Of Frost and Feather: A Brides of Mist and Fae Novel: Flame Cursed Fae, Book 2

Flame Cursed Fae #2

by Eliza Raine

Maddy used to think she knew what would end her life. Now, the list is too long to guess from.

And possibly the most dangerous of them all—Kain.

Every day she spends at Featherblade, more secrets are revealed, and it will only be so long before one of them is hers.

When Kain has what he wants from her… She fears it won’t just be those who wronged him who will feel his wrath.

She must be strong. She must earn her wings. She must resist the promise in his flaming eyes. She must not fall for the villain of Featherblade.

Fae Vikings meets fantasy romance in this enemies-to-lovers series in an academy/war college setting. If you love villain-gets-the-girl stories and obsessive burn-the-world-down-for-her MMCs, then this is for you.

The spice is deliciously slow-burn and builds with each book.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fae, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Magic, Enemies To Lovers

Audible Audio

Published October 22, 2024

About the author

Eliza Raine writes Greek mythology inspired fantasy that is fast paced, full of new worlds and creatures and sprinkled with a healthy dose of romance. She lives near Reading in England with her husband, three cats and outrageously cute puppy. She has a BA Hons in History and has a deep-rooted passion for mythology and stories about women who don't need rescuing.
She can usually be found reading fairytale retellings, playing board games or binge-watching Netflix shows.

You can read some of Eliza's stories for free by visiting her website at www.elizaraine.com

Reviews

[Surajat Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

No ❤️
——————————————

It’s out!!! And my girl Maddy is back 🎉

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just wish it was longer or complete. Constantly feels like we’re only being fed crumbs

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so boring. 😴 it’s basically Maddie’s daily routine over and over again. Being bullied (by adults but they all act like high schoolers)Eating, sleeping, training, and hanging out with her human friend on repeat.
All while Kain is in the background eyeing her.. or leaning against a wall with flames in his eyes. Nothing really happens. No twist or anything else like that. She meets her animal and she like does no touchy stuff with kain. That’s the book. Saved you hours of nothing.

[Elif Arslan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tek gecede bitti… Bölümler çok kısa ve olaylar o kadar art arda ki elimden bırakamadan bitti. Tüm gece ayakta kalmış olmam da umurumda değil çünkü buna değdi. 🤝

Birinci kitabın sonunda öğrendiğim şeyden sonra ikinci kitapta büyük beklentilerim vardı ama yazar yine bize istediğimizi vermedi. 😫 yani normalde bu duruma kızıyor olmalıyım ama beklentimi adım adım yükseltiyor olması da hoşuma gidiyor. Şimdi ikinci kitapta olanlardan sonra Maddynin üçüncü kitapta rakipsiz olmasını istiyorum ❤️‍🔥 tüm farklılıklarını bir araya getirip muhteşem bir kadına dönüştüğünü okumak için sabırsızlanıyorum 🔥

Erkek karakterimiz Kain in neden intikam almak istediğini hala öğrenememiş olmak beni gerçekten geriyor. Dürüst olduğuna güveniyorum ama zamanı geldiğinde büyük seçimler yapacağını hissediyorum 🙄 ayrıca o smut sahnesi neydi öyle ya! Birbirlerine dokunamamaları alev alev bir beklentiye sokuyor az kalmıştı bayılmama 😂

Kısacası bu kitap tam bir gelişme kitabıydı, bakalım yazar finalini yazmayı başarabilecek mi 😎

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the slow burn torture. I can’t wait to finish the series!

[amandathebookworm 📚🪱 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 — absolutely inhaled this audiobook. So quick, so fun, all the fun things about romantasy.


PLOT
After the attack on Featherblade & her saving Kain, they are even more entwined. He still wants her help. She is still just trying to complete training without getting killed by fellow students. & now she’s also dealing with out of control magic. This book has
- slowwwwwwwww burn
- low spice
- fae, humans, & Valkyrie
- training/academia setting
- forbidden romance


PROS
- The audio performance from the actors is super good!
- These books are so quick but don’t feel like you’re skimping out on character or story development.
- Really enjoying where we are going with Maddy’s magic & how that’s developing.
- Her fellow Rooks are continuing to be a good on-the-ground enemy while we figure out the larger villain at play.
- I like Maddy as a character. She’s definitely growing & I appreciate her thoughtfulness about a lot of things.
- Kain remains hot. He still remains mostly a mystery, but a hot one.
- The spice scene was solid. It played out similarly to how I had hoped it would & I was not disappointed.
- Love the cliffhanger at the end.


