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The Arterian #1
Of Flames & Fallacies
Possession of dragon contraband in the Arterian kingdom is a guaranteed brutal execution.
When twenty-two-year-old Katerina Blackwind finds a dragon egg buried in her father’s grave, she begins to question everything she thought she knew. She must return the forbidden dragon hatchling—Daeja—north to the secretive Dragon Lands: where dragons roam free and a rebellion group resides.
But she can’t do it on her own – smuggling a dragon hatchling across the realm during a war between Arterians and rebels means she can be killed by either side. She knows there’s only one person she can truly trust, her old flame, Cole Ashbourne.
Yet, Cole is much different than the last time Kat saw deliciously chiseled in all the right places with a raw power lingering beneath the surface. Cole is torn between his responsibilities as a newly-promoted Captain in the King’s military, and his heart.
Kat works on a plan to get Daeja to the Dragon Lands while keeping a low profile at the military outpost. Though, having a room next to the sinisterly provocative Darian Raventhorn proves to be anything but easy.
Danger lurks at every turn, and as more secrets are unearthed, Kat is left to question everything she thought she knew about dragons, her family, love, and the kingdom.
When twenty-two-year-old Katerina Blackwind finds a dragon egg buried in her father’s grave, she begins to question everything she thought she knew. She must return the forbidden dragon hatchling—Daeja—north to the secretive Dragon Lands: where dragons roam free and a rebellion group resides.
But she can’t do it on her own – smuggling a dragon hatchling across the realm during a war between Arterians and rebels means she can be killed by either side. She knows there’s only one person she can truly trust, her old flame, Cole Ashbourne.
Yet, Cole is much different than the last time Kat saw deliciously chiseled in all the right places with a raw power lingering beneath the surface. Cole is torn between his responsibilities as a newly-promoted Captain in the King’s military, and his heart.
Kat works on a plan to get Daeja to the Dragon Lands while keeping a low profile at the military outpost. Though, having a room next to the sinisterly provocative Darian Raventhorn proves to be anything but easy.
Danger lurks at every turn, and as more secrets are unearthed, Kat is left to question everything she thought she knew about dragons, her family, love, and the kingdom.
513 pages, Paperback
First published January 2, 2025
1629 people are currently reading
25659 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,204 reviews
May 29, 2024
I've read this book over
7 times
—that's how much I've loved it!
Well...fine. I suppose I should also mention I'm the author, so naturally I love it. 😉
If you're here, thanks for checking out Of Flames and Fallacies! My wish is that when you read it you realize that you, too, can do the hard things. Of Flames and Fallacies will make you laugh, cry, and swoon.
Well...fine. I suppose I should also mention I'm the author, so naturally I love it. 😉
If you're here, thanks for checking out Of Flames and Fallacies! My wish is that when you read it you realize that you, too, can do the hard things. Of Flames and Fallacies will make you laugh, cry, and swoon.
"What you are to me, I may never be able to justify in the significance of words. But you are, always have been and always will be, my beginning, and my end. And every breath of my existence in between." ❤️
August 20, 2024
➸ 4 stars
— thank you so much to Courtney and her team for this opportunity <3
🔥 fantasy romance
🔥 dragons
🔥 second chance romance
🔥 love triangle
🔥 secret identity
🔥 found family
🔥 plot twists
this was the most perfect dragon romantasy i’ve been looking for and such a great first book to set up the rest of the series! this story had me completely engaged from the very first chapter and I couldn’t put it down! I loved the plot, these characters were fun to read about, and just felt so many emotions while reading this book! (looking at you chapter 30 & 41…) I laughed, I giggled, I kicked my feet, I screamed (like… a lot), and I formed some extremely inaccurate theories, LOL! this book had me so completely immersed and this reading experience is one i’ll treasure forever; I had so much fun reading this and talking to some lovely people really enhanced everything about this book. I cannot wait for the sequel and to continue on this journey with these characters :)
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“I have a fucking dragon.
And that makes me feel powerful. It makes me feel a little bit…
Unstoppable.”
➺ katerina blackwind - first of all, can we talk about how amazing and badass her name is? LOL! I loved everything about her character, she’s such a strong character and I will forever stand by that. she’s afraid, she’s doubtful, but most importantly, she’s trying. she’s always trying and giving everything her all and that makes me want to give her the biggest hug ever and tell her how proud I am.
“She’s in my head, in my heart, in every fiber of my soul. As if we are the same being.”
➺ katerina & daeja - I absolutely loved the bond that these two started forming! daeja was the cutest little(?) dragon ever!!
“He might be my first friend here.”
➺ archie stormbane - the golden retriever and most adorably funny character in this book! I cannot describe how much I loved this character, he was just everything!
➺ katerina & archie - I LOVED THEIR FRIENDSHIP SO SO MUCH! found family is one of my favorite tropes and it really felt like these two became siblings and it makes my heart feel so warm and happy I could cry.
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“You are capable of so much more than you think you are.”
➺ cole ashbourne - I do like cole, I think he’s a sweet person and I love how he cares so much for the people around him! I can see the amount of love he has for kat through the words in this book, some of the things he said to her had me teary eyed!
“What you are to me, I may never be able to justify in the significance of words. But you are, always have been and always will be, my beginning and my end. And every breath of my existence in between.”
➺ kat & cole - they have so much love for each other and I honestly have no words… iykyk, LOL! so here are some more quotes:
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“What doesn’t kill me better fucking run.”
➺ darian raventhorn - SCREAMING GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET UNCONTROLLABLY RAHHHHHHHHH the the shamelessly flirty assholes will always do it for me idc. IS HE A RED FLAG? YUP! ITS A GOOD THING MY FAVORITE COLOR IS RED AHAHAHAAAAA ;)
“Is this where you confess your undying love for me before we march into battle?”
➺ kat & darian - he’s an asshole to everyone but flirty with her only? YEAH. THATS THE ONE BABYYYYY LMFAOOOO she’s the sweetest and most loving but isn’t afraid to stand up to him? YEAH. I loved every. single. second of them together!!
“You’re so conceited.”
“You’ll have to try harder to insult me,”
“I’m not insulting you, I’m describing you.”
CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE BANTER? YEAH LETS TALK ABOUT THE BANTER. IT WAS TOPPPPPP MF TEIRRRRRRRR! it for real got me so excited anytime they were together and had me smiling and giggling like an idiot I swear LMAO! I really can’t describe how GOOD it was so here are some quotes to do the talking for me:
ANDDDDD HERE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES:
“Did one of your buttons break? How embarrassing.”
“I thought you might like it,”
“How considerate, you’re thinking of what I like now?”
“I think about you a lot more often than you’d probably like to know.”
I can fix him! (no really I can) I CAN FIX HIM I SWEAR! okay but on a real note, he definitely has a soft spot for kat underneath all the mean comments and flirtations! the gentle caring, stroking her hair, rocking her back and fourth, and humming to her during her nightmares is what really sold it for me and I can’t wait to see how this progresses!
—————————————————————————————
full review to come! i had such a good time with this book! that ending had me SCREAMING and is going to keep me up at night until i get the second book in my hands, LOL! add it to your tbr’s ;)
—————————————————————————————
𓍢⊹ 𖧧 ࣪ 🔥 pre-read - dragons, found family & many more?! so excited for this one! check out this opening line:
“I don’t know a lot of things. But one thing I do know, is that once you hear it, you fucking run.”
screaming rn this is about to be an absolute banger!
“Sometimes love is our greatest strength. And sometimes it’s our greatest weakness. It all just depends on how you wield it.”
— thank you so much to Courtney and her team for this opportunity <3
🔥 fantasy romance
🔥 dragons
🔥 second chance romance
🔥 love triangle
🔥 secret identity
🔥 found family
🔥 plot twists
this was the most perfect dragon romantasy i’ve been looking for and such a great first book to set up the rest of the series! this story had me completely engaged from the very first chapter and I couldn’t put it down! I loved the plot, these characters were fun to read about, and just felt so many emotions while reading this book! (looking at you chapter 30 & 41…) I laughed, I giggled, I kicked my feet, I screamed (like… a lot), and I formed some extremely inaccurate theories, LOL! this book had me so completely immersed and this reading experience is one i’ll treasure forever; I had so much fun reading this and talking to some lovely people really enhanced everything about this book. I cannot wait for the sequel and to continue on this journey with these characters :)
“Perhaps death was crueler to those that had been left behind. To miss, and wonder, and long for.”
“My father taught me that fire can destroy, but it can also do other things. It can light our darkness in the night, it can mend us together.”
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“I have a fucking dragon.
And that makes me feel powerful. It makes me feel a little bit…
Unstoppable.”
➺ katerina blackwind - first of all, can we talk about how amazing and badass her name is? LOL! I loved everything about her character, she’s such a strong character and I will forever stand by that. she’s afraid, she’s doubtful, but most importantly, she’s trying. she’s always trying and giving everything her all and that makes me want to give her the biggest hug ever and tell her how proud I am.
