When the safeness of young Princess Elowen’s unique bond to five dragons was put into question, she and her dragons were imprisoned by her father, King Garrick. With the help of her uncle, Elowen escaped and has been hiding in a secret kingdom called Aestilian for many years, but her dragons have remained imprisoned in Imirath. When the Commander of Vareveth, Cayden Veles, offers Elowen an alliance, which includes a vengeful plan to break into the Imirath castle and free Elowen’s dragons, Elowen agrees to leave the safety of Aestilian, despite Cayden’s ruthless reputation. The longer that Cayden and Elowen work together, the harder it is for Elowen to remember that their growing closeness just an alliance against a common enemy, nothing more…even if Cayden, who is grumpy with everyone, seems to be a secret softy only for her.
Fear the Flames is an “enemies to lovers” fantasy romance featuring the boy obsessed, “touch her and you die”, forced proximity, and found family tropes. The characters, dragons, plot, and overall vibe in Fear the Flames were reminiscent of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Alpha’s Burden by Luna Lark, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, and King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair; so if you like any of these romantasy books, you should definitely check out Fear the Flames! Some themes and topics present in Fear the Flames include betrayal and revenge, quest for power, war and sacrifice, escape, love and heartbreak, family and found family, childhood trauma and abuse, abandonment, death and loss, heists and quests, secrets and lies, and court intrigue.
I added Fear the Flames to my TBR list after the author, Olivia Rose Darling, shared fan art of the main characters, Elowen and Cayden, shopping in a bookstore while carrying a huge stack of books; unfortunately, this is not an actual scene in Fear the Flames (although I think it would be awesome if Elowen and Cayden went book shopping in a future Fear the Flames book!), but Elowen is a huge bookworm. As such, there were some great bookish quotes throughout Fear the Flames, which fellow bookworms will love.
I appreciated that the story was only told from one viewpoint (Elowen’s) and the plot was relatively easy for me to follow as sometimes I find it’s hard to keep track of all the varying characters and plot lines in fantasy novels. Additionally, even though there was inevitably some violence throughout Fear the Flames, it wasn’t overly gory. It was also great that Fear the Flames didn’t really end in a cliffhanger, like a lot of other romantasy novels seem to do, as cliffhangers can often be stressful when the series is still being released. Elowen and Cayden’s spicy “enemies to lovers” chemistry was very addicting, and I loved the fun-loving dynamic in their found family friend group. Lastly, I found the heisting and adventure aspects of the plot to be very engaging and, since I loved Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, the addition of dragons was a definite plus for me.
There wasn’t much about this book that I didn’t like, but I will say that it was a tad predictable; I didn’t think that it had any unexpected twists and turns that tend to be common in other romantasy novels, which could be a disappointment to some readers.
Overall, I really enjoyed Fear the Flames and would highly recommend it to fans of bookworm main characters, spicy “enemies to lovers” romances, loveable found families, dragons, and heist plots! Since Fear the Flames didn’t really end in a cliffhanger, I’m very intrigued to see what’s going to happen in book two and have already added it to my TBR list.
Fear the Flames is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of September 17th 2024.
Will you be picking up Fear the Flames? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
An exiled princess teams up with the last man she thought she could trust in the start of a dazzling and unforgettable epic fantasy romance series.
As a child, Elowen Atarah was ripped away from her dragons and imprisoned by her father, King Garrick of Imirath. Years later, Elowen is now a woman determined to free her dragons. 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. Even if that means having to align herself with the Commander of Vareveth, Cayden Veles, the most feared and dangerous man in all the kingdoms of Ravaryn.
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.
As the world tries to keep them apart, the pull between Elowen and Cayden becomes impossible to resist. Working together with their crew over clandestine schemes, the threat of war looms, making the imminent heist to free her dragons their most dangerous adventure yet. But for Elowen, her vengeance is a promise signed in blood, and she’ll stop at nothing to see that promise through.
An immersive fantasy filled with a sizzling reluctant-allies-to-lovers romance, a world to get lost in, dangerous quests, dragon bonds, and an entertaining band of characters to root for, Fear the Flames marks the stunning debut of Olivia Rose Darling.
