Book Review: Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling

Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of Fear the Flames

Publisher: Delacorte (September 17, 2024)

Length: 384 pages

Author Information: Website

Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling kicks off a new series featuring warring kingdoms, dragons, and a reluctant allies-to-lovers romance, and it is absolutely perfect for fantasy romance fans. But overall, while I enjoyed reading this novel, it was also a good reminder why I can only take this genre in small doses. If you’re reading this for the romance aspect, I believe it will tick a lot of boxes, but it does feel weaker in some areas of storytelling and world-building.

The book follows Elowen Atarah, an exiled princess from the kingdom of Imirath who became bound to five dragons when their long thought fossilized eggs miraculously hatched in the little girl’s presence. Through their soul bond, the creatures not only became her protectors but became as close as kin. Alarmed by his young daughter’s new powers, King Garrick tried all he could to keep her dragons from Elowen, going as far as to imprison and torture her until she was rescued by her uncle Ailliard. Together, they fled Imirath and established a new home for themselves, but there was no choice but to leave behind the five dragons, who remained held captive by the king.

Now a young woman, living in the newly established queendom of Aestilian, Elowen still feels her bond with her dragons and is determined to rescue them and seek revenge against those who harmed her. But without allies, this would be an impossible task. Left with no other choice, she is forced to enter into a deal with Cayden Veles, the military commander of the neighboring kingdom of Varaveth, who holds his own beef against King Garrick. In exchange for helping Elowen, she must promise to then help him and the armies of Varaveth wage an all-out war against Imirath. Seeing no other way to reunite with her dragons, Elowen agrees even though her interactions with Cayden are strained. And yet, she can’t help but be drawn to him, a mutual attraction which only deepens as they plot together to carry out a grand heist on her father’s heavily guarded fortress.

Avid romance readers will recognize the romance between Elowen and Cayden as resembling the classic “rivals to romance” trope, conveying the idea of characters with opposing goals who eventually develop feelings. But in some ways, the author may have relied too heavily on the reader’s own expectations to do the heavy lifting. The trajectory of the romance feels predictable and rushed, and though all of this is what we know will happen—even what we want to happen—I feel like more attention could have been given to beefing up the romance. Sure, the witty back-and-forth between them could sometimes be entertaining, but I was also frequently distracted by pet peeves like Cayden’s overprotective and over-possessive toxic alpha male jerk routine. To be fair, lots of sparks do fly between him and Elowen, but it is also a rather superficial kind of chemistry, and I wish the story had given their relationship a tad more emotional depth.

The world-building also has potential, but not all of it is realized in this first book. Important questions like, what’s so special about Elowen, and why did the dragons choose her? What is the nature of dragon-human bond anyway? Overall, Fear the Flames has this vibe about that feels fan fiction-y, with broader elements like the magic system, history behind the kingdoms, and dragon lore feeling incomplete. Some plot points are also skimmed over, leaving the reader craving more context. Hopefully, the next book will patch up some of these holes.

On that note, I will likely continue the series, when the mood for a fantasy romance strikes. While Fear the Flames is a strong addition to the genre, it still feels strictly tailored for readers who are already fans of this specific niche. Others will probably find other areas not related to the primary romance arc lacking, but this is where I hope the sequel will deliver improvements.