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Crimson Smoke and the Emerald Flame #1
Tale of the Hidden Village: World of Heavenfall
Most people only see what’s in front of them, be it a monstrous intellect or a beautiful fiction.
Crimson Smoke’s first conscious memory is of their appearance in the woods outside of town on a backwater island. Their only friend, the reclusive half-Jotunn investigator known as the Emerald Flame, plans to catch a thief in what he assumes will be a simple case. But when a government agent turns up dead, the pair soon find themselves on the hunt for much more dangerous prey.
As the clues in the dead man’s bed lead them deeper into the heart of the island, Crimson discovers there is more than one mystery to unravel. According to Emerald, Crimson is a being made of little more than light and magic, but the genderfluid “sidekick” believes they are much more than that. They make a if Crimson can solve the mystery of the secretive village hidden in the highlands, Emerald will finally admit that Crimson is a person in their own right.
With each new clue, however, Crimson learns more about their creator’s tormented past and the history of the village itself. Emerald is keeping dark secrets of his own, and Crimson may have more in common with the murderer than either of them would have believed.
***
For years, the outcast Emerald Flame has traveled the world, solving mysteries that only a magic-wielder could unravel. But when his imaginary friend gains a mind of their own, both are forced to grapple with their identities as well as the enchanted forces working against them.
A high-fantasy mystery perfect for fans of J. R. R. Tolkien and Arthur Conan Doyle!
Crimson Smoke’s first conscious memory is of their appearance in the woods outside of town on a backwater island. Their only friend, the reclusive half-Jotunn investigator known as the Emerald Flame, plans to catch a thief in what he assumes will be a simple case. But when a government agent turns up dead, the pair soon find themselves on the hunt for much more dangerous prey.
As the clues in the dead man’s bed lead them deeper into the heart of the island, Crimson discovers there is more than one mystery to unravel. According to Emerald, Crimson is a being made of little more than light and magic, but the genderfluid “sidekick” believes they are much more than that. They make a if Crimson can solve the mystery of the secretive village hidden in the highlands, Emerald will finally admit that Crimson is a person in their own right.
With each new clue, however, Crimson learns more about their creator’s tormented past and the history of the village itself. Emerald is keeping dark secrets of his own, and Crimson may have more in common with the murderer than either of them would have believed.
***
For years, the outcast Emerald Flame has traveled the world, solving mysteries that only a magic-wielder could unravel. But when his imaginary friend gains a mind of their own, both are forced to grapple with their identities as well as the enchanted forces working against them.
A high-fantasy mystery perfect for fans of J. R. R. Tolkien and Arthur Conan Doyle!
282 pages, Paperback
Published February 21, 2023
81 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 31, 2024
This is an absolute gem—a cozy yet emotionally charged queer fantasy mystery that delivers on both heart and great characters.
At its core, this is a story about two deeply compelling characters: Emerald Flame, the brainy and grumpy, but self-loathing half-Jotunn investigator, and Crimson Smoke, his genderfluid, illusionary sunshine sidekick who becomes self-aware. Their friendship is slowly realized and built on snarky banter, hesitant trust, and a tangle of unspoken vulnerabilities. The way their bond evolves over the course of the mystery feels natural, with PLENTY of room for further exploration in future installments. Thematically, Tale of the Hidden Village isn’t afraid to wade into deeper waters, exploring identity, self-worth, and the messy process of healing. Both Emerald and Crimson are wrestling with their own struggles, and the authors handle these heavier topics with care and nuance.
The mystery itself is engaging and satisfyingly complex, twisting and turning in unexpected ways without ever feeling convoluted. There’s no hand-holding here—the narrative expects the reader to keep up and it has a satisfying resolution. The procedural vibe fits beautifully with the mystery investigation vibes, offering an almost detective noir feel, albeit with magic and fantasy in the mix.
While the world-building isn’t overly intricate, it’s still intriguing. Things are hinted at and will likely be explored in follow-up books. The authors strike a careful balance, giving enough detail to make the setting feel alive without overwhelming the reader with lore. Instead, the focus stays on the characters and the immediate stakes of their investigation, which makes the book feel much more intimate.
If there’s one area where the story leaves threads dangling, it’s in the not fully resolved issues between Crimson and Emerald. But honestly, that feels intentional—it sets the stage perfectly for future books to dig even deeper into their dynamic. This was such a delightful surprise—a story that manages to be warm and cozy while still carrying weight and complexity. If the rest of the series maintains this momentum, I can already tell it’s going to be a new favorite.
