I cannot resist a girl and her dragon book, even if it isn’t technically her dragon or a dragon.

Meera Hailship, a lonely, awkward, well read kitchen maid who is just trying to find a way to spend her time when she volunteers for a dangerous job of caring for dragon-like creature.

What I Liked:
-The resentment of the servants towards her because she doesn’t need to actually work. Meera is cosplaying kitchen maid while the actual servants need their jobs to survive.
-Meera doesn’t have magic or is some chosen one (so far). Her power comes from reading and knowledge.
-I loved that there wasn’t instant trust between Meera and Cerun and his rider.

What I Disliked
-Meera is lonely but seems to do everything she can to not interact with anyone.
-Meera’s relationship with the king. I don’t think I can even accurately describe it.
-The book does have an issue with pacing. I felt the first part of the book was slow, but it does pick up in the last third.


I am interested to see where the story will go after reading the first 2 chapters of the second book.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I really enjoyed this book! I read it in one sitting on the airplane and was captivated by what might happen next.

I enjoyed the plot and getting to know the FMC. She is strong-willed and beginning to learn more about her boundaries. She seems young and a bit naive, but she is also learning and growing as an individual without anyone to help her.

The story had a lot of emphasis on personal moral ethics. It was interesting to see this from different characters’ viewpoints. Though the story was only in the POV of the FMC, we got a great bonus chapter from the MMC’s POV!

The more I learned about the prisoners, the more intrigued I became. I am really excited to read the next 4 books in the series (which are all released today as well!).

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Thank you so much to Netgalley and Melanie for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Melanie K. Moschella for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Iron-bound Flames is about Meera, a young woman who starts working in the castle kitchens after her librarian father goes to war. During her stay, a raek and its rider are captured, and Meera ends up volunteering to take care of the raek. As the story continues, Meera must decide if she should act for the good of the country or do what is morally right.

I enjoyed most of this novel. Meera is a fairly interesting main character, and the side characters are as well. I think, as others have stated, this book gets bogged down by very slow pacing in the middle and an ending that feels inconclusive. I wonder if the second novel and first could have been made into one book? While I also found the plot fairly predictable, I did find the story enjoyable and plan to see where the story goes in the next book!

The concept of Iron-Bound Flames was a lot different than any fantasy I’ve ever read. As someone that gravitates towards more romantasy than pure fantasy, this was an experimental read for me just going in.

I don’t think the plot in this book was particularly heavy, and was more of an exploration of Meera’s personality, and her bond with the raek, which directly reflected on her as a person, closing the circle. When I caught on to the pace in the beginning, I expected my interesting to fall through, but the book kept it pretty consistently till the end, which was a pleasant surprise.

I liked Meera as a character. She was the right balance of courage and gentleness, contributing to her ability with the raek. I believe the best parts of this book involved her journey understanding the creature, and building a relationship with it. To some extent, I might’ve enjoyed this book more if it was just Meera and the raek, but I wasn’t necessarily put off by the other elements of it either.

The plot with the king was predictable, and I found myself annoyed with Meera occasionally with the way she handled their interactions. However, I think it added a lot to the story, especially dialogue, since there isn’t much of that between Meera and the raek. I also did enjoy her arc with Linus. I think this book could’ve done more with the fact that his brother had suffered due to the raek. There were possibilities with the plot there that I think could’ve been explored further, but I still liked how he showed up for Meera, and their dynamic grew very organically and satisfyingly.

I understand that this is a five-book series with the other four books also all coming out on the same day (March 19). I suppose I still haven’t made up my mind on whether I was intrigued enough to read the whole series. But Iron-Bound Flames was a fun, easy read with a good amount of historical fantasy elements, that I ends up liking a lot more than I initially thought I would. Also, points for the gorgeous cover!!

Thank you NetGalley for gifting this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. Everything about it. I enjoyed watching Meera's evolution through the story. I enjoyed watching her fears, and her anger, and her insecurities flare up. I really loved the Raek. Love love love him. I was excited to watch how everything unfolded and I can’t wait to see how Meera handles the situation she finds herself in at the end of this first story. I hope we get more of the Raek and the prisoner. Possibly multi pov?? That would be wonderful.

Wil definitely be continuing in the series

This book reads like a text based video game from the 1980's. Meera breathed in and out and then walked into the room. Meera looked up at the stars. Meera did this and then that. It felt more like someone was dictating a movie to a blind person than reading a novel. To be honest, I couldn't finish it, I DNF'D it.
This book feels rushed and unfinished, and I notice that the whole series is being published all at once? That just feels premature. The author should have focused more on their first novel and perfecting it before finishing the whole series for publication.