“She’s in my head, in my heart, in every fiber of my soul. As if we are the same being.”
➺ katerina & daeja - I absolutely loved the bond that these two started forming! daeja was the cutest little(?) dragon ever!!
“Together had become my favorite place to be.”
“He might be my first friend here.”
➺ archie stormbane - the golden retriever and most adorably funny character in this book! I cannot describe how much I loved this character, he was just everything!
➺ katerina & archie - I LOVED THEIR FRIENDSHIP SO SO MUCH! found family is one of my favorite tropes and it really felt like these two became siblings and it makes my heart feel so warm and happy I could cry.
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“You are capable of so much more than you think you are.”
➺ cole ashbourne - I do like cole, I think he’s a sweet person and I love how he cares so much for the people around him! I can see the amount of love he has for kat through the words in this book, some of the things he said to her had me teary eyed!
“What you are to me, I may never be able to justify in the significance of words. But you are, always have been and always will be, my beginning and my end. And every breath of my existence in between.”
➺ kat & cole - they have so much love for each other and I honestly have no words… iykyk, LOL! so here are some more quotes:
“I’d rather die a thousand times over if it meant not having to live in a world without you ever again.”
“Because for me, it’s always been you. And it always will be you.”
· · ────────── ·𖥸· ────────── · ·
“What doesn’t kill me better fucking run.”
➺ darian raventhorn - SCREAMING GIGGLING AND KICKING MY FEET UNCONTROLLABLY RAHHHHHHHHH the the shamelessly flirty assholes will always do it for me idc. IS HE A RED FLAG? YUP! ITS A GOOD THING MY FAVORITE COLOR IS RED AHAHAHAAAAA ;)
“Is this where you confess your undying love for me before we march into battle?”
➺ kat & darian - he’s an asshole to everyone but flirty with her only? YEAH. THATS THE ONE BABYYYYY LMFAOOOO she’s the sweetest and most loving but isn’t afraid to stand up to him? YEAH. I loved every. single. second of them together!!
“You’re so conceited.”
“You’ll have to try harder to insult me,”
“I’m not insulting you, I’m describing you.”
CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE BANTER? YEAH LETS TALK ABOUT THE BANTER. IT WAS TOPPPPPP MF TEIRRRRRRRR! it for real got me so excited anytime they were together and had me smiling and giggling like an idiot I swear LMAO! I really can’t describe how GOOD it was so here are some quotes to do the talking for me:
“Let me go.”
“Only if you beg me.”
“Fuck you.”
“Get in the queue.”
“You’re deplorable.”
“I know.”
“Is that all you ever know how to say?”
“What’s the point in arguing with you? I’d rather spend my time and energy doing something else…”
“How did you…”
“How did I manage to get so devilishly handsome? I ask myself that every day. Or were you going to ask about my wicked intellect?”
ANDDDDD HERE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES:
“Did one of your buttons break? How embarrassing.”
“I thought you might like it,”
“How considerate, you’re thinking of what I like now?”
“I think about you a lot more often than you’d probably like to know.”
I can fix him! (no really I can) I CAN FIX HIM I SWEAR! okay but on a real note, he definitely has a soft spot for kat underneath all the mean comments and flirtations! the gentle caring, stroking her hair, rocking her back and fourth, and humming to her during her nightmares is what really sold it for me and I can’t wait to see how this progresses!
—————————————————————————————
full review to come! i had such a good time with this book! that ending had me SCREAMING and is going to keep me up at night until i get the second book in my hands, LOL! add it to your tbr’s ;)
—————————————————————————————
𓍢⊹ 𖧧 ࣪ 🔥 pre-read - dragons, found family & many more?! so excited for this one! check out this opening line:
“I don’t know a lot of things. But one thing I do know, is that once you hear it, you fucking run.”
screaming rn this is about to be an absolute banger!
September 13, 2024
⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅ 3★ ⋅˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅
I did enjoy the book at the start but once I reached the 40% mark I honestly started getting bored. I feel like the whole camp thing bored me out, I honestly thought that Kat would be there just for a while and then make her way to the dragon lands. I was so excited about her journey there, but it just wasn't that exciting. I honestly thought that she was just not going to end up going there due to different excuses. I also feel like there wasn't enough of scenes with Kat and Daeja bonding, like Kat was like oh well I'm bonded to a dragon now.
: ̗̀➛ Katerina
I'll admit that Kat is a strong fmc and it’s really trying her hardest to train and get better. She's a bit whiny for me. Her leaving Daeja in the woods by herself for so long and always just telling her to hide broke my heart. Daeja deserves so much better.
: ̗̀➛ Cole
I can see how much Cole cares for Kat especially with the way he talks so calmly and gently. I didn't have it in me to care about him. Once I reached the 40% marked, I honestly had enough of him.
: ̗̀➛ Daeja
I would take this girl as my dragon! I would wholeheartedly love to have a little snuggle with her. When she was just a hatchling I swear I died of cuteness overload.
: ̗̀➛ Archie
He's literally the definition of a golden retriever. I love him so much, he's literally so adorable and cute. I would literally take this man's hand in a marriage.
: ̗̀➛ Marge
She's such cute grumpy old lady that honestly became a mother figure in Kat's life. She's defintely hiding her own secrets but honestly who cares what she has to hide.
: ̗̀➛ Darian
This man right here everyone had my heart swooning for him. The way he flirted with Kat, my knees had definitely given out.
“Let me go.”
"Only if you beg me."
"Fuck you."
"Get in the queue."
This man is definitely a red flag but do I care about that, nope! I'll gladly take this man and allow him to be a walking red flag if it means I could have him.
Thanks to Courtney and her team for this opportunity.
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
⋆.˚🦋༘⋆ preread
so excited to read this!!
I did enjoy the book at the start but once I reached the 40% mark I honestly started getting bored. I feel like the whole camp thing bored me out, I honestly thought that Kat would be there just for a while and then make her way to the dragon lands. I was so excited about her journey there, but it just wasn't that exciting. I honestly thought that she was just not going to end up going there due to different excuses. I also feel like there wasn't enough of scenes with Kat and Daeja bonding, like Kat was like oh well I'm bonded to a dragon now.
: ̗̀➛ Katerina
I'll admit that Kat is a strong fmc and it’s really trying her hardest to train and get better. She's a bit whiny for me. Her leaving Daeja in the woods by herself for so long and always just telling her to hide broke my heart. Daeja deserves so much better.
: ̗̀➛ Cole
I can see how much Cole cares for Kat especially with the way he talks so calmly and gently. I didn't have it in me to care about him. Once I reached the 40% marked, I honestly had enough of him.
: ̗̀➛ Daeja
I would take this girl as my dragon! I would wholeheartedly love to have a little snuggle with her. When she was just a hatchling I swear I died of cuteness overload.
: ̗̀➛ Archie
He's literally the definition of a golden retriever. I love him so much, he's literally so adorable and cute. I would literally take this man's hand in a marriage.
: ̗̀➛ Marge
She's such cute grumpy old lady that honestly became a mother figure in Kat's life. She's defintely hiding her own secrets but honestly who cares what she has to hide.
: ̗̀➛ Darian
This man right here everyone had my heart swooning for him. The way he flirted with Kat, my knees had definitely given out.
“Let me go.”
"Only if you beg me."
"Fuck you."
"Get in the queue."
This man is definitely a red flag but do I care about that, nope! I'll gladly take this man and allow him to be a walking red flag if it means I could have him.
Thanks to Courtney and her team for this opportunity.
✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦
⋆.˚🦋༘⋆ preread
so excited to read this!!
February 24, 2025
A world where dragons are ILLEGAL, but her mission is to get the dragon hatchling to where dragons live freely... NOW ISN'T THAT A BOOK?! 🐉🔥
I won't lie this is the PERFECT book to cure the 'Onyx Storm hangover' , and I say that with sincerity because I read this right after and loved every second of it. Katerina Blackwind is just a woman trying her best to survive, but after a tragic event, she suddenly finds herself in charge of a baby dragon 🐉, and now she has to make it to the other side of the realm alone to help the dragon... unless she finds Cole.
The way we see the relationship Katerina develops with her dragon, I swear is WAY better than the romantic relationship we see throughout the book. I LOVE IT ALL!!! 😭💖 To be honest, the author did such an amazing job giving us a deep perspective on their friendship even before introducing us to Cole, Katerina’s past lover.
I have my reservations with Cole since the start IDK he was giving me the iffy vibes, but we do get to fall in love a bit with him along the way even tho you want to punch the dude at the end it is all part of the reading journey TRUST ME.
