Be sure to read the trigger warnings before reading this book.

I really enjoyed this read. It's full of magic and tragedy and hope and friendship. I wasn't bothered a lot by the traumas in the story, but I also know that those scenes were necessary for the character and story development. I think a lot of people will relate to Elena and Quinn. You get to know them pretty well and I hope that book 2 continues on in the same vein and we can grow to know more of the secondary characters.

This was an interesting premise, but it just didn't quite capture me. I couldn't become invested in either of our two main characters or their familiars, and it just...fell flat.

On top of that, it kept giving me such heavy 'His Dark Materials' (Philip Pullman) vibes, and not really in a good way. Given that the book left off on a cliffhanger, I may eventually come back and read the next book just to find out what happens, but this just really wasn't for me.

Storm and Flame was a cute concept that I think fell a little short. I loved the familiars, and aspects of the book but it read really young at times. I wish the magic system was explained a little better, and it felt a little rushed towards the end. I didn’t like the introduction to new POVs that I personally didn’t feel necessary. Overall, the book was a cute concept but I’m not sure I will read more! Would likely give 2.5 if that was an option.

I finally got around to reading this story, and i really enjoyed my time with this one. I can´t wait to see what comes next. Can highly recommend!

I was really intrigued by the description of this story when first reading it but unfortunately the book fell sorta flat for me. The story itself was pretty good but the writing lacked descriptions and the dialogue fell a bit flat for me. I also found the plot to be a bit all over the place as well. I appreciate the ARC copy from Netgalley and truly wish I had enjoyed this a bit more.

3.5/5 stars
Storm and Flame is a book where only girls are supposed to have magic. We follow two characters Elena and Quinn. Elena is a witch who does not seem to possess any magic. Upon her sixteenth birthday she is expelled from the magic school and forced to fend for herself. Quinn is a thief and the only boy to have a familiar, something that only witches are thought to have. The two of them meet and Quinn helps Elena set up a new life. As both of them discover special magical abilities, their lives are changed, and kickstarts an ancient prophecy.

Now I understand what other reviewers mean when comparing a book with fast food, because this book felt exactly like that to me. While it isn't the best book out there I had an amazing time reading it and couldn't put it down once I had started it. I read it in the span of 24 hours, which is quite unusual for me considering I've been slumping since October last year.

This book was just incredibly easy to read. It felt like I was reading a story on Wattpad again, and definitely not in a bad way. The writing style reminded me a lot of the writing styles I've seen on Wattpad a lot, and while that type of writing isn't amazing, it does the job and is really easy to read. This makes it easy to fly through the book in the matter of a few hours. I also noticed the writing improved the further along in the book I was, which was fun to see. It also makes me intrigued to see how her writing progresses further in the next book.

The characters grew on me throughout the book. At the start they seemed a little like characters without much personality, besides one main character trait, but after a bit they started opening up more towards each other which showed them from a wider perspective and made them easy to like. I am excited to see where Mallory takes their character arc in the next book!

The plot for this book only really kicked off about halfway through the book. During the first half of the book I had no idea what the purpose was of anything that was being written, but about halfway through the book the main plotline for the rest of the series kicks off and while it is not the most unique storyline, the execution is different from any similar stories I've read so far. There was a plot point toward the end I didn't see coming and I am quite interested in where the story will go from here, since neither the reader nor the characters have any clue what the next course of action should be, which makes the story highly unpredictable.

Overall this book was highly enjoyable and I had an amazing time reading it. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy and is in need of a quick read!

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

And that's the only reason I finished it. I lost interest in everything--the story, the characters--pretty quickly. I just couldn't find it within myself to care what happened to them. Yesterday at about 60%, I finally just started skimming to get the general idea of what happened so that I could finish reading it and move on. I'm granting it 2 stars because I typically reserve my 1-star ratings for truly atrocious books.

