This was a fun, bingeable romantasy that I think a lot of people will enjoy. It’s got a lot of familiar elements, but that didn’t take away from me turning the page!

Elowen and Cayden were very much giving Danerys (in her WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS phase) and Dario Nahaeris (loyal and obsessed bodyguard). It’s a slow burn, high heat allies to lovers with 2 morally dark grey people. Though they almost seem to try to one-up each other on who has done worse things. I really enjoyed the banter between them, and when we get there, the spice was spicy!

I would say definitely pay attention to the trigger warnings here. There was a torture scene that was a bit much, and a ton of references to how Elowen herself was abused as a child.
There were a few other things that were SO familiar as romantasy tropes that I actually rolled my eyes at one point. The relationship drama near the end especially annoyed me.

But I think this will find a ton of fans, and I’m definitely invested to continue the series!

Many thanks to PRHAudio for the preview. All opinions are my own.

4.30!

"Power is chaos if you don't know how to wield it."

I NEED THE SECOND BOOK LIKE I NEED AIR

This book basically follows Elowen, a runaway princess who was formerly imprisoned and separated from her five dragons. To get her dragons back and reclaim her kingdom she makes a deal with the most feared commander Cayden Veles on the agreement that she would fight with his kingdom, it follows a heist, a battle and lots of angst and tension with banter and found family.

This book was what I have been looking for in a Romantasy so it delivered and I do think that it parallels a lot with game of thrones but obviously got is incomparable and is an epic high fantasy and this was more of a Romantasy. There were some scenes that reminded me of got and while the main character didn't exactly resemble Daenerys Targaryen, I feel like her whole emotional arc follows that and there is honestly a lot of substance in this world which could be used for the following book(s) but as a Romantasy this SLAPPED I enjoyed the writing so much!! I was reading it on my phone so I was a little slow but I think it is relatively fast paced and easy to read, There are some scenes worth remembering and so well written, its more of a character driven novel but it also contributes to the plot and I love the balance that the plot and the romance share. One more thing about this book that people should know is it's building up to something better and more fierce and you will not see the dragons in full action until the last bits but you will get dragon scenes. I was totally fine with this aspect of the book because it felt very drawn out and fleshed out to me, I liked how much everything was explored in this book. It was written well and fit perfectly in the genre that it was described and marketed as.

One thing that I would like to discuss is that this was not as grand as game of thrones so DO NOT set your expectations to that level. This is a ROMANTASY not an EPIC HIGH FANTASY it falls more under romantic traps with action whereas GOT was action, foreshadowing, political intrigue and amazing dialogue.

"The reign of the demon king and the dragon queen."

The characters were the part of the book that I enjoyed the most. We follow two main characters:

Elowen Atarah. I really enjoyed reading about her character and I loved the development that we got to see from her side her point of view at the start read more like one of a princess which transformed into one for a queen as we reached the end and I loved it. She was strong and lethal, a fighter!!l and she had that presence of a queen that was seen in Daenerys + the bonds with the dragon was really similar but some of her internal monologue resembled that and that was pretty much it. Elowen was a character of her own. She had this deep affection for her people and I wanna see how it will play out in the future. The way Olivia presented her character was so strong and I loved how we got her emotional scenes. I loved it!! I feel like I would love her character so much more in the next book because I want to see her as a ruler and I want more of that side of hers and I think book 2 hold a lot of promise for her character.

Cayden Veles the lord commander of the army of Vareveth and our love interest. He was such a possessive, broody but also fun MMC. I loved how he literally killed people who would mean Elowen harm and it was so fun to read. That man literally snapped a guys neck because he was trying to force Elowen and I love him so much for that. His loyalty and his entire persona were the highlight of this book, I loved his sarcasm and his constant flirting was such a nice addition to this book, honestly he made it so much more enjoyable!! He's like how Daemon was with Rhaneyra in s1 but tamer. I wanna see how things unravel with him considering the end.

