Alexandra Overy’s debut novel These Feathered Flames is a reimagining of the Russian folktale The Firebird. It’s a story of twin sisters whom the rules of the land have pitted against each other—while one is destined to become the next queen, the other has been chosen to train as the next Firebird. Politics is a heavy part of These Feathered Flames, as is the sibling relationship at the core of the story, and I actually enjoyed both those aspects of it.
The customs of Tóurin see that when twin heirs are born in the royal family, one has to become queen, while the other becomes the next Firebird—the one to conserve the magical balance in Tóurin. This means that Izaveta and Asya were separated when they were only ten with Asya sent to train with her aunt who embodied the spirit of the Firebird then, while Izaveta remained at the palace. However, before Asya’s training is complete, the queen dies unexpectedly when both princesses are only seventeen. Asya, now the Firebird, receives a Calling upon the queen’s death that suggests a magical imbalance in relation to the queen’s demise, and she travels to the palace to answer it. As both Izaveta and Asya try to fit into their new roles and try to find their way back to each other despite their wholly different upbringings, they also have to find the queen’s killer.
These Feathered Flames is told through the two sisters’ points of view. While Izaveta’s chapters are mostly about the twisty court intrigue, Asya’s chapters give you some insight related to the magic system in their world, and her chapters also have the most exciting action sequences. We find out that while Tóurin once had magic in abundance, in recent years the land has witnessed a natural phenomenon they have come to call the Fading. Magic is now scarce throughout the land and only the Firebird seems to be able to access it freely. The Church thinks killing the Firebird would bring magic back into Tóurin, and as Izaveta does everything in her power to keep the Firebird from being hunted down, I’ll admit I enjoyed her narrative a lot more than Asya’s.
The main issue I have with These Feathered Flames is its faltering pace. In some chapters, the story adopts a moderate or slow stride as the sisters have these moments of rumination where they analyse their actions and think themselves unworthy of their respective roles (and there are a lot of these moments), and then suddenly there would be a fast-paced action sequence in the very next, and I found the transition from one to the next to be quite bumpy. There’s also the fact that Overy’s worldbuilding leaves a lot to be desired as quite a few questions remain unanswered. As for the magic in this world, while we’re told that to fix a magical imbalance the Firebird extracts a price from the magic user, that’s essentially all we know. The magic system is not very well explored.
The clashing personalities of the siblings, however, make their story a quite fascinating read. Izaveta, who’s almost the anti-hero in this book, is definitely my favourite of all the characters, and I really enjoyed being inside her head and seeing her schemes play out. As for Asya, Izaveta’s strong personality shadows her quieter, more introspective nature. There’s a queer enemies-to-lovers romance in this book that, despite being pushed into the background, manages to shine brightly enough, and I really wish we got to see a little more of it. Among the remaining characters, there’s a scholar called Nikov who’d definitely become one of your favourites with all his wit and snark.
These Feathered Flames, despite its flaws, has a plot that will keep you hooked throughout with some breathtaking action scenes, queer sword fights, and some strong characters you’d definitely like. Definitely give it a read if you’re a fan of YA fantasy, retellings, and books about siblings!
These Feathered Flames is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
A queer retelling of “The Firebird,” a Russian folktale
When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she’d need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm.
But before Asya’s training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned.
As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they’ll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.
