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The Flames of Albiyon
A century since the monarchy was overthrown, the country of Albiyon has become a haven for its citizens, the young scholar Adairia included. Raised within the Albiyan university’s walls she has dedicated her life to the pursuit of knowledge. Preferring to hole up in the library than seek adventure elsewhere, she has grown accustomed to her comfortable routine… until the day everything changes. When she unwittingly awakens a sleeping dragon’s egg, Adairia is thrust into unfamiliar territory. Never having dreamed of dragons she is forced to seek out guidance from the exhilarating Isla, last direct descendent of the royal family and companion to a century-old dragon. Together they must navigate the surprises to come; for beyond the prospect of a new-born dragon Albiyon is about to face a dangerous conspiracy that threatens the peace of their realm.
Flames of Albiyon is a story of friendship, love, and acceptance that celebrates queer identity.
Flames of Albiyon is a story of friendship, love, and acceptance that celebrates queer identity.
316 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2021
23 people are currently reading
2908 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
August 29, 2021
i haven’t read this book but i came here to support an author who has been charles’d
November 13, 2021
In full disclosure, I'm acquaintances with this author as we are both BookTubers! All opinions are my own, but I was probably predisposed to feel more positively toward the book.
A quiet, cozy, hopeful fantasy story with dragons and a sapphic romance, The Flames of Albiyon isn't perfect, but it's a very charming debut with a cliffhanger ending that has me needing book 2 immediately! I loved the found family, the dragon relationship, and the low-key steamy f/f romance.
Set in a world where the monarchy has been overthrown and social systems exist to take care of people, we follow a foundling taken in by a university. A quiet, bookish girl who is now all grown up experiences a dramatic change when she accidentally cracks a dragon egg and connects with the baby inside it. This is definitely a slow burn and not a lot happens in the first half of the book. It's more hanging out in the day to day lives of the characters, getting to know the world, and learning about dragon lore and magic. Which I enjoyed and didn't mind, but this might not appeal to a more plot driven reader. I will say that about the last 130 pages things really pick up and there's a bit of a mystery/conspiracy plot that moves things forward. Not perfect pacing, but still really enjoyable and I'm definitely interested to see what will happen in book 2!
As far as the romance, I quite liked it by the end, although I wish we had gotten a bit more relationship development early on. I get that a lot of things were happening, but I would have liked this to lean into writing a fantasy romance rather than a fantasy with strong romance subplot. But overall, I had a good time!
A quiet, cozy, hopeful fantasy story with dragons and a sapphic romance, The Flames of Albiyon isn't perfect, but it's a very charming debut with a cliffhanger ending that has me needing book 2 immediately! I loved the found family, the dragon relationship, and the low-key steamy f/f romance.
Set in a world where the monarchy has been overthrown and social systems exist to take care of people, we follow a foundling taken in by a university. A quiet, bookish girl who is now all grown up experiences a dramatic change when she accidentally cracks a dragon egg and connects with the baby inside it. This is definitely a slow burn and not a lot happens in the first half of the book. It's more hanging out in the day to day lives of the characters, getting to know the world, and learning about dragon lore and magic. Which I enjoyed and didn't mind, but this might not appeal to a more plot driven reader. I will say that about the last 130 pages things really pick up and there's a bit of a mystery/conspiracy plot that moves things forward. Not perfect pacing, but still really enjoyable and I'm definitely interested to see what will happen in book 2!
As far as the romance, I quite liked it by the end, although I wish we had gotten a bit more relationship development early on. I get that a lot of things were happening, but I would have liked this to lean into writing a fantasy romance rather than a fantasy with strong romance subplot. But overall, I had a good time!
August 26, 2021
Flames of Albiyon has been one of my most highly anticipated new releases of 2021 and I was very honoured to have received an ARC of this beautiful book!
On the surface, this book is a lovely insight into dragons that has a similar vibe of Legend of the Water Horse/Eragon/BBC Merlin with main character Adairia accidentally awakening a dragon egg while at university as a scholar. What progresses is a world that sweeps you off of your feet into politics, queer identity and above all, love. Love between friends, sapphic love and the love between a companion and her dragon!
Jean Menzies' Scottish heritage shines through this novel, making it a very enjoyable read. You can feel the heart that she put into this work and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The snippets of information about dragons were really unique and made for a very interesting read.
