Since the Battle of the Eyrie, Veronyka and Tristan are dealing with the new realities of what it means to be in open war with the Golden Empire’s armies, and they’re working toward building the Phoenix Riders forces. Meanwhile, Sev made his choice to stand with his fellow animages and the Phoenix Riders, and he faces his next steps in bringing down the Golden Empire. Join our beloved trio in their efforts to fight back against the people who want to seize power.

After reading the first book, I fell in love with this series! I love everything about the world of Crown of Feathers; the characters, the world building, the prose to name some of my highlights. And before even diving in, Heart of Flames strongly profits from the well-developed details in its predecessor due to the fact we already know and care for the majority of the characters, their causes and the world they live in.

This is a must read!!!

One of my favourite series! I enjoyed this just as much as Crown of Feathers! It was a little slow in the beginning, but I am glad with how the pace picked up. Looking forward to book 3!

I found a heart of flames to be too slow and bogged down in details compared to a crown of feathers. I really enjoyed the first novel in the series. I felt a lot of the build up that was added to this one was unnecessary since it is the second book in the series. Since I loved the first one, I tried for months to get through this one. I wish I could have enjoyed it more and pushed through the whole thing.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Heart Of Flames
By: Nicki Pau Preto

REVIEW ☆☆☆
Admittedly, I have not read Crown Of Feathers, but I picked up Heart Of Flames on the off chance that it would read okay as a standalone. While it can standalone, I think reading this series in order would be best. Regardless, I did enjoy Heart Of Flames because it is unique and intriguing. There are several points of view, and I'm really unsure about how much I liked this or not. It's good to see a story in different ways, but it becomes too much at times. Speaking of too much, the book itself is sizable and wordy. Many descriptions and such were just too long and slowed the story down unnecessarily. I wouldn't mind a shorter version. The characters were colorful and engaging with conflicts and complex relationships with each other. There is a bit of romance but not overdone. This story has a vividly depicted world with lots of action and drama that will keep you reading. While Heart Of Flames is a good story, I didn't completely love it, but I do recommend for fans of the series or the genre.

This was a really fun book that was fast paced from the very beginning. It is a second in a series and it picked up right where the first one left off. I thought the development of the characters was very well done in this book. Veronyka is a lovable character and the author did a good job of connecting the reader to her as a character. I was rooting for her the whole book.
I love the relationship between Val and Veronyka. They are both very strong women who both have dreams and aspirations and it was nice to read about their relationship and how it grew in this book. Overall I loved this YA fantasy! The series as a whole is great and the writing is superb.

good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good

Like any big book, this one has its lengths. But when the action kicked in, I wasn't able to let go, I wanted to read and know what was going to happen.

Before the action, I would've give it a 3⭐️, but I loved how everything unfolded and the twists and turns that predict a marvellous third book that I can't wait to read!

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

On top of the three perspectives from the first book, Veronyka, Tristan, and Sev, this sequel adds the point of view of Elliot and Veronyka’s sister, Val. I loved getting into Val's head and seeing the motivation and reasoning behind her terrible decisions. I thought the complicated sibling relationship was very compelling. I could tell Veronika had grown so much from the first book by how she stood up to her sister. Her determination to help was admirable, but she doesnt always make the best decisions when it comes to Val. I also found the chemistry and tension in her relationship with Tristan a lot of fun. Adjusting his trousers after their kiss was hilarious. I loved how he supported her dreams and fought to get her closer to her goals. Tristan growing closeness with his Father was wonderful.

Sev has developped a lot from the first book and I really appreciated his new found courage. I was super happy to see him and Kade work together. Their slow build romance was adorable. I loved how the healer taking care of his injuries started mothering him. I actually giggle when she sent beautiful maids and then handsome serving boys when she realized he wasnt into girls. The new perspective Elliot is a Phoenix rider who's trying to make up for his terrible decisions in the first book. Seeing him find different ways to make things right with the people he hurt was very inspiring. I loved his new friendship with Sparrow and how she got him to come out of his melancholy and self pity. She's such an interesting character I could spend an entire book just reading about her. I also enjoyed meeting some old Phoenix Riders who survived the Blood War.

