Title: Fear the Flames
Author: Olivia Rose Darling
Length: 384 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: Sep 17 2024
Genre: Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (3.5 rounded up)
Summary:
Fear the Flames follows Elowen Atarah, an escaped princess turned queen, who seeks to rescue and reclaim her dragons and kingdom. She allies with Cayden Veles, a feared commander, to infiltrate an impenetrable castle.

Thoughts:
I mean this is giving major ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and Fourth Wing vibes so if you like any of those, this one should definitely be on your radar! I will say that I wasn’t a fan of how detailed a torture scene gets in here, and there was a little too much emphasis of the spice versus the plot. With those two negatives out of the way, I can say that I liked how fast paced and action-packed this was. There wasn’t really ever any downtime. This also means the world building was lacking, which could be a good or bad thing depending on if you enjoy the world building aspect of fantasy books. I also loved Cayden and his devotion to Elowen. I’m a sucker for touch her and die, and this was wonderfully done. It wrapped up pretty nicely too with no cliffhanger!

Special thanks to the @netgalley and @randomhouse for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

Fear the Flames" is a breathtaking gem in the romantasy genre that absolutely checked all my boxes—and then some! This book offers a perfect blend of vivid world-building, swoon-worthy romance, and thrilling action. From the moment I started reading, I was completely hooked.

Elowen, our fierce FMC, is a character I instantly connected with. Her strength and determination shine through as she fights for her loved ones, making her a true force to be reckoned with. And then there’s Cayden, the MMC who is just chef’s kiss. His devotion to Elowen is palpable, and the chemistry between them is electric. The banter? Absolutely delightful!

The side characters—Ryder, Saskia, and Finnian—add so much depth to the story. Their dynamics create a wonderful found family vibe that warms your heart and makes you root for them even more.

The plot is fast-paced and filled with unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat. Elowen’s quest for revenge is thrilling, and the ending had me gasping! I’m already dying to see what happens next.

Don’t sleep on "Fear the Flames." It deserves all the hype and more! If you’re a fan of romantasy, this book is a must-read.

I feel like this book had SOOO much potential to be everything I love in a fantasy book but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. There was a lot of repetitiveness, and I also just could not connect at ALL with the female main character. I honestly cannot tell you why she like Cayden. It felt like an enemies to lovers plot was being forced. There were also times when I felt like she talked like she was from a contemporary romance novel? I am intrigued by the plot so I more than likely will still continue along with the story.

I had a lot of fun with this book. It is a great example of Romantasy.
The banter was spot on. The found family was perfection. The morally grey main characters. I loved all of them. And the dragons.

This was just an okay read for me. I enjoyed the book, but kept wanting more. The story follows Elowen who was subject to torture and confinement due to a seers prediction regarding her and her dragons. After being broken out of the dungeon by her uncle, becoming queen after establishing a hidden kingdom of her own, and struggling with her past, she meets Cayden who has a proposition for her. He will help rescue her dragons if she will become an asset in a war with her father and his kingdom.

I had mixed feelings about Fear the Flames. First, I think overall I liked the premise of the story. I also liked the moments of action, planning, and even in some respect El's relationship with Cayden. Unfortunately, for me, there is simply not enough dragons! A large majority of the book focusses heavily on the romance and the sexual relationship between the two main characters. At times it felt as if the story was having a little bit of an identity crisis. I think this is due to a lack of balance at certain points of the story.

I enjoyed El, her strength, and her banter with Cayden, but the characters outside of El fell a bit flat. I think they were a bit underdeveloped. I would have loved to see character growth and depth to the side characters. World building is also a bit lacking. As a reader, I had to make a lot of assumptions about the world, the presence and mythology of dragons in their culture, and even the land and make up of the cities. Darling uses quite a bit of imagery, but for this reader, I simply could not picture the environment. Of course this is simply a personal preference. I think overall the story had it's merits. For one, there are some very heart pumping, dark and violent moments in the book. Also, the flirtatious banter between El and Cayden is really enjoyable.

Overall, I liked the read, I just wanted more. The writing and story piqued my interest enough to keep me engaged.

Fear the Flames, by Olivia Rose Darling, is the first installment in the author's Fear the Flames series. Once upon a time, a little girl named Princess Elowen was born in Imirath. Her parents were so happy, that they invited royalty from other Kingdoms to partake in the celebration. One Queen brought Elowen 5 dragon eggs that were so old, that nobody thought anything of it. Until the eggs sprang to life and immediately bonded with the little girl, revealing a dire prophecy for Imirath that will either destroy the country, or save it.