“Every part of you, every scar, both visible and invisible, are utterly beautiful to me.”
“As are yours to me.”

The romance, this is honestly for every romance lover because it delivers so well on that part. I loved how they both were there for each other to support them during their breakdowns, there was so much communication. The banter was amazing, their constant bickering and back and forth was enjoyable as well. I loved the flirting and the cute moments that we got of them and how they both were so possessive of each other and oh my god did the spicy scenes deliver because they were actually so hot and so well written. This is definitely perfect for fans of romance!!

Finnian, Saskia and Ryder were out main characters and I loved them so much and I feel like every book deserves to have good loveable side character who bring banter to the series. Finnian was the best brother Elowen could ask for, I loved his relationship with him and I really liked how every time she felt trapped or anxious she would go to him. Saskia and Ryder and all of them together with our main characters formed such a fun found family and I absolutely loved it!!

"I need you to send a message to the fire priestess. Our crowns and betrothal are drenched in blood, and war will come, but my dragons will be with us."

The plot I liked it!! it was setting up to something grand and we got a smidge of it in the end which was very enjoyable to read and it makes so excited to read the next book. It was more about Elowen getting her dragons back and Vareveth fighting against Imirath and it was very tense but not as much as I wanted it to be. I feel like it would have been better with more twists but the ending truly delivered, I am bouncing off the walls for more content.

Things that I wanted but were missing the world building was missing, I would have wanted more of it and court and political intrigue was definitely minimal, I would have loved this if we got more of that. I also wanted some intense dialogues. These three things could have made it better. I did appreciate the action though.

"There once was a princess born on a crisp winter night with enough fire in her soul to rival the frost that covered the earth. The sky wept as she did, and the stars burned brighter when she opened her eyes for the first time."

Tropes:
•Hate to love
•Knife to the throat
•Banter
•Tension
•Forced Proximity & Angst
•Spice
•'Who did this to you'
•Found family
•Dragons

One line 'The mask has fallen, I see you as you are' reminded me a lot of that scene in hotd where Rhaneyra and Alicent are fighting and Rhaneyra says 'Now they see you as you are'.

Overall, an amazing debut and I would definitely recommend!
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I heard people say that the main character is like Daenereys Targaryen in a romantasy who's bonded to 5 dragons who are locked away 🤭🤭 sign me tf up!

*Thank you to random house ballantine for gifting me an arc*

This was so good! I loved the ride. A princess after her dragons, an enemy commander utterly smitten with her? What more could a girl want? The characters were fun, the plot was heist vibes with lots of dagger to the throat moments. I had such a good time reading this!

I read this book when it was still self-published by the author and I loved it then and love it even more now. I am so glad that I picked this book up again, because I forgot how much I enjoyed it the first time. The main characters in this book are ruthless and damaged. I felt all of their sorrow and grief and anger along with them, which makes the book so quick and easy to read.

The romance between Elowen and Cayden is my absolute favorite kind of romance. They bicker and fight, but the undercurrent of tension is so strong and appealing. It made me want to giggle and kick my feet at times and then eventually need a fan because I am blushing at the words on the page. Absolutely amazing!

I really liked the dragons and the subtle magic in this universe. There are also other magical creatures that you can see that make the world more believable in my opinion. I hope the next book is on its way as I write this because I do not want to wait any longer to see what happens next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book.

Having been exiled as a young princess and torn from her dragons, Elowen Atarah teams up with a lethal commander who finds her and offers her a way to not only retrieve her stolen dragons, but get revenge as well. The two work together, more closely than others want them too and despite the looming war, they find themselves drawn to each other and fighting for each other with feelings that go beyond allies.

This was a super enjoyable and engaging story filled with everything I enjoy in a fantasy. It’s got quests, banter, action, romance and although a lot of fantasy I read doesn’t always have this element, dragons!

