Wasn't this book longer at one point when it was self-published? Because this feels like it is missing something now that it is being re-published into a shorter book. Like the book is incomplete and I am missing details.

I felt so disconnected from the book and the character's. There is a prologue that sort of introduced what is happening in the story but that is all you get in the terms of world building. You are just thrown into this world who no context on what the heck is going on.

The FMC seems flat, I had a hard time understanding who she is and what she is fighting for.
It just starts out her saying 'my dragons' often but no context or emotion as to why that is so important. Yes, you do get some story set up about these dragons and throughout the story you get glimpses of her background. But that is all. I don't get to see if happen, I was told it happened. So, this book really is a tell more than show. I wish there was time spent on her background so we understand why she has run away, how she trained to be a that point and why she wants her revenge so badly.

Quite often in this book, there are characters coming into the scene but not really an introduction on who that person is. All we know, its an uncle or a long time friend. That's it.

The pacing was all over the place. One minute we get a high intensity plot development, next thing you know you are in her internal monologue, talking to a friend or in a village. Then have a mini action scene to show she can fight then we move back to a slower pace of the story.

We get introduced to the love interest in the very beginning and I feel nothing with him. Nothing is set up for him, he is just there and the FMC is constantly being warned not to trust him. But of course, she does anyways because of 'her dragons.' Even though there is no explanation as how the captain is really going to do that.

All in all, I didn't enjoy this book and really felt that this could have spent some time fleshing out the details of the story and characters.

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this review. I finished the book several days ago and have SO MANY THOUGHTS!

First, I have to talk about the characters. Elowen is a fierce FMC with a horrific past. A princess imprisoned by her father and separated from the dragons she's bonded to, she's suffered so much heartache and abuse. I love her stabby vibes and how well-layered her character is. She's strong and lethal, yet compassionate and kind. She struggles with trauma and anxiety, but she faces her fears to protect those she loves. Now the queen of a hidden kingdom, Elowen is a fantastic leader with drive and determination. She's a survivor, and she will do anything to get her dragons back. She teams up with Commander Cayden Veles to do just that.

Cayden will definitely be added to my list of favorite book boyfriends. Whew, he is just to die for, and his relationship with Elowen is super swoon-worthy! Tentative allies, there's a spark between them from their first meeting, and it truly feels as if each has met their soul mate. The way Cayden expressed his feelings to Elowen, his fierce protectiveness of his friends and Elowen, his sharp wit and intellect, the way he has a tent in each of his camps decorated just for Elowen, complete with romance books for her to read - there's so much about him that I adore.

The banter and the tension between Elowen and Cayden is perfection! Some of their conversations are so funny and others are beautifully romantic. Even when they argue, the sexual tension and strong connection are there. Oh my gosh - their nicknames for each other. LOVE!! And the chemistry? Well, on a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate it 110! lol Cayden made my heart melt so many times. And I love how the pair challenges each other. They become a strong support for each other, too, and understand each other on a deep level. This is a couple who accepts each other, faults and all, and their loyalty to each other is super swoon-worthy.

Secondary characters like Finnian, Ryder, and Saskia are fantabulous, too, as is the found family trope. And the DRAGONS!!! I can't get enough of romantasies with dragons, and their connection to Elowen is lovely. The story also has great world-building that's vivid and immersive, and the unique dangers and monsters they encounter are great. Then there's the plot - soooo good! Between the political intrigue, the heist planned to rescue Elowen's dragons, and the brewing conflicts, there's never a dull moment. And the story is well-paced, so, even though it's a longish book, it never drags. Basically, it's everything I love in a NA romantasy.

Massive thanks to Delacorte Press for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

An exiled princess teams up with the commander of a rival kingdom in order to rescue the dragons her father holds captive. This reluctant-allies-to-lovers romantasy from a debut author has a good premise and good banter between characters. Some of the scene transitions were abrupt and the world building left much to be desired. I ended up DNF-ing this book as it failed to hold my attention. That said, although it's not for me it's not a bad book and I suspect it will find a good following amongst the many romantasy fans on booktok/bookstagram.

this book was absolute perfection! it was everything i want in a book. i’ve always felt homesick for fantasy worlds and longed to travel to far off magical places and this book felt like coming home. the world, the friends, the dragons were pure magic.

elowen is a princess who has been separated from her five bonded dragons, in hiding from her kingdom, and the time has come to seek revenge. she teams up with the most feared general to plot to steal back her dragons. elowen is such a fierce brave fmc and i love her endlessly. the found family and romance in this book are *chefs kiss*. i can’t wait for the world to get their hands on this book!!!!

