Empire of Flame and Thorns

Flame and Thorns #1

by Marion Blackwood

A fae rebel. A ruthless dragon commander.
And a deadly trial that will turn their lives upside down.

Trapped in the Seelie Court by a forest of thorns, Selena Hale lives at the mercy of the dragon shifters. Her only chance to gain her freedom is by entering the Atonement Trials: a deadly competition that pits fae magic users against each other. Only three people can win, and Selena intends to be one of them.

There is only one problem. Draven Ryat, the ruthless commander of the dragon shifter army, is determined to make her lose.

He symbolizes everything that she hates, and if he finds out that she is also a member of the secret fae rebellion, he will not only mess with her chances to win, he will kill her. But the more time she spends with him, the more she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him.

And nothing is more dangerous in a lethal trial than a distracted heart.

Especially one that beats for the enemy…

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

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 21, 2024

About the author

Marion Blackwood is the author of The Oncoming Storm series, the Court of Elves series, the Ruthless Villains series, the Ruthless Enemy trilogy, and the Flame and Thorns series. She has a Master's Degree in English and History Education, and she worked as a high school teacher before becoming a full-time author. When she's not busy writing fantasy books or traveling the world, she reads, binges shows, and loses at video games. Marion has previously lived in the US and China, but now she once again calls the beautiful country of Sweden home. To find out more, visit: www.marionblackwood.com

Reviews

[Marianna Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely forgot to mark as finished last weekend!

Okay wait I loved this!! Such an easy fun romantasy, exactly what I needed! I’ve been having such a hard time getting into romantasy lately so the fact that this book sucked me in from the beginning is a feat in and of itself! Was this perfect? No but I simply didn’t care, I couldn’t put this down.

In this world the Fae are trapped in the seelie court which is run by the dragon shifters and Selena our FMC enters these trials to try and gain her freedom. I honestly loved her, she is flawed and definitely a weaker FMC but I loved how real she was and she never tried to be something she wasn’t, she owned her insecurities and it was so refreshing. Our girl is literally just trying to survive and prove herself. She can also manipulate people’s emotions which I loved!

Draven….. a mean, grumpy, dragon shifter commander???!! Guys I loved him so much and I literally know so little about him!! I NEED MORE!! He also will do everything and anything to get rid of Selena, they hate each others guts and I LOVE IT! This is a slowwwwwww burn and it’s so worth it. The tension, the banter, the will they won’t they, it’s so good!! The mouth on him… no I can’t. I’m gonna lose it. I love it when the MMC hates her but then slowly starts to show he cares about her in the little tells…. I couldn’t stop giggling! When he constantly flexes his hand to resist the urge to touch her…… hehehehe

But also the plot was so action packed and fast paced and the ENDINGGGG?!!!! I’m sorry?!! I need to jump into book two now because my jaw is ON THE FLOOR! WHAT DO YOU MEAN??? I did not see that coming.

- enemies to….. maybe kind of sort of not really lovers
- Deadly trials
- Morally grey dragon shift MMC
- Fae FMC with the ability to manipulate emotions
- Plot fucking TWISTS???!!! wtf was that?!
- Banter banter banterrrrrr

I definitely felt like the world building was a bit lacking and I would have liked more explanation of the magic system but I feel like we will definitely get that in book two! Again not perfect but definitely a lot of fun and addicting!

[Alexia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I can't say whether this disappointed me, but I certainly went into it without high expectations. The romantasy genre has become increasingly repetitive; it seems like every story features a male interest with black hair who towers over the female protagonist and boasts a muscular, perfect physique. The female leads tend to be petite, equipped with powerful magic they don’t know how to control—no worries; the love interest will swoop in to teach them. The romance often claims to be enemies-to-lovers, yet it usually boils down to one character disliking the other for trivial reasons.

Finding a standout story in this genre feels like a rare occurrence, and I thought this might be it, but I ended up disappointed.

Initially, the book has promise. The female protagonist, Selena, is reasonably likable. She’s not overly special—her powers, while unique, lack overwhelming strength, and she's not portrayed as a typical "girl boss." The plot holds interest, and the initial ambiguity surrounding the trials creates a sense of urgency. While the world-building isn’t groundbreaking, it’s acceptable.

However, once I reached the halfway point, everything changed. As I learned more about the trials, it became apparent that the stakes weren’t as high as initially suggested. It started to feel like childish characters bullying those who are weaker. Selena quickly devolves into a damsel in distress, allowing Draven, the love interest, to rescue her far too often. When her personality shifts inconsistently from what was established, I lost all interest and hope for this book to earn a four-star rating.

