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Chaos & Flame #2
Blood & Fury
Blood magic. Ancient fury.
Prepare for the gripping conclusion to the Chaos & Flame saga, the "fast-paced, action-filled fantasy that reads like a mix of Game of Thrones and The Last Airbender" (BCCB) from two beloved New York Times bestselling authors.
A single kiss set Chaos ablaze.
Picking up months after akiss transformed Darling into the long-lost Phoenix and every House regent into their empyreal form, Darling struggles to make sense of her destiny as a legendary creature. How can she, an orphan with no family, truly be the one to reunite the fractured houses and bring about peace, if she can't control the magic of her new Phoenix body?
Talon Goldhoard, still in love with Darling but wounded by her betrayal, is tasked with ending the vicious war that his family instigated. With the Phoenix reborn, Talon is hopeful that the bloodshed will end swiftly. Instead, the kingdom grows more fraught, with the threat of violence ever present – especially from dark, conniving forces within the walls of his own House Dragon.
As Chaos reigns, Talon and Darling must find their way back to each other to not survive but save the kingdom. Can Darling harness the power of the ancient magic that runs through her blood to bring about a new peace? Or will the fury that House Dragon fueled for a hundred-year war be too strong to break?
Prepare for the gripping conclusion to the Chaos & Flame saga, the "fast-paced, action-filled fantasy that reads like a mix of Game of Thrones and The Last Airbender" (BCCB) from two beloved New York Times bestselling authors.
A single kiss set Chaos ablaze.
Picking up months after akiss transformed Darling into the long-lost Phoenix and every House regent into their empyreal form, Darling struggles to make sense of her destiny as a legendary creature. How can she, an orphan with no family, truly be the one to reunite the fractured houses and bring about peace, if she can't control the magic of her new Phoenix body?
Talon Goldhoard, still in love with Darling but wounded by her betrayal, is tasked with ending the vicious war that his family instigated. With the Phoenix reborn, Talon is hopeful that the bloodshed will end swiftly. Instead, the kingdom grows more fraught, with the threat of violence ever present – especially from dark, conniving forces within the walls of his own House Dragon.
As Chaos reigns, Talon and Darling must find their way back to each other to not survive but save the kingdom. Can Darling harness the power of the ancient magic that runs through her blood to bring about a new peace? Or will the fury that House Dragon fueled for a hundred-year war be too strong to break?
342 pages, Hardcover
First published May 14, 2024
36 people are currently reading
6913 people want to read
About the author
Tessa Gratton
81 books1,967 followersTessa Gratton is the 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/any.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
October 19, 2024
While some bits of this were slower/more drawn out than I'd like; overall, I truly liked it more than the first book in the series. The world building and twists in the storyline were magnificent in this one. It does have quite a bit of triggering moments/topics, so make sure to check Trigger Warnings before reading. It was a decent read and enjoyable follow-up to the first novel Chaos & Flame!
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.
May 15, 2024
This was a very strong follow up to Chaos & Flame, and a satisfying conclusion to the duology. Blood & Fury is part of a YA political fantasy series with mythical creatures, romance, magic, and conspiracies. While the pacing was a bit slower than I wanted it to be at times, I mostly found this to be very engaging. It does some cool things with the world-building and magic system that I don't want to spoil. But if you've read the cliffhanger of book 1, know that we spend this book exploring the meaning and ramifications of what happens at the end of the first book. I would love to see more people pick these books up because I think they are among the better high fantasy for teens getting published today. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
May 17, 2024
✧*̥˚4.75 Stars*̥˚✧
🥺 I can't believe I'm done with this series already.
RECAP:
In Chaos & Flame, we're left off with the biggest jaw-dropping cliffhanger in existence, where Caspian did some goofy spell that turned people back into the empyrean (symbols of the Houses) and left my jaw on the floor
Blood & Fury:
THIS WAS AMAZING! I loved Chaos & Flame, but this took it to a higher level. There's more lore, romance, and characters, and I liked the way the story went. Aurora (Caspian & Talon's super evil aunt) goes on her villain arc 💅 (you go girl but u suck for killing Vivian) and now everybody has to stop her before she becomes the Cockatrice Empyreal :0
In Depth Ratings:
LORE / MYTHOLOGY - 4.5
ROMANCE - 5
CHARACTERS - 4.5
PLOT - 4.5
OVERALL - 4.75
(Also why isn't there a map? There's so many mentions of landmarks but I can't piece together what Pyrlanum looks like)
Gratton & Justina make a great writing duo and I hope I get more in the future :)
-‐------------------------------------------------------------
PRE READ:
Mrs. Gratton and Mrs. Ireland, hand it over. NOW. 🙌
I'm still waiting over here 😑
🥺 I can't believe I'm done with this series already.
RECAP:
In Chaos & Flame, we're left off with the biggest jaw-dropping cliffhanger in existence, where Caspian did some goofy spell that turned people back into the empyrean (symbols of the Houses) and left my jaw on the floor
Blood & Fury:
THIS WAS AMAZING! I loved Chaos & Flame, but this took it to a higher level. There's more lore, romance, and characters, and I liked the way the story went. Aurora (Caspian & Talon's super evil aunt) goes on her villain arc 💅 (you go girl but u suck for killing Vivian) and now everybody has to stop her before she becomes the Cockatrice Empyreal :0
In Depth Ratings:
LORE / MYTHOLOGY - 4.5
ROMANCE - 5
CHARACTERS - 4.5
PLOT - 4.5
OVERALL - 4.75
(Also why isn't there a map? There's so many mentions of landmarks but I can't piece together what Pyrlanum looks like)
Gratton & Justina make a great writing duo and I hope I get more in the future :)
-‐------------------------------------------------------------
PRE READ:
Mrs. Gratton and Mrs. Ireland, hand it over. NOW. 🙌
I'm still waiting over here 😑
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2024
2.75 stars 🌟
RTC!
[TW: grief depictions, deaths of loved ones, murder, blood and gore, animal death, cannibalism, torture and imprisonment, knife violence]
RTC!
[TW: grief depictions, deaths of loved ones, murder, blood and gore, animal death, cannibalism, torture and imprisonment, knife violence]
April 27, 2024
Thank you to Penguin Young Readers for sending me an egalley of this book to read and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I cannot say how excited I was to get to the conclusion of this dualogy. I tore through the first book and really adored most everything about it. To say I was excited to receive this for review is an understatement.
That being said, this book cannot be read without reading the first. You will not understand it and be totally lost. So if you've not read Chaos & Flame, stop here and don't read because it will be spoiled for you!
Picking up a few months after the events in Chaos & Flame, the empyreals have returned, and Darling is the Phoenix Reborn. She is struggling with the betrayal of Talon. But there is blood magic at work that is tainting the kingdom and its lands and it must be dealt with. She needs to harness her new found power and use it to bring peace to the land
While I loved Chaos & Flame, this book ended up falling very flat for me. I wanted so much more for Darling and Talon's story. Not just where the romance was concerned, but also where the fight for peace within the kingdom was. Sadly, I didn't feel I got either. I feel like this one suffers from second book syndrome without even being a second book but a conclusion to the story!
For the majority of this book, I felt like Darling was whining. Whining about missing Talon and how he betrayed her. Whining about how she will be the Phoenix Reborn and harness her power. Whining about her struggling relationships with her family. It was one big whine fest and it had me wanting to punch her! I know this often happens in YA books. And it it usually what leads the main character to find themselves and become more than what they were. But I just didn't feel that development here.
Talon's character faired better for me. He never waivers in his love for Darling. But he also knows that he may have to give her up in order for her to find her own peace. He did whine a bit but nothing like his counterpart. And at least for him, I could feel his emotional distress and hear how his mind was working to solve things.
What I was missing most with characters in this book is Caspian. I really felt like we needed more of him, more of his POV. The authors totally missed the mark on this in my opinion. And his ending did not do him justice. It was just left laying there, open to whatever. There was no wrap up for his part of the story. I will say Elias is probably my favorite character in this book. They are so honest and open, nothing left as a mystery and heart on the table. I loved the conversation between them and Talon where they were speaking about Caspian. Probably my favorite part of this book.
Also missing, the politics, the intrigue, the history of the magic. It just was not there as it was in the first book. I missed it. I needed it. I wanted it. I craved it. And it made me angry.
Also, I felt like the book was disjointed. It moved along, very slowly, to try and get the characters to the point where their actions bring about change, but I hated how it got there. I was bored. I was scanning sentences and words just to get to the next chapter. The pacing was not at all like the first book which pulled me along and made me want to flip to the next page.
And could there be MORE scenes with the characters changing into their magical beast forms and losing all their clothing only to come back naked? And then not really even caring that everyone sees them as such with people rushing with robes or jackets to cover them. It seemed like an odd choice for YA, to be honest.
And the romance, ugh. I really wanted Darling and Talong to reunite, I really did. But I just was not feeling it. It's like they were saying they loved each other but they were in no way showing it. Zero of the chemistry I felt between them in the first book.
We didn't get as much world building in this book as with the last since it's the second book in the series. And that was ok with me because I knew what the magical system and kingdom looked like. What I would have liked more of was the background of blood magic. It's introduced in book one so I thought there would be more depth to it with this book but there really wasn't. It was glossed over. And expansion in this area definitely would have made the book feel more complete.
I will say I enjoyed the writing. It did flow well and the prose was truly beautiful. I think it's what kept me reading, to be honest.
In the end, I wasn't truly impressed with this follow up. I just wanted so much more than what I got. I think this book may have done better as a trilogy. I feel like this book was stuffed full of all the things that needed to be revealed before it wound up less than climatic at the end. It was disappointing for me when all I really wanted was a fantastic follow up to the first book.
I cannot say how excited I was to get to the conclusion of this dualogy. I tore through the first book and really adored most everything about it. To say I was excited to receive this for review is an understatement.