OH, AND WE HAVEN’T DISCUSSED THE BEST PART!! 🔥Darian🔥—he is the grumpiest, most morally gray man I have met in a book in a long time, and mama, do I want more of him 😏🔥. I'll leave it at that because I don’t want to spoil what he does in the book, but let me tell you he CAN’T be fixed, and he doesn’t want to be either AGHHHHH 🔥
LASTLY I WILL TALK ABOUT THE PLOT TWISTS!! BECAUSE?!? 🤯 I’m sorry, but I never expected TWO plot twists in this book that had ME WTFFFF, and that says a LOT! I'm so happy I was reached out to read this book, and I hope my review convinces you to read this one because the second book... OMG, I just know it will be AMAZING!!! 😍📖🔥
tropes
🐉found family
🐉forced proximity
🐉long journey
🐉friends to lovers + strangers to lovers
🐉plot twists
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
➳ 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ I personally got reached out by the author to read her book and after reading the blurb I was sold!
I won't lie this is the PERFECT book to cure the 'Onyx Storm hangover' , and I say that with sincerity because I read this right after and loved every second of it. Katerina Blackwind is just a woman trying her best to survive, but after a tragic event, she suddenly finds herself in charge of a baby dragon 🐉, and now she has to make it to the other side of the realm alone to help the dragon... unless she finds Cole.
The way we see the relationship Katerina develops with her dragon, I swear is WAY better than the romantic relationship we see throughout the book. I LOVE IT ALL!!! 😭💖 To be honest, the author did such an amazing job giving us a deep perspective on their friendship even before introducing us to Cole, Katerina’s past lover.
I have my reservations with Cole since the start IDK he was giving me the iffy vibes, but we do get to fall in love a bit with him along the way even tho you want to punch the dude at the end it is all part of the reading journey TRUST ME.
OH, AND WE HAVEN’T DISCUSSED THE BEST PART!! 🔥Darian🔥—he is the grumpiest, most morally gray man I have met in a book in a long time, and mama, do I want more of him 😏🔥. I'll leave it at that because I don’t want to spoil what he does in the book, but let me tell you he CAN’T be fixed, and he doesn’t want to be either AGHHHHH 🔥
LASTLY I WILL TALK ABOUT THE PLOT TWISTS!! BECAUSE?!? 🤯 I’m sorry, but I never expected TWO plot twists in this book that had ME WTFFFF, and that says a LOT! I'm so happy I was reached out to read this book, and I hope my review convinces you to read this one because the second book... OMG, I just know it will be AMAZING!!! 😍📖🔥
tropes
🐉found family
🐉forced proximity
🐉long journey
🐉friends to lovers + strangers to lovers
🐉plot twists
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
➳ 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ I personally got reached out by the author to read her book and after reading the blurb I was sold!
March 31, 2025
How to Train Your Dragon… But, make it sexy.
This was a blast! The plot was super easy to read, and I really loved the dragon the FMC is bonded to, Daeja.
There were only a few things I struggled with, and that was that sometimes the FMC irked me just a little, lmao. And second, is that poor Daeja was in the woods for weeks, I was dying over that.
Now I usually don’t do love triangles, but this one was fun, and it’s tough because both MMC’s are a lot different, but you start to like both- so I am excited to see where book 2 takes us with that.
Also the ending spoiler was so crazy?? I didn’t see that one coming, lol. So now I NEED book 2.
If you’re missing dragon bonding in your romantasy, some fun banter, and training-camp-for-a-military-vibe?? Look no further!
4.25 stars ⭐️
(Came back to edit bc it’s been days and I am
still thinking about this book, so I am rerating it 4.5 stars!)
This was a blast! The plot was super easy to read, and I really loved the dragon the FMC is bonded to, Daeja.
There were only a few things I struggled with, and that was that sometimes the FMC irked me just a little, lmao. And second, is that poor Daeja was in the woods for weeks, I was dying over that.
Now I usually don’t do love triangles, but this one was fun, and it’s tough because both MMC’s are a lot different, but you start to like both- so I am excited to see where book 2 takes us with that.
Also the ending spoiler was so crazy?? I didn’t see that one coming, lol. So now I NEED book 2.
If you’re missing dragon bonding in your romantasy, some fun banter, and training-camp-for-a-military-vibe?? Look no further!
4.25 stars ⭐️
(Came back to edit bc it’s been days and I am
still thinking about this book, so I am rerating it 4.5 stars!)
September 4, 2025
╭ ✦ •
│ ⊹ 𝟺.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 ⊹
╰ ✦ •
THE CLIFFHANGER!!
This book has me in a chokehold. I NEED MORE!!
I loved every minute of this!! This definitely had vibes from The Storm Crow, Crown of Feathers & Eragon, i would also say Fourth Wing too though I haven't read it yet but from the spoilers/snippets/talking dragon parts probably some similarities? The first 3 are YA, but the vibes of “find the egg, hatch it, bond with it” setup? YES PLEASE.
Katerina’s journey pulled me in right away. The pacing was good, the world felt rich without being overwhelming, and I really, really adored Daeja! The bond between them is already something special, and I can’t wait to see it develop even more in the next book.
This was so fun and I absolutely love all the characters.. well maybe except Cole, I'm not sure why but I wasn't vibing with him and I'm not sure how I feel about the love triangle... one reason being not liking Cole but his sweet words near the end tugged at my heartstrings ;-;
I'm all for Darian though!!
Overall, this was such a fun read—exactly the kind of dragon fantasy I’ve been craving. I already know I’ll be impatiently waiting for book two
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⊹ 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ⊹
❥Dragons
❥Banter
❥Morally grey characters
❥Spice
❥Second-chance romance
❥Found Family
❥Love Triangles
❥Fake Identity
❥Fake Sibblings
❥Slow burn
❥Enemies to Lovers
❥Prophecy
❥ Forced proximity
❥Plot Twists
Thank you for the ARC, Courtney<3
_________________________________
Of Flames & Fallacies | Review
Of Blood & Banes | Review
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│ ⊹ 𝟺.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 ⊹
╰ ✦ •
THE CLIFFHANGER!!
This book has me in a chokehold. I NEED MORE!!
I loved every minute of this!! This definitely had vibes from The Storm Crow, Crown of Feathers & Eragon, i would also say Fourth Wing too though I haven't read it yet but from the spoilers/snippets/talking dragon parts probably some similarities? The first 3 are YA, but the vibes of “find the egg, hatch it, bond with it” setup? YES PLEASE.
Katerina’s journey pulled me in right away. The pacing was good, the world felt rich without being overwhelming, and I really, really adored Daeja! The bond between them is already something special, and I can’t wait to see it develop even more in the next book.
This was so fun and I absolutely love all the characters.. well maybe except Cole, I'm not sure why but I wasn't vibing with him and I'm not sure how I feel about the love triangle... one reason being not liking Cole but his sweet words near the end tugged at my heartstrings ;-;
I'm all for Darian though!!
Overall, this was such a fun read—exactly the kind of dragon fantasy I’ve been craving. I already know I’ll be impatiently waiting for book two
────── ✧ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ♡ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ✧ ──────
⊹ 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽 ⊹
❥Dragons
❥Banter
❥Morally grey characters
❥Spice
❥Second-chance romance
❥Found Family
❥Love Triangles
❥Fake Identity
❥Fake Sibblings
❥Slow burn
❥Enemies to Lovers
❥Prophecy
❥ Forced proximity
❥Plot Twists
Thank you for the ARC, Courtney<3
_________________________________
Of Flames & Fallacies | Review
Of Blood & Banes | Review
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July 23, 2024
After sitting on this for a couple days, getting my thoughts and feelings together, I have come to only one conclusion:
This was disappointing 😔
You know the kind of disappointing when a restaurant is out of your favorite food? Yeahhh that kind of disappointing.
The potential is there! It just wasn’t executed in the best way. The writing being the main issue. The writing wasn’t descriptive enough. There are times when it reads like a laundry list. Like in the first chapter: she dashes there, ducks here, drags someone there, dashes down an alley here…with virtually no descriptions about the setting, buildings she is passing, what she feels is glazed over which didn’t make me feel the sense of urgency Kat, our FMC, was feeling and the flow took me out of the story. I had issues imagining the settings the characters were in and the characters themselves, not all of them but some. I felt like the world building was lacking, not enough description or information.
It seemed like there was too many points, too many ideas to fish out and once they were out they were immediately buried under the surface then we move on. One example of this being her father’s background and his diary. We get to read his diary entries about his research about dragons and we learn he was part of the rebellion. We don’t learn about what happens to him, what his role in the rebellion really was, and the FMC does nothing with the information she learned. She ends up burning the diary out of fear of discovery, feels sad about it for a split second and then it’s done. Not mentioned or brought up again. It does nothing to drive the plot forward. There’s also her mother, we learn virtually nothing about her besides that when the FMC was young she was normal then as she got older she became a nut case. Why??? Was she actually crazy or was she ill? Was there some prophecy being hinted at?? What was going on? We get nothing more about that.
Kat has no qualms about killing people, I mean she decapitated the heads of rebels without a problem in the beginning but now towards the end of the book she suddenly decides not to kill the rebel her camp has taken prisoner- why?????