This book isn't one to sleep on if you love dragons, fantasy, politics, world-building and sapphic romance. In fact, I ended up staying up late to finish it because I HAD TO KNOW what happened next! Really hoping there will be a sequel very soon!
On the surface, this book is a lovely insight into dragons that has a similar vibe of Legend of the Water Horse/Eragon/BBC Merlin with main character Adairia accidentally awakening a dragon egg while at university as a scholar. What progresses is a world that sweeps you off of your feet into politics, queer identity and above all, love. Love between friends, sapphic love and the love between a companion and her dragon!
Jean Menzies' Scottish heritage shines through this novel, making it a very enjoyable read. You can feel the heart that she put into this work and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The snippets of information about dragons were really unique and made for a very interesting read.
This book isn't one to sleep on if you love dragons, fantasy, politics, world-building and sapphic romance. In fact, I ended up staying up late to finish it because I HAD TO KNOW what happened next! Really hoping there will be a sequel very soon!
September 25, 2021
I’m saddened to give this such a low rating. I love Jeans YouTube channel and this was one of my most anticipated reads this year (plus, I really wanted to support this self-pub) but it just wasn’t for me. I thought there was no subtlety to the prose, no depth to the characters, no chemistry in their interactions and, most importantly, there was basically no conflict. Besides the whole dragon egg hatching thing, which starts in the first chapter, nothing happens until the last 40 pages and then it’s over already. I wouldn’t have minded the slow pacing if at least the characters were more developed. To me, this read like a too long fairytale with snippets of adult scenes. In my opinion, it was much too obvious. For real, it was so obvious I spent the whole book trying to spot the red-hearing, trying to figure out who “really” was the villain because it just couldn’t be so simple. Turns out it could.
So yeah, this one was not for me. But I do wish Jean all the luck in her future writing endeavors. I’ll give them another go.
So yeah, this one was not for me. But I do wish Jean all the luck in her future writing endeavors. I’ll give them another go.
September 9, 2021
There is a lot to love about this story. The sapphic romance is unabashedly perfect but knowing what Jean was going for and that this was wholly intentional, I err on the side of loving the romance for this. Equally, the central friendships in the book are lovely and I like Adairia's two friends a lot.
I love the magic and history Jean has built around the dragons in the book, especially the scene where . For some reason that was entirely unexpected! It hadn't even occurred to me up to that moment that so that could have been more clearly foreshadowed maybe. That said, I wouldn't put it past me for totally missing something!
I will say though that it isn't clear (unless, again, I missed something) what role the dragons and their companions play in the world, what their purpose is, and what impact they actually have on society. They seemed to simply exist, albeit inspiring awe from people, and that felt a bit odd to me, especially as I wasn't clear for a while what the main 'point' or direction of the plot was going to be. Otherwise, the societal history and politics is interesting.
Overall the journey Adairia goes through to learn about her dragon is pretty cool, and I like the excerpts from the in-world book The History of Dragons, but one or two things drove me a bit nuts – firstly (minor thing about raising a baby dragon) . Secondly, there was a frustrating lack of action taken by the characters in response to a particular event -
In regards to the bigger world plot, which does admittedly (and intentionally I think) take a back seat most of the time, I think there are elements that could have been tightened up a bit, or structured a bit more clearly somehow. Most of the book is just hanging out, which of course is lovely and all that (Jean herself describes it as 'hopepunk'), but the action/plot – or rather, its structure, the story itself is fine - suffered a little because of that. I think the biggest issue being what I mentioned above . At that point, I wanted them to do something entirely different to what they did do and i feel like the plot would have taken off in a more exciting way, earlier, had that been the case. The issue comes up again towards the end of course, at which point things happen a bit too quickly and suddenly compared to the rest of the plot.
Lastly, the book needs quite a lot of line editing to correct various punctuation and spelling errors, extraneous words and some grammar issues. But I generally forgive a self-published book for that kind of thing - nor am I taking it into account for my rating, especially given Jean's writing and creativity itself is golden - and it didn't distract from my enjoyment of the story.
Overall, it's a nice cosy book, an interesting world, lovely characters (and dragons!) and I really hope we get a book 2 before too long (no pressure!) - I will certainly be on board!
I love the magic and history Jean has built around the dragons in the book, especially the scene where . For some reason that was entirely unexpected! It hadn't even occurred to me up to that moment that so that could have been more clearly foreshadowed maybe. That said, I wouldn't put it past me for totally missing something!