That being said, this book cannot be read without reading the first. You will not understand it and be totally lost. So if you've not read Chaos & Flame, stop here and don't read because it will be spoiled for you!
Picking up a few months after the events in Chaos & Flame, the empyreals have returned, and Darling is the Phoenix Reborn. She is struggling with the betrayal of Talon. But there is blood magic at work that is tainting the kingdom and its lands and it must be dealt with. She needs to harness her new found power and use it to bring peace to the land
While I loved Chaos & Flame, this book ended up falling very flat for me. I wanted so much more for Darling and Talon's story. Not just where the romance was concerned, but also where the fight for peace within the kingdom was. Sadly, I didn't feel I got either. I feel like this one suffers from second book syndrome without even being a second book but a conclusion to the story!
For the majority of this book, I felt like Darling was whining. Whining about missing Talon and how he betrayed her. Whining about how she will be the Phoenix Reborn and harness her power. Whining about her struggling relationships with her family. It was one big whine fest and it had me wanting to punch her! I know this often happens in YA books. And it it usually what leads the main character to find themselves and become more than what they were. But I just didn't feel that development here.
Talon's character faired better for me. He never waivers in his love for Darling. But he also knows that he may have to give her up in order for her to find her own peace. He did whine a bit but nothing like his counterpart. And at least for him, I could feel his emotional distress and hear how his mind was working to solve things.
What I was missing most with characters in this book is Caspian. I really felt like we needed more of him, more of his POV. The authors totally missed the mark on this in my opinion. And his ending did not do him justice. It was just left laying there, open to whatever. There was no wrap up for his part of the story. I will say Elias is probably my favorite character in this book. They are so honest and open, nothing left as a mystery and heart on the table. I loved the conversation between them and Talon where they were speaking about Caspian. Probably my favorite part of this book.
Also missing, the politics, the intrigue, the history of the magic. It just was not there as it was in the first book. I missed it. I needed it. I wanted it. I craved it. And it made me angry.
Also, I felt like the book was disjointed. It moved along, very slowly, to try and get the characters to the point where their actions bring about change, but I hated how it got there. I was bored. I was scanning sentences and words just to get to the next chapter. The pacing was not at all like the first book which pulled me along and made me want to flip to the next page.
And could there be MORE scenes with the characters changing into their magical beast forms and losing all their clothing only to come back naked? And then not really even caring that everyone sees them as such with people rushing with robes or jackets to cover them. It seemed like an odd choice for YA, to be honest.
And the romance, ugh. I really wanted Darling and Talong to reunite, I really did. But I just was not feeling it. It's like they were saying they loved each other but they were in no way showing it. Zero of the chemistry I felt between them in the first book.
We didn't get as much world building in this book as with the last since it's the second book in the series. And that was ok with me because I knew what the magical system and kingdom looked like. What I would have liked more of was the background of blood magic. It's introduced in book one so I thought there would be more depth to it with this book but there really wasn't. It was glossed over. And expansion in this area definitely would have made the book feel more complete.
I will say I enjoyed the writing. It did flow well and the prose was truly beautiful. I think it's what kept me reading, to be honest.
In the end, I wasn't truly impressed with this follow up. I just wanted so much more than what I got. I think this book may have done better as a trilogy. I feel like this book was stuffed full of all the things that needed to be revealed before it wound up less than climatic at the end. It was disappointing for me when all I really wanted was a fantastic follow up to the first book.
May 14, 2024
Full review in its optimum format can be found on my blog, Cierra’s Cynosure, here.
Recap
We have arrived at the finale of the Chaos & Flame duology. The ending of book one left me curious to see where Gratton and Ireland would take the story. Blood & Fury begins with a short prequel featuring Talon and Caspian’s aunt Aurora from 30 years earlier. In retrospect, the decision to begin the finale with a prequel of Aurora was clever foreshadowing for how important—and dangerous—she boded to be in this novel.
After the prequel, we are reunited with Talon and Darling who are both contending with unique struggles. Talon is busy trying to end the House Wars as Caspian declared before he transformed into the Dragon Empyreal and literally flew off of radar. As it turns out, it’s not exactly easy to command an army that was effortlessly winning a war to suddenly stand down and surrender.
Meanwhile Darling is…confused. She awakens as her human self but is immediately aware that she is not entirely in control of her body. She quickly learns that she now shares consciousness with the Phoenix Emypreal—that she is the long-lost Phoenix, the one who is supposed to be the heart of all Chaos. And let’s just say she’s not exactly thrilled about it.
Lucky for Darling, she is aided by Vivian Chronicum, the Gryphon Empyreal, who awakened some time before her and has gotten her bearings quite smoothly. Together, Darling and Vivian begin hatching a plan to locate the Empyreals of the other Houses that have yet to appear, which to review are House Sphinx, House Kraken, House Barghest, and House Cockatrice.
Darling’s goal is simple: find the others and figure out what the heck Caspian did. Except she—and/or the Phoenix—can feel that something is…wrong. Something sinister is festering, and all signs lead back to Aurora.
Discussion
My opinion on Blood & Fury is similar to how I felt about the previous book: it was fast-paced, the storyline was easy to understand, and it kept me engaged. The political conflicts between the different Houses intensify even more in this book, partly due to Caspian stealing each House’s special artifact to complete the ritual and unleash the Empyreals. I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing how each Empyreal begins to explore the connection between themselves and their new entity. (There’s that human-animal connection trope I love so much!)
Even though I found this book easy to read, I feel that the authors could have explained the concept of blood magic more. Blood magic was introduced in Chaos & Flame, but the extent of its danger was not fully explained. Blood & Fury explored it more due to Darling’s ability to sense the blood altars, but even after the final page I was left still not completely understanding how it works. For it to have been such a crucial plot point, and the source of the main antagonist’s power, I feel that the portrayal of blood magic was rather lackluster.
Another disappointment I had with this title is the lack of character development. Darling spends a lot of time in turmoil about how she is supposed to be the one to “fix” the world. But despite this inner turmoil, she rises to the occasion time and time again without fully owning her own power. It feels like the “arc” of her becoming the Phoenix got stuck in the rising action phase, and she never fully settles into trusting herself.
Talon also felt very stagnant in this sequel. His entire personality over 350+ pages is feeling remorse for betraying Darling, hoping she forgives him, and trying to find his aunt. He experiences very few trials throughout the book that push him to challenge himself, his loyalty to Darling, or his aspirations for the future beyond the war. Overall, he felt more 2D and like Darling’s sidekick rather than the second main protagonist he’s supposed to be, and I wanted him to want more for himself.
In all, Blood & Fury is the simplest and most tame ending to a YA fantasy duology centering on political drama/house wars, blood magic, and creatures of various mythologies. If you’re looking for a two-parter that has any of those elements and will be easy to get through, these are probably the books for you!
Recap
We have arrived at the finale of the Chaos & Flame duology. The ending of book one left me curious to see where Gratton and Ireland would take the story. Blood & Fury begins with a short prequel featuring Talon and Caspian’s aunt Aurora from 30 years earlier. In retrospect, the decision to begin the finale with a prequel of Aurora was clever foreshadowing for how important—and dangerous—she boded to be in this novel.
After the prequel, we are reunited with Talon and Darling who are both contending with unique struggles. Talon is busy trying to end the House Wars as Caspian declared before he transformed into the Dragon Empyreal and literally flew off of radar. As it turns out, it’s not exactly easy to command an army that was effortlessly winning a war to suddenly stand down and surrender.
Meanwhile Darling is…confused. She awakens as her human self but is immediately aware that she is not entirely in control of her body. She quickly learns that she now shares consciousness with the Phoenix Emypreal—that she is the long-lost Phoenix, the one who is supposed to be the heart of all Chaos. And let’s just say she’s not exactly thrilled about it.
Lucky for Darling, she is aided by Vivian Chronicum, the Gryphon Empyreal, who awakened some time before her and has gotten her bearings quite smoothly. Together, Darling and Vivian begin hatching a plan to locate the Empyreals of the other Houses that have yet to appear, which to review are House Sphinx, House Kraken, House Barghest, and House Cockatrice.
Darling’s goal is simple: find the others and figure out what the heck Caspian did. Except she—and/or the Phoenix—can feel that something is…wrong. Something sinister is festering, and all signs lead back to Aurora.
Discussion
My opinion on Blood & Fury is similar to how I felt about the previous book: it was fast-paced, the storyline was easy to understand, and it kept me engaged. The political conflicts between the different Houses intensify even more in this book, partly due to Caspian stealing each House’s special artifact to complete the ritual and unleash the Empyreals. I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing how each Empyreal begins to explore the connection between themselves and their new entity. (There’s that human-animal connection trope I love so much!)
Even though I found this book easy to read, I feel that the authors could have explained the concept of blood magic more. Blood magic was introduced in Chaos & Flame, but the extent of its danger was not fully explained. Blood & Fury explored it more due to Darling’s ability to sense the blood altars, but even after the final page I was left still not completely understanding how it works. For it to have been such a crucial plot point, and the source of the main antagonist’s power, I feel that the portrayal of blood magic was rather lackluster.
Another disappointment I had with this title is the lack of character development. Darling spends a lot of time in turmoil about how she is supposed to be the one to “fix” the world. But despite this inner turmoil, she rises to the occasion time and time again without fully owning her own power. It feels like the “arc” of her becoming the Phoenix got stuck in the rising action phase, and she never fully settles into trusting herself.
Talon also felt very stagnant in this sequel. His entire personality over 350+ pages is feeling remorse for betraying Darling, hoping she forgives him, and trying to find his aunt. He experiences very few trials throughout the book that push him to challenge himself, his loyalty to Darling, or his aspirations for the future beyond the war. Overall, he felt more 2D and like Darling’s sidekick rather than the second main protagonist he’s supposed to be, and I wanted him to want more for himself.