At its core, this is a story about two deeply compelling characters: Emerald Flame, the brainy and grumpy, but self-loathing half-Jotunn investigator, and Crimson Smoke, his genderfluid, illusionary sunshine sidekick who becomes self-aware. Their friendship is slowly realized and built on snarky banter, hesitant trust, and a tangle of unspoken vulnerabilities. The way their bond evolves over the course of the mystery feels natural, with PLENTY of room for further exploration in future installments. Thematically, Tale of the Hidden Village isn’t afraid to wade into deeper waters, exploring identity, self-worth, and the messy process of healing. Both Emerald and Crimson are wrestling with their own struggles, and the authors handle these heavier topics with care and nuance.
The mystery itself is engaging and satisfyingly complex, twisting and turning in unexpected ways without ever feeling convoluted. There’s no hand-holding here—the narrative expects the reader to keep up and it has a satisfying resolution. The procedural vibe fits beautifully with the mystery investigation vibes, offering an almost detective noir feel, albeit with magic and fantasy in the mix.
While the world-building isn’t overly intricate, it’s still intriguing. Things are hinted at and will likely be explored in follow-up books. The authors strike a careful balance, giving enough detail to make the setting feel alive without overwhelming the reader with lore. Instead, the focus stays on the characters and the immediate stakes of their investigation, which makes the book feel much more intimate.
If there’s one area where the story leaves threads dangling, it’s in the not fully resolved issues between Crimson and Emerald. But honestly, that feels intentional—it sets the stage perfectly for future books to dig even deeper into their dynamic. This was such a delightful surprise—a story that manages to be warm and cozy while still carrying weight and complexity. If the rest of the series maintains this momentum, I can already tell it’s going to be a new favorite.
June 20, 2025
The premise was very unique and I liked the main character, Crimson, a lot.
I felt the mystery was handled well! Magic sometimes makes a fantasy mystery not as satisfying but the characters powers and worldbuilding made sense and tied into the mystery nicely.
I’d definitely consider reading the next book!
I felt the mystery was handled well! Magic sometimes makes a fantasy mystery not as satisfying but the characters powers and worldbuilding made sense and tied into the mystery nicely.
I’d definitely consider reading the next book!
January 10, 2024
Tale of the Hidden Village is a wonderfully crafted Sherlockian mystery set in a diverse fantasy world, and it was my favorite indie read of 2023.
Summary:
Emerald is a magic-wielding half-Jotun investigator who regularly encounters bias as he solves magical mysteries for the Conjury. So, he imagines himself a partner no one can object to, one who can appear as a male or a female depending on what the situation requires, and weaves them out of light: Crimson.
The problem is, Crimson isn't just an imaginary tool, anymore. Something has happened, something hinted at but not revealed in the text (hopefully we'll find out more in book 2!) that caused Crimson to take on a life of their own.
In order to prove Crimson's sentience, they make a deal with Emerald: if they can solve the mystery of why Conjury scouts keep turning up dead, Emerald will believe they're actually their own person and not just a magical construct.
Thoughts:
There is just enough worldbuilding to ground the reader and give us a hint of the breadth and scope of the world without bogging the story down with unnecessary details. We're given what we need to enjoy and understand the story, and no more, which worked perfectly for me.
Characterization is a strong point in this novel, and each MC has a clear personality, speech patterns, and motivations. These are well-loved characters very thoughtfully brought to life. Their arcs and personal growth are just enough in this novel to give us a hint of greater changes to come in the future, and maybe even a bit of darkness in our POV character.
Themes of identity, power dynamics in relationships, and how we build and confront biases are threads running through the entire plot that provide an emotional throughline that supports the structure of the plot. These are consistent and well done.
The mystery our MCs are solving is well laid out, and just enough breadcrumbs are left to the reader that when the big reveal happens at the end, there is an "of course, I should have seen that coming!" moment that is very satisfying. I think the way the mystery is laid out and solved is strongly reminiscent of the Sherlock and Watson relationship that brings the reader along for the ride just enough to let us exercise our own powers of perception while also making it clear that Emerald is both experienced, observant, and cleverer than us.
The Conjury is a kind of nebulous and at least mildly nefarious government entity that I'm excited to see explored more in following books, but serves as a shadow over the entire story, and I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays into future books.
**there were a few moments in the story where the power dynamics of unequal relationships were explored that touched on autonomy and violations of self that served in my mind almost as a proxy for physical violation. These moments were not blatant or in-your-face metaphors, but I still reacted to them both physically and emotionally, which is both a sign of great writing and touches on issues I clearly have sensitivity to.
