This was a perfectly fine YA fantasy novel. I liked it, the pacing was good (in general), there were some fun plot points, the romance had some great lines….overall I have no regrets reading this. That being said, I don’t feel the need to continue the series. The romance was a bit fast for me, the two MCs fell fast without spending much time together which is one of my pet peeves. I think people who enjoyed These Violent Delights would like this.
If you generally like YA fantasy and you don’t need it to be an extraordinary standout or super unique, I’d definitely rec..

3 stars!

I thought this was a fun YA story with a very unique premise and world. I liked the idea of the two orders, the Cloaks and the Daggers, and how the criminal scene runs the entire city. I think unfortunately I didn't feel super invested, and after I finished the book I didn't feel like I needed to read the second book in the duology. I thought Ransom and Seraphina had decent chemistry, but again wasn't 100% sold on their relationship. Ultimately, just ok and maybe not the perfect book for me. It also took me six months to finish it, so maybe that speaks to my enjoyment level.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Romance, rival gangs, and enemies to lovers romance! This is such a fun start to a series and I can't wait to read the next book! I really like the world building that Catherine Doyle has done for this and the characters are so interesting! It's a fun read and one I would absolutely recommend for romantasy readers!

I really enjoyed this book and the world that was built here! Loved the whole rival gangs and I am always a sucker for the someone is trying to kill one person but can't bring themselves to do it! I am excited to see where this goes next as we have dived into everything surrounding the characters of this book and their families that brought them to the plot of this book. I think this was a solid YA romantasy!

Unfortunately Dagger and the Flame missed the mark for me. In theory, it should've been right up my alley. I love YA fantasy, I love enemies to lovers, I loved the idea of a rival gang theme, but I just didn't love this.

It's not a particularly bad book, but it just was boring. While the magic system and plot started out interesting enough, the characters just didn't pull me in. I didn't care about anything that they were doing. While there was great banter, there was no actual slow burn meaningful tension. I just never bought into their romance.

It could've been a mood reading situation, but in the sea of YA Romantasy, this one just didn't do it for me.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I devoured it so fast. I truly felt like this was a TRUE enemies to lovers story, which is typically never actually the case when it’s advertised that way..
I need the next book in my hands yesterday.

I really enjoyed this one. I liked the dynamic between the two gangs and the relationship between the two main characters, I cannot wait until the next book. I did think the one scene in the alley was a bit out of place for this book. It felt unnatural and out of place for the characters.

This was an unexpected delight. True, it follows a familiar enough tale - two young people on opposing sides, inevitably drawn to one another - but the verve with which Doyle writes gives this story a fresh and glowing life.

Seraphine is on the run following the mysterious murder of her mother, seeking refuge amidst the thieves’ guild of the Cloaks - who use the magical compound Shade, sewn into their clothing to make them one with the shadows. Meanwhile, Ransom is a Dagger, sworn to the guild of Assassins, marked indelibly with the Shade he consumes to give him killing strength, and Seraphine is his next mark. But secrets will be discovered and darkness comes to light as the two must, however briefly, join forces to discover why monsters are haunting the city of Fantome; and along with a strange new magic, passion is fanned into flame…

Some excellently written yearning, a sprinkle of banter, and a fun group of friends - I would have liked even more time spent on the Dagger side to make them more empathetic. Really enjoyable and well paced.

Happy to have a new enemies to lovers romantasy to recommend to our YA readers clamoring for MOAR....
The book cover is exquisite.

DNF'd at 40%

I liked Twin Crowns so I was hoping to really love this one, but nothing about the characters or their enemies relationship was really grabbing my attention enough. I thought the magic was a bit interesting and the action was good, but I couldn't get into any other part of the book.

Might give this another try at a later date when the mood calls for a ya fantasy.

