Fear the Flames: A Novel

Chloe

The Future of Flames

"Liv Darling's 'Fear the Flames' is a captivating romantasy that will leave you breathless. With its thrilling plot, complex characters, and sizzling chemistry, this book is a must-read for fans of the genre. Elowen, a former princess turned runaway, seeks revenge against her father's enemy kingdom. She forms an unlikely alliance with the feared warlord Cayden, embarking on a dangerous heist with a group of skilled thieves. -------------------- Elowen Atarah: A fierce and independent heroine who defies expectations. Her strength, determination, and unwavering loyalty to her people make her a captivating protagonist. I love that she is a strong woman who still appreciates the girly things in life. Cayden Veles: A brooding and enigmatic warlord with a hidden softer side. His unwavering devotion to Elowen is both heartwarming and intense. He very quickly moved up to my top ten book boyfriend list. Finnian Eira: Elowen's loyal and witty best friend, who provides much-needed comic relief and emotional support. There was a little bit there where he was a little too whiny for my liking, but I understand someone needs to think that way. Saskia Neredras: A brilliant strategist and skilled thief, who adds depth and complexity to the team. I immediately was drawn to her, I am excited to watch her character growth. Ryder Caeredras: A charming and charismatic thief with a knack for getting into trouble. Themes: Found family: The novel explores the importance of chosen family and the bonds that can form through shared experiences. I am a huge found family lover, and this one is great. Also a big fan of the dragon to Revenge and redemption: Elowen's quest for revenge drives the plot, but the story also delves into themes of forgiveness and redemption. I believe the books going forward will focus on this as a bigger plot point. Love and loyalty: The passionate and unwavering love between Elowen and Cayden is a central theme of the book. I am a huge romance reader, if I read something there has to be romance in it. I especially love when the MMC is obsessed with the FMC. Writing Style: Darling's writing is vivid and engaging, drawing readers into the world of Ravaryn. The pace is well-balanced, with a perfect blend of action, romance, and character development. I do think she has the potential to be HUGE in the romantasy world. I am very excited to see what she has coming next. I hate that I have to wait for the next books in this series. Conclusion: Fear the Flames is a thrilling and unforgettable read. With its complex characters, captivating plot, and sizzling romance, it is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers. I do believe that Liv Darling has potential to be the next big thing in the romantasy genre. ["

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September 24, 2024 Verified Purchase

Megan Bajorek

I've Read Both Versions and I Definitely Have a Favorite!

"First, let me say I absolutely loved the indie 2022 version of Fear of the Flames. I was obsessed within chapters and it was an easy 5 out of 5 stars, no notes, for me. Naturally, I was ecstatic to have access to the ARC of the formally published version. Within this verison I truly have enjoyed the open and heartbreaking conversations that Elowen and Cayden have throughout the book and I was happy to see Elowen's revenge scene against Robick was still just as devasting and viseral to read. I loved learning more details about the dragons but lament the investigative nature of Elowen's quest for knowledge inthe previous version. I also significantly missed the heartstopping original ending in which Elowen is reunited with her dragons in such a dramatic and finale feeling way! The original verison captured the absolute resilance and bad assery of Elowen whereas the new ending is, fine. I appreciated Cayden's honesty and transparency through out the book at more timely, appropriate instances but missed more of the connection and compassion established in his relationship with Elowen brought about by both of their willingness to revisit their trauma and see each other, wounds and all. I also sorely missed the lovely bond and friendship that was originally fully flushed out between Elowen and Saskia which now feels like it happens more so off the page. The twist at the end remained satisfying although, Elowen handled it far more confidently in the new version compared to the devastating but empowering reaction in the indie which I personally preferred! I mean who doesn't like a life altering betrayal followed by being able to feel those emotions in real time AND still get the job done. Despite the new additions I did like, the new version had many elements and scenes missing that were beyond essential to the story and I immediately felt their absence. The removal of the letters between Cayden and Elowen, the sudden setting shift with zero explanation as to what took the cast to the new location, the requirement to "just know" things causing the audience to have to go back and reread to make sure something wasn't missed, the sudden shift in topic from paragraph to paragraph with zero transitions (see Chapter 4), the extravagant upgrade to Cayden's home to a really unsettling level, the reduction of frustrating yet adorable banter between Elowen and Cayden during the initial hammering out of their alliance/deal which originally made their love development even more "enemies to lovers" with him still "falling first" now leabss their love story very fast and suf6een. This lack of visual (on the page) love development is further noticable in the missing sweet moments around pastries and Cayden being the only one to call Elowen on her constant need to diminish her own pain/suffering to the the strong one for others. Cayden and Elowen grow independently and together and that was captured far better in the original edit. These changes while maybe necessary for some future story reason created more issues with flow, continuity and pacing than in the previous version and I unfortunately am disappointed. All in all, a 3 out of 5 largely due to the feelings of confusion that I felt while reading causing me to reread and slog through a shorter version of this amazing story compared to before. Many instances I would rush to my 2022 copy to confirm significant differences and to confirm that most changes were not for the better. I strongly feel that Olivia Rose Darling has surmountable talent but this particular rewrite has diminished the quality of this story to a point where I am hesitant to recommend or consider returning for the sequel. I will hold on to my indie copy like a prized possession. ["

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November 21, 2024 Verified Purchase

Val

Cute, enjoyable book 1 of series!

