The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle
Thanks to Simon and Schuster AU for this copy.

Sera is a young girl in a world full of danger and mystery. In Fantome, where two rival guilds feud, she is in the sights of a deadly killer but something draws her ever closer. Great for fans of Shadow and Bone, this new YA urban fantasy will keep you wanting more.

Sera and Ransom’s dynamic was the highlight of this book. I loved their banter and I found that every time they crossed paths Doyle’s writing shone. However, I found that the other characters were quite dull in comparison and much of each character’s motivations were based on those relationships so it would have been nice to see them more fleshed out.

The environment and world-building of Fantome were so cool and unique and I’m excited to see what else Doyle comes up with in this world. Young Adult readers will love this book, it comes out on the 2nd of October 2024.

The Dagger and the Flame had me stuck. It is an enemy to lovers story that felt like a true enemies to lovers story without the cliché. This book wasn't a blind blowing, wow story, but I couldn't put it down. It had a nice steady pace to it, it wasn't the book that I had to rush to find out what happens next but also was a a story that I lost myself in. I lost myself in the world, in the characters, in the whole thing. The writing was clear ayet descriptive, I didn't have to re read sentences to make sense of it and I think there was just enough description and glimpse into the side characters that you felt you knew them, there was a depth in them that can sometimes be missed. I also think Dagger and the Flame was a nice length too. Sometimes books can just keep going for no reason, but I felt this one was just right. I am intrigued for the next book, that is for certain.

The reason I feel stuck as I feel like The Dagger and the Flame has all the makings of a 5 star read but it is missing a little bit of something and I don't quite now what that something is. Either way, I would definitely recommend this book for any fantasy/romance lovers out there.

Enemies to lovers, rivals, assassins vs thieves, monsters, magic and rogues all reside between these pages

Seraphine Marchant, daughter of a smuggler, seeks sanctuary amongst the Cloaks when she is marked for assassination by the order of the Daggers

Ransom is second in line to the order of Daggers and consumed by the darkness, he must kill Seraphine to win favour in the line of succession

A fantasy of wildfire in fictional Fantome. Very Romeo and Juliet

This was slightly slower than the books I've read recently but I'm in love. The build up between Ransom and Sera was so necessary for the story and I'm glad I stuck it out until the end. I can't wait to return to the city of Fantome and see what becomes of the new order and how Ransom and Sera deal with everything

A novel truly worth the title of 5 stars. Absolutely phenomenal 👏

Catherine has expertly woven together a story of romance and forbidden love, with a story of revenge, and saving a city from scary ass monsters. Sprinkle some fantasy, mystery, heartache and *world class* banter... masterpiece.

This is not a book to miss!

This one was a great start to a series!

The enemies to lovers trope felt genuine and unfolded quite nicely and the dual POV helped a lot with that development. I enjoyed the banter between the two leads despite it being a little cheesy in places. It could have done without the spicy scene. I don't mind spice in books however, there is a time and place for it and in a street with a horde of monsters behind you is not it.
The secondary characters were fleshed out adequately enough though i did question when the three Cloaks went on missions, they seemed to be not keeping much of an eye on the newbie...
The pacing of the book was fine for me. I would have liked a little more depth to the world building (the king is mentioned so much throughout the book yet never appears and i would like more on the Saints and that belief system) and hopefully this will happen more in the second book.
The magic system was easy to understand and believable as to where it comes from and to how it is wielded, but i wonder if there are others in the city/world who use it without being in the Orders?

Ultimately a fun read and will probably be picking up the second book when released.

I quite enjoyed this book. There was a lot going on with different factions and magic that our FMC was trying to navigate as she grieves the loss of her mum. As I was reading it was giving me similar vibes as the Nevernight series from Jay Kristoff. The stories weren’t the same or anything like that but it just felt like they could have been from the same world.

There was plenty of action as our MCs try to dodge each other as we tried to work out the mystery of the monsters. There’s family drama, new friends, strange pets, and murder. What more do you need?

Thanks to netGallery and the publisher for access to this ARC.

Genre: Romance/fantasy MF
Format: Digital
POV: Dual
Tropes: enemies to lovers, two warring factions, magic and monsters, assassins and thieves.
Spice: 🌶️ /5
Age suggestion: 16+

thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an e-arc of this title!

the prose, the setting, the characters, THE DOG!! there is so much to love and look forward too in this book, and the ENDING!! AHHH!!

