldbuilding and fantasy, this is a great story to follow and the first in a series!

The Empire requires every village to send a young woman to the capital as a Flower of Spring. These ladies are used by the gladiators the night before they're burned as an offering to the gods by the cruel Emperor and his even more twisted Empress. Gilene of Beroe is gifted with illusion and fire magic, so she is sent every year in order to save the other women of her village. Azarion is the Gladiator Prime, and he is somehow able to see through her illusions. This year, he blackmails her into helping him escape slavery, and her talents as a fire witch will help him reclaim his birthright when he returns to his people.

The story unfolds gradually, so we get a good look into how the Empire functions, and the indignities that the subjugated people suffer through. Azarion and Gilene have differing motives for working together, and it's an uneasy alliance that's tested by the Empress sending guards to try to retrieve her favorite plaything. Of course, the two are at odds initially and Gilene wants to escape back to Beroe out of duty to her village. Azarion is never overtly cruel to her, but he is determined to return to his clan and use her talent as a fire witch, which is revered by the tribes as a gift from Agna, the fire goddess. We can guess at some of the plot points right away (Gilene doesn't believe in Agna, she doesn't like Azarion but does find him attractive, the two have to claim to be married as they travel, etc) but that doesn't detract from the plot.

Gilene is a great character to get to know. We see most of the story from her point of view of Azarion's, and I really liked her. Despite all of the hardships and lack of hope that her life had given her, she remains strong and determined to do the right thing. She learns the ways of the various people she meets along the way, and I liked how she was able to open up and be less angry and resentful of her duty to Beroe. Azarion also unwinds emotionally as they travel, so that he isn't driven by his own needs. He is able to apologize for his mistakes, see others' concerns as well as his own, and honors the promises he makes even as he loves Gilene and wishes that she could stay with him. The ending might be easy to guess, but I enjoyed seeing it play out and cheered for them all.

I'm not sure if the "Fallen Empire" notation on the cover means this is the start to a series or not. This novel ends neatly, and I'm satisfied by how everything tied together. If there is a series following this one, I will gladly pick them all up and see what happens to Gilene, Azarion and the rest of the Kestrel clan.

I enjoyed the story arc but as with most "high fantasy" there was a lot of parts that were just too slow for me. I'm hoping book 2 will have a bit more action now that the world-building should be mostly complete.

An enjoyable tale of survival and love.

While Phoenix Unbound contained its own interesting world building, there is no question that inspiration was taken from the worst of the Roman Empire with emphasis on slavery, rape, sacrifices and blood sports.

TRIGGER WARNING: While it is not graphically violent, both hero and heroine are subjected to rape.

Each Spring the Empire makes an offering to their Gods by sacrificing young women in the Colosseum. They collect a female–old, young, married, mother, it doesn’t matter–from each village in the Empire and they are tied together in a mass pit and burned alive. As if this isn’t tormenting enough, they spend their last night on earth being tossed to the gladiators to be raped before their die.

Every generation, a fire witch is born in the village of Beroe. This power does not descend through one family. It is a random occurrence, but this fire witch takes on the burden of the sacrifice. They not only have the ability to control fire and not burn, but they have the ability to cast illusions. Therefore, she can assume a different appearance each year to fool the Empire. Gilene was born with these abilities and for the last few years, she has sacrified herself for the good of her family and her village. Enduring the rape and the backlash of using that much fire magic at one time. Gilene knows that this is her burden in life, to suffer the sacrifice year after year. She knows she will never marry, who would have her as their wife? The scarring from the burns will increase each year until the next fire witch is old enough to take on the burden, and Gilene will die young, scarred and alone.

This year is different because Gilene is confronted by the Gladius Prime. Azarion can see through Gilene’s illusion magic. He noticed her among the women last year and realized he had seen her the prior year. He knows what Gilene is. Azarion’s people worship the Goddess of Fire, Agna, and her handmaidens who harness fire. He knows that Gilene is an agacin and he needs her illusion magic to help him escape his cage and finally return to his people.

Gilene isn’t the only one to suffer humiliation and pain at the hands of the Empire. For ten years, Azarion has fought as the gladiator in the Empire’s games and as a champion for most of that time he has been forced to service the sadistic Empress. She likes pain as much as pleasure and Azarion would rather fight in the pits than gratify the Empress’s lusts. Azarion was the son of the clan chief who was betrayed by a cousin who beat him unconscious and sold him as a slave to the Empire. He has spent the last year hoping and praying that the fire witch would return again this year, and planning how he would use her to escape.