MIDS
- Is the world the most fleshed out thing? No. But is it enough & interesting? Yes I think so!


CONS
- This isn’t a con for me personally but I can see it for other people but the endings are very abrupt. Very “The Sopranos” in that it almost feels like you’re in the middle of a scene.


SPOILERS
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For real
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- This has a couple of my favorite things in romantasy. 1. The first spice scene switching to the MMC’s POV so we get his obsession then 2. They can’t touch each other but figure out how to get each other off.
- The end with the vision of Kain & her sister is INTERESTING.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for this one after book 1. I had hoped that book 1 would be the expository, setting up of the entire series and book 2 would shoot us into more plot, spice, and action. That was sadly not the case.

The first and second book could’ve easily been edited down about 80% and condensed into one. It felt as if somehow nothing new happened in this book. It contained a lot of the same formula as book 1: she gets bullied, she’s unsure about her family, worth, and magic, and there is some attraction between her and Kain. Though I can’t fault the one spicy scene in this one (finally, but still not enough). There are also quite a few grammatical errors which is my own pet peeve.

All of the above would normally have me stopping a series and yet, somehow, I know I’m going to continue and I still recommend the series. Some sorcery at work here, surely.

As someone previously said, I think reading the books altogether once the series is finished will make much more sense. Nonetheless, it has Norse mythology inspiration, magic, and fae? I’m in come hell or high water.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not just wait however many months to read this book for NOTHING TO HAPPEN!! WTF!!! Of course it ends on another cliffhanger, but I’m pissed because literally all the content is filler and the cliffhangers are shit because it leaves the story unfinished. Whenever something remotely interesting happens the book ends. The smut scene was incredibly cringe, and then thereafter they just waltz off to the vault? The only thing that would have made this book worth reading is 5 more chapters to close out what happens. Im literally so pissed. Of course I want to read book 3 because I feel ROBBED of a story!!! I am so mad right now. 0/10 this is just a filler book, I expected great things only to be let down. Book 1&2 should’ve been 1 book and I wouldn’t be mad about it. Boo!!!

[Dru · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶 (open door, explicit, but no sex...yet)
🔥🔥🔥

The first book is in this series was okay, but I am glad I read the second book because it did get better. The tension between Maddy and Kain is very much present but almost took a back burner as she is discovering more about herself.

This book takes off right where the first book ends. Maddy continues to face challenges in this book, socially and magically. However, compared to the first book, she has stood up for herself more, and has learned from her mistakes. She is becoming more powerful physically by continuing her workout regime, and now just needs to practice magic.

Though this book gave more details than the last book, it is a short book. There are a lot of missing pieces that will need to be exposed to be wrapped up in the next book. We need to figure out why the Frost Giants came to attack the school, how they got in, what is Maddy's true magic/identity, what is the revenge Kain is after, and figure out this war that is clearly started.

There is A LOT to answer for, and I hope that the next book can do a decent job of filling in the gaps that this series has a habit of creating.

🚨🚨🚨🚨Major Spoilers Ahead!!🚨🚨🚨🚨
*truly just a summary so I don't need to reread. By all means, read the summary if you need a reminder, but also I have included my theories*

The book starts off with Valdis coming in right as Maddy's val-tivar snow bear killed the Frost Giant. Maddy's val-tivar acted alone, meaning she did not take over Maddy, and had her own will which is completely different from what val-tivar are supposed to be. The only people who believe her is Kain and Sarra (human best friend).

When Kain goes to the healer, Erik, for his shoulder wound, Maddy is able to see his val-tivar, a snake. No one known to existence is able to see another's val-tivar. Which will lead me below to my further theories.