I adored being able to get both Sera & Ransom’s perspectives throughout this book and thoroughly enjoy a proper enemies to lovers & was so pleased to watch these characters grow over the span of the book!!

the prose is stunning, I admit that sometimes there were so many similes & metaphors that it started to feel like that was all I could notice, but it was genuinely such a beautiful read, I cannot wait for the next one!

This was such a magnificent read, and I had been waiting the whole year for something like this, so thank you Catherine Doyle!

The magic system was amazing, it was so unique and the concept of shadows and light was quite genius, and perfectly fit into the world building. It really did feel like I was in a beautiful European city and it reminded me of Amsterdam a lot.
The magic system also perfecting fit into the plot concept of the rival orders, The Order of the Daggers (assassins) and The Order of the Cloaks (thieves) and their rivalry. I wish we got to see more of the Cloaks as the plot felt more focused on the Daggers.
Also, Catherine Doyle really knew how to develop this fantasy world's history, the origins of the magic system was so interesting. The concept of saints, reminds me of Shadow and Bone, made this story have so much more depth!

The writing was absolutely beautiful, but at some points, it would go really simple. Like there were some magnificent quotes, but then some characters would swear out of nowhere? The banter between the two main characters is some of the best I have ever seen, especially in the first half of the book when Ransom and Sera were trying to murder each other. It was so tense!

The storyline felt very fast paced because it had dual POVs, so it was never slow or boring, and because of this, it felt the plot started from the very beginning of the book. Also because of the dual POVs, we never knew what the main characters were going to do next, when they would appear in the other main character's POV, and it was so thrilling and so unexpected. It really did feel like a game of cat and mouse between Ransom and Sera throughout the whole book!

I have never read one of Catherine Doyle's books before, but I was very impressed and I will definitely be continuing this series, I cannot wait!

Tropes:
- enemies to lovers / forbidden love: Sometimes this trope is done in an instant love way, or there isn't really a reason why they are enemies, but with Ransom and Sera, you never knew if they would kill or kiss each other, up to the very end of this book.
- found family: I rarely see a young adult book with found family, and this book clearly had it, as seen in the quote 'Home is not just a place. It’s people. It’s family.’ Every character in this book had a purpose and contribution to the plot, and I was grateful.

Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Catherine Doyle for this amazing arc!

"The Dagger and the Flame" by Catherine Doyle is a tale of magic, revenge, and romance set in the kingdom of Fantome. Effortlessly captivating the reader from the start with intricate world-building, dynamic characters, and a well-crafted plot. Amongst the vivid scenes, there are action sequences, character building, high stakes and emotions, even shocking OMG moments. This book has it all!
I could not put this book down, and when I did, it was all I thought about and getting back into the story! I'm still thinking about it after finishing it. The writing was fluid, the banter spot-on, the world of Fantome and Valterre with Cloaks and Daggers was brilliantly crafted. Cannot wait for more Sera and Ransom, and what Saint Oriel has in store for them!

I am not a big romantasy reader, but somethingd about this one made me pick it up.

It took me a while to get into it, as there was a lot of world building to get us going.

Then things took off, and it drew me right into Sera and Ransom's cat and mouse game. I did like their chemistry a bit more when they were hating on each other before they just all of a sudden were all into each other.

Part III really kicked things up a notch, and it left me needing more

I look forward to seeing where this series takes me next

Magic, romance and family relationships combine in this new fantasy novel from Catherine Doyle.

I have to admit, I wasn't sure I was going to like this when I first started reading it. It's set in an alternate world very similar to England and I get impression that it's meant to be set in the past - people drive horse-driven carts and carriages and there is no mention of electricity or electronic devices. However, the speech, dress and attitudes of the young people in this story are very modern. I think young adult readers will appreciate it more than jaded middle-agers like me.

Despite that, the story developed and built to a climactic ending that wasn't beyond belief. It's also clearly the first instalment in a series, and the novel sets the scene for part 2, so don't expect a happy ever after from this book. I don't think this series is for me and I won't be reading any further instalments.

“I suppose fire is only mesmerizing until it burns you.”