In all, Blood & Fury is the simplest and most tame ending to a YA fantasy duology centering on political drama/house wars, blood magic, and creatures of various mythologies. If you’re looking for a two-parter that has any of those elements and will be easy to get through, these are probably the books for you!
May 18, 2024
Rating: Really Enjoyed It
I had a really great time with this duology! This is a political, young adult fantasy with a strong romantic element. We are in a kingdom in which there are multiple noble houses that are defined by their empyreals (rulers who turn into a giant mythical creature such as a Kraken, a Dragon, a Gryphon, etc), all ruled over by the Phoenix. At least that was the case until the Phoenix disappeared and the empyreals died out. Now the country is ruled by the House of Dragon who ruthlessly conquered the land and completely wiped out some of the other houses.
In this, we follow Darling and Talon as they adjust to a world that was forever changed by the events of Chaos & Flame.
This picks up several months after the ending of Chaos & Flame. We follow both characters as they begin to make ammends and work towards a better country. There is taint of blood magic that must be eradicated, the empyreals must be tracked down and returned to themselves, and the antagonist, Aurora must be dealt with.
I enjoyed the events of this book. It sucked me in and I tore through it in about 36 hours. I really enjoyed seeing how events unfolded. However, there were a couple of times that the characters made egregiously terrible decisions, which was frustrating. It kind of felt like it was only happening in order to move the plot along. And then when they made the same terrible decision multiple times, It pulled me out of the story and kept me from loving it.
While it is fairly fast paced, I felt like some of the events almost moved along too quickly. I would have enjoyed some time sitting with the different characters more rather than just hurtling along at break neck speed to get to the end.
However, it is a fun story, it reads quickly, and I thought it was a good ending to the duology. I think there were some events that didn't hit as hard as they were meant to just because we didn't have the time to sit and really get to know the characters beyond our POV characters. But ultimately, it was still a good time and a solid YA fantasy!
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I had a really great time with this duology! This is a political, young adult fantasy with a strong romantic element. We are in a kingdom in which there are multiple noble houses that are defined by their empyreals (rulers who turn into a giant mythical creature such as a Kraken, a Dragon, a Gryphon, etc), all ruled over by the Phoenix. At least that was the case until the Phoenix disappeared and the empyreals died out. Now the country is ruled by the House of Dragon who ruthlessly conquered the land and completely wiped out some of the other houses.
In this, we follow Darling and Talon as they adjust to a world that was forever changed by the events of Chaos & Flame.
This picks up several months after the ending of Chaos & Flame. We follow both characters as they begin to make ammends and work towards a better country. There is taint of blood magic that must be eradicated, the empyreals must be tracked down and returned to themselves, and the antagonist, Aurora must be dealt with.
I enjoyed the events of this book. It sucked me in and I tore through it in about 36 hours. I really enjoyed seeing how events unfolded. However, there were a couple of times that the characters made egregiously terrible decisions, which was frustrating. It kind of felt like it was only happening in order to move the plot along. And then when they made the same terrible decision multiple times, It pulled me out of the story and kept me from loving it.
While it is fairly fast paced, I felt like some of the events almost moved along too quickly. I would have enjoyed some time sitting with the different characters more rather than just hurtling along at break neck speed to get to the end.
However, it is a fun story, it reads quickly, and I thought it was a good ending to the duology. I think there were some events that didn't hit as hard as they were meant to just because we didn't have the time to sit and really get to know the characters beyond our POV characters. But ultimately, it was still a good time and a solid YA fantasy!
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
September 29, 2024
Utterly unputdownable! Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland’s fiery conclusion to YA Fantasy duology, Chaos & Flame was a phenomenal rollercoaster of a read thst I genuinely couldn’t get enough of.
Picking up months after the explosive events in Chaos & Flame, we follow Darling, still reeling from (and trying to come to terms with) the new abilities she has gained whilst also trying to prevent another war from breaking out between the already fractured houses.
I can’t say too much in case of spoilers, as Darling’s journey is soo very much linked to the ending of Chaos & Flame and the aftermath of those events. But I can say, I loved delving into her complicated feelings for Talon and the still fabulously strong chemistry they both share.
Talon’s actions at the end of Chaos and Flame came very close to making me dislike him, but he does redeem himself quite well. And we do see more of Caspian as well, but with a less cryptic or mysterious demeanour than before, which made for quite an interesting reunion with Talon and Darling.
The lore and worldbuilding was still really interesting, especially if you enjoyed the glimpse at the different houses and mythical creatures tied to each, as they all prominently feature this time around.
We still don’t delve as fully as I would’ve liked into that lore particularly when it came to blood magic (I really wanted this to be a trilogy) but what we do explore was incredible! And made for some pretty spectacular action scenes which kept me on the edge of my seat.
Newer readers to the fantasy genre will definitely benefit from this duology’s short page length (at around the 350 mark for each) but anyone looking for a fairly quick and enjoyable read should consider picking up too!
Overall, a fun and thoroughly entertaining conclusion that I hope will get a novella or spin off. As I adored the new Cockatrice Regent (who we only meet briefly), and just know they’re gonna cause soo much mischief —and that I absolutely have to see!
Also, huge thank you to Penguin Teen and The Tandem Collective for the finished PB copy.
Picking up months after the explosive events in Chaos & Flame, we follow Darling, still reeling from (and trying to come to terms with) the new abilities she has gained whilst also trying to prevent another war from breaking out between the already fractured houses.
I can’t say too much in case of spoilers, as Darling’s journey is soo very much linked to the ending of Chaos & Flame and the aftermath of those events. But I can say, I loved delving into her complicated feelings for Talon and the still fabulously strong chemistry they both share.
Talon’s actions at the end of Chaos and Flame came very close to making me dislike him, but he does redeem himself quite well. And we do see more of Caspian as well, but with a less cryptic or mysterious demeanour than before, which made for quite an interesting reunion with Talon and Darling.
The lore and worldbuilding was still really interesting, especially if you enjoyed the glimpse at the different houses and mythical creatures tied to each, as they all prominently feature this time around.
We still don’t delve as fully as I would’ve liked into that lore particularly when it came to blood magic (I really wanted this to be a trilogy) but what we do explore was incredible! And made for some pretty spectacular action scenes which kept me on the edge of my seat.
Newer readers to the fantasy genre will definitely benefit from this duology’s short page length (at around the 350 mark for each) but anyone looking for a fairly quick and enjoyable read should consider picking up too!
Overall, a fun and thoroughly entertaining conclusion that I hope will get a novella or spin off. As I adored the new Cockatrice Regent (who we only meet briefly), and just know they’re gonna cause soo much mischief —and that I absolutely have to see!
Also, huge thank you to Penguin Teen and The Tandem Collective for the finished PB copy.
June 27, 2024
thank you to penguin teen for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
i personally don’t want to make this review too long because i’ve already discussed a lot of my issues with this duology as a whole in my review for the first book, chaos & flame, found here. but let’s just say a lot of my issues with the disability rep and the romance and even the world-building stay the same, if not are amplified more in the sequel.
however, i think overall, the premise of the second book is MUCH stronger than the first one. i was worried about how things were going to fall out after the ending events, which did have me pretty piqued. and i think the sequel an incredible job following the aftermath of the first book. the lore of the world became so so much more interesting to me, especially since we had some more insight into aurora’s story (but unfortunately not much into her motives). the concept of the regent ephemerals was an incredible addition to the world’s political and foundational background.
did this additional also make darling even more of a chose one. absolutely. that’s where i struggled to separate the fact that her disability was ultimately shown as a superpower, especially since it was kind of, sort of, even more so in the second book. in this book, we learn that her blindness is essentially magic itself. and she is the only one who can repair it. so… still not really ideal in my book.
lets just put it this way, if you liked the concept of the first book and can put aside any issues with insta-love and poorly done disability rep then i definitely think you will like the second book even more. in my opinion it had a lot more going for it, despite the flaws from the first book carrying over. i really do implore you to read the review i wrote for the first book if you’re curious about my thoughts in more full. this isn’t much more i could’ve add about this book that i hadn’t touched upon there besides that i liked the world building much more in finale.
i personally don’t want to make this review too long because i’ve already discussed a lot of my issues with this duology as a whole in my review for the first book, chaos & flame, found here. but let’s just say a lot of my issues with the disability rep and the romance and even the world-building stay the same, if not are amplified more in the sequel.
however, i think overall, the premise of the second book is MUCH stronger than the first one. i was worried about how things were going to fall out after the ending events, which did have me pretty piqued. and i think the sequel an incredible job following the aftermath of the first book. the lore of the world became so so much more interesting to me, especially since we had some more insight into aurora’s story (but unfortunately not much into her motives). the concept of the regent ephemerals was an incredible addition to the world’s political and foundational background.
did this additional also make darling even more of a chose one. absolutely. that’s where i struggled to separate the fact that her disability was ultimately shown as a superpower, especially since it was kind of, sort of, even more so in the second book. in this book, we learn that her blindness is essentially magic itself. and she is the only one who can repair it. so… still not really ideal in my book.
lets just put it this way, if you liked the concept of the first book and can put aside any issues with insta-love and poorly done disability rep then i definitely think you will like the second book even more. in my opinion it had a lot more going for it, despite the flaws from the first book carrying over. i really do implore you to read the review i wrote for the first book if you’re curious about my thoughts in more full. this isn’t much more i could’ve add about this book that i hadn’t touched upon there besides that i liked the world building much more in finale.
July 6, 2024
★★★ (3.0)
I think the author tried to fit a wide and complex sequence with some political intrigue that concludes the whole story of this series into a short-length book but didn't do a great job with it. The atmosphere still shared similarities with Book 1, but the plot strayed a bit from what the story intended to wrap up. This book offers much, but it is not comparable to what it actually explains. What I hoped for was more of Caspian and more from the villain, but instead, the plot focused on Talon and Darling's closure. It felt like it only talked about them without giving attention to the other characters.
