I will say this is a 3.5 star read. For the first 60% it was a 4 star. I didn’t like the last bit mainly for two reasons. The first being how black and white everything was . Life is a lot more grey, especially fantasy worlds. The second reason is I don’t like how Sera is being set up as a hero when she is just as much a villain as the others. The numerous people’s death she was involved in reflect that. I did like the world, and I liked the conflict. I liked the cast of characters and what they added to the story, I even liked Sera and Ransom’s relationship until Sera became so self righteous and hypocritical, I do want to read how it ends in the next book.

I was very excited about reading this book, but sadly it was so incredibly difficult for me to finish it.
If you read this and enjoy it, I am so happy for you. Unfortunately for me, it fell short.
The first few chapters of this book had me hooked, but sadly, that quickly turned into me just wanting to get this book over with.
I really didn’t like any of the characters, the plot felt non-existent for the majority of the book, and it honestly just felt so generically YA.
I think my biggest issue, though, was probably the dual POV (which is something I usually love). I felt like there was so much repetition and rehashing, and it just made the story drag.

Overall, if this interests you, I would recommend checking it out, but I don’t think I will continue with this series.

2.5/5 stars

This story follows 2 enemies from rival clans who are pretty much trying to unalive each other for reasons that I shall not disclose. I had a fun time reading this, but found myself enjoying it better when I stopped expecting much from the world building and fantasy/magical elements. The world felt flat and I really wanted more expansion on the clan origins and how they formed etc.. It was definitely more focused on the romance aspect so it took a little time getting used to. But honestly I loved the the main characters, the enemies to lovers romance was done well and the fact that it was dual pov made it even better! It was overall an entertaining read, ill probs check out the second when it comes out
Thank you Simon & Schuster for the eARC!

Thank you to Simon and Schustere Canada for this e-ARC of The Dagger and the Flame in exchange for an honest review. Obsessed is the BIGGEST understatement for how I feel about this book. Catherine Doyle draws on so much French inspiration to create the city of Fantome and the tension between all of our characters is nothing short but dazzling. It's true enemies to lovers and there were certain moments where I was like HOW ARE THEY EVER GOING TO GET PAST THIS? And everything I was expecting, Catherine delivered ten times over. The plot twists were shocking but then you remember the EXACT moments that the foreshadows appeared and how they've been sticking in your mind, ready to be revealed. The characters all have a bigger role than you expect, and the author describes this as the enemies to lovers romantasy of her dreams, and it's honestly mine, too. The pacing of this book was easy to follow and it balances itself so well between fast-paced moments and critical times of yearning. Seraphine and Ransom's individual character arcs were clearly painted, their motivations understandable and well thought out. Catherine knew exactly what she was doing. AND THAT REVEAL AT THE END? The timing of this book was impeccable, the plot leaving so much to be explored. I cannot wait for the next book!

The magic system in this world is interesting; there’s talk of historical magic from the Age of Saints but the magic we have in the now is dark shadow magic called Shade which works differently depending on how it is used. If you ingest it you basically become a shadow master, but it can also be woven into fabric and other devices which allows you to move within the shadows instead of becoming a shadow. Then of course there’s going to have to be an opposite to drive the shadows back and watching Sera and Ransom and Theo figure that out together is really interesting. Ransom has all the best lines when it comes to the banter, he’s such a fun and interesting character with his tragic backstory and his yearning for freedom. Lark and Nadia on the other hand in the Dagger camp are super disappointing. Sera is a badass and watching her and Ransom work together and save each other over and over is a delight. The twist isn’t revolutionary, you can sort of see it coming if you pay close attention to what isn’t being said. Given the cliffhanger we ended on I hope I don’t have to wait too long for the sequel.

This book was so fun. I loved the magic system and the enemies to lovers plot. Do I kinda hate the 3rd act break up? Yes. Am I willing to let this book get away with it? Yes. Because I'm in love with Randsom too.

It dragged a little in the beginning and I felt a little lost, but I did feel like once I'd finished the book I had a very good idea of how the world worked and the magic was and had fully fallen in love with the characters.

More spice and fights in the sequel please 🙏🏻

<i><b>”Those who refuse to wield the dagger are doomed to die by its blade.”</b></i>

This was my first read of Catherine Doyle’s books and I’m in love with this series! I was hooked from the very beginning. The characters pulled me into the secrets in the city of Fantome, following with revenge, lust, and betrayal.. And death always following Sera.

<i><b>”When the time comes, you will rise far above this wicked city and become a flame in the dark.”</b></i>

I’m still processing that crazy ending!! I can’t wait to see Sera and her friends become the new <redacted> in the next book.

Will you be the Dagger or the Flame?

I loveee when an “enemies to lovers” is a true, TRUE enemies to lovers. It’s one of my favourite tropes but I feel like it’s thrown around a lot to describe books that are more “dislike” to love.

this, my friends, is not that. THE DAGGER AND THE FLAME tells the story of two rival gangs (Cloaks and Daggers) with Seraphine and Ransom in the midst of it all.

with an enjoyable cast of characters, plenty of plot twists, beautiful descriptions and great chemistry between the two MCs, I had a great time with this one. I had really wanted to read this book when I first saw it on Goodreads, so I’m very excited to have read the arc!

thank you netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review

I devoured this book!! Finally a "hate to love" romance that delivers what it promises. I liked the warring factions and the unique world with strange magic and even stranger monsters. Sera is a strong female lead who isn't whiney. She has a mission and she intends to see it through. Ransom is a morally grey character with a tragic backstory who has to make some hard choices. I could do with more of his story and it would be interesting to know more of his mind. The only thing that I could have done without was a really bizarre spicy scene near the end of the book that really had no business in a YA novel and made absolutely no sense plot wise. Overall though it was a fun fast read and I cant wait to read the next one in the series, maybe have the world fleshed out a little more.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for the review copy!