Perhaps the skeleton of the story wasn't bad, but I just didn't feel like it was put together well. The writing was rather juvenile, the dialogue was awkward, and the events were contrived. I cannot tell you how many times the words "we're okay," "you're okay," and similar phrases were said by the characters, but it was a lot. The alternating use of "Quinn" and "Q" just felt silly. Many of the main characters' actions were caused by feelings, desires, and instincts that they just didn't understand (and felt the need to frequently point out). In addition, other characters who had actual knowledge or reasons would give Quinn and Elena little hints and then say things along the lines of "but I'm not going to tell you anything else for reasons I also won't tell you."

Although this book kind of ends (rather abruptly) with a cliffhanger, I will not be continuing on with the story. Congrats to the author for being published; it appears that a number of people thoroughly enjoyed reading her book, but I was not one of them. My journey with Quinn and Elena has (thankfully) ended.

How it ends: (view spoiler)

Note: Attempted rape. Made-up swear words.

Content warnings: Attempted rape / attempted gang rape (2 scenes), sexual assault, child abuse, parental neglect, parental abandonment, childbirth (not the main character), childbirth complications (but the mother & baby are okay and alive in the end), death, sexism, PTSD

Overall, Storm and Flame is pretty good. I liked it despite its cliffhanger ending. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough that I’ll definitely read book 2.

THE PREMISE:

Only those born with magic have familiars, talking animals that they share a soul with. (Sort of like daemons in the His Dark Materials trilogy, but only for those with magic). Only women are born with magic. And familiars don’t have magic themselves … or so everyone thought.

17-year-old Elena has a magical familiar and has never been able to get her magic to work like all the other enchantresses, to her mother’s endless bitter disappointment. Elena gets kicked out of a magical boarding school, the only home she’s ever known, by the school’s headmistress who just happens to be her own mother. Her mother even used a flimsy lie to justify the expulsion.

Homeless and devastated, Elena stumbles upon a boy around her age, named Quinn, who has a magical familiar himself. With Quinn’s help, she learns how to live the world outside her magic school. Then, Elena and Quinn begin to display very powerful magic they didn’t know they had. Unusual magic. Pretty soon, Elena and Quinn are searching for answers and on the run. Unbeknownst to them, an ancient prophecy foretelling disaster lurks on the horizon, soon to be fulfilled.

THE WRITING::

The main characters were likeable and imperfect. Elena and Quinn are both inherently kind. They both grew a lot over the course of the story. In particular, they grappled with learning to recover from trauma. I’m invested enough in the characters and plot to read the second book. The rotating POV lets you get to know both main characters, Elena and Quinn, pretty well. It also gives you a peek into the mind of the antagonists and peripheral characters.

The book’s got a lot of found family vibes. It definitely reads like a young adult book, but it deals with some heavy topics, like dealing with trauma and killing in self-defense. They’re handled pretty carefully and well, but not delved into too deeply. There’s lots of healthy messages and themes: embracing one’s difficult emotions (instead of repressing them), questioning the prejudices/beliefs you’ve been raised on, self-acceptance, helping those in trouble, etc.

It was a little heavy on fate and destiny for my taste, but there wasn’t a fated/meant-to-be romance plotline, so it didn’t bug me too much. In fact, there’s not really any romance at all.

The pacing was a little uneven. It could get a bit slow at times, but it always picked back up again. Near the end, the story seemed a little rushed. The plot had plenty of twists and turns. While I did predict a few, there were still some big surprises at the end that I never saw coming. Be forewarned, the book ends on a big cliffhanger.

The female main character, Elena, is strong and formidable, despite needing some aid at times. Yes, the male main character is quite protective of the female main character, but he’s also a protective person in general. It’s a core part of his personality and backstory. Elena proves quite capable of protecting herself, while still struggling with trauma because no one’s invincible. She heals and builds up her self-confidence bit by bit.

The main characters could stand to be developed more. Some of the characterization felt a bit rushed. The plot felt rushed near the end too. The characters were developed enough for me to care about them, but they also felt like they needed to be filled in more with quirks, hobbies, interests, and details that would make them more unique.

