Empire of Flames and Thorns - Marion Blackwood

Overall Opinion: ★★★★⯪

I am going to give this book a 4.5 for now. I may come back and change it after I have read the rest of the series. This book was a really easy read. It wasn't complex or hard to follow. While some people find Selena to be immature or annoying, I find it relatable to really want people to like you especially when no one, even family has ever accepted you. I love that Selena isn't inherently good at fighting, but she is smart and uses that to win instead of magically being good at fighting. Draven is a good MMC, I wouldn't put him in my top list yet, but I might after the series is over. You can tell he is good but needs to keep up appearances for the other dragon shifters, especially the empress and Emperor. The story and plot itself, is not completely unique but I have a feeling it's going to add it's own twist in later books. It's not 5 star because I really would have like to see more of Draven and Selena, but I suspect that I will in the second book with the way the first one ended. I also took away a half point because I was mostly able to guess the ending.

Overall I would recommend this book and am going to start the second one right away!

Update: I have finished all 3 books... I loved each one of them. The pacing was great, I continued to love both Selena and Draven. The side characters are more developed and I am loving them too. There are twists I saw coming but twists that I DID NOT see coming! I cannot wait to read the 4th book and for it to give me some closure because the ending of the 3rd broke my heart!

See below for a synopsis of each reading session through the book. I will try to keep details to the minimum for anyone wanting to read the book but just want to see my impressions. 

Other books I have read and wrote about:

Of Flames and Fallacies - Courtney Whims

Wild Reverence - Rebbeca Ross

Dire Bound - Sable Sorenson

He Loves Me Not - C.M. Nascosta

Powerless - Lauren Roberts

Plated Prisoner Series (Gild)- Raven Kennedy 

Heaven Breaker - Sara Wolf

 Chapters 1 - 12

I read 12 chapters in one night. My routine is a kindle book before bed as I am waiting for my kids to settle down and I was able to get 12 chapters before I thought to myself " I really need to put these kids to sleep" and has to put it down. 

The background is there are humans, fae and dragon shifters in this world. The fae were in charge a LONG time ago and treated the dragon shifters as pretty much slaves. The dragon shifters rose up and turned the tables on them and now rule over fae. It has been this was for a millenia. 

Our FMC, Selena, is a fae apart of a resistance (of course there is a resistance). but she is untrusted and has a deep seated need to be liked and accepted. So she plans to enter the Atonement Trials, a 4 trial competition set by the dragon shifters every 150 years for fae to complete to be able to leave the kingdom of the dragon shifters in search of a "better" place. {insert my opinion} I have a feeling that the "better" place either does not exist or is not better. OR the winners of the trial never actually make it out. 

We meet of MMC, Draven, in the first couple chapters in a very funny meeting. I won't spoil it for you because it was not what I was expecting.

For the trials the contestants stay in a palace with the leaders on each dragon shifter tribe and the reigning Emperor and Empress of the dragon shifters. There of course is a ball to get ready for the trials, which again is a great time that I will not spoil. But we get more one and one time with our FMC and MMC

Chapter 13 - 21

Again had a hard time putting this down and putting the kids to bed. But it is an easy read, and the chapters are pretty short.

The first trial is a violent one which is difficult for our FMC because she does not have offensive type magic, but she manages to make it to the second round. Again, a great read and I don't want to spoil it. 

Selena has a kind of feud going on between her and another contestant that ends up in a pretty awkward but funny predicament, that I loved! One thing that keeps getting mentioned in the book is that she doesn't want people to dislike her or mistrust her and she has trouble making friends (relatable), she has no problems with letting her sarcasm and real self come out around Draven though. It's pretty funny the things she says to him. 

It is also mentioned a few times that she has been with the resistance a long time, but she is still not trusted. {I really think that there is something there that we don't know yet that will be significant later}

 We get to the second trial where Selena is immediately put at a disadvantage because of Draven. And has to use her smarts to figure out another way. We also see that she may get some allies in the trials soon. 

I'm about 50% done with this book already! This is a series of 4. But I think only 3 are currently released. 

After the trials, Draven is pretty upset that she did not get eliminated. {the way her reacted makes me think that something happens to the trial winners, that is not pleasant}

The last thing I read before putting the kindle down was Selena getting attacked by some contestants that failed the trials, mostly because of her. But she is saved by Draven and she passes out because of her injuries she sustained during the attack.

Ch. 22-25

She woke up locked in his room and he tries to keep her there to miss the next trial. They are LOCKED IN THE SAME room for 4 chapters. I laughed, I smiled and I loved it. 

🌶 You do get spicy scenes here. 

Ch. 26 - end

I did it again, stayed up way to late to finish the book. You get the 3rd and 4th trial here. Selena is finally realizing that she can use her power without needing apologize for it. But she does have a moral realization that she doesn't need to harm people either. 

She makes it through the 3rd trial and the 4th trial is almost immediately after. 

She gets help from 2 of the contestants in this trial and Draven saves her again. They fall into an underground forest together and have to find their way out together. They run into another species we have not been introduced to yet who I think will be significant later. 

🌶 Selena finally realizes that she cares for Draven and he cares for here. But her only goal is to still win the trials so she leaves and wins. 

In the final chapters, you see what happens to the winners. While I did expect a twist, there was a little extra there that I did not expect.