For the next 14 years, Elowen became a creature of darkness thanks to her father King Garrick, locked away in the dungeons and tortured repeatedly as her father and others tried to break that bond between her dragons. Until she escaped with a bit of help and found a new country to create for others looking for a new home. Having established a secret kingdom of her own called Aestilian, she’s ready to do what’s necessary to save her people and seek vengeance.

Her new home, however, is struggling to feed its people and needs help. When Elowen hears that Vareveth has been sending soldiers into an area that doesn't belong to them, Elowen investigates. Here is where Elowen meets Cayden Veles, Commander of Vareveth who desperately wants to free Elowen's dragons, knowing a war between Kingdoms was imminent. Cayden is ruthless, lethal, and secretive, promising to help Elowen if she will stand with him and all of Vareveth in the pending war against Imirath.

Despite their contrasting motives, Elowen can’t ignore their undeniable attraction as they combine their efforts and plot to infiltrate the impenetrable castle of Imirath to steal back her dragons and seek revenge on their common enemy. This is a story where even the second line characters are brilliant and interesting, especially Ryder, Saskia, and Finnian who has been with Elowen through the darkness of times.

This book tends to be dark since Elowen is a no holds barred kind of heroine. Same goes for Cayden. If you like 50 Shades of Grey, which I don't, you will enjoy the romp, literally, through this story which seems non ending. Personally, when a book is about dragons, I want more dragons not sex scenes! This is the authors debut so maybe if she reads some of these reviews, she will have more roles for these beautiful and deadly creatures. I would also love more worldbuilding, again, hopefully the author takes these kindly suggestions and broadens her world.

I really enjoyed this book. After Fourth Wing I was looking for more dragons and this one really delivered!

My best friend loved the indie version so I immediately requested an ARC of the Delacorte Press version. Perfect for fans of NA romantasy it has the staples of the genre. It's a formula you know and love. I want to call out how much I loved that there was a platonic m/f relationship in this. I cannot wait to see more of the dragons in the next book. I'm not a huge fan of princess x bodyguard but Elowen and Cayden really made it work. Their banter and tension was so good. I can't wait for their relationship to continue to develop.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and Netgalley for the eARC.

I love fantasy romance, however I struggled to fully immerse myself in this story. I appreciated the found family trope, and I enjoyed the romance. My one complaint was the pacing. One second we were in one location, then immediately we were thrown somewhere else. The story could have used Cayden’s perspective to add more depth to his character. Overall a fun time.

Thank you Delacorte Press for the gifted ARC and PRH Audio for the audiobook. Opinions are my own.

Fear the Flames is fast-paced with the high-stakes of an epic fantasy. I found the romance to be central to the story and often held the spotlight. So I’d say this one lands firmly in the romantasy genre. I think it’s important to clarify this point to help set expectations. This was spicy! 🌶️

Readers who prefer more romance and less world building will love this one, especially if you enjoy banter, forbidden romance, suspense and angst. The chemistry between the MCs is magnetic and amplifies the intensity of the action sequences. 🔥

I tandem read this with audio. Narrator, Hannah Van Der Westhuysen is incredible! I highly recommend this format.

This debut will certainly dazzle readers of fantasy romance.

My rating: 3.75⭐️ (rounded up)

This story was not quite what I expected originally going into a dragon fantasy, but it ended up being so much more intricate and more. The intricacy of emotions and politics and everything blended together well to create a gripping adventure, and the banter was absolutely glorious. I almost want to read the first version so I can see what changed, but I am definitely excited to get my hands on the sequel!

I loved this book so much.I literally have the independently published version, the e-arc, the physical arc, and the finished hardcover. If that doesn't explain how much I loved this book, then I don't know what will. The characters, the plot, the setting, the world building-- Olivia has outdone herself and I'm so happy I got to be a part of this journey and see what she does next! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I read the indie version at the beginning of this year and it had been a really tough read for me. I’m glad that the edited version was not. The editing this book has gone through has been so worth it. I love the world building, the growth of all the relationships (Cayden, the crew, the dragons), and being able to understand the motivations of the characters better.

I am so honored to have been given an arc to read the trad published version.

I’m so happy for Olivia and I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series goes!

Fear the Flames was sooo good. This is everything that I love about romantasy. There were dragons, a heist, a runaway princess, peril, lovable side characters and a great love interest. The plot was engaging, well paced, and had me reading long into the night. I am looking forward to hopefully diving deeper into the world in the next one and cannot wait to see happens next. Overall I really enjoyed this one and will definitely read more from this author

Romantasy + Dragons + Political Intrigue = A must read for me. This debut novel holds promise and I'm excited to see the author deepen the characterizations and "fantasy" elements throughout the rest of the series.