It is also incredibly unfortunate we never got to witness Kat kick Cole’s ass :/ girl, STAND UP! If you don’t kick it, I will do it for you. I liked him at the beginning but after what he admitted…I hope Daeja whacks him with her tail to another planet 🙄😑
Tossing all of these aside, let’s get to what irritated the life out of me the most. Halfway through, the FMC develops this sudden (emphasis on SUDDEN) deep bond with her dragon- she describes feelings of longing when they’re apart and not feeling whole without her all while the bond itself lacks any depth to speak of. No real scene of them bonding nor trying to understand it. She’ll talk about how much she misses Daeja then proceeds to hardly speak to her when she has the ability to do it any place at any time. I found this frustrating and honestly…very depressing. So much potential for a deep, meaningful bond wasted. She withholds information from Daeja the entire length of the book which I also found frustrating. I understand wanting to protect her from the world, especially when she’s a baby but she’s no longer a baby…if you care about her so much then tell her the truth!
I didn’t care much for the ending or the cliffhanger of the book cause it just didn’t make sense. Too many holes and unanswered questions about the rebels plans, intentions, why Kat did what she did, etc. Didn’t understand the significance behind the reveal of the identity of the other love interest.
Despite all of this, the premise was interesting. The characters were likable for the most part- I would die for Archie! Some witty jokes and humor are always appreciated. Daeja was adorable! How many debuts start off as a five star read? The potential is there! Just getting a book published is a feat all by itself. With some writing fine tuning, I think this could be a great series and I’ll be looking forward to book two to see how this story and author develops!
~ A special thank you to Courtney and team for the ARC 😊 ~
This was disappointing 😔
You know the kind of disappointing when a restaurant is out of your favorite food? Yeahhh that kind of disappointing.
The potential is there! It just wasn’t executed in the best way. The writing being the main issue. The writing wasn’t descriptive enough. There are times when it reads like a laundry list. Like in the first chapter: she dashes there, ducks here, drags someone there, dashes down an alley here…with virtually no descriptions about the setting, buildings she is passing, what she feels is glazed over which didn’t make me feel the sense of urgency Kat, our FMC, was feeling and the flow took me out of the story. I had issues imagining the settings the characters were in and the characters themselves, not all of them but some. I felt like the world building was lacking, not enough description or information.
It seemed like there was too many points, too many ideas to fish out and once they were out they were immediately buried under the surface then we move on. One example of this being her father’s background and his diary. We get to read his diary entries about his research about dragons and we learn he was part of the rebellion. We don’t learn about what happens to him, what his role in the rebellion really was, and the FMC does nothing with the information she learned. She ends up burning the diary out of fear of discovery, feels sad about it for a split second and then it’s done. Not mentioned or brought up again. It does nothing to drive the plot forward. There’s also her mother, we learn virtually nothing about her besides that when the FMC was young she was normal then as she got older she became a nut case. Why??? Was she actually crazy or was she ill? Was there some prophecy being hinted at?? What was going on? We get nothing more about that.
Kat has no qualms about killing people, I mean she decapitated the heads of rebels without a problem in the beginning but now towards the end of the book she suddenly decides not to kill the rebel her camp has taken prisoner- why?????
It is also incredibly unfortunate we never got to witness Kat kick Cole’s ass :/ girl, STAND UP! If you don’t kick it, I will do it for you. I liked him at the beginning but after what he admitted…I hope Daeja whacks him with her tail to another planet 🙄😑
Tossing all of these aside, let’s get to what irritated the life out of me the most. Halfway through, the FMC develops this sudden (emphasis on SUDDEN) deep bond with her dragon- she describes feelings of longing when they’re apart and not feeling whole without her all while the bond itself lacks any depth to speak of. No real scene of them bonding nor trying to understand it. She’ll talk about how much she misses Daeja then proceeds to hardly speak to her when she has the ability to do it any place at any time. I found this frustrating and honestly…very depressing. So much potential for a deep, meaningful bond wasted. She withholds information from Daeja the entire length of the book which I also found frustrating. I understand wanting to protect her from the world, especially when she’s a baby but she’s no longer a baby…if you care about her so much then tell her the truth!
I didn’t care much for the ending or the cliffhanger of the book cause it just didn’t make sense. Too many holes and unanswered questions about the rebels plans, intentions, why Kat did what she did, etc. Didn’t understand the significance behind the reveal of the identity of the other love interest.
Despite all of this, the premise was interesting. The characters were likable for the most part- I would die for Archie! Some witty jokes and humor are always appreciated. Daeja was adorable! How many debuts start off as a five star read? The potential is there! Just getting a book published is a feat all by itself. With some writing fine tuning, I think this could be a great series and I’ll be looking forward to book two to see how this story and author develops!
~ A special thank you to Courtney and team for the ARC 😊 ~
July 16, 2025
Add this to your TBR! I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for the next one! It's got it all. Intrigue, danger, romance, spice, A DRAGON, morally grey characters and everything in between. I can't wait to see how they fair in book two!
The story telling is top-notch!
The story telling is top-notch!
August 9, 2024
COURTNEY WHIMS DID THE DAMN THING.
need a cure to a Fourth Wing hangover?
need an escape to a new fictitious world?
need a droolable morally grey character (or a few)?
need spice?
Whims has it here.
Enter the world of Arterias- filled with magic, sparring, lovable characters- and dragons.
By far this book is one of my favorite reads of 2024, and possibly one of my favorite reads EVER.
Impatiently waiting for the second book, but also loving the knowledge that it will be WELL worth the wait 📖👀
Thank you Courtney for trusting me to be apart of your team and for providing an advanced copy.
need a cure to a Fourth Wing hangover?
need an escape to a new fictitious world?
need a droolable morally grey character (or a few)?
need spice?
Whims has it here.
Enter the world of Arterias- filled with magic, sparring, lovable characters- and dragons.
By far this book is one of my favorite reads of 2024, and possibly one of my favorite reads EVER.
Impatiently waiting for the second book, but also loving the knowledge that it will be WELL worth the wait 📖👀
Thank you Courtney for trusting me to be apart of your team and for providing an advanced copy.
July 14, 2024
Love the idea of the book! I will start this by saying a 1st book in a series,No, a Novella yes!
I feel like the first chapter really brought you in. The book had 3 great mini plots that fell flat cause we never got to dig into it. 1 being of the her father and what happened. 2 being her mother, was she crazy or was she sick, what actually was going on was there a prophecy what are we doing with that.And the 3rd being with the king, i was intrigued by the “he may be crazy” theory they had going but it seems like we just moved past it. There was too many chapters with the mundane day to day with plot information sprinkled in. I feel like the urgency to get to the dragon land was not take serious by the main character. Kat spent way to much time, seeing if Cole was coming and she really never pressed him on it either, just left Daeja out in the woods to hide for WEEKS. No real scenes of them 2 bonding or just trying to understand the bond. The bond happened and Kat was just like ok *shrugs* like girl you spent your whole life with dragons being vicious and scary, why does this not concern you? Whats going on with Cole!?!? We just sliding past that as well.The Characters were likable and we finally got to some plot action and the book ended which was a bummer. I fee like the author had too many ideas and just didnt know how to make them cohesive. I know the book needed to end I just wish we didnt waste 20 chapters of Kat following after Cole and her actually protecting Daeja and figuring out why any of this is happening to her. I wish we actually got to the adventure of making it to the Dragon land and not her just getting there at the end of the book.
Im on the fence a out continuing on, if the author can get the plot actually moving in book 2, I AM IN.I understand its a series, so not everything will have answers but too many doors were opened and anything interesting we just slid past it.
I feel like the first chapter really brought you in. The book had 3 great mini plots that fell flat cause we never got to dig into it. 1 being of the her father and what happened. 2 being her mother, was she crazy or was she sick, what actually was going on was there a prophecy what are we doing with that.And the 3rd being with the king, i was intrigued by the “he may be crazy” theory they had going but it seems like we just moved past it. There was too many chapters with the mundane day to day with plot information sprinkled in. I feel like the urgency to get to the dragon land was not take serious by the main character. Kat spent way to much time, seeing if Cole was coming and she really never pressed him on it either, just left Daeja out in the woods to hide for WEEKS. No real scenes of them 2 bonding or just trying to understand the bond. The bond happened and Kat was just like ok *shrugs* like girl you spent your whole life with dragons being vicious and scary, why does this not concern you? Whats going on with Cole!?!? We just sliding past that as well.The Characters were likable and we finally got to some plot action and the book ended which was a bummer. I fee like the author had too many ideas and just didnt know how to make them cohesive. I know the book needed to end I just wish we didnt waste 20 chapters of Kat following after Cole and her actually protecting Daeja and figuring out why any of this is happening to her. I wish we actually got to the adventure of making it to the Dragon land and not her just getting there at the end of the book.
Im on the fence a out continuing on, if the author can get the plot actually moving in book 2, I AM IN.I understand its a series, so not everything will have answers but too many doors were opened and anything interesting we just slid past it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2025
What do I even start it off with? This book was impeccable and Courtney you did the damn thing with this novel.