The only thing stopping this from being a 5-star read for me was that the balance of storytelling fell a bit harder on the side of intellect--which is natural, given the kind of story being told--and sometimes the emotional repercussions of growth, challenging circumstances, and direct conflict between E and C, were pushed to the back burner. I would have loved to see those conflicts explored a bit more so I felt the weight of the tension in their relationship and the consequences of those conflicts things a bit more heavily.
But that is also a very personal preference, and other readers may very well find the balance Rookhouse and Norton strike to be perfect.
Overall, this a well-written, well-crafted story that was thoroughly enjoyable, with unique protagonists and an interesting premise. Yes, the mystery and plot are there for us to solve, but it's the relationship, growth, and self-discovery of Emerald and Crimson that are really worth sticking around for.
If you are a fan of mystery, fantasy, and gaslamp-type fantasy in particular, please give The Tale of the Hidden Village a read!
Summary:
Emerald is a magic-wielding half-Jotun investigator who regularly encounters bias as he solves magical mysteries for the Conjury. So, he imagines himself a partner no one can object to, one who can appear as a male or a female depending on what the situation requires, and weaves them out of light: Crimson.
The problem is, Crimson isn't just an imaginary tool, anymore. Something has happened, something hinted at but not revealed in the text (hopefully we'll find out more in book 2!) that caused Crimson to take on a life of their own.
In order to prove Crimson's sentience, they make a deal with Emerald: if they can solve the mystery of why Conjury scouts keep turning up dead, Emerald will believe they're actually their own person and not just a magical construct.
Thoughts:
There is just enough worldbuilding to ground the reader and give us a hint of the breadth and scope of the world without bogging the story down with unnecessary details. We're given what we need to enjoy and understand the story, and no more, which worked perfectly for me.
Characterization is a strong point in this novel, and each MC has a clear personality, speech patterns, and motivations. These are well-loved characters very thoughtfully brought to life. Their arcs and personal growth are just enough in this novel to give us a hint of greater changes to come in the future, and maybe even a bit of darkness in our POV character.
Themes of identity, power dynamics in relationships, and how we build and confront biases are threads running through the entire plot that provide an emotional throughline that supports the structure of the plot. These are consistent and well done.
The mystery our MCs are solving is well laid out, and just enough breadcrumbs are left to the reader that when the big reveal happens at the end, there is an "of course, I should have seen that coming!" moment that is very satisfying. I think the way the mystery is laid out and solved is strongly reminiscent of the Sherlock and Watson relationship that brings the reader along for the ride just enough to let us exercise our own powers of perception while also making it clear that Emerald is both experienced, observant, and cleverer than us.
The Conjury is a kind of nebulous and at least mildly nefarious government entity that I'm excited to see explored more in following books, but serves as a shadow over the entire story, and I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays into future books.
**there were a few moments in the story where the power dynamics of unequal relationships were explored that touched on autonomy and violations of self that served in my mind almost as a proxy for physical violation. These moments were not blatant or in-your-face metaphors, but I still reacted to them both physically and emotionally, which is both a sign of great writing and touches on issues I clearly have sensitivity to.
The only thing stopping this from being a 5-star read for me was that the balance of storytelling fell a bit harder on the side of intellect--which is natural, given the kind of story being told--and sometimes the emotional repercussions of growth, challenging circumstances, and direct conflict between E and C, were pushed to the back burner. I would have loved to see those conflicts explored a bit more so I felt the weight of the tension in their relationship and the consequences of those conflicts things a bit more heavily.
But that is also a very personal preference, and other readers may very well find the balance Rookhouse and Norton strike to be perfect.
Overall, this a well-written, well-crafted story that was thoroughly enjoyable, with unique protagonists and an interesting premise. Yes, the mystery and plot are there for us to solve, but it's the relationship, growth, and self-discovery of Emerald and Crimson that are really worth sticking around for.
If you are a fan of mystery, fantasy, and gaslamp-type fantasy in particular, please give The Tale of the Hidden Village a read!
May 7, 2023
Listen, who doesn't love a good whodunit story? It's a classic, and I have to admit, I haven't ready many fantasy tales that take are also part of the Sherlockian genre. But wait, that's not all this book has to offer!