I received a free digital advanced reader copy via NetGalley. I am writing this review completely honestly and voluntarily.

I was very intrigued by the description of the book as it had everything I generally like in a book: fantasy, magic, adventure, an ancient prophecy. Unfortunately, I feel like some of these qualities fell a little short for me. I felt the writing was a bit too simple in the details for such a wonderful premise and world. That being said, I sill enjoyed the world the author built and the touches of magic and adventure. 

One area that I think the author excelled in was the characters. The characters behaved in a realistic manner and reacted to situations the way I think a normal person would for the most part. Elena and Quinn are both candid with themselves about some of the stranger things that happen and I think that's what make me really connect with them.

The ending was not what I was expecting. The connection revealed between the characters in the end caught me completely by surprise and I can't say I'm upset about it. I admire when an author can catch you off guard or go in a direction that you might not have immediately considered as a reader.

The story held my interest until the end and I’m very excited to find out what happens in the next book. Overall, I think this book is a genuinely good read and is honestly a story that I haven't been able to get out of my head.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is was a great fantasy read. The magic system was interesting.

After Elena and her familiar, Agon, are kicked out of Harbor Ridge School for Enchantresses, they find themselves with nowhere to go. Quinn and Lyra quickly stumble upon them and help start a new life. Not long after Elena left school, her powers were awakened after an incident, and she is a lot more powerful than anyone could expect. Elena, Agon, Quinn and Lyra flee the small village in search of answers. Along the way they learn that not only is Elena powerful, but Quinn has magic inside him, which is impossible seeing as he is a man. Not long after fleeing they find themselves on a quest to save all magic and magical beings, with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

The author Mallory did a wonderful job at building a new world that you could see while reading and was easy to follow throughout the entire book. This book was hard to put down once I started reading, there are a lot of twists and turns that keep the reader engaged, once I got to the end I wanted to start the next book in the series. That cliff hanger was something else!!!

I would recommend this YA book to anyone that is interested in getting into fantasy, this is a good push into that world.

Can't wait for the next book in the series!

Storm and Flame
by Mallory Wanless
YA Fantasy
NetGalley ARC

Elena's magic isn't up to par so at sixteen her mother, the headmistress of the magic school, kicks her out. So with limited knowledge of the outside world, and no survival skills she is alone with her familiar to fend for herself. She meets Quinn and he brings her to safety and a friendship between them evolves, but her powers awake, more powerful than anyone had seen before, but one that was spoken in a prophecy, and she and Quinn are the world's only hope to save magic.

The story is pretty good, though the writing is lacking descriptions. Not much stands out with the characters other than they all had a hard childhood, but what they looked like and their clothes, were just your general descriptions.

The story was promising, but because of the scarcity of descriptions, there wasn't much to keep me interested. I also had who was who, figured out by 10%, and knowing it was going to be a cliffhanger by 50%. Have I ever mentioned I hate cliffhangers? And sadly, this is one of the worst types.

Overall not bad, but nothing too great about it either. Take the more adult content and tweens could read this without a problem, but as is, only mature readers over sixteen should read this.

A very low
3 Stars

I really enjoyed this book. The characters Elena and Quinn were fully developed and and believable.

I did have a hard time following the plot at times and the story seemed to drag at certain points. However overall it was an enjoyable read.

A solid 4! Recommend for those, like me, who are into magic and fantasy.

Thank you to the author, Enchanting Publishing and NetGalley for granting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I am obsessed with this story! Elena has so much growth in such a short period of time and I love everything about Belladonna, the wards, the snark, the hermit home. Absolute dream! The ending is masterful and I am so excited for the next book but the things that Ros and Dem went through is so heartbreaking.

It's got great pacing, heart wrenching scenes, fuzzy and warm scenes, and a lot of wonderful banter. Perfect read if you are in a slump!

You know how they say never to judge a book by its cover but you do anyway because that's the first thing you see? Well, the cover of this book had me expecting a different type of story - more Storm Crow, less The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed it, it just wasn't what I expected, especially at the beginning.