Everything was so consuming to read. I loved how realistic Kat's journey with grief is and the banter between a certain set of characters had the chemistry JUMPING off the page. I can't even wait for book 2, I need it like I need air to BREATHE. Daeja 🥹 sweet babygirl Daeja. 🥹 I need a pet dragon ASAP after reading this book. I've read a lot of fantasy books, and a lot of dragon fantasy books at that, this one by far has been my favorite introduction to a series.
The way you were able to write each of these characters to have such individualistic personalities and a story of their own without taking about from the MC's stories. I just... I can't! I'm speechless and in love!
Kat is a stand out FMC to me, she stands strongly on her own while also working through trauma and grief and it's absolutely heart stopping to read. As for the 2 MMC's I'll let you potential readers to make a decision on who you like better, I definitely know who my fave is. 😉 along with this story just being a great story, the spice is so good, it's not too much and DEFINITELY not fade to black. I found the balance to be REALLY satisfying.
I am grateful to be able to read this advanced copy of this book and cannot wait for the rest of the story to be told. Thank you so much! 🙏🏼
UPDATE:
First time re reading since I ARC read the book! I've got to say, the added content to the book and all the extra little details that went into Kat and Daeja's relationship, and more, gave the story depth I wasn't even expecting. I already loved the character relationships and the premise of this story, but it felt even better reading it on the second go round! There's so much to love about this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!
Everything was so consuming to read. I loved how realistic Kat's journey with grief is and the banter between a certain set of characters had the chemistry JUMPING off the page. I can't even wait for book 2, I need it like I need air to BREATHE. Daeja 🥹 sweet babygirl Daeja. 🥹 I need a pet dragon ASAP after reading this book. I've read a lot of fantasy books, and a lot of dragon fantasy books at that, this one by far has been my favorite introduction to a series.
The way you were able to write each of these characters to have such individualistic personalities and a story of their own without taking about from the MC's stories. I just... I can't! I'm speechless and in love!
Kat is a stand out FMC to me, she stands strongly on her own while also working through trauma and grief and it's absolutely heart stopping to read. As for the 2 MMC's I'll let you potential readers to make a decision on who you like better, I definitely know who my fave is. 😉 along with this story just being a great story, the spice is so good, it's not too much and DEFINITELY not fade to black. I found the balance to be REALLY satisfying.
I am grateful to be able to read this advanced copy of this book and cannot wait for the rest of the story to be told. Thank you so much! 🙏🏼
UPDATE:
First time re reading since I ARC read the book! I've got to say, the added content to the book and all the extra little details that went into Kat and Daeja's relationship, and more, gave the story depth I wasn't even expecting. I already loved the character relationships and the premise of this story, but it felt even better reading it on the second go round! There's so much to love about this book, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!
November 8, 2025
I honesty really enjoyed myself with this one! I absolutely love Daeja!!
This is a super easy to follow Romantasy that I think would be perfect for readers who are dipping their toes into Romantasy. I will say, it did remind me a bit of Fourth Wing but it's definitely not the same if that makes sense!
While I did enjoy myself, I did prefer the plot over the romance. I needed some more yearning!!
I am moving onto book 2 though! Can't wait to see what happens
3.5 ⭐️
This is a super easy to follow Romantasy that I think would be perfect for readers who are dipping their toes into Romantasy. I will say, it did remind me a bit of Fourth Wing but it's definitely not the same if that makes sense!
While I did enjoy myself, I did prefer the plot over the romance. I needed some more yearning!!
I am moving onto book 2 though! Can't wait to see what happens
3.5 ⭐️
August 1, 2024
HELLLL YESSSS PERFECTION HONESTLY! Did I read this within 6hours of it dropping yes, yes I did. Totally worth my sleep deprivation.
Thank you again Courtney Whims and her team for this copy. First let me tell you all Ms.Courtney had me eating out of the palm of her hand. This does not even seem like her first book. I could not put this book down from the minute it started. I loved the entire plot, this book is one of my new Roman empires. Courtney does a great job balancing the world building and development of all the characters. For those who love fantasy and dragons this is the next book for you, it truly got me out of my iron flame slump. This book is romance, fantasy, adventure. While you can catch similarities between books i think it’s natural with the genre, I don’t think it negatively impact this book at all. Courtney on her own can stand apart from the other popular dragon fantasy books and has a clear style on her own. I found myself living and breathing Arterias and all its secrets.
To go a little deeper on thinks that I loved.
1. Daeja. Daeja is a dragon. She is everything and more. She’s just a baby, stubborn, pure and loyal and honestly I wanna snuggle her. I need a Daeja. Daeja is my toothless from how to train your dragon.
2. Kat is very refreshing as a female lead. While she bad ass she’s also realistic and her beliefs ring true to the core of the book and she’s not wishy washy. She has real struggles and is relatable with her inner thoughts. Because of my own loss I could find myself relating to her a lot.
3. The MMC. Hahaha have fun with picking y’all but let me tell you there’s only one right option here we all know it. He single handedly captured my heart with less than A page needed. When you know you’ll know lol. He is in my top book boyfriend list and he doesn’t even know it. The banter perfect. Chef kiss truly. I need more of he who shall remain nameless for now to avoid spoilers.
4. The one liners and quotes honestly so many to choose from but there are many great ones and moments in this book.
5. The romance is swoon worthy. One scene in particular to avoid spoilers had be blushing and fan girling so hard. Totally for the platter of pastries and fruit *wink*
Overall for me this is a 5 star read. Note I rate based on my enjoyment and captivation of the world and characters. Im glad I bought the haed copy edition signed as well I can’t wait to add it to my collection. Now I just need to find a Daeja.
Again thank you so much Courtney for this copy!
Thank you again Courtney Whims and her team for this copy. First let me tell you all Ms.Courtney had me eating out of the palm of her hand. This does not even seem like her first book. I could not put this book down from the minute it started. I loved the entire plot, this book is one of my new Roman empires. Courtney does a great job balancing the world building and development of all the characters. For those who love fantasy and dragons this is the next book for you, it truly got me out of my iron flame slump. This book is romance, fantasy, adventure. While you can catch similarities between books i think it’s natural with the genre, I don’t think it negatively impact this book at all. Courtney on her own can stand apart from the other popular dragon fantasy books and has a clear style on her own. I found myself living and breathing Arterias and all its secrets.
To go a little deeper on thinks that I loved.
1. Daeja. Daeja is a dragon. She is everything and more. She’s just a baby, stubborn, pure and loyal and honestly I wanna snuggle her. I need a Daeja. Daeja is my toothless from how to train your dragon.
2. Kat is very refreshing as a female lead. While she bad ass she’s also realistic and her beliefs ring true to the core of the book and she’s not wishy washy. She has real struggles and is relatable with her inner thoughts. Because of my own loss I could find myself relating to her a lot.
3. The MMC. Hahaha have fun with picking y’all but let me tell you there’s only one right option here we all know it. He single handedly captured my heart with less than A page needed. When you know you’ll know lol. He is in my top book boyfriend list and he doesn’t even know it. The banter perfect. Chef kiss truly. I need more of he who shall remain nameless for now to avoid spoilers.
4. The one liners and quotes honestly so many to choose from but there are many great ones and moments in this book.
5. The romance is swoon worthy. One scene in particular to avoid spoilers had be blushing and fan girling so hard. Totally for the platter of pastries and fruit *wink*
Overall for me this is a 5 star read. Note I rate based on my enjoyment and captivation of the world and characters. Im glad I bought the haed copy edition signed as well I can’t wait to add it to my collection. Now I just need to find a Daeja.
Again thank you so much Courtney for this copy!
July 29, 2024
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start with the positives...
• Concept: All you have to do is read the synopsis to know what a great story idea this is. In a land where dragons are considered monsters and being found in possession of dragon paraphernalia is a death sentence, a girl finds herself tasked with smuggling a baby dragon to safety ... and she'll have to partner up with her ex (who is now a military captain enforcing the anti-dragon laws) to do it.
It's exciting. We have danger. We have intrigue. We have angst and tension and the potential for romance. IT'S A DRAGON BOOK.
•Narrative Beats: As far as plot points, Whims had them mapped out well. Without going into spoilers, these are the perfect bullet point actions, plot points, and conflict/resolution arcs. We have the exciting intro. We have the inciting incident. We have the numerous barriers blocking the mc from success that she's forced to overcome. We have the cast of characters who both aid and inhibit her simultaneously.
•Characters: Darian.
But where the story fell apart for me is in execution. Quite frankly, this book is not ready to be published.
It does not read as a polished manuscript or even a revised copy. It reads as a first draft. Endless grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and word choice errors aside, this needed more work from a cohesive narrative and developmental standpoint.
Storylines were introduced and dragged out unnecessarily or abruptly dropped without closure. Relationships were extremely underdeveloped. I don't understand motivations - of individual characters, the kingdom, the rebels, anyone. The world building was completely nonexistent (and I say that as someone who doesn't normally care about world building). I found myself very concerned about contraceptives. The book needs more time.