Nothing much happens in between other than Inga and Orgid continue to harass her and cause her misery. They do try to kill her during a swimming competition where her bear makes another apperance to save her. This is where her secret is exposed that she was the first to receive her val-tivar. This also shows everyone that she has ice magic, yet she is not in complete control. She first found out she had ice magic when she was working on her shield and burnt her hand, which in turn instantly iced over to heal it.

Thyrvi, her val-tivar, is different from the rest.
1. She is completely solid, and not a shadow
2. She can verbally talk to Maddy, not just impose feelings or images
3. She acts independently from Maddy, whereas other val-tivar are more of an extension or take over of the Valkyrie
4. She swears lol
5. She can't be summoned at will, though she has hinted it is because of Maddy, and her magic that she isn't able to stay

Even though Maddy has her val-tivar, and it is a bear, she is not able to see the door to the bear quarters. However the berries on the bush are purple instead of red...which Harald (bear val-tivar) Valkyrie said 'that is interesting.'

Maddy lost in a tournament, but Sigrun still chose to talk to her, where Maddy found the keys to the vault. She is still given a riddle to solve in order to open the door.

Kain is still very much obsessed with her, and told her as much. He watches her constantly, stalker vibes for sure, and continues to try to convince her to work with him to open the vault. Eventually she agrees, but of course after some spice. Maddy was able to touch him, and show she would not burst into ashes. Kain is done for, since that is the first time he was touched in over 200 years. Which means, what ever he did, he did over 200 years ago to get the curse and his wings taken.

*note*Kain can only be given back his wings by the Gods, which might be possible to get them back if Maddy is a God descendent or close.*

Freydis, her sister, has not talked to Maddy. When she visits for the tournament, she is cold and shows no love towards Maddy. Something is going on there, and I am not sure if it is a ruse, or if Freydis knows something that has changed the course of their relationship.

Sarra is trying to figure out the cane that the earth fae who died had. What magic is in it, but when Sarra looks into the magic, her eyes are green and her hands turn grey. Something is amiss there...

Last bit of what Maddy sees: Kain plunging a dagger into Freydis's heart.


Theories:
(i) Maddy is either a Vanir - High Fae, or descendant from the God(s). Potentially Odin. Vanir's did not have wings, nor did their val-tivars act in a normal way that the Valkyrie use them as now. They were considered more as familiars, a way for the Vanir to channel their magic. Which when Maddy thinks about Thyrvi, that is when she can best channel her magic. Thyrvi also talks to Maddy, specially speaks, which is not known for any other val-tivars to do. Thus solidifying my theory on her being High Fae (still tbd).

However, this leaves us with questions of then who her parents really are, and if her sister Freydis is her blood sister. Also since she can't see the bear val-tivar door, is Thyrvi really a val-tivar after all?

Sigrun also said that Maddy is going to change things up. It is clearly stated that Maddy is something we don't know fully, and those are the secrets that are waiting to be uncovered. Sigrun also mentioned that Maddy has magic that is older than her, essentially the only thing older is the High Fae and the Gods.



Tropes:
☑️ Touch her and 💀
☑️ Secret Identity
☑️ Dual POV’s (first person, but only one chapter in the POV of Kain)
☑️ Enemies-to-Lovers
☑️ No OW drama
☑️ No OM drama
☑️ FMC not Virgin
☑️ Found Family

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not a big fan of the first installment but I'm glad I kept going! There were still things in this one that weren't great for me (ie: Maddy being very specific in saying, no, don't call me that and Kain blatantly ignoring her) but the opposites attract tension was there and much better in this installment. My personal opinion is I think that once completed, reading the series as a one shot is going to make more sense than the little bits we're currently presented with.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots happening but nothing happening at the same time.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok I had to read the second one because that first book was just exposition. Now I feel like I somewhat understand what the overarching plot is but I’m still kind of lost. This book did remind me of camp halfblood a little and that was kind of fun

[The Aqua Pisces · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this world of Fae and the Valkyrie. I like the tension between the two main characters Maddy and Kain. Their sexy scene did not feel right, idk I felt as though the author pushed it in there to make her fans happy before the book ended. There wasn’t any flirting between them in this book like the first so to me the sexy scene would had made more sense in the 1st book. Maddy’s powers are very unique and I’m excited that she got her Val-tivar and powers. She is different from everyone and so far has a good many enemies. Although a great series I did feel like once the plot started to finally unravel the book ends on a cliffhanger. But I’m very invested in this series and can NOT wait until the 3rd book comes out! I give this a 3.5 Star 🌟