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding paranormal story. When Commander Cayden Veles of Vareveth, meets with Princess Elowen Atarah, he proposes an alliance with her; he will help her free her dragons in return, she and her dragons will fight in the war. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written full of suspense and captivating characters, and a must read riveting story. Can't wait to read the next story written by the awesome author, Olivia Rose Darling!

Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling @itslivdarling

(Swipe for quotes , potential spoilers)
Such an amazing book that I sped through in two days . A perfect Romantasy for lovers of Sarah J Maas and Rebecca Yarros . I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any Romantasy lover .
A unique story of a wronged woman who fights to get back what is rightfully hers and a man who needs her help with the same enemy .
🌲 great world building
🗡️❤️ Allies to lovers
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒found family
🐉 dragons
☠️touch her and die
🧍🏻‍♀️strong fmc but with flaws
🤯 betrayal

I received this arc from @netgalley @penguinrandomhouse thank you so much .
Book is released on 17th September 2024

I’ve had a very hit and miss experience with popular dragon romantasy books over the last year or so. I haven’t reviewed either of them here, but over the last year and half I’ve read both “Fourth Wing” and “When the Moon Hatched.” Really hated the former, but, after a rough start, did end up enjoying the latter for the most part. In perusing other fantasy reviewers’ thoughts of these two wildly popular titles, again and again I saw “Fear the Flames” popping up as dragon romantasy title worth checking out. So, armed with my usual caution about BookkTok books (sorry, not sorry), I requested a copy of this when I saw it was being picked up by a trad publisher and re-released this fall. And…oof.

I usually like to start with the good things, but I honestly am having a hard time with this one. I mean, I guess there were the bare bones of good ideas here. But at the same time, those bare bones aren’t creatively unique to this author. Sure, dragons are always a good idea, but you can’t really give any one author tons of credit for simply including them in their book. And in this particular case, the dragons were so wasted as to negate the promise of them to begin with! They’re introduced in the prologue and we are told that our super special protagonist bonded to several dragons as a baby. This later causes her family to harm, reject, and banish her, caging her dragons away from her. But we’re never told any details about this! What does it mean to be bonded to numerous dragons? How rare is this? What abilities does this grant her? And then, said dragons don’t even show up again until the last 100 pages of the book! They are wasted in such a way as to be almost inexcusable, and frankly, it made me feel like I had been sold a bill of false goods on the basic premise of this book.

The incoherent world-building continued throughout. We hear that various nations are at war, but we are never told what drives these conflicts, what the parties involved want, or any history behind it. There are dragons in this world, and some hints at various sorts of magic, but how does any of these fantasy elements actually work? Nothing is fleshed out in any way! It feels as if the author looked into what fantasy tropes were currently popular, and then just threw them all in here. A weird metaphor, but go with me: in a good fantasy novel, an author will combine ingredients that may seem strange on their own, but together they become a lush and rich stew. Here, it’s like the author was a small child who went out in the yard and made “stew” with sticks and stones and tried to pass it off as the same.

The romance was equally disappointing. It pretty much happens instantaneously and then the rest of the book is just the hero saying some variation of “who did this to you” throughout the rest of the book. Oh, and following around the heroine as she shops. And here, too, we had more problems. There is coffee, lingerie, and romance novels in this world, all of which our leading lady loves. Except, oh wait, she’s been living in hiding throughout most of her life and she says early in the book that her only priority is protecting the people of her small, hidden realm. If that’s the case, it’s hard to buy that she’s had much time to focus on these frivolous things. Nothing wrong with these pastimes (heaven knows I enjoy all of these things too!) but it makes no sense in the world that is built here or for this character in particular, a woman who it seems would have had practically zero time for leisure, comfort, or excess.