Elena, the daughter of the greatest enchantress in a land ruled by enchantresses, is terrible at magic. So terrible, in fact, that she is expelled from school and sent out into the world to fend for herself. There she meets Quinn, a young man with a complicated past. They embark on a journey together that will change the world as they know it.

I found that the characters and the story matured a lot as the book went on, drawing me in to a story that didn't necessarily grab me a first (probably because I was expecting something totally different). The twist at the end, although telegraphed a little bit, was unexpected enough to make me hungry for more.

Definitely a great choice for anyone who loved The Girl Who Drank the Moon or magical fantasy in general.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC.

TW: Child Abuse, SA

I read this in one sitting! Elena and Quinn have easily made it on the list of favorite Main Characters. The journey they experience is so increadible- you'll want to keep reading to understand and know it all! I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to read what happens next because CLIFFHANGER.

Thank you to NetGalley and Enchanted Publishing for the eARC of this book!

I was a little hesitant to read this but I ended up living it!! Seriously, the twist was one I never saw coming and I need book 2 asap

DNF'd at 9%

The premise for Storm and Flame sounds right up my alley but I just can't force myself to read this.

There are really no descriptions; we're just shuffled from one event to another. Elena's character is very inconsistent. Quinn's actions make no sense. (I read a review that explained his motivation - although he's not aware of the fact at the time - but based on what I read, I don't trust the author to develop that "twist" adequately.)

Overall, the amateur-ish writing far-outweighed the story's potential.

Thank you to Enchanting Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Storm and Flame by Mallory Wanless is a YA fantasy with plenty of cool magical powers. The story revolves around Elena, who has been kicked out of magic school by her mother, the headmistress. In the woods, she meets Quinn, a thief who also has magical powers. The two band together and get closer. But when Elena's magic powers are suddenly fully awakened, they unwittingly begin to fulfill an ancient prophecy.

Here is an enchanting excerpt from Chapter 1:

"Elena was easily the worst enchantress in her class, probably the whole school. The other students mocked her mercilessly. It didn’t help that her mother, Madame LaBelle, was the most famous enchantress in the whole country, possibly the world, and the headmistress of their school. She could turn a seed into a centuries-old tree with the flick of her wrist. Elena could grow a seed into a sapling with twenty minutes of chanting, flicking, waving, and praying. Maybe. On a good day.
Madame LaBelle was notorious for her skills with magic as much as her beauty. Unfortunately for Elena, she inherited her looks from her father. At least, she assumed that’s where she got her flat hair and dull brown eyes. She’d never actually met him."

Overall Storm and Flame is a YA fantasy that will appeal to fans of magical academy books who wonder what is outside of the academy. One highlight of this book are the cool magical powers. The protagonists can talk to animals, summon fire, etc. I did take off 1 star, because I was annoyed by the fake cursing (replacing curse words with fake words). It made it feel like a middle-grade novel to me. At the same time, this was definitely YA, since there were scenes of attempted sexual assault, too. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, I recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in September!

Thank you Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for the Arc of Storm and Flame.

As soon as I read the description, I wanted to have a chance to read this story. It seemed like it had all the elements I enjoy in a YA fantasy book. I enjoyed the premise of the book from chapter one. In this world, everybody is born with a familiar which reminded me a bit of "His Dark Materials" series where every human is attached to a spirit animal.

From the very moment Elena was born, everyone, including her mother, could sense she is different from the others. She always struggled to do magic even though she is the daughter of the high enchantress. When Elena gets expelled from her school, she meets a boy in the woods. Little does she know she is destined to meet that boy and fulfill an ancient prophecy.

I loved the multiple POVs. The characters and their familiars were so adorable. What I LOVED the most about the story was how unique the world was. However, the writing style was too simple with not enough description of the world and oftentimes the plot felt rushed. However, I understand that this is book one in a trilogy. Perhaps we will see more of the world in the next installment