Meera…Meera…MEERA! Holy inner dialogue - this poor girl was all over the place. Not only were her action self-admittedly rash, but she just wanted to find her purpose in the world and have a real friend. She needed a hug that wasn’t from Linus (he gave me the icks to be honest). She was giving me anxiety nearly the whole book, but at least she was mostly self-aware. I hope the second book causes her to gain more mental and physical strength rather than dwelling on her whereabouts and trauma, but if she does, honestly, I understand. She went through a lot and could barely trust anyone.

A lot of the book seemed to be driven by Meera’s feelings, which is why I think dual pov (preview!) will work great, especially given their current state of affairs. I think we’ll get more world building and backstory about the knell, which I’m interested in. Are they similar to another fantasy creature or their own new magical being? I need to know!

I also love the idea of releasing all five books at once - it certainly helps with a tolerance for cliffhanger endings.

A slow-going YA fantasy. I thought there were too many details that held it back. Definitely could've moved faster. A fun read, but not one I'd pick up again.

Thank you to Melanie K. Moschella and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. The below is my honest review, freely given.

This was a lovely read! Theres a map (always a good sign to me) and a great FMC. The story was fast-paced enough that I read it in just over 24 hours, but had enough depth that I feel like I know the world well at the end of this story and I can't wait to carry on with it.

Meera feels like a slightly unreliable narrator at the beginning of this story and its hard to believe her motives for working as a kitchen made, but as the story develops, you start to see the picture of this young woman who is completely lost without the anchor of her father, experiencing loneliness for perhaps the first time in her life. She resonates with me because of that. Its that driving need to be a part of something and to be wanted and loved that gets her into the situation she finds herself in : Caretaker to the enemy and a Spy.

What happens next is a lovely story of loyalty and friendship and "being a good person". There is some lovely representation in this book, and I hope to see more characters like Cook in the rest of the story.

Can't wait to find out what happens next.

When Meera Hailship, a lonely kitchen maid, accepted to care for the dangerous dragon-like creature imprisoned in the castle, she had no idea that it would lead her to become a weapon, a spy and an interrogator to the creature’s rider for the king. Juggling all these positions has Meera longing for a new one : The hero. But being the hero has Meera threading the fine line between loyalty and treason.. which will she choose?

Iron bound flame (4⭐️) is book 1 of a 5 part series that is coming out (all at once, yes you read that correctly) on March 19th and I highly suggest that you look up the covers cause they form a person when put together! Which I think is cool.

I enjoyed this one despite it being a bit repetitive, not in the lines and stuff but in the actions. By that I mean that the FMC’s day looked the same throughout the whole book, but the writing is really good and it got me invested in the story.
The fact that Cerun trusted Meera so easily, was so cute to me. Linus is a puppy and he deserves nice things. Hesitating about the king though, time will tell.
I’m excited to read book 2 at some point and discover more about these characters.

Thank you to the author @melaniekmoschella and @netgalley for the arc.

4/5 stars
Not spicy
- Beautiful character arcs
- great world development
- enemies to...not enemies?
- book 1 of 5
- relatable, genuine FMC
- moderate pacing
- rescue and adventure

This book is a hidden gem - for sure. I loved it and I love that it's a huge book series all released on the same day, giving me no time between finding out how this story unfolds. The characters are gorgeously developed, Meera having a rich backstory and coming into her own in such genuine ways. This is such a well written story, down to the smallest of side characters, and growing a really beautiful fantasy world. The only thing holding this book back is the very extensive, and sometimes slow going, internal monologue.

Book Review:
Meera is a scholar's daughter left behind while her father is conscripted into the civilian army. She and her father were close, his loss felt every day and leaving her lonely. She earns a place within the palace's kitchens, keeping her busy and surrounded by people and constant movement, but she continues to feel alone. A dangerous and deadly creature is caught and brought in with his rider in the dark of night, and when no one dares go near them, Meera finds herself volunteering to care for them. The attention her new role brings isn't all pleasant, drawing the gaze of the King and his cruel son, all while she balances attempts at new friendships, caring for a huge and feathered Raek, and creating a relationship with his handsome and tortured rider. She fills so many roles and takes on so many new challenges, losing and finding herself and new relationships in an every changing and dangerous world.