Honestly, this book made me mad. It feels as if more and more often traditional publishers are combing through the various indie books that have been self-published looking for any that have the currently-popular tropes of the moment and the re-purposing them as fast as possible. And I do mean as fast as possible! The entire point of trad publishing vs. indie publishing is the vast number of resources they have to enhance a book to its best version. But here, and in other similar instances, it feels like the publisher forego any of the professional editing they should be bringing to new titles and instead just threw a new cover on the original version and got it out as fast as possible! Got to if you’re book is nothing but vibes and tropes and who knows when those could change! It’s so disappointing and lets down not only the authors themselves who are now missing out on the crucial edits trad publishers can offer to enhance books, but also to readers who have higher expectations for books published in the traditional manner.

I really disliked this book. And even more so, I really dislike the trend that this book perfectly highlights. Books are more than tropes or vibes, and sooner or later, readers are going to pick up on the fact that that’s all certain books/publishers/authors have on offer anymore. I can’t recommend this one. Perhaps if you’re a die-hard romantasy fan, but even then, the market is so flooded right now that it’s impossible to throw a stone in any direction and not hit a million other titles just like it, some much better than this.

Rating 5: An incoherent mess that feels like it was picked up just because its tropes matched the ones currently popular.

Review will go live on The Library Ladies on Sept 18.

wow oh wow. this book. absolute 5 star read. this was my first ever arc read and i couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity. and better yet, with such an amazing book as well. the banter? the dragons? the adventure? the tension? all so good. olivia absolutely killed it with this one. if i wasn't reading the book, you can bet i was thinking about it or talking about it. there was not a moment throughout the book that i was bored or wasn't enjoying it. i've never had a book quite literally make me kick my feet while giggling and reading as i did this one. this is a MUST read.v
time to go make this my entire personality now and never shut up about

"why do I have a feeling you're going to be the bane of my existence?" "because it's a title I'll happily take"

ARC review for trad published version!!
age: 18+
genre: romantasy
spice: 🌶️🌶️ ch 32, 38

- broody MMC x stabby FMC
- banter
- reluctant alliance
- "touch her and die"
- found family
- ballroom scene
- book loving character
- dragons!!
- princess in exile x father's enemy
- man is literally anakin

"oh gods, I kneed the most feared warlord on the continent in the balls"

"do you not remember when I held a knife to your throat?" "I actually think about it quite often, but if you want to remind me, you're free to do so"

"don't belittle all you've endured for a perception of yourself that someone made you believe you need to be."

"you look...beautiful is too mundane a word"

I could see how this book would do really well as YA. The marketing is really good and I was very excited to get an ARC copy. Unfortunately, it fell short for me. It’s marketed as New Adult but didn’t read that way to me. It felt very trope-focused as opposed to a true story. It was not quite insta-love but definitely insta-like instead of a slow burn.

DNF at 28%

What a debut!! I was enchanted from page one and Elowen is a heroine for the ages. 5 dragons bonded to her and she is forced to flee and for fifteen years she has been hidden successfully until a chance meeting with the demon commander of another country means she can go get her dragons back. Elowen puts everything on the line to get them back and to secure her people's survival. She is an assassin in her own rights and her relationship with Cayden is sultry and one of the slowest burns ever!! Eagerly awaiting book two now!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC!

Fear The Flames was a fun, dragon-filled read with a fantasy baddy, her brooding love interest, and lots of fun side characters.

I’ve been excited to read this book for a while because I easily fall victim to the dragon-crazy fantasy world bait. There were a lot of aspects of the world and the relationships between different characters that I thought made it very immersive. Unfortunately, this book lost me a bit because of its pacing. I really enjoyed the premise of the plot and the different characters throughout the story, but overall it felt like it was much longer than it needed to be and a bit choppy to get through at times.

The FMC/MMC relationship was not my favorite - it felt a bit too cheesy for my taste and almost like it was trying to check off every popular romantasy trope. I wish they had a bit more depth outside of just being the classic romantasy characters (ie strong headed, secretly powerful FMC + angry MMC that’s swooning for FMC) with banter that felt a bit forced.

I still think it’s a fun read and was a really amazing world that was impressive for the author’s first book! I’ll definitely be reading the next one as I think it has a lot of potential to become a great series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing and author Olivia Rose Darling for this copy of Fear the Flames.

I’d give this book 4 ⭐️’s. Fear the Flames is a story about lost princess Elowen who finds an unexpected ally and embarks on a journey of revenge and self discovery.