I genuinely could have loved this story. With a decent line and developmental editor, this could easily have been four stars. The last 40% of the book was so engrossing that I finished the story in one sitting (it's after 1am and I'm writing a detailed review for eff's sake). Darian had me in a chokehold from the second he opened his mouth to spew an inappropriate sexual comment.
All the elements are THERE .
It's just. not. ready.
Let me start with the positives...
• Concept: All you have to do is read the synopsis to know what a great story idea this is. In a land where dragons are considered monsters and being found in possession of dragon paraphernalia is a death sentence, a girl finds herself tasked with smuggling a baby dragon to safety ... and she'll have to partner up with her ex (who is now a military captain enforcing the anti-dragon laws) to do it.
It's exciting. We have danger. We have intrigue. We have angst and tension and the potential for romance. IT'S A DRAGON BOOK.
•Narrative Beats: As far as plot points, Whims had them mapped out well. Without going into spoilers, these are the perfect bullet point actions, plot points, and conflict/resolution arcs. We have the exciting intro. We have the inciting incident. We have the numerous barriers blocking the mc from success that she's forced to overcome. We have the cast of characters who both aid and inhibit her simultaneously.
•Characters: Darian.
But where the story fell apart for me is in execution. Quite frankly, this book is not ready to be published.
It does not read as a polished manuscript or even a revised copy. It reads as a first draft. Endless grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and word choice errors aside, this needed more work from a cohesive narrative and developmental standpoint.
Storylines were introduced and dragged out unnecessarily or abruptly dropped without closure. Relationships were extremely underdeveloped. I don't understand motivations - of individual characters, the kingdom, the rebels, anyone. The world building was completely nonexistent (and I say that as someone who doesn't normally care about world building). I found myself very concerned about contraceptives. The book needs more time.
I genuinely could have loved this story. With a decent line and developmental editor, this could easily have been four stars. The last 40% of the book was so engrossing that I finished the story in one sitting (it's after 1am and I'm writing a detailed review for eff's sake). Darian had me in a chokehold from the second he opened his mouth to spew an inappropriate sexual comment.
All the elements are THERE .
It's just. not. ready.
July 16, 2024
OH MY GOD THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!! I’m definitely going to be in a reading slump after this because what can compare to it?? Daeja was so adorable I cannot, and the love triangle 🫣 10/10 recommend
August 6, 2024
3.5 stars rounded up
Of Flames and Fallacies - Courtney Whims
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I genuinely wanted this book to be my new favorite obsession. It had all the qualities of an AMAZING dragon based romantasy series, but unfortunately, it just was not for me.
Let’s begin with what I did like:
- Daeja! This little baby dragon is so adorable. She’s like a cat/dog in a dragons body, and she makes me giggle. I LOVED her. She was the best part of the book for me.
- Love interests: the love interests as characters in this book were pretty well developed. I LOVE Darian. He gave me Luther/Lorian vibes for sure, I just wish we had more of him.
- Found Family: I ADORE Archie and Marge with all of my heart. Archie is such a cutie pie and Marge is a grumpy old lady w more secrets than we know of, but she also becomes a great mother figure to Kat when she definitely needs one.
- Dragon world building: the overall premise of this book was super promising. I liked the rebellion aspect, and the idea of dragons being illegal and on the run.
So where did it fall flat?
- I felt that a lot of the plot in this were half developed or they didn’t get shown as much as they could’ve been. The biggest twist in this, is that Kat, our FMC, finds a dragon egg. It hatched, out pops Daeja, and then she grows super fast and becomes big enough for Kat to ride. For a book that is supposed to be about dragons, we see very little of them. Daeja spends most of the book in the forest away from Kat. And seemingly out of nowhere, Kat and Daeja have a super tight knit bond, and “can’t live without each other.” I need more Daeja though, she was the best part of the book for me.
- The love interests were also half baked to me. Cole, the original love interest, spends half of the book in love with Kat, and we don’t even really start to see any actual relationship building for Kat and Darian until over halfway through. And that also sort of comes out of nowhere. I really wish the love interactions between Kat and the men had some more obvious buildup, and more occurrences.
- The pacing just felt a bit off. The middle dragged pretty heavily, and the end that was supposed to be this big twist I kind of saw coming and just wasn’t built up overly well.
Overall, this book has a super interesting premise, and had all the bones of the next amazing dragon romantasy series. The side characters really carried the story, and I won’t be opposed to reading book two to see if it improves.
Of Flames and Fallacies - Courtney Whims
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I genuinely wanted this book to be my new favorite obsession. It had all the qualities of an AMAZING dragon based romantasy series, but unfortunately, it just was not for me.
Let’s begin with what I did like:
- Daeja! This little baby dragon is so adorable. She’s like a cat/dog in a dragons body, and she makes me giggle. I LOVED her. She was the best part of the book for me.
- Love interests: the love interests as characters in this book were pretty well developed. I LOVE Darian. He gave me Luther/Lorian vibes for sure, I just wish we had more of him.
- Found Family: I ADORE Archie and Marge with all of my heart. Archie is such a cutie pie and Marge is a grumpy old lady w more secrets than we know of, but she also becomes a great mother figure to Kat when she definitely needs one.
- Dragon world building: the overall premise of this book was super promising. I liked the rebellion aspect, and the idea of dragons being illegal and on the run.
So where did it fall flat?
- I felt that a lot of the plot in this were half developed or they didn’t get shown as much as they could’ve been. The biggest twist in this, is that Kat, our FMC, finds a dragon egg. It hatched, out pops Daeja, and then she grows super fast and becomes big enough for Kat to ride. For a book that is supposed to be about dragons, we see very little of them. Daeja spends most of the book in the forest away from Kat. And seemingly out of nowhere, Kat and Daeja have a super tight knit bond, and “can’t live without each other.” I need more Daeja though, she was the best part of the book for me.
- The love interests were also half baked to me. Cole, the original love interest, spends half of the book in love with Kat, and we don’t even really start to see any actual relationship building for Kat and Darian until over halfway through. And that also sort of comes out of nowhere. I really wish the love interactions between Kat and the men had some more obvious buildup, and more occurrences.
- The pacing just felt a bit off. The middle dragged pretty heavily, and the end that was supposed to be this big twist I kind of saw coming and just wasn’t built up overly well.
Overall, this book has a super interesting premise, and had all the bones of the next amazing dragon romantasy series. The side characters really carried the story, and I won’t be opposed to reading book two to see if it improves.
September 10, 2024
5/5⭐️
“I don’t know a lot of things. But one thing I do know, is that once you hear it, you fucking run.”
Courtney had me hooked from that opening line, If I could give this book a million stars I would! The plot, angst, romance, conflict, and most importantly, DRAGONS, had me in a chokehold from the very beginning. The bond between katerina and Daeja was truly my most favourite part of this book, from their first encounter to the end of this book their relationship only grew stronger and more wholesome which I thought it was so beautiful. Also the love triangle aspect in this book made me want to rip my hair out, BUT I’ve already decided who I’m rooting for🤭.
One of my fav quotes:
“How considerate, you’re thinking of what I like now?”
“I think about you a lot more than you’d probably like to know.’ he purrs.” 🙃😋
Honestly I know some people may have their hang ups about the tropes and storylines in this book being similar to other fantasy books released before, but Courtney has this magic to her writing that transformed this book for me and made it stand out from other fantasy books I’ve read. I found the found family aspect was especially touching given the hardships each character endured throughout the book as well🥹🫶🏽. Overall, this was OUTSTANDING and I will be demanding the second book IMMEDIATELY!!! Also a big thanks to Courtney for introducing me to this awesome world she’s created, I can’t wait for you all to have the opportunity to read it too!!
“I don’t know a lot of things. But one thing I do know, is that once you hear it, you fucking run.”
Courtney had me hooked from that opening line, If I could give this book a million stars I would! The plot, angst, romance, conflict, and most importantly, DRAGONS, had me in a chokehold from the very beginning. The bond between katerina and Daeja was truly my most favourite part of this book, from their first encounter to the end of this book their relationship only grew stronger and more wholesome which I thought it was so beautiful. Also the love triangle aspect in this book made me want to rip my hair out, BUT I’ve already decided who I’m rooting for🤭.
One of my fav quotes:
“How considerate, you’re thinking of what I like now?”
“I think about you a lot more than you’d probably like to know.’ he purrs.” 🙃😋
Honestly I know some people may have their hang ups about the tropes and storylines in this book being similar to other fantasy books released before, but Courtney has this magic to her writing that transformed this book for me and made it stand out from other fantasy books I’ve read. I found the found family aspect was especially touching given the hardships each character endured throughout the book as well🥹🫶🏽. Overall, this was OUTSTANDING and I will be demanding the second book IMMEDIATELY!!! Also a big thanks to Courtney for introducing me to this awesome world she’s created, I can’t wait for you all to have the opportunity to read it too!!