I was curious about the others because we were introduced to another house, but they just existed to make the story more crowded. The conclusion of everything felt unsatisfying because of how rushed it was. There was just one chapter for the climax, and nothing interesting about it.
When I finally finished this, I was sad that the better development I craved was not present. I didn't hate the book, just felt disappointed with how it ended. For me, it was just an okay duology, not really hooking me, but I still enjoyed some parts of it.
𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 (𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊) 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.
I think the author tried to fit a wide and complex sequence with some political intrigue that concludes the whole story of this series into a short-length book but didn't do a great job with it. The atmosphere still shared similarities with Book 1, but the plot strayed a bit from what the story intended to wrap up. This book offers much, but it is not comparable to what it actually explains. What I hoped for was more of Caspian and more from the villain, but instead, the plot focused on Talon and Darling's closure. It felt like it only talked about them without giving attention to the other characters.
I was curious about the others because we were introduced to another house, but they just existed to make the story more crowded. The conclusion of everything felt unsatisfying because of how rushed it was. There was just one chapter for the climax, and nothing interesting about it.
When I finally finished this, I was sad that the better development I craved was not present. I didn't hate the book, just felt disappointed with how it ended. For me, it was just an okay duology, not really hooking me, but I still enjoyed some parts of it.
𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 (𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊) 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.
February 23, 2025
I think I waited way too long to pick up this sequel 😭. I remember reading and loving the first book and wondering why there was no hype around it. It’s an epic YA fantasy with political intrigue, different houses, and ancient creatures. The ending also left off on a huge cliffhanger that left my jaw on the floor.
When I finally got around to the sequel (some time later 😅), it picked up where it left off plus a little prequel. But I was bored the entire time. It had none of the excitement or allure as the first one and it left me very confused lol. I’m not sure if it was the amount of time in between me reading the first book and its conclusion or the book really just wasn’t that exciting. But I’m pretty sad because I really did enjoy the first book that much!
When I finally got around to the sequel (some time later 😅), it picked up where it left off plus a little prequel. But I was bored the entire time. It had none of the excitement or allure as the first one and it left me very confused lol. I’m not sure if it was the amount of time in between me reading the first book and its conclusion or the book really just wasn’t that exciting. But I’m pretty sad because I really did enjoy the first book that much!
May 14, 2024
Thanks to Penguin Random House & Razorbill for the advanced review copy of this book.
This dad read Blood & Fury, the second and final installment of the Chaos & Flame duology by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland. Having really enjoyed book 1, Chaos & Flame, I was looking forward to diving back into this world and seeing how the story wrapped up. Unfortunately, Blood & Fury has a muddled storyline and is filled with a too large cast of characters, which left me disappointed in the end.
Part of my enjoyment of book 1 was the will-they-or-won’t-they romantic tension between protagonists Talon and Darling. In Blood & Fury they’re purposefully kept apart for a good portion of the novel, which makes for good dramatic tension I suppose, however, their romantic reunion seems more of an inevitability than a mysterious story element. Obviously the stakes are larger for the world that Talon and Darling inhabit, but for me their story is simply more interesting, but that’s not the story being told. The story that is being told just didn’t pull me in. Yes, book 1 ended with a rather large event that catapults the story in Blood & Fury but for me the charm of the series was the small scale and relational elements found in Chaos & Flame. The expanded scope of the story ultimately takes away from what I enjoyed about this world in the first place.
A larger story obviously necessitates a larger cast of characters, something that also doesn’t work in Blood & Fury’s favor. Sure there are a few interesting characters that move the plot forwards (the main villain, Aurora, is honestly terrifying) but I found myself, more often than not, disengaged with all of the peripheral characters and plotlines. Plus, one of my favorites from the first novel, talon’s brother Caspian, is relegated to a side character and spends the majority of the time being a nonverbal creature. Again, I think his journey was necessary in the grand scale of the overall story but his lack of contribution and, most importantly, his unique personality are markedly absent.
It’s never my goal to outright pan a novel. I know how much time, dedication, and passion goes into crafting original novels. I am a massive fan of Gratton and Ireland’s, and Blood & Fury is simply a case of a sequel not quite hitting the mark in terms of my own personal enjoyment. I think the Chaos & Flame duology would hold up well to a reread, something that I’d definitely do again in the future. Maybe reading the two books back to back would make for a more cohesive experience (I think a single edition collector’s volume would look amazing on bookshelves) but for me, Blood & Fury wasn’t my cup of tea.
This dad read Blood & Fury, the second and final installment of the Chaos & Flame duology by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland. Having really enjoyed book 1, Chaos & Flame, I was looking forward to diving back into this world and seeing how the story wrapped up. Unfortunately, Blood & Fury has a muddled storyline and is filled with a too large cast of characters, which left me disappointed in the end.
Part of my enjoyment of book 1 was the will-they-or-won’t-they romantic tension between protagonists Talon and Darling. In Blood & Fury they’re purposefully kept apart for a good portion of the novel, which makes for good dramatic tension I suppose, however, their romantic reunion seems more of an inevitability than a mysterious story element. Obviously the stakes are larger for the world that Talon and Darling inhabit, but for me their story is simply more interesting, but that’s not the story being told. The story that is being told just didn’t pull me in. Yes, book 1 ended with a rather large event that catapults the story in Blood & Fury but for me the charm of the series was the small scale and relational elements found in Chaos & Flame. The expanded scope of the story ultimately takes away from what I enjoyed about this world in the first place.
A larger story obviously necessitates a larger cast of characters, something that also doesn’t work in Blood & Fury’s favor. Sure there are a few interesting characters that move the plot forwards (the main villain, Aurora, is honestly terrifying) but I found myself, more often than not, disengaged with all of the peripheral characters and plotlines. Plus, one of my favorites from the first novel, talon’s brother Caspian, is relegated to a side character and spends the majority of the time being a nonverbal creature. Again, I think his journey was necessary in the grand scale of the overall story but his lack of contribution and, most importantly, his unique personality are markedly absent.
It’s never my goal to outright pan a novel. I know how much time, dedication, and passion goes into crafting original novels. I am a massive fan of Gratton and Ireland’s, and Blood & Fury is simply a case of a sequel not quite hitting the mark in terms of my own personal enjoyment. I think the Chaos & Flame duology would hold up well to a reread, something that I’d definitely do again in the future. Maybe reading the two books back to back would make for a more cohesive experience (I think a single edition collector’s volume would look amazing on bookshelves) but for me, Blood & Fury wasn’t my cup of tea.
May 10, 2024
"Blood & Fury," the conclusion to the Chaos & Flame series by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland, picks up months after the tumultuous events of the first book. As Darling struggles to come to terms with her newfound destiny and Talon grapples with the fallout of betrayal, the kingdom teeters on the brink of chaos.
While there are undoubtedly aspects of this series that will appeal to YA fantasy lovers, I found myself struggling to connect with the narrative in "Blood & Fury." The plot felt disjointed and lacked a clear sense of purpose, devolving into what can only be described as a giant scavenger hunt.
One of the major drawbacks of the book was the characterization, particularly of the main protagonists, Darling and Talon. Darling's incessant whining and Talon's bland storyline left much to be desired, failing to evoke the depth and complexity that I had hoped for in their characters. And the endless portrayal of nudity following the characters' transformations felt gratuitous and unnecessary, detracting from the overall story and serving as a pointless aspect of the magic system.
Additionally, the absence of Caspian, the most compelling character of the whole series in my opinion, was sorely felt throughout "Blood & Fury." Instead, readers are subjected to the antics of an infuriating villain whose motivations remained unclear and underdeveloped.
Perhaps most disappointing of all was the inclusion of an unnecessary death that felt contrived and forced, adding little to the overall narrative and serving only to frustrate readers.
In conclusion, while "Blood & Fury" may have its merits for some readers, I found it to be a disappointing conclusion to what had the potential to be a promising series. With a lackluster plot, uninspired characterization, and unnecessary plot twists, this book fell short of my expectations, leaving me longing for a more satisfying conclusion to Darling and Talon's story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this review.
While there are undoubtedly aspects of this series that will appeal to YA fantasy lovers, I found myself struggling to connect with the narrative in "Blood & Fury." The plot felt disjointed and lacked a clear sense of purpose, devolving into what can only be described as a giant scavenger hunt.
One of the major drawbacks of the book was the characterization, particularly of the main protagonists, Darling and Talon. Darling's incessant whining and Talon's bland storyline left much to be desired, failing to evoke the depth and complexity that I had hoped for in their characters. And the endless portrayal of nudity following the characters' transformations felt gratuitous and unnecessary, detracting from the overall story and serving as a pointless aspect of the magic system.
Additionally, the absence of Caspian, the most compelling character of the whole series in my opinion, was sorely felt throughout "Blood & Fury." Instead, readers are subjected to the antics of an infuriating villain whose motivations remained unclear and underdeveloped.
Perhaps most disappointing of all was the inclusion of an unnecessary death that felt contrived and forced, adding little to the overall narrative and serving only to frustrate readers.
In conclusion, while "Blood & Fury" may have its merits for some readers, I found it to be a disappointing conclusion to what had the potential to be a promising series. With a lackluster plot, uninspired characterization, and unnecessary plot twists, this book fell short of my expectations, leaving me longing for a more satisfying conclusion to Darling and Talon's story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this review.
