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Flame and Sparrow Duology #1
Flame and Sparrow
On the eve of her twentieth birthday, Karys woke to the sight of a divine creature dying outside her home.
Two weeks later, her sister disappeared, leaving nothing but a trail of blood in her wake.
Convinced the gods were responsible for the disappearance, Karys has spent the past five years plotting her revenge with the help of a cutthroat band of likeminded elven rebels. So when Dravyn—one of her world’s most powerful deities—descends upon her kingdom in search of humans worthy of serving him, Karys knows what she must do. Earning a place at the god’s side will allow her to find out what truly happened to her sister…and then destroy the gods from the inside out for what they did.
Thrown into the dazzling but deadly world of the divine courts, she must navigate complicated politics, strange magic, and dangerous trials to prove herself worthy of standing among the gods.
Among the most dangerous of these trials is Dravyn himself.
Karys knows better than to trust the enigmatic God of Fire. The flames of passion that stir between them are only divine trickery. And yet, the more she learns about him, the hotter the forbidden sparks burn. The more she begins to question all she thought she knew about the world of gods and mortals and everything in-between.
And the more she risks betraying her own secrets, which may be the most dangerous thing of all.
This is a romantic epic fantasy with some adult language and spicy content. Though it’s set in the same universe as the Shadows and Crowns series—in the distant past—it can be read and completely enjoyed without reading any previous books in this world. Book two will end with a HEA, but beware the cliffhanger at the end of this first book!
Two weeks later, her sister disappeared, leaving nothing but a trail of blood in her wake.
Convinced the gods were responsible for the disappearance, Karys has spent the past five years plotting her revenge with the help of a cutthroat band of likeminded elven rebels. So when Dravyn—one of her world’s most powerful deities—descends upon her kingdom in search of humans worthy of serving him, Karys knows what she must do. Earning a place at the god’s side will allow her to find out what truly happened to her sister…and then destroy the gods from the inside out for what they did.
Thrown into the dazzling but deadly world of the divine courts, she must navigate complicated politics, strange magic, and dangerous trials to prove herself worthy of standing among the gods.
Among the most dangerous of these trials is Dravyn himself.
Karys knows better than to trust the enigmatic God of Fire. The flames of passion that stir between them are only divine trickery. And yet, the more she learns about him, the hotter the forbidden sparks burn. The more she begins to question all she thought she knew about the world of gods and mortals and everything in-between.
And the more she risks betraying her own secrets, which may be the most dangerous thing of all.
This is a romantic epic fantasy with some adult language and spicy content. Though it’s set in the same universe as the Shadows and Crowns series—in the distant past—it can be read and completely enjoyed without reading any previous books in this world. Book two will end with a HEA, but beware the cliffhanger at the end of this first book!
632 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2023
1864 people are currently reading
31706 people want to read
About the author
S.M. Gaither
28 books2,053 followersI don't check Goodreads regularly, but you're welcome to send me an email (smgaitherbooks@gmail.com) anytime!
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As a kid, S.M. Gaither spent way too much time playing video games like Final Fantasy and reading every book she could get her hands on instead of doing silly things like her assigned homework. As an adult…Well, not much has changed. Her goal is to write books that distract others from their life’s obligations, too, thus creating an army of fellow procrastinators over which she can reign supreme. These days, her personal favorite places to procrastinate are in the mountains near her North Carolina home, in the company of her husband, their daughter, and their very spoiled dog.
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As a kid, S.M. Gaither spent way too much time playing video games like Final Fantasy and reading every book she could get her hands on instead of doing silly things like her assigned homework. As an adult…Well, not much has changed. Her goal is to write books that distract others from their life’s obligations, too, thus creating an army of fellow procrastinators over which she can reign supreme. These days, her personal favorite places to procrastinate are in the mountains near her North Carolina home, in the company of her husband, their daughter, and their very spoiled dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,008 reviews
February 16, 2025
✩ 4.5 stars ✩
What to Expect:
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Elves, Gods, and Mortals
➼ Trials
➼ Adorable Beasties
➼ Revenge & Scheming
➼ Found Family
➼ Banter
➼ He Falls First
➼ Slow Burn
➼ First Person POV
I really loved this one! It was a bit predictable, but it’s a formula that works. Both MC’s were VERY likable and I really enjoyed how healthy their interactions felt even though they started out on different sides. (Don’t worry, there was still plenty of banter!) The FMC had some valid reasons for wanting revenge and answers but she always seemed very open to learning and accepting new information and giving each individual person she encountered a clean slate. The author found a great balance in that I felt like the female character was always making logical informed decisions rather than acting on biases and prejudices OR going the other direction and being too naive and trusting.
This couple gave me strong Nytos & Sera vibes which was super exciting to me since I personally think that author tanked that series in book three. 🙃 This series is in no way related and has a completely different author of course, but it still kind of felt like a do over. There was less angst and the relationship felt healthier overall, but the setting and many of the character details felt aligned to me.
The real star of the show though was Moth. I am completely obsessed with that feisty little griffin! I need one! There were some solid found family vibes with side characters as well! The beginning felt a bit cumbersome as the author presented the bulk of the world building and there were a few lulls here and there where the plot felt a little slow, but on the whole I thought this was a great read!
This was maybe more accurately a high 4 star read, but I’m trying to be a little less stingy with my stars. 😅 I’m giving this a bump for overall enjoyment. 💗 Looking forward to reading book two!
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: I’m about 2/3 of the way through Onyx Storm and I need a break. I would have preferred a palate cleanser, but this one needs to go back to the library soon so Flame & Sparrow it is. 🙃
What to Expect:
➼ Enemies-to-Lovers
➼ Elves, Gods, and Mortals
➼ Trials
➼ Adorable Beasties
➼ Revenge & Scheming
➼ Found Family
➼ Banter
➼ He Falls First
➼ Slow Burn
➼ First Person POV
I really loved this one! It was a bit predictable, but it’s a formula that works. Both MC’s were VERY likable and I really enjoyed how healthy their interactions felt even though they started out on different sides. (Don’t worry, there was still plenty of banter!) The FMC had some valid reasons for wanting revenge and answers but she always seemed very open to learning and accepting new information and giving each individual person she encountered a clean slate. The author found a great balance in that I felt like the female character was always making logical informed decisions rather than acting on biases and prejudices OR going the other direction and being too naive and trusting.
This couple gave me strong Nytos & Sera vibes which was super exciting to me since I personally think that author tanked that series in book three. 🙃 This series is in no way related and has a completely different author of course, but it still kind of felt like a do over. There was less angst and the relationship felt healthier overall, but the setting and many of the character details felt aligned to me.
The real star of the show though was Moth. I am completely obsessed with that feisty little griffin! I need one! There were some solid found family vibes with side characters as well! The beginning felt a bit cumbersome as the author presented the bulk of the world building and there were a few lulls here and there where the plot felt a little slow, but on the whole I thought this was a great read!
This was maybe more accurately a high 4 star read, but I’m trying to be a little less stingy with my stars. 😅 I’m giving this a bump for overall enjoyment. 💗 Looking forward to reading book two!
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: I’m about 2/3 of the way through Onyx Storm and I need a break. I would have preferred a palate cleanser, but this one needs to go back to the library soon so Flame & Sparrow it is. 🙃
October 30, 2023
Okay, I'll try to do this quickly because honestly, this one wasn't for me and the only reason I did not DNF the book was because I was part of a book tour and felt like I did commit to reading it. But this isn't going to be a great review considering how I had such a hard time reading this one.
First off, our FMC annoyed me to a point where I actually wanted to burn the book. (Really wished those flames would come alive and put me out of my misery.) She had no plan whatsoever and somehow miraculously survived everything without doing anything special. I honestly don't even get why people helped her and fell for her so quickly… I'm speechless. I'm okay with flawed characters that have a great evolution, but I didn't see that happening for Karys. She was also the worst fake actress ever, like how could she believe these people even believed one second she was not there to sabotage them is beyond me.
The relationship had no evolution. I don't know, I've seen relationships developed in a day that were more believable than this one who stretched over months. It was kind of an insta love in reality… which I hate. And the whole: I'm mad at you for betraying me but I'm also betraying you… like… girl, you have no right being mad at him cause you are WAY worse.
The world building was really hard to understand for me. Lots of info dumps and I still have so many questions anyway.. I have no idea how half the characters looked and had a hard time picturing anything. Some things I thought would be useful later but never came back.. I also think this book is way too long for nothing. I'd cut half those pages out. It was going so slowly, I really didn't need one chapter of our FMC talking about cooking… get to the damn point.
Okay, so after all that… What did I like, you ask?
I liked Moth. A lot. (but then I was so mad she sent him away the way she did, unforgivable).
I did like Davryn and the other Gods with him. I wished we learned more about them considering this book was 600 freaking pages long.
I liked the core of this story, like I was intrigued but the whole package made it hard to enjoy.
So that's it. I'm not so sure what is wrong with me, maybe it was bad timing, too many fantasy reads in a row, the seasonal depression, I don't know. But everyone seemed to like this one so maybe this book will be your favourite book of the year for all we know! Don't let my grinchy grinch review stop you from reading it!
Thanks to BookOfMatchedMedia for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
First off, our FMC annoyed me to a point where I actually wanted to burn the book. (Really wished those flames would come alive and put me out of my misery.) She had no plan whatsoever and somehow miraculously survived everything without doing anything special. I honestly don't even get why people helped her and fell for her so quickly… I'm speechless. I'm okay with flawed characters that have a great evolution, but I didn't see that happening for Karys. She was also the worst fake actress ever, like how could she believe these people even believed one second she was not there to sabotage them is beyond me.
The relationship had no evolution. I don't know, I've seen relationships developed in a day that were more believable than this one who stretched over months. It was kind of an insta love in reality… which I hate. And the whole: I'm mad at you for betraying me but I'm also betraying you… like… girl, you have no right being mad at him cause you are WAY worse.
The world building was really hard to understand for me. Lots of info dumps and I still have so many questions anyway.. I have no idea how half the characters looked and had a hard time picturing anything. Some things I thought would be useful later but never came back.. I also think this book is way too long for nothing. I'd cut half those pages out. It was going so slowly, I really didn't need one chapter of our FMC talking about cooking… get to the damn point.
Okay, so after all that… What did I like, you ask?
I liked Moth. A lot. (but then I was so mad she sent him away the way she did, unforgivable).
I did like Davryn and the other Gods with him. I wished we learned more about them considering this book was 600 freaking pages long.
I liked the core of this story, like I was intrigued but the whole package made it hard to enjoy.
So that's it. I'm not so sure what is wrong with me, maybe it was bad timing, too many fantasy reads in a row, the seasonal depression, I don't know. But everyone seemed to like this one so maybe this book will be your favourite book of the year for all we know! Don't let my grinchy grinch review stop you from reading it!
Thanks to BookOfMatchedMedia for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
July 23, 2025
Okay this book ate the house down boots mama!!!
We have meddling gods, enemies to lovers (she literally burns down temples dedicated to him), AMAZING world building and plot!!!!
Dravyn is basically Thor but he wields fire, and Kerys is a fiery woman burned by the gods (literally and figuratively). She gets a chance to earn the God’s favor in order to go in and infiltrate the God’s land for her allies, but ends up finding out more about her world than she has ever known.
I looooved both characters, I think Kerys can be very hard headed but it really fit with the story, and DRAVYN?!? One of the swooniest MMC’s of all time. Love. Him.
4.5 stars, bc sometimes Kerys bugged tf out of me, lol.
We have meddling gods, enemies to lovers (she literally burns down temples dedicated to him), AMAZING world building and plot!!!!
Dravyn is basically Thor but he wields fire, and Kerys is a fiery woman burned by the gods (literally and figuratively). She gets a chance to earn the God’s favor in order to go in and infiltrate the God’s land for her allies, but ends up finding out more about her world than she has ever known.
I looooved both characters, I think Kerys can be very hard headed but it really fit with the story, and DRAVYN?!? One of the swooniest MMC’s of all time. Love. Him.
4.5 stars, bc sometimes Kerys bugged tf out of me, lol.
November 14, 2023
You know I picked this book up thinking book two was already out and I just learned it's not and now I'm very sad that I can't continue right away 😭
Okay, objectively this is not the best fanro. There is so much info dumping at the beginning and a lot of useless information, including a chapter of our MC cooking that had no reason to be in this book. I struggled with the world building. I thought it was cool I liked the gods, but I mean I just didn't really fully grasp how everything really worked. The first 30% was honestly VERY rough for me with so many moments of "maybe I should dnf". But I wanted to wait for the love interest and I'm really glad I did. He's just not very present in the first half of this.
Now on to the good...
I loved any and every interaction our characters had. Yes it was a lil insta lovey, even the friendships were insta friends when they shouldn't have been. But I looked past this because I loved every snarky comment from the god of ice, every look of concern from the god of change AND EVERY DAMN SPICEY COMMENT from the god of fire.
I really just got sucked into the relationships and wanted to see our protagonist successfully acclimate and succeed in this.
So what can I say I'm a sucker for a lil bit of good banter. I'd call this a solid popcorn fanro, maybe not the best written but truly an enjoyable ride.
So I enjoyed this one quite a bit and need book two now pls.
Okay, objectively this is not the best fanro. There is so much info dumping at the beginning and a lot of useless information, including a chapter of our MC cooking that had no reason to be in this book. I struggled with the world building. I thought it was cool I liked the gods, but I mean I just didn't really fully grasp how everything really worked. The first 30% was honestly VERY rough for me with so many moments of "maybe I should dnf". But I wanted to wait for the love interest and I'm really glad I did. He's just not very present in the first half of this.
Now on to the good...
I loved any and every interaction our characters had. Yes it was a lil insta lovey, even the friendships were insta friends when they shouldn't have been. But I looked past this because I loved every snarky comment from the god of ice, every look of concern from the god of change AND EVERY DAMN SPICEY COMMENT from the god of fire.
I really just got sucked into the relationships and wanted to see our protagonist successfully acclimate and succeed in this.
So what can I say I'm a sucker for a lil bit of good banter. I'd call this a solid popcorn fanro, maybe not the best written but truly an enjoyable ride.
So I enjoyed this one quite a bit and need book two now pls.
Want to read
July 15, 2024 For everyone who’s ever been told they’re ’too much’ Go ahead and burn as brightly as you want to.
October 10, 2023
MISS GAITHER HAS DONE IT AGAIN.
“and please believe me, little sparrow, when i tell you that i could set fire to every inhibition you possess, and when we are finished it will only be you and i among the ashes. i will be the only thing you can think of, and it will not be disdain that you feel toward me, i can promise you that.”
GOODBYYYYYYEEEEEE, HELP, SOS, i’m in love with another fictional man — and this time, a glass-blowing fire god with cute little pets and a dirty mouth.
this book is so good, you guys. i cannot possibly express that enough. we get divine enemies to lovers, touch her and die, one horse, TRIALS!!!!! divine trials!!!!, and a war between the fallen elves and the gods that’s been brewing for years and years.
i loved the song of the marked (review here!), but flame and sparrow might be my favorite SM gaither book yet — it’s written beautifully, has a compelling story, and has plenty of romantic tension and SPICE!!!! to round out the grocery list.
flame and sparrow tells karys’ story — an elf in the mortal world, many-years-removed from her divine kingdom after their creators cast the elves out and removed their divinity in order to ascend a new set of once-mortal gods in their place. one of those gods? dravyn, god of fire and forging and figurines and filthy mouths, who karys volunteers to serve to get the tea on how to bring down the gods for her elven rebellion.
to become a divine servant, karys must pass three trials set by the gods themselves (which are naturally impossible and life-threatening), and get back to the mortal world to take what she’s learned about the gods and their weaknesses and bring down the divine realm once and for all.
it’s DELICIOUS, it’s fun, there are the cutest animal sidekicks of all time (i would die for moth), and side characters who joke, tease, and banter relentlessly.
i loved every second of this — i neglected work, life, food, and drink because i needed both hands to hold this heavy ass book (600+ pages and every one of them perfect), and i’m dying for book two.
this is a kindle unlimited romantasy GEM, if you like your fantasy stories spicy with thorough and developed worldbuilding, complicated characters, and all of the classic tropes.
thanks to SM gaither and her team for the opportunity to read the ARC!
“and please believe me, little sparrow, when i tell you that i could set fire to every inhibition you possess, and when we are finished it will only be you and i among the ashes. i will be the only thing you can think of, and it will not be disdain that you feel toward me, i can promise you that.”
GOODBYYYYYYEEEEEE, HELP, SOS, i’m in love with another fictional man — and this time, a glass-blowing fire god with cute little pets and a dirty mouth.
this book is so good, you guys. i cannot possibly express that enough. we get divine enemies to lovers, touch her and die, one horse, TRIALS!!!!! divine trials!!!!, and a war between the fallen elves and the gods that’s been brewing for years and years.
i loved the song of the marked (review here!), but flame and sparrow might be my favorite SM gaither book yet — it’s written beautifully, has a compelling story, and has plenty of romantic tension and SPICE!!!! to round out the grocery list.
flame and sparrow tells karys’ story — an elf in the mortal world, many-years-removed from her divine kingdom after their creators cast the elves out and removed their divinity in order to ascend a new set of once-mortal gods in their place. one of those gods? dravyn, god of fire and forging and figurines and filthy mouths, who karys volunteers to serve to get the tea on how to bring down the gods for her elven rebellion.
to become a divine servant, karys must pass three trials set by the gods themselves (which are naturally impossible and life-threatening), and get back to the mortal world to take what she’s learned about the gods and their weaknesses and bring down the divine realm once and for all.
it’s DELICIOUS, it’s fun, there are the cutest animal sidekicks of all time (i would die for moth), and side characters who joke, tease, and banter relentlessly.
i loved every second of this — i neglected work, life, food, and drink because i needed both hands to hold this heavy ass book (600+ pages and every one of them perfect), and i’m dying for book two.
this is a kindle unlimited romantasy GEM, if you like your fantasy stories spicy with thorough and developed worldbuilding, complicated characters, and all of the classic tropes.
thanks to SM gaither and her team for the opportunity to read the ARC!
December 14, 2023
I’m not sure what I think about this book. Sometimes I really enjoyed it and was excited to carry on but other times it was a struggle read. I think it was lacking a lot of depth for me. I didnt see enough hatred from Karys to back up the plot. I didn’t understand what happened to make them start to like each other. The romance felt like just checking the stereotypical boxes, the politics didn’t give me enough of an understanding to appreciate their importance, and the day to day activities were so over detailed.
Read
July 16, 2025DNF @ 37%
I'm sorry but this was somehow boring, too much, and too confusing all in one
I'm sorry but this was somehow boring, too much, and too confusing all in one
October 30, 2023
Honestly I think the author‘s writing style just isn’t for me:
1. I had a hard time picturing a lot of stuff like buildings, the landscape and certain side characters
2. The romance was very insta lovey
3. Karys - our main girl - was a complete mess, it’s okay if main characters make mistakes but that girl seemed to have no clue what she was doing half the time.
4. Neither the gods nor the elves were particularly likable
5. the plot was moving sooooo slowly and most of the twists were pretty predictable
1. I had a hard time picturing a lot of stuff like buildings, the landscape and certain side characters
2. The romance was very insta lovey
3. Karys - our main girl - was a complete mess, it’s okay if main characters make mistakes but that girl seemed to have no clue what she was doing half the time.
4. Neither the gods nor the elves were particularly likable
5. the plot was moving sooooo slowly and most of the twists were pretty predictable
October 18, 2023
Flame and Sparrow is an epic fantasy romance with a plot that continually kept me on my toes and a romance that was swoon worthy.
Flame and Sparrow starts out with a bang, I was so invested in the prologue. She drops the perfect amount of detail to draw you in right away. There’s just something about S.M. Gaither’s writing and storytelling that has me so immersed in the story from the first page.
Karys has had a tough life and now is part of a band of elves rebelling against the humans and the gods. Shes feisty, snarky, smart, strong willed. But she learns to be vulnerable and those were some of my favorite moments. As a part of the rebellion, Karys makes a deal with the fire god and has to play the game of the gods while also facing deadly trials dictated by the gods. The gods realm is a dangerous place for a mortal and Karys has to navigate it very carefully.
Flame and Sparrow is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s so refreshingly unique I wanted to cry tears of joy. I saw nothing coming in the plot and it is truly its own story with the some of the most magical, imaginative world building I’ve ever read. These are some of the most meddlesome gods I’ve read about and it made for an AMAZING story.
The world is so vividly described that felt like I could reach out and touch every thing. I appreciated this story and world building so much more having read the Shadows and Crowns series, but it’s not necessary to enjoy this book! It does build upon the beautiful world S.M. created in the Shadows and Crowns series.
NOW THE ROMANCE. I’m so excited to talk about this because it was so EPIC. Dravyn is the epitome of top tier book boyfriend, especially because HE FELL FIRST. He would do anything for her. He creates the sun and false stars because she misses them from her world. I am DECEASED. He will always protect her. He would burn the world down for her and rebuild it for her. He is so utterly in love with her which made me love him even more. The romance is so sweet and felt so REAL. Like their feelings felt so authentic and I loved how deeply they care for each other. Also the touch her and I’ll kill you scene was to die for (pun intended lol).
The BANTER OMG. It was amazing and had me laughing and blushing simultaneously. I loved how the found family poked fun at each other. They were also just so snarky and had the best come backs, I was living for it. Their interactions had me squealing.
She travels to the god realm to figure out how to destroy the gods but ends up falling for Dravyn in the process. But they are both keeping major secrets from each other and went into the relationship with ulterior motivesI have a love hate relationship with books like this. On one hand, I love the romance and it leads to so much tension. On the other hand, I hate it because I know it’s going to cause problems down the road and lead to explosive fights. It was SO well done in Flame and Sparrow though. I have absolutely no complaints.
Moth stole the show, I adore him. He’s so cute and hilarious, I loved his antics and how he’s imperfect but also perfect. Also Zell, I’m obsessed. The animal companions in Flame and Sparrow were one of my favorite aspects. I am obsessed with Dravyn’s imperfectly perfect creatures that show he isn’t this all powerful being who can’t make mistakes. It’s refreshing to have a god seem normal and relatable.
Karys world is rocked when she discovers more is under the surface than what she has been taught. It was so interesting to see how Karys perspective changes as the book goes on and we realize that everything isn’t just in black and white. She doesn’t know what to do because she doesn’t know how to let go of years of hatred and the legacy of her father and sister. Seeing her start to let go of the past and thrive in the god realms had me almost teary eyed. I just want her to be happy.
The end reveals mind blowing secrets that I didn’t see coming from a mile away and I’m SCREAMING . The ending was SO GOOD. Everything from the book built up perfectly to this huge climax and now I NEED MORE!
Things to expect:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow burn spice that was SO rewarding
- He falls first
- Found Family
- Deadly Trials
- Adorable animal companions
- I came here to destroy you
- Touch her and I’ll kill you
- Only one horse (horse-like creature
- Meddling gods
- Spice: 3/5
Flame and Sparrow starts out with a bang, I was so invested in the prologue. She drops the perfect amount of detail to draw you in right away. There’s just something about S.M. Gaither’s writing and storytelling that has me so immersed in the story from the first page.
Karys has had a tough life and now is part of a band of elves rebelling against the humans and the gods. Shes feisty, snarky, smart, strong willed. But she learns to be vulnerable and those were some of my favorite moments. As a part of the rebellion, Karys makes a deal with the fire god and has to play the game of the gods while also facing deadly trials dictated by the gods. The gods realm is a dangerous place for a mortal and Karys has to navigate it very carefully.
Flame and Sparrow is unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s so refreshingly unique I wanted to cry tears of joy. I saw nothing coming in the plot and it is truly its own story with the some of the most magical, imaginative world building I’ve ever read. These are some of the most meddlesome gods I’ve read about and it made for an AMAZING story.
The world is so vividly described that felt like I could reach out and touch every thing. I appreciated this story and world building so much more having read the Shadows and Crowns series, but it’s not necessary to enjoy this book! It does build upon the beautiful world S.M. created in the Shadows and Crowns series.
NOW THE ROMANCE. I’m so excited to talk about this because it was so EPIC. Dravyn is the epitome of top tier book boyfriend, especially because HE FELL FIRST. He would do anything for her. He creates the sun and false stars because she misses them from her world. I am DECEASED. He will always protect her. He would burn the world down for her and rebuild it for her. He is so utterly in love with her which made me love him even more. The romance is so sweet and felt so REAL. Like their feelings felt so authentic and I loved how deeply they care for each other. Also the touch her and I’ll kill you scene was to die for (pun intended lol).
The BANTER OMG. It was amazing and had me laughing and blushing simultaneously. I loved how the found family poked fun at each other. They were also just so snarky and had the best come backs, I was living for it. Their interactions had me squealing.
She travels to the god realm to figure out how to destroy the gods but ends up falling for Dravyn in the process. But they are both keeping major secrets from each other and went into the relationship with ulterior motivesI have a love hate relationship with books like this. On one hand, I love the romance and it leads to so much tension. On the other hand, I hate it because I know it’s going to cause problems down the road and lead to explosive fights. It was SO well done in Flame and Sparrow though. I have absolutely no complaints.
Moth stole the show, I adore him. He’s so cute and hilarious, I loved his antics and how he’s imperfect but also perfect. Also Zell, I’m obsessed. The animal companions in Flame and Sparrow were one of my favorite aspects. I am obsessed with Dravyn’s imperfectly perfect creatures that show he isn’t this all powerful being who can’t make mistakes. It’s refreshing to have a god seem normal and relatable.
Karys world is rocked when she discovers more is under the surface than what she has been taught. It was so interesting to see how Karys perspective changes as the book goes on and we realize that everything isn’t just in black and white. She doesn’t know what to do because she doesn’t know how to let go of years of hatred and the legacy of her father and sister. Seeing her start to let go of the past and thrive in the god realms had me almost teary eyed. I just want her to be happy.
The end reveals mind blowing secrets that I didn’t see coming from a mile away and I’m SCREAMING . The ending was SO GOOD. Everything from the book built up perfectly to this huge climax and now I NEED MORE!
Things to expect:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow burn spice that was SO rewarding
- He falls first
- Found Family
- Deadly Trials
- Adorable animal companions
- I came here to destroy you
- Touch her and I’ll kill you
- Only one horse (horse-like creature
- Meddling gods
- Spice: 3/5
November 12, 2023
Many thanks to the author for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
It hurts me deeply to DNF at 60%. I am truly a believer in "wrong book, wrong time" and sadly this book was that for me. Seeing as I didn't finish reading, I cannot provide a fully formed opinion, but I would still like to share what I did and did not enjoy about it.
I've learned that this novel is set in the world of Gaither's previous series but can be read as a standalone; however, some of the politics and other small details made me feel like I was lost or missing something. Karys is a badass FMC but in a reminiscent way of many other fantasy FMCs, which ultimately made her seem flat to me. Her internal dialogue and motivations were frustrating and even immature at times. Also the MMC isn't present for much of the first half, so the enemies part was hardly existent, the romance translating more as instalove. I had a difficult time even getting into the story for the first 1/3 due to the pacing being so slow.
The world-building was intriguing though (especially once we see the realm of the gods), some of the side characters were showstoppers (Moth is adorable) and I appreciated the mental health representation.
Overall, I can definitely see the appeal and why so many people on the arc team loved this book. Once again, I didn't finish so I hope anyone takes my thoughts with a grain of salt. There are enjoyable things about "Flame and Sparrow" and I'm sure I would have devoured it under different circumstances.
It hurts me deeply to DNF at 60%. I am truly a believer in "wrong book, wrong time" and sadly this book was that for me. Seeing as I didn't finish reading, I cannot provide a fully formed opinion, but I would still like to share what I did and did not enjoy about it.
I've learned that this novel is set in the world of Gaither's previous series but can be read as a standalone; however, some of the politics and other small details made me feel like I was lost or missing something. Karys is a badass FMC but in a reminiscent way of many other fantasy FMCs, which ultimately made her seem flat to me. Her internal dialogue and motivations were frustrating and even immature at times. Also the MMC isn't present for much of the first half, so the enemies part was hardly existent, the romance translating more as instalove. I had a difficult time even getting into the story for the first 1/3 due to the pacing being so slow.
The world-building was intriguing though (especially once we see the realm of the gods), some of the side characters were showstoppers (Moth is adorable) and I appreciated the mental health representation.
Overall, I can definitely see the appeal and why so many people on the arc team loved this book. Once again, I didn't finish so I hope anyone takes my thoughts with a grain of salt. There are enjoyable things about "Flame and Sparrow" and I'm sure I would have devoured it under different circumstances.
September 28, 2023
Words can’t even do justice to how much I loved this book. I buddy read this with a few of the girlies and was YODELING at them constantly after like every chapter.
The tension is THICC the stakes are HIGH and I am now in the market for my own fire daddy.
I loved how the trials incorporated riddles the FMC had to figure out while fighting for her life. I also really enjoyed how the author portrayed the FMCs OCD and how she used her ability to find patterns and puzzles in things. It was honestly really cool to read.
That betrayal/plot twist that I should’ve seen coming but didn’t?!? The gasp that came out of my mouth could’ve been heard for miles. Phenomenal. The betrayal on both sides honestly.
This book had me on the edge of my seat the. entire. time. I was STRESSED. My eyes were racing across the pages nonstop because the stakes were so high and they continued to climb higher.
The writing is absolutely flawless and the scenes flow together so seamlessly I forgot I was even reading a book. It was incredible.
The ending was perfection and left me with more questions than answers but I am absolutely vibrating in anticipation for the next book.
I cannot recommend this read enough. It was everything I could’ve wanted and more. This was my first S.M. Gaither book but if her other works are even remotely as fantastic as this one, then I will be buying and devouring all of them. Well done 👏🏻
The tension is THICC the stakes are HIGH and I am now in the market for my own fire daddy.
I loved how the trials incorporated riddles the FMC had to figure out while fighting for her life. I also really enjoyed how the author portrayed the FMCs OCD and how she used her ability to find patterns and puzzles in things. It was honestly really cool to read.
That betrayal/plot twist that I should’ve seen coming but didn’t?!? The gasp that came out of my mouth could’ve been heard for miles. Phenomenal. The betrayal on both sides honestly.
This book had me on the edge of my seat the. entire. time. I was STRESSED. My eyes were racing across the pages nonstop because the stakes were so high and they continued to climb higher.
The writing is absolutely flawless and the scenes flow together so seamlessly I forgot I was even reading a book. It was incredible.
The ending was perfection and left me with more questions than answers but I am absolutely vibrating in anticipation for the next book.
I cannot recommend this read enough. It was everything I could’ve wanted and more. This was my first S.M. Gaither book but if her other works are even remotely as fantastic as this one, then I will be buying and devouring all of them. Well done 👏🏻
May 12, 2025
This book doesn’t know what it is - nor could it possibly be anything it wanted to be.
April 6, 2024
I struggle with this author’s writing. Might be a me thing
June 10, 2024
➸ 1.75 stars
Tropes:
↬ Spice: 🌶️🌶️
↬ Fantasy Romance
↬ Singular POV; First Person
↬ Revenge Plot
↬ Forced Proximity
↬ Dislike to Love
↬ Reluctant Allies to Lovers
↬ Insta Love
↬ Gods & Goddesses/Politics
Ratings:
↬ Initial Intrigue: 4/5
↬ Characters: 1/5
↬ Plot: 1/5
↬ Structure 2/5
↬ World-Building: 1/5
↬ Writing: 2/5
↬ Uniqueness/Creativity: 2/5
↬ Overall: 1.5/5
↬ Read: on Kindle
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
I originally picked Flame & Sparrow up because a YouTuber I really like recommended this very recently. I’ve been in a mood where I want to read but just don’t know what to read, so I decided to pick this up on whim and try it out. The short version: this was bad. The long version: poorly written & edited, wayyyy too long and for what, instalove galore, nonexistent character development/relationship building, very obvious lack of worldbuilding. I could genuinely go on and on. I have a lot of gripes with this book, so I’m going to try and do it in a condensed number of paragraphs so this doesn’t get too long (cause your girl really could rant about this.
First of all, yes this is very poorly written. Now 5/10 if I’m reading a KU fantasy-romance book I’m not going to be reading a masterpiece. But I genuinely kid you not when I say the first 35% of this book is just unreadable. Just pages and pages of nothing, with no plot, very poor worldbuilding, and a plethora of characters were introduced to that have little to no significance to this story. I really had to start skimming entire chapters because the FMC was doing absolutely nothing. I kid you not that this book has an entire chapter dedicated to the FMC cooking. Yes, you read that right, this 650+ page book has an entire chapter written with the FMC cooking (who also forgets this hobby of her’s halfway into the book, mind you). This entire book has chapters like that, with the FMC doing a completely mundane and boring task that has half a chapter or more dedicated to it.
The world in this story makes virtually no sense. You know why it makes no sense? The insane amounts of info dumping in the beginning of the book. That’s just not how you build a good fantasy world, especially for how complex this one is supposed to be. After the info dumping, the author just expects the reader to understand the world, and it’s just really not plausible. Nothing about the gods, humans, or elves really make sense. Humans can become lower caste gods but how does it start? Who are the higher gods? What world do the humans/elves even live on? It just really didn’t click for me.
Also the instalove and friendship instalove in this story is just genuinely insane. The FMC and MMC barely even interact till 35% until the book, and they’re already kissing 15% later. They barely know each other, and this book is so long you’d think we’d get a slow burn? The spice starts pretty soon after, which just pissed me off so badly because of how slow the relationship could have moved. And the same thing happens with the friendships in this book. The FMC befriends the MMC’s godly friends and they are just immediately friends? Based on the FMC’s description of the gods, you’d think they’d have ulterior motives with humans and especially elves (which speaking of, the FMC being an elf was barely ever an issue and the gods literally despite elves??? Like wtf?) and not just immediately befriend a stranger? It was just dumb, and lazy asf writing in my opinion.
I have so many more things I can complain about in this book because it really was just so poorly written. The only reason this isn’t one star was because I was engaged enough to read and then skim to the end. But Flame and Sparrow truly reads like a first draft of an unpolished world and underdeveloped characters. Nothing makes sense, the characters suck, and world is mediocre at best and head scratching at worst. This really has nothing going for it. I hate to shit on indie authors, but this really was something I had to grit my teeth to even get through the start, much less to the ending. I don’t know, maybe I’m being too harsh, but this really was just not good imo.
Tropes:
↬ Spice: 🌶️🌶️
↬ Fantasy Romance
↬ Singular POV; First Person
↬ Revenge Plot
↬ Forced Proximity
↬ Dislike to Love
↬ Reluctant Allies to Lovers
↬ Insta Love
↬ Gods & Goddesses/Politics
Ratings:
↬ Initial Intrigue: 4/5
↬ Characters: 1/5
↬ Plot: 1/5
↬ Structure 2/5
↬ World-Building: 1/5
↬ Writing: 2/5
↬ Uniqueness/Creativity: 2/5
↬ Overall: 1.5/5
↬ Read: on Kindle
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
I originally picked Flame & Sparrow up because a YouTuber I really like recommended this very recently. I’ve been in a mood where I want to read but just don’t know what to read, so I decided to pick this up on whim and try it out. The short version: this was bad. The long version: poorly written & edited, wayyyy too long and for what, instalove galore, nonexistent character development/relationship building, very obvious lack of worldbuilding. I could genuinely go on and on. I have a lot of gripes with this book, so I’m going to try and do it in a condensed number of paragraphs so this doesn’t get too long (cause your girl really could rant about this.
First of all, yes this is very poorly written. Now 5/10 if I’m reading a KU fantasy-romance book I’m not going to be reading a masterpiece. But I genuinely kid you not when I say the first 35% of this book is just unreadable. Just pages and pages of nothing, with no plot, very poor worldbuilding, and a plethora of characters were introduced to that have little to no significance to this story. I really had to start skimming entire chapters because the FMC was doing absolutely nothing. I kid you not that this book has an entire chapter dedicated to the FMC cooking. Yes, you read that right, this 650+ page book has an entire chapter written with the FMC cooking (who also forgets this hobby of her’s halfway into the book, mind you). This entire book has chapters like that, with the FMC doing a completely mundane and boring task that has half a chapter or more dedicated to it.
The world in this story makes virtually no sense. You know why it makes no sense? The insane amounts of info dumping in the beginning of the book. That’s just not how you build a good fantasy world, especially for how complex this one is supposed to be. After the info dumping, the author just expects the reader to understand the world, and it’s just really not plausible. Nothing about the gods, humans, or elves really make sense. Humans can become lower caste gods but how does it start? Who are the higher gods? What world do the humans/elves even live on? It just really didn’t click for me.
Also the instalove and friendship instalove in this story is just genuinely insane. The FMC and MMC barely even interact till 35% until the book, and they’re already kissing 15% later. They barely know each other, and this book is so long you’d think we’d get a slow burn? The spice starts pretty soon after, which just pissed me off so badly because of how slow the relationship could have moved. And the same thing happens with the friendships in this book. The FMC befriends the MMC’s godly friends and they are just immediately friends? Based on the FMC’s description of the gods, you’d think they’d have ulterior motives with humans and especially elves (which speaking of, the FMC being an elf was barely ever an issue and the gods literally despite elves??? Like wtf?) and not just immediately befriend a stranger? It was just dumb, and lazy asf writing in my opinion.
I have so many more things I can complain about in this book because it really was just so poorly written. The only reason this isn’t one star was because I was engaged enough to read and then skim to the end. But Flame and Sparrow truly reads like a first draft of an unpolished world and underdeveloped characters. Nothing makes sense, the characters suck, and world is mediocre at best and head scratching at worst. This really has nothing going for it. I hate to shit on indie authors, but this really was something I had to grit my teeth to even get through the start, much less to the ending. I don’t know, maybe I’m being too harsh, but this really was just not good imo.
May 27, 2025
3.75 ⭐️ 3🌶️
I enjoyed this story and it had a good foundation, but I think the execution could have been improved - this book was very long yet still had components that weren’t clear/felt rushed.
Loved the neurospicy rep with the FMC Karys and her analysis/pattern recognition way of processing information, and her OCD tendencies. She was a bit of a hot-mess though and sometimes seemed like she had no idea what was going on even though she was written to be a very capable person that planned everything out.
I really liked Dravyn but sadly, because he was missing from the first part of the book, the romance felt very insta love which is never a good thing. There were some really sweet moments between him and Karys but I wished their relationship had more time to develop so it felt more believable.
The concept of the world (the Gods, the mortals, revenge) was really cool but I wish the world building had more detail. Some of the everyday tasks in this story were explained in a lot of detail and I wish those words were put towards clearer world building and relationship development (both romantic and side character).
Side note: I also think the God diagram included with the maps in the book had some different names than what was used in the story itself which was very confusing e.g. the God of Death was labelled as ‘Bone’ in the diagram, and the Stone upper-god was labelled as ‘Death’ in the diagram. Also who was the God of Healing?? It has to be either God of Oak, Mountain, or Sand but ’m still not sure.
Valas, God of Ice, was probably my favourite character. He was very funny and charming. The found family between Valas, Mairu, and Dravyn was super cute. I also really liked Cillian’s character and I hope I get to see more of him in the next book.
I’ll be moving onto the second book of this duology to see where the story goes. Very interested to see what happened with her sister as per Andrel’s parting statement.
Does this end on a cliffhanger? No, I’d say it’s more of a hook.
I enjoyed this story and it had a good foundation, but I think the execution could have been improved - this book was very long yet still had components that weren’t clear/felt rushed.
Loved the neurospicy rep with the FMC Karys and her analysis/pattern recognition way of processing information, and her OCD tendencies. She was a bit of a hot-mess though and sometimes seemed like she had no idea what was going on even though she was written to be a very capable person that planned everything out.
I really liked Dravyn but sadly, because he was missing from the first part of the book, the romance felt very insta love which is never a good thing. There were some really sweet moments between him and Karys but I wished their relationship had more time to develop so it felt more believable.
The concept of the world (the Gods, the mortals, revenge) was really cool but I wish the world building had more detail. Some of the everyday tasks in this story were explained in a lot of detail and I wish those words were put towards clearer world building and relationship development (both romantic and side character).
Side note: I also think the God diagram included with the maps in the book had some different names than what was used in the story itself which was very confusing e.g. the God of Death was labelled as ‘Bone’ in the diagram, and the Stone upper-god was labelled as ‘Death’ in the diagram. Also who was the God of Healing?? It has to be either God of Oak, Mountain, or Sand but ’m still not sure.
Valas, God of Ice, was probably my favourite character. He was very funny and charming. The found family between Valas, Mairu, and Dravyn was super cute. I also really liked Cillian’s character and I hope I get to see more of him in the next book.
I’ll be moving onto the second book of this duology to see where the story goes. Very interested to see what happened with her sister as per Andrel’s parting statement.
Does this end on a cliffhanger? No, I’d say it’s more of a hook.
November 15, 2024
This was a reread for me - this time via audio.
Elven rebel, Karys, has been plotting the downfall of the divine for the disappearance of her sister, and she’s offered the perfect opportunity to undo the divine from the inside when Dravyn offers her the chance to take the trials and serve him. However, the longer Karys spends among the divine beings, she starts to learn the world isn’t as black and white as she believed. Will Karys be pulled in by the growing attraction to Dravyn or will her hatred for the divine win out?
Gaither has a true talent for world building and developing complex magic. This was apparent in her previous work and continues in Flame and Sparrow. I love how descriptive Gaither is with each new location. It’s so vivid and makes picturing an unknown land easy to visualize. Gaither’s character development with Karys was remarkable and written in a realistic way. As a reader you feel Karys’s hatred morph to indecision and in turn to affection. Not only that, she goes from reserved and following along with others’ plans to making her own choices for her future. I also can’t help but mention the slow burn enemies to lovers romance. I love the banter between Karys and Dravyn as they fought the undeniable pull between them. One character that surprised me was Valas. He rapidly became a favorite character with his patented sass. Also, you’ll love Moth. I don’t think someone can read about Moth and not love him. The adorable griffin has a habit of bursting into flames at inopportune times, which added a nice comedic element at times to the story. Overall, I thought the narration was good for Flame & Sparrow. I felt that it stumbled a little bit with distinguishing between some of the character voices. Some characters were given very distinct voices, while others blended together making it difficult to know who was talking at that time. There was plenty of emotion brought to the story, though, making it easy to stay invested in the plot. I don’t think you go wrong with an eyeball or audiobook read of this book. This was an incredible, intense story well worth reading, and I can’t wait for the sequel.
✨
✨
eARC courtesy of the author
ALC Courtesy of Tantor Audio
Elven rebel, Karys, has been plotting the downfall of the divine for the disappearance of her sister, and she’s offered the perfect opportunity to undo the divine from the inside when Dravyn offers her the chance to take the trials and serve him. However, the longer Karys spends among the divine beings, she starts to learn the world isn’t as black and white as she believed. Will Karys be pulled in by the growing attraction to Dravyn or will her hatred for the divine win out?
Gaither has a true talent for world building and developing complex magic. This was apparent in her previous work and continues in Flame and Sparrow. I love how descriptive Gaither is with each new location. It’s so vivid and makes picturing an unknown land easy to visualize. Gaither’s character development with Karys was remarkable and written in a realistic way. As a reader you feel Karys’s hatred morph to indecision and in turn to affection. Not only that, she goes from reserved and following along with others’ plans to making her own choices for her future. I also can’t help but mention the slow burn enemies to lovers romance. I love the banter between Karys and Dravyn as they fought the undeniable pull between them. One character that surprised me was Valas. He rapidly became a favorite character with his patented sass. Also, you’ll love Moth. I don’t think someone can read about Moth and not love him. The adorable griffin has a habit of bursting into flames at inopportune times, which added a nice comedic element at times to the story. Overall, I thought the narration was good for Flame & Sparrow. I felt that it stumbled a little bit with distinguishing between some of the character voices. Some characters were given very distinct voices, while others blended together making it difficult to know who was talking at that time. There was plenty of emotion brought to the story, though, making it easy to stay invested in the plot. I don’t think you go wrong with an eyeball or audiobook read of this book. This was an incredible, intense story well worth reading, and I can’t wait for the sequel.
✨
✨
eARC courtesy of the author
ALC Courtesy of Tantor Audio
October 7, 2023
THIS BOOK. I could not put this down. Flame & Sparrow is easily one of my favorite reads of 2023. This had everything I’m looking for in a romantasy and it delivered. Not only is the writing beautiful, but ya’ll she is spicyyy.
Flame & Sparrow is the first book a new adult, fantasy romance duology that follows Karys on her path to revenge against the gods. Five years ago her sister disappeared and she believes the gods to be responsible for her disappearance. Since then, she has been on a mission alongside her fellow elven rebels to bring down the gods. When presented with an opportunity to serve the God of Fire, she realizes this is her chance to bring down the gods from within. However, on her path to vengeance in the middle heavens, she realizes the gods are not at all what she thought. As she learns more about the God of Fire and his court, she begins to question everything she knows.
I just absolutely loved this book and these characters. The author has a way of not only making you fall in love with the main characters, but the side characters as well. I’m going to need more Valas (God of Ice) content because he is so sassy and I love him. I thought the FMC Karys had a great character arc, and found her OCD tendencies and need for mapping things out relatable. I love seeing that kind of representation in fantasy books. I do wish we had gotten to learn more about her elven heritage though. I am excited to see where the second book will take her journey.
And I cannot forget about the delicious God of Fire Dravyn. There’s just something about the MMC falling first. *swoon* I may have just been converted to blond MMCs. But my personal favorite is Moth, he is not the hero we asked for, but the hero we NEEDED. He is adorable and that is all.
From 70% on, this book literally had me STRESSED, on the edge of my seat. That ending… I am going to need the next book immediately. I can’t wait to see how the story continues. I seriously cannot recommend this book enough! If you are looking for an epic and spicy fantasy romance with tropes including enemies to lovers, found family vibes, magical world building and adorable animal companions, I think you will love this book!
Thank you to S.M. Gaither for the opportunity to read the ARC of Flame & Sparrow!
Flame & Sparrow is the first book a new adult, fantasy romance duology that follows Karys on her path to revenge against the gods. Five years ago her sister disappeared and she believes the gods to be responsible for her disappearance. Since then, she has been on a mission alongside her fellow elven rebels to bring down the gods. When presented with an opportunity to serve the God of Fire, she realizes this is her chance to bring down the gods from within. However, on her path to vengeance in the middle heavens, she realizes the gods are not at all what she thought. As she learns more about the God of Fire and his court, she begins to question everything she knows.
I just absolutely loved this book and these characters. The author has a way of not only making you fall in love with the main characters, but the side characters as well. I’m going to need more Valas (God of Ice) content because he is so sassy and I love him. I thought the FMC Karys had a great character arc, and found her OCD tendencies and need for mapping things out relatable. I love seeing that kind of representation in fantasy books. I do wish we had gotten to learn more about her elven heritage though. I am excited to see where the second book will take her journey.
And I cannot forget about the delicious God of Fire Dravyn. There’s just something about the MMC falling first. *swoon* I may have just been converted to blond MMCs. But my personal favorite is Moth, he is not the hero we asked for, but the hero we NEEDED. He is adorable and that is all.
From 70% on, this book literally had me STRESSED, on the edge of my seat. That ending… I am going to need the next book immediately. I can’t wait to see how the story continues. I seriously cannot recommend this book enough! If you are looking for an epic and spicy fantasy romance with tropes including enemies to lovers, found family vibes, magical world building and adorable animal companions, I think you will love this book!
Thank you to S.M. Gaither for the opportunity to read the ARC of Flame & Sparrow!
August 19, 2024
Honestly? For the first 50%, I was mostly bored. There's info-dumping, unclear world-building, lots of telling rather than showing and completely irrelevant things were included that seem important but never actually amount to anything.
The second half does pick up, and as far as I can tell, the next/final book will be more fast-paced from the get-go, but this was very nearly a dnf for me.
The MMC, Dravyn, God of Fire and Forging, does all of the right romance-y gestures (protective, blows glass ornaments and creates a sky full of little fireballs to replicate stars for the FMC etc), but he is barely in the first half, which made the progress of the romance so insta-lovey and unlikely. It went from practically nothing to life-altering 'I love yous' in the last 50%. Especially considering their dynamic and all of the suspicion and lies that linger between them. Even the friendships that develop seem rushed and superficial. The FMC, Karys fell flat for me, and she didn't have a clue what was happening most of the time. Things were happening to her, but it didn't feel like she was driving anything.
Overall, it was OK, not one of my favourites. I'll probably pick up the second one to see how the story rounds out, but I'm expecting it to grab my attention much sooner than this one did.
The second half does pick up, and as far as I can tell, the next/final book will be more fast-paced from the get-go, but this was very nearly a dnf for me.
The MMC, Dravyn, God of Fire and Forging, does all of the right romance-y gestures (protective, blows glass ornaments and creates a sky full of little fireballs to replicate stars for the FMC etc), but he is barely in the first half, which made the progress of the romance so insta-lovey and unlikely. It went from practically nothing to life-altering 'I love yous' in the last 50%. Especially considering their dynamic and all of the suspicion and lies that linger between them. Even the friendships that develop seem rushed and superficial. The FMC, Karys fell flat for me, and she didn't have a clue what was happening most of the time. Things were happening to her, but it didn't feel like she was driving anything.
Overall, it was OK, not one of my favourites. I'll probably pick up the second one to see how the story rounds out, but I'm expecting it to grab my attention much sooner than this one did.
October 29, 2023
I started this book hoping it would be a magical enemies to lovers slow burn with romance and a good plot. I honestly am a bit disappointed. The book started out supremely slow and the writing made it so hard to form a mental movie in my head. I was so excited that it was a long book, but after 100 pages and it still being slow I began to regret that. Once it finally picked up it did get better. It was definitely enemies to lovers but I wouldn’t say it was a slow burn. The characters barely interact for the first two or three hundred pages and then out of nowhere they’re suddenly wanting to be together. The end was good but predictable. The romance scenes were a good level of spicy and didn’t take away from the plot. I did feel a bit frustrated with the timing of them though. The main character was okay but repetitive. The banter was interesting and funny. I feel like the characters all went through a major change randomly halfway through the book with little build up, but at the same time some things had wayyy too much build up. It was an okay book, but I wouldn’t read it again or read the sequel unless I had nothing else on my TBR.
February 6, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Angst/Tension: 🔥🔥/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
Angst/Tension: 🔥🔥/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
September 1, 2024
”for everyone who’s ever been told they’re ‘too much’—go ahead and burn as brightly as you want to.”
⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ 4.5⭐️
if you are looking for new romantasy book to read, i highly recommend reading this duology. ”flame and sparrow” is a story about a young elf women grieving the death of her sister and seeking revenge against the gods she believes are responsible for her sister’s death. one day she makes a deal with god of fire, but what happens when she starts to realize not everything is as it seems and maybe she is on the wrong side of the war?
”sometimes we hold on to painful things, i think, because letting them go feels like letting go of the person who gave them to us.”
this book is my introduction to s.m.gaither and i have to say i really loved this book. her writing style is definitely for me, everything flows really well and it honestly wasn’t hard to get into it. though, i will say, world building may be a struggle for some, since there is a lot of information dumping. personally, i had to go back few times and reread some parts so i can understand better. but it isn’t something that takes away my joy of reading so it doesn’t bother me much.💌 each to their own.
”i looked up into his eyes and found their usual storminess settled, their silver color softer, their depths swirling with emotions i couldn’t begin to name.”
dravynxkarys 💌
mesmerizing slow burn love story between karys, an elf and dravyn, a god where he falls first. personally i don’t want to label this as enemies to lovers. in theory, yes, they are. but it was more dislike to love. they both were drawn to each other from the start. he always helped her. both were keeping secrets from each other, but even when these secrets were revealed, they still didn’t hate each other. on contrary, they both understood each other better. both of them in their own way still cared and wanted to protect one another.💌 ending had me smiling so hard.🤭 as much as i want to scream and shout about them, i want more for you to read this and fall for them yourself.✨
”just don’t die, please. i’ve grown fond of you, and grief is not a good look on me. i’m an ugly crier.”
found family, funny side characters and side kick fluffy animal? immediately hooked, ten points from me. i just love when authors do this and i’ll always be grateful.🙏🏼 time to dive into the second book and see how this story ends. already, author made me fall in love with the characters and hopefully i won’t cry. but don’t count me on it.🫶🏻
”we have a story in my old kingdom, that when the one you’re meant to be with enters the world, they steal a part of your soul with their first breath. and you exist, missing that part, until they find you and breathe it back into you. miran-achth refers to the breath—the part that is missing.”🗝️
“the closer we stepped to one another, the brighter the fires burned, until the heat became so intense that our glass surroundings shattered and fell over us like a sharp and deadly rain.”💌
⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ 4.5⭐️
if you are looking for new romantasy book to read, i highly recommend reading this duology. ”flame and sparrow” is a story about a young elf women grieving the death of her sister and seeking revenge against the gods she believes are responsible for her sister’s death. one day she makes a deal with god of fire, but what happens when she starts to realize not everything is as it seems and maybe she is on the wrong side of the war?
”sometimes we hold on to painful things, i think, because letting them go feels like letting go of the person who gave them to us.”
this book is my introduction to s.m.gaither and i have to say i really loved this book. her writing style is definitely for me, everything flows really well and it honestly wasn’t hard to get into it. though, i will say, world building may be a struggle for some, since there is a lot of information dumping. personally, i had to go back few times and reread some parts so i can understand better. but it isn’t something that takes away my joy of reading so it doesn’t bother me much.💌 each to their own.
”i looked up into his eyes and found their usual storminess settled, their silver color softer, their depths swirling with emotions i couldn’t begin to name.”
dravynxkarys 💌
mesmerizing slow burn love story between karys, an elf and dravyn, a god where he falls first. personally i don’t want to label this as enemies to lovers. in theory, yes, they are. but it was more dislike to love. they both were drawn to each other from the start. he always helped her. both were keeping secrets from each other, but even when these secrets were revealed, they still didn’t hate each other. on contrary, they both understood each other better. both of them in their own way still cared and wanted to protect one another.💌 ending had me smiling so hard.🤭 as much as i want to scream and shout about them, i want more for you to read this and fall for them yourself.✨
”just don’t die, please. i’ve grown fond of you, and grief is not a good look on me. i’m an ugly crier.”
found family, funny side characters and side kick fluffy animal? immediately hooked, ten points from me. i just love when authors do this and i’ll always be grateful.🙏🏼 time to dive into the second book and see how this story ends. already, author made me fall in love with the characters and hopefully i won’t cry. but don’t count me on it.🫶🏻
”we have a story in my old kingdom, that when the one you’re meant to be with enters the world, they steal a part of your soul with their first breath. and you exist, missing that part, until they find you and breathe it back into you. miran-achth refers to the breath—the part that is missing.”🗝️
“the closer we stepped to one another, the brighter the fires burned, until the heat became so intense that our glass surroundings shattered and fell over us like a sharp and deadly rain.”💌
December 4, 2023
2.5 stars so far, I feel like I must have read a different book than the rest of you?
The FMC follows a similar pattern of strong-willed leads with a tragic backstory, and I appreciate the interesting POV of a race trying to salvage itself and the struggle coming with it. I could get behind Karys's struggle with realising things aren't always black and white, but good god, how naive can you be? She is always supposedly plotting things, but we never see her doing anything that's thought through, God forbid well planned? She mostly does things out of spite and anger? And then she goes and is betrayed and devastated that people kept secrets, WHILE SHE HAS BEEN DOING THE SAME, if not worse? Honestly, she is behaving like a spoiled brat most of the time, and it was difficult to root for her.
The MMC is just plain not there the first 40% or so of the book and I think this really hurts the romance and plot. He then just shows up and is suddenly interested in Karys? Like how? You have spoken to her two times so far? He is precious and protective, but somehow, I found myself struggling to see why.
I really wanted to like this book because on paper, everything sounds great, but it somehow fell flat for me.
The FMC follows a similar pattern of strong-willed leads with a tragic backstory, and I appreciate the interesting POV of a race trying to salvage itself and the struggle coming with it. I could get behind Karys's struggle with realising things aren't always black and white, but good god, how naive can you be? She is always supposedly plotting things, but we never see her doing anything that's thought through, God forbid well planned? She mostly does things out of spite and anger? And then she goes and is betrayed and devastated that people kept secrets, WHILE SHE HAS BEEN DOING THE SAME, if not worse? Honestly, she is behaving like a spoiled brat most of the time, and it was difficult to root for her.
The MMC is just plain not there the first 40% or so of the book and I think this really hurts the romance and plot. He then just shows up and is suddenly interested in Karys? Like how? You have spoken to her two times so far? He is precious and protective, but somehow, I found myself struggling to see why.
I really wanted to like this book because on paper, everything sounds great, but it somehow fell flat for me.
July 23, 2024
Originally I was going to give this 4.5 stars, because I would have loved if Valas's character was a bit more involved (he's hilarious!), but also because and also
But since I can't stop thinking about this book, it's definitely a 5-star! I'm immediately diving into the sequel!!
But since I can't stop thinking about this book, it's definitely a 5-star! I'm immediately diving into the sequel!!
January 7, 2025
4 Stars
I’m not going to lie, i actually thought i would DNF this book. I really struggled with the first 30%, i just felt confused and lost listening to this initially. Overall it was pretty good, i liked all the characters, the world building, and the character development. Once i got into the book i really got into it, and listened for 17 hours straight.
If you are looking for a book with Gods, elves, trials, deception, different worlds and a healthy dose of romance, I would definitely recommend.
P.S. A special shoutout to the narrator Jesse Vilinsky who did a phenomenal job narrating the book.
I’m not going to lie, i actually thought i would DNF this book. I really struggled with the first 30%, i just felt confused and lost listening to this initially. Overall it was pretty good, i liked all the characters, the world building, and the character development. Once i got into the book i really got into it, and listened for 17 hours straight.
If you are looking for a book with Gods, elves, trials, deception, different worlds and a healthy dose of romance, I would definitely recommend.
P.S. A special shoutout to the narrator Jesse Vilinsky who did a phenomenal job narrating the book.
October 11, 2023
Thank you Book of Matches Media for an advance copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I fully believe that my feelings for this book were impacted by my move across country, which led me to take 3 weeks to complete this book (when it typically takes me less than a week per book). On top of that, the book gets very info dumpy at times, and I think the pacing was too slow for a majority of this book.
Granted, the author does a great job at world building, and even helps out readers who may be reading this as a standalone, but at times I felt there were too many details and I wanted the story to move forward. Again, this could be a bad timing type of thing - I would be open to giving this book a try later on.
I liked the main character, and how messy she could be at times. Halfway through the book it was clear to see her mind was changing on a few things, and she had a hard time reconciling with her beliefs and what she knows now. I liked seeing her learn new things and be curious about the world around her....even if she eventually wanted to destroy it.
The romance was definitely a slow burn, and I feel like I missed out on the chemistry in their earlier interactions. The guy was barely in the book the first half, and it left me wondering if he was even the true love interest! Of course things do pick up and you'll be rooting for them in the end but....it takes a long time to get there.
Overall, I was very intrigued by the magic system and the different people/different worlds, but the book feels too info dumpy at times and the pacing felt really slow. This is a chunky book and not for the faint of heart, I just think it was bad timing trying to read this during a cross country move. I enjoyed the authors writing though, and I would be willing to give this book another chance at a later date!
Content warnings: sexual content, grief, loss of a loved one, cursing, abuse (emotional & physical), animal death, kidnapping, blood, violence
I fully believe that my feelings for this book were impacted by my move across country, which led me to take 3 weeks to complete this book (when it typically takes me less than a week per book). On top of that, the book gets very info dumpy at times, and I think the pacing was too slow for a majority of this book.
Granted, the author does a great job at world building, and even helps out readers who may be reading this as a standalone, but at times I felt there were too many details and I wanted the story to move forward. Again, this could be a bad timing type of thing - I would be open to giving this book a try later on.
I liked the main character, and how messy she could be at times. Halfway through the book it was clear to see her mind was changing on a few things, and she had a hard time reconciling with her beliefs and what she knows now. I liked seeing her learn new things and be curious about the world around her....even if she eventually wanted to destroy it.
The romance was definitely a slow burn, and I feel like I missed out on the chemistry in their earlier interactions. The guy was barely in the book the first half, and it left me wondering if he was even the true love interest! Of course things do pick up and you'll be rooting for them in the end but....it takes a long time to get there.
Overall, I was very intrigued by the magic system and the different people/different worlds, but the book feels too info dumpy at times and the pacing felt really slow. This is a chunky book and not for the faint of heart, I just think it was bad timing trying to read this during a cross country move. I enjoyed the authors writing though, and I would be willing to give this book another chance at a later date!
Content warnings: sexual content, grief, loss of a loved one, cursing, abuse (emotional & physical), animal death, kidnapping, blood, violence
July 6, 2025
Loved this ❤️
November 9, 2023
SM's writing is so delightful and the story, even though is a tiny bit predictable, is incredible and funny. Really, this book is such a good, although simple, romantasy to pass time, I didn’t even feel the 600 pages go by. It felt like a comfort book.
October 13, 2023
It’s always a shock, after you finish a particularly good book, to look up and see the world go about its business with perfect indifference, while you sit there, feeling that something has shifted, moved, broken open inside you. This is how I felt when I read the last page of Flame and Sparrow, emerging from my trance of reading with a sense of unbearable unreality. Like I couldn’t remember being on my own bed or in my own room.
I’m always out on the hunt for great indie fantasy romance books and this one was oh so good! It was balanced incredibly well between dialogue, world building, politicking, etc. that I never once felt it was slow. Beautifully paced and completely engaging. I had a hard time putting this down.
I love Karys. She’s slowly learning who she is and I love joining her on her journey to accepting herself and figuring out what path she want to take without being influenced by those around her (something I can entirely relate to). My only struggle is she gives ME anxiety sometimes because she’s always getting into trouble. She is oh so feisty and clever. She also seems to have tendencies of OCD, which was an unexpected bit of representation, but I really appreciate it. S.M. Gaither truly knows how to write characters.
It is, at the end of the day, not so much a novel, but an experience. Gaither’s storytelling will carry you far from home, sweeping like a sweet wind past jagged mountains and over vast expanses of ocean and cities. It will pour you into realms with sassy God’s and ill-lit homes that unlock to new beginnings.
I’m always out on the hunt for great indie fantasy romance books and this one was oh so good! It was balanced incredibly well between dialogue, world building, politicking, etc. that I never once felt it was slow. Beautifully paced and completely engaging. I had a hard time putting this down.
I love Karys. She’s slowly learning who she is and I love joining her on her journey to accepting herself and figuring out what path she want to take without being influenced by those around her (something I can entirely relate to). My only struggle is she gives ME anxiety sometimes because she’s always getting into trouble. She is oh so feisty and clever. She also seems to have tendencies of OCD, which was an unexpected bit of representation, but I really appreciate it. S.M. Gaither truly knows how to write characters.
It is, at the end of the day, not so much a novel, but an experience. Gaither’s storytelling will carry you far from home, sweeping like a sweet wind past jagged mountains and over vast expanses of ocean and cities. It will pour you into realms with sassy God’s and ill-lit homes that unlock to new beginnings.
May 15, 2024
Thanks to S.M. Gaither for letting me have an arc for an honest review! Wow. That was fantastic! It has my favorite trope only one horse!! And it was so well done!! The spice was wonderful, the fights were great! The characters were fantastic and were well fleshed out. The world was great. The descriptions were on point!! If ya haven't already ya should pre-order this book because wow!
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