This book was well written in way that kept the story and characters moving forward; which made it an easy read. It never felt like we were stuck wishing the place would pick up. Olivia did a wonderful job depicting the betrayal Ellen experienced at the hands of the people who should have protected her.

-one of my favorite quotes is “The people who have only received hatred at the hand of someone who should have loved them. The people who have been shoved into darkness and clawed their way out with the sheer willpower to survive.”

I was immediately drawn to Elowen’s dynamic with Cayden’s and her friends. Someone who experienced such atrocities, to have that spark still burning deep within and use the flame to light her path forward. The relationships were very natural and experiencing forbidden attraction was enticing enough to keep me engaged to see where it went and the consequences, if any.

I would say my downside was development of the overall plot. I kept expecting more complicated reasons why things were happening or expecting a deeper connection but it remained relatively simple. I also question if the betrayal at the end of the book was substantial- it seemed like not a huge deal to me given the motives.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to book two and where the plot and character development goes

If this book isn't already on your tbr, add it now! You don't want to miss this one. I'm excited to reread it the moment my hardcover arrives on September 17, 2o24.

After reading the indie version last year I didn't think it could get any better, but this is absolutely stellar! The story has been tightened up, keeping it fast-paced and action-packed. The addition of more dragon content and other new bits are absolutely wonderful. Olivia Rose Darling has somehow given us even more in fewer pages.

Our FMC Elowen is a badass and I live for her female rage! She's cut throat, but selfless and loves those closest to her deeply. As much as I love reading about her and Cayden, her relationship with her life-long platonic bestie Finnian is the most special and precious thing (please protect him at all costs!!)

Our MMC Cayden is everything you want in a book boyfriend - enjoy!

Every character in this found family brings so much life into the group and I'm attached to all of them.

I already know Fear the Flames will be a series I forever obsess over. It's everything I love about a romantasy.. I can't wait for more!

Tropes:
-Reluctant allies to lovers
-Banter! Tension! One bed! Bandaging wounds!
-Female rage (we love that)
-Found family
-Morally grey FMC & MMC
-Touch him/her and d*e
-Spicy spice

I really wanted to like Fear the Flames because dragons, and who doesn't love those?! Buuuttt I struggled to get into this and ultimately DNF

"Fear the Flames" is a captivating debut that left me breathless with its thrilling blend of fantasy and romance. Olivia Rose Darling has crafted a rich, immersive world filled with dragons, political intrigue, and an exhilarating quest that had me turning pages late into the night. Elowen is a fierce and relatable protagonist, driven by her love for her dragons and her unwavering determination to reclaim her rightful place.

Cayden, with his dark secrets and formidable presence, makes for a compelling counterpart, and their chemistry is electric. I loved how Darling developed their relationship from reluctant allies to partners faced with their own emotional dilemmas. The slow-burn romance added layers to the plot, making their challenges even more impactful.

The supporting characters brought an enjoyable dynamic to the story, enriching the narrative and providing comic relief amid the tension and high stakes. "Fear the Flames" not only delivers an exciting adventure but also highlights themes of loyalty, trust, and the courage to pursue one’s destiny.

I highly recommend this novel to fans of epic fantasy and romantic adventures. Olivia Rose Darling has proven herself as a talented storyteller, and I can’t wait to see where Elowen’s journey takes her next in this unforgettable series!

Thank you for the opportunity to read Fear the Flames.

This was one of the best books I have read this year. I squealed, I cried, I screamed.
Can't wait for more.

It’s giving touch her and die and then uno reverse, she’s the same to him!!! I was feral for Cayden and Elowen’s banter the entire time😮‍💨

this book was everything!!! I am in awe that this is her debut, because the storytelling was so freaking good. This story was unique and I feel like that’s hard to find in a lot of new fantasy books!! Elowen and Cayden are perfect for each other, their banter had me giggling the whole time, the found family/side characters were everything, and the dragons are perfect!!

Read the indie version and was lucky enough to receive an ARC of the traditionally published version, and wow, everything that I loved about the indie version was amplified. There was more Cayden and Elowen, more banter, more spice, and more dragons!

I loved going back into the world of Elowen and Cayden, and their journey to retrieve her dragons from her abusive father, the King of Imirath.

Olivia Rose Darling took her amazing story and made it even more amazing; I don’t even know how that’s possible. I can’t wait to see how this story unfolds in the next book!