I really enjoyed each character, especially Elowen, despite her past and exile, the pain she feels being separated from her dragons, she remains resilient and strong, doing whatever it takes to find her way back to her beautiful scaled babies. I also love her relationship with Cayden, their interactions are never dull. Especially when there’s knives involved.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for fantasy that has a nice bit of spice in it, dragons (although I do wish we had more of them), missions, a bit of found family and stabby, morally grey characters. It’s definitely worth a read!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the chance to read this incredible fantasy!

This was such an amazing experience. I had a great time reading Fear the Flames. First and foremost I genuinely enjoyed the overall premise of the book. Exiled princess and Brooding commander? YES! I especially loved seeing our main character's relationship with those who are near and dear to her and seeing her character growth. I truly have never read a book like this before and the found family was just the cherry on top. Olivia Rose Darling will 100% be a best-selling author very soon!

Romantasy fans, there is a new must read fantasy/romance publishing next week! (September 17th)
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What you’ll get with Fear the Flames:
👑Exiled Dragon princess
🔥Demon commander
👑Alliance to save her dragons
🔥She needs his army, he needs her dragons
👑Road trip
🔥adventure and family drama
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This book gave me serious Game of Thrones vibes and I was here for it! I liked the ending of this book where it’s sets up nicely for a second book but doesn’t leave you on a cliffhanger. I enjoyed this book!
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Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Press for the opportunity to read this one!

I truly loved this book. I need more ASAP. It’s clear there is so much more to come for these characters and I can’t wait for it. Elowen is such a strong FMC. Her past trauma makes her so special. Cayden is everything - a feral beast who is tamed in the presence of only Elowen. I love found family so this hit the spot. Also… dragons 😍 not to mention FIVE dragons. I’m here for it and cannot wait for more.

3.5/5 but I can't quite give it the full 4 here

Fear the Flames should definitely come with more nods to how violent and intense it can be, but it is definitely a good take on a female antihero protagonist. I wasn't really feeling the excitement of the chemistry between the main two characters, and some of the wording felt a little cheesy to me at times, so it's definitely not the depth of SJM's writing.

A good summation is it goes for an intense Game of Thrones type adult novel, reads as a YA level that diminishes the overall quality of the story itself. It's a solid story but just doesn't feel like what I naturally gravitate toward. I really loved the dynamic of all of the friendships in this novel. I felt true and genuine love in those but felt that the relationship between the two main characters was toxic in a way that I don't think should be represented as a love story. It was much darker than I anticipated.

3.5 -⭐⭐⭐💫

“Don’t you have a job to do?”
“I added you to my job description…It now reads ‘Cayden Veles - Commander of Vareveth and Defender of the Bane of His Existence.’”

Fear the Flames is the first novel in the new adult fantasy romance series by the same name. The story follows Elowen, a princess on the run. Elowen at a young age was bonded to five beautiful dragons and everything seemed to be thriving in the land of Imirath until a prophecy was spoken that threatened everything. Her father, desperate to protect his empire, locked Elowen and her dragons away...until Elowen escaped without her dragons.

Fast forward years in the future Elowen has built a name for herself, her own secret kingdom, as she plots ways to bring her father's kingdom down and, most importantly, save her dragons. In need of feeding her new people and finding her dragons she is forced to strike a deal with Commander Cayden Veles of Vareveth, her father's enemy kingdom where he will support her rescue mission and support her people...in exchange for her dragon's aid in the upcoming war. Can they put aside their differences to avenge themselves as they navigate political manoeuvrings, impenetrable castles, and heists...or will tension be too much to bear?

This book has a lot of promise and I liked a lot of things about it...but there are some critiques.

Elowen is a fierce character trying to do whatever she can to save those she cares about while also being politically savvy. While I wouldn't necessarily say she's nailed the second one all the time, I admire her tenacity and I found her a character I could get into. She isn't afraid to do what needs to be done,

Cayden was a character I think many readers will enjoy. He is confident and the way he teases Elowen to antagonize her at times were some of the really fun points of this novel. He is a character not to underestimate and I feel there is more to him that meets the eye... he is strong, secretive, and knows how to politically manoeuvre...though he isn't afraid he will cause a scene. His brutal honesty when it came to how he feels for Elowen has me grinning. I think most of my highlighted sections are this man’s banter.