The romance is outright disappointing. Selena and Draven lack any chemistry, and their feelings seem to materialize out of thin air. Their banter reads like that of 12-year-olds arguing. Draven epitomizes the clichéd male love interest in romantasy; there’s little to say about him beyond the fact that he can create storms (thankfully, he doesn’t possess shadow powers).
And the nickname little rebel that he had for her made me want to bang my head against a wall just so I could forget it.

The enemies-to-lovers angle had significant potential, especially with their races’ antagonism, but the author squandered it. Instead of genuine conflict, the relationship becomes a series of humiliations and a childish power dynamic, leaving me embarrassed to read.

The twist at the end was completely predictable; it was obvious from the very beginning of the trials. It's baffling that the characters didn't even entertain the possibility that the trials were a trap. This lack of common sense only added to the overall disappointment. The predictability of it all showcased the shortcomings of the story.

In conclusion, this book is just like every other romantasy out there—only with even more immature characters.

[ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Thais • tata.lifepages • · Rating 5 out of 5]

And that ladies and gentleman is how one keeps a person up until 4:40am 😭🖤😭🖤

THIS WAS SO SO GOOD I CANNOT EVEN PUT WORDS IN!!!

ALL THE FRIGGIN STARS!!!!!!!

[Grace Harper · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 30%

Guys… please be so fr rn. The premise of the story has potential, but the writing is genuinely soooo bad 💀 It lacks depth, emotion, and comes off very juvenile. It was only gradually getting worse the more I read and that’s when I knew it just wasn’t even worth it 🤣

I even ordered the paperback last night thinking I was gonna love it and I just cancelled it lol

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

Tropes & what to expect:
- Fae vs dragon shifters
- True enemies to lovers
- Deadly trials
- Forced proximity
- Tension + slow burn
- Single POV

Oh I knew I was going to love this as soon as I found out there were dragons/dragon shifters. I didn't know there were also fae - so that just made me even more intrigued.

So basically, the fae used to rule over the dragon shifters, however the tables turned and now the dragon shifters have been ruling over the fae for quite some time. The fae live in poverty with all of their own choices taken from them. They don't even get their own money, yet they have to work in order to get 1 meal ticket per day to feed themselves.

Every 150 years the dragon shifters allow any fae who want to fight for their freedom the chance to enter the Atonement trials. There are only 3 people allowed to win and gain their freedom to leave the city.

Selena is actually part of a rebellion against the dragon shifters and ends up joining the Atonement trials as a way to help the rebellion and earn her freedom. However, the rebellion's cover is about to be blown one day so Selena panics and tries to create a distraction by throwing a drink in the commander of the Dread Legion, second only to the Empress and Emperor of the Icehart Dynasty.

Draven, a dragon shifter also known as "the shadow of death" makes it his mission to ruin her life for this small act against him. So when he finds out that Selena has entered the Atonement trials, he stops at nothing to make sure she doesn't win.

I CANNOT WAIT FOR BOOK 2. THE ENDING OF THIS ONE HAD MY JAW ON THE FLOOR.

[Minni Mouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded down because while this was pretty good for a second draft, it probably could have gone through a few more revisions. Otherwise, this book is on par with the kind if book you'd find via Booktok or for free on "Stuff My Kindle" day. Lucky for the marketing department, that also means this book has all the tropes that readers seem to want these days in their modern romantasies -- it has the romance and plot of Serpent and the Wings of Night and some of the tone/feel of Fourth Wing.

THE GOOD
1) The books reads so easily. The opening chapter sucked me in at the preview.

2) It's nice to read about our main character having a power that isn't some physical superpower but rather a seemingly useless one that manipulates emotions.

THE BAD
1) You could tell this book was written by a female Millenial or Gen Z-er because who else would write such painfully awkward "girl power" scenes?

“Want some advice?” the guy says. But he doesn’t wait for a response. “How about actually replying when a man tries to make small talk?”

“Yeah,” the blond one fills in. “And you should smile more.”

At that, Isera finally looks up. Her face is an expressionless mask and her tone is flat as she replies with one single word. “Why?”

“Because it makes you look pretty.”

“And why would that be my goal?”

Stunned silence falls over the table as the two guys stare at her, uncomprehending, while their mouths work up and down a few times.

Isera lets out a scoff and goes back to eating.

“No wonder you’re still single,” the silver-haired one huffs. “Fucking ice lady.”

2) Selena starts off as an immature, naive character but by the end of the book, is still an immature, naive character.

When I entered this competition, I thought… I don’t know. That I would breeze through the trials? Or something like that.