Azarion blackmails Gilene to help him escape. While she believes her assistance ends when she opens his door, Azarion knows that he will need to backing of the agacin to reclaim his birthright and he kidnaps Gilene after making his escape.

Once freed Gilene and Azarion have to outrun the Empire. Gilene is unhappy being forced into fleeing, but she also knows that if she is caught with Azarion, the Empire won’t bother themselves with the fact that the was abducted. She will quickly go from sacrifice to slave in the Empire and won’t be able to help her village. At least Azarion has promised to return her to her people once she helps him.

As they travel, we get a glimpse of some of Azarion’s guilt for blackmailing a woman who has spent her life being blackmailed by her village (if she doesn’t burn for them, her family members will be sent for the next sacrifices). Gilene doesn’t want to acknowledge that her kidnapper and blackmailer has any good points but once they arrive at his village, she at first begrudingly admits he has good points and comes to admit that even thought she was dragged there, Azarion’s people need him and what a great leader he will be. Yet, when the declares that his first act as chief would be to march his people against the heart of the Empire, Gilene isn’t sure if he is a madman or a brilliant strategist.

I liked how Azarion’s village life was presented and how they, at first grudgingly, acknowledge Gilene and come to cheer her as one of their own, once her fire magic returned and she was able to prove herself as a true agacin.

Their trip from the center of the Empire to the wild plains where Azarion’s village lies was quite an adventure and I like that there was no insta-love. Gilene’s strength and dedication to her people gains Azarion’s regard a lot quicker than Azarion was able to win over Gilene’s, this was a story where love was slowly build upon respect and admiration of character. By the end Gilene was torn between her duty to her family and her love for Azarion and his people.

I got a little nervous about three-quarters into the story since this was book 1 of a series, I was afraid we would be left hanging, but a check of the author’s website shows that this will be a trilogy featuring three different women.

Phoenix Unbound is a stunning tale that I was very excited to pick up for sure. I have such a deep affection for Grace Draven and she writes epic fantasy romance which is not as common as I would like. So after hearing such raving reviews, and having this book as our Discord Romance Book Club read for the month of October, I was even more thrilled since now I had a good excuse to pick this one up. I first want to mention that despite the rating I really enjoyed this book, it wasn’t perfect but quite a thrilling ride!!

Gilene has powerful abilities, abilities to manipulate fire and air and her abilities have saved her village and her family from death. Her world is full of uncertainty from cruel and evil leaders of the empire who demand on sacrifices to be burned by fire. But because of Gilene’s abilities she can survive the fire and pose under other identities. But this year is a bit different for Gilene, she comes face to face with a gladiator who wants her for other reasons….to help him escape this prison he has been forced to survive in for over ten years. Azarion, is desperate for freedom and to get his vengeance on the one who betrayed him to a life of slavery of horrific proportions. He will do anything for his freedom, even manipulate circumstances to convince Gilene to free him.
But the agreement that Azarion and Gilene come to is much more complicated than either of them planned on. With Azarion determined to bring the man to justice to his people’s laws and take his position that is rightfully is, he never thought that he would want Gilene in his life for good or what it would cost him to give her the freedom that she desires. But soon both Azarion will be in a battle for their lives and their freedoms, will they survive or end up losing each other?

Phoenix Unbound is a powerful story that brings together so many unique elements to the story. The beginning of the story, the first few chapters, start off with thrills and excitement. I was pulled into the story right away, however, soon the story takes a drastic turn. We see some adventure and slow tension build between our pair however I felt like the pacing was off. The first half of the book was a struggle. I am not sure if it was the way the world building was displayed in the story, or if it was the actual writing, but it slowed down quite a bit but I never gave up on my author and once I hit the 50% mark, then the story really sped up and I didn’t want to put this down.
The plot of the story and the romance really deepen in detail and emotion and you get caught up in this powerful story. I was addicted to Gilene and Azarion and the intimacy that builds between them. This is a slow burn romance, with those sweet romantic moments that build slowly in connection and vibrant feels. The plot that is placed in this story is PHENOMENAL. Now to be honest, I struggled with some of it since it was pretty intense at times and had too much of a “hunger games” like feel to it (books I still refuse to read) however, Grace Draven just didn’t disappoint me when it comes to writing a spectacular series of plot events that capture the imagination and keeps you up late reading. Both characters have their own abilities and strengths and I found that they really balance each other out in the end. We see how well they compliment each other and they never lose faith in what they have together and push one another to be stronger and improve themselves and accept each other as they are without reservation. Now I do think that this is a series where each book the romance will become more focused, so there isn’t as much of a strong romantic element as I normally come to expect from Grace Draven. However, I definitely have faith in her writing and her ability to connect to her readers through her storytelling which she definitely succeeds in.
Overall I found Phoenix Unbound to be a stunning, leave you breathless, keep you at the edge of your seat in anticipation tale of a fantasy that will exceed the expectations and keeps you yearning for more……A THRILLING ADDICTIVE READ!!

