Contrary to the book's tagline there is nothing addictive about this fantasy. And there's barely any romance. Maximus, the POV character, should have been named Minimis because he spends much of this book whining about wanting his mother and father, as one evil person or another constantly holds said parental units hostage for Max's cooperation. He actually stops his whining for 10 pages when he's told the man he thinks is his father really isn't. But then he gets back to it. When not demanding futilely for his mommy, Max expresses unthinking hatred for those who hold her and vows to deliver a horrible death; usually keeping the vow. And that's what this story is all about.

Yes, there are mages and dragons and evil kings aplenty. There are lots of twists as we go along, but a good number are fairly predictable, although I will say that the final twist was a surprise. Max is supposedly a 25 year old man but he acts like a 15 year old teenager, filled with angst and anger that the world won't do what he wants. He never thinks about his situation nor does he listen when someone tries to explain things. His one track whine makes him a one track character, and he's the most developed character in the book.

Max is a young servant for a cruel rulling family. One night when the heir of said family attack him he defend himself with magic. In a kingdom where magic has been gone for decades, he suddenly became the puppet of the King. From there he is at the mercy of powerful cruel men and he must do everything he can to protect his loved one and himself.

The worldbuilding is really good, the magic is simple yet compelling, the political intrigues are easy to follow and the characters are all really distinct, with their own voice.

The story was really intense. The pacing was really good, there was so many twist and turn I didn't want to stop reading. Some I had guessed but most of them were total surprises.
The characters were well written they felt realy, we see that the start growing by the end of the book, and I can't wait to see where it lead them.
I was not really sure about the love-triangle thing, but I think it was really well done. The political mariage bring an other dimension to this and the romance feels natural. The developping relationships between the characters feels real, natural.
The only down point was that I was expecting more dragon, but I have a feeling the next book will be full of them.

In a nutshell, I'm hooked. I will defenitively read the next book.

- Published on Amazon, but not approuved yet.

Court of Broken Bonds book one. This is a pretty good fantasy read with characters that grown on you and storyline easy to follow. The twists and turns were jaw dropping and kept my attention completely glued to the book.
This was my first book of Ben Alderson and I am hooked.

I'm sorry. This book DNF.
I think the story is amazing and has a lot of potential, however, I'm not quite comfortable with it.

Maybe in the future I will give this book another chance, because the subject attracts my attention a lot, so it will remain on my list for the long term.

Title: A Riveting Debut: "Heir to Thorn and Flame" by Ben Alderson

"Heir to Thorn and Flame," the first installment in Ben Alderson's "Court of Broken Bonds" series, immerses readers into a world brimming with intrigue, magic, and courtly politics. Alderson's debut novel is a captivating blend of fantasy and romance that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Set in a world where magic is both revered and feared, the story follows the journey of Emory Fae, a young woman burdened by her royal lineage and the dark secrets that accompany it. As Emory navigates the treacherous waters of court life, she discovers that her destiny is entwined with that of the enigmatic Prince Darius, whose own past is shrouded in mystery. Together, they must unravel the tangled web of lies and deceit that threatens to tear their kingdom apart.

Alderson's prose is richly descriptive, painting vivid landscapes and intricate court settings that transport readers to a world filled with magic and danger. The pacing is brisk, with twists and turns that keep the reader engaged from start to finish. The author excels at creating complex characters with hidden depths, each grappling with their own desires and motivations.

At the heart of the story is the burgeoning romance between Emory and Darius, which simmers with tension and passion. Their forbidden love is fraught with obstacles, yet it remains a driving force behind the narrative, adding an element of urgency to their quest for truth and justice.

While "Heir to Thorn and Flame" follows some familiar tropes of the fantasy genre, Alderson brings a fresh perspective with his engaging storytelling and well-developed world-building. The political intrigue and machinations of the court add an extra layer of complexity, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

Overall, "Heir to Thorn and Flame" is a remarkable debut that heralds the arrival of a talented new voice in fantasy fiction. With its compelling characters, immersive world, and gripping plot, this book is sure to captivate fans of the genre and leave them clamoring for more. Ben Alderson has crafted a mesmerizing tale that will linger in the minds of readers long after they turn the final page

Tender, sexy, beautiful and full of magical fantasy - I've enjoyed Ben Alderson's previous books, and this is clearly the start of something new and brilliant. Can't wait to read more

Fourth Wing meets Merlin if Merlin and Arthur actually got together! This was a fun and quick fantasy romance read. Alderson writes amazing love stories that really captivates the reader. I was completely entertained throughout the entire book. However I did struggle a bit with the language as I found it a bit to modern for the setting. But, that did not ruin my enjoyment of the book. A a solid 4 star fantasy romance novel, super excited for the rest of this series!