I will say though that it isn't clear (unless, again, I missed something) what role the dragons and their companions play in the world, what their purpose is, and what impact they actually have on society. They seemed to simply exist, albeit inspiring awe from people, and that felt a bit odd to me, especially as I wasn't clear for a while what the main 'point' or direction of the plot was going to be. Otherwise, the societal history and politics is interesting.
Overall the journey Adairia goes through to learn about her dragon is pretty cool, and I like the excerpts from the in-world book The History of Dragons, but one or two things drove me a bit nuts – firstly (minor thing about raising a baby dragon) . Secondly, there was a frustrating lack of action taken by the characters in response to a particular event -
In regards to the bigger world plot, which does admittedly (and intentionally I think) take a back seat most of the time, I think there are elements that could have been tightened up a bit, or structured a bit more clearly somehow. Most of the book is just hanging out, which of course is lovely and all that (Jean herself describes it as 'hopepunk'), but the action/plot – or rather, its structure, the story itself is fine - suffered a little because of that. I think the biggest issue being what I mentioned above . At that point, I wanted them to do something entirely different to what they did do and i feel like the plot would have taken off in a more exciting way, earlier, had that been the case. The issue comes up again towards the end of course, at which point things happen a bit too quickly and suddenly compared to the rest of the plot.
Lastly, the book needs quite a lot of line editing to correct various punctuation and spelling errors, extraneous words and some grammar issues. But I generally forgive a self-published book for that kind of thing - nor am I taking it into account for my rating, especially given Jean's writing and creativity itself is golden - and it didn't distract from my enjoyment of the story.
Overall, it's a nice cosy book, an interesting world, lovely characters (and dragons!) and I really hope we get a book 2 before too long (no pressure!) - I will certainly be on board!
December 29, 2021
Cute, cottagecore adult sapphic fantasy novel! RTC!
April 9, 2022
I just...I loved this so much! might be a new fave of the year! When I was a teen I read Eragon and it just fully captured my imagination and now as an adult I'm reading this and from the first few chapters I already got the vibes - and honestly if you loved Eragon as a teen I recommend you pick up this one - not because its similar but it just has a vibe you know?
October 4, 2024
This book has an amazing premise, however the many spelling and grammatical errors is infuriating! Also, there was this huge build up, and the ending was so lackluster because the author wants to write a sequel, but I don’t even see anywhere any info on a sequel even happening! The sapphic relationship, the friendship, and the dragon lore was fantastic!
September 14, 2021
JEAN YOU ARE A GENIUS
September 18, 2021
The Flames of Albiyon came to my life exactly right time. I haven't read this cosy and hopeful fantasy ever and Menzies managed to drew me into the wonderful world filled with heartwarming romance and dragons. I can't wait to see how the story will continue - I have high hopes from Menzies' writing career.
July 18, 2025
this is now a comfort book of mine!!!!! i love adairia and her garden plot soo much!
i have to say though, i feel like this book could've been 5 stars if it were longer and there was more depth to the characters and their relationships and all the ideas mentioned in the book.. the action doesn't start until the end BUT! the afterword mentions how this book was not subtle so everything's goooood! i'm super excited for any sequels!!!!!!!
i have to say though, i feel like this book could've been 5 stars if it were longer and there was more depth to the characters and their relationships and all the ideas mentioned in the book.. the action doesn't start until the end BUT! the afterword mentions how this book was not subtle so everything's goooood! i'm super excited for any sequels!!!!!!!
September 1, 2021
This is the book that everyone needs after 2020/1! Full of hope and friendship, it’s a story of found family and people overcoming adversity through love and friendship. Fantasy normally isn’t a genre that holds me - I have an embarrassing number of fantasy books partially and unread - so when I say that this kept me up turning pages past 3AM, know that it’s my highest praise.
I can’t tell you how much of a wonderful breath of fresh air this book was after a year marred with such bleakness - the protagonists are loveable through and because of their foibles, and seeing them grow and interact with the world gives you such a hearty fuzz; it’s wonderful. Sapphic romances and excellent inclusive characters add depth and vigour to the world.
Not to mention the dragons! You get snippets of draconic lore between each chapter, which carries you along as the lore and history progressively deepens around you.
FoA also drips with Scottish imagery and culture, and you’ll get a nice introduction to some Scots language words and phrases.