Once a year, the Empire requires the local villages to send a young woman to burned alive for the amusement of the Emperor and his queen. One village has sent the same young woman for five years; a young woman whose magic protects everyone in her village. Only this year, something has changed. Azarion, the Empire’s most famous gladiator and the son of a chieftain is determined to escape his slavery and reclaim his birthright. But he needs Gilene and will use whatever possible to get her help. Now on the run, Azarion and Gilene will overcome extreme obstacles to get what has been taken from them. But in the end, in order to be free, Gilene will have to burn one more time.

Grave Draven’ lyrical voice soars in her latest fantasy endeavor filled with love, loss, retribution, and redemption. Emotionally plump and mastery written, Draven creates seemingly impossible odds for our protags to overcome and overcome they do, using their wits and skills. Told from dual POVS, the narrative expands the story, creating a rich sense of intimacy that gives readers insight into Azarion’s ingrained hero complex and the growing resentment Gilene feels as she is once again forced into a situation beyond her control. A slight power imbalance only sweetens the pot as Draven weaves in dark themes that are used to build this compelling world and character dynamics. A rich slow burn romance kept this reader on edge as Draven takes her time building the embers of friendship and trust into a burning inferno that inflames the mind, body, and soul. Though the main conflict is resolved to satisfaction, Draven leaves enough open to easily usher us into book two, title and release date to be announced. Once again Draven proves she is on her way to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the arena of high fantasy romance.

Grade: A

Grace Draven, as usual, is fabulous. She has a historian's approach to world building and ably demonstrates it in the depth of her work. Her characters are complex and nuanced.

If you like any or all of the above, you really need to read this as fast as possible!

This was my first Grace Draven & I'm kicking myself for not reading her sooner because this one was really good. It's a little bit darker than some of the fantasy romance I've read mainly because this book was set in a bleak, miserable world where oppression is the norm.

Gilene has the gift of fire and illusion while Azarion was a gladiator longing for his freedom. Her abilities were his way out of slavery. But it comes at a high cost especially for Gilene who is bound to be the savior of her people. It's a burden she carries with equal courage and resentment. As a reader, I understood her feelings toward her people and the things she has to endure to keep them safe. Poor Gilene. Everyone around her sees her as nothing but a prize because of her ability including Azarion. But the more they spent together, the more Gilene gained agency and confidence in her abilities. She began to see herself the way Azarion sees her, a powerful and revered Agacin.

I enjoyed how their relationship developed. From antagonistic to allies and then lovers. Despite being set in a bleak and dark world, there were moments of levity in the book. It's not all misery. I especially loved Azarion's tribe. His mother and especially his sister were my favorites. I love that the author showed a different kind of society that inhabit the land. They were not all cruel and depraved.

Be warned, this book is really dark so TW for rape & torture. Despite the dark themes, there are moments of levity and hope. And Grace Draven's writing is just beautiful. Her world-building is amazing & she made me want explore more of the world she created. I want to know more about the agacins. These powerful women who are revered and respected in their tribes. I'm also curious about how Gilene got her powers. There were so many mysteries and story threads that Draven left dangling that I wanted more of. Hopefully, we will get more books from this universe in the future.

Guys, guys, this book is amazeballs! I totally cried at the end. First of all, this is Grace Draven we are talking about: an author I always trust to deliver.


Secondly, the story is ruthless and at the same time, kind, bittersweet and raw. I kept thinking of Spartacus, with a smidgen of C.L. Wilson and Elizabeth Vaughan in that sense, that the main hero is a conqueror himself. Or he goes from a slave to a conqueror. And the main heroine... Holy crap, peeps! I loved her spirit and the depth of her self-awareness.



Azarion and Gilene go from enemies bound together by common need to survive to reluctant partners, then tentative friends to lovers. The shift is gradual, full of embers of Azarion and Gilene's reluctant attraction to each other despite them not wanting to get burnt by it. No Azarion scarred by years of abuse, no Gilene, bitter from her forced role of a savior for her village and the price she pays for it every year are quick to trust or to allow themselves to feel something. But the fire keeps building up until they cannot resist throwing themselves into it. And when they do it's done wholeheartedly. And because the attraction and acquired feelings are slow to build, they are also much more believable than any instalove scenarios we see so often in romance genre.