[Kyli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just ain’t for me I’m afraid

I feel enough second hand embarrassment out in the real world, I don’t need to experience it through an fmc while I’m reading too

[Joanna Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man that was good!
I’ve been in a slump since finishing SJM crescent city 2 and that was just the ticket.
This plot is picking up speed like a giant white bear rolling down a snowy hill! Fast, unapologetic, hot and heavy! I loved every minute of this and devoured it non stop until it was done, my only complaint is that I want the next instalment NOW!
Thank you For the ARC, damn that was good!

[Courtneay Malek · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 - Entertaining, quick, and easy.

[Cassidy Chivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thoughts are the same as book one.

I did love how this one progressed and we got more interactions with our love interest but still doesn’t feel like a completed arc.

[Madison Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was 300 pages but it was still too long. Also Maddy, you are giving me the worst secondhand embarrassment. Plz get it together

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

homegirl goes to class again for 300 pages.
the end. ✨
(the aforementioned potential of book 1 has left the building)

[Malikha · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️… Like absolutely nothing happened in terms of plot🫥

[Jade ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 ⭐️
The definition of a slow burn… like slower than my motivation on a Monday. Although, every tiny interaction between Maddy and Kain had me feral bc like JUST GET TO IT. YALL LIKE EACH OTHER. Inga and Orgid legit frustrate me bc i feel they interact more with maddy then she does with kain my lord.
Pls touch some grass.

Took 2 books and 37 chapters in to FINALLY have Kain give his pov and just for it to be some weird ass smut scene that could have been on a Harry Styles wattpad story in 2015. Im still processing whatever that was.

But then, she leaves us with that cliffhanger that just came outta nowhere. so i guess i gotta read book 3 🧍🏼‍♀️🔫

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Book 1 sucked me in and had a strong hold on me. I dove into book 2 right away and the world Eliza Raine built, as well as all the characters captured my interest. Leaving me with the need for more. Again the story is well balanced with mystery, suspense and character development (mainly Maddy).

[Lesley A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t put this book down!! Story line had me gripped from book 1, but this second instalment was so fast paced, I literally read it in 24 hours. Now can’t wait for next book out in Jan next year! I’ll have to learn patience 😆

[Romance.Booktalk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Story!

I’m still loving this series so much, and I’m also enjoying the audio book too. The story is quick and easy to read, and super entertaining. I’m loving all the tension between Kain and Maddy - so good, and I’m loving Maddy’s bear valtivar, Thyrvi, she’s absolutely hilarious.

I’m definitely continuing with book three.

[Kimberlylovesreadingbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first book 🤷🏾‍♀️

[Tash Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The slow-burn in this series is remarkable. Eliza Raine has written yet another page turner, and I an addicted. There is not a dull moment in this book! Amazing characters, fresh take on valkyries, fae and Norsk mythology.

[Tekayah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the second instalment of this series slightly more than the first, so I’ve given it 4 stars.

I quite enjoy the way the story is being told and that while our main character Maddy definitely is the “chosen one”, her trails and tribulations don’t go as successfully as she’d hoped. For example the trails that happened. While most chosen a ones would somehow pull out a win, I enjoyed that Maddy was just as unsuccessful as she is in everything else she does.

This is a great refreshing story and I’m excited to read the final book in the series.

[Katie Rankine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. Its fun quick paced and a really easy fantasy read. Recommend to everyone who likes romantasy

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting this to be so much better. Don’t get me wrong : I was still interested because I loved the concept, the mood, and the setting. However, it felt like there weren’t any real stakes. Not much happened, and the only fresh element was the ending. Now I’m unsure if I’ll continue with the series.

[Krysten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love it. This book starts right where book 1 is ended. I love Maddy and Kain and the dynamic between them. You get to know most of the characters better in this book. They continue their Valkyrie training and add in some new elements as they progress, as well as a skills demonstration. I’m definitely rooting for Maddy and Kain, love the slow burn.