In the dark city underbelly where shade-magic is controlled by two enemy guilds: the Cloaks (thieves) and the Daggers (assassins) lives 17-year-old Seraphine. Upon returning home, Sera discovers her house on fire and her mother murdered. After running for her life, she seeks sanctuary with the Cloaks and begins plotting her revenge. But are her secret abilities a match for Ransom: a dark-haired boy and heir to the Order of Daggers who has his own agenda?

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster AU and Catherine Doyle for providing me with this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book totally delivered on everything we know and love about young adult fantasy with ample amounts of action and adventure and delicious tropes such as; enemies to lovers, dagger (or letter opener) to throat, found family and magic.

I particularly enjoyed the setting of House Armand which more or less acted as an orphanage for other children of the cloak (shoutout to my favourite, wholesome character Bibby.) I also thought both the setting and magic system was unique therefore captivating. Overall, a great read and am eagerly awaiting book two!

Publication date: 2 Oct 2024

A fun new romantasy title!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 (rounded up for Goodreads)

You can expect:
▪️High fantasy ‘Parisian’ setting
▪️Enemies to lovers
▪️Thieves and assassins
▪️A specific magic source
▪️Dual POV
▪️Tragic backstories
▪️Excellent banter

My thoughts:
📍I’m not going to lie, initially, I was bored reading this book. The story didn’t really pick up till part III. The pacing was slow and I struggled to stay engaged. However, in the last 30%, suddenly the pace picks up and the book finished strongly.

📍I liked the city of Fantome. It was excellently described and I found it easy to visualise the cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings. More broadly speaking though, I did think the world building could’ve used expansion. Outside of the city underworld, I didn’t have much of a handle on how the larger city/country/world was ruled. I also think a map would’ve been helpful.

📍The magic system was original. The magic in this city stemmed from a singular source - shade. The users either ingesting or wearing it to achieve different usages. Powers of shadow are nothing new within the romantasy genre but this was a fresh and interesting take on it. The writing also introduces the possibility of a new source in an intriguing way.

📍I was pleased to see this book was in dual POV and found both main characters to be engaging though they certainly were stereotypical. Seraphine was your usual naive but impulsive, fantasy FMC who suffers through a traumatic event which sets her on a new path. Ransom was your usual mysterious, fantasy MMC who had his own traumatic back story fuelling his motivations. I did like that they had their own struggles, friendships and desires outside of their romance. It rounded them each out nicely.

📍I loved the romance! A true enemies to lovers story featuring delightful banter and tension.

📍I would recommend this YA book to 16+ readers due to the general themes and on page sexual scenes.

Other:
✨I received an ARC of this book for free through NetGalley. All comments here are my own, are my honest thoughts and I am leaving this review voluntarily for free. Thank you to Catherine Doyle, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This started off fantastic! The first half of this book was really gripping but then lagged a little. I think I would have enjoyed in this if I had listened to it.

Romantasy, according to Wikipedia, is a “subgenre of fantasy fiction combining fantasy and romance”. As journalist Ella Creamer explains via The Guardian, romantasy novels “are typically set in fantastical worlds, with fairies, dragons, magic, but also feature classic romance plotlines – enemies-to-loves, soulmates, love triangles.”

But, as Wikipedia further suggests, there is a subtle and constantly shifting borderline between “romantic fantasy” and “fantasy romance”. In the case of The Dagger and the Flame, by Irish author Catherine Doyle, the romance elements are predominantly significant, although the fantasy elements are definitely satisfying.

The first instalment of The City of Fantome series, the book tells the story of Seraphine, who seeks sanctuary with the Cloaks, a group of thieves vying for control over the city's underworld. Their rival are the Daggers, a gang of assassins. Both groups make use of a mysterious substance called Shade, which allows them to manipulate shadows in different ways.

Seraphine seeks revenge for her mother, a smuggler of Shade. However, the man who murdered her mother also wants her dead, so a young Dagger named Ransom is assigned the task. Such is the enemies-to-lovers trope utilised here that the storyline is almost predictable, if not for the intriguing plot twists involving the impact of Shade on those who use it.

Indeed, although the worldbuilding is not particularly elaborate, the magic system in the story is sufficiently fascinating, as the Cloaks sew Shade into their clothing in order to move through shadows. In contrast, the Daggers consume Shade in order to choke the life out of their victims in ten heartbeats.