The Dagger and the Flame is Doyle's first book in a new series. Doyle has woven a new magic system with Shade being the medium to flow with or kill with shadows. I enjoyed our snarky 17 yr old Seraphine with her will to live. Ransom (yep that's his name) is our MMC and his POV was so great to have as between the two MC's we get a great insight into the Cloaks and Daggers who rule the city. While it is a YA book I feel like this book would have been even better if it had a aged up the characters as Seraphine was very open about all she has done with her farm boy she left behind and one fairly explicit scene for which if you want to go there just age up and be a new adult and true romantacy. For that and for some stalled plot in the middle I give this 4 stars. I will be reading the next book to see who Doyle will turn this cluster she ended us in will work itself out or how it will still be some romance at all in the next book will be interesting to see how she pulls this off.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

The story pulled me in right away and I loved the enemies to lovers push and pull throughout the book. The discovery of what the FMC is capable of and how far she was willing to go was an interesting journey. I lived the character arcs for both the MMC and FMC. It definitely read YA but it delivered a captivating tale and I cannot wait for the next book.

I liked the overall feel of the story but I have to say that the ending was not as good as I was expecting it to be. I did enjoy the characters and the unique idea of the plot and world building.
I would love to read the next one and hopefully change my mind

3.5 stars

Okay this has SO much potential, but unfortunately fell a little flat for me. I thought the characters were a little dull and one dimension. I appreciated that they were ACTUAL enemies but overall the romance felt very lustful which isn’t always my cup of tea. I think the world was super fun and I always am a fan of urban fantasy so I really enjoyed that setting, but that was kind of it for me. The majority of the plot felt a little boring and the middle of the book dragged a bit for me.

2⭐️

DNF: 10%

*Sigh*… Another DNF ARC for me.

Honestly, I have no idea what is happening when it comes to me and my ARCs this year. In total, I have read about 5 complete ARCs and 4 of them were a struggle to get through. Several others I DNF’d (just like this one). And I am truly sad about it. I actually had my hopes up for The Dagger and The Flame. I mean, COME ON. With a cover like this (which is why I am rating this 2 stars), who wouldn’t want to request the ARC. This cover is yet one of my favorites when I think about all of the 45 books that I managed to read this year. A plus to the artist that created it.

Unfortunately, this story couldn’t hold my attention. Part of it has to do with my new found ability to read physical books alongside their audiobook components, especially when it comes to Fantasy and Romantasy novels. There is just something about the narrators that are picked for these types of books that have the capacity to capture not just the essence of the storyline but are able to bring the characters to life. Had this been an audiobook and I was able to order the physical book from my library then I would’ve devoured this book in three days. Given that my library does have the physical book, I have found myself waiting NOT so patiently for audiobook to be ordered. If and when the audiobook does arrive then I might be able to see myself starting this again and giving it an actual review.

Until then, this will go down as a DNF!!!

However, if you enjoy:

✨Romantasy Novels…
✨NA (New Adult) vibes…
✨Murder/Revenge subplots…
✨Enemies-to-Lovers Romances…

Then this book will MOST DEFINITELY appeal to you!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Margaret K. McElderry Books for granting my request for an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!

I loved the other series she did with her sister, but this one read to me a lot like every fantasy book featuring an assassin and a thief and the whole forbidden love trope, so I will have to revisit this one again

I really liked this story! The characters had interesting backstories and motivations. This has a really fun enemies "we're trying to kill each other" start to the romance, with an interesting dark vs. light magic storyline that connects to secrets and mysteries. Great found family, fun banter, and a good set-up for the next book.

What didn't work for me the use of strong language and a really awkward lust-induced romantic encounter that didn't feel necessary or appropriate, given the scene and the fact that this is marketed as a YA novel.

*strong language, 1 open-ish door scene

They had me at enemies to lovers! The world building, the tension, everything was top tier perfection! I’m definitely in my YA romantasy era and LOVING it!

I truly adored this book and all it had to offer. It was adventurous, funny, and kept me on the edge of my seat. there is a mix of both character and plot development. I did enjoy when our two main characters were together more than when they were apart.

The power struggle between the Daggers and Cloaks was intriguing but I felt that it could have been explored more throughout the novel. At times I did feel like it dragged a bit but that comes with world building. Doyle does a wonderful job at making sure nothing is forgotten about when creating the mystical structure of Fantome. I can't wait to explore the other cities and areas throughout the world

The banter between Seraphine and Ransom was straight FIRE!!!!! A true Enemies to lovers (and more) anytime they were together I was giggling from pure enjoyment.

The elements of found family for both were a little bit of a mystery as I felt they could have been more developed, but the focus on the world and the mystery took first place, leaving it to be desired

Overall a wonderful start to the world: 4.75/5