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one. Parts of it I really enjoyed, but they were too few and far between for me to say that I actually enjoyed this book. I'll give it another go with the second book just to see if it was a case of first book jitters for me.

I will be the first to admit that this was cheesy as hell and that the writing wasn't the best, BUT! I had a good time while reading it and that's all that matters.

Though, you need to be ready for constant character suffering when you pick this up, because Max CANNOT catch a break. If something goes right, two things will go wrong, and our boy will just keep whining while being unable to do anything about it.

As a result, the book is very dramatic and full of twists, some of them you can definitely predict. That didn't stop me from enjoying it though. Sometimes predictable can still be fun.

I wish we got more romance, between either of the two love interests, I don't really have a favourite. I know Simion is the right choice, and probably endgame, but something about him bugs me a tiny bit.

Like Camron has his issues (a lot of them), but somehow it still came across as him wanting for Max to be free to make his own choices, own his powers etc, while Simion was more driven by what he wanted.

Oh, while we're at the two of them, can we just talk about the names really quick? I don't mind Max (Maximus) at all, Beatrice, Julian and so on. But Simion is just Simon, and Camron is Cameron to me I'm sorry. They're too close to real names for me to not see them that way.

Anyway, I'll be jumping into book two immediately and some things I'd like to see are better worldbuilding, more romance, more character development (we didn't get much here), expansion on the magic system as Max learns more about what he can do, and maybe slightly better writing.

I do think that we improve with each book we write so hopefully the sequel will pull through, but honestly the story is entertaining enough for the writing not to be such a huge bother.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I really wanted to like this. It was a lot more violent than I anticipated, which is fine, but just very unexpected. I also found that the conflict was a bit predictable and the relationship to be underdeveloped.

This was ok. I was hoping I would love it but it never happened. The story sounded so good but it ended up falling flat. Max was ok but I didn't like Cameron. This was really disappointing.

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had so much fun reading this book. I have read other books by this author so I was very excited when I got this arc! There were a lot of many twists and turns and even though a couple of them were a bit predictable, I still had a fantastic time. I love that Alderson also writes LGBTQ+ stories where your sexuality is accepted with no question.

Heir of Thorn and Flame - 5/5 Review

Reminds me of:
Wizards Guide to Defensive Baking. - book opening with murder.
Throne of Glass - the way magic was banished.
Shadow and Bone - abilities remind me of Sun Summoner - terminology reminds me of The Darkling Abilities.
Fourth Wing - mind reading/romance between Simion and Maximus remind me of Xaden and Violet
Final Fantasy - the melding of different mythical creatures and magic systems. The way the story makes you get comfortable with characters then rips them away from you in cruel ways.

Guess rating by reading first chapter: 3.5??
Actual rating after reading whole book: 5/5

Overall Comments/Thoughts:
This was a wild ride. I loved it. This is the type of short form fiction I haven’t read since I finished the Percy Jackson series. This book made me realize I missed books that get straight to the point and bring you in to a new world head-on.
Pacing was perfect. Stakes were always high. The reason the main character does stuff against his will is never for his own personal gain. It is always to help save his parents. I understood Maxes motivations and I was never really annoyed with him as the main character. Maximus is strategic and he waits for the right moment to strike. I hate when characters in books leave themselves in toxic situations, allow themselves to be silenced, and treated poorly all to gain status or to one up characters out of spite i.e. Jude from The Cruel Prince. So, it was refreshing to have a main character care about someone other than themselves and have reasons to remain captive even though they did not want to be.
Every chapter had a purpose. Scenes would go from mild to intense rather quickly. Bad guys that annoyed me were dealt with, but it never felt like there was a shortage of bad guys. You didn’t know who you could and couldn’t trust in this world. The world building gradually presented itself. But I did want a map!!!! I need a map. Where is the map!??!?!!!!!!??? The author kept a lot of secrets and promises but I knew he would fulfill his promises as we read on instead of waiting for the next book to find out the information. (Which I really appreciated since everything I’ve been reading lately has relied on the sequels to reveal information). I loved the intensity that Camron brought and the care he showed for Maximus after Maximus goes through an ordeal.