""You can either stand against the tide or let it drag you under." "I'm tired of being a bystander in my own life. " "Dreams can guide us out of our darkest moments, offering nothing more than the comfort of hope, but they also have the ability to break us." "Never let anyone make you feel guilty for letting yourself choose how you want to live your life." "She can be strong and have anxiety. She's not made of stone." "I don't want to be scared of living." "Don't belittle all you've endured for a perception of yourself that someone made you believe you need to be." "Darkness can't scare you when you're one of the monsters that lurk in it." "You're so much braver than you believe, and stronger than you feel in this moment." "Never let the flames that make you who you are burn out." "The only time a person can truly be brave is when they remain standing as fear tries to cut them down." "Power is chaos if you don't know how to wield it." Elowen was imprisoned around age five, due to the behavior of her five dragons she had been gifted. She later escapes from the castle and leaves her family and dragons, but doesn't forget them, Now, she wants to rescue them by any means possible and take revenge against her father, the king. Elowen is a strong, determined FMC; can hold her own and is resilient, but also has anxiety. I love how the author portrays her strength and that she isn't broken because of her anxiety. Cayden, the MMC, made a deal with Elowen towards the beginning of the story and protects her during their journey of rescuing her dragons. He is the Commander of Vareveth, but also so much more! The quick wit banter is great throughout the book. You stay engaged and curious as to what will come out of the mouth of either Elowen, Cayden or the side characters. I love the relationships. They find themselves in quite the predicament, all the time! The found family is good for Elowen, but she misses her dragons dearly. She would sacrifice anything for them. I enjoyed the battles throughout the story. I felt as if I was there, fighting along with them! I loved Olivia's debut book! It is an enjoyable story that ends on a surprising cliffhanger! Bring on book 2!! ["

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October 24, 2025 Verified Purchase

Liz Burkart

Pretty Good

"I enjoyed this overall. It took me a while to get into the author’s style of writing, it was a little abrupt for me at times, but there were some parts where this author did a great job. I do think it could’ve benefitted from some editing. There was A LOT of filler info that I don’t think was necessary. With some editing I think this could’ve been shortened to one book, because although I enjoyed this, I don’t think I’ll read a future book in this series. At least, those are my feelings at the moment, sometimes I change my mind. Currently though, this book just didn’t interest me enough and by the end I was skimming just to finish it. SPOILERS PROS: The spice was one of the highlights, she’s very good at writing that. I felt the tension between the two main characters immediately. Pretty believable relationship and reactions to each other (until the end… see the below cons lol) CONS: I think the FMC was way overpowered and the author gave her too much of everything. Not one dragon, but five. A talented fighter, a spy, a thief. Tortured when she was young but a functional happy adult with a brother figure. A queen of essentially two and then three territories. It was just a lot of power and traits for one character to have. The anger with Cayden at the end was kind of a throw away just to add tension for the next book which was annoying to me. For a book that is marketed as a dragon type story, there is very little of the actual dragons in the book. It all felt like a set up for the second book. ["

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March 12, 2024 Verified Purchase

Jennifer

A compelling and original Princess/Bodyguard story with DRAGONS!

"This is a wonderfully original story and I’m grateful to have been able to read both the indie and traditionally published versions. It’s a well crafted tale of becoming, as well as overcoming, and is one of my favorite found family books. The FMC is Elowen Atarah, and from the outset you know she’s an independent woman, lethal, strategic, flirtatious, and loyal. She is also a lover of books and coffee, and has a sweet and soft side she rarely shows to anyone. She is selfless and empathetic, and her new found family gives her the security to open up and trust others, truly stepping into her power. She works steadily through the trauma from the heartbreaking childhood she endured under her father, a jealous king, at the side of the most lethal warrior in the known lands. Their alliance was forged in their common hatred of her father, but is a powerful grounding force for Elowen. She feels hope for the first time in a long time to be able to protect her kingdom and reunite with her dragons. The MMC Commander Cayden Veles is THE suavest, most flirtatious, most scrumptious morally grey bad boy. He’s a very deep well of a man, he’s respectful and loyal, and charming and well read, self aware, and selfless too. He’s a smooth and deadly assassin, a strategic warrior, a dedicated brother and friend. Getting to watch him learn new things about his ability to open up and trust his friends as well as Elowen was a wonderful experience. He would burn the world down for her, and she would go to the ends of the earth for him. Watching them help heal one another in the midst of their quest was a lovely thing. This book very emotional, it’s a powerful story full of the best of found family, we get beautiful depth with each character. The court intrigue, action, slow burn romance, spice, banter, world building, all is in perfect balance. AND DRAGONS! I’m so excited for book two so we can get more more more of everything!! ["

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November 2, 2024 Verified Purchase