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.

Only ok imo. First half started off well, but kind of lost it in the second. It could’ve been a bit tighter.

"The Dagger and the Flame" is a captivating new adult romantasy set in the mystical city of Fantome. Within this shadowy world, the Cloaks—a cunning group of thieves—maintain a tenuous truce with their deadly rivals, the Daggers. Both factions harness the power of Shade, a mystical substance that enables them to manipulate shadows for their clandestine activities of theft and assassination.

The premise of this book intrigued me, but it took a while to truly engage me. It wasn’t until Part III that the story really picked up. Once it did, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the book and eagerly anticipating the sequel to see if it can maintain this momentum.

I was particularly impressed by the unique magic system. While the concept of using darkness and shadows is familiar, the execution here felt fresh. Shade is the source of all magic, but each faction uses it differently: the Cloaks sew it into their clothes to move through shadows, while the Daggers ingest it to drain life from their victims.

The main characters, Seraphine and Ransom, were also compelling. Seraphine is a classic naive FMC who is thrust into a new life following a personal tragedy. She’s smart and perceptive but also young and prone to rash decisions. Ransom, on the other hand, is older, more pragmatic, and embodies the misunderstood bad boy/villain archetype. Their chemistry is palpable from the start, making for a genuine and engaging enemies-to-lovers dynamic.

However, I did have a few issues with the book. Besides the slow start, the worldbuilding felt limited. The story focuses on the dark underbelly of Fantome but fails to provide a broader sense of the world. I found myself wishing for a map to help visualize the setting. Additionally, there were mentions of a King, but he never appeared, and there was little explanation of the larger governance beyond the Cloaks and Daggers.

Overall, this was a solid and intriguing first instalment in a series, which has left me curious about what will happen next and in my opinion has lots of potential.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was a lot of fun! A really layered, well thought through plot (that was at times a little predictable to me, but enjoyable nonetheless). The magic system was unique, and I loved that most of our characters feel like ordinary people, not supercharged heroes.

I had two main issues that made me dock stars from this book. First was the info-dump style world building, especially in the first third. There were full pages of 3rd person narrator to reader asides, used to explain history or character backstories. The second is that this book both reads as and is marketed as a YA novel (nothing wrong with that), but in my opinion, has a little too much sexual content to align with that classification. I have no problem with sexual content in adult books, but feel that in this case, the scene in question could have been written in looser terms or have been excluded all together.

Overall, would absolutely recommend this read to lovers of light romantasy! ★ ★ ★ ½ ☆

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with an eARC of The Dagger and the Flame in return for my honest opinion.

I am a big lover of romantasy books, especially if it’s an enemies to lovers romantasy 👀. When I came across this book on Netgalley it was described as the romantasy of the year and post reading it, I have to agree that it’s really good.

This book has a really interesting magic system, a great plot and engaging characters! Sera and Ransom are a true enemies to lovers, one a their and the other an assassin (who also happens to be trying to kill Sera). This book is split between their POV, which I find always makes the characters more engaging and leaves me desperate for them to progress from enemies to lovers.

I did not see the plot twist coming and was pleasantly surprised by it (I love an unpredictable plot twist). However.. the ending?! Ouch! I sobbed my way through the ending of this book, it felt so cruel and has left me desperate for the next book in this series.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for access to an advanced copy of the first novel in The City of Fantome series in return for an honest review. It’s a fun romp through a well-defined world that fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows series and possibly also Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone are likely to enjoy. Like Six of Crow's, Catherine Doyle's character's are thieves and assassins, adversaries in a battle for survival, victims of the mistakes and misjudgements of the past.

The Dagger and the Flame builds audience sympathy for the cast of villain protagonists into a fast-paced fantasy romance. Seraphine claims sanctuary with the Cloaks, after the brutal murder of her mother. Her new 'crew' are an eclectic bunch of Dickensian orphans under the care of Madame Mercure and Fontaine. Sera must become a thief to pay her way, or venture alone into the violence lurking in the shadows of Fantome. As monsters flood the city and romance blooms in all directions, Sera's nemesis draws the noose ever tighter around her neck.

I liked Fantome. I think the world buildiing worked well. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this in future novels, should this continue. The action-driven plot works well, adding a [albeit weak] prophecy trope to the various family/evil dad/orphan themes swirling around. I'm not convinced that this is anything more than a simple story, reasonably well told to be enjoyed over a cup of tea/hot chocolate/coffee. No hidden meaning or depth - and I don't find it's lacking much. Not every form of entertainment has to be plumbed for insight. I'm fine with that. On the other hand, this is apparently the first book in a series. I can't see that there is scope within the series for the main characters to take on that type of journey (of transformation or redemption). This is something that will need to be tackled in the next book(s).

Another bug bear with this novel, which seemed to crop up frequently, was a lack of nuance and frequently clumsy phrasing. I am no doubt being a bit picky, but I'd prefer a little more subtly than: “I don’t play with fire, Seraphine.” I wasn't as bothered with the early references to the aurora, although eventually this was belabored to the point of being ineffective.

