Chaos & Flame Series: Chaos & Flame #1 Published by Penguin on April 30, 2024
Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Epic, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / General
Pages: 336
Goodreads
Reading Challenges: 2024 Audiobook challengeTwo New York Times bestselling authors deliver a "fast-paced, action filled fantasy [that] reads like a mix of Game of Thrones and Avatar: The Last Airbender" (BCCB) in the first book of a YA duology featuring ancient magic, warring factions, and a romance rooted by betrayal, now in paperback.
House Dragon murdered Darling Seabreak's family. She owes her life to both the power of her Chaos Boon and House Kraken for liberating her from the sewers where she spent her childhood. When her adoptive Kraken father is captured in battle, Darling vows to save him—even if that means killing each and every last member of House Dragon.
Talon Goldhoard is the dutiful War Prince for House Dragon, bravely leading the elite troops of his brother, the High Prince Regent. But lately his brother’s erratic rule threatens to undo a hundred years of House Dragon’s hard work. Then Talon is ambushed by a fierce girl who looks exactly like the one his brother has painted obsessively, repeatedly, for years, and he knows she’s the key to everything.
Together, Darling and Talon must navigate the treacherous waters of House politics, caught up in the complicated game the High Prince Regent is playing against everyone. Unlikely allies, they’ll have to stop fighting each other long enough to learn to fight together in order to survive the fiery prophecies and ancient blood magic threatening to devastate their entire world.
Review:
This was such a great read. Darling just wants to survive, but she doesn’t want to keep doing the same things to do it. Talon is trying his best to end a war and bring peace to their lands, ending the battle that’s start has been long forgotten by those fighting.
A forgotten heir, secret magic, and pure chaos and violence ensue. Darling and Talon grow closer, Caspian grows madder, and Aurora goes through with a chain of events that shock us all.
Great character development and storytelling, and an absolutely amazing unexpected twist at the end.
About Justina Ireland
Justina Ireland is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books, including Dread Nation, Deathless Divide, and the Scott O’Dell Award winning middle-grade, Ophie’s Ghosts.
She is also the author of many Star Wars books and one of the story architects of Star Wars: The High Republic
About Tessa Gratton
Tessa Gratton is the New York Times Bestselling author of adult and YA SFF novels and short stories that have been translated into twenty-two languages, nominated twice for the Otherwise Award, and several have been Junior Library Guild Selections. Her most recent novels are the dark queer fairy tales Strange Grace and Night Shine, and queer the Shakespeare retelling Lady Hotspur. Her upcoming work includes the YA fantasy Chaos and Flame (2023), and novels of Star Wars: The High Republic. Though she has lived all over the world, she currently resides at the edge of the Kansas prairie with her wife. Queer, nonbinary, she/he/they.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
I love Tessa Gratton and have wanted to read Ireland’s books, so need to get a hold of this one. Great review!
I loved Ireland’s Dread Nation, so this has me curious. Lovely review!