May 7, 2024
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult / Dark Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Bloody Fury, by co-authors Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland, is the second installment in the Chaos & Flame duology. Key Characters: Talon Goldhoard, and Darling Seabreak. Outside of the prequel which features Aurora Falleau from 30 years ago, the story alternates between Talon and Darling. Picking up months after a kiss transformed Darling into the long-lost Phoenix and every House regent into their empyreal form, Darling struggles to make sense of her destiny as a legendary creature.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Young Adult / Dark Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Bloody Fury, by co-authors Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland, is the second installment in the Chaos & Flame duology. Key Characters: Talon Goldhoard, and Darling Seabreak. Outside of the prequel which features Aurora Falleau from 30 years ago, the story alternates between Talon and Darling. Picking up months after a kiss transformed Darling into the long-lost Phoenix and every House regent into their empyreal form, Darling struggles to make sense of her destiny as a legendary creature.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
March 15, 2024
Chaos & Flame had me gripped, but Blood & Fury has completely blown it out of the water. I adored the world building in the first book, and the details just got better and better - I would read much more set in this fantasy world!
Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book to review
Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book to review
May 4, 2025
5/5
J’AI ADORÉ CE TOME 2 OMG
J’AI ADORÉ CE TOME 2 OMG
August 16, 2024
Fun conclusion to the world these two have created. Yes, it feels a bit flat at times, but this is some fairly solid YA totally not Game of Thrones shit. Probably won't remember this in a month, honestly. But still fun junk food.
January 6, 2025
Un second tome que j’ai trouvé passionnant, du début à la fin. J’avais aimé le premier et c’est le cas ici aussi. J’ai adoré suivre tour à tour Darling et Talon. Il y a pas mal de rebondissements qui m’ont tenue en haleine. Les scènes d’actions sont magistrales et l’ambiance générale était au top. Quant à la romance, elle n’est pas mise en premier plan et n’est pas ce qui m’a le plus captivé. L’univers décrit par Tessa Gratton et Justina Ireland m’a beaucoup plu ! Bref, je recommande.
July 18, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Teen for my copy of this one.
This is a sequel in a series that I didn’t love the first book so I won’t lie I’m not entirely sure why I wanted to read this one. Like the first book, I found this one to be kind of meh. I didn’t love the characters and I found the world building to be too complex and not well explained enough for a YA reader. Basically, the reason I read the sequel was because of the massive cliffhanger the first book left the reader off with.
This series isn’t bad by any stretch but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. I didn’t really like the characters and I thought the world building could have been better.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a sequel in a series that I didn’t love the first book so I won’t lie I’m not entirely sure why I wanted to read this one. Like the first book, I found this one to be kind of meh. I didn’t love the characters and I found the world building to be too complex and not well explained enough for a YA reader. Basically, the reason I read the sequel was because of the massive cliffhanger the first book left the reader off with.
This series isn’t bad by any stretch but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. I didn’t really like the characters and I thought the world building could have been better.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 19, 2025
https://my-bo0ks.over-blog.com/2025/0...
3.87/5
Il était plus que temps que je me lance dans la conclusion de cette duologie, découverte en 2023 avec Chaos & Flame dont le premier tome m'avait beaucoup plu. On est sur de la fantasy young adult avec de la royauté, des prophéties, des personnages ennemis qui sont devenus alliés, des dragons et des créatures surnaturelles.
Darling, notre héroine orpheline et seule rescapée de sa Maison, n'a qu'une envie, se venger de la Maison Dragon mais en se lançant dans une mission sauvetage de son père adoptif, elle se fait prendre par Talon, Prince Guerrier de la maison Dragon et emmener. Une fois là-bas, elle va découvrir que Caspian, le prince régent la peignait depuis des années et semble avoir prédit de nombreuses situations qui se déroulent. Entre prophéties, faux-semblants et trahisons, avoir des alliés et être prêt à tout semblent être les seuls les choix possibles.
Une conclusion que j'avais donc hâte de découvrir et en même temps sur laquelle je misais beaucoup. Et pour ça, je me suis relu le premier tome juste avant d'enchainer avec Blood & Fury et j'ai bien fait car cela m'a permis de vraiment me remettre de suite dans le bain. Les évènements de ce tome 2 se déroulant 1 mois après la fin du premier, qui venait clairement s'achever sur THE rebondissement. Et je ressors vraiment satisfaite de ma lecture. Les autrices ont réussi à me tenir en haleine avec un début qui commence doucement mais une succession de révélations, de rebondissements jusqu'à la toute fin.
Notre héroine, Darling prend enfin les choses en main et passe de spectatrice à actrice de son destin. On la découvre plus affirmée encore, prête à faire des choix et prendre des décisions. Il est vrai que son évolution paraît assez facile mais bon, on pardonne ce détail. Du côté de Talon, je l'aimais déjà beaucoup dans le premier tome et je l'aime toujours autant dans cette conclusion. C'est le genre de personnage qui se plie en quatre pour les autres. Pour Darling, mais aussi pour Caspian, son frère. Il s'en oublie un peu, mais je trouve que ça rend son personnage d'autant plus attachant.
Côté romance, nos personnages sont passés d'ennemis à alliés avant de plus ou moins se trahir de nouveau. Du moins, c'est ainsi qu'ils le ressentent. J'avais une petite crainte concernant Caspian, le frère de notre héros mais finalement, pas de triangle amoureux (clairement pas) et c'est tant mieux. On retrouve donc notre couple, séparé et un peu en froid. Il faudra attendre les retrouvailles pour qu'ils mettent les choses à plat et j'ai bien aimé leur évolution et le couple qu'ils forment. Ils sont mignons et un soutien l'un pour l'autre.
Côté univers, comme beaucoup, j'attendais avec impatience la présence des créatures surnaturelles et notamment dragons & phénix. Et je n'ai pas été déçue. J'ai bien aimé la façon dont les autrices les inclus dans l'histoire et tout le procédé autour. Chaque créature est intéressante, tout comme le sont les personnages qui les subissent. La magie et les dons sont bien mis en avant dans cette suite avec un ennemi assez cruel qui ne recule devant rien.
En conclusion, après un démarrage en douceur, j'ai beaucoup aimé cette conclusion. La romance notamment, et mon attachement pour les personnages est bel et bien là. Les créatures surnaturelles mises en avant m'ont beaucoup plu et les rebondissements sont nombreux. Quelques facilités tout de même et une fin qui aurait gagné à être encore plus étoffée mais j'ai tout de même aimé cette conclusion.
3.87/5
Il était plus que temps que je me lance dans la conclusion de cette duologie, découverte en 2023 avec Chaos & Flame dont le premier tome m'avait beaucoup plu. On est sur de la fantasy young adult avec de la royauté, des prophéties, des personnages ennemis qui sont devenus alliés, des dragons et des créatures surnaturelles.
Darling, notre héroine orpheline et seule rescapée de sa Maison, n'a qu'une envie, se venger de la Maison Dragon mais en se lançant dans une mission sauvetage de son père adoptif, elle se fait prendre par Talon, Prince Guerrier de la maison Dragon et emmener. Une fois là-bas, elle va découvrir que Caspian, le prince régent la peignait depuis des années et semble avoir prédit de nombreuses situations qui se déroulent. Entre prophéties, faux-semblants et trahisons, avoir des alliés et être prêt à tout semblent être les seuls les choix possibles.
Une conclusion que j'avais donc hâte de découvrir et en même temps sur laquelle je misais beaucoup. Et pour ça, je me suis relu le premier tome juste avant d'enchainer avec Blood & Fury et j'ai bien fait car cela m'a permis de vraiment me remettre de suite dans le bain. Les évènements de ce tome 2 se déroulant 1 mois après la fin du premier, qui venait clairement s'achever sur THE rebondissement. Et je ressors vraiment satisfaite de ma lecture. Les autrices ont réussi à me tenir en haleine avec un début qui commence doucement mais une succession de révélations, de rebondissements jusqu'à la toute fin.
Notre héroine, Darling prend enfin les choses en main et passe de spectatrice à actrice de son destin. On la découvre plus affirmée encore, prête à faire des choix et prendre des décisions. Il est vrai que son évolution paraît assez facile mais bon, on pardonne ce détail. Du côté de Talon, je l'aimais déjà beaucoup dans le premier tome et je l'aime toujours autant dans cette conclusion. C'est le genre de personnage qui se plie en quatre pour les autres. Pour Darling, mais aussi pour Caspian, son frère. Il s'en oublie un peu, mais je trouve que ça rend son personnage d'autant plus attachant.
Côté romance, nos personnages sont passés d'ennemis à alliés avant de plus ou moins se trahir de nouveau. Du moins, c'est ainsi qu'ils le ressentent. J'avais une petite crainte concernant Caspian, le frère de notre héros mais finalement, pas de triangle amoureux (clairement pas) et c'est tant mieux. On retrouve donc notre couple, séparé et un peu en froid. Il faudra attendre les retrouvailles pour qu'ils mettent les choses à plat et j'ai bien aimé leur évolution et le couple qu'ils forment. Ils sont mignons et un soutien l'un pour l'autre.
Côté univers, comme beaucoup, j'attendais avec impatience la présence des créatures surnaturelles et notamment dragons & phénix. Et je n'ai pas été déçue. J'ai bien aimé la façon dont les autrices les inclus dans l'histoire et tout le procédé autour. Chaque créature est intéressante, tout comme le sont les personnages qui les subissent. La magie et les dons sont bien mis en avant dans cette suite avec un ennemi assez cruel qui ne recule devant rien.
En conclusion, après un démarrage en douceur, j'ai beaucoup aimé cette conclusion. La romance notamment, et mon attachement pour les personnages est bel et bien là. Les créatures surnaturelles mises en avant m'ont beaucoup plu et les rebondissements sont nombreux. Quelques facilités tout de même et une fin qui aurait gagné à être encore plus étoffée mais j'ai tout de même aimé cette conclusion.
May 12, 2025
I think I enjoyed the book. But I KNOW that I had a lot of problems with the execution of the book. Things happened that didn’t make sense or weren’t properly introduced (some things happened that I didn’t even know were possible and we skip over that bc sure why not, that’s how this thing works now. What?) I love the building blocks. Like the vibes are great and on paper I love the idea, but the little things that I didn’t like in the first books were magnified in this.