It sounds ridiculous now. But I just thought that because I wanted to win so badly, it would give me an edge against everyone else. But the more time I spend here, the more I realize that everyone desperately wants to win. And I don’t know if I’m skilled enough, and ruthless enough, to beat them.
_____

It’s insane that the fae resistance hasn’t utilized me more. I would make the perfect spy. I can deescalate conflicts before they happen. And I can create them too, as distractions or as a part of a longer manipulation mission. I could do so much for them. And yet, all these years, they’ve kept me stuck on lookout duty.

Pain stabs into my chest and squeezes my heart. I’ve tried so hard to prove myself. To the resistance. To my parents. To the friends I should have had. But no matter what I do, everyone always keeps me at arm’s length. As if they think I’m going to… what? Take advantage of them? Force them to like me against their wishes?

It’s ridiculous. Just because I can manipulate people’s emotions doesn’t mean that I go around doing it at random. Just like Isera doesn’t throw blocks of ice at everyone she meets just because she can. But it’s as if there’s suddenly this huge difference just because my powers are of the mental kind rather than something physical that people can touch, or at least see.

My heart clenches again, and hopelessness washes over me. How am I ever going to make them accept me?

3) Draven is given no personality other than to have abs and wings. We don't know the history alluded to briefly by the members of his own Black Clan when it's hinted that his reign and position was highly unpopular among his clan. We have little clue as to why (and when?) he even became attracted to Selena. We don't learn much about him except he'd horny.

4) Weak world buildling and weak characterizations. The plausibility of every plotline is slim, at best. So Selena thinks winning the Atonement Trials is ultimately her ticket to getting the Resistance to accepting her? And the Atonement Trials are set up seemingly for the Seelie Fae to get a ticket out of Oz?

FINAL THOUGHTS
Entertaining. If all you're into are the tropes, this book does them all.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this a pretty standard romantasy? Yes. Did I enjoy it anyway? Also yes. But I can totally see why someone might not.

I started this right after reading book four in the House of Devils series, and I immediately felt the difference in worldbuilding, plot, character development and writing. But I'm not here to compare them, because they're nothing alike, and this is book one so it still has time to grow by the time it gets to its own fourth installment.

It does have some flaws, the plot could be stronger, the trials a bit better, the world building more expansive, and the characters more interesting to set them apart from the typical romantasy formula, but it wasn't a bad read at all.

The pacing is really good, you get sucked in immediately, and you'll be halfway through before you know it. There is a ball scene (just saying), and there is something there that pushes you to keep reading. Whether it's the suspicion that the trials aren't what they seem, or just the desire to see where it all goes.

There's almost no backstory which works both in this book's favour and against it. As in, there's no info dump at any point, you can just jump in and turn off your brain for a couple of hours, so it's very relaxing. But, at the same time, it feels like there's not enough depth to the story/characters.

Everything moves so fast that it's hard to get to know them, and it doesn't help that everyone keeps staying away from poor Selena because of her powers. It's also hard to see why exactly Draven likes her? Other than physically.

SPEAKING OF, I'm actually so annoyed that he dropped zero hints about the trials being a lie, because he just kept telling her he won't let her win, but not why. Like, that one time he said she didn't deserve it, that was the biggest "hint" we got that something was wrong, but if he really cared THAT MUCH he should've at least said "it's not all it seems" and had her figure out the rest.

They had some cute moments though, I won't deny, but I don't see them becoming one of my favourite book couples. Especially with Draven being a copy paste of a bunch of different romantasy heroes. Selena did seem more unique, and I like that she's not strong in a magical sense, or an expert fighter, but she has her own way of doing things.

I had an inkling the ending would be something akin to what happened, but I was still a little shocked, so extra points for that.

Hopefully the writing in the next one will be a teensy bit better, it could get repetitive in some sections. But I don't think it's that jarring when you get into it.

Not a full four stars, but I'm rating based on my enjoyment level, not what the book objectively deserves okay? Okay.

[Noi (in & out) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You really need to stop looking at me like that,” he warns, his voice low and rough. The mere sound of that dark and strained voice makes my skin prickle with pleasure. Drawing in an unsteady breath, I hold his searing gaze. “Or what?” 🫠
-----------
This quote is now semi-applicable to me and book 2 (as it has no news of an audio).
-----------
And another (fantasy) one

[Sarah Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. This reads like someone's first novel length Wattpad fantasy story

[Roxy]

Another one..

[Sheanna M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh....
It was super slow. Once it finally got good in the last few chapters it ended. I ended up skipping whole pages of her whining and complaining about her useless powers

[Paige Hull · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lol. The writing and story were so bad that it was astounding. I finished reading this out of pure spite.