With attacks on the border and war brewing the underlying danger kept the plot engaging. There was plenty of gripping tension and conflict. Despite being a longer sized book I felt like it was well paced. I enjoyed seeing Veronika learn some important information about who she is even though I already knew what it was. I also like seeing her join Tristan rider patrol. I liked how the variety of perspectives allowed us to see what was going in different locations. I felt like they all played an important role on the plot. I loved Vals scheming, Sevs spying, and Elliots redemption. I wish there had been a bit more emphasis on Rolans motivations since I couldnt remember why he was determined on starting war with the Phoenix Riders.

Animal companions are one of my major weaknesses so that was definitely my favorite part of this world. I loved the bond between riders and their phoenix, especially the one between Veronikas and Xephyra. Since I love animal companions so much I found the animage magic very exciting. I thought the mystery and danger created by shadow magic was a great addition to the world. I enjoyed the bits of history between chapters and how it foreshadowed who Veronikas father might be. We also get words to Veronikas from her mother that were very emotional and insightful. I would totally recommend this series if you love epic fantasy with animal companions. I can't wait for the third and final book in the trilogy.

I just loved reading this book! It was great to read it so soon after reading the first because the details were fresh in my mind. And spending more time with these characters, watching them go on this adventure, it was just so great!

We still mainly had Veronyka, Tristan and Sev narrating, thought there were times where Avalkyra narrated, as well as Elliot as he tries to make up for his forced betrayal. Plus we got the chapter epigraphs from Pheronia, and it was so great to get bits of her side!

Veronyka deals with the big reveal from the end of Crown, and we do learn more about her father's side from the end of chapter excerpts from books and letters. And then there's the whole thing were Sev is investigating how this one dude wants to cause a war between the Phoenix Riders and the Empire. I was on the edge of my seat, knowing something bad was coming, but being unable to stop it!

Man, that ending! So many characters to balance, and so much action, and it was such a ride, and I didn't know where it would go, and I didn't want it to stop! It was an epic ending, and yeah, I'm dying to see how it's all going to come together in the final book of the trilogy, because that was an evil, muli-leveled cliffhanger!

Loved this book so much, it was a fantastic book, and I can't wait to see where the 3rd book will go!

Having to DNF this right now. It has the same problems that Crown of Feathers did for me.

While yes, the story is clever and imaginative, it needed to be edited down by a lot. It’s overly wordy, and the over describing just doesn’t work with this writing style.

The character development is spot on though. Whenever there’s dialogue or character interaction, both of these books shine during those moments.

This series appears to have issue with “sticking to the story”. I often got bored easily and found myself skimming.

I’ll likely pick this up and finish it at a later date, but for now I’m not feeling it.I’m still giving it a three star because I do absolutely love the characters and the dialogue.

Where do I even start? This book took me completely by surprise. While I absolutely fell in love with Crown of Feathers, I was a bit wary about Heart of Flames because I was told I wouldn’t like the romance that was sort of hinted at between Veronyka and Tristan. And me being super picky when it comes to romance in the first place, I was just as shocked to find out that I didn’t mind it at all and actually ended up shipping them.

I don’t think I have any complaints about this book except for one thing. The use of em-dashes really annoyed me. I noticed it in my reread of Crown of Feathers, but I think in Heart of Flames, it’s used even more. Every paragraph seemed to have one, and it kind of slowed down my reading a bit. I totally understand this is specific to an author’s writing style, but it’s just not something I loved. It didn’t take away from the story that much though, but it was just something I constantly noticed while reading.

Going back to the romance…It wasn’t 100% perfect. And what I mean by that is that some parts did annoy me a little. There is a lot of pining between the two of them, and we end up going the whole “We can’t be together because it’s too dangerous/I’m a danger to you/We need to stay apart and control our emotions otherwise we will all die” drama, BUT it made sense? I’ve read books where this trope was used, and it just didn’t work. It felt like the author didn’t have a real reason for keeping the characters apart or making the whole relationship difficult and not achievable right away. It was used as a “Look at the sexual tension I created but you can’t have it yet haha.” Nicki actually made everything fit. We get a reason behind why it is dangerous, and we really get an insight into what Veronyka is going through and how confused she is and how she doesn’t really understand what she is doing. I also loved one other thing about her and Tristan’s relationship: the communication. I feel like this is something really lacking in YA. We get two people falling for each other, and then they break up because of lack of communication or a secret or lie is revealed and it’s the end of the world. But when Tristan finds out that Veronyka has shadowmagic, he reacts in a way that is understandable, but then he realizes that what he said was wrong and goes to find Vernoyka and apologizes. That is what I want to see more of in books. I don’t want lack of communication as a means to a frustrated, drawn-out “will they, won’t they” relationship. I want people talking and discussing their feelings and working through things instead of ignoring them and running away in anger.