Though it’s filled with hope and wonder, that’s not to say there isn’t strife and drama, as there’s plenty of machinations to unravel over the course of your read. Within the main plot beats are ingrained progressive political messages, and the overtones of the struggles often mirror our own world (which is also bolstering - to see hope born of similar strife is very comforting)
Finally… reading this book gives the glowy, tangible lo-fi feeling of sitting with a hot cocoa on a Sunday afternoon in late autumn.
MORE PLEASE.
I can’t tell you how much of a wonderful breath of fresh air this book was after a year marred with such bleakness - the protagonists are loveable through and because of their foibles, and seeing them grow and interact with the world gives you such a hearty fuzz; it’s wonderful. Sapphic romances and excellent inclusive characters add depth and vigour to the world.
Not to mention the dragons! You get snippets of draconic lore between each chapter, which carries you along as the lore and history progressively deepens around you.
FoA also drips with Scottish imagery and culture, and you’ll get a nice introduction to some Scots language words and phrases.
Though it’s filled with hope and wonder, that’s not to say there isn’t strife and drama, as there’s plenty of machinations to unravel over the course of your read. Within the main plot beats are ingrained progressive political messages, and the overtones of the struggles often mirror our own world (which is also bolstering - to see hope born of similar strife is very comforting)
Finally… reading this book gives the glowy, tangible lo-fi feeling of sitting with a hot cocoa on a Sunday afternoon in late autumn.
MORE PLEASE.
August 24, 2022
It was super cute and wholesome. Read this if you need a heartwarming, queer, cozy, low-stakes fantasy. I enjoyed reading about these characters and loved the adorable romance that develops in the book.
January 8, 2022
Overall, I enjoyed it and my real rating is 2,5 stars - rounding up - because it is a debut fiction for the author, it is a self published book meaning that the editing was minimal and not done by a professional (I assume?) and a first attempt to fiction.
Honestly, I would have DNFed by the middle of it, and right when I was going to do that it picked up having a much MUCH stronger second half - still with issues but much less compared to the first part and it managed to intrigue me to read further nonetheless AND perhaps continuing the series, because YES it is a series (which I did not know going in), so it ends with pretty much a cliff-hanger.
What I liked:
- the dragon parts (although wanted much more of)
- the intimate scenes ( I think the author has clearly been influenced and is talented in writing such scenes, more than the fantasy genre bits, but that is just my opinion)
- the political intrigue and abolition of monarchy bits and history
- the social injustice, the real issues Albiyon was facing and the problems it caused to its citizens
What I did not enjoy as much or parts that needed more work/editing:
- the writing (fragmented, couldn't tell which genre or age group it was addressed to especially the first part. too much 'tell and not show', I think we were told X amount of times that the protagonist has been raised in a university setting and that she and her friend M are scholars and researchers, like yea.. I know.. You have told me a bunch of times. And also some of the explanations of things that were presented to us and then repeated in short summaries as in we couldn't make some conclusions ourselves making it feel a lot like middle grade but not in a good way, sadly. Of course, the adult sex scenes make it for an adult audience overall but I was confused as it who it was addressed towards despite that anyway.
- the characters. I think Isla was the only one who had some depth, while others like the main character Adairia was pretty 2 dimensional, and her friends and side characters played only a role (at least in this first instalment of what is clearly going to be a series) in pushing the plot for the MC and there is not much more going on for them.
- the world building. So I am of the opinion that in the fantasy genre especially, if you dont write epic fantasy, then you kind of have to choose between putting more focus in world building OR character development, and this one lacked in both department I am sad to say. The second half explains more of the realm the story is set but not enough. Which is why I said above that it needed more work. You dont need to write a 500+ novel to achieve that so I am sure that with some rearrangement and rewritings it would be beneficial!
- this might seem trivial, but I really dislike when we dont know that the book we are reading is part of a series. it would have been nice to include that information somewhere.
- again, trivial but maybe too personal of my likes and dislikes, but I simply cannot see 25+ year olds sticking the tongue to each other THAT often. :P
I know that the cons outway the pros here considerably but I want to be honest and still give an explanatory review. Dont get me wrong, I still enjoyed reading it (not the first part as much as the second, as I've mentioned already), and I am curious to what will happen to the continuation of the plot BUT... I hope I see this gets officially published so it gets the proper rewriting I think it deserves to be a great book overall!!
