The banter is what makes this book wonderful- it is truly unmatched. The world building is the weak point, but if you know that going in, it's a very enjoyable read.

Absolutely amazing fantasy with gorgeous romance. Love the main character so much and her love interest was entirely swoon-worthy!

i loved this book. where there are dragons, there are dragons!
the story is full of adventure, passion, sweetness, banter, brotherhood and found family. HAS EVERYTHING!
i loved the friendship between elowen and finnian, they found each other and will always be there for each other.
the tension between Cayden and Elowen is something unique, you feel it from the very first interactions.
I can't wait to read the second book, I need it now!

Thank you Netgalley and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you for this copy!!

I'm definitely in my dragon era. This was a fun, fast paced read. The dragon weren't immediately in the story. But worth the wait for me.

Love the Main characters and their chemistry.

This book was a bit of a stereotypical fantasy romance, with our “touch her and die” MMC who is secretly a cinnamon roll and our stabby FMC. But, I still enjoyed it.

It wasn’t the most unique story, but it was still really well done and a fun read. It did take a little longer for me to get into the book than I’d wanted, but once I did, I flew through it pretty fast.

Really enjoyed this story and these characters. It did take awhile to get to the Dragons though. And at times it read very modern.. I’m not sure what time period we were supposed to be in but to me it seemed medieval.. so the modern lingo and characteristics threw me off at times. Cayden had a lot of highlightable quotes and moments. But he did seem enthralled too quickly for my liking. Otherwise had a lot of fun tropes like; reluctant allies to lovers, dagger to throat, found family, quest to save dragons, betrayal.. 👀

Fear the Flames
Olivia Rose Darling
Rating: 4.5 Stars (rounded to 5)
What I liked:
Overall, this was an exciting book with some badass main characters and a fun romance between an absolute power couple. The romance was definitely my favorite part of the book. Reluctant allies to lovers is a great trope. And Commander Cayden Veles is my fav. I also love a quest for vengeance, and Elowen did not hold back. She was a powerful main character with a strong backbone. I loved that Elowen did not want to do things halfway and was ready to set the world on fire to get revenge.
What could be improved:
Note: It took me forever to get this review out, but I actually read the Indie version that was only 354 pages, so I think a lot of the problems have actually been fixed in the newer 950-page version.
I did feel that some of the writing lacked nuance. Certain elements were cliché and aspects of the story felt underdeveloped. There could have been a little more character development and stronger world-building. Elowen at times felt like a bit of a Mary Sue. Also, the characters achieved the main heist way too easily with too little struggle. It would have made the story more interesting if the characters were pushed and challenged more. Also, although I love bloodthirsty characters, I felt that at times their kills didn’t sit right with me, and the main characters were a little too eager to kill random people.
Even though there were some areas of the book that could be improved, I wasn’t really looking for a super nuanced book and just wanted a fun romantasy distraction. This provided exactly what I was looking for. It’s a fun read with a sizzling romance between a power couple set on revenge.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 53%

Fear the Flames was too slow paced for my tastes and the writing style was very juvenile and more fitting for a YA story. I decided to put this down after 200 pages of little to no plot movement, a romance lacking chemistry, and a writing style I didn’t jive with. I would’ve liked a lot more world building and more information regarding the five dragons, as they felt like just an after thought throughout the story. I think the overall premise was unique and had a ton of potential, but unfortunately, it was executed very poorly.

Thank you to Delacorte Press, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the eARC of Fear the Flames.

There is no question as to why this is a best seller. This book was everything I love with fantasy romance. We got adventure, quests, dragons, banter, and a great FMC and MMC. The relationship between these reluctant allies developed into such a great lovers trope. Their emotional stability and communication was great. We still got "touch her and die" from the MMC. Loved the story!

I enjoyed this book from page 1! The two main characters were well drawn, believable, and easy to like. The plight of Princess Elowen Altarah, princess of Imirath, Queen of Aestilian, and Dragon Queen was one any reader would sympathize with. Cayden Veles, Commander of Vareveth was the perfect combination of supporter to Elowen and (at least at first) suspicious of her/

As a young child, Elowen was gifted some dragon eggs that were thought to be either fossils or artistic replicas. In Elowen's hand, however, the eggs came alive and hatched into 5 dragons, each with its own unique coloration. The dragons were totally bonded to Elowen and protected her from anyone or anything that sought to do her harm. That included her family and the palace staff. As a result, the young princess was imprisoned in the dungeon and the dragons caged in a carefully secured prison. Eventually Elowen grew to the age where she could escape, sneaking out of her jail cell and finding freedom. She eventually gathered with a few villagers in a well hidden community off the beaten path. They labeled Elowen their queen.

Eventually Elowen's desire to free her dragons led her to her family's adversaries in the country of Vareveth. That's where she and Cayden met. Cayden was ordered to keep watch of the princess of Imirath, fearing that she was a spy. The commander did his job superbly and as a result a romance grew between the two. Starting from the perspective of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”, the two, though it was kept in check by Elowen's primary objective of freeing her dragons. When that happens, Elowen's long festering wrath could be poured out on any and all responsible for her childhood trauma.

I found the book to be very well crafted and excellently paced. The author's prose were a joy to read and I am grateful for the opportunity to read it. I thank NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine, Delacorte for offering me a chance to read this book with my promise for a free and fair review.

This book is an excellent choice for anyone who enjoys strong-willed, stabby female main characters (FMCs) and male main characters (MMCs) who adore them. Plus, there are dragons! 🐉

However, my main issue with this book is that while the backstory was hinted at and included in flashbacks, it wasn't fully explored for either the FMC or MMC, even though it plays a significant role in the plot. The story feels like a hate-to-love narrative, but I honestly don’t believe they ever truly hated each other.

