A wrapping of familiar romantosy themes, with a filling that is all its own. The author serves up a delightful action packed thrill. The only thing for me, which lost a star, is the sudden change of major romantic interest, a much darker turn than expected. Carha declared her heart, but now? However is redemption of that star possible? Has the magic imbued corrupted her? I think a sequel is there for the telling! Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

DNF in the most "it's me, not you" type of way.
Unfortunately, I cannot get very far in any book that uses single quotation marks instead of double quotation marks.

This book had so much to love - a strong female lead healing from her past and stepping into her power (albeit begrudgingly at first), an escape from a fear-ruled, violence-ridden kingdom, and a journey that transforms reluctant allies into found family.

The gothic influences and dark magick elements were another standout, especially embodied in my favorite character archetype present in this story - a certain smoke-shifting, fire-eyed, gothic nightmare of a man, his nether-magicks becoming ever more known as the story progressed. And when that final battle hit? I was biting my nails at 1 AM, waiting for my favorite touch her and die trope to play out. And play out well, it did.

This book jumps between multiple POVs, but we mostly follow Cahra. Her development starts slow, and while the overall plot is well-paced, a few scenes in the early-to-mid section felt rushed. I would have loved to linger in the Wylds a bit longer to soak in the world-building and explore the developing dynamics between Cahra and one of the characters in the proposed love triangle. I also enjoyed the tense (but humorous) dynamic between Cahra and Raiden and would have loved to see more of that, alongside deeper connections with the other comrades on their journey. That said, I think there’s plenty of time in book two to see these relationships really develop.

The novel takes a darker, gothic turn toward the end, setting up a promising trajectory for the series. Thankfully, we’re not left with a brutal cliffhanger - just plenty of foreshadowing for an even deeper dive into dark magick, rising villains, and a forbidden romance (kicking my feet already!). His final moments in this book? Unhinged perfection. He’s going to complement our reluctant heroine so well.

This was a solid start to the series, and I’ll absolutely be picking up the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

A Kiss of Hammer and Flame
By Amy De La Force

3.75⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While I found this book enjoyable, there was something about it that dragged for me. I couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was that didn’t line up for me but there was something that just didn’t quite mesh. However, I found the overall story intriguing, the promise of a doomed love, there was a uniqueness in the way the world was set up. I love the three sister kingdoms and how it was set up to be overruled by Hael’stromia. Hael himself was the most intriguing character in the whole story and I’d have loved more from him but I feel as though there will be more to come of that in the following book. I think overall it was enjoyable, but there was just character depth missing and something else I can’t put my finger on. I will definitely read the next one though!

🩷 Book Review 🩷
📚 A Kiss of Hammer and Flame
💫💫💫💫💫

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb for this book had me interested from the start, the cover is stunning and it 100% delivered.

This book is perfect for the fantasy readers who wish to go back to their YA roots. This world is so different and unique. We meet Cahra, a blacksmith you becomes a reluctant hero as she is thrust into a prophecy that spans 400 years.

A Kiss of Hammer and Flame is fast paced and packed a good punch with character development that kept me engaged the entire time. For those wondering, there is a little romance but it is a sub-subplot. The majority of this book is action and it is just so refreshing and unique.

I really enjoyed Cahra's character, I thought we would get the reluctant hero that is small and dainty. Instead we got a hero who knows her worth and is overall a BAMF that takes all her challenges head on.

Definitely will be continuing this series, especially after learning who Cahra is.

DNF'd at 33%. I was really enjoying this one at first, but the more it went on, the more it seemed to drag. It just seemed to be too much. I think it would have benefitted from being tightened up significantly.

The love triangle also just made this feel like a YA novel and really took away from the book. I didn't even end up caring who she ended up with by the time I DNF'd.

This book had a lot of fantasy and plot and kept you guessing through out the whole book. Was a little bit dull towards the end of the book but besides that I did throughly enjoy this booo

A Kiss of Hammer and Flame – Amy de la Force
A mesmerizing blend of romance and fantasy, A Kiss of Hammer and Flame delivers a story filled with passion, power, and destiny. De la Force crafts a rich, immersive world where love and war collide, creating an electrifying tale that keeps readers hooked until the last page. Perfect for fans of epic love stories with a touch of magic and intrigue.

A throughly engrossing start to a new romantasy series that will keep you turning the pages!
The relationship between the Scion and the Weapon was super compelling and had me staying up late to read more.
Cahra was super relatable and easy character to root for as a main character but I also found Haels story super compelling.
Ultimately a super fast compelling read and cannot wait for the second installment so we can get more into what these characters are up too!

I was really invested in this story in the beginning but it really fell off for me and became a bit dull. I wish that there was better pacing and more action to keep the reader interested and on the edge of their seat.

I was hooked on this novel from the first chapter. Spent my time reading the book when I had any down time at work or at home. There is some romance, politics, war and magic of all sorts. So many plot twists that kept me interested throughout the book. Cahra is a force to be reckoned with, I wish she was a bit more confident in the end but I know she will grow to be immaculate when the next book comes out. Thank you for allowing me to be an ARC reader, I thoroughly enjoyed this read!