I am aware this is a passion project for the author and I love their recommendations and creative content online. One can clearly, and I mean SOOO clearly see the influences of the world of Eragon by Paolini, and Harry Potter by Rowling as well as the historical sapphic romance fiction elements in the romance that develops You can tell the author is very much influenced by these books and that she is an academic herself and I cannot help but appreciate and relate to that :))
Honestly, I would have DNFed by the middle of it, and right when I was going to do that it picked up having a much MUCH stronger second half - still with issues but much less compared to the first part and it managed to intrigue me to read further nonetheless AND perhaps continuing the series, because YES it is a series (which I did not know going in), so it ends with pretty much a cliff-hanger.
What I liked:
- the dragon parts (although wanted much more of)
- the intimate scenes ( I think the author has clearly been influenced and is talented in writing such scenes, more than the fantasy genre bits, but that is just my opinion)
- the political intrigue and abolition of monarchy bits and history
- the social injustice, the real issues Albiyon was facing and the problems it caused to its citizens
What I did not enjoy as much or parts that needed more work/editing:
- the writing (fragmented, couldn't tell which genre or age group it was addressed to especially the first part. too much 'tell and not show', I think we were told X amount of times that the protagonist has been raised in a university setting and that she and her friend M are scholars and researchers, like yea.. I know.. You have told me a bunch of times. And also some of the explanations of things that were presented to us and then repeated in short summaries as in we couldn't make some conclusions ourselves making it feel a lot like middle grade but not in a good way, sadly. Of course, the adult sex scenes make it for an adult audience overall but I was confused as it who it was addressed towards despite that anyway.
- the characters. I think Isla was the only one who had some depth, while others like the main character Adairia was pretty 2 dimensional, and her friends and side characters played only a role (at least in this first instalment of what is clearly going to be a series) in pushing the plot for the MC and there is not much more going on for them.
- the world building. So I am of the opinion that in the fantasy genre especially, if you dont write epic fantasy, then you kind of have to choose between putting more focus in world building OR character development, and this one lacked in both department I am sad to say. The second half explains more of the realm the story is set but not enough. Which is why I said above that it needed more work. You dont need to write a 500+ novel to achieve that so I am sure that with some rearrangement and rewritings it would be beneficial!
- this might seem trivial, but I really dislike when we dont know that the book we are reading is part of a series. it would have been nice to include that information somewhere.
- again, trivial but maybe too personal of my likes and dislikes, but I simply cannot see 25+ year olds sticking the tongue to each other THAT often. :P
I know that the cons outway the pros here considerably but I want to be honest and still give an explanatory review. Dont get me wrong, I still enjoyed reading it (not the first part as much as the second, as I've mentioned already), and I am curious to what will happen to the continuation of the plot BUT... I hope I see this gets officially published so it gets the proper rewriting I think it deserves to be a great book overall!!
I am aware this is a passion project for the author and I love their recommendations and creative content online. One can clearly, and I mean SOOO clearly see the influences of the world of Eragon by Paolini, and Harry Potter by Rowling as well as the historical sapphic romance fiction elements in the romance that develops You can tell the author is very much influenced by these books and that she is an academic herself and I cannot help but appreciate and relate to that :))
August 27, 2021
I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this book:
If you love dragons and sapphic romance, this book is for you! I loved the romance in this book, it felt so natural and healthy, definitely lots of friends to lovers rather than enemies to lovers (which I prefer).
The book was also so descriptive, you really feel like you're in the room and can vividly picture the wonderful fantasy and university setting (very important to me). The plot was well balanced and foreshadowed with some hints I picked up on and some big surprises.
I finished it in one day because it grabbed my interest so well. The ending definitely leaves you ready for when the next book in the series comes out!
If you love dragons and sapphic romance, this book is for you! I loved the romance in this book, it felt so natural and healthy, definitely lots of friends to lovers rather than enemies to lovers (which I prefer).
The book was also so descriptive, you really feel like you're in the room and can vividly picture the wonderful fantasy and university setting (very important to me). The plot was well balanced and foreshadowed with some hints I picked up on and some big surprises.
I finished it in one day because it grabbed my interest so well. The ending definitely leaves you ready for when the next book in the series comes out!
February 20, 2022
It was overall an okay read, but I can feel the potential there.
What held me back from really liking this was how I felt like I couldn’t emotionally connect with or care for any of the characters. I felt like I was reading so much about what was happening around the characters but I couldn’t quite understand what was going on with them; I couldn’t pick out Adairia’s voice in all of it, save for some parts in the latter chapters.