So good! The characters were all done incredibly well and this is genuinely one of the best done enemies to lovers I've read in so long! Also obsessed with the worldbuilding and magic system, it was really cool and I was invested from the first chapter!

Even though it was long and didn't have the most robust plot, I actually didn't feel like it was dragging at all, a combination of the characters and writing style really kept me invested the whole way through! Ends on a cliffhanger though rip

A little slow to get into but once I understood the history, I was hooked. It took me a while to understand what an actual cloak and dagger do. I enjoyed learning about Sera and Ransom. I was half expecting someone to backstab Sera like Theo as I wasn't very trusting of him. I think this was due to his first impression and background being quite vague. The ending was very emotive making me emotional so props to the author. I can't wait for the next book.

I enjoyed this Romantic Fantasy ... although I felt that it suffered from an identity crisis at times. It starts off with a YA vibe and then lurched into an edgier enemies-to-lovers romance that felt more New Adult to me.

Here's what I liked:
- it's well written with dynamic action scenes that had me on the edge of my seat
- main characters are likable and well-developed
- engaging plot and fast pace
- interesting story world
- parental and family theme
- great sexual tension and chemistry before the MMCs
- the cloaks and daggers!
- the magic system, use of Shade, and the monsters

Here's what didn't vibe for me:
- the character names throughout ... some were Italian, some were French, and others had a more Celtic feel. It didn't feel cohesive.
- the story starts of very YA and almost childish - as such, when the MMF becomes kick-a$$ I couldn't really buy into it.
- I didn't like the twist at the end ... it felt contrived and the conflict between the MMCs could have been cleared up by a simple explanation
- Jarring mix of coarse language and f-bombs (which I don't usually mind) and 'wholesomeness' - once again, it felt as if the author couldn't decide which way to go, and so the use of swearwords felt forced.

Over all, this was a fun read in an immersive story world and an engaging world!

“You are my hobby, Seraphine. Do you want to come out and play?”

I was so fortunate to get an ARC of this book and even though it took me a few chapters to get into it but it was worth it. This one fit into the enemies to lovers tale I love so much. There were more than a few twists and turns, one that was only a fleeting thought but ended up having a huge impact on the story. I don’t want to say any more so everyone can experience it for themselves.

Ransom might do bad things but he’s got a gooey centre under that Shade exterior and you can’t help but root for him. Excuse me while I add him to my book boyfriend list. You could really feel the emotions the character went through and wrestled with and I loved how they found strength in being together.

The story was amazing, flowed well and had a teensy bit of spice and a whole lot of tension 🫠 I’m so looking forward to read what happens next!

First impressions 💭
I felt like I was immediately transported into the world of Fantome with incredible worldbuilding and immersive writing! I loved the concept of the two groups “daggers” and “cloaks” wielding the same magic in their own unique ways.

What I Loved ❤️
- the character development and growth was amazing. The love that main characters backstories were not dissimilar and yet they were dealt completely different hands which shaped the people they ultimately became
- the dual POV 👌
- Shadow magic but with a twist! There’s a reason that we all love shadow magic so much but it’s a little bit overdone in fantasy at the moment. However the uniqueness of the delivery system and the different ways the shadows can be wielded made me love it even more!
- sizzling tension and laugh out loud banter!

What I didnt love 👎🏻
- I want to know more and be more invested in the side characters because of the “found family” element. But judging by that ending I feel like we are going to get more of that in book 2!
- the fact that I now have to wait for the second instalment 😂

Favourite Quote 📝
Tears streaming down her face, the words springing from her before she could stop them “you weren’t the only one who prayed to Saint Oriel, I wished for you too Bastian” 😭😭

Final verdict ⭐️
I’m totally invested in knowing what happens next, for the order of the flames, the friendships formed, Bastian navigating a new life without Sera while still protecting her, and ultimately how Sera is going to save not only him but everyone from shade!

“sometimes it takes a monster to destroy a monster”

The city of Fantom is ruled by two rival groups, The Cloaks (thieves) and The Daggers (assassins). They both utilise Shade, which is a magical substance that wields darkness 🖤

“Playing with magic was like playing with fire, and in the end someone always got burned.”

After the tragic assassination of her mother, our FMC Seraphine joins The Cloaks so she can find & kill The Dagger responsible. With the help of her new friends & a gift from her mother she discovers she will need to became a flame within the dark 🔥

“And when the time comes, you will rise far above this wicked city, and become a flame in the dark.”

This book is for you, if you love:
>Enemies to lovers 🔥
>Found family
>Magic & monsters
>Murder & revenge
>Knife to throat 🔪

Two moments that are playing on repeat in my mind:

‘We’re already in hell, Seraphine. And in case you haven’t noticed, it belongs to me.’

‘I suppose fire is only mesmerizing until it burns you”

I will be reading Catherine’s other series Twin crowns in attempt to fill the void while I desperately wait for book 2!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!