🔥 enemies to lovers
🔥 dual POV
🔥 Romeo & Juliet vibes
🔥 rival gangs
🔥 underworld
🔥 found family
🔥 deadly magic
🌶️ minor spice

Okay I loved this book. It's such a strong romantasy - it hugs the line of being YA versus New Adult which probably made me like it more. If you liked The Crimson Moth, Powerless, or These Hollow Vows, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

Seraphine is my favorite kind of FMC - strong and smart and determined. Ransom is an ideal addition to the shadow daddy line-up - I love an obsessed MMC.

The city of Fantome is grimey, historic, and haunted by the ghosts of its former Saints. The world felt contained to this city, but not in a bad way. Our supporting characters are interesting and their backstories are hinted at - I hope we get to know them more and maybe get more than 2 POVs in the next book.

This is a series and so there's obviously a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to see what happens next! I really feel like the world will expand and challenge the characters to grow further.

This was good, like really good. The world, the characters, the setting, and the vibes were insanely vibrant. It was all there and ready for a reader to dive into. I think my only thing was the pacing. It felt like certain parts of the narrative had a bit of a drag to it and could've been tightened up. But I'm eagerly waiting for more installments and Doyle's created an immersive narrative.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing an ARC!

The Dagger and the Flame follows two teens from warring Orders ruled by Shade—magic that can cloak and empower the guild of thieves and the guild of assassins. Seraphine is new to the city after she flees her farmhouse after her mother is brutally murdered by a member of the Daggers—the assassin guild. She seeks sanctuary with the Cloaks—the thieve guild—and secretly plots her revenge against the daggers. Ransom is a ruthless assassin and heir to the Daggers. After being assigned a new mark, he tracks down his prey and is shocked to discover she’s more powerful and mysterious than he thought. Ransom and Seraphine play a dangerous game of fiery, steamy cat and mouse as a new magic wrecks havoc on the city. Monsters roam the streets and for the first time in many years, the Daggers and the Cloaks might have to put aside their differences for the great good.

This is such a fun enemies to lovers romantasy. The world is artfully crafted and super fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the setting and magic and was hooked from the beginning. It was a bit slow at some points, but the development of the relationship progressed really well from the length of the novel. There’s a lot of action and intrigue throughout the novel and the ending sets up the sequel really well.

I loved that the book was in dual POV. It was so interesting to learn about the Cloaks and Daggers and get to see both Sera and Ransom’s friends. Although I much prefer Sera’s friends. Val and Bibi were such sweet friends. They’re such fierce thieves. Theo was so lovely too and I loved how passionate he was about magic. I can’t wait to see more of this group in the sequel. The romance between Sera and Ransom was so swoony! There is a really great enemies to lovers dynamic that will grasp you so quickly. They have such good chemistry and I can’t wait to see where their story ends.

Overall, if you love an enemies to lovers romantasy with thieves and assassins, pick this book up!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had fun reading this book! Loved the magic system, it was really unique. I do wish there was a little more world building instead of just focusing on the relationships.
Also, really enjoyed the characters (especially the side characters on the Shade side).
By the end, it did start to drag a little bit but overall it was good book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC!

I genuinely had such a fun time reading this book! I loved the setting, the characters and the magic system that I wished we spent more time on the overall world building. It felt like once Sera and Ransom got introduced to each other, everything was kind of pushed aside to prioritize their romance (I love a good enemies to lovers trope but I wish they stayed enemies for a bit longer.) The pacing at the halfway point was a bit all over the place and there was a spicy scene that was definitely not necessary and felt like it came out of nowhere. The reveals at the end were good and they got me excited for what's to come in the next book and for the future of Fantome.

Overall, it was a great read and it got me squealing and kicking my feet at some parts at 2 am in the morning. I'm looking forward the sequel!

Thank you so much Netgalley, Margaret K. McElderry Books and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

This one is going to be a DNF for me. I made it 25% but I just can’t anymore. I don’t know what it is but I could not care less about any of the characters and the world building is fine but the shade magic is just a no from me. Honestly I’m disappointed as I loved the Twin Crowns series by this author and I couldn’t wait to read another fantasy book by her.

Now this is a true enemies to lovers! Not a rivals to lovers, not misunderstanding to lovers (though I love those too). It's a "they want to kiss each other almost as much as they want to murder each other" enemies to lovers fantasy novel that I kind of accidentally read in one night.

With her mother murdered and no allies to turn to save her dog Pippin, Seraphine must flee for her life. Seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks, she must carefully conceal the truth of her past and the fateful night when her farmlife turned to ash around her, while being hunted (pursued) by Ransom, a Dagger sent to kill her. With interest matched only by their instense desire to see the other dead, these two lead a cast of fully realized characters in the start of this thrilling series.

They are rival assassins from two different guilds. Sera and Ransom are destined to fight with each other but are drawn together.

Love the enemies/lovers trope. Enjoy both characters and the plot. It's suspenseful and fun at the same time. Fast moving plot too.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.