This book is not only a mystery, but is also a beautiful and poignant exploration of personhood, identity, struggling with who you feel you are vs. what others see and think of you, and also the idea that, as the old adage goes, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
I saw another review that wasn't a fan of the "flowery language", and while I can sort of understand that, if you are a person who regularly reads fantasy/high fantasy, the cadence and language of this book is very similar. To me, it didn't come off as pretentious or try-hard, and I actually really enjoyed the word choice and language used as I found this book to be not only an interesting mystery, social commentary, and fantasy adventure, but also well-written (if I have to read another mystery book that is hanging on by the thin thread of the plot alone with writing as dull as my bizarrely sticky kitchen scissors, I will toss myself into the abyss).
Listen, I can understand that this book might not be for everyone, but for those of us that read a fuckton of mystery and fantasy novels, this is 1) a fun romp that combines the two and 2) a breath of fresh air in the arena of representation and inclusivity. Because yes, the fantasy genre ESPECIALLY needs to be better about representation and not falling into tropes that, upon further inspection, are pretty uncomfy.
I also want to point out that I am fairly capable, like 75-80% of the time, of figuring out the "twist" in mystery/whodunit/capers, unless the book cheats and pulls one of those "ah HA, it was actually this person who hasn't even been mentioned or come up at all before and/or was a deus ex machina moment, GOT 'EM" bits of tomfoolery. And while I looked back and went oh DUH, this was all here right in front of me the entire time, I was distracted enough (in a good way) with the characters and their development and the writing in general that I found myself following along at the pace of our protagonist, Crimson, which was refreshing in that it allowed me to truly enjoy the story from their point of view, which closed that gap of me, the reader, vs the MC, whose mind we were using as the lens to experience the story as it played out.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I love that the format of this series allows for continued stories and adventures- which leaves room for lots more Crimson and Emerald tales to come.
Go ahead, give this one a go - I think you'll like what you read.
PS - don't you just LOVE the cover art? I think the colors and art style are gorgeous.
This book is not only a mystery, but is also a beautiful and poignant exploration of personhood, identity, struggling with who you feel you are vs. what others see and think of you, and also the idea that, as the old adage goes, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
I saw another review that wasn't a fan of the "flowery language", and while I can sort of understand that, if you are a person who regularly reads fantasy/high fantasy, the cadence and language of this book is very similar. To me, it didn't come off as pretentious or try-hard, and I actually really enjoyed the word choice and language used as I found this book to be not only an interesting mystery, social commentary, and fantasy adventure, but also well-written (if I have to read another mystery book that is hanging on by the thin thread of the plot alone with writing as dull as my bizarrely sticky kitchen scissors, I will toss myself into the abyss).
Listen, I can understand that this book might not be for everyone, but for those of us that read a fuckton of mystery and fantasy novels, this is 1) a fun romp that combines the two and 2) a breath of fresh air in the arena of representation and inclusivity. Because yes, the fantasy genre ESPECIALLY needs to be better about representation and not falling into tropes that, upon further inspection, are pretty uncomfy.
I also want to point out that I am fairly capable, like 75-80% of the time, of figuring out the "twist" in mystery/whodunit/capers, unless the book cheats and pulls one of those "ah HA, it was actually this person who hasn't even been mentioned or come up at all before and/or was a deus ex machina moment, GOT 'EM" bits of tomfoolery. And while I looked back and went oh DUH, this was all here right in front of me the entire time, I was distracted enough (in a good way) with the characters and their development and the writing in general that I found myself following along at the pace of our protagonist, Crimson, which was refreshing in that it allowed me to truly enjoy the story from their point of view, which closed that gap of me, the reader, vs the MC, whose mind we were using as the lens to experience the story as it played out.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and I love that the format of this series allows for continued stories and adventures- which leaves room for lots more Crimson and Emerald tales to come.
Go ahead, give this one a go - I think you'll like what you read.
PS - don't you just LOVE the cover art? I think the colors and art style are gorgeous.
July 11, 2023
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Tale of the Hidden Village is a wonderfully engaging and well written fantasy mystery by K.C. Norton & Riley Rookhouse set in the multi-author sandbox Heavenfall world. Released 20th Feb 2023, it's 310 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. This first book is currently available free for download.
This is an interesting multi-author collaborative writing co-op with cross-genre stories. There seem to be multiple books already published (not necessarily with *these* characters, although this is the first of two extant books) and a fair bit of finished work. In this case, the writing is solid, the plotting moves along at a good clip and the inclusion of non-mainstream positively portrayed characters is refreshingly honest. Aside from the mystery plotline, there's a lot of self-identity building and expression, some found family/loyalty and a good fantasy setting. The language and dialogue are fairly typical of the genre.