I also want to talk about character development. One of the things I love about this book is the writing style and how much we get to see what is going on in each character’s head. I loved watching Veronyka, Tristan, and Sev grow throughout the book, and while some people might hate the long paragraphs we get of each character struggling and trying to understand themselves and the situation better, I think it’s relatable to a lot of people who do think that way. It’s funny since it was trending on Twitter, but a lot of people do have monologues in their heads and work through everything they go through by talking to themselves. It’s nice to see the thought process going on in a character’s head instead of assuming it’s happened and that’s why they’re choosing to act a certain way.

Sev’s character development was perfection. Seeing him going from a reluctant spy who shied away from a fight, to someone who wanted to sacrifice everything for what he believes to be right and true, and doing it not for others, but for himself was just sdjfsldkfj He is such a good boy and I love him a lot. He’s gone through so much and learned a lot about himself and what he’s capable of. He’s constantly surprising me (and Kade) at his selflessness and his courage and willingness to do what is right. Also everything with Kade was just great. We love slow-burn in this house.

I do want to mention Elliot’s chapters. At first, I was like, why? But honestly, his chapters almost made me cry. We really got to see how helpless Elliot was and how he was only trying to protect his sister. He made a decision that anyone else would have made and then had to pay the price for it. I love love love his relationship with Sparrow and I really hope he doesn’t forget about her now that Riella is back. It was just so sweet, and Sparrow is honestly a treasure. She’s beautiful and kind and clever and exactly what Elliot needed. I almost cried at the end when Elliot is reunited with his sister.

Speaking of sisters…Val. I hated her in the last book, and my hate for her just grew exponentially in this one. I was worried we might be going for a redemption arc and I couldn’t understand how that was possible with everything that had happened in the past, but this book really shows that in some cases you can’t redeem a person; that their actions are too far-gone, their selfishness and obsessiveness, and the darkness inside them is just too much and impossible to change. And I loved that. I want more unforgiveable villains, not redeemable ones. And we get to go on the journey that Veronyka goes on as she realizes this. She does love Val, and it makes sense, because Val was the only family she ever had and it’s hard to not love and care for someone who cared for you, despite all the other horrible and abusive things they’ve done. It’s hard to forget the small kindnesses and sacrifices and it’s hard to stop caring completely. But I love how Veronyka recognizes that it is too late. I also love just being in Val’s mind and seeing her thought process behind everything. She is so manipulative and cunning. She uses everything and anything to get what she wants. She’s such a frustrating character to read about; so entitled and proud and stubborn and heartless. It makes you so angry you want to break something, but I also love feeling these emotions and realizing they come from a character in a book. It’s quite a powerful thing to do with writing, to make your readers feel all of this. We get to understand so much of Val’s perspective in this book and while it doesn’t make her even a little redeemable, it allows us to understand how messed up everything is in her head. It’s creepy, but also really interesting.

Tristan also goes on quite a journey in this book, though I don’t think it lived up to the same extent as Veronyka’s and Sev’s. I still find his relationship with his father to be a little confusing. At some points I get why Cassian acts the way he does. Both Tristan and Veronyka are in such a hurry to move ahead in their training and their responsibilities, when in reality they are kids and don’t know what they’re doing. That being said, they are quite capable, but also a bit too emotional and not that rational at times. But other times, I find Tristan’s excuses for Cassian’s behaviour, or his reaction to situations to show underlying effects of the abuse he’s faced at his father’s hands. It’s not tough-love or his father trying to teach him how to become a good leader, or at least it’s not entirely that. Cassian’s way of raising Tristan wasn’t great and it affected Tristan a lot, and I think in a way it’s almost pushed aside and forgotten because of how good of a commander his father is and what he’s trying to do to protect Pyra and the Pheonix Riders. It’s something I’m interested in seeing more of in the next book though.

The politics and plotting and war tactics in this book made me jump around like a little kid. This is the content I like to see in books. I love the complexities and intricacies, and seeing the different sides and bargaining chips used to get things rolling a certain way. It’s awful and horrifying realizing what Lord Rolan was doing to draw out the Phoenix riders, but at the same time fascinating to see how things like this can happen, and seeing how Commander Cassian counteracts everything. It’s just something the historian in me loves to see in books because it makes everything so much more complicated and detailed and confusing (but in a good way!)