Characterizations were bland, which is saying a lot bc there are a lot of named characters in this book. The politics are almost non-existent. And the romance, which was my favorite part in the first book, was sorely lacking here. Honestly, Darling pmo for most of the book. Talon's chapters were more or less boring (poor guy knew nothing and no one wanted to answer his letters). Caspian, one of if not my fav character from the first book, felt like a shadow of his former self. I felt like we got no expansion on his character except anger. There's not even a satisfying ending to his story (or his importance in Talon's story). In fact, no one had a good character arc. Darling is literally a chosen one trope wrapped in a freshly-dead-father-figure bow. How did you make her boring? It felt like every struggle and triumph she had over her internal issues happened off page or were just explained ("Idk how to live with a phoenix inside me">"oh i'm used to it now" "idk how to lead people">"somehow i'll just make all the right choices"). Nothing is interesting. The villain was lackluster and underutilized. The characters were bebopping around the country and yet it was somehow so boring? All that and the world building was still missing. You get told (to an extent bc a lot of poorly explained) only what you need for the story to progress.
Characterizations were bland, which is saying a lot bc there are a lot of named characters in this book. The politics are almost non-existent. And the romance, which was my favorite part in the first book, was sorely lacking here. Honestly, Darling pmo for most of the book. Talon's chapters were more or less boring (poor guy knew nothing and no one wanted to answer his letters). Caspian, one of if not my fav character from the first book, felt like a shadow of his former self. I felt like we got no expansion on his character except anger. There's not even a satisfying ending to his story (or his importance in Talon's story). In fact, no one had a good character arc. Darling is literally a chosen one trope wrapped in a freshly-dead-father-figure bow. How did you make her boring? It felt like every struggle and triumph she had over her internal issues happened off page or were just explained ("Idk how to live with a phoenix inside me">"oh i'm used to it now" "idk how to lead people">"somehow i'll just make all the right choices"). Nothing is interesting. The villain was lackluster and underutilized. The characters were bebopping around the country and yet it was somehow so boring? All that and the world building was still missing. You get told (to an extent bc a lot of poorly explained) only what you need for the story to progress.
April 13, 2025
This book was fun to read, yet messy at the same time and, to a great extent, unfortunately not well thought-through.
Some of the good stuff: Just like the first book, we have the same two very likeable main characters. I liked their youthful charm and their devotion to the cause, now that Chaos has been somewhat restored. The chemistry that was very present in the first book was rather subdued in this book, yet sweet to read. You could feel their longing for each other, however it didn‘t feel very personal. The writing was nonetheless flawless and gripping, keeping me engaged even though the plot was lacking structure, which leads me to the weak parts of this book.
This book was lacking a concept. While the first book in the duology left us with a cliffhanger, you would expect that the second book would throw the reader right into the real problems and challenges of this book world. However, it often felt as if the authors didn‘t really know what to do with their freedom of creativity either, pushing away the explosive details of the story for as long as they could, leaving us puzzled about the historical background and sources of power of the worldbuilding, as well as intrinsic motivations of the characters. Even the quests that the characters had to follow felt undercooked, leading up to the final (perhaps) 30 pages of the book, where the authors tried to squeeze in answers to some of the most important questions. This again, however, only led to new contradicting story holes.
I really wanted to believe in this series since I felt it was underrated in the YA book world. I enjoyed this book a lot, however with this conclusion to the series, it was unfortunately only a luke-warm final experience in its whole.
Some of the good stuff: Just like the first book, we have the same two very likeable main characters. I liked their youthful charm and their devotion to the cause, now that Chaos has been somewhat restored. The chemistry that was very present in the first book was rather subdued in this book, yet sweet to read. You could feel their longing for each other, however it didn‘t feel very personal. The writing was nonetheless flawless and gripping, keeping me engaged even though the plot was lacking structure, which leads me to the weak parts of this book.
This book was lacking a concept. While the first book in the duology left us with a cliffhanger, you would expect that the second book would throw the reader right into the real problems and challenges of this book world. However, it often felt as if the authors didn‘t really know what to do with their freedom of creativity either, pushing away the explosive details of the story for as long as they could, leaving us puzzled about the historical background and sources of power of the worldbuilding, as well as intrinsic motivations of the characters. Even the quests that the characters had to follow felt undercooked, leading up to the final (perhaps) 30 pages of the book, where the authors tried to squeeze in answers to some of the most important questions. This again, however, only led to new contradicting story holes.
I really wanted to believe in this series since I felt it was underrated in the YA book world. I enjoyed this book a lot, however with this conclusion to the series, it was unfortunately only a luke-warm final experience in its whole.
December 12, 2025
Blood and Fury Review
3/5 stars
This will be a spoiler free review for only this book. I will have to spoil the first book, Chaos and Flame, in order to review this. If you want to know what this duology is all about without spoiling the first book for yourself, head over to my review for that one.
BOOK ONE REVIEW
From here on out, you may encounter spoilers for the first book. Continue onward at your own risk.
Here’s a spoiler fox so those who don’t want spoilers don’t accidentally see anything:
SPOILER FOX
I honestly loved the first book in this duology. It was all about politics, hidden secrets, and a prince going mad. The sequel was completely different from that, and I’m honestly kinda salty about it. Update: VERY salty. MAD even. Worst book of 2024 so far. We still have 3/4 of the year to find a worse book, but still.
Editor me: Rant incoming. Give it a minute to load.
The first mistake made was to not give the mad painter prince a point of view in this one. My favorite parts of the first book was watching this prince spiral down into insanity, because his prophecy magic makes him go crazy. Seeing him obsessively paint these wildly abstract paintings of Darling was the best part of the book. It made the creative part of me go absolutely feral.
And then I open book two, and Caspian’s pov is gone! What the heck? There were so many moments he could have had a pov that would have been amazing. He spends a large portion of the book in dragon form, not wanting to turn back into a human again. He doesn’t want to rule a country, doesn’t want the responsibility that comes with being human. That would have been such an amazing perspective to explore through giving us chapters in his pov.
What did we get instead?
A bunch of people standing around naked, because they just changed back from their mythical beast forms and didn’t think to bring clothes with them. I swear this was most of the book. It was weird, especially since this is a YA fantasy.
I left the second book wanting more of the politics, more of the magic, and more of the secret history of the country that had been buried in order so that House Dragon could reign supreme over all the houses. We got maybe one chapter of the history, a pointless cat and mouse chase with the evil aunt, and the biggest case of the miscommunication trope done horribly I’ve ever seen.
And yet, the writing was superb. The authors hooked me with their stunning prose that carried over from book one. I could not put this train wreck of a book down. It’s like how SJM writes these character drama stories that are so compelling while you’re reading them, but afterwards you regret wasting your time on them. That’s how I felt about this book.
It doesn’t help that after book one was such a smashing success I wanted this to soar to new heights. I was promised a conversation about Caspian’s lack of care for anyone or anything. I was promised war and politics. I was promised epic magical beasts being awesome in battle.
Instead of any of those things, we got one half assed conversation about Caspian’s problems, in which HE WASN’T EVEN THERE, no politics whatsoever, and about twenty too many scenes where the characters would change into magical beast form because of the convenience of flying, and then upon landing, would just be standing around naked for two pages waiting for someone to come running with a shirt and pants. And since it’s faster to fly, they’d get stuck waiting for a long while. Wouldn’t it have just been easier to travel with them then, if they had your clothes and you had to wait for them anyways?
Half the book was just descriptions of people delivering clothing to them, or descriptions of tailors being hired, or neither of those, and they’re just like “oh no, whatever shall I do? I’m buck naked and I need someone to lend me their long coat so people don’t see me naked.” And then at the same time, they would all be like, “But who cares if people see me naked? I’m part wild magical creature now. I’m naked in animal form all the time. Maybe I should just get used to this and be naked 24/7.”
And you know what the worst part of this was? It wasn’t even used for the romance subplot. If you’re only going to give me the povs of the two main characters in love, why aren’t they constantly awkward around each other because Darling is always finding herself naked? BECAUSE IT’S YA, THAT’S WHY. If this were a new adult SJM or JLA series, I wouldn’t bat an eye at these random naked scenes used to further the romantic tension. But since this is YA, they can’t do that.
There was only one scene in the entire book I cared about, and it was when Caspian’s brother was talking to Caspian’s lover about Caspian’s commitment issues. I thought they were about to go back and confront Caspian, BUT NOOOOOOOO, BECAUSE THEY NEEDED MORE TIME FOR MORE STUPID POINTLESS NAKED SCENES.
And also there was blood magic. It was horrible and evil and oh so very tempting. Why didn’t the book spend more time talking about all the pros and cons of using blood magic? Why didn’t it focus on that moral dilemma? BECAUSE NAKED SCENES ARE INHERENTLY FUNNY, according to these two authors. They’re not. They’re just weird and make me feel weird, because THEY’RE BARELY OVER 18.
I highly recommend reading the first book and then quitting the series. That’s what I should have done. The first book was brilliant. It was emotional. It actually made use of the super unique magic system. The characters had real romantic tension between them. I freaking loved book one.
Blood and Fury sucked. Do not read it. Only read the first book and then make up whatever ending you think would suit the series best in your head. And then please share them over on ao3 so I can go there and be like SEE THIS AUTHORS? THIS IS HOW THE BOOK SHOULD HAVE BEEN. YOU FUCKED UP.
Now, you’re probably wondering why I gave it 3/5 stars even though it was a train wreck. Because 3/5 stars for me is a disappointing read. 1/5 or 2/5 books will end up as dnfs, and I clearly liked this enough in the moment to not dnf it. The writing and prose was JUST AS GOOD as in the first book. But there are only so many flowery ways to describe the awkwardness of being suddenly naked around a bunch of random strangers, WHO ARE THE CITIZENS YOU RULE OVER AND SERVE.
I’m done. I can’t do it anymore.
Have a nice day/night everyone.