The mystery is self-contained in this volume and it works well as a standalone.
Four stars. The writing is compelling enough to make me seek out more work from this world setting.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Tale of the Hidden Village is a wonderfully engaging and well written fantasy mystery by K.C. Norton & Riley Rookhouse set in the multi-author sandbox Heavenfall world. Released 20th Feb 2023, it's 310 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. This first book is currently available free for download.
This is an interesting multi-author collaborative writing co-op with cross-genre stories. There seem to be multiple books already published (not necessarily with *these* characters, although this is the first of two extant books) and a fair bit of finished work. In this case, the writing is solid, the plotting moves along at a good clip and the inclusion of non-mainstream positively portrayed characters is refreshingly honest. Aside from the mystery plotline, there's a lot of self-identity building and expression, some found family/loyalty and a good fantasy setting. The language and dialogue are fairly typical of the genre.
The mystery is self-contained in this volume and it works well as a standalone.
Four stars. The writing is compelling enough to make me seek out more work from this world setting.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
August 29, 2023
This is the story of Emerald Flame and his assistant Crimson Smoke as they try to stop one criminal but wind up on a journey to solve a murder that may be more sinister than they initially anticipated. The mystery solving itself was very detailed and I love when I can't solve a mystery, because I had not a clue. I think I was more caught up by the relationship between Crimson and Emerald that the solving of the murder(s) just became second nature.
I wish we knew more about Emerald's background, heritage and his abilities. Or just more about him in general which may have helped me understand his moods and reasons for some of his emotions. There is so much to know about him and the world with the other beings, lambkins, griffins, and I'm sure there is so much more. I definitely curious how the story continues and look forward to the next book in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I wish we knew more about Emerald's background, heritage and his abilities. Or just more about him in general which may have helped me understand his moods and reasons for some of his emotions. There is so much to know about him and the world with the other beings, lambkins, griffins, and I'm sure there is so much more. I definitely curious how the story continues and look forward to the next book in the series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 25, 2023
The tale of the Hidden village was a well-written book. It follows a couple of detectives investigating a series of murder cases in the "hidden village". With this typical mystery, one can find elements of magic but also deeper stories of human interactions and personal trauma.
Overall, I liked the story and the characters. However, it was a bit difficult for me to really get into it as I felt like I was missing a book. It felt like a second volume more than a first to me and it was sometimes hard to understand what was going on.
Still, I think this story shows a lot of promise and it would be worth it to see how it goes from then and some further character development.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Overall, I liked the story and the characters. However, it was a bit difficult for me to really get into it as I felt like I was missing a book. It felt like a second volume more than a first to me and it was sometimes hard to understand what was going on.
Still, I think this story shows a lot of promise and it would be worth it to see how it goes from then and some further character development.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 4, 2023
I absolutely loved this book! It’s very Dungeons and Dragons meets Sherlock Holmes. The characters are well written and engaging throughout the whole story. Crimson is the perfect amount of sass but also confused newborn and coupled with Emerald’s grumpy pessimism they make the perfect partners. I like that the author doesn’t take too much time to give background on the world and explains it as the story progresses. We get to discover it bit by bit(like Crimson). Definitely recommend and cannot wait to read the next book.
April 16, 2023
I have two questions for you dear reader...
1) Do you like fantasy?
2) Do you enjoy Sherlock Holmes?
If you answered yes to both, then you must immediately pick this novel up, because I promise you will devour it promptly.
✨The Tale of the Hidden Village, was such a fun read with a unique twist on the typical "who dun it" type of investigative mystery. The characters were fresh and vivid, and the story was fun, engaging and kept me guessing all the way to the very end!!
1) Do you like fantasy?
2) Do you enjoy Sherlock Holmes?
If you answered yes to both, then you must immediately pick this novel up, because I promise you will devour it promptly.
✨The Tale of the Hidden Village, was such a fun read with a unique twist on the typical "who dun it" type of investigative mystery. The characters were fresh and vivid, and the story was fun, engaging and kept me guessing all the way to the very end!!
March 28, 2024
A Beautiful look at the complexities of identity
The story itself was masterfully written as a great mystery but what truly made this story was the way that it dealt with identity and accepting not only who one is as an individual but accepting those that are different from you. I cannot wait to read the next one!