The narration started out feeling really clunky and overly descriptive which, ironically enough, didn’t make me feel all that immersed into the world. However, what did help in the world building were the little history excerpts in between chapters. It was a nice touch.
This next bit may be more of a personal thing, but as a Southeast Asian with no exposure to Scottish vernacular, so much of the dialogue was so difficult for me to read, and it got to a point where I just skimmed through it because I couldn’t decode it at all. That was a real bummer for me.
I’ll definitely pick up the next book to see how the author improves in her writing and to see where the story goes, but for now I just feel very okay about everything. Not super good, but not bad either.
What held me back from really liking this was how I felt like I couldn’t emotionally connect with or care for any of the characters. I felt like I was reading so much about what was happening around the characters but I couldn’t quite understand what was going on with them; I couldn’t pick out Adairia’s voice in all of it, save for some parts in the latter chapters.
The narration started out feeling really clunky and overly descriptive which, ironically enough, didn’t make me feel all that immersed into the world. However, what did help in the world building were the little history excerpts in between chapters. It was a nice touch.
This next bit may be more of a personal thing, but as a Southeast Asian with no exposure to Scottish vernacular, so much of the dialogue was so difficult for me to read, and it got to a point where I just skimmed through it because I couldn’t decode it at all. That was a real bummer for me.
I’ll definitely pick up the next book to see how the author improves in her writing and to see where the story goes, but for now I just feel very okay about everything. Not super good, but not bad either.
November 12, 2021
This was a really fun, whimsical fantasy and I picked it up because I've followed Jean's work for years and when she announced she was self-publishing her adult fantasy novel I was so excited. I do think the second half was stronger than the first, and there were a couple of moments that I felt the character reactions/interactions didn't make sense. Having said that, I will continue the series as I'm intrigued to see where it goes next and I'm excited to see Jean's writing grow and develop.
January 4, 2024
I've been a subscriber of Dr. Jean Menzies for quite a few years now; in fact, her discussion of Classics on her channel helped me make my own choice of what to study in college (I chose History)! As such, I'm glad I finally got to read The Flames of Albiyon. The premise seemed very interesting, and it was a fun book.
That being said, the writing itself wasn't the best. When reading a self-published novel, there are some things I'm more than willing to turn a blind eye to. Hell, even in a traditionally published novel, a few sneaky mistakes will manage to make their way into the finished work, and that's perfectly fine and to be expected. I've proofread for a newspaper before, so I'm aware of how, after reading for long periods of time without taking breaks, it gets harder and harder to spot grammatical and spelling errors that fully-rested eyes would immediately catch.
However, after reading this novel, I'm inclined to believe that Dr. Jean Menzies doesn't know a very basic grammatical rule: vocative commas. When we address someone directly, dear reader, we have to separate the vocative case from the rest of the sentence with a comma. See? I just did it. Yet, in practically every scene which included dialogue, there were no vocative commas, and it took me out of the story each time. The little voice narrating the book in my head didn't read those sentences with a natural cadence because of it.
What's weird about this is that sometimes, very rarely, a vocative comma would make its way into the text! What happened to the other ones?
Again, I'm willing to forgive mistakes that happen once or twice (for example, at one point, 'one's' instead of 'ones', 'whose' instead of who's', and 'you're' instead of 'your'), but this was a consistent occurrence. It's not something I was expecting from someone who has a PhD in the Humanities, and who is extremely well-read.
Another thing was the wrong use of 'breath'. If you want to tell someone to 'breathe', you need to write an 'e' at the end of the word. This also happened with 'bath' and 'bathe', but I googled it to make sure I wasn't speaking out of my ass, and some British people use 'bath' as a verb as well, apparently(?).
Basically, I was expecting a lot more from the writing of this novel, and it left me a bit disappointed. I hope that in the next installment of Albiyon, Dr. Menzies can work with a professional editor.
Negative criticism aside, there was a lot I enjoyed about this book!
Firstly, I came to enjoy the characters a lot. They were fun to read about. I'm not sure who my favourite is, but I liked Adairia and Isla very much.
The dragons were very cool, as well. I'd never read a book that focused this much on dragons, so I didn't expect them to actually be sentient creatures with the intelligence of human beings! I've always pictured them as very catlike in their demeanor, so I went into The Flames of Albiyon fully expecting dragons to br very big animals, à la How To Train Your Dragon. My expectations were very much subverted.