There are a variety of side characters who also help breathe life into the book. The snippets we get of the dragons leading towards the end had me eating up those breadcrumbs. Elowen's best friend provided the companionship she needed to weather so much. I felt overall the characters really helped this story along.

In terms of spice I would place it around 3 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. We start seeing steamy action around the 50% mark with some cockblocking. Cayden definitely likes to satisfy Elowen before taking anything for himself but when he does go all the way...There is dirty talk involved, dominant, and plenty of foreplay. The scenes are explicit and detailed. The chemistry between these two was well done and I enjoyed these moments.

“Careful, angel. You give a man a taste of salvation, and he might keep coming back for more.”

In terms of the story and plot, this is where I have a critique. This book very much felt like it was laying down the groundwork for the series but it came across as slow at times. The first 20% was rough to get through with exposition but once Cayden enters the scene we get to see more court and world building. Tension rises (threats to Elowen's life, demands from courts in exchange for support, a ball) and action builds (really good fight scenes!), but the thing we are all waiting for takes about 80 - 90% of the book...the dragons. I felt there was a good balance of action and court intrigue to keep me distracted and the romance helped give me something fun but I am not 100% sure what the next steps will be. The ending was not something I didn't expect and while I feel Elowen is overreacting just a bit (I mean think about everything they have been through) I feel things will be okay...right?

So to summarize - I love Cayden, I love the romance, I find Elowen an easy character to follow, and I like where things are going. Just note that some areas will be slow.

Thank you so much Dell for this arc!

I have heard so many things about this especially whe it was Indie published and I am so lucky to have received an early copy from Netgalley.

Elowen is a very strong, sassy, badass female main character and I really loved following her. Although she is a badass I loved seeing her also be vulnerable as she grows to trust Cayden.

Cayden is the dark broody male main character you want and you need in your life. He is ready to kill and torture anyone who touches Elowen much less hurt her. He is ready to set fire to the world for her.

The tension between them is stunning. I loved watching their relationship grow and they really get to know one another before jumping their bones even though they really want to.

The plot is so intriguing with them working on a heist to get her Dragons back. The found family aspects are beautiful and I can’t wait to see where book two goes because then ending was perfection!!

I wanted to love this book just based on the comparisons that I kept hearing, that the FMC was just like Aelin (TOG) and Daenerys (GOT), plus I am obsessed with dragon books at the moment. This one however fell short for me. My main critique is that I never felt the chemistry and the connection between Elowen and Cayden. With this being a romantasy, that's the whole point. It was this weird feeling because they definitely had good banter but for some reason it didn't lead to feelings of tension between them. They are supposed to be enemies to lovers, but I never really got that, especially because he agrees to help her pretty easily.
I also felt like the book read more YA than NA because of the characters and how they acted. They are supposed to be in their 20s but they read more like 16/17. This led me to feel slightly icky when it came to reading the spice. I would have much rather this been a YA book, and done without the spice all together. I think that would have worked much better.
Also WHERE ARE THE DRAGONS??? We barely see them in the book, and that was one of the things I was looking forward to the most.
My last complaint is the lack of world building. I feel like I walked away from reading the book without knowing anything about the world, the politics, the magic system.

eARC Review: Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling 🐉

This was a indie romantasy that was picked up for tradition publication, and while there were some elements that I enjoyed, there were others that felt either rather rushed or didn’t make sense. 😕