[Aiste Tauras · Rating 5 out of 5]

POV: drakonai nužudo visus pasaulio dragon rider’ius, visas fae išsiunčia į vergiją ir tampa pasaulio valdovais.😈😈

Kas 150 metų jie rengia trials ir 3 nugalėtojai turi galimybę palikti vergystę ir pakeisti savo gyvenimą, pradėti iš naujo.

Selenai yra 167metai ir ji pirmą kart turi galimybę sudalyvaut turnyre…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Ohhhh, KOKIA GERA knyga!!! Lūkesčiai viršyti 🫠🫠 Labai tikėjaus, kad FMC bus brandesnė… ir ji tokia buvo 😄 Visą gyvenimą bandžiusi visiems įtikti, bet visada būdavo nustumta ir nemylima net savo pačios tevų, aš tikrai mačiau jos vidinę kovą ir norą laimėti, bet ir pleasint kitus.

Dragonshifter MMC.. 🥵 Kam patiko Xaden, man čia geresnė jo versija 🥵🥵

Labai lengvai skaitomas romantasy, taip sakant for the vibes ✨

Matau, kad daug prirašiau, nors galiu tęst, filmuosiu videooo ir imu 2 dalį!

[Anna Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

This needs to be your next dragon romantasy book!!

Empire of Flame and Thorns is the perfect balance of plot and spice with a high stakes competition, unique magic system, dragon shifters, morally grey MMC and an FMC you can’t help but love! I was intrigued by the story from the first page and couldn’t put it down. The perfect book for the beginning of a series!

Here are a few of my favorite things…
- the world building and history revealed throughout the book makes it easy to get into
- the banter and reading between Selena and Draven is perfect. Anytime he can’t help but smile makes me so happy
- Draven does the Pride and Prejudice hand clench constantly because poor man just wants to reach out to Selena
- the perfectly placed hints that things aren’t as they appear but you’re still surprised by the twist at the end

Just a warning, there is a cliffhanger!!! I need more! Make sure to download the bonus chapter for the last scene in Draven’s pov because it’s EVERYTHING

Would I recommend? Yes!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me enthralled from page one. I mean...major hunger games vibes... but with fae? Yes please...The build-up, back story, tension, chemistry...wow. Draven the MMC... just wow...so brooding and vicious...😍. He's perfect! I love how the FMC Selena becomes stronger and wiser throughout the book. She thinks her compassion is a weakness, but in the end it helps her.

That ending...wow I suspected they were villains, but man....just read it 😉 you won't regret it. Can't wait for book 2! 5⭐️

[Malikha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books just hit better when u have weeks of lectures to catch up on😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

[micolreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 ⭐

Well, let's just say I expected something different. My main problem with this book is the incoherence of the plot and characters, I struggled to let go of things that were just left there with no reason (eg. The rebellion: it's mentioned two times and then never again and I think it's pretty important in the overall plot, but here it was just abandoned all together).

I hated both main characters and I wish the author spent more time developing them separately instead of concentrating on their "relationship". Also, there were so many good second characters that were just not taken into consideration.

The plot was interesting, and while the plot twist may not be the most surprising, it was actually coherent with the plot.

[Amy Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - Rolled me eyes way too many times for it still to be the first chapter, writing is not for me - too tell, not enough show

[Carolin Wahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Sterne 🌟

Unterhaltsam, aber teilweise sehr unausgegoren und nichts Neues. Stellenweise keine Erklärungen für Dinge, aber man fliegt durchs Buch, wirklich mitgerissen hat es mich aber leider nicht.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do I fall for it every time?

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars
2 on the spice scale

[Kylieisreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this was amazing. I am a sucker for an enemies to lovers romantasy with trials and this did NOT disappoint. The fae are trapped and controlled within the seelie court by the dragon shifters. Every 150 years the shifters hold the Atonment trials giving 3 fae a chance at freedom. The premise and trials throughout were so unique. While Selena is fighting for her freedom Draven Ryat (commander of the dragon shifter army) 🥵😍 will do anything to make sure she loses. This book was spicccyy and i have a feeling the next book will be ever spicier #littlerebel ;) The twist at the end of this book had me throwing my kindle in shock and I need book two immediately. I have a feeling that this magical world is just getting started ✨🤍🧚‍♀️🐉

[Luce · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

This was a super fun and easy romantasy. Loved the dragon rider vibes and the male main character really carried this one for me. I kinda wish I’d read this instead of audiobooked it, because I just felt disconnected and predicted the ending from v early on.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The heroine’s main character trait is that she’s a people pleaser and you get hit over the head with this every single chapter.