The background of their romance and their journey is incredibly rich and atmospheric. From the opulence of Krael capital to the simple fare of traders, and finally to the lives of Savatar clan in the steppes, everything is engrossing and vivid. I loved Azarion's mother and sister, and to be honest majority of the characters and their backstory were very interesting.



My only disappointment was in two main villains who either didn't receive enough limelight to give them depth or weren't intended to be more than milestones in main characters' development.


Otherwise, Phoenix Unbound is a rich, beautiful story with a powerful message of love and sacrifice, and I am dying to read its continuation or spin-offs. I freaking adored it and didn't want this book to end. An exceptional, inspiring read, highly recommended.

The description grabbed me; however, the abusive (coercive) relationship did not. In the beginning he was constantly threatening her. That being said by the end I had gotten sucked into the story as the adventure part of it was interesting. I will probably pick up others in the series to find out works out.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It's hard to do a beauty and the beast type of story without sliding into Stockholm syndrome territory, but Draven pulls it off magnificently. I believed every second of the story, and the two main character's developing relationship. The cruelties of their world are immense, but they both still find the strength to continue and fight for those who cannot protect themselves. I can't wait for a sequel.

Phoenix Unbound is an exciting start to the new Fallen Empire series by Grace Draven, an epic fantasy romance sure to appeal to those who like to see a little romance with their Game of Thrones type stories. In true fantasy style, this story is not for the faint of heart. There are vile villians, abhorrent behavior and treatment of people, slavery, and a manner of forced activities that may be triggers to some.

Our hero of this epic tale is Gilene of Beroe, a fire witch who serves as savior of her city while being reviled by the residents. Gilene must sacrifice herself bodily every year to the enslaved warriors and the pyre of the ruling city, and she gets no thanks for such a horrid task. But Gilene perseveres. She is a survivor through and through, and seemingly selfless at every turn. I had no qualms with her as a heroine. While I didn't form a warm and fuzzy connection with her character, I did like her and I was hoping that she would come out on top.

Our fierce and fantastic hero was Azarion of the Sky Below. Enslaved gladiator who has risen to the ranks of Gladius Prime by his fighting skills, die hard determination, and probably some of his unfortunate favor by the evil empress. Azarion was a great hero... fierce, determined and ruthless. But he also had a softer side when it came to Gilene, and we saw his protectiveness come through with hints of vulnerability.

Azarion concocted a crazy plan to escape his chains, and forcing Gilene to be his accomplice was both mad and genius. I enjoyed watching the two of them grow closer as they tried to stay alive during their flight. But I enjoyed their growing bond as they transformed from enemies to something more during their time together. Parts of the story were heartwrenching, but the action was great and I was captivated from the beginning to the end.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher.

Gilene's village is under the control of a brutal Empire and every year they are forced to send a young woman to the capital where she will be burned at the stake as entertainment for the elite. For the last five years Gilene has been the one to make that sacrifice thanks to her magical immunity to fire and the gift of illusions that allows her to escape from the flames without anyone noticing her. Gilene's magic costs her dearly but since anyone else sent in her place would die along with all the other tributes she feels duty bound to step up no matter how ungrateful the people she protects seem to be.

Azarion is a slave who was forced to fight in the arena as a gladiator, he has spent years battling to survive by becoming the most feared gladiator in the capital but he is still treated by a plaything to be used and abused by the empress. He is the only person who has seen through Gilene's illusions to understand that she returns to the capital every year and he has quickly realised that she could use her abilities to help him escape. If he has to blackmail her in order to get his freedom and return to his people then he's more than prepared to do it but Gilene is equally determined to return to her village so she can continue to protect the girls who would be send in her place but wouldn't survive the flames.

I have heard so many great things about Grace Draven's writing that I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I hadn't actually read any of her books before, I'm kicking myself even more for that now I've seen for myself how great she is! I absolutely loved Phoenix Unbound and I'm so excited to start working my way through her backlist while I wait for the next book in the Fallen Empires series to be released. This was absolutely spot on for a fantasy romance with wonderful world building, even better characters and a slow burn romance that was near perfection.

When Azarion blackmails Gilene into helping him escape she's livid but that is nothing compared to how angry she is when he then follows that up with kidnapping her because he needs her help to be accepted back by the rest of his people. Normally I wouldn't be on board with a romance that starts out with a kidnapping but Grace Draven has written this story so well that I was rooting for them well before Gilene started developing any kind of feelings. The relationship between them is incredibly well developed, it takes a long time for any kind of trust to form between them and Gilene fights Azarion all the way through when he does anything she doesn't agree with. She doesn't start developing romantic feelings until they've spent a lot of time together so she has seen how honourable he is and fully understands that he will follow through on his promise to get her home so I was never worried about Stockholm syndrome and was totally on board with the way she was feeling.