August 1, 2024
To keep this as short and simple as possible, I was disappointed.
In theory, it has all the elements to be an amazing book: dragons, enemies to lovers, female lead, rebellion, war, spice, etc.
This book is not ready to be published. It reads like a rough draft. The outline is there and the plot has potential but the writing just doesn’t deliver. So many plot points were push out and then completely forgotten about. It felt like so much was going on but at the same time nothing at all. So much activity happens but there’s no explanation. Where’s the motive? Of the rebels, the kingdom, the characters. To top it off, the world building is almost nonexistent. Everything just seemed very lackluster.
Courtney, you have a good one here. Take your time. Don’t rush to get this out. You want to make this a series, space those ideas out. Really dig deep into detail. You drew the picture, now just add the color.
In theory, it has all the elements to be an amazing book: dragons, enemies to lovers, female lead, rebellion, war, spice, etc.
This book is not ready to be published. It reads like a rough draft. The outline is there and the plot has potential but the writing just doesn’t deliver. So many plot points were push out and then completely forgotten about. It felt like so much was going on but at the same time nothing at all. So much activity happens but there’s no explanation. Where’s the motive? Of the rebels, the kingdom, the characters. To top it off, the world building is almost nonexistent. Everything just seemed very lackluster.
Courtney, you have a good one here. Take your time. Don’t rush to get this out. You want to make this a series, space those ideas out. Really dig deep into detail. You drew the picture, now just add the color.
June 5, 2025
For a debut author, this is by far one of my favorite books. It has everything you could hope for! Toothless vibes from How to Train Your Dragon, Rafiki from Lion King, a love triangle, betrayal... It was a great emotional Rollercoaster for me, I didn't want to put this book down. I can't wait to see where this series goes from here.
December 17, 2025
My new obsession.
Full review to come!
Full review to come!
November 9, 2025
3.75/5 ⭐️
1 🌶️
Plot in simple terms: Girl finds dragon egg in a world where dragons are the ‘bad guys,’ she must take the dragon to the mountains where it will be safe but refuses go without her ex (who she still loves).
Fun new story, not over done. Dragons, drama and romance. There is a lot of potential for this story line, a few holes but that might be intentionally left out for later in the series. I think this story can only get better with the next book. Really excited to see what happens next.
Darian is 🥰
My issues with the book:
When they get to the camp where Cole is stationed, Kat completely ignores Daeja until it suits her. Their bond feels built off of magic, not on an actual connection between the two. I wanted to see them build a deeper bond together. Right now Daeja just kind of feels like the plot in the story and not an actual character.
Miscommunication! Kat never talks through anything with any character through out the entire book. Very frustrating, hope this doesn’t continue through the series.
The book is slow in the beginning but speeds up in the second half.
**Spoiler Warning**
The next book will have a love triangle
***Update after reading book 2: Read this book!!! The next book is AMAZING!!! All my complaints are resolved.
1 🌶️
Plot in simple terms: Girl finds dragon egg in a world where dragons are the ‘bad guys,’ she must take the dragon to the mountains where it will be safe but refuses go without her ex (who she still loves).
Fun new story, not over done. Dragons, drama and romance. There is a lot of potential for this story line, a few holes but that might be intentionally left out for later in the series. I think this story can only get better with the next book. Really excited to see what happens next.
Darian is 🥰
My issues with the book:
When they get to the camp where Cole is stationed, Kat completely ignores Daeja until it suits her. Their bond feels built off of magic, not on an actual connection between the two. I wanted to see them build a deeper bond together. Right now Daeja just kind of feels like the plot in the story and not an actual character.
Miscommunication! Kat never talks through anything with any character through out the entire book. Very frustrating, hope this doesn’t continue through the series.
The book is slow in the beginning but speeds up in the second half.
**Spoiler Warning**
The next book will have a love triangle
***Update after reading book 2: Read this book!!! The next book is AMAZING!!! All my complaints are resolved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2025
I’d put this very on par with powerless, or possibly even fourth wing. It’s fast paced and gripping, though I think it fell flat in a few places. Mostly for me, the characters. They were very two dimensional in my eyes, except for Marge and Kat. The boys were very tropey, with Cole being a Dain/Chaol type and Darian being another Rhysand variant. I think they lacked some depth. Archie read very very young to me, like a 15 year old, so I hard a hard time taking him seriously. The dialogue was a bit cheesy as well. However, the world and politics of this book were very interesting, and the ending has me very curious to see what happens next. I definitely think I’ll continue the series and I could definitely see this book doing its rounds with TikTok fame. I feel very special to have gotten an arc!
July 13, 2024
Courtney, this was amazing. You got me within the first two lines. "I don't know a lot of things. But one thing I do know, is that once you hear it, you fucking run." Yes ma'am! The first few lines of a book are important to me.
It has:
Dragons
Bonds
Banter
Enemies to lovers
Secrets, oh the secrets
Some spice
Loved this very much and I can N O T wait until we get book 2. Brilliant.
It has:
Dragons
Bonds
Banter
Enemies to lovers
Secrets, oh the secrets
Some spice
Loved this very much and I can N O T wait until we get book 2. Brilliant.
August 7, 2024
What can I say about this book? It's a storie with dragons, and even tho I like Daeja, to me, it missed the dragon part... I know this is the first book in a series, and this series has potential, but to me, this first book was too slowburned... We meet Katerina, she meets Daeja, and then they travel to this camp and then nothing... It's just a medival slice life with a dragon in the bushes. There are way too many plotholes, questions that need to be answered (i know they may be answered later on). LOVED the father jornal part, but it was poorly used... We learned 0 about her father past, what the plan was, how he died... Nothing... And she used what she learned there for what?! Nothing... The idea was good but not well executed in my opinion. The sudden interest of her in Darian started where? To me, it wasn't that obvious, it felt strange... Her bond with Daeja felt forced too... They didnt had time to bond besides those nights. The cliffhanger is ok. I will read the 2 book when it's out. Finally, i will die for Archie any time, he is such a good boy. This being said, it wasn't boring to read, it's just wasn't trilling either. It's a good 3-star read
August 9, 2024
I was very excited to dive into this book. I loved the blurb and the trope and of course the dragon elements. I am looking forward to book 2 because the storyline is good and I need to know what happens next. My jaw dropped several times throughout the book as well in a good way.
Some parts did struggle to capture my attention and really hook me but once it was rolling all together, it formed pretty well.
Nonetheless, it was an amazing debut novel! I’m excited to see how she grows and what else she puts out! And I will definitely support it!
Some parts did struggle to capture my attention and really hook me but once it was rolling all together, it formed pretty well.
Nonetheless, it was an amazing debut novel! I’m excited to see how she grows and what else she puts out! And I will definitely support it!
September 10, 2024
4.5 rounded up for Goodreads.
I'm sorry. What??? Oh, my good lord. This was a wild ride. This book was good from start to finish! Daeja is so precious and I want her for myself please!
With dragons, and found family and secrets, this book is an instant recommend. I absolutely need book 2 soon! I have to know what happens next!
After sitting with this a while and maybe already doing a reread, this book is just as good as the first time I read it. It has so many of my favorite tropes and the world is beautifully written. All of the characters are so lifelike and the world seems so real. I will absolutely be coming for book 2 as soon as I can get my grabby little hands on it!
I'm sorry. What??? Oh, my good lord. This was a wild ride. This book was good from start to finish! Daeja is so precious and I want her for myself please!
With dragons, and found family and secrets, this book is an instant recommend. I absolutely need book 2 soon! I have to know what happens next!
After sitting with this a while and maybe already doing a reread, this book is just as good as the first time I read it. It has so many of my favorite tropes and the world is beautifully written. All of the characters are so lifelike and the world seems so real. I will absolutely be coming for book 2 as soon as I can get my grabby little hands on it!
July 16, 2024
Had high hopes for this one but kind of disappointed…
August 15, 2024
I wanted to like this book and I really think that the concept is good but the execution just isn't there for me. It took me quite a long time to read and will admit there was a couple of times where I almost DNFed it but I stuck it through. Below is lots and lots of spoilers so read at your own discretion.
First, I had an issue with the world building or lack there of it. What kind of world is it? I get it's a kingdom and there's rebels but what are the villages like? What are the dragon lands like? I just had a heck of a hard time figuring out where I was and what things looked like.
Kat, is our protagonist and while I think she grows and I kind of like her in the end she just seems flat. She makes really odd decisions that had me going "what?!". Or if she does make a decision it's usually in response to someone directing her.
In the beginning there is house fire that claims the life of her mother who we are told is insane but gains clarity in this last moment, she tells Kat to go to the dragon lands. She gives her the egg and a bag containing her father's journal and tells her to go to Cole. We never find out if her mother is actually insane. We don't know if she is connected to the rebellion. We don't know how she met Kat's father. So Kat sets out to go to Cole but do we reeeeally need Cole? Under the threat of death why do we need to make a pitstop to get him? Is he important?