Except for the two authors who wrote this. They deserve a slightly unpleasant day/night in which they have to cut onions and smell the faintest hint of skunk for an hour straight, AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE DONE.
3/5 stars
This will be a spoiler free review for only this book. I will have to spoil the first book, Chaos and Flame, in order to review this. If you want to know what this duology is all about without spoiling the first book for yourself, head over to my review for that one.
BOOK ONE REVIEW
From here on out, you may encounter spoilers for the first book. Continue onward at your own risk.
Here’s a spoiler fox so those who don’t want spoilers don’t accidentally see anything:
SPOILER FOX
I honestly loved the first book in this duology. It was all about politics, hidden secrets, and a prince going mad. The sequel was completely different from that, and I’m honestly kinda salty about it. Update: VERY salty. MAD even. Worst book of 2024 so far. We still have 3/4 of the year to find a worse book, but still.
Editor me: Rant incoming. Give it a minute to load.
The first mistake made was to not give the mad painter prince a point of view in this one. My favorite parts of the first book was watching this prince spiral down into insanity, because his prophecy magic makes him go crazy. Seeing him obsessively paint these wildly abstract paintings of Darling was the best part of the book. It made the creative part of me go absolutely feral.
And then I open book two, and Caspian’s pov is gone! What the heck? There were so many moments he could have had a pov that would have been amazing. He spends a large portion of the book in dragon form, not wanting to turn back into a human again. He doesn’t want to rule a country, doesn’t want the responsibility that comes with being human. That would have been such an amazing perspective to explore through giving us chapters in his pov.
What did we get instead?
A bunch of people standing around naked, because they just changed back from their mythical beast forms and didn’t think to bring clothes with them. I swear this was most of the book. It was weird, especially since this is a YA fantasy.
I left the second book wanting more of the politics, more of the magic, and more of the secret history of the country that had been buried in order so that House Dragon could reign supreme over all the houses. We got maybe one chapter of the history, a pointless cat and mouse chase with the evil aunt, and the biggest case of the miscommunication trope done horribly I’ve ever seen.
And yet, the writing was superb. The authors hooked me with their stunning prose that carried over from book one. I could not put this train wreck of a book down. It’s like how SJM writes these character drama stories that are so compelling while you’re reading them, but afterwards you regret wasting your time on them. That’s how I felt about this book.
It doesn’t help that after book one was such a smashing success I wanted this to soar to new heights. I was promised a conversation about Caspian’s lack of care for anyone or anything. I was promised war and politics. I was promised epic magical beasts being awesome in battle.
Instead of any of those things, we got one half assed conversation about Caspian’s problems, in which HE WASN’T EVEN THERE, no politics whatsoever, and about twenty too many scenes where the characters would change into magical beast form because of the convenience of flying, and then upon landing, would just be standing around naked for two pages waiting for someone to come running with a shirt and pants. And since it’s faster to fly, they’d get stuck waiting for a long while. Wouldn’t it have just been easier to travel with them then, if they had your clothes and you had to wait for them anyways?
Half the book was just descriptions of people delivering clothing to them, or descriptions of tailors being hired, or neither of those, and they’re just like “oh no, whatever shall I do? I’m buck naked and I need someone to lend me their long coat so people don’t see me naked.” And then at the same time, they would all be like, “But who cares if people see me naked? I’m part wild magical creature now. I’m naked in animal form all the time. Maybe I should just get used to this and be naked 24/7.”
And you know what the worst part of this was? It wasn’t even used for the romance subplot. If you’re only going to give me the povs of the two main characters in love, why aren’t they constantly awkward around each other because Darling is always finding herself naked? BECAUSE IT’S YA, THAT’S WHY. If this were a new adult SJM or JLA series, I wouldn’t bat an eye at these random naked scenes used to further the romantic tension. But since this is YA, they can’t do that.
There was only one scene in the entire book I cared about, and it was when Caspian’s brother was talking to Caspian’s lover about Caspian’s commitment issues. I thought they were about to go back and confront Caspian, BUT NOOOOOOOO, BECAUSE THEY NEEDED MORE TIME FOR MORE STUPID POINTLESS NAKED SCENES.
And also there was blood magic. It was horrible and evil and oh so very tempting. Why didn’t the book spend more time talking about all the pros and cons of using blood magic? Why didn’t it focus on that moral dilemma? BECAUSE NAKED SCENES ARE INHERENTLY FUNNY, according to these two authors. They’re not. They’re just weird and make me feel weird, because THEY’RE BARELY OVER 18.
I highly recommend reading the first book and then quitting the series. That’s what I should have done. The first book was brilliant. It was emotional. It actually made use of the super unique magic system. The characters had real romantic tension between them. I freaking loved book one.
Blood and Fury sucked. Do not read it. Only read the first book and then make up whatever ending you think would suit the series best in your head. And then please share them over on ao3 so I can go there and be like SEE THIS AUTHORS? THIS IS HOW THE BOOK SHOULD HAVE BEEN. YOU FUCKED UP.
Now, you’re probably wondering why I gave it 3/5 stars even though it was a train wreck. Because 3/5 stars for me is a disappointing read. 1/5 or 2/5 books will end up as dnfs, and I clearly liked this enough in the moment to not dnf it. The writing and prose was JUST AS GOOD as in the first book. But there are only so many flowery ways to describe the awkwardness of being suddenly naked around a bunch of random strangers, WHO ARE THE CITIZENS YOU RULE OVER AND SERVE.
I’m done. I can’t do it anymore.
Have a nice day/night everyone.
Except for the two authors who wrote this. They deserve a slightly unpleasant day/night in which they have to cut onions and smell the faintest hint of skunk for an hour straight, AND THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’VE DONE.
June 12, 2025
Ce deuxième tome de cette duologie est une petite déception pour moi malheureusement. J’avais vraiment beaucoup aimé le premier tome mais j’ai trouvé dans ce tome 2 pas mal de défauts qui n’étaient pas présents dans le premier.
Notamment concernant l’intrigue, je l’ai trouvé trop simple, répétitive et j’arrivais trop facilement à deviner ce qui allait se passer avant même de lire. C’est vraiment dommage parce que le tome 1 nous avait offert son lot de plots twists et de révélations incroyables sans même qu’on les devine. J’ai trouvé que parfois il manquait des précisions comme si on survolait l’intrigue sans jamais rentrer dedans. Ce qui fait que j’ai eu du mal à m’attacher aux personnages secondaires puisque j’avais l’impression qu’il manquait constamment quelque chose.
Concernant nos protagonistes, je n’ai pas grand chose à dire mise à part qu’ils sont mignons tous les deux. Talon est vraiment touchant, sa dévotion envers Darling et envers les choses auxquelles il croit et aime est très touchante. Même si parfois j'aurais aimé le secouer pour lui dire qu’il faut qu’il arrête de donner autant à des personnes qu’il ne lui rende même pas un regard. Darling est vraiment le genre d’héroïne qu’on aime, courageuse, attachante et bien d’autres, j’ai bien aimé son personnage même si elle m’a un peu déçue parfois, j’avais l’impression qu’elle ne prenait pas toujours les décisions par elle même qu’elle laissait un peu trop Vivian, notamment, décider pour elle. Et Cassian, n’en parlons pas, je le déteste encore plus, surtout à cause de son attitude envers Talon.
Cette saga est finie pour moi, je ne dirais pas que c’est une recommandation mais pour ceux ou celles qui aiment des romantasys young adult sans prise de tête ou qui ne cherchent pas un livre rempli de surprise, je pense que cette duologie peut être faite pour vous.
Notamment concernant l’intrigue, je l’ai trouvé trop simple, répétitive et j’arrivais trop facilement à deviner ce qui allait se passer avant même de lire. C’est vraiment dommage parce que le tome 1 nous avait offert son lot de plots twists et de révélations incroyables sans même qu’on les devine. J’ai trouvé que parfois il manquait des précisions comme si on survolait l’intrigue sans jamais rentrer dedans. Ce qui fait que j’ai eu du mal à m’attacher aux personnages secondaires puisque j’avais l’impression qu’il manquait constamment quelque chose.
Concernant nos protagonistes, je n’ai pas grand chose à dire mise à part qu’ils sont mignons tous les deux. Talon est vraiment touchant, sa dévotion envers Darling et envers les choses auxquelles il croit et aime est très touchante. Même si parfois j'aurais aimé le secouer pour lui dire qu’il faut qu’il arrête de donner autant à des personnes qu’il ne lui rende même pas un regard. Darling est vraiment le genre d’héroïne qu’on aime, courageuse, attachante et bien d’autres, j’ai bien aimé son personnage même si elle m’a un peu déçue parfois, j’avais l’impression qu’elle ne prenait pas toujours les décisions par elle même qu’elle laissait un peu trop Vivian, notamment, décider pour elle. Et Cassian, n’en parlons pas, je le déteste encore plus, surtout à cause de son attitude envers Talon.
Cette saga est finie pour moi, je ne dirais pas que c’est une recommandation mais pour ceux ou celles qui aiment des romantasys young adult sans prise de tête ou qui ne cherchent pas un livre rempli de surprise, je pense que cette duologie peut être faite pour vous.
June 17, 2024
"Blood & Fury," co-authored by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland, emerges as a stunning sequel to "Chaos and Flame," reaffirming Justina Ireland's an d Tessa Gratton's prowess in storytelling. As a dedicated fan of "Chaos and Flame," I was eager to dive into this continuation, and it certainly did not disappoint.
The novel masterfully concludes the duology, leaving me both satisfied and melancholic at its conclusion. The romance between Darling and Talon is beautifully portrayed, woven seamlessly into the narrative without overpowering the central plot. Their relationship evolves organically, adding depth and emotion to an already compelling storyline.
The skillful prose ensures that the plot flows effortlessly, maintaining a captivating pace from start to finish. Each twist and turn is expertly executed, keeping readers engaged and eager to uncover what lies ahead. The authors' collaboration shines through in the seamless blending of their writing styles, creating a cohesive and immersive world.