This world is utterly brutal and I'll warn you in advance that there is at least one rape scene and several more references to and threats of rape throughout the story, but never between the main characters so you don't need to worry on that front. It's also not only women who have that threat hanging over them and Azarion has suffered greatly at the hands of the empress too. Once they escape from the capital the danger comes in different forms as soldiers are sent out looking for the escaped gladiator. The two reluctant allies have to work together if they both want to survive long enough to make it back to their homes but even that may not be enough to help them escape from the long reach of the empire.

Phoenix Unbound was a fantastic start to this series and I can't wait to see where the story takes us next!

This was pretty epic. The world building was a little wonky, but I couldn't look away and found myself glued to the story. The second 1/2 is remarkable.

I had heard a lot about Grace Draven and when I saw this new novel, I saw the opportunity to finally discover one of her stories. And then, did you see that cover? How to resist it? It is just sublime!

We discover a place ruled by a master hand, a place where every year a young woman is given to the capital to be burned, offering to the gods. This is how we discover Gilene, a young woman who thanks to her gift of illusion and her powers on fire, returns every year to be burned alive. But even if she can get by every time, she must also deal with serious consequences. It is in these conditions that she meets Azarion, a slave gladiator who seems to be the only one to be able to pierce her illusions and to notice that she is always the same person to return year after year. He will then make her a proposal, or more precisely he will blackmail her for her to help him free so she can accompany him home to take back his rightful place.

It was interesting to discover what Gilene was able to do and to see that eventually this trip will allow her to understand a little more what she is. She will be able to see that she can have other opportunities, even if she knows that nothing is really possible and that she has to go home to save hers. We will follow the epic of our two heroes, thus discovering what this kingdom conceals, as well as Azarion’s clan. This man has a clear and precise purpose, and it is true that he will not turn away so easily from his goal.

It was an interesting novel and after such an ending that ends well enough this first volume, I wonder what the author will propose.

4.5 stars
This book hit all my book loving boxes. Life struggle, check. Hard earned, slowly developed romance, check. Difficultly with abilities (not a star right off page one), check. A fight for the greater good, check. Well developed characters with realistic backgrounds, check. I didn't want it to end, check.
Even the pacing was spot on. I stayed up way too late several nights, I just couldn't put it down. Seriously, why haven't I ever read this author's work before ?
The story is about a man who was sold into slavery by a despicable, greedy toad of a man. He was a slave/gladiator for 10 years. There he was tortured in all the hideous ways possible. His life changes when he uncovers a woman who has magical abilities and blackmails her into helping him escape. She too is suffering, she sacrifices herself every year to save her people. Blackmail is not the best way to start a relationship and it gets worse. There is a great deal of mistrust, anger and hate, yeh realistic. Respect was hard earned and slow developing, so well done, when a closeness started it felt amazing. They are both on missions, both have much to learn, much to lose and so much more to give. What an adventure. I can't wait to see where book 2 goes.

Book Talk 10/5/18: Grace Draven’s Phoenix Unbound
Traci Kenworth

Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven Sept. 25, 2018 Ace Books. Netgalley.


Amazon’s blurb: A woman with power over fire and illusion and the enslaved son of a chieftain battle a corrupt empire in this powerful and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.

Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital--her fate to be burned alive for the entertainment of the masses. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses.

But this year is different.

Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery. Unknown to Gilene, he also wants to reclaim the birthright of his clan.

To protect her family and village, she will abandon everything to return to the Empire--and burn once.

My review: The Flowers of Spring are women or girls who are sent to the Empire for the sole purposes of lust and burning to appease the gods. Gilene has been to many a Spring Rite as the fire witch of Beroe. This year, she sees a man who has recognized her despite her disguise the last three years. Instead of betraying her, he demands her help for his silence. Gladius Prime, he is the ultimate warrior he fights others to the death to live only to be raped and tortured by the Empress. He was sold into slavery by his cousin ten years ago. With the fire witch’s help, he escapes and keeps her prisoner so that he can oust his cousin as ataman of his tribe. Along the way, the two grow to care for each other but Gilene is bound to Beroe. Azarian tries to teach her that Agna, the fire goddess, would not want her to endure what she does each spring. Both go their separate ways, but will it be to an end or a new beginning?

I LOVED it! Gilene and Azarian are intriguing characters and the whole story is decent. That said, I had trouble believing that the village would send their women each year to be burned without a fight. And how do they replenish the females each year?