This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, Inkyard Press, for providing me with an ARC of This Golden Flame in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
I have been looking forward to reading a good YA fantasy book for a while. I patiently worked my way through my to-read list until I got to This Golden Flame. And I really very much enjoyed it.
The story had a few surprises up its sleeve that added a lot to the fantasy/adventure aspect.
Without further ado, let me jump right in.
The Details
I want to get the one point of critique out of the way before focusing solely on the good stuff.
I thought the characters could have benefitted from a little more depth and character development.
Some fleshing out of the protagonist and secondary characters would have made This Golden Flame absolutely and undeniably addictive.
A few times I caught myself thinking that it was strange how the story was told from both Karis and Alix’s perspectives, yet I still couldn’t fully grasp their personalities.
Aside from that, This Golden Flame is a very solid fantasy/adventure read with great world building. They author takes their time with each setting. Enough detail is given to provide a clear picture in the reader’s mind without being overwhelming.
I appreciated the distinct stages of this story, so to speak. Especially because this is a rather fast-paced read. It would have been easy to get lost in the whirlwind of the narration hadn’t it been for the careful construction of the different settings.
The writing is excellent. It is simple in the sense that it doesn’t get lost in flowery language in order to describe a particular scene. Yet, I can still almost feel the rain, Karis’ cuts and bruises or the ship rocking. It worked beautifully.
The Verdict
Overall, This Golden Flame was just what I needed: an adventure filled fantasy that took me along on the journey.
I have to point out that this story is void of any romantic love, love triangles etc, but contains characters from all walks of life and various sexual orientations. A refreshing change.
I would definitely recommend it.
About the Author
Emily Victoria lives on the Canadian prairies with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, works at her public library, and has just finished her Masters of Library and Information Studies.