Certain areas had minor info dumps but that’s normal for fantasy or sci-if novels. There weren’t hundreds of pages of training montages. It gets frustrating when a novel is a whole training montage to finally meet the big bad guy.

I wish this book had a little bit more humor and banter between the characters especially the love interests.

Gay Love Triangle Between Two Worthy Daddies. I Got Daddy Issuses.

Story Background:
Long ago, mages existed in the southern continents but have long since died out. They would acquire their wands from a magical tree called the Heart Oak. The northern continents destroyed the heart oak to cut all magic from the southern continents. Since then, all mages have died out.

Main Plot Summary:
On the night of the dance of dryads, instead of celebrating with all the other servants, Max, the main character, decides to hang out in the library and read as many books as he can. Max is put in a life threatening situation and his dormant powers awaken when he stumbles across a lost wand in the woods.
Now branded with the mage-mark and in danger of being labeled a murderer, Max must go on the run with his family. As he tries to convince his family to escape, his powers reveal themselves and he is taken captive by the king. The King plans on taking revenge on the Northern Continents by using Maximus as a weapon against them. Maximus will have to summit to the cruel king or risk losing his parents in the process. But the king isn’t the only one who is after Maximus’ powers. Enemies and friends will come for Maximus as his powers grow stronger. But, has Maximus been told the whole truth? Is this war really the north versus the south? Or are there other enemies lingering in the shadows ready to strike? The more that is revealed to Maximus, the more secrets and lies are uncovered.

Character List: May contain spoilers
Maximus oaken - MC loves books, works as a servant. Reads smut. Light brown hair. Nose has freckles. Power amplifier: wand. Green eyes. Can control storms through amplifier. “Traitor Mage”
Julian Gathrax- prince, wants Maximus. Is violent towards max. Red curls. Psychopath. Narcissist. Killed animals as a kid. Max had to clean the entrails. Reckless.
Dame - servant, older, coworker/friend to max. Reads heavy smut.
Beatrice - maxs best friend. Power amplifier: wooden staff. Blacksmith. Tall brown hair. Six foot. Can read max. Sleeper agent trying to find the lost mage. Poison Ivy- I see you
King Jonathan Gathrax - king. Gaudy. Balding. Auburn hair. As evil and cruel as his son. Contained crazy versus chaos crazy like Julian.
Remi Gathrax - queen. Gaudy. Gets new furniture every year and discards the rest as an offering in the dance of the dryads.
Gathrax Twins- younger daughters and nine years younger than Julian. Nickname: “the devils.” Demanding. They look innocent but are evil. Red curls. Blue eyes.
Maxs mother - takes care of the twins. Chestnut curls. Green eyes.round face. Usually wears braids.
Maxs father - gardener for the gathrax palace. Sun-kissed skin. Stormy blue-grey eyes.
Damien Gathrax - the last mage. Nickname: the Red.
Gill - “cook” Put in charge to watch over max and give him a princess diaries make over.
Simion - helps transform max in to a certain character. Beatrice’s brother. Dragon rider. Telepath. Healer. Brown skin.
Silas Graham - trusted advisor to the king. Tall and weathered. One eye grey from cataracts, the other purple. “More serpent than man.” Has a lisp.
Queen Amilia Calzmir - Queen of the West. Sharp woman. Older. Blonde. Doesn’t like Remi.
Camron Calzmir - sun kissed sand skin. Tight muscles. Smell of salt and and open air. Single dimple on left cheek. Sexy love interest. Cares for Max. Daddy throw me against a wall.
Raiyan Dalton - trash… that’s all.
Elder Leía - aunt to simion and Beatrice. Telepath as well. Gold eyes. Skin warm with color.
Mage Leska - Battle mage. Mace Amplifier. Azure eyes. Partner of the battle mage Maximus fought. She holds vendetta
Celia Hawthorn - Exiled. Caused the exile of Beatrice. Never came back. Unknown if living or dead. Mother to Beatrice and Simion.