Overall 4.5/5 stars. I’m so, so, so happy. This book was everything and the rollercoaster of emotions I went through was exactly what I wanted.

**I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.**

4.5 ⭐️

I'm speechless. This book was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year and it definitely lived up to my expectations. While I did really love this book I struggled to finish it because I've been extremely busy with school and work. I have to say there are so many things I loved about this book (and series) and I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first. While I really loved almost everything about this book there were a few things that caused me to lower my rating to 4.5 stars.

"They were shadows made solid, darkness personified."

In the first book, I found that there was a lot of info-dumping, which I wasn't a big fan of, but there wasn't nearly as much in this book which I was happy about. I really enjoyed the glimpses into the past we get throughout the book. However, I did find that it made it a little easier to guess some of the plot twists, which I didn't like. I did really like the fact that we continually learn about this world and the history of it as the books go on. It made me want to learn more about the history of this amazing world. Nicki Pau Preto has managed to create a beautiful world full of rich history. I'm pretty sure I want to be a phoenix rider now.

"She was the kind of person who led by example, and like a lantern in the darkness, she made you want to follow."

The characters in this book are truly amazing and well developed. Throughout the story, we get to see these characters grow and develop. While some characters grow into better people, we also get to see some characters spiral down into deep, dark places. At the beginning of the book, there were a few characters POV's that I really wanted to just skip over because I just didn't care about them. But as the story progressed I found myself more interested and intrigued to see inside their heads. Nicki Pau Preto has created something truly magical with these books, and this series had quickly become one of my favourites.

"Maybe letting go was the only way. Their love was toxic, after all."

I highly recommend everyone reads this series, they are well written with beautiful world-building and great character development. And I just have to say that the Owlcrate exclusive edition of this book is truly stunning.

For some reason, I just couldn't get into this book. I had enjoyed the first book but this one just didn't do it for me and I think it could have been shorter.

I loved the first book in this series and was really excited for the second. I didn’t realize it was going to be such a whopper of a book though!

I love how the characters from the first book really grew in the second. Veronyka, in particular, grew so much from the first book. I really loved her and Tristan and couldn’t get enough.

My main issue was the pacing of the book I felt like it dragged a lot at certain times which made it hard for me to stay interested.

Nicki has done it again. I'm in love with this Canadian author!

This book has some new conflicts and some old. Val vs Veronyka. Tristan vs Cassian. Tristan vs Veronyka. But there's new twists and turns, new facets explored in each pair. Then there's Sev vs Kade (more please!) and Elliott vs himself I guess, and how he's handling his guilt and anger.

The relationship between Val and Veronyka gets even more intense. You love and hate it, especially if you have a sibling or two, you'll understand.
Veronyka and Tristan really grow in this installment, both together and as individuals.

I really liked Sev's point of view and I was grateful for Val's. It's interesting seeing her thought process, and even though she's toxic, you have hope for her and her plight.

There's intense battles and fights, both physically and emotionally. It's all gearing up for the last book. I'm assuming it's a trilogy, there is at least one more book. I enjoyed the new characters, and it was fun seeing more of Sev, Elliott, and Val's points of view. There were times that I wanted to skip a chapter because of a pov switch, but that's the point! Drama and anxiety!

I think you can pick this book up without reading the first, it does reference and explain prior events without being too annoying/info dumpy.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly, can we have a movie already?!

Thank you Netgalley!

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book was, as the first one was, beautifully written. I loved the atmosphere and getting to know our main characters and the world better. While I loved the first book in the series and expected to love this one, I was not ready for how much I would love it. From the first couple of pages it felt vibrant and real (as real as phoenix riders and a fictional world with fantasy can get), Nicki Pau Preto manages to transport us to a whole other world while also giving us a feeling of "ahh I'm coming home".

Simultaneously, reading it also gave me the feeling of "I have to re-read all these books again and again", that's how much I loved them.

While I am not supposed to love Val, I can't help but love reading and learning more about her. Reading this novel felt like watching a movie, everything is so well paced and carefully thought out, I was never bored or looking at the time while reading this. This new installment in the series is truly wonderful. One of my favourite part of this book is how much history is put in the world building, it feels like an ancient civilization that we are only now learning about.