As a blogger, sometimes I have a few free weeks where I'm not bound to any other ARC commitments and I take advantage of those moments to look through NetGalley. This time it was ‘Iron Bound Flames’ that caught my eye and I am so glad that it did because it is an absolutely stunning read.

Iron Bound Flames is the debut book for Melanie K. Moschella and the first in The Raek Rider series. Iron Bound Flames follows the story of Meera and how she navigates her life after volunteering to take care of the king’s captured raek. It's a beautiful story that discusses right and wrong and how sometimes there's no clear path to doing moral good.

This is one of those books where there isn't much action but there is so much vivid description and character work to compensate that you don’t even notice. Moschella’s writing is so vivid and real that Meera’s character feels so human and relatable; it's honestly refreshing to see a character be vulnerable and flawed in small moments that are narrated despite her being alone in that moment.

I really loved reading this to see Meera’s character grow and her relationships blossom with all of the side characters. One thing that I appreciated was that one moment where she stopped to consider what a life with Linus would be like and see her navigating that relationship/friendship.

Everything element about this book is complex in its own way and so well thought out. It's a nice fluid read perfect for curling up in the evening. I'm definitely going to be recommending this to more than a few of my friends.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I've just recently read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame so when I read the description of this book, it was persuasive and intriguing enough that I wanted to read it. Sad to say that the book did not meet my expectations.

The start of the book was a bit difficult to follow through. Dialogues felt somewhat dry and lacking. Certain parts were 'overwritten' in the sense that it dragged the story unnecessarily and should be cut. The story needs to be smoother and revised so that the contents and character development flow in a general direction because overall, it just felt jumpy and jarring. I like the author's vision for the story and there is definitely potential, but the writing falls short and it's just too confusing.

While iron bound flame started off a bit slow, 1 blame the fake she is a new author and this is a debut novel. Quickly after some awkwardness at first the chapter or so it quickly found its rhythm.
The story of a bold young poc woman battling loneliness which leads to some adventures she at times regrets. The emotions are bound in realism with the thoughts of. "Why.. did I just do that" the book is diverse with poc characters and speaks of an archaic kingdom who is currently in war. I really enjoyed the raw reality of the main characters emotions. With the paradoxical thoughts us humans sometimes have. She was quite dynamic.
For those who enjoyed forth wing I would recommend this too. This book is the first book in the series and has a similar concept of riders of raek which are dragon like creatures with beautiful feathers. The first book in the series has no spice but it does have elements that could be triggering for some. This includes: death, attempted assault, descriptive gore (just once), talking about torture, and more.
I found it to be a great book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series on release. This book brings the question of what would you do?

I absolutely devoured and adored this book! This is a perfect read for fans of dragons, romantasy, and adventure.

Amid war, Meera, a kitchenmaid, volunteers to care for a raek and its rider, prisoners in the castle. She makes an unlikely connection with both, which contradicts her role as the king's spy. Though she is already kind and caring, Meera realizes she must reassess her moral compass once she witnesses the brutal torture both the raek and the rider endure while imprisoned. And once she faces the reality of her situation and how it affects those around her, she makes a decision that forever alters her life.

Meera is a smart and compassionate FMC and I really enjoyed watching her develop through the book. Alongside her is a great cast of characters who each challenge her in different ways. From her close friend to the castle cook to the imprisoned raek, each character forces Meera to reassess the meanings of right and wrong. Unlike some FMC in other fantasy books, I felt like no one was telling her what to think and THAT was refreshing all on its own. I enjoyed reading how Meera sorted through her challenges and came to her own conclusions.

I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

5/5 stars!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Iron-Bound Flames.
I loved this story! I really enjoyed following Meera’s growth as a character; to see her go from a passive girl to someone taking charge of her own life and choices, was really well done.
I think the pacing of action in this story was great and the relationship dynamics that developed were engaging and realistic and I really felt the loss and pain and loneliness.
The world was easily imagined and the raek an easy to picture creature which is props to the author and her descriptions. Though I did find it challenging at times to imagine how the characters themselves looked.
I’m excited to read the rest of the series!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC for this book!!

I had been in a bit of a reading slump when I started this so this book was a bit of a slow start, but once I got past the 15% mark, I was hooked! Fantasy books have always been my escape from reality, and this was such an interesting take on dragon riders, even though they are technically feathered raeken. The world building is a bit more "telling not showing" but I can look past that since it does in fact show how isolated Meera is from the rest of her peers, with the lack of dialogue as a world building tool.