I’m hopeful that future books will delve deeper into the characters, as I see a lot of potential here. I also hope that the story maintains its substance alongside the spice. I love a good spicy story, but if the plot is compelling, I want that to shine as well.

If you like fourth wing and quicksilver pick this book up! I was expecting it to be more dense than it was. the traditionally published version was easy to follow and a great time. both the hero and heroine are absolutely brutal and hell bent on revenge. when Cayden said, "TAKE YOUR THRONE PRINCESS" I DIED.

every fantasy romance fan needs to read this.

complimentary copy provided by Netgalley but i'm spending my own monies on as many copies of this as i can.

I’ve heard sooo many good things about this book so I was so excited to get the ARC but unfortunately, Fear the Flames wasn’t for me. I could not stand the main character, this book was way too long for what it was, the world building was just okay, and the writing was at times extremely cringey.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed the overall plot of this story. It was fun, the characters were great. I loved Cayden. I think 5is book just really needs a heavy dose of editing. I know it was originally self published and has been cut down, and I think that affected some of the world building and overall plot. Some of the writing felt clunky and at times plot points didn’t make much sense. I think this story has an amazing foundation and great potential, I just struggled with the writing a lot at times. Not to mention, for a fantasy this was incredibly low stakes. Nothing ever went wrong. There was very little actual danger. Elowen is great at everything. There’s little back story and world building to explain why things are the way they are. My favorite parts are all Cayden and his banter.

I was so excited for this book but it fell unbelievably flat for me. I enjoyed the premise and concept but didn’t connect to the characters.

This was a fun start to a Romantasy. I loved the inclusion of dragons and the male lead. At times though, the plot left me wanting more.

I really enjoyed this book! The world building was interesting and it was full of political intrigue, romance and action! The characters were well written and formed a found family that I loved! The dragons don’t come into play until later in the book, but I loved them too! I'm glad we had a sort of satisfying end without a huge cliffhanger, but I can't wait to see what happens next for these characters!

Oh this book was so fun!! I always love a FMC who knows she's special and is resentful she has to hide it. Elowen is out for revenge for her dragons and she'll do whatever it takes even if it means partnering with the most obnoxious man on the planet and the most dangerous. The banter between these two was a lot of fun. I wish I had known this was a series before going in, but I'll be back for book 2!

Two important elements immediately caught my attention - dragons and a strong FMC. I've heard the character compared to Dani from GOT or Aelin from TOG and I can see where those comparisons come in. Epic fantasy with dragons will always be something I add to my TBR.

I have been following the journey of this beautiful book since it was self-published, and literally almost started crying when I heard a trad pub version was being rereleased. I was counting down the days until then and could not have been more ecstatic to wake up to and ARC in my inbox because I quite literally could not have waited another day to read this. So first off a huge thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Delacorte Press!!! The original version had easily cracked my top 10 (if not top 5) favorite books of all time, and after this reread it just climbed even higher on the list.

The book follows lost princess Elowen Atarah, as she finally emerges back into the world to team up with Commander Veles of her father’s rival kingdom to rescue her dragons. To round out the cast of one of my favorite found family dynamics ever you have Finnian (Elowen’s best friend), Ryder and Saskia (Cayden’s best friends).

I have read and watched and listened to so many romantasy stories in this vein that sometimes they can all start to blend together. But this one has something really special and just hits different. I’m not a huge rereader unless its something I truly love and resonates with me, and I find myself going back to this one all the time. I love this book so much in fact that I have 5 different copies of it. The OG version, the digital ARC, and then I ordered all 3 hardback covers (the US version, the UK version, and the international version) because just like a favorite pair of shoes, I needed to have it in ever style and color.

I must have highlighted more than half of this book. Seriously some of the most beautiful lines and quotes I have ever read. The imagery in this book is so powerful, and it was almost a cinematic experience reading it. Some books are written in a way that I can picture them so clearly it’s as if transported right in the middle of it all, and this is definitely one of them. I would love an adaptation like yesterday, but I digress.

I truly think my favorite thing though is the characters, and their relationships with each other. Obviously the romance and the banter is literally perfect (also i think about the brothel scene at least once a day). But even more so the relationship between Elowen and Finnian which shattered me multiple times throughout this book. The epitome of blood means nothing when it comes to family, ride or die best friends. Also loved the way that Elowen’s friendship blossomed with Saskia and Ryder which I can’t wait to see more of in the next book! There are so many happy moments between the 5 of them which I relished in.

The anxiety representation in this book was also so heartbreakingly beautiful. Elowen’s inner world added so much to the story as we saw how her mind processed everything through the lens of her trauma, and how she was able to fight through it.

The changes from the self published version added so much depth and raised the stakes, I didn’t think I could possibly love this book more but here we are. As much as I would love to gate keep, Fear the Flames needs to have as much hype as Fourth Wing is getting. I could literally go on and on about how much I love this book, but we would be here forever so I will leave you with some of my favorite non spoiler quotes:

“The blood Cayden spilled feeds the garden of corpses he must’ve planted.”

“She can be strong and have anxiety. She’s not made of stone.”

“Our hands are covered in thorns, and every touch, no matter how innocent, draws more blood.”

“His laughter is hoarse, deep, and rich; it’s like the sound must make its way through rusty pipes after years of neglect.”

“We feel like a melody long forgotten plucked from a shelf, dusted, and placed before our musician to remind the world of our tale.”

“I wonder what it would be like to glide through the world instead of braving it every time I left my home.”

“I am far from who I was but have yet to become all that I am.”

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