This was an enjoyable book. The story was written nicely but I was not a huge fan of the main characters. And the story was dull.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this from NetGalley.

3.75⭐️ rounded up to 4!

As a whole this was a good read, though sometimes I struggled with keeping focus.
The second half had me hooked more than the first.

I found Cahra to be a likeable MC who I had no problem cheering for to succeed.
A blacksmith apprentice with no knowledge of her own origins. A mysterious lord orders a longsword made by her, all design in her hands, and everything kickstarts from there.

A Prophecy. A weapon locked in a temple and an abandoned capital. All these things pulled me in.
While there are hints of romance and I am not really inclined to root for either interest at this time.
Hopefully that will change with book 2!

Highly recommend if you are looking for fantasy with lots of action and some mystery!

A Kiss of Hammer and Flame by Amy de la Force
3.5/5
What initially drew me to this book, besides the genre, is the beautiful cover art and intriguing blurb for the storyline! (Who doesn't love a good fantasy book with prophecy's??)
THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS!
You are immediately drawn to Cahra, our scrappy FMC who seems to be able to escape any sticky situation. Her young life was anything but easy, and she's fighting every day to create better circumstances for herself.
When Cahra is commissioned to create a sword and is given free-reign on how to design it, she unwittingly sets an old prophecy in motion that will eventually unleash an "ultimate weapon". As it turns out, this weapon is no item at all, but an other-worldly being with immense power that will bond to the subject of the prophecy once unleashed. This begins an intense journey in order to fulfill the prophecy.

I will admit, the writing does feel slightly clunky. Wordy in unnecessary ways. Inner monologues tend to be too wordy, and action scenes or pivotal moments got little to no explanations. This led to anticlimactic scenes, or scenes skipped entirely that would have been nice to see played out.

Wyldaern become a lovely addition to the crew, and I loved seeing Cahra finally bond and make a meaningful friendship.
Hael's story is completely heartbreaking, and I am glad to see him with a new Empress that seemingly wants to protect him as much as he is to protect her.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Cahra's story, and I am looking forward to seeing her come into her own in the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for this arc.
Unfortunately this just didn’t hit the spot for me! I felt that it was too much fantasy, not enough romance. It feels more YA.

I wasn’t particularly invested in the characters, (particularly Cahra who just frustrated me)and felt thrown into the story immediately, probably would have liked more time to get to know them. The writing felt a bit basic, and the pace was quite slow. Potentially the second book will pick up the pace a little more.

unfortunately i just didn’t love this book. the first half was so intriguing and i thought “man this has to be at least a 4 or 5 star book!” and then it went downhill.

cahra is an intriguing character and i really enjoyed her and her story, and i wish we got to explore more of her background.

as for thierre, raiden, wyldarean, etc., i enjoyed the development with the companionship but i hate that we still barley know ANYTHING about any of them. all 400 pages and little backstory on anyone.

the book has such weird pacing, SO much buildup to all the different parts of the prophecy for the answer to basically (and literally in the key portion) be handed to cahra.

and then the weirdest love.. square? i’m still unsure about so many aspects of all of those relationships.

Cahra, es una joven herrera que, sin saberlo, forja una espada que desata una serie de eventos que podrían cambiar el destino de tres reinos en guerra. Al crear la espada, Cahra invoca a Hael, un ser inmortal con el poder de moldear o destruir mundos, en el corazón de un conflicto civil entre tres naciones.

A medida que Cahra huye junto a Terryl, un noble misterioso que le encargó la espada, se ve atrapada entre los intereses de reyes tiranos que desean utilizar a Hael como un arma y el destino que la vincula al inmortal. Mientras el peligro acecha, Cahra se siente cada vez más atraída por Hael, quien se manifiesta en sus sueños, pero también debe lidiar con los secretos y traiciones que rodean a Terryl, lo que pone a prueba su lealtad y su corazón.





Por alguna razón extraña razón no pude conectar con la historia, tiene todos los elementos que me gustan, pero hubo algo que no terminó de gustarme. Leeré el siguiente porque quiero ver el crecimiento de Cahra.









Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cahra, blacksmith apprentice and our FMC, is thrust into a prophesy after forging a sigil on a blade.
She must save the capital city, free the weapon, ultimately ending the war between the 3 kingdoms.
After a soldier sees the weapon on display Cahra flees the city with the lord who requested the blade only to find, neither of them are who they say they are.

The premise of this book was interesting and original, but for me it fell flat.
The plot was slow and some of the language used was basic. I didn’t find the FMC particularly likeable and the romances were confusing and sprang out of nowhere with not nearly enough build up.
Will not continue with the series.

This was okay, but not great for me. I found the characters, especially the MFC, to be two dimensional, and kind of boring. I didn't mind the world and thought if it had only dug into the characters a bit more, it could have been great. It reads quite YA for my tastes.

Thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book to review.

A Kiss of Hammer and Flame was a great read. I really enjoyed this book. The story revolves around Cahra, a blacksmith, who forges a specific sword that sets off a chain of events that could unravel a long held prophecy. I thought the world building was really good and the characters were well written. The plot was fast paced and action packed and kept me engaged throughout the whole book. This was an enjoyable read with a good mix of magic, action, and a little bit of romance.