Meera Hailship: nice, maybe too nice, brave (if maybe a little reckless), and also maybe a bit naive. Those are the words I would use to describe the main character, and those are in no way bad things because it gives room for her character growth through the series. When a main character starts out strong and (usually) overpowered, I rarely see any room for character growth, and the character's strength plateaus, and I hope that doesn't happen with Meera.

She might be a little isolated but Meera does eventually befriend a young palace guard, Linus, meant to "protect" her, but I always got the feeling that he was an insufferable whiny brat who had no realistic world experience. He had this blind loyalty to the royal family and his country, that when that was challenged, he would storm off like an overgrown toddler. Now I am not saying I wish him dead, but I hope for some character growth from him as well.

Honestly, I am also looking forward to getting more information about Cerun and Shael, since the latter didn't even speak until extremity late in the book, and all Cerun communicated was blinks. Regardless, they seem like a pair I would want as allies and not enemies since one is a fire-breathing raek.

Now I am going to get more into the not so fun parts to read, and that warrants some trigger warnings, so if these turn you off the book, I'm sorry. At some point Meera is instructed to feed and care for the Shael and part of that is to tend to his wounds from torture. Some of the descriptions and gore were parts I just scanned over. There is also the huge red flag named Prince Phineas since he is known for being a womanizer with dark tendencies, and he sets his sights on Meera. The trigger warning would most likely be from the attempted SA (NOT SUCCESSFUL!!!!!) down in the dungeon.

Now here I am salivating for the rest of the series to drop next month so I can hopefully binge read the rest. If you like dragons and fantasy, I do highly recommend this book.

This book is setting up for an exceptonal series!

The world building at the beginning of the book was really engaging and useful, engaging the reader into the ambience of the world inhabited by Meera Hailship, our sweet and kind FMC and stunning, feathered, dragon-like creatures called Raeks. This had me immediately captivated. (As much as I enjoy standalones, I am always here for a series to get behind)

The reader is easily lead to relate to Meera, the mundanity of her life, the unjust path it has taken up to now. That is, until thinngs take a turn and her adventure takes flight


Meera's loyalty to King Bartro I am conflicted upon. (I would seriously tell him where to fluffing well get off) But, it is a strong scaffold for Meera's character growth, as is the development of her relationship with the Raek. Strong story arcs

There is a good combination of tropes to make this a really strong debut novel and I am very much enjoying Moschella's writing flow. The age old battle between light and dark has a colourful and epic reimagining, but this time it has feathers

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I found this to be just alright. It's a very slow start for what will inevitably a very involved series, but it's extremely slow. And also extremely familiar. Many characters exist just to be archetypes with no depth afforded to them, even though there is the proper amount of space in the narrative to do so. Its familiarity and deep roots in the fantasy genre was comforting at times and boring at others. The main character calls herself a weapon at one point, though there is no real sense that she is a weapon, or dangerous. The narrative attempted to force a tension onto the reader that wasn't organically there. Some of it is just silly (particularly the bit about the dragon's name). I really am beholden to this kind of book, the slow start and worldbuilding of a really traditional fantasy, but unfortunately the character work was too thin for me to find myself invested enough to continue.

Also, the way the character spoke about class was so weird to me. She was bullied by poor people for being middle class and then got offended when the king thought she was poor. Like. What's all that about? Just an icky vibe there.

Iron Bound Flames starts off with a bang; there is excitement right away. The book draws you in right away with the level of action. Meera is witness to a raek – a dragon like creature – being captured and brought to the palace, where she works.

Meera is an interesting protagonist; she works in the palace kitchens voluntarily, having chosen the profession to keep herself busy and entertained, surrounded by people. Her kingdom is at war with a neighboring kingdom and her father was called away to fight.

Meera quickly bonds with the raek, helping care for its wounds and striking up a conversation with it. She draws the attention of the king, who recruits her for more than just tending the raek.

I enjoyed this book, it was a little slow at times and the scenes between Meera and the king seemed wholly unnecessary, but I enjoyed her spunky nature and willingness to help those that needed it the most.
Meera is unwittingly drawn into intrigue, but this also seemed like a random plot line. I hoped that this would be developed more, because it was truly interesting.

I hope that the book will continue into more books so we can learn more about the war, the knell-people with magic-and the lands that surround the palace and Meera’s ordinary life.