I also loved the inclusion of Scottish-isms in the dialogue. I enjoy when authors actually write down characters' accents; it just adds an extra layer of 'realness' to the dialogue.
However, I found the worldbuilding to be the shining star in this book. I was very interested in the political situation in Albiyon. I loved how this is a fantasy book not set in a monarchy – woah, is that allowed? – and how it also isn't a utopia either. It's a democratic society that tries to provide for its people, but still fails in certain aspects. It felt aspirational (welfare states, my beloveds <3), but not unrealistic.
Finally, the ending: it was a little abrupt. Since it's clearly the first installment in a series, though, I'm willing to be forgiving of that.
I look forward to reading more of Dr. Jean's work!
That being said, the writing itself wasn't the best. When reading a self-published novel, there are some things I'm more than willing to turn a blind eye to. Hell, even in a traditionally published novel, a few sneaky mistakes will manage to make their way into the finished work, and that's perfectly fine and to be expected. I've proofread for a newspaper before, so I'm aware of how, after reading for long periods of time without taking breaks, it gets harder and harder to spot grammatical and spelling errors that fully-rested eyes would immediately catch.
However, after reading this novel, I'm inclined to believe that Dr. Jean Menzies doesn't know a very basic grammatical rule: vocative commas. When we address someone directly, dear reader, we have to separate the vocative case from the rest of the sentence with a comma. See? I just did it. Yet, in practically every scene which included dialogue, there were no vocative commas, and it took me out of the story each time. The little voice narrating the book in my head didn't read those sentences with a natural cadence because of it.
What's weird about this is that sometimes, very rarely, a vocative comma would make its way into the text! What happened to the other ones?
Again, I'm willing to forgive mistakes that happen once or twice (for example, at one point, 'one's' instead of 'ones', 'whose' instead of who's', and 'you're' instead of 'your'), but this was a consistent occurrence. It's not something I was expecting from someone who has a PhD in the Humanities, and who is extremely well-read.
Another thing was the wrong use of 'breath'. If you want to tell someone to 'breathe', you need to write an 'e' at the end of the word. This also happened with 'bath' and 'bathe', but I googled it to make sure I wasn't speaking out of my ass, and some British people use 'bath' as a verb as well, apparently(?).
Basically, I was expecting a lot more from the writing of this novel, and it left me a bit disappointed. I hope that in the next installment of Albiyon, Dr. Menzies can work with a professional editor.
Negative criticism aside, there was a lot I enjoyed about this book!
Firstly, I came to enjoy the characters a lot. They were fun to read about. I'm not sure who my favourite is, but I liked Adairia and Isla very much.
The dragons were very cool, as well. I'd never read a book that focused this much on dragons, so I didn't expect them to actually be sentient creatures with the intelligence of human beings! I've always pictured them as very catlike in their demeanor, so I went into The Flames of Albiyon fully expecting dragons to br very big animals, à la How To Train Your Dragon. My expectations were very much subverted.
I also loved the inclusion of Scottish-isms in the dialogue. I enjoy when authors actually write down characters' accents; it just adds an extra layer of 'realness' to the dialogue.
However, I found the worldbuilding to be the shining star in this book. I was very interested in the political situation in Albiyon. I loved how this is a fantasy book not set in a monarchy – woah, is that allowed? – and how it also isn't a utopia either. It's a democratic society that tries to provide for its people, but still fails in certain aspects. It felt aspirational (welfare states, my beloveds <3), but not unrealistic.
Finally, the ending: it was a little abrupt. Since it's clearly the first installment in a series, though, I'm willing to be forgiving of that.
I look forward to reading more of Dr. Jean's work!
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January 27, 2022I adored this cozy fantasy book. I don’t usually read fantasy but once I saw acedemcy setting and dragon I had to pick it up. I was blown away with how unique it was. Honestly cozy vibes sit with some hot tea and a candle and a blanket and just read this book. A dragon choosing you the amazing bond you have with that dragon like Adairia and Fia also Tearlach and Isla. This book is about people supporting one other helping one another and having each other’s back. One we could only hope to have as well. The strong relationship between Adairia Fia Tearlach Isla Morag and Calder Judd go to show family can be anyone. I adored Adairia and Isla together they are amazing together. Studying is a big part here which is important especially when understanding the dragons. Especially Fia’s power which really solidifies why she bonded with Adairia. Lady Mirin that fae got on my nerves and I hope the group figure out how to defeat her evil ass. I cannot wait for the next book where I know I will be on the edge of my seat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 13, 2023I'd really hoped I was going to love this book. I wanted to support the author and have gotten fantastic (fantasy) book recommendations from her in the past, so I assumed our tastes would also match when it came to her own novel.