As always, I like to start with the positives in my reviews. I thought the idea was there and that the plot had a lot of promise to it. I really liked the idea of a Khaleesi/Daenerys like protagonist who is forced to separate from her beloved dragons and must team up with an enemy commander to retrieve them. I really enjoyed the use of platonic love with a male character that has no interest in sleeping with the female MC; I do wish there was more focus in literature about a loving relationship that doesn’t solely focus on sexual attraction. The banter between Elowen and Cayden was hilarious at times, but I do wish that they didn’t constantly take a bite out of each other. The world itself was very interesting and generally well thought out, but I do wish we could have gotten a little bit more information on who the gods are and why they have disappeared in the first place. 🫤

The things that didn’t work for me was mostly down to the writing. The dialog between some characters felt a bit too modern for a world that’s supposed to be medieval like. That and the fact that sometimes the writing felt like it jumped from one scene to another and I was left wondering how the heck the characters got to a new place when the previous paragraph said they were still in, say, the castle. I also felt like the ending had a sudden shift in mood, but then it felt like the characters resolved the issues “off screen”? I dunno, I was left scratching my head a lot while reading this at times. 🤨

All in all, I thought there was a lot of promise to the book itself, but it just felt like it didn’t stick the landing very well. I’m still debating if I want to continue the series because I honestly don’t know where the plot is going to go now other than into another war, and I kept thinking “so . . . the original war never ended or did it evolve into this new phase?” 🤔

Thank you goes out to Dell Romance for reaching out and offering this eARC in exchange for an honest review, and for NetGalley for providing the eARC. 💚

Publication date: September 17!

Overall: 3.25/5 ⭐️

Huge thanks to Olivia Rose Darling, Random House, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review! All in all I'd say this is a 3.25 star read for me.

This is a traditionally published version of an indie, well-loved book by debut author Olivia Rose Darling. I went into Fear the Flames with high hopes, and while there were aspects I enjoyed, the book didn’t fully deliver for me.

The found family dynamic was a highlight, and I loved how the relationships developed between the characters. That said, I struggled with the writing at times. It felt a little juvenile, especially with the use of superlative phrases (ex. "Our hands are covered in thorns, and every touch, no matter how innocent, draws more blood"), which I’ve seen replicated in other fantasy books. It seemed like the author was trying a bit too hard to capture an epic, larger-than-life tone, but it didn’t always land. The world building fell a bit flat as a result.

Insta-love isn’t my favorite trope, and it felt a bit forced here, especially when for a good portion of the book, it felt like our characters knew they cared for one another but had to stay away from each other for flimsy reasoning to artificially prolong the tension. I found some of the characters to be a bit shallow, and Cayden's hyper-possessive nature wore on me as the story progressed. Both Cayden and Elowen’s violent tendencies gave me From Blood and Ash vibes, which made parts of the book feel a little too familiar. I was also hoping for more time with the dragons, who felt like they were sidelined for the bulk of the story.

Despite these issues, I did enjoy the story overall, and I think fans of trope-heavy romantasy will find a lot to love. It was a quick read, I always love a good creature-human bond (such as Elowen with her dragons), and the found family was extremely heartening. The plot intrigued me enough that I still look forward to whatever sequel she puts out down the line!

3.75/4⭐️
🐉💫"It's you and me until the end-whatever end that may be."💫🐉

Okay, she was cute…ish.

Elowen Atarah is believed to be dead. Hiding in exile from her father the tyrant king, Elowen longs to be reunited with her dragons that were taken from her. When a dangerous army commander of a powerful kingdom makes her an offer she can’t refuse, Elowen sets off on a mission to take back her dragons, and play a part in a war against the kingdom that took everything from her.

I absolutely ADORE dragons, and will read and watch anything with them in it, so I was seriously so stoked to see that I had gotten an arc for this in my inbox. The book’s premise is so intriguing, and it seemed to promise a story full of adventure. And while there were some scenes that had me laughing and giggling while reading, there were also some that had me utterly underwhelmed.

The reason why I bumped it down from a 4 star rating was due to some aspects of the writing that I think could have used a bit more editing.