This is basically Direbound with fae and magic.
Every 150 years, a competition is held to allow three winners to escape the oppressive dragon shifters.
Selena is a low-ranking rebel fae (the rebel part doesn’t play into this book) who can manipulate people’s emotions. Of course, the scary dragon shifter commander who helps run the trials seems to have a personal vendetta against her.

I never felt an emotional connection between our love interests. Maybe that was the point as it is the current trend - a dark, deadly, domineering male who looks like he wants to kill everyone.

The reveal/twist at the end was obvious considering we are told repeatedly the mean dragon shifters are the one compelling everything, and the ones offering the chance to escape.

Selena doesn’t have a fun side cast to interact with. Rather, her ‘friends’ are the ones who tell her she needs to look it for herself more. The bar is low in a competition where people are out to kill.

When I initially started writing this review, I was going to rate it three stars as it passed the time and I didn’t find anything annoying (apart from the constant need to remind us Selena puts everyone before herself). Now we’ve come to the end of the review and I��ve convinced myself this is a high two stars.

If you love romantasy and trials, you might like this with all the caveats within my review.

Bookstagram
Tiktok

[Mim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well..
FMC is really childish with no spine and MMC feels really bland (we know practically nothing of him). The trials are okay but the conclusion is very obvious.
There are very cliché characters and more cliché banters. Everyone is just dumb. This would feel like YA but cause it has spice scenes it isn't... Talking about wingspan also got me confused. I know what it means but is it already a dictionary word?

But I kinda wanna know how in next book the FMC will escape

[~ Tara Bezeau ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely devoured this book!! Amazing writing and I loved all the back and forth sabotaging and flirting. And that ending!!!! Where’s book two! Ha

[Tiffany]

As if my TBR needs to be any longer but I've heard great things about this one so adding it!

[Tetyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Це було добре. Якби я прочитала цю книгу 2 роки, чи навіть рік назад, то була б у захваті.

Багато років тому народ фейрі полонив драконів і зробив їх своїми вершниками. Згодом дракони звільнилися, взяли владу в свої руки і з тих пір мстять фейрі за минулі вчинки. Кожні 150 років вони влаштовують випробування, де 3 переможці-фейрі отримують свободу і можливість покинути країну та жити де-інде. Головна героїня Селена - 167-річна представниця фейрі вирішує взяти участь у випробуваннях, щоб здобути шанс на нове життя.

Знайомий розвиток сюжету, чи не так? Щось схоже було і в Голодних іграх і в Безсилій і в низці інших книжок. Тобто очікувати оригінальності від цієї історії не варто. Світ доволі простий, багато подій можна передбачити, і не потрібно ламати мозок над сюжетними поворотами. Але тим не менш написано гарно, герої не дратували, я з цікавістю стежила за всіма подіями. А ще повеселили відсилки до ДШІТ з "найкрасивішим мужиком" і чутливими крилами (if you know what I mean😈)

Трішки про героїв. Селена володіє магією емоцій - може відчувати емоції інших людей і маніпулювати ними. Незважаючи на свій вік, вона складала враження 17-річної підлітки. Занадто наївна, довірлива, з браком критичного мислення. Розвинути свою магію за всі ці роки вона змогла, а от навички соціалізації не дуже. Чому, просто чому в неї жодного разу не виникли питання щодо всього, що відбувалося навколо. Але мені сподобалося, що з неї не зробили Мері-Сью, яка все може і що більшість випробувань вона проходила завдяки логіці, а не силі. Час від часу, я щиро співчувала їй, особливо в ситуації з родиною.

Дрейвен — командувач армії драконів, до біса владний, самовпевнений і зарозумілий. Звісно, поруч з Селеною він іноді проявляє доброту, турботу, і захист. Але, поки що це дуже нерозкритий персонаж і ми майже нічого про нього не знаємо, окрім загальних фактів. Той один нещасний бонусний розділ від його імені лише підігрів інтерес.

Любовна лінія стара як світ. Вороги, яких тягне один до одного, сутички і суперечки, які переростають у поцілунки, багато пристрасті і хімії. Він то погрожує їй, то захищає і хоче тра*нути. Ця його загадковість викликає багато питань, чому не можна було прямо все сказати (*закочує очі).

Але, в цілому, мені сподобалося, я люблю такі історії, де можна відпочити. Тому, якщо хочеться легенького роментезі без складного світоустрою, з драконами-перевертнями і фейрі, то вам сюди.

[Vasare Kesaite · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ PABAIGA 🧨