The story itself was masterfully written as a great mystery but what truly made this story was the way that it dealt with identity and accepting not only who one is as an individual but accepting those that are different from you. I cannot wait to read the next one!
ugh
December 25, 2024I really don't know how I got a hold of this book. I think it was free with a handful of others - I at least know that I didn't spend money on it, because do better research on those books. And this one would have merely taken a look at the preview to know that the writing style is very much not for me.
March 22, 2023
This is an interesting book, the pov character is complicated in some interesting ways. However other than that it is very Sherlock Holmes. The language is actually too flowery and it was hard to get into it. I liked the story line but again some of the flowery language threw me off. So all aro
March 25, 2023
Firstly thank you to Story Garden Publishing for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which has been available for purchase since Feb 20,2023.
This was fun romp. It is high fantasy goodness.
This was fun romp. It is high fantasy goodness.
April 22, 2023
I wasn’t sure about this book, at first. But once the book made me laugh out loud and I got my bearings in this world I really enjoyed it. I am a big fan of murder mysteries and this one was a real head-scratcher. It’s worth a read.
October 9, 2024
Fun start with questions about Crimson/Simon and Emerald. Interesting race/gender discussions or promps from the story/writing. Overall fun character and dynamic between each other. Definitely will continue with the series(thanks to Luna as this was a sponsor of their video)
April 29, 2023
This was pretty good. Interesting and strange. Really good mystery. I had fun with this.
Read
May 29, 2023Dnfed it 50% in it. This book bored me so freaking much.
October 27, 2023
After a slow start, and after I figured out what was going on, I had trouble putting this book down. Definitely plan to read more by these authors.
April 29, 2024
Ngl I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this.
Read
June 2, 2024DNF
January 9, 2025
I fell in love with these characters very quickly and I was endlessly entertained by the world and mystery. I'm so excited to move on to the next book in the series!!!
July 1, 2025
This was actually pretty good. The ending was botched but overall this was a pleasant surprise.
August 29, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series!
July 7, 2023
If you've ever wanted your Sherlock Holmes to be more magical with a high fantasy backdrop than this is the book for you. The narrator starts the story just as unsure of what's going on as you are and you're given the opportunity to try to solve the mystery with them while pondering what it means to be alive. I fell in love with Emerald and Crimson and I need more of them and their world. I'll be on the lookout for more stories of this fabulous duo and the World of Heavenfall.
September 8, 2024
(As of writing this review I'm up to date with the series and have also read the side-stories, and even though I won't spoil those I can't promise some of my feelings for the main characters won't come through)
I stumbled upon this book accidentally while browsing the free section on Amazon, and had it on my Kindle for MONTHS before finally deciding to taking the leap to reading it and oh boy how glad am I that I did! This book was AMAZING, the worldbuilding, the characters, the plot, the mystery, everything was so on point and it was so interesting to find out about this world through the eyes of a character that is also new to it!
Crimson Smoke is the best and they must be protected at all costs! I fell in love with them from chapter one and I knew immediately that their dynamic with Emerald was going to be the thing that made or broke this book for me. It was so fun to explore such a complex relationship, especially since they were figuring it out during a case where they couldn't reveal to others the true nature of their bond.
With such compelling characters I sort of assumed the mystery would fall a bit flat because we were so busy trying to figure Crimson out, but the Sherlock Holmes-ness of the story was also very complex and compelling and I truly had no clue what was going on until the very end!
As soon as I finished this first book I bought the rest of the series, I just knew I needed to get my hands on every single other piece of writing that featured these amazing characters and I haven't been disappointed yet!
I stumbled upon this book accidentally while browsing the free section on Amazon, and had it on my Kindle for MONTHS before finally deciding to taking the leap to reading it and oh boy how glad am I that I did! This book was AMAZING, the worldbuilding, the characters, the plot, the mystery, everything was so on point and it was so interesting to find out about this world through the eyes of a character that is also new to it!
Crimson Smoke is the best and they must be protected at all costs! I fell in love with them from chapter one and I knew immediately that their dynamic with Emerald was going to be the thing that made or broke this book for me. It was so fun to explore such a complex relationship, especially since they were figuring it out during a case where they couldn't reveal to others the true nature of their bond.
With such compelling characters I sort of assumed the mystery would fall a bit flat because we were so busy trying to figure Crimson out, but the Sherlock Holmes-ness of the story was also very complex and compelling and I truly had no clue what was going on until the very end!
As soon as I finished this first book I bought the rest of the series, I just knew I needed to get my hands on every single other piece of writing that featured these amazing characters and I haven't been disappointed yet!
May 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews