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Idolfire
An epic sapphic fantasy roadtrip inspired by the fall of Rome, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Frontier and Floating Hotel
On one side of the world, Aleya Ana-Ulai is desperate for a chance. Her family have written her off as a mistake, but she's determined to prove every last one of them wrong.
On the other, Kirby of Wall's End is searching for redemption. An ancient curse tore her life apart, but to fix it, she'll have to leave everything behind.
Fate sets them both on the path to Nivela, a city once poised to conquer the world with the power of a thousand stolen gods. Now the gates are closed and the old magic slumbers. Dead — or waiting for a spark to light it anew…
A character-driven science-fantasy road trip book with sword fights and a slowburn romance, Idolfire delves into the vastness of history and the terrifying power of organized faith.
On one side of the world, Aleya Ana-Ulai is desperate for a chance. Her family have written her off as a mistake, but she's determined to prove every last one of them wrong.
On the other, Kirby of Wall's End is searching for redemption. An ancient curse tore her life apart, but to fix it, she'll have to leave everything behind.
Fate sets them both on the path to Nivela, a city once poised to conquer the world with the power of a thousand stolen gods. Now the gates are closed and the old magic slumbers. Dead — or waiting for a spark to light it anew…
A character-driven science-fantasy road trip book with sword fights and a slowburn romance, Idolfire delves into the vastness of history and the terrifying power of organized faith.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published March 11, 2025
57 people are currently reading
8822 people want to read
About the author
Grace Curtis
5 books295 followersAuthor of FRONTIER, FLOATING HOTEL and IDOLFIRE. Up next: HEAVEN'S GRAVEYARD.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
February 6, 2025
I do like traveling in fantasy books, but I also like it when characters eventually reach their destination. This book is about the journey, and I'm not sure if that was enough to fill the pages. The story follows two, later three, main characters coming from very different places in the same world, setting out for a journey to the once greatest city in existence. Kirby (not a fan of that name in a fantasy setting) is leaving her dying village in the middle of nowhere to find her lost Goddess, and Aleya is following her Calling so that she might finally take her previously denied place with the royal family. I really liked the way how these two characters were set up in the beginning of the story, although the pacing was a little weird with the time jumps from childhood to adulthood. But then they began their journey – first alone and later together – and I don't know what it was, but it just didn't work for me. They go from place to place and meet a whole variety of characters along the way, but I never felt like we were making progress in the story. The different places didn't serve a greater purpose and felt mostly random. And I say that even though I actually liked the worldbuilding. It wasn't super detailed, but many interesting ideas were presented. The world is full of great cities that once conquered the world but are now only ruins, of stolen and lost Gods and Goddesses, of magic that is powered through faith and prayers. Still, I wasn't invested in the story itself. From the cover, I expected it to be more on the cozy side and while it did feel calm, it was also full of attacks and fights, even death. It wasn't graphic or anything, but the vibes just didn't match at times. There were also things I didn't like altogether, like the somewhat pointless second person / you-are-the-city POV, or the messy ending. It wasn't an unpleasant reading experience, but also not an exciting one. The story basically went by without ever really catching my attention and that's unfortunate for a book that had a good beginning.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
August 4, 2024
What a journey. And that ending—!
NYLOPHON OF CARTH, SON OF DAXXIES, [redacted]!
NYLOPHON OF CARTH, SON OF DAXXIES, [redacted]!
September 7, 2025
As a reader who wants to get back into reading some more fantasy novels again, Idolfire seemed like a good choice - a sapphic road-trip, taking inspiration from the fall of Rome.
It’s a story which heavily focuses on the journey, more-so that the destination. The Sapphic romance between the two main characters is slow-burning too.
I’m unsure why but I felt a bit disconnected from the two main characters, which felt strange considering the book is so focused on them. The fantasy world is built up, and described, strongly. If it wasn’t for this, along with the Queer romance and gory fight-scenes, I feel as though my rating for the story overall would have been lower. The ending was really beautifully written too, quite philosophical in nature.
Thank you to the publisher/Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3 Stars
It’s a story which heavily focuses on the journey, more-so that the destination. The Sapphic romance between the two main characters is slow-burning too.
I’m unsure why but I felt a bit disconnected from the two main characters, which felt strange considering the book is so focused on them. The fantasy world is built up, and described, strongly. If it wasn’t for this, along with the Queer romance and gory fight-scenes, I feel as though my rating for the story overall would have been lower. The ending was really beautifully written too, quite philosophical in nature.
Thank you to the publisher/Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3 Stars
February 28, 2025
"Mostly camping" -- editor.
Playlist here! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6kj...
Playlist here! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6kj...
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April 30, 2025firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!
for now, this is a soft dnf @13% in which i will eventually return — i just do not find myself interested in the plot/characters, and i’ve too many other things to read at the moment.
for now, this is a soft dnf @13% in which i will eventually return — i just do not find myself interested in the plot/characters, and i’ve too many other things to read at the moment.
December 1, 2024
I had such a hard time rating this. It would have gotten 4 stars had the love story ended in a HEA. But I was expecting a sapphic romance full of slow-burn yearning, not a sad, realistic ending where the road-weary travelers part because of the gulf between their lives and only meet again as friends when they're old. I was gut punched by that ending.
I also wasn't sure how I felt about the tone. It was humorous with lots of casual banter, and the humor was the cringe kind that I hate. There was also a random chapter in second-person voice that really threw me off at first but I wanted more of that character as I read more from that perspective. But I loved the camping fantasy adventure aspect of the quest and Kirby and Aleya together. They were almost too slow burn though, without enough sexual tension for my taste. The focus was on the fantasy adventure, friendship, and found family, and not their love story, but they flirted enough that I was rooting for them to end up together despite their difficulties. They brought out the best in each other. I would have preferred them to stay friends throughout the whole book rather than the tease of a love story.
I loved two sapphics going camping together, one a scrappy innocent from Wall's End and the other a haughty princess from Ash. I loved how the villain in the story, the Carthic boy soldier, unexpectedly became part of their trio. All three had a lot to prove to themselves and each other. This is a very character-driven, adventure fantasy and the character development was the strongest part of the book. I felt like I really knew all the characters, understood their motivations and connected with them emotionally. The ending just wasn't cozy to me even though the rest of their adventure was fairly cozy.
I am okay with sad, realistic endings if my expectations are in line, like if it's litfic, for example; but I was expecting a HEA with that casual, breezy tone and I was disappointed ultimately by the pacing and narrative structure and lack of a HEA (happily ever after ending). The world is sad and realistic enough, so I want my romances to have HEAs even if they're unbelievable. I've read romances between princesses and commoners that had HEAs that worked for me so it can be done.
I also wasn't sure how I felt about the tone. It was humorous with lots of casual banter, and the humor was the cringe kind that I hate. There was also a random chapter in second-person voice that really threw me off at first but I wanted more of that character as I read more from that perspective. But I loved the camping fantasy adventure aspect of the quest and Kirby and Aleya together. They were almost too slow burn though, without enough sexual tension for my taste. The focus was on the fantasy adventure, friendship, and found family, and not their love story, but they flirted enough that I was rooting for them to end up together despite their difficulties. They brought out the best in each other. I would have preferred them to stay friends throughout the whole book rather than the tease of a love story.
I loved two sapphics going camping together, one a scrappy innocent from Wall's End and the other a haughty princess from Ash. I loved how the villain in the story, the Carthic boy soldier, unexpectedly became part of their trio. All three had a lot to prove to themselves and each other. This is a very character-driven, adventure fantasy and the character development was the strongest part of the book. I felt like I really knew all the characters, understood their motivations and connected with them emotionally. The ending just wasn't cozy to me even though the rest of their adventure was fairly cozy.
I am okay with sad, realistic endings if my expectations are in line, like if it's litfic, for example; but I was expecting a HEA with that casual, breezy tone and I was disappointed ultimately by the pacing and narrative structure and lack of a HEA (happily ever after ending). The world is sad and realistic enough, so I want my romances to have HEAs even if they're unbelievable. I've read romances between princesses and commoners that had HEAs that worked for me so it can be done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2025
I don't think I've read a fantasy written like this before, even though the author used familiar tropes like old forgotten Gods, an epic quest, and two people who find themselves thrown together on it and have to deal with their differences. The ending is absolutely devastating.
March 31, 2025
Oh boy, I wanted to love this one. I really really did. I loved Frontier by this author and thought that this would bring similar joy. Friends, it did not.
Firstly, this book needs a trigger warning for infertility and miscarriage. Secondly, I thought this would be a portal fantasy and it was not. Kirby of Wall’s End (see? I thought Kirby was a modern girl dragged into a fantasy land, alas no) leaves her village which is plagued with a kind of spreading infertility which means the babies are dying and no one can get pregnant. In a bid to save her village, Kirby leaves to try and find the goddess Iona (or maybe a statue of her?) which can be found at the lost city of Nivela.
Our other heroine, Aleya, is a bastard princess, fighting for her right to the crown. She too is tasked with going to Nivela for a relic of a missing deity. They have a chance meeting on the way and end up travelling together.
Okay, so here’s another issue for me. This book was both long and jumped about wildly… the majority of the book is a backpack fantasy, with lots of travels and different cities, all with their own convoluted histories. What I loved about Frontier was how pacy it was… this felt slow, even though they seemed to jump about from city to city… I regularly struggled with where we were in the world and why. Some of the journey was described in long, painstaking detail for no reason, and some of it we literally jumped from city to city with nothing in between?!
And Idolfire? Genuinely thought it was going to play a waaaay bigger role than it did frankly. Sort of felt like a bit of an afterthought… it’s a tricksy magic that is created through faith. But only some people can create it and use it and Aleya is one of them… and she uses this ability like 3 times throughout the book? Idk, seems like a lost opportunity there to me.
Now onto my biggest disappointment and by far the biggest spoiler, so stop now of you are thinking about actually giving this book a go. There are three (four??) main characters in this book. Kirby, Aleya, Nylo and you. Yes, you. Because chunks of this book were in second person and the book is talking to you, the reader, as if you were the Worldlord and founder of Nivela, Scoria. Who, confusingly, we do actually meet in the book and she is described in third person… so are we Scoria, or aren’t we? I just didn’t get that stylistic choice at all.
Nylo was another upset - he’s a stray who Aleya and Kirby pick up on the way, a solider who stumbled his way into being a general, was unceremoniously beaten in front of all his soldiers by Aleya, then started stalking her because he wants to bring her back to his city because she can use magic. He’s also suffering a ton of trauma because the boy he loved, a fellow solider, died in front of him in battle and he’s dealing with it in a very toxic masculinity kind of way… by ignoring it. Kirby takes pity on him and he joins their rag-tag team. And I loved him. Broken gay lad who desperately just wants a friend but has been raised to be nothing but a killing machine decides to follow these two lassies like a puppy. Oh and then dies FOR NO BLOODY REASON in the last few pages. Told you there’d be spoilers.
Now finally to my biggest gripe. So I have seen this book INCORRECTLY marketed as a Sapphic Romance. It’s not. Because a romance needs an HEA and Kirby and Aleya do not end up together!!! They are lovers on the journey, but once the journey is over they part ways and Aleya becomes queen and lives her life in her city and Kirby, now cured of infertility, goes home to Wall’s End, gets a husband and has a load of kids. They meet up again in the epilogue when they are both elderly and Aleya is on her deathbed. So yeah, not a romance I’d argue, merely a sapphic fling. Which is fine, but not what I signed up for.
Two stars because I loved Nylo, the battle scenes and there were some great places that they visited, and it was gonna be three stars until that ending, Nylo dying and Kirby and Aleya not even having an HEA together… yeah. This book was not the one, for me at least. I’m gonna read Frontier over and over but if I never see this book again in my life I’d be thankful.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book. I don’t blame you in the slightest.
Firstly, this book needs a trigger warning for infertility and miscarriage. Secondly, I thought this would be a portal fantasy and it was not. Kirby of Wall’s End (see? I thought Kirby was a modern girl dragged into a fantasy land, alas no) leaves her village which is plagued with a kind of spreading infertility which means the babies are dying and no one can get pregnant. In a bid to save her village, Kirby leaves to try and find the goddess Iona (or maybe a statue of her?) which can be found at the lost city of Nivela.
Our other heroine, Aleya, is a bastard princess, fighting for her right to the crown. She too is tasked with going to Nivela for a relic of a missing deity. They have a chance meeting on the way and end up travelling together.
Okay, so here’s another issue for me. This book was both long and jumped about wildly… the majority of the book is a backpack fantasy, with lots of travels and different cities, all with their own convoluted histories. What I loved about Frontier was how pacy it was… this felt slow, even though they seemed to jump about from city to city… I regularly struggled with where we were in the world and why. Some of the journey was described in long, painstaking detail for no reason, and some of it we literally jumped from city to city with nothing in between?!
And Idolfire? Genuinely thought it was going to play a waaaay bigger role than it did frankly. Sort of felt like a bit of an afterthought… it’s a tricksy magic that is created through faith. But only some people can create it and use it and Aleya is one of them… and she uses this ability like 3 times throughout the book? Idk, seems like a lost opportunity there to me.
Now onto my biggest disappointment and by far the biggest spoiler, so stop now of you are thinking about actually giving this book a go. There are three (four??) main characters in this book. Kirby, Aleya, Nylo and you. Yes, you. Because chunks of this book were in second person and the book is talking to you, the reader, as if you were the Worldlord and founder of Nivela, Scoria. Who, confusingly, we do actually meet in the book and she is described in third person… so are we Scoria, or aren’t we? I just didn’t get that stylistic choice at all.
Nylo was another upset - he’s a stray who Aleya and Kirby pick up on the way, a solider who stumbled his way into being a general, was unceremoniously beaten in front of all his soldiers by Aleya, then started stalking her because he wants to bring her back to his city because she can use magic. He’s also suffering a ton of trauma because the boy he loved, a fellow solider, died in front of him in battle and he’s dealing with it in a very toxic masculinity kind of way… by ignoring it. Kirby takes pity on him and he joins their rag-tag team. And I loved him. Broken gay lad who desperately just wants a friend but has been raised to be nothing but a killing machine decides to follow these two lassies like a puppy. Oh and then dies FOR NO BLOODY REASON in the last few pages. Told you there’d be spoilers.
Now finally to my biggest gripe. So I have seen this book INCORRECTLY marketed as a Sapphic Romance. It’s not. Because a romance needs an HEA and Kirby and Aleya do not end up together!!! They are lovers on the journey, but once the journey is over they part ways and Aleya becomes queen and lives her life in her city and Kirby, now cured of infertility, goes home to Wall’s End, gets a husband and has a load of kids. They meet up again in the epilogue when they are both elderly and Aleya is on her deathbed. So yeah, not a romance I’d argue, merely a sapphic fling. Which is fine, but not what I signed up for.
Two stars because I loved Nylo, the battle scenes and there were some great places that they visited, and it was gonna be three stars until that ending, Nylo dying and Kirby and Aleya not even having an HEA together… yeah. This book was not the one, for me at least. I’m gonna read Frontier over and over but if I never see this book again in my life I’d be thankful.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book. I don’t blame you in the slightest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2025
Review originally on JamReads
Idolfire is a sapphic roadtrip fantasy novel, written by Grace Curtis and published by DAW Books. A quest adventure with two characters from really different backgrounds with a slowburn romance that suits perfectly into a vibrant world inspired by the Fall of Rome, with very different cultures and with some bold craft choices, such as the second person used for certain POV.
On the one side of the world, Kirby from Wall's End, is searching for redemption, starting a journey leaving all behind to find what has been of their goddess, trying to fix the curse that tore her life apart; on the other, Aleya, written as a mistake by her family, has been given an opportunity to prove her worth and ascend to the throne. Both are set in the path to Nivela, a city that once had the power of conquering the world; fate has a strange way to act, and for both, the journey will change their lives, even if they initially resist to travel together.
Kirby was probably my favourite character in the book: intelligent, and a bit mad, but also with the determination to learn and persevere; in our pair, she's the golden heart. In comparison, Aleya is colder, really stubborn, but she grows so much across the journey, accepting that sometimes she's not sure of everything, and that asking is not weakness. The sapphic romance between our characters is the classic definition of a slowburn, but in this particular book, it fits super well, as it is so natural, especially with all the edges and small fights between them.
There's a third character that deserves a mention, Nylophon: the prototypical Spartan coded soldier. A character that is always ready for fighting, who doesn't see any other kind of life for him; however, Curtis paints an excellent character arc, even giving him an adequate ending that is also one of the highlights of the book.
The world itself is another aspect I would like to talk a bit: as we are travelling across it, we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves, the richness in the cultures, and how each place has developed in different ways, all coded into their rituals and lifestyle. The magic system is partly a cautionary tale and also a great narrative vehicle, as it points to how dangerous worshiping can become, but it plays well into the story; kudos for the originality.
The pacing lands on the slower side of the coin, but it suits well with the kind of epic roadtrip that our story is; and it allows us to enjoy a bit of the journey.
Idolfire is an excellent fantasy novel, perfect if you are looking for a story that takes its sweet time in favour of working on its characters, with a slowburn sapphic romance in the center of all and an incredible worldbuilding. Can't wait to read the next Grace Curtis' book!
Idolfire is a sapphic roadtrip fantasy novel, written by Grace Curtis and published by DAW Books. A quest adventure with two characters from really different backgrounds with a slowburn romance that suits perfectly into a vibrant world inspired by the Fall of Rome, with very different cultures and with some bold craft choices, such as the second person used for certain POV.
On the one side of the world, Kirby from Wall's End, is searching for redemption, starting a journey leaving all behind to find what has been of their goddess, trying to fix the curse that tore her life apart; on the other, Aleya, written as a mistake by her family, has been given an opportunity to prove her worth and ascend to the throne. Both are set in the path to Nivela, a city that once had the power of conquering the world; fate has a strange way to act, and for both, the journey will change their lives, even if they initially resist to travel together.
Kirby was probably my favourite character in the book: intelligent, and a bit mad, but also with the determination to learn and persevere; in our pair, she's the golden heart. In comparison, Aleya is colder, really stubborn, but she grows so much across the journey, accepting that sometimes she's not sure of everything, and that asking is not weakness. The sapphic romance between our characters is the classic definition of a slowburn, but in this particular book, it fits super well, as it is so natural, especially with all the edges and small fights between them.
There's a third character that deserves a mention, Nylophon: the prototypical Spartan coded soldier. A character that is always ready for fighting, who doesn't see any other kind of life for him; however, Curtis paints an excellent character arc, even giving him an adequate ending that is also one of the highlights of the book.
The world itself is another aspect I would like to talk a bit: as we are travelling across it, we have the opportunity to immerse ourselves, the richness in the cultures, and how each place has developed in different ways, all coded into their rituals and lifestyle. The magic system is partly a cautionary tale and also a great narrative vehicle, as it points to how dangerous worshiping can become, but it plays well into the story; kudos for the originality.
The pacing lands on the slower side of the coin, but it suits well with the kind of epic roadtrip that our story is; and it allows us to enjoy a bit of the journey.
Idolfire is an excellent fantasy novel, perfect if you are looking for a story that takes its sweet time in favour of working on its characters, with a slowburn sapphic romance in the center of all and an incredible worldbuilding. Can't wait to read the next Grace Curtis' book!
December 5, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the arc! This book was okay, but any enjoyment I had could be balanced with my frustrations. Here are some thoughts I had while and after reading:
I loved the formatting and second person… until I started to look closer. Simply, there’s no point to doing this. It didn’t add anything, it didn’t serve a purpose. Second person perspective is my favorite, but only because it usually adds something (typically emotional impact) to the story. In The Spear Cuts Through Water, it allows us to experience the book almost as if it’s a oral fable to be passed down. In Harrow the Ninth, the narrator is [REDACTED], which made me want to kill myself. In here, it’s functionally useless. It adds absolutely nothing. It’s like the author is ignorant to why second person is typically used. As a second person snob, I am vexed, peeved even.
I was not connected to the characters; I felt distant to them all. I grew to like Aleya, but seemingly everyone else drew nothing but apathy from me. I couldn’t give a shit nor a fart. As such, the romance was unconvincing and boring. Kirby and Aleya had absolutely naur chemistry.
This book was confusing in a muddled way. The confusion comes from a lack of explanations and some gaps in world building. Some things just happened just because? Many instances of dues ex machina -things coming straight out of buttfuck nowhere
The world lord is not mystifying and mysterious enough as a character despite the author trying to make her so. Instead, I was apathetic towards her the entire time. I wish we got to spend some more time with her, her psyche, and her past. We just needed much more time with her in general.
Elements to this story are just not fleshed out at all. It’s like if this book wants to be a literary epic fantasy, but doesn’t have a purpose, isn’t too memorable, is middling, and is too muddled and stretched thin to be epic.
Descriptions were nice though. Also some fun plot points like ocean tunnel and Viking village.
Some aspects of the world building I found interesting. I love the idea of idols, and how they were used in the story. Idolfire itself is also very badass.
Overall, the book was okay, if weak. I liked it. It had some good moments. I was engaged enough to not skim. That being said it’s held back by things mentioned. I do think Curtis writes decently and has some ideas that will continue to have me watching out for what they publish. Unfortunately, this has a lot of cool factors, but left me wanting and unsatisfied. -3.25 stars
I loved the formatting and second person… until I started to look closer. Simply, there’s no point to doing this. It didn’t add anything, it didn’t serve a purpose. Second person perspective is my favorite, but only because it usually adds something (typically emotional impact) to the story. In The Spear Cuts Through Water, it allows us to experience the book almost as if it’s a oral fable to be passed down. In Harrow the Ninth, the narrator is [REDACTED], which made me want to kill myself. In here, it’s functionally useless. It adds absolutely nothing. It’s like the author is ignorant to why second person is typically used. As a second person snob, I am vexed, peeved even.
I was not connected to the characters; I felt distant to them all. I grew to like Aleya, but seemingly everyone else drew nothing but apathy from me. I couldn’t give a shit nor a fart. As such, the romance was unconvincing and boring. Kirby and Aleya had absolutely naur chemistry.
This book was confusing in a muddled way. The confusion comes from a lack of explanations and some gaps in world building. Some things just happened just because? Many instances of dues ex machina -things coming straight out of buttfuck nowhere
The world lord is not mystifying and mysterious enough as a character despite the author trying to make her so. Instead, I was apathetic towards her the entire time. I wish we got to spend some more time with her, her psyche, and her past. We just needed much more time with her in general.
Elements to this story are just not fleshed out at all. It’s like if this book wants to be a literary epic fantasy, but doesn’t have a purpose, isn’t too memorable, is middling, and is too muddled and stretched thin to be epic.
Descriptions were nice though. Also some fun plot points like ocean tunnel and Viking village.
Some aspects of the world building I found interesting. I love the idea of idols, and how they were used in the story. Idolfire itself is also very badass.
Overall, the book was okay, if weak. I liked it. It had some good moments. I was engaged enough to not skim. That being said it’s held back by things mentioned. I do think Curtis writes decently and has some ideas that will continue to have me watching out for what they publish. Unfortunately, this has a lot of cool factors, but left me wanting and unsatisfied. -3.25 stars
dnf
April 30, 2025Seems like it could be a fun read, and maybe someday I’ll pick it up physically, but I could not make it through the first hour of the audiobook. The narrator’s inability to do accents was highlighted by their decision to do a different accent for every single character, and I was so distracted I lost track of what was happening.
June 16, 2025
This has been a very nice quest across a fantasyland with many different influences. I really liked the way the story is told, how Aleya and Kirby come together and also how Nylo fits into the narrative.
I would have liked more action, I sometimes found it hard to keep reading because so little was happening. Overall, I'd give this book 3,5* but have rounded it up to 4* for GoodReads.
I would have liked more action, I sometimes found it hard to keep reading because so little was happening. Overall, I'd give this book 3,5* but have rounded it up to 4* for GoodReads.
March 3, 2025
I had read both of Grace Curtis’s previous novels and while they both had faults, they were still original and interesting enough with a lot of potential that intrigued me enough to be excited for this third upcoming novel.
To say I was disappointed would be a severe understatement.
Initially it was compelling enough, especially Kirby’s (hate that name in this kind of fantasy setting but that’s the least of the book’s problems) part, and Aleya’s beginning story also had just enough mystery to have kept me reading. The “You” chapters in second person were irritating and ultimately completely unnecessary to the plot but they were few and far between enough that I could ignore them. And then halfway through the story we get the Nylophon POV, which had potential that was squandered for a convenient plot resolution.
I cannot stress just how exhausting Idolfire was to read all the way through. At a certain point, the only thing that kept me going was pure rage at the audacity that a fantasy book can be this unoriginal and just simply bad.
The worldbuilding had great building blocks but they were just left there without being built into anything. The magic that’s apparently so important in this world was brought up like twice, also only as convenient plot point resolutions.
The two main characters were fine at the beginning, as I mentioned earlier. Interesting even, especially with the anticipation of their character development. To my utter dismay, however, there was exactly zero character development or growth of any kind. Kirby remained simple and naively kind with exactly two personality traits throughout the entire story, rendering her flatter than an ironing board. Aleya wasn’t any better. She started out as an arrogant privileged selfish bully and stayed that way until the very last page.
With this unfortunate combo, the “romance” was incredibly lifeless and felt like someone mashing two cardboard cutouts together to make them kiss. Zero chemistry, yes, but at some points it even started to feel a bit icky with the way Aleya was treating Kirby and Kirby letting her because she didn’t know any better. And it was clearly intended to be seen as “banter” and “romantic.” The way their relationship anticlimactically ended after their adventure was also such an annoying attempt at being edgy, and even though I didn’t want them together at any point in the first place, it still felt like the author put me through all that for no payoff of any kind.
I’m not even going to start on the whole Scoria part of the plot because it’s simply not worth it.
Overall this just felt like a collection of all the things this author can’t do well without any of the things she has done well in the past. Incredibly disappointing but it is what it is, I guess.
Thank you to Netgalley and DAW for the eARC.
To say I was disappointed would be a severe understatement.
Initially it was compelling enough, especially Kirby’s (hate that name in this kind of fantasy setting but that’s the least of the book’s problems) part, and Aleya’s beginning story also had just enough mystery to have kept me reading. The “You” chapters in second person were irritating and ultimately completely unnecessary to the plot but they were few and far between enough that I could ignore them. And then halfway through the story we get the Nylophon POV, which had potential that was squandered for a convenient plot resolution.
I cannot stress just how exhausting Idolfire was to read all the way through. At a certain point, the only thing that kept me going was pure rage at the audacity that a fantasy book can be this unoriginal and just simply bad.
The worldbuilding had great building blocks but they were just left there without being built into anything. The magic that’s apparently so important in this world was brought up like twice, also only as convenient plot point resolutions.
The two main characters were fine at the beginning, as I mentioned earlier. Interesting even, especially with the anticipation of their character development. To my utter dismay, however, there was exactly zero character development or growth of any kind. Kirby remained simple and naively kind with exactly two personality traits throughout the entire story, rendering her flatter than an ironing board. Aleya wasn’t any better. She started out as an arrogant privileged selfish bully and stayed that way until the very last page.
With this unfortunate combo, the “romance” was incredibly lifeless and felt like someone mashing two cardboard cutouts together to make them kiss. Zero chemistry, yes, but at some points it even started to feel a bit icky with the way Aleya was treating Kirby and Kirby letting her because she didn’t know any better. And it was clearly intended to be seen as “banter” and “romantic.” The way their relationship anticlimactically ended after their adventure was also such an annoying attempt at being edgy, and even though I didn’t want them together at any point in the first place, it still felt like the author put me through all that for no payoff of any kind.
I’m not even going to start on the whole Scoria part of the plot because it’s simply not worth it.
Overall this just felt like a collection of all the things this author can’t do well without any of the things she has done well in the past. Incredibly disappointing but it is what it is, I guess.
Thank you to Netgalley and DAW for the eARC.
March 5, 2025
Firstly; I love a good quest! And this book delivers with plenty of high jinks, escapades, and impulsive moments. There’s so much packed into this book, particularly the very different cultures from each location and the characters that live in them. Creating a fantasy world, inspired by the fall of the Roman Empire is an amazing idea, and this certainly delivered.
Kirby was a particular favourite of mine. Emotionally intelligent, and slightly mad, I loved her determination and willingness to learn. She always had the funniest thoughts and side adventures, but with a real heart of gold; I was drawn to her from the start. Aleya’s driven nature and stubbornness was also a joy to read, but I especially loved the growth in maturity that she undergoes. Together, Kirby and Aleya were two well-balanced and hilarious partners.
There is another character that in a surprise twist, I completely became obsessed with. Nylophon, the crazy Spartan-coded man-boy. I can’t say much but I was utterly obsessed with the whole character arc.
In all seriousness, this book cleverly takes the idea of ‘what happened after the fall of an empire’, and shows how utterly absurd it must be to have autonomy after so long under role. It cleverly depicts the passage of time, through the often megalithic remains of history. It left me with many questions, and I’m excited to get some answers in the next book!
Thank you to the publisher for my arc. All thoughts are my own.
Publishes; 13th March
Kirby was a particular favourite of mine. Emotionally intelligent, and slightly mad, I loved her determination and willingness to learn. She always had the funniest thoughts and side adventures, but with a real heart of gold; I was drawn to her from the start. Aleya’s driven nature and stubbornness was also a joy to read, but I especially loved the growth in maturity that she undergoes. Together, Kirby and Aleya were two well-balanced and hilarious partners.
There is another character that in a surprise twist, I completely became obsessed with. Nylophon, the crazy Spartan-coded man-boy. I can’t say much but I was utterly obsessed with the whole character arc.
In all seriousness, this book cleverly takes the idea of ‘what happened after the fall of an empire’, and shows how utterly absurd it must be to have autonomy after so long under role. It cleverly depicts the passage of time, through the often megalithic remains of history. It left me with many questions, and I’m excited to get some answers in the next book!
Thank you to the publisher for my arc. All thoughts are my own.
Publishes; 13th March
June 19, 2025
ppl giving this bad reviews bc they didn't end up riding off into the sunset and living together happily ever after... maybe stick to teen/ya/popular romantasy cause I don't think ur ready for mature adults with their own goals making realistic decisions based on their established motivations,,,, they had no reason for one of them to give up their life goals to be with the other!! at no point during the story was it even hinted at that this would happen!! this was excellent and I loved it sm
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Oh my god. I am so overwhelmed with how much I loved this. I laughed out loud as I read and by the end I was full on ugly crying. Snot and all.
THIS is what fantasy should be!! But also maybe I’ve reached the pinnacle of fantasy and I’m ruined for all other books.
Also:
Nylophon of Carthe, son of Daxxies, lover of Nachi 🥹😭🥺🥹🫶🫶
Oh my god. I am so overwhelmed with how much I loved this. I laughed out loud as I read and by the end I was full on ugly crying. Snot and all.
THIS is what fantasy should be!! But also maybe I’ve reached the pinnacle of fantasy and I’m ruined for all other books.
Also:
Nylophon of Carthe, son of Daxxies, lover of Nachi 🥹😭🥺🥹🫶🫶
March 8, 2025
4,5/5 stars, rounded up.
Idolfire is a classic hero's journey™ type of story, but told in a fresh way. To start we have two female sapphic protagonists, and they both simply want the opportunity to change their little corner of the world. Aleya is sent out on her quest because she is hated by almost everyone around her. This assignment will either result in her death or her victory and either way the issue of her heritage is solved. Kirby's friends and family don't really want her to leave, but understand her determination to lift the curse upon their town. This is only part of the reason why she wants to go save a god she knows exist, but doesn't worship.
Grace Curtis could have written this story like any hero's journey, but she put her own flair of the unexpected to it. I've already fallen in love with her writing style from reading her debut book Frontier, and this book has cemented that love. It's actually because of Frontier that I really wanted to read this ARC, to see how well Curtis could transition from Sci Fi to Fantasy and if her unique way of storytelling would keep translating well on the page.
The good:
- These two women never lose what made them strong in the first place, even though others might have viewed it as weakness. I really admire that their growth shows an extension of the personalities that they start out with, but isn't a complete reversal.
- The writing style is just excellent. It kept me engaged throughout and I loved the second person chapters adding mystery and a whole new layer to the story.
- They dangers they face on the road are portrayed very realistically, but never venturing in a type of torture porn. They come across good people and bad, and the way they resolve their problems doesn't veer into a place that feels like I have to suspend my disbelief. It's a story with high stakes, but not unnecessary or over the top drama for drama's sake.
- I even started to like the third character I'm not going to spoil, despite all their mistakes. I'm not sure many writers could have evoked the same emotion out of me.
- Again, the characters! I cannot emphasize enough: I loved them so much! I have a slight preference for Aleya and her chapters, but there were no POVs I was dreading.
- The ending was really the only realistic one, but I still thought it was a brave choice of the author to end it like it did.
The Could be better:
- There were a couple of scenes that were kind of confusing to me and I either had to reread a couple of times or it didn't become clear until later. It took me out of the story for a bit.
- There were a few meetings with characters that feel to me like deus ex machina moments: the chance of them happening didn't seem that realistic to me. But the result of these meetings did not bother me.
The Bad:
- No notes, can't think of anything bad about this book.
Is this book a new obsession of mine? No, but it quietely burrowed itself into my heart. Not gonna lie: I'm crying while writing up this review. Now admittedly, I do cry easily... but it should be a good indication of how the story touched me.
Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this ARC. All opionions are my own.
Idolfire is a classic hero's journey™ type of story, but told in a fresh way. To start we have two female sapphic protagonists, and they both simply want the opportunity to change their little corner of the world. Aleya is sent out on her quest because she is hated by almost everyone around her. This assignment will either result in her death or her victory and either way the issue of her heritage is solved. Kirby's friends and family don't really want her to leave, but understand her determination to lift the curse upon their town. This is only part of the reason why she wants to go save a god she knows exist, but doesn't worship.
Grace Curtis could have written this story like any hero's journey, but she put her own flair of the unexpected to it. I've already fallen in love with her writing style from reading her debut book Frontier, and this book has cemented that love. It's actually because of Frontier that I really wanted to read this ARC, to see how well Curtis could transition from Sci Fi to Fantasy and if her unique way of storytelling would keep translating well on the page.
The good:
- These two women never lose what made them strong in the first place, even though others might have viewed it as weakness. I really admire that their growth shows an extension of the personalities that they start out with, but isn't a complete reversal.
- The writing style is just excellent. It kept me engaged throughout and I loved the second person chapters adding mystery and a whole new layer to the story.
- They dangers they face on the road are portrayed very realistically, but never venturing in a type of torture porn. They come across good people and bad, and the way they resolve their problems doesn't veer into a place that feels like I have to suspend my disbelief. It's a story with high stakes, but not unnecessary or over the top drama for drama's sake.
- I even started to like the third character I'm not going to spoil, despite all their mistakes. I'm not sure many writers could have evoked the same emotion out of me.
- Again, the characters! I cannot emphasize enough: I loved them so much! I have a slight preference for Aleya and her chapters, but there were no POVs I was dreading.
- The ending was really the only realistic one, but I still thought it was a brave choice of the author to end it like it did.
The Could be better:
- There were a couple of scenes that were kind of confusing to me and I either had to reread a couple of times or it didn't become clear until later. It took me out of the story for a bit.
- There were a few meetings with characters that feel to me like deus ex machina moments: the chance of them happening didn't seem that realistic to me. But the result of these meetings did not bother me.
The Bad:
- No notes, can't think of anything bad about this book.
Is this book a new obsession of mine? No, but it quietely burrowed itself into my heart. Not gonna lie: I'm crying while writing up this review. Now admittedly, I do cry easily... but it should be a good indication of how the story touched me.
Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this ARC. All opionions are my own.
February 25, 2025
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
Apparently, the third time really is the charm because while I enjoyed Grace’s Frontier and The Floating Hotel, I absolutely adored Idolfire. I loved it!
This is a fantasy inspired by the Fall of Rome, but you don't need to know that going in and, quite frankly, the story stands well on its own without knowing any of that. It was fun to try and decipher what was loosely based on reality and what was entirely fictional, but it also wasn’t distracting in any way. And if you aren’t a fan of Rome, if I had to choose a culture that this book was focused on, it’s not Rome at all, but the outlying civilizations that survived after it. In fact, Rome is sort of made fun of in this book a bit, which I thought was refreshing.
My favourite aspect of the book is tied to the world-building, as it’s a quest narrative, and my favourite kind of quest: where the characters aren’t in a super rush to get home. They have a mission and a goal but it’s not a three-day adventure; it’s months. And they go to so many cool and interesting places, both in the cultures and odd magic they encounter. The different countries/places are described really well, with lush descriptions that aren’t afraid to take their time unfolding. I found it really immersive.
And the magic system is subtle to being almost rare, but when it does come up, it’s so fascinating.
The part with . The book also has ancient ruins, a trope I love.
The book follows two main perspectives with a third coming in later. The two women, Aleya and Kirby are vastly different in temperament, skill, knowledge, and social position. They are pretty much as opposite as they could be, but they work well together and you get to witness their reluctant alliance and then relationship blossom over time. I will say, the only critique I have of the novel is that the “yearning” aspects of the slow-burn romance weren’t very intense. I know there’s a whole subset of readers who don’t want sex in their fantasy, thinking it should be reserved for romantasy, but as someone who can’t stand most romantasy tropes, I like romance and sex in my regular fantasy, because I’m not going to read a romantasy. I’m not even asking for a sex scene, just, in the case of this book, a bit more sexual tension would have worked nicely for me.
That being said, Curtis’ skill at characterization really shines in this novel because she’s able to make you care about the most officious little prick of a character, one that you really wish would get a comeuppance ... but then she humanizes them, and you like, "damn you made me like this person." That was fun. It also showed how most of the time, we’re assholes because of how we’re raised or where we live, which felt relevant to today in a lot of ways.
The action scenes are terse, exciting, and very fun. Kirby can’t fight, but Aleya definitely can, though she’s not infallible. She has had years of training, but she also is quick-witted. Kirby helps as best she can, and while she does come off as a bit “country bumpkin” at times, she’s endearing and cute. It is very much a grumpy sunshine story. And then a third chaos element to mix things up the last third.
The ending is one of the most interesting ones I’ve read and it was bittersweet and realistic. It’s also not a “save the world” story - it’s about two women doing what they need to do both for themselves and their communities. There’s a wider world that exists around them, and the book is great at showing how the world doesn’t revolve around them as main characters. I might be reading into it a bit much, but the book also seems to include the physical manifestations of the effects of colonialism or, perhaps the theft of cultural artifacts.
Overall, I loved this one. The length was perfect, the story didn’t follow a straight trajectory but also wasn’t meandering, the characters were excellent, and the worldbuilding and action scenes were top-notch. Highly recommended.
Apparently, the third time really is the charm because while I enjoyed Grace’s Frontier and The Floating Hotel, I absolutely adored Idolfire. I loved it!
This is a fantasy inspired by the Fall of Rome, but you don't need to know that going in and, quite frankly, the story stands well on its own without knowing any of that. It was fun to try and decipher what was loosely based on reality and what was entirely fictional, but it also wasn’t distracting in any way. And if you aren’t a fan of Rome, if I had to choose a culture that this book was focused on, it’s not Rome at all, but the outlying civilizations that survived after it. In fact, Rome is sort of made fun of in this book a bit, which I thought was refreshing.
My favourite aspect of the book is tied to the world-building, as it’s a quest narrative, and my favourite kind of quest: where the characters aren’t in a super rush to get home. They have a mission and a goal but it’s not a three-day adventure; it’s months. And they go to so many cool and interesting places, both in the cultures and odd magic they encounter. The different countries/places are described really well, with lush descriptions that aren’t afraid to take their time unfolding. I found it really immersive.
And the magic system is subtle to being almost rare, but when it does come up, it’s so fascinating.
The part with . The book also has ancient ruins, a trope I love.
The book follows two main perspectives with a third coming in later. The two women, Aleya and Kirby are vastly different in temperament, skill, knowledge, and social position. They are pretty much as opposite as they could be, but they work well together and you get to witness their reluctant alliance and then relationship blossom over time. I will say, the only critique I have of the novel is that the “yearning” aspects of the slow-burn romance weren’t very intense. I know there’s a whole subset of readers who don’t want sex in their fantasy, thinking it should be reserved for romantasy, but as someone who can’t stand most romantasy tropes, I like romance and sex in my regular fantasy, because I’m not going to read a romantasy. I’m not even asking for a sex scene, just, in the case of this book, a bit more sexual tension would have worked nicely for me.
That being said, Curtis’ skill at characterization really shines in this novel because she’s able to make you care about the most officious little prick of a character, one that you really wish would get a comeuppance ... but then she humanizes them, and you like, "damn you made me like this person." That was fun. It also showed how most of the time, we’re assholes because of how we’re raised or where we live, which felt relevant to today in a lot of ways.
The action scenes are terse, exciting, and very fun. Kirby can’t fight, but Aleya definitely can, though she’s not infallible. She has had years of training, but she also is quick-witted. Kirby helps as best she can, and while she does come off as a bit “country bumpkin” at times, she’s endearing and cute. It is very much a grumpy sunshine story. And then a third chaos element to mix things up the last third.
The ending is one of the most interesting ones I’ve read and it was bittersweet and realistic. It’s also not a “save the world” story - it’s about two women doing what they need to do both for themselves and their communities. There’s a wider world that exists around them, and the book is great at showing how the world doesn’t revolve around them as main characters. I might be reading into it a bit much, but the book also seems to include the physical manifestations of the effects of colonialism or, perhaps the theft of cultural artifacts.
Overall, I loved this one. The length was perfect, the story didn’t follow a straight trajectory but also wasn’t meandering, the characters were excellent, and the worldbuilding and action scenes were top-notch. Highly recommended.
June 16, 2025
This started off strong, and the two main characters were (mostly) likeable, though their development was lackluster. The side characters had no depth and contributed little to the story. The ending felt abrupt to me, and it was disappointing to see so little growth in the main characters
April 29, 2025
In a world long after the breakup of a huge empire, we meet two young women: Kirby of Wall's End, and Aleya Ana-Ulai of Ash.
The populations of Walls' End is fading, with fewer and fewer births occurring. The Empire had stolen their god years ago, and its this that the people of the town believe contributed to their diminishing birthrate. Kirby's brother, after finding a large sword, decides he's going to travel to Nivela, the prime city of the former Empire and retrieve their god. After he dies, Kirby decides to fulfill his quest, and she sets out, walking to Nivela.
Aleya is a trained warrior, intelligent, and prone to annoying people with her attitude, and the niece of the current Empress. She's sent on a seemingly hopeless quest to Nivela to recover something.
Of course, these two meet along their way, and also encounter Nylophon of Carth, leader of a band of warriors who attack the ship both Aleya and Kirby were on. After losing all of his men to drowning and other dangers, Nylophon continues to pursue Kirby and Aleya; eventually, the trio gradually get to know each other, before they must deal with the strangeness that is Nivela.
Much of this story is actually spent on the journeys of the three, rather than the end point. I love that author Grace Curtis sets this in an analogue of Europe post the fall of the Roman Empire, and considers the way the Romans took all sorts of things from the places they conquered, and in a time when superstitions, legends and myths would have been seen as real, it's not surprising that people would have believed that taking a god from its original place meant that the power associated with the god, and the consequent good things, would have vanished to wherever the oppressors took the god.
Kirby is quite naïve, open and kind when she leaves Wall's End, while Aleya is more worldly, intensely stubborn and arrogant, and the two don't seem to be destined to care about each other, but it's their differences and skills that first ensure they survive their journey, and gradually help them learn from the other. Kirby remains kind by the time they part, while Aleya has grown to accept help from others, and to see others as having value. Nylphon begins as an annoying and dangerous idiot, but becomes more interesting and open over the time he spends with the two women.
This is not a fast-moving book, but I loved the atmosphere, and the worldbuilding is great, with each culture everyone encounters as fascinating, and sometimes dangerous. I really liked the way belief plays such a large part in this story, and how belief is used throughout, whether in those they meet, or within each of the trio.
The ending is fantastic and wonderful, and brought a tear to my eyes.
If you're looking for action and paciness, move on. This isn't going to give you that. Instead, you'll get great characters, and an interesting treatment of how cultures develop after being suppressed by a conqueror for years.
Thank you to Netgalley and to DAW for this ARC in exchange for my review.
The populations of Walls' End is fading, with fewer and fewer births occurring. The Empire had stolen their god years ago, and its this that the people of the town believe contributed to their diminishing birthrate. Kirby's brother, after finding a large sword, decides he's going to travel to Nivela, the prime city of the former Empire and retrieve their god. After he dies, Kirby decides to fulfill his quest, and she sets out, walking to Nivela.
Aleya is a trained warrior, intelligent, and prone to annoying people with her attitude, and the niece of the current Empress. She's sent on a seemingly hopeless quest to Nivela to recover something.
Of course, these two meet along their way, and also encounter Nylophon of Carth, leader of a band of warriors who attack the ship both Aleya and Kirby were on. After losing all of his men to drowning and other dangers, Nylophon continues to pursue Kirby and Aleya; eventually, the trio gradually get to know each other, before they must deal with the strangeness that is Nivela.
Much of this story is actually spent on the journeys of the three, rather than the end point. I love that author Grace Curtis sets this in an analogue of Europe post the fall of the Roman Empire, and considers the way the Romans took all sorts of things from the places they conquered, and in a time when superstitions, legends and myths would have been seen as real, it's not surprising that people would have believed that taking a god from its original place meant that the power associated with the god, and the consequent good things, would have vanished to wherever the oppressors took the god.
Kirby is quite naïve, open and kind when she leaves Wall's End, while Aleya is more worldly, intensely stubborn and arrogant, and the two don't seem to be destined to care about each other, but it's their differences and skills that first ensure they survive their journey, and gradually help them learn from the other. Kirby remains kind by the time they part, while Aleya has grown to accept help from others, and to see others as having value. Nylphon begins as an annoying and dangerous idiot, but becomes more interesting and open over the time he spends with the two women.
This is not a fast-moving book, but I loved the atmosphere, and the worldbuilding is great, with each culture everyone encounters as fascinating, and sometimes dangerous. I really liked the way belief plays such a large part in this story, and how belief is used throughout, whether in those they meet, or within each of the trio.
The ending is fantastic and wonderful, and brought a tear to my eyes.
If you're looking for action and paciness, move on. This isn't going to give you that. Instead, you'll get great characters, and an interesting treatment of how cultures develop after being suppressed by a conqueror for years.
Thank you to Netgalley and to DAW for this ARC in exchange for my review.
May 23, 2025
Absolutely epic, great setting, amazing characters and a fun story.
April 21, 2025
I feel this struggled to pick a lane between cosy and epic fantasy, and as a result it felt kind of underdeveloped and lacklustre :(
At first it reminded me a bit of Godkiller or The Shadow of the Gods in terms of a quest in a land once dominated by gods, but then the time skips at the beginning lost me and made me feel like I didn't really know anything about our protagonists apart from the very basics. And then the third perspective came in which I think had a lot of promise, but sadly fell victim to the same fate.
I would be interested to try the author's shorter works, but I feel like this just needed a bit more tightening to be great. The plot felt like a lot of side quests that didn't really go anywhere, but then you didn't get any great character moments to justify their existence. I'm not really a cosy fantasy girlie but I feel like this almost tried to do it with the humour and modern language, but then didn't fully commit so kind of fell flat on all fronts. I objectively understood the point of their quest but didn't get much of an impression of what it meant in the scheme of the world or even really for the characters. It felt like things were just kind of happening to happen, and it lacked that central drive to keep the momentum going.
Maybe fans of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet may enjoy this, especially if you are looking for a gentle entry to the fantasy genre. I did respect that it did something a bit different with the ending, but again a time skip that I think loses a lot of the meaning the final moment could otherwise have had. Overall a bit disappointing for me but would be interested in giving the author another go.
At first it reminded me a bit of Godkiller or The Shadow of the Gods in terms of a quest in a land once dominated by gods, but then the time skips at the beginning lost me and made me feel like I didn't really know anything about our protagonists apart from the very basics. And then the third perspective came in which I think had a lot of promise, but sadly fell victim to the same fate.
I would be interested to try the author's shorter works, but I feel like this just needed a bit more tightening to be great. The plot felt like a lot of side quests that didn't really go anywhere, but then you didn't get any great character moments to justify their existence. I'm not really a cosy fantasy girlie but I feel like this almost tried to do it with the humour and modern language, but then didn't fully commit so kind of fell flat on all fronts. I objectively understood the point of their quest but didn't get much of an impression of what it meant in the scheme of the world or even really for the characters. It felt like things were just kind of happening to happen, and it lacked that central drive to keep the momentum going.
Maybe fans of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet may enjoy this, especially if you are looking for a gentle entry to the fantasy genre. I did respect that it did something a bit different with the ending, but again a time skip that I think loses a lot of the meaning the final moment could otherwise have had. Overall a bit disappointing for me but would be interested in giving the author another go.
March 19, 2025
This book was deeply unsatisfying, in part because it had so much potential.
The characters started in one place in their lives and ended in the same places, having changed very little . What change was wrought happened apropos of nothing, and any big character moments at the end felt undeserved. I don't know if it was the multiple POVs or the road trip time jump of it all, but I never cared about any of the characters - and every character felt like the same character but in a different font. This led to the dialogue feeling fake, the supporting characters feeling like NPCs, and any relationships feeling sudden and undeveloped.
The world also felt one dimensional, which is wild because there's so much of it. I think the road trip vibe detracted from the ability to view each place as a Place. When we zip by town after town and spend so little page-time on each destination, none of them stand out.
And then the ending?
This all feels harsh to write out, but I finished this book at all because the story was interesting and I wanted to see where it went. The concept of many gods, and the idea of the creation of gods, and the ways that magic can be performed were all intriguing. And the initial character concepts were good! Who doesn't love a discarded heir who's a bitter combat prodigy, or a reluctant adventurer hoping to return to a simple life, or a soldier who only soldiers because ~they know naught else~? But when it ends and nothing much changes, it's kind of like...what was the point?
tl;dr -- I think I could have loved this book but it fell so flat for me. I should give it a bonus star for making me think about it so much, but I shan't.
The characters started in one place in their lives and ended in the same places, having changed very little . What change was wrought happened apropos of nothing, and any big character moments at the end felt undeserved. I don't know if it was the multiple POVs or the road trip time jump of it all, but I never cared about any of the characters - and every character felt like the same character but in a different font. This led to the dialogue feeling fake, the supporting characters feeling like NPCs, and any relationships feeling sudden and undeveloped.
The world also felt one dimensional, which is wild because there's so much of it. I think the road trip vibe detracted from the ability to view each place as a Place. When we zip by town after town and spend so little page-time on each destination, none of them stand out.
And then the ending?
This all feels harsh to write out, but I finished this book at all because the story was interesting and I wanted to see where it went. The concept of many gods, and the idea of the creation of gods, and the ways that magic can be performed were all intriguing. And the initial character concepts were good! Who doesn't love a discarded heir who's a bitter combat prodigy, or a reluctant adventurer hoping to return to a simple life, or a soldier who only soldiers because ~they know naught else~? But when it ends and nothing much changes, it's kind of like...what was the point?
tl;dr -- I think I could have loved this book but it fell so flat for me. I should give it a bonus star for making me think about it so much, but I shan't.
June 4, 2025
DNF - read 43%, stopped in the middle of act three
Trigger warning: war, violence, discussions of infertility
I don't mind when books take a while to get going. If an author wants to take a chapter or three to introduce me to the characters and the world before things go to hell then I'm fine with that. I do expect those early chapters to have a point, though. I want to walk away from them feeling like I really know the characters or the world. Anything that gets me invested in the story before it even starts.
You can probably see where this is going.
Idolfire is divided into five acts and act one is seemingly pointless backstory. It didn't make me fall in love with the characters. It didn't explain complex parts of the world to me. It didn't even set up the quest that the characters would later go on. It's just a glimpse into the lives of Aleya and Kirby, our two leads. That glimpse left me with more questions than answers, but not the good kind of questions that made me want to keep reading. These were questions about very basic elements of world building that don't seem to have been considered.
On Aleya's side of things, I was deeply confused about the way her city works. Aleya has mixed heritage with her father coming from a place called Kuba which is unfortunately the enemy of the city she was raised in. This leads her to be treated poorly by others. We even see a scene where someone throws a rock at her and tells her to get out. That rock-throwing scene baffled me because Aleya is a trained fighter and a member of the royal family, yet the rock thrower doesn't appear to face any consequences for her actions. It's actually implied that Aleya is punished for this event to some extent because she's demoted the next time we see her even though she didn't retaliate. She completely ignores the rock thrower.
I think this was the story trying to introduce the idea that Aleya isn't welcome in her own home, but if so, this was not the way to go about that because I have so many questions now. Are people just allowed to throw things at the royal family in this city? That seems odd. It shouldn't matter if Aleya is welcomed or not, she's royal and that should lead to a certain level of regard in this type of world. By letting Aleya suffer for this, the royal family is telling everyone that they're weak. That they'll tolerate poor treatment by random citizens. That's not usually how things go even if you have a kind monarchy.
I'm also so confused as to why was Aleya punished for this. We're never told! We just see her demoted and upset about the rock-thrower with no greater context as to why that event messed everything up for her. This intro needed to be more focused on the city's political situation to make it clear why the queen is concerned about letting Aleya complete for the throne. As is, this random incident just left me baffled instead of sympathetic.
Kirby's side of things was equally confusing. Kirby's people suffer from a curse or possibly an illness that leaves most of the population barren. Throughout act I, this curse is often discussed and Kirby even mentions watching out for signs of it in herself
Which makes it deeply confusing when act I ends with Kirby being told that she has the curse, a fact that everyone else knew and just never mentioned to her. She asks why no one ever told her and is told that they thought she knew because she's 17 and has never had a period, a clear sign that she has the disease.
Like the rock-throwing scene, I could tell that this was supposed to be an emotional moment that made me sympathize with Kirby. Instead, I was just sitting here wondering how she didn't know. We were literally told that she knew "which parts to keep an eye on" and this is a city full of people will this condition, so how did she miss this? Why wasn't she waiting eagerly for her period, dread growing as the years went by and no period occurred? That would have been a much stronger way to introduce this issue instead of having this 17-year-old girl be shocked to learn that she has an extremely obvious sign of a common condition and just never noticed.
Because our two leads have such strange, weak introductions to their struggles, act one feels pointless. You could give me a throwaway line in act II and it would be just as compelling. In fact, act II rehashes all of the above and I found those brief rehashes significantly stronger. You didn't need a full tenth of the book to introduce these simple motivations in such confusing ways.
I focused on act one because it's a good example of the type of things that go on in this book. I'm 43% of the way through and it feels like every conflict plays out the same way as the conflicts in act I. Stuff just kind of happens without much rhyme or reason which makes it hard to get invested in this book.
This weak worldbuilding infects the plot, too. Both Aleya and Kirby are on quests to find missing items, but the end goal of these quests is up in the air. Aleya is hoping it will let her compete for the throne, but we don't know what that competition looks like or even if she's the most qualified for the throne, so it was hard to get invested in her quest. Kirby is hoping that her item will lift the curse on her people, but she has no idea if it will. She's just going because she's got nothing better to do with her life. That is, once again, not the most compelling motivation.
The quest itself is equally lackluster. It's very similar to act one in that stuff just kind of happens and then the story moves on, leaving the reader with questions that will never be answered. You could cut out many of the problems the two women have run into and the story wouldn't change.
All that being said, this isn't a terrible book. I've read far worse. The writing is competent and the characters were fine, I just wasn't invested in them or the plot and I expect to be invested in something by the time I'm this far into the story. I probably would have kept listening to this during my daily exercising routine if I hadn't reached a point with some horrible, senseless violence which made me go, "Okay, I'm done now. I'm not invested enough to put up with scenes like this." That choice was bolstered by the fact that this is supposed to be a romance story and I have yet to see a hint of romance. I know it's a slow burn, but the leads don't even have any platonic chemistry yet so I don't care if they get together.
A quick note on the audiobook: I grew up being read to by my mother who is far from a professional voice actor, so have pretty low standards for narration. I'll notice standout narrators, but mediocre ones don't phase me. The narrator for this book was noticeably bad. She decided to give the characters accents that were extremely difficult to understand. I actually had to pause and look online to see if the characters spoke English at one point because I couldn't tell what they were saying.
I think she may have also struggled to do the accents because her dialogue was wooden compared to her narration, like she was so focused on getting the voice right that she forgot to give the character any emotion. Because of that, I'd go with the book over the audiobook for this one. It's possible this audio issue contributed to my willingness to give up on this one. I think I could have pushed through it for a good story, but with the story being so lackluster and the audio being so bad, giving up was an easy call.
Trigger warning: war, violence, discussions of infertility
I don't mind when books take a while to get going. If an author wants to take a chapter or three to introduce me to the characters and the world before things go to hell then I'm fine with that. I do expect those early chapters to have a point, though. I want to walk away from them feeling like I really know the characters or the world. Anything that gets me invested in the story before it even starts.
You can probably see where this is going.
Idolfire is divided into five acts and act one is seemingly pointless backstory. It didn't make me fall in love with the characters. It didn't explain complex parts of the world to me. It didn't even set up the quest that the characters would later go on. It's just a glimpse into the lives of Aleya and Kirby, our two leads. That glimpse left me with more questions than answers, but not the good kind of questions that made me want to keep reading. These were questions about very basic elements of world building that don't seem to have been considered.
On Aleya's side of things, I was deeply confused about the way her city works. Aleya has mixed heritage with her father coming from a place called Kuba which is unfortunately the enemy of the city she was raised in. This leads her to be treated poorly by others. We even see a scene where someone throws a rock at her and tells her to get out. That rock-throwing scene baffled me because Aleya is a trained fighter and a member of the royal family, yet the rock thrower doesn't appear to face any consequences for her actions. It's actually implied that Aleya is punished for this event to some extent because she's demoted the next time we see her even though she didn't retaliate. She completely ignores the rock thrower.
I think this was the story trying to introduce the idea that Aleya isn't welcome in her own home, but if so, this was not the way to go about that because I have so many questions now. Are people just allowed to throw things at the royal family in this city? That seems odd. It shouldn't matter if Aleya is welcomed or not, she's royal and that should lead to a certain level of regard in this type of world. By letting Aleya suffer for this, the royal family is telling everyone that they're weak. That they'll tolerate poor treatment by random citizens. That's not usually how things go even if you have a kind monarchy.
I'm also so confused as to why was Aleya punished for this. We're never told! We just see her demoted and upset about the rock-thrower with no greater context as to why that event messed everything up for her. This intro needed to be more focused on the city's political situation to make it clear why the queen is concerned about letting Aleya complete for the throne. As is, this random incident just left me baffled instead of sympathetic.
Kirby's side of things was equally confusing. Kirby's people suffer from a curse or possibly an illness that leaves most of the population barren. Throughout act I, this curse is often discussed and Kirby even mentions watching out for signs of it in herself
After Jarrow got sick, Kirby monitored herself anxiously for symptoms of disease (she had helped out with human and non-human births and know which parts to keep an eye on) but by the grace of mercy, everything seemed to be running normally.
Which makes it deeply confusing when act I ends with Kirby being told that she has the curse, a fact that everyone else knew and just never mentioned to her. She asks why no one ever told her and is told that they thought she knew because she's 17 and has never had a period, a clear sign that she has the disease.
Like the rock-throwing scene, I could tell that this was supposed to be an emotional moment that made me sympathize with Kirby. Instead, I was just sitting here wondering how she didn't know. We were literally told that she knew "which parts to keep an eye on" and this is a city full of people will this condition, so how did she miss this? Why wasn't she waiting eagerly for her period, dread growing as the years went by and no period occurred? That would have been a much stronger way to introduce this issue instead of having this 17-year-old girl be shocked to learn that she has an extremely obvious sign of a common condition and just never noticed.
Because our two leads have such strange, weak introductions to their struggles, act one feels pointless. You could give me a throwaway line in act II and it would be just as compelling. In fact, act II rehashes all of the above and I found those brief rehashes significantly stronger. You didn't need a full tenth of the book to introduce these simple motivations in such confusing ways.
I focused on act one because it's a good example of the type of things that go on in this book. I'm 43% of the way through and it feels like every conflict plays out the same way as the conflicts in act I. Stuff just kind of happens without much rhyme or reason which makes it hard to get invested in this book.
This weak worldbuilding infects the plot, too. Both Aleya and Kirby are on quests to find missing items, but the end goal of these quests is up in the air. Aleya is hoping it will let her compete for the throne, but we don't know what that competition looks like or even if she's the most qualified for the throne, so it was hard to get invested in her quest. Kirby is hoping that her item will lift the curse on her people, but she has no idea if it will. She's just going because she's got nothing better to do with her life. That is, once again, not the most compelling motivation.
The quest itself is equally lackluster. It's very similar to act one in that stuff just kind of happens and then the story moves on, leaving the reader with questions that will never be answered. You could cut out many of the problems the two women have run into and the story wouldn't change.
All that being said, this isn't a terrible book. I've read far worse. The writing is competent and the characters were fine, I just wasn't invested in them or the plot and I expect to be invested in something by the time I'm this far into the story. I probably would have kept listening to this during my daily exercising routine if I hadn't reached a point with some horrible, senseless violence which made me go, "Okay, I'm done now. I'm not invested enough to put up with scenes like this." That choice was bolstered by the fact that this is supposed to be a romance story and I have yet to see a hint of romance. I know it's a slow burn, but the leads don't even have any platonic chemistry yet so I don't care if they get together.
A quick note on the audiobook: I grew up being read to by my mother who is far from a professional voice actor, so have pretty low standards for narration. I'll notice standout narrators, but mediocre ones don't phase me. The narrator for this book was noticeably bad. She decided to give the characters accents that were extremely difficult to understand. I actually had to pause and look online to see if the characters spoke English at one point because I couldn't tell what they were saying.
I think she may have also struggled to do the accents because her dialogue was wooden compared to her narration, like she was so focused on getting the voice right that she forgot to give the character any emotion. Because of that, I'd go with the book over the audiobook for this one. It's possible this audio issue contributed to my willingness to give up on this one. I think I could have pushed through it for a good story, but with the story being so lackluster and the audio being so bad, giving up was an easy call.
February 24, 2025
In theory I enjoyed this but unfortunately it fell a bit short in a few ways.
It reminded me a bit of the spear cuts through water in that it’s a hero’s journey with queer lovers that plays around with structure and tense of storytelling.
The titular magic is an interesting concept but it kind of fell apart for me the more I tried to get my head around it. And after about the halfway mark, it’s not actually used by the protagonist again at all which is kind of disappointing.
Similarly, there was a big deal made about Kirby lugging this massive sword halfway across the world including dragging it out of the bottom of the sea, but its actual utilisation fell short compared to the expectations that had been built up for me.
I appreciated the worldbuilding, a strength of the book was the description of all the places and cities they visited, and how Nivela left its mark as a stain across the landscape through their conquest. However, if I’m reading about an empire, it feels a bit like a cop-out to have it implode by the choice of a singular woman. I want to read about resistance and rot, not that the conquest just...stopped one day when she decided she’d had enough. Like even with Rome, which inspired this story, the downfall is just as interesting as its rise.
I also kinda didn’t like Nylophon like why was he there? Didn’t really add much for me. There were some other bits that felt a bit weak, like I don’t really understand why her uncle was randomly there one day?
Overall a cosy sapphic fantasy, which I feel like will appeal to a lot of people but ultimately wasn't for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
It reminded me a bit of the spear cuts through water in that it’s a hero’s journey with queer lovers that plays around with structure and tense of storytelling.
The titular magic is an interesting concept but it kind of fell apart for me the more I tried to get my head around it. And after about the halfway mark, it’s not actually used by the protagonist again at all which is kind of disappointing.
Similarly, there was a big deal made about Kirby lugging this massive sword halfway across the world including dragging it out of the bottom of the sea, but its actual utilisation fell short compared to the expectations that had been built up for me.
I appreciated the worldbuilding, a strength of the book was the description of all the places and cities they visited, and how Nivela left its mark as a stain across the landscape through their conquest. However, if I’m reading about an empire, it feels a bit like a cop-out to have it implode by the choice of a singular woman. I want to read about resistance and rot, not that the conquest just...stopped one day when she decided she’d had enough. Like even with Rome, which inspired this story, the downfall is just as interesting as its rise.
I also kinda didn’t like Nylophon like why was he there? Didn’t really add much for me. There were some other bits that felt a bit weak, like I don’t really understand why her uncle was randomly there one day?
Overall a cosy sapphic fantasy, which I feel like will appeal to a lot of people but ultimately wasn't for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
June 16, 2025
unfortunately, i really struggled to read this book. i was so excited for it, but felt let down by the slow pacing and my difficulty with connecting to the characters. it was very slow and boring, to the point where i struggled to pick it up again. the characters themselves weren't interesting and i didn't care what happened to them.
March 11, 2025
In the world left behind centuries after the fall of a world-spanning empire, history has fallen into myth and legend on its far-flung fringes. Kirby of Wall’s End and Aleya Ana-Ulai might as well be from entirely separate worlds – because they are.
When the Empire of Nivela fell, or died, or imploded, or all of the above, the places that either resisted them or were conquered by them – or both – were left to struggle on without all the things and people the Empire stole at the height of their reach.
Including, in the case of Wall’s End, their god. And in the case of the Kingdom of Ash, one of their most important relics. Wall’s End NEEDS their god back, because their land is dying without the renewing power of Iona, the Goddess of Spring. And the people are dying with it, withering generation after generation.
Ash just wants their relic back, as they believe that no one should have the power of Idolfire, the power to consume the accumulated worship vested in a deity, except for their own royal house.
Then again, Wall’s End is the last remnant of a kingdom that Nivela thoroughly conquered, while Ash successfully resisted the might of the Nivelan Empire until that Empire fell. Of its own weight – or its own ‘Worldlord’s’ hubris.
Or both.
The story of Idolfire is a quest. It’s two quests. Kirby sets out for the ruins of fabled Nivela to get her village’s god back. Not because she’s a hero – but because she feels guilty that what was left of the god listened when she cursed her brother and not only killed him but blocked the water for the entire village.
Aleya, the reviled, disregarded, bastard princess of Ash, is sent by her Aunt the Queen on an actual, sanctioned quest to the ruins of Nivela to retrieve the other half of their sacred relic. Aleya knows she’s not expected to succeed, that she’s expected to either give up or die trying. But if she does succeed, she’ll be able to follow her Aunt as Queen, and make the reforms needed to save her city from dying from the weight of its own corruption and hubris – much like Nivela did.
The story is their journey, separately and together, over the whole of what was once the great Nivelan Empire. Along the way, they face death and danger and corruption and old gods and new kingdoms and desperate people and deranged leaders. They turn an enemy into a fast friend.
They find redemption for the sins they left behind. And they fall in love, even as they know that, as much as failure will doom them, success can only be bittersweet.
Escape Rating B: If you’re expecting something like the author’s previous work, Floating Hotel, you might want to check out some reviews (obv. Including this one) before continuing. Because Idolfire is not at all like Floating Hotel, and not just because that was SF and this is definitely fantasy.
Because I really did enjoy Idolfire, I’m trying to set expectations a bit better than either a quick reference to Floating Hotel or the bolded opening line of the book’s blurb. OTOH, that description, “Idolfire is an epic sapphic fantasy inspired by the fall of Rome from the author of the Frontier and Floating Hotel.” is 100 percent true.
But the emphasis isn’t quite in the same places in the blurb as they are in the book – leading back around to potentially disappointed expectations.
The emphasis in the story is on the epic fantasy parts of the description. It’s a quest story. Actually, it’s two quest stories combined with two heroines’ journeys that begin at literally opposite ends of the world as they know it. Those two heroines do eventually meet and there is a slowburn sapphic romance but the romance isn’t the driving force in the story.
Their separate quests drive the story, quests that begin as far apart as possible – as Kirby and Aleya themselves do – but have the same center point in more ways than one.
Which is where that reference to the fall of Rome comes in. The fall, the reasons for that fall, and what the world looks like at the fringes of what was once the empire so long after that fall that history has fallen into myth and legend.
The historical underpinnings of this story may remind readers of the way that Guy Gavriel Kay works history into fantasy. Because yes, Nivela is Rome – more or less – but it is also biblical Nineveh. Ash is Assyria and Wall’s End is post-Roman-occupation Britain. But their enemy-turned-companion Nylo is from someplace like the ancient Greek city-states, and these places did not all exist at the same time.
The romance between Kirby and Aleya is VERY slow burn. They do come to love each other, but it takes them a lot of time – and miles, definitely miles! – to get there. They are both aware that the BEST ending they can possibly get is that they each return to their opposite ends of the world. It’s realistic but it’s ultimately sad. The reader wants them to have an HEA and they both want it and KNOW they can’t have it.
As much as I loved their journey and enjoyed their long and winding tour of this quasi-ancient, slightly magical, somewhat historical world, theirs is not the only perspective on their quests. Someone is moving events behind the scenes, looking on from above – or underneath – or both, watching as history unfolds. And it has shades of the secret at the heart of the city of Kithamar in Daniel Abraham’s Age of Ash series. It’s something I’m not sure worked in either epic, but it’s left me thinking I’ll go back to Age of Ash and see.
Nevertheless, that extra perspective is one that kinda works and kinda doesn’t and your reading mileage may definitely vary. My enjoyment of and fascination with Aleya’s and Kirby’s world, their epic journey through it and their relationship within it was MORE than enough to carry me through this fascinating tale.
Originally published at Reading Reality
When the Empire of Nivela fell, or died, or imploded, or all of the above, the places that either resisted them or were conquered by them – or both – were left to struggle on without all the things and people the Empire stole at the height of their reach.
Including, in the case of Wall’s End, their god. And in the case of the Kingdom of Ash, one of their most important relics. Wall’s End NEEDS their god back, because their land is dying without the renewing power of Iona, the Goddess of Spring. And the people are dying with it, withering generation after generation.
Ash just wants their relic back, as they believe that no one should have the power of Idolfire, the power to consume the accumulated worship vested in a deity, except for their own royal house.
Then again, Wall’s End is the last remnant of a kingdom that Nivela thoroughly conquered, while Ash successfully resisted the might of the Nivelan Empire until that Empire fell. Of its own weight – or its own ‘Worldlord’s’ hubris.
Or both.
The story of Idolfire is a quest. It’s two quests. Kirby sets out for the ruins of fabled Nivela to get her village’s god back. Not because she’s a hero – but because she feels guilty that what was left of the god listened when she cursed her brother and not only killed him but blocked the water for the entire village.
Aleya, the reviled, disregarded, bastard princess of Ash, is sent by her Aunt the Queen on an actual, sanctioned quest to the ruins of Nivela to retrieve the other half of their sacred relic. Aleya knows she’s not expected to succeed, that she’s expected to either give up or die trying. But if she does succeed, she’ll be able to follow her Aunt as Queen, and make the reforms needed to save her city from dying from the weight of its own corruption and hubris – much like Nivela did.
The story is their journey, separately and together, over the whole of what was once the great Nivelan Empire. Along the way, they face death and danger and corruption and old gods and new kingdoms and desperate people and deranged leaders. They turn an enemy into a fast friend.
They find redemption for the sins they left behind. And they fall in love, even as they know that, as much as failure will doom them, success can only be bittersweet.
Escape Rating B: If you’re expecting something like the author’s previous work, Floating Hotel, you might want to check out some reviews (obv. Including this one) before continuing. Because Idolfire is not at all like Floating Hotel, and not just because that was SF and this is definitely fantasy.
Because I really did enjoy Idolfire, I’m trying to set expectations a bit better than either a quick reference to Floating Hotel or the bolded opening line of the book’s blurb. OTOH, that description, “Idolfire is an epic sapphic fantasy inspired by the fall of Rome from the author of the Frontier and Floating Hotel.” is 100 percent true.
But the emphasis isn’t quite in the same places in the blurb as they are in the book – leading back around to potentially disappointed expectations.
The emphasis in the story is on the epic fantasy parts of the description. It’s a quest story. Actually, it’s two quest stories combined with two heroines’ journeys that begin at literally opposite ends of the world as they know it. Those two heroines do eventually meet and there is a slowburn sapphic romance but the romance isn’t the driving force in the story.
Their separate quests drive the story, quests that begin as far apart as possible – as Kirby and Aleya themselves do – but have the same center point in more ways than one.
Which is where that reference to the fall of Rome comes in. The fall, the reasons for that fall, and what the world looks like at the fringes of what was once the empire so long after that fall that history has fallen into myth and legend.
The historical underpinnings of this story may remind readers of the way that Guy Gavriel Kay works history into fantasy. Because yes, Nivela is Rome – more or less – but it is also biblical Nineveh. Ash is Assyria and Wall’s End is post-Roman-occupation Britain. But their enemy-turned-companion Nylo is from someplace like the ancient Greek city-states, and these places did not all exist at the same time.
The romance between Kirby and Aleya is VERY slow burn. They do come to love each other, but it takes them a lot of time – and miles, definitely miles! – to get there. They are both aware that the BEST ending they can possibly get is that they each return to their opposite ends of the world. It’s realistic but it’s ultimately sad. The reader wants them to have an HEA and they both want it and KNOW they can’t have it.
As much as I loved their journey and enjoyed their long and winding tour of this quasi-ancient, slightly magical, somewhat historical world, theirs is not the only perspective on their quests. Someone is moving events behind the scenes, looking on from above – or underneath – or both, watching as history unfolds. And it has shades of the secret at the heart of the city of Kithamar in Daniel Abraham’s Age of Ash series. It’s something I’m not sure worked in either epic, but it’s left me thinking I’ll go back to Age of Ash and see.
Nevertheless, that extra perspective is one that kinda works and kinda doesn’t and your reading mileage may definitely vary. My enjoyment of and fascination with Aleya’s and Kirby’s world, their epic journey through it and their relationship within it was MORE than enough to carry me through this fascinating tale.
Originally published at Reading Reality
April 4, 2025
I loved this book. I really like Grace Curtis' writing and plotting. The two main characters are both on separate journeys and manage to come together to try and complete their quests. I found both characters to be individual, I liked the way that they came together and how they interact. I really liked the world and how large it felt and well described. I did find the odd chapters that are directed at the reader a little jarring but it made sense as I got to the end.
June 3, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
Idolfire is in essence a sapphic camping, road trip until the final act. It is very much about the journey and learning about the different countries, cities. and cultures along the way. These civilizations each have their own ruling structure. Some have women rulers and others create male mercenaries as their ultimate purpose. It is all very low stakes until the final act. Because of this, I had difficulty connecting with the characters. The book has a unique magic system called idolfire, where certain people, including one of the main characters, can draw limited power from idols and other objects people pray to. I loved the last act and how grounded in reality the ending was. I enjoyed how the final conflict was a bit ethereal, but I do think it left some of what happened ambiguous. Overall, the book was slow, but I think the payoff was worth it.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!
Notes
3 person pov and you
more is expected of kirby because she’s a girl or because her brother looks like their dad
aleya leaves the palace when she should be staying there until morning, gets caught when a girl throws a rock at her lip, and now has to wait an indefinite amount of time before she can complete the rites of her family. can’t say i feel bad for her
kirby’s village is cursed with infertility slowly killing off the town. She and the boy she was to marry were the latest ones. She unintentionally kills her brother on his betrothal day by cussing the god. Almost a decade passes in act 1 (she’s 14 at the start). don’t care that her brother died
some sexism and men/women duties mentioned
you are called widow then worldlord
the fucks and damns take me out of the story, also spoken “haha”
10 years pass, aleya’s a city guard with a girlfriend, her cousin completes his calling and now she gets her chance
kirby learns to fish/forage to support her family since her brothers death
wonder what happened with the war/her parents to make everyone hate her before she was born
says if she doesn’t want to be a solider she could be an artisan, baker, or engineer. refreshing i was expecting sexist shit
quirky how both found their way into a group of eccentric soldiers trying to rebuild nivela in a spot that’s very much not nivela. using quotes around nivelans makes it better
kirby infertile (no periods) but wanted a family
unmanly to know the difference between a star and a planet - ok
kirby really stupid/sheltered like thinking there’s an edge of the world
third pov is from a cowardly, sexist, mercenary troop leader; his friend nachi wanted to run away with him before the book started; they’re from a mercenary culture that trains boys to become male warriors whose only purpose in life is to fight; he doesn’t understand and thinks down upon people who enjoy themselves
the tribal gleatish people have women warriors
fairly chill journey/camping story, even when things are happening it still feels low stakes
why would nylo not know there’s lands west of gleatland, and did he mean east as in bern?
nylo and kirby both sheltered/ignorant
kirby from a cursed, uneducated small town; aleya from the ruling family of a great city whose princes/princesses need to go on a great quest to be added to the line of ascension; nylo born into a mercenary culture
idolfire - magic powdered by idols and objects people pray to
along they way they meet different civilizations with different ruling structures, some have women warriors/leaders, some are very sexist, different languages
what an ending. a bit confusing but i think i get it. i do think it left some of what happened ambiguous (surrounding idolfire, true identity of idols, and nivelans ) and a bit ethereal, you and i perspectives were a choice
sapphic main relationship and past gay relationship
this book did a good job of showing how people from 3 different cultures bond on their journey
i wasn’t surprised that they go their separate ways and i think it was a great mix of heartwarming and heartbreaking. they both achieve what they wanted in life
until the last act, it is really about the journey/camping and it is slow and fairly low stakes
Idolfire is in essence a sapphic camping, road trip until the final act. It is very much about the journey and learning about the different countries, cities. and cultures along the way. These civilizations each have their own ruling structure. Some have women rulers and others create male mercenaries as their ultimate purpose. It is all very low stakes until the final act. Because of this, I had difficulty connecting with the characters. The book has a unique magic system called idolfire, where certain people, including one of the main characters, can draw limited power from idols and other objects people pray to. I loved the last act and how grounded in reality the ending was. I enjoyed how the final conflict was a bit ethereal, but I do think it left some of what happened ambiguous. Overall, the book was slow, but I think the payoff was worth it.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!
Notes
3 person pov and you
more is expected of kirby because she’s a girl or because her brother looks like their dad
aleya leaves the palace when she should be staying there until morning, gets caught when a girl throws a rock at her lip, and now has to wait an indefinite amount of time before she can complete the rites of her family. can’t say i feel bad for her
kirby’s village is cursed with infertility slowly killing off the town. She and the boy she was to marry were the latest ones. She unintentionally kills her brother on his betrothal day by cussing the god. Almost a decade passes in act 1 (she’s 14 at the start). don’t care that her brother died
some sexism and men/women duties mentioned
you are called widow then worldlord
the fucks and damns take me out of the story, also spoken “haha”
10 years pass, aleya’s a city guard with a girlfriend, her cousin completes his calling and now she gets her chance
kirby learns to fish/forage to support her family since her brothers death
wonder what happened with the war/her parents to make everyone hate her before she was born
says if she doesn’t want to be a solider she could be an artisan, baker, or engineer. refreshing i was expecting sexist shit
quirky how both found their way into a group of eccentric soldiers trying to rebuild nivela in a spot that’s very much not nivela. using quotes around nivelans makes it better
kirby infertile (no periods) but wanted a family
unmanly to know the difference between a star and a planet - ok
kirby really stupid/sheltered like thinking there’s an edge of the world
third pov is from a cowardly, sexist, mercenary troop leader; his friend nachi wanted to run away with him before the book started; they’re from a mercenary culture that trains boys to become male warriors whose only purpose in life is to fight; he doesn’t understand and thinks down upon people who enjoy themselves
the tribal gleatish people have women warriors
fairly chill journey/camping story, even when things are happening it still feels low stakes
why would nylo not know there’s lands west of gleatland, and did he mean east as in bern?
nylo and kirby both sheltered/ignorant
kirby from a cursed, uneducated small town; aleya from the ruling family of a great city whose princes/princesses need to go on a great quest to be added to the line of ascension; nylo born into a mercenary culture
idolfire - magic powdered by idols and objects people pray to
along they way they meet different civilizations with different ruling structures, some have women warriors/leaders, some are very sexist, different languages
what an ending. a bit confusing but i think i get it. i do think it left some of what happened ambiguous (surrounding idolfire, true identity of idols, and nivelans ) and a bit ethereal, you and i perspectives were a choice
sapphic main relationship and past gay relationship
this book did a good job of showing how people from 3 different cultures bond on their journey
i wasn’t surprised that they go their separate ways and i think it was a great mix of heartwarming and heartbreaking. they both achieve what they wanted in life
until the last act, it is really about the journey/camping and it is slow and fairly low stakes
March 11, 2025
(eARC) Thank you to Netgalley, the author & publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
The premise of this book really excited me: A sapphic slow burn romance on a fantasy filled adventure? I’m hooked! But unfortunately everything just fell a little bit flat for me.
Although I did find reading this book enjoyable, I found myself putting it down often and struggling to pick it back up. The plot just wasn’t as gripping as I was hoping and expecting. It felt a bit like reading a walking-simulator video game.
There wasn’t really any immediate threat to the characters at all. The low stakes and slow, monotonous pace of the book left it slightly boring. It could be argued that the slow pace was a metaphor itself; replicating the seemingly never ending walk the characters went on.
However I will say that the world building was really beautiful and was my favourite part of the whole book. Because the characters walked so far, we were granted a look at a vast and highly detailed world full of different cultures and cities. I definitely felt immersed in the environment of the journey.
The slow burn was also a bit of a disappointment for me. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I think there was only one or two personal mentions of feelings by each character before they fell in love. With it being a multiple pov read, I was expecting a lot more insight to the personal feelings of each of them. It definitely needed some more yearning and building of emotions and tension.
The magic system was very interesting, and I wish it had been used more by our main character. The final destination of our traveler’s journey was also extremely unique and I finally saw a glimpse of that high stakes fantasy I was hoping for throughout the whole book. If only it had been like this the whole way through!!
Lastly, I think the lyrical and flowery writing negatively affected the story in the same way it did in WTMH. Sometimes it was difficult to truly understand what was going on because everything was trying to be said as a metaphor. I got mixed up a few times with the literal facts and the flouncy analogies, leaving me confused at important parts of the story, thereby losing their critical impact.
Overall, I think this book is a nice little stand alone if you’re looking for an easy, low stakes read and don’t mind a slow pace. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I didn’t go into it with expectations as I did, so, try to keep an open mind!
The premise of this book really excited me: A sapphic slow burn romance on a fantasy filled adventure? I’m hooked! But unfortunately everything just fell a little bit flat for me.
Although I did find reading this book enjoyable, I found myself putting it down often and struggling to pick it back up. The plot just wasn’t as gripping as I was hoping and expecting. It felt a bit like reading a walking-simulator video game.
There wasn’t really any immediate threat to the characters at all. The low stakes and slow, monotonous pace of the book left it slightly boring. It could be argued that the slow pace was a metaphor itself; replicating the seemingly never ending walk the characters went on.
However I will say that the world building was really beautiful and was my favourite part of the whole book. Because the characters walked so far, we were granted a look at a vast and highly detailed world full of different cultures and cities. I definitely felt immersed in the environment of the journey.
The slow burn was also a bit of a disappointment for me. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I think there was only one or two personal mentions of feelings by each character before they fell in love. With it being a multiple pov read, I was expecting a lot more insight to the personal feelings of each of them. It definitely needed some more yearning and building of emotions and tension.
The magic system was very interesting, and I wish it had been used more by our main character. The final destination of our traveler’s journey was also extremely unique and I finally saw a glimpse of that high stakes fantasy I was hoping for throughout the whole book. If only it had been like this the whole way through!!
Lastly, I think the lyrical and flowery writing negatively affected the story in the same way it did in WTMH. Sometimes it was difficult to truly understand what was going on because everything was trying to be said as a metaphor. I got mixed up a few times with the literal facts and the flouncy analogies, leaving me confused at important parts of the story, thereby losing their critical impact.
Overall, I think this book is a nice little stand alone if you’re looking for an easy, low stakes read and don’t mind a slow pace. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I didn’t go into it with expectations as I did, so, try to keep an open mind!
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