The author is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors, she makes the whole story feel so organic and does a great job when making us feel for every character she introduces into the story.

This multiple perspective books makes us see multiple facets of a world, while I did not have as much "Tristan" time as I would've liked to, I believe it is because he will have a bigger role in the next book.

The romances are well developed and organic, which is rare, I loved every second of them.

Keep an eye out for Nicki Pau Preto, she is an author that is worth checking out even if you rarely enjoy fantasy !

BEWARE THE CLIFFHANGER ENDING ! though delectable, I am so excited for the next book while also being frustrated that I do not have it yet. A good mix I would say.

I totally recommend picking this series up.

5/5 stars

-Bookarina

It is no secret that I usually don't like romance in fantasy books, but I can say that Heart of Flames did the romance exactly the way that I would want it to be.
It is not the focus of the book by any means, we have the phoenixes, the family struggles, the spying, the phoenixes, the beautiful world, the twisty revelations (oooooh they are twisty!), the phoenixes (there are many).
However, the romance stuck to me because I feel like when it's "obvious" that a romance will happen, the author usually makes it too deep too soon, but that didn't happen with this book. It's a slow burn, sure, but it's much more than that, you can feel the angst and, most importantly to me, the friendship building.
On top of that, I felt like Veronyka developed so much and became a person that I am very interested to see in the final book! And the ending makes me want the third book as soon as possible, please!

This book left me in awe and needing more! After the events of book one Crown of Feathers, (which I adored) I was worried a squeal wouldnt live up to my expectations. Trust me, there is no need to worry about that. Heart of flames goes above and beyond. There was so much action, emotion and romances. We see so much character development especially Veronyka and Sev. As always Val is such an interesting character to read you want to hate her but love her at the same time.

Since reading Crown of feathers I have been recommending it to everyone and will be doing the same with Heart of flames. I cant wait for the next book and to see where these amazing characters take us.

A huge thanks to Nicki Pau Preto for these amazing books and NetGalley for allowing me an arc in exchange for review.

I picked up this series entirely because of this ARC, and I think I'm hooked now. Everything from the world, to the politics, to the characters leaves me wanting so much more; in the best way possible. I'm so insanely glad they made this into a trilogy instead of a duology, because Pau Preto's world building is so beautiful on top of having a great group of protagonists, and somewhat believable slowburn romance that I'm thankful wasn't as forced as I was expecting it to be.

Tristan continues to be my absolute favourite, surprising absolutely no one who knows me, but I also felt a strong attachment to Sparrow in this one. She absolutely didn't deserve the pain she's been through, but... It doesn't seem like the author is using tragedy as a plot point, and I'm glad for it. A lot of stories that include war have far too much of a hinging point on that, and it gets boring quite fast. Sev and Kade coming back in the way they did caught me off guard, but I'm glad for it, and the fact that there's an LGBT romance is definitely a huge bonus.

One other bonus, and this is one that only comes from some of the books I've read in the last year, is that death isn't being used as a plot point. It's striking, when it does happen, and it's not being used just to develop a character and cause trauma. I'm thankful that this book didn't fall into that trope either, which is so common in the genre.

I'm rambling now, but... This book is definitely one I'd recommend. Pick it up if you're into good teen fantasy.

arc provided by the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this sequel to Crown of Feathers. It was action packed, full of political intrigue and full of wonderful characters— good and evil.

My favourite part of Heart of Flames was definitely the character development and the journey that Veronyka embarks on. She had slowly been growing as a person in book 1 but in this novel, she really blossomed into this badass, compassionate, intelligent and amazing woman. It was so nice to see. Another character that I loved to see develop into his true self was Sev, he has endured so much and to see him truly find himself was incredible.

The relationships in this book were well done too. It was intriguing to get to see both sides to Veronyka and Avalkyra’s bond, getting to see inside the villain’s head really just added a whole new level of darkness to the story that I really enjoyed. It was also refreshing to see the different with Veronyka’s bond with Tristan and her pheonix, with her discovery that her magic wasn’t a bad, evil thing but something that should be tended to and grown.

I’m so hyped for book 3 now, especially with the amount of questions I have and my many different theories. That last chapter? Holllllly shit. So much is about to go down in book 3 and I cannot wait.


Overall, I really enjoyed this sequel and cannot wait for the finale!

4/5 ⭐️🔥