More importantly, Shade can be mixed with other substance to create amazing or terrifying powers, depending on one's intent. As Seraphine's and Ransom's secrets are revealed – and as their unique romance deepens – the story turns dazzling, with fast-paced action, devastating destruction and breathtaking confrontation all the way to the end.

This can almost compensate for the slow build throughout the first half of the book, and for the unbearable but supposedly sizzling banter between the two main characters. Fans of fantasy stories will feel bogged down by the “electric” tension between Seraphine and Ransom, while wondering how this book, with its deliberate yet graceless inclusion of sexual content, can be targeting young adult readers.

There is no doubt that this book is more suitable for (new) adult readers. This, unfortunately, makes Seraphine and Ransom two very awkward characters. As much as their emotions and actions are often inconsistent with their age, we as readers are constantly told, instead of being shown, who they are and what they want. It considerably reduces the richness and effectiveness of the switch between their perspectives.

Knowing The Dagger and the Flame is a “fantasy romance” further takes away any potential surprise that one might expect from the ending. Luckily, the author leaves it open for a sequel, and answers why the book is not titled “The Dagger and the Cloak” instead. Hopefully, the rest of the series can find a better balance between the fantasy and romance elements, and give the supporting characters a chance to advance from being bland to three-dimensional.

“Fire is only mesmerising until it burns you.”

The dagger and the flame is a fun take on the age-old theme of thieves and assassins. The story itself was a unique take on the concept of a Romeo and Juliet situation except in the end the world will either burn them alive or burn at their feet. There was some fun tropes included that will appeal to many readers. Yes they do try to murder each other multiple times. They are true enemies not frenemies.

Critically this book is well written, it has great pacing and the plot is there. I liked the twists and turns that were included, some were quite obvious but still entertaining.

As a mood reader I really struggled to engage with Seraphine. It felt like we were given more depth to the support characters than we did with Seraphine. She bored me. Ransom was fantastic. His backstory and POV was refreshing and gave the contrast needed to empathise with the Daggers.

The last 50-100 pages re-engaged me into the story. I’m interested to see what becomes of them all when the dust settles.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily

The City of Fantome. The Dagger and the Flame is a beautiful adventure between two people in the City of Fantome, Ransom and Seraphine. At seventeen, Seraphine ran away from home after her mother was killed into the arms of the order of the clock and to have revenge on the killer of her mother. Ransom was a member of the Order of Daggers, a bunch of dangerous assassins, and he was given an order to kill a Seraphine. However, both Ransom and Seraphine fall in love, but will it be enough for them to change? The readers of The Dagger and the Flame will continue to follow Ransom and Seraphine to discover what happens.

The Dagger and the Flame is the first book I have read by Catherine Doyle, and I engaged with the story and the characters from the first page. My engagement with this book's plot and characters was surprising because I usually do not enjoy young adult and fantasy books. However, it did not happen with this book; I enjoyed it. I love Catherine Doyle's portrayal of her characters and the way they interact with each other. The Dagger and the Flame is well-written and researched. I like Catherine Doyle's description of the settings, which complemented the book's plot. I recommend this book.

Catherine Doyle's "The Dagger and The Flame" captivates readers with its black magic system based on Shade, a mystical force harnessed by both the Daggers and Shadows. Doyle's world-building is meticulous, seamlessly integrating the Shade magic into a richly woven tapestry of adventure, political intrigue, and personal stakes. The characters are well-developed and engaging, making their journeys both relatable and compelling. Overall, the novel stands out as an enthralling addition to the fantasy genre.

This book began with tremendous promise, hooking me from the very first chapter. Unfortunately, it soon lost momentum due the use of excessive detail, causing the pace to lag significantly. Despite my growing frustration, I persevered, encouraged by the glowing reviews from fellow readers. Regrettably, even upon completion, the book failed to fulfill its potential. The core storyline is compelling, the writing flows smoothly, and the main characters are well-crafted. However, the narrative is bogged down by an overabundance of extraneous information, seemingly setting the stage for future installments rather than delivering a satisfying standalone experience. While some setup is necessary, I couldn't help feeling that more action and plot progression were sorely needed to elevate this book from promising to truly memorable.