The plot: Elowen Atarah has led a secret life in Aestilian, the kingdom she created, ever since escaping the castle where she was kept prisoner as a girl. This imprisonment by her father, the king, was due to an infamous prophecy that foretold Elowen and the five dragons bound to her would likely cause the ruination of their kingdom. Despite being "free," Elowen is struggling with another dilemma - Aestilian is running out of food for its growing population. When fate conspires to present Elowen with Commander Cayden Veles from a rival kingdom, the deal he presents is too good to refuse. They set off on an audacious heist that will alter the course of every kingdom in the region if they are successful... and if they can get along long enough to work together.

My opinion: There was a lot of potential in this debut novel, but some aspects fell flat for me. I really enjoyed the various premises (dragons, prophecies, rival kingdoms, political intrigue, enemies to lovers) but the dialogue and scenes were not deep enough to carry the premises effectively. The concept of multiple bonded dragons and dragons as "victims" was very unique, and something I haven't encountered yet in other novels. The friendship between Elowen and Finnean was another highlight, and the "found family" dynamic felt real and deep due to their shared traumas and history. The relationship between Elowen and Cayden, however, left me wanting - Cayden seemed to "insta-love" Elowen despite us learning little about her character and motivations. The "enemy" concept was dragged out in faux fights and dialogue, but it was clear that Elowen was falling for Cayden just as fast. Elowen also appeared a bit anachronistic, like she was primarily based on Millennial times instead of Medieval times. The heist concept was very cool, but the heist itself resolved with little to no complications over the course of just a few pages, and the final resolution was equally quick. This could have been better developed to create a more impactful story that would be more satisfying to the average fantasy reader. Overall, I'd be interested in reading the next book in this series to see how the plot unfolds and what happens next.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Delacorte Press for this ARC!

3.75/5 stars.

For reference I’m ALWAYS hypercritical of the first book in a series. Rating aside I think this was a really strong start and I think a lot was opened up for the future. It’s a pretty standard plot and characters but there is something special there that hasn’t been fully explained yet. Very excited to continue reading this series!

Okay, the start of this book had me hooked! The writing is fast paced. I loved the secondary characters.. and THE MAIN MALE LOVE INTEREST IS CHEF’S KISS.

This is a book about a girl with a connection with dragons, who is in hiding from an evil father, and the journey it takes to get from there and back to her dragons..

While I stated I loved the beginning, I shortly started noticing issues. A lot of the situations jump from one point to the next. The main female love interest could be talking to someone in one part, and then the next paragraph she is throwing a knife. I felt that to be a bit disorienting. I did receive an arc copy, so I’m not sure if that was edited properly in the future, or if the current copies also do that.

The next thing I had issues with- the gore. I don’t do well with gore, so that’s a personal problem. I love fantasy romance and I can usually get through the difficult scenes. I felt like this book took it too far. It was done to someone who hurt her, but it made me feel disgusted and wrong. STRONG AND GRAPHIC GORE, people. After that part, I am not going to lie. It was hard to finish the book. I was emotionally checked out.

Thirdly, if you’ve read FBAA and ACOTAR, there are scenes repeated with the love interests in these books..
1.) how Rhysand kneels to Feyre in ACOTAR and asks if ‘she liked him being on his knees’ same thing happens in this book.
2.) when Casteel in FBAA gets the spicy book from Poppy and reads it aloud.. same thing happens in this book.

Now while I adored both of those scenes in their respective books, I felt like this book ripped it off. It felt like I was reading straight from those books at some points. I think a lot of authors get confused when we say we love ACOTAR. We don’t want a regurgitation of ACOTAR. We want a fresh take that makes us FEEL like ACOTAR did.

Overall, I enjoyed this read, but I do think the gore and the weird convenient situations were a little much for me. The three stars is only because I genuinely loved the couple in this book, the rest of the book felt a little flat after a certain point.

I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did, but it was really good! It was pretty fast paced and easy to read. I was definitely getting Throne of Glass vibes with a sprinkle of dragons.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it had a great story line and great characters who you really fall for. I didn’t always love the romantic choices vibe as he’s very jealous and a bit heavy in the my woman front. but he still puts her needs and wants first and so sometimes balanced out but just occasionally he gave me the ick.

I love the main characters love for the dragons and LOVED the ending. Can’t wait for book two!

Thank you to publisher, author, and NetGalley for this honest review.

4.5⭐️

If you tell me a book has dragons, you know I’m sold. Add in a heist and found family and I’m thrilled!

The story was well placed, the friendships and found family were top tier. Elowen and Caden’s chemistry jumped off the page and their banter was so good.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it a hundred times, I love a stabby FMC. If you like literal knife to throat moments and women who can fight, this one might be for you.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc. I cannot wait to see where this series goes.