First off, the entire first half of the book moved a bit too slow in my opinion. The main conflict of the book is the fact that Elowen is trying to get back to her dragons, and she would do just about anything to get back to them and their bond. The “heist” scene around the 80% mark is where I thought things were about to get a little crazy, maybe a little plot twisty. But nothing really happened? They end up literally sneaking in and out of the castle, no problem, with 5 freaking huge dragons flocking behind them.

You cannot tell me that’s not the most anti-climatic thing ever.

And maybe it’s just the fact that I tend to lean towards more dark fantasy books, but I was truly so excited to see some action and some violence on the battlefield in this book. I think we could have gotten some more scenes dealing with adversity rather than just plain found family scenes and spice.

The romance between Cayden and Elowen was endearing. I live for the whole “dark, mysterious, rugged mmc having a soft spot for the bright, colorful, perky fmc” thing/trope. And this book brought that in spades. Along with a sprinkle of forbidden love…
I loved that these characters saw each other’s scars, physical and mental, and accepted each other unapologetically and unconditionally. Don’t get me wrong, their chemistry was amazing, and their whole relationship was everything. I just did not like that their relationship often overpowered the rest of the plot.

I will say, the last 20 pages did have me cheering for the fmc, so...I might just have to read book 2.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!💋

An exciting enemies-to lovers story, Fear the Flames is the dragon-filled romantasy so many readers are looking for. If you are a fan of stabby FMCs, broody love interests, and a fun mix of adventure and humor, Fear the Flames is a fantasy you cannot resist picking up.

Romantasy with dragons!

If you want a romantasy AKA romantic fantasy with Princess Elowen Atarah trying to get her dragons back from their prison when they had been locked away from her. Princess Elowen had escaped from Imirath to found her own kingdom of Aestilian while she made plans for retaliation against those who harmed her and those she loved.

Elowen needs help to feed the people in her new kingdom and Cayden Veles the Commander of Vareveth and Imirath’s biggest enemy will help feed her people and rescued her dragons from captivity. But can she deal with him while they battle their way from Vareveth to Imirath and then to safety with the help of their friends.

Serious enemies to lover’s with Games of Thrones and dragon thrown in the mix.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

2.5 star, 2 spice

Thank you to NetGalley as well as Penguin random house audio for the e-arc and ALC for this book.

Unfortunately this story was wholly unoriginal at best, or largely plagiarized at worst.This rating is based on the assumption that this work was <b>unintentionally</b> copying others.

Potential plagiarism aside, this was a pretty standard romantasy, with your abused and underestimated FMC and your bad ass, is scary to everyone but her MMC. Accompanied by a found family and warring nations.

I found the world building to be pretty much non-existent. I know there is war, but why? I know there is some people who can harness magic in certain place but again, why? How does it work? She is the only person with a dragon bond, and not only that but she has five. FIVE. How this all happens and the reasoning behind the major political issues is never told or shown to us.

I don’t know if these issues came up from the book being shortened so much from the indie version? But it felt like it was moving too quickly to give us the information we needed.

Now into the copying. The below list is going to include spoilers for this book, as well as the From blood and ash series

SPOILERS BELOW
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1. The original meeting of the characters Just like in the Red Pearl scene in FBAA, the characters in this meet unintentionally in a bar. On an upper floor with no one else around. A scuffle occurs and the MMC makes snarky flirty comments about how stabby and violent she is


2. Bathtub assassination attempt
- The bathtub assassination scene plays out almost identically to the one that occurs in the first book of the prequel series for FBAA,

3. Snuck out and book taunt
- just like the scene in FBAA where poppy has snuck out and goes to the library and his caught with Willa’s diary, we see this fmc sneak out, she’s is question by the MMC and they have a flirty exchange about how she is so sneaky. He then steals the book from her and then taunts her by reading a spicy scene outloud. It reads almost exactly the same.