Kat and Daeja make their way to where Cole is stationed and it takes months (keep this in mind). Baby Daeja by the way, is freaking ADORABLE and I would sell my left arm to get more baby dragon content thank you. Kat makes her way to a village which is promptly attacked by the rebellion. Why though? And why did a rebel have a sword from the King's inner circle?
After killing the rebel and escaping to the woods, Kat and Daeja eventually finally make it to Cole. There's some back and forth with them, Cole tells everyone she's his sister and tells her how he was afraid he lost her. They hide Daeja in the woods and Kat goes to work as an assistant to the healer. We make some friends including Archie who is probably the best character in the book. I love Archie, he's a sweet baby angel. Can we get him a baby dragon?
Kat continues to read her father's journal and we find out he was a dragon researcher and rebel but They decide to burn his journal since it's too risky to keep but then it literally never comes up again.
More stuff happens, Daeja keeps getting bigger, they try to make plans to leave for the Dragonlands but Cole is dragging his feet. This is a huge chunk of the book. Kat complains that she misses Daeja but the time and interactions with her are so basic. There's not a lot of bonding other than, how are you? Then she straight up forgets to visit her!! That is your baby dragon, go to her!
We meet brooding Darian, who flirts with Kat but is a straight up jerk for no apparent reason. I'm not even sure why Darian is interested in Kat outside of trying to get a ride out of Cole but it felt forced. Plus I just didn't like him. I'm all for a morally grey MMC but he just came off as an a$$.
A village is attacked by rebels and the crew responds. Cole wants Kat to stay back but she doesn't. She runs into the town and takes Daeja with her. They intervene to rescue some villagers and Daeja rips the rebels head off. Archie is in mortal danger. Cole kills a rebel and goes way overboard with it and Kat has to step in. Cole struggles, stops eating and avoids Kat.
Now, here is my warning for a major spoiler.
Don't read past if you don't want spoilers!
Last warning!
Cole admits to Kat that he's never killed anyone before and that it's eating him up but that's not all. No, no. He confesses that he's actually engaged. I bet your FINEST pardon. Kat understandably storms out and tells Daeja that they are finally leaving for the Dragonlands. She stops by Darian's room to get a map but he runs into her in the process. She can't think of an excuse as to why she was in there (idk continue to confront him about being a jerk to everyone else?) but no instead, not even ten minutes after finding out a huge bombshell from the man she wanted to marry she does the horizontal mambo with a man she doesn't even like or know. And afterwards, she doesn't even go to Daeja or make an attempt for the Dragonlands.
Then we meet Cole's fiancee. We find out that Cole went back home, learns that Kat's home burnt down, is declared a deserter, agrees to take command of the northern post, gets there and establishes report, then gets engaged to a wonderful and rich aristocrat (which why would that be an agreement??? He's a deserter?? He's being punished??). Anyway, he does all this and we're lead to believe he managed all this while what, Kat was wandering around in the woods all that time. The timeline does not make sense. Also if he was assigned to the Northernmost post after he found out her house burned down, then why did Kat know to go there?
The book ends with a ball to celebrate the couple. They capture a rebel. Kat randomly grows a conscious and doesn't kill her - instead helps her - even though she's never had an issue with killing rebels before. The post gets attacked and she wakes up in the Dragonlands.
Overall, I felt like there was little, if any, climax to this book and everything just happened out of convenience in order to move the story forward. I would have loved more world building, more moments between Kat and Daeja to show them becoming close, and just more explanation overall.
I do want to give this author major props for getting published which is amazing! I think that the story is there, it just needs more. Give us more! Or give Archie his own baby dragon and make that the book.
First, I had an issue with the world building or lack there of it. What kind of world is it? I get it's a kingdom and there's rebels but what are the villages like? What are the dragon lands like? I just had a heck of a hard time figuring out where I was and what things looked like.
Kat, is our protagonist and while I think she grows and I kind of like her in the end she just seems flat. She makes really odd decisions that had me going "what?!". Or if she does make a decision it's usually in response to someone directing her.
In the beginning there is house fire that claims the life of her mother who we are told is insane but gains clarity in this last moment, she tells Kat to go to the dragon lands. She gives her the egg and a bag containing her father's journal and tells her to go to Cole. We never find out if her mother is actually insane. We don't know if she is connected to the rebellion. We don't know how she met Kat's father. So Kat sets out to go to Cole but do we reeeeally need Cole? Under the threat of death why do we need to make a pitstop to get him? Is he important?
Kat and Daeja make their way to where Cole is stationed and it takes months (keep this in mind). Baby Daeja by the way, is freaking ADORABLE and I would sell my left arm to get more baby dragon content thank you. Kat makes her way to a village which is promptly attacked by the rebellion. Why though? And why did a rebel have a sword from the King's inner circle?
After killing the rebel and escaping to the woods, Kat and Daeja eventually finally make it to Cole. There's some back and forth with them, Cole tells everyone she's his sister and tells her how he was afraid he lost her. They hide Daeja in the woods and Kat goes to work as an assistant to the healer. We make some friends including Archie who is probably the best character in the book. I love Archie, he's a sweet baby angel. Can we get him a baby dragon?
Kat continues to read her father's journal and we find out he was a dragon researcher and rebel but They decide to burn his journal since it's too risky to keep but then it literally never comes up again.
More stuff happens, Daeja keeps getting bigger, they try to make plans to leave for the Dragonlands but Cole is dragging his feet. This is a huge chunk of the book. Kat complains that she misses Daeja but the time and interactions with her are so basic. There's not a lot of bonding other than, how are you? Then she straight up forgets to visit her!! That is your baby dragon, go to her!
We meet brooding Darian, who flirts with Kat but is a straight up jerk for no apparent reason. I'm not even sure why Darian is interested in Kat outside of trying to get a ride out of Cole but it felt forced. Plus I just didn't like him. I'm all for a morally grey MMC but he just came off as an a$$.
A village is attacked by rebels and the crew responds. Cole wants Kat to stay back but she doesn't. She runs into the town and takes Daeja with her. They intervene to rescue some villagers and Daeja rips the rebels head off. Archie is in mortal danger. Cole kills a rebel and goes way overboard with it and Kat has to step in. Cole struggles, stops eating and avoids Kat.
Now, here is my warning for a major spoiler.
Don't read past if you don't want spoilers!
Last warning!
Cole admits to Kat that he's never killed anyone before and that it's eating him up but that's not all. No, no. He confesses that he's actually engaged. I bet your FINEST pardon. Kat understandably storms out and tells Daeja that they are finally leaving for the Dragonlands. She stops by Darian's room to get a map but he runs into her in the process. She can't think of an excuse as to why she was in there (idk continue to confront him about being a jerk to everyone else?) but no instead, not even ten minutes after finding out a huge bombshell from the man she wanted to marry she does the horizontal mambo with a man she doesn't even like or know. And afterwards, she doesn't even go to Daeja or make an attempt for the Dragonlands.
Then we meet Cole's fiancee. We find out that Cole went back home, learns that Kat's home burnt down, is declared a deserter, agrees to take command of the northern post, gets there and establishes report, then gets engaged to a wonderful and rich aristocrat (which why would that be an agreement??? He's a deserter?? He's being punished??). Anyway, he does all this and we're lead to believe he managed all this while what, Kat was wandering around in the woods all that time. The timeline does not make sense. Also if he was assigned to the Northernmost post after he found out her house burned down, then why did Kat know to go there?
The book ends with a ball to celebrate the couple. They capture a rebel. Kat randomly grows a conscious and doesn't kill her - instead helps her - even though she's never had an issue with killing rebels before. The post gets attacked and she wakes up in the Dragonlands.
Overall, I felt like there was little, if any, climax to this book and everything just happened out of convenience in order to move the story forward. I would have loved more world building, more moments between Kat and Daeja to show them becoming close, and just more explanation overall.
I do want to give this author major props for getting published which is amazing! I think that the story is there, it just needs more. Give us more! Or give Archie his own baby dragon and make that the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2025
5 stars for me! Finished it in 2 days 👌🏻✨🐉 Such a fun, engaging read withhhh dragons. A new to me indie author and I can’t wait to see what happens in book 2. I think it will really pop off. This has everything I love in a fantasy novel - a lot of plot and action with romance in there too. The perfect balance imo. The last page 👀👀
I need book two!!!
This is on KU too 🙌🏻🙌🏻
I need book two!!!
This is on KU too 🙌🏻🙌🏻
July 14, 2024
5 STARS! So so so good. A perfectly angsty and dramatic fantasy with AMAZING world building, which I don’t say lightly. I cried, giggled, swooned, got pissed at characters sometimes, and told read the book so quick for a fantasy. I personally am a sucker for any fantasy including dragons and this one gave exactly what I wanted for dragons recently! I am normally not one to highlight in books, as I’m focused reading, but this one had some quotes that NEEDED to be highlighted and saved because they truly melted my heart or gave me uncontrollable giggles.
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