Overall, "Blood & Fury" stands out as a worthy sequel that not only lives up to its predecessor but also delivers a satisfying conclusion to the duology. It's a testament to Justina Ireland's ability to craft compelling narratives and Tessa Gratton's contribution to the rich tapestry of the story. Fans of historical fantasy and intricate romances will find much to love in this book.
The novel masterfully concludes the duology, leaving me both satisfied and melancholic at its conclusion. The romance between Darling and Talon is beautifully portrayed, woven seamlessly into the narrative without overpowering the central plot. Their relationship evolves organically, adding depth and emotion to an already compelling storyline.
The skillful prose ensures that the plot flows effortlessly, maintaining a captivating pace from start to finish. Each twist and turn is expertly executed, keeping readers engaged and eager to uncover what lies ahead. The authors' collaboration shines through in the seamless blending of their writing styles, creating a cohesive and immersive world.
Overall, "Blood & Fury" stands out as a worthy sequel that not only lives up to its predecessor but also delivers a satisfying conclusion to the duology. It's a testament to Justina Ireland's ability to craft compelling narratives and Tessa Gratton's contribution to the rich tapestry of the story. Fans of historical fantasy and intricate romances will find much to love in this book.
February 3, 2024
Thanks so much to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
I received an ARC of Chaos & Flame when it came out a couple of years ago and I adored it....except for that cliffhanger at the end. So you can understand my excitement when I saw the sequel was finally coming into this world! I won't talk too much about the plot of this one because, well, spoilers.
But Talon and Darling's story in the first book had me hooked immediately. The story began when Darling's adoptive father, the scion of House Kraken and rebel leader against the tyrannical House Dragon, is taken captive by the Dragon War Prince. In an attempt to get him back, Darling tries to rescue him but is instead pulled into a scheme by the Prince Regent of House Dragon to pretend she's the long lost House Sphinx heir.
The worldbuilding of this story is so incredibly unique, and is the thing I love the most about it. The love story that occurs is cute, and I definitely root for it in both books, but the magic system and political setup of Pyrlanum are what really had me hooked. This book is a solid continuation of the first novel and I really enjoyed how it wrapped up everything. If this duo decides to write any more, you can bet I'll be buying it! I enjoyed this story immensely.
I received an ARC of Chaos & Flame when it came out a couple of years ago and I adored it....except for that cliffhanger at the end. So you can understand my excitement when I saw the sequel was finally coming into this world! I won't talk too much about the plot of this one because, well, spoilers.
But Talon and Darling's story in the first book had me hooked immediately. The story began when Darling's adoptive father, the scion of House Kraken and rebel leader against the tyrannical House Dragon, is taken captive by the Dragon War Prince. In an attempt to get him back, Darling tries to rescue him but is instead pulled into a scheme by the Prince Regent of House Dragon to pretend she's the long lost House Sphinx heir.
The worldbuilding of this story is so incredibly unique, and is the thing I love the most about it. The love story that occurs is cute, and I definitely root for it in both books, but the magic system and political setup of Pyrlanum are what really had me hooked. This book is a solid continuation of the first novel and I really enjoyed how it wrapped up everything. If this duo decides to write any more, you can bet I'll be buying it! I enjoyed this story immensely.
June 4, 2024
I received this book from NetGalley and Penguin Teen in exchange for an honest review.
Blood & Fury is a fantastic follow up to Chaos & Flame and conclusion to this duology. This was one of my most highly anticipated releases for the year and I am very happy to say it did not disappoint whatsoever.
I came into this book already deeply attached to the characters and this sequel only intensified those attachments. With the cliffhanger of Chaos & Flame, I was eager to see where our characters ended up and how things were going to evolve from those events in book one. Talon was a character that I liked a lot in the first book but in this one he really become one of my favourites. I loved his relationship with Darling but also how dedicated to everything he put his mind to in this book. Darling took on a whole new level of power and purpose in this and I really enjoyed watching her evolve with that added responsibility. Caspian got on my last nerve but it made sense still. Vivian was a new favourite for me and I really loved seeing more of her.
There were multiple moments in this where I physically felt my heart pounding while reading and could not put it down. The action really sucks you in once things start to really pick up. Overall, I think this was an excellent conclusion and I'm sad to no longer be in this world. Highly recommend.
Blood & Fury is a fantastic follow up to Chaos & Flame and conclusion to this duology. This was one of my most highly anticipated releases for the year and I am very happy to say it did not disappoint whatsoever.
I came into this book already deeply attached to the characters and this sequel only intensified those attachments. With the cliffhanger of Chaos & Flame, I was eager to see where our characters ended up and how things were going to evolve from those events in book one. Talon was a character that I liked a lot in the first book but in this one he really become one of my favourites. I loved his relationship with Darling but also how dedicated to everything he put his mind to in this book. Darling took on a whole new level of power and purpose in this and I really enjoyed watching her evolve with that added responsibility. Caspian got on my last nerve but it made sense still. Vivian was a new favourite for me and I really loved seeing more of her.
There were multiple moments in this where I physically felt my heart pounding while reading and could not put it down. The action really sucks you in once things start to really pick up. Overall, I think this was an excellent conclusion and I'm sad to no longer be in this world. Highly recommend.
July 16, 2024
Who knew a kiss could unearth fire and the long-lost Phoenix? In the second installment of the Chaos & Fury series we pick up months later after Darling finds out that she is now the Phoenix. As Darling learns how to control her Phoenix she discovers that she has unlocked everyone's seeded Chaos powers. Filled with revenge, can Darling find the love she once had with Talon?
Talon, reeling with the devastating realization of how his aunt Aurora has controlled her powers, sets out to find Darling and deliver the one who has truly deceived them all. But when Aurora escapes she leaves a path of destruction that forces Darling and Talon to team up to finally eradicate their common enemy.
Overall rating 3/5
I absolutely loved the first book and could not wait to get my hands on the sequel. However, I was a little disappointed. I felt that 70% of this book dragged as the reader was taken on a tour around the world with lackluster action. I did love the final slow buildup to Darling and Talon finally seeing each other since the fateful kiss. I wish we could have gotten more in depth interactions with all the different “houses” and their new powers.
*Thank you to Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Razorbill, and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.
Talon, reeling with the devastating realization of how his aunt Aurora has controlled her powers, sets out to find Darling and deliver the one who has truly deceived them all. But when Aurora escapes she leaves a path of destruction that forces Darling and Talon to team up to finally eradicate their common enemy.
Overall rating 3/5
I absolutely loved the first book and could not wait to get my hands on the sequel. However, I was a little disappointed. I felt that 70% of this book dragged as the reader was taken on a tour around the world with lackluster action. I did love the final slow buildup to Darling and Talon finally seeing each other since the fateful kiss. I wish we could have gotten more in depth interactions with all the different “houses” and their new powers.
*Thank you to Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Razorbill, and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.
September 12, 2024
I enjoyed this sequel better than the first. This was a fascinating world with chaos magic, blood magic, empyreals, and an awesome Phoenix. The reason I liked this one better is that there was a bit less of the annoying instalove between Talon and Darling and more traveling around trying to find the newly made Empyreals and continue the peace efforts that Caspian had started before he turned into a dragon and stop the despicable Aurora from completing her dastardly blood magic plan and ruining everything. That's quite a lot to put on the plate of Darling who went from battle captive to the Phoenix reborn though I think it was rightly given for all that she went through and she is definitely the best person for the job.
There is a little dive into the history of Chaos and the use of blood magic back in the past which led to the death of the phoenix a hundred years ago, as well as the damning up of chaos, making boons weaker and wrong as time went on. This book is mostly righting all those wrongs and while there was the tracking down of the compelling dangerous Aurora, it is mostly peaceful and I enjoyed reading this (though I hated the part in the barn at the end). It does end nicely and wraps up the story on a good note.
There is a little dive into the history of Chaos and the use of blood magic back in the past which led to the death of the phoenix a hundred years ago, as well as the damning up of chaos, making boons weaker and wrong as time went on. This book is mostly righting all those wrongs and while there was the tracking down of the compelling dangerous Aurora, it is mostly peaceful and I enjoyed reading this (though I hated the part in the barn at the end). It does end nicely and wraps up the story on a good note.
February 9, 2025
Blood & Fury by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland, the second book in the Chaos & Flame series, offers a deeper dive into the rich history of Chaos and the blood magic that played a pivotal role in the death of the phoenix and the eventual weakening of boons over time. The exploration of the past, and how those actions ripple into the present, adds a great layer of depth to the world-building.
While the plot centers around tracking down the dangerous and mysterious Aurora, the story focuses more on healing and righting the wrongs from the past. It's a bit more peaceful than I expected, but that doesn't make it any less engaging. I really enjoyed this quieter, more reflective turn as it allowed for meaningful character growth and development. The writing flows beautifully, and the pacing feels balanced as the story reaches its resolution.
The ending wraps up the series on a satisfying note, tying up the loose ends and giving a sense of closure to the characters and their journey. Overall, Blood & Fury is a great continuation of the series, and I enjoyed the combination of history, magic, and personal growth that made this installment so compelling. Definitely a solid read for fans of the series!
While the plot centers around tracking down the dangerous and mysterious Aurora, the story focuses more on healing and righting the wrongs from the past. It's a bit more peaceful than I expected, but that doesn't make it any less engaging. I really enjoyed this quieter, more reflective turn as it allowed for meaningful character growth and development. The writing flows beautifully, and the pacing feels balanced as the story reaches its resolution.
The ending wraps up the series on a satisfying note, tying up the loose ends and giving a sense of closure to the characters and their journey. Overall, Blood & Fury is a great continuation of the series, and I enjoyed the combination of history, magic, and personal growth that made this installment so compelling. Definitely a solid read for fans of the series!
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