Even though the book is supposed to be an adult fantasy, it reads like middle grade. The writing and the dialogue is often cheesy, clichéd and superficial. The characters lack depth, to the point that you can easily guess who will turn out to be the villain from the literal first page.
On top of that, there were SO many spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. I was expecting a few, since the book is self-published, but the sheer number of them made it hard to ignore, even for a non-native English speaker.
I do have to say that the story got a lot better in the second half. Whereas I was at the point of giving up in the first half, I did find I was more engrossed later on.
Even though the book is supposed to be an adult fantasy, it reads like middle grade. The writing and the dialogue is often cheesy, clichéd and superficial. The characters lack depth, to the point that you can easily guess who will turn out to be the villain from the literal first page.
On top of that, there were SO many spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. I was expecting a few, since the book is self-published, but the sheer number of them made it hard to ignore, even for a non-native English speaker.
I do have to say that the story got a lot better in the second half. Whereas I was at the point of giving up in the first half, I did find I was more engrossed later on.
October 8, 2021
The premices of this book are great : fantasy, academia, dragon, queer... do I need to say more? I would have love for it to be longer and to take more time to describe everything in more details, wheteher the settings or the relationships between the characters (humans or dragons), I felt it might have gone to quickly over things sometimes. I think one of the most interresting aspect of this world was the politcs : it was really refreshing to have a fantasy world that had move on from monarchy in favor of a democratic system.
It was a fun and nice read that felt like the first instalment of a story with a lot of potential. I'll be around for book 2 !
(I just have to say how delighted I am to have in my sheleves the first fantasy book of the Youtuber who recommended half of the book I've read this last couple of years! )
It was a fun and nice read that felt like the first instalment of a story with a lot of potential. I'll be around for book 2 !
(I just have to say how delighted I am to have in my sheleves the first fantasy book of the Youtuber who recommended half of the book I've read this last couple of years! )
August 2, 2022
3.5 stars
I liked this! I enjoyed the story and the main characters. It read quickly so that was a plus for me.
The Scottish influences in here were pretty cool!
It lacked a bit in side characters though. Fia, Isla and Tearlach were fine but pretty much all the other side characters were really flat. The writing was a little repetitive at times.
Still a fun and quick read!
I liked this! I enjoyed the story and the main characters. It read quickly so that was a plus for me.
The Scottish influences in here were pretty cool!
It lacked a bit in side characters though. Fia, Isla and Tearlach were fine but pretty much all the other side characters were really flat. The writing was a little repetitive at times.
Still a fun and quick read!
September 5, 2021
Although I've been following Jean on social media for a while I wasn't sure if I was going to pick up her book. Mostly because I'm not the biggest fantasy reader and dragon fan. What sold me on it though was when she read the first chapter on her live launch show. I was really intrigued and bought it right away. I had a good time reading this story, it's very hopeful and presents a different spin on dragons as well. Yes, it's almost too idealistic - which she does acknowledge in her author's note - but somehow that makes the book even more charming. I do hope that she will continue the story in the future.
October 9, 2021
Probably my favourite book I’ve read so far this year. So much hope and joy, as well as mystery and drama. The characters all felt incredibly real to me and I loved Adairia, Isla, Fia and their friends more than I can say.
October 7, 2024
3.5 stars. A great little holiday story! An easy read with lovable characters and a relatively simple plot to follow. The author themselves address that the themes are not subtle but that doesn't take away from the reading experience.
January 30, 2022
Perfect light relief 👍⭐️
January 22, 2023
Lovely sapphic and dragon fantasy by my favourite booktuber
September 10, 2021
Before I started reading this, I was genuinely worried that I might not like fantasy - but it turns out that is not the case. I really appreciated this fantasy without a monarchy (I guess that was my issue all along), and found the characters endlessly endearing. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel!
April 16, 2022
A fun first installment in a sapphic socialist fantasy utopia. Felt very cosy and Terry Pratchett-esque in its setting, but maintained a sense of sincerity throughout. Can't wait for the next in the series!
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