4. Him being obsessed with eating her
- just like in FBAA this MMC is obsessed with going down on her, he does so pretty much every spice scene and like to tell us how sweet she is


5. the uncle isn’t the ally we thought
- just like in FBAA (first few books) the uncle we are supposed to trust gives off bad vibes and eventually shows his colors as being a traitor

6. Gold & wedding
- at their wedding a the end in front of a lake golden tendrils are scene after their vows. In from blood and ash they get golden magically slashes on their left hands

7. Eyes
- just as in FBAA when her magic comes forward her eyes change color this story has the FMCs eyes regularly change when she is interacting with her dragons

8. he admits to her that when he originally sought her out he was planning to kill her but they his feelings were real and that he never intended to fall in love and marry her, and use that to become king. In from blood and ash he plans to kidnap her to ransom her back to her kingdom, falls in love and then marries her - turns out she is the rightful heir and therefore he now gets to become king above his brother who was the next in line

Lines towards the end talking about the ‘embers within you’ and her fire is of the gods felt very much like the FBAA prequel series l.

In addition to all of this the character traits and interactions feel like a FBAA knock off, the attitudes and the conversations.

Smaller items I also noticed was the call out about him ‘not kneeling for any king or god’ as well as ‘like calls to like’ which both felt plucked from ACOTAR.

And I specify am not including the scenes that are just common tropes within romantasy like one bed, touch her and die and so on.

I don’t make these comments lightly. I do read a lot of romantasy as well as fanfiction, and I think I can distinguish between just standard trope usage and blatant copying of scenes from other books. If it were one or two I wouldn’t think anything of it but it just kept happening.

I think someone new to the genre may enjoy this if they have never read the other books I mentioned. But I personally am not able to recommend this book.

If every time you watched Game of Thrones you found yourself thinking, "This is good and all, but I really wish we could really focus on Daenerys," then Fear the Flames will be very up your alley.

The story follows Elowen, a princess whose soul is entwined with five dragons, but who was prophesied to be either the strength or downfall of her kingdom – and her father decided to prepare for the worst by imprisoning her age at the age of five and separating her from her dragons. After a few courtiers and soldiers help her escape, she hones her skills in both court politics and battle, and establishes her own tucked-away kingdom. Neither her father nor any of the surrounding kingdoms know for certain that she's alive—until she comes face to face with Cayden Veles, the general of an opposing army. (And yes, he is hot and grumpy and they have an instant connection.) They strike a deal: if Elowen publicly allies with his king, then Cayden will help her infiltrate her father's kingdom and free her dragons.

There's a lot to like here. Elowen is a great blend of pretty princess who loves dresses and books and badass thief who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty (very Daenerys meets Celaena Sardothien), Cayden is full of sarcasm and swagger, there's a great found family element, fantastic banter, and, you know, dragons. (Also: spice!)

I was expecting for there to be more twists and turns with this plot, as well as a giant cliffhanger, and though there are some plot surprises and betrayals along the way, none of them were as huge as I was expecting and the cliffhanger is the sort where you can see the edge of the cliff, but aren't dangling off of it.

Overall, I enjoyed this – I think it's a solid first book in a series and sets up a the characters, world, and story well, giving all elements room to develop and grow moving forward. I'll be looking very forward to all the drama that unfolds in the sequel!

I’m having mixed feelings about this book— overall I enjoyed the story but the elements of very modern descriptions kept disorienting me as to the timeline this was set in. I would give this a 3.75– it was a quick read I enjoyed overall.

What I liked:
- The friendships were sweet and funny
-The Banter— I LOVE a good banter
-Touch Her & 💀
-Dynamics between the FMC & MMC
-The MMC had elements of some of my favorite book boyfriends- Casteel, Rhysand, & Xaden— but some of the quotes of his almost felt too similar— but it’s fantasy and there is going to be a lot of overlap
-The pacing
-The spice

Dislikes/Potential improvements:
-Often felt like the descriptions were too much of telling me what something looked like versus describing it and feeling the world building which brings me to—
-Would have loved more world building
-Some of the modern language/phrasing felt too modern and with not enough world building it made me feel a bit disconnected/“thrown out of the book” at times.