Significant Chapter Comments:
Chapter 3 - murder.
Chapter 7 - gore. Violence against servants.
Chapter 8 - gore. Decomposing.
Chapter 9 - trigger warning. Chapter continues heavy subject matter containing: child molestation

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ben Alderson popped onto my FYP on TikTok and I honestly haven't looked back. His first book was a dark and twisty Beauty and the Beast retelling, and when I was approved for Heir to Thorn and Flame I couldn't wait to dive back into the worlds he was creating. The way that Alderson creates a unique magic system is so fantastic! I loved the plot and the characters and the way this world just grew before my eyes. We don't have enough queer fantasy romance in the market and I will be hyping this one up to all my followers and fellow fantasy readers!

In my journey through Heir to Thorn and Flame's magical realm, the promise of an intricate dance of betrayals and desires piqued my interest. However, the allure faded as characters, especially the MC, lacked the depth crucial for an engaging narrative. Despite Max's commendable growth, supporting characters felt flat, and interactions left me very dissatisfied.

The plot, initially filled with twists and antagonists, stumbled later in the book, leaving me with a feeling of disconnection. World-building, notably the magic system, fell short, hindering complete immersion into the fantasy setting. Overall, it was just very hard for me to care about the plot or world, when I did not care for any of the characters.

Unfortunately the writing style totally took me out of the plot, making it impossible to become engaged in the story. It felt like the author was trying to stand out by using "interesting" phrases, but it just came out stilted and jarring. "Soured the saliva on my tongue"??? This is both gross and awkward.

A dance of betrayals and romance unfolding a story of one man’s desire to protect his parents while navigating through the thorns of royalty.

It was my absolute pleasure to read this book. I was devouring it so fast that I had to stop myself so I could enjoy it for just one more day. The writing is captivating; conveying the characters emotions and personalities while flowing effortlessly between scenes. It kept me engaged and hooked to the story.

The characters were well thought out and developed. Our main character, Maximus Oaken is a young servant who discovers his latent mage abilities while facing a life or death situation. From there Max becomes an object of power, an object of desire and he complies with their wishes as he wants nothing more than his parents safety. It’s not until he’s been silent enough that Max starts building his confidence and taking the reins of the horse. I enjoyed watching Max’s growth and how he didn’t waver against his priority even if he was putting his friends in a tough spot.

There are many twists and turns in this story and there is an antagonist for each. I loved how none of the antagonists grew soft but stayed firm with their thoughts. I felt this helped the plot progress and helped create a depth to Max’s character.

There is a small handful of supporting characters or friends. I won’t say much about them except that I think we need more interactions, because I’m not trusting anyone yet. There are a lot of betrayals and secrets.

I enjoyed how this book started out and I liked the introduction of Prince Camron in this story. I felt they were well written and conveyed the emotions of the characters accurately. The last quarter of the book seemed a little disconnected and rushed for me. I think the plot thickened too fast and there were a lot of moving parts which were overlooked.

Also, I felt the magic system and overall setting was lacking in details. The former is understandable to a degree since Max lived in a place where magic had disappeared for quite a long time. However, I think the reader would have benefitted if maybe the basic fundamentals were introduced through Max early on. The setting could have also used some polishing as it was sometimes hard to understand the locations and layouts which our characters were utilizing.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be picking up book two. I loved how natural it felt reading about Max’s male love interests and the angst surrounding his potential suitors. I’m not picking a ship yet because this book taught me not to trust anyone, but I’m hoping Max receives the love and care he deserves!

*2.5 stars*

This book took me about two months to finish. There’s a lot of fluff within the story that could have been cut out. So much happens in this book it’s hard to describe in a concise way but the main issue was about 100-150 pages of nothing inbetween the actual plot. It caused the book to drag.

“Heir to Thorn and Flame” follows Max, who is a servant for the King. When the heir to the throne, Julian attacks him in the forest, he responds with a burst of magic, killing him, instead of the king killing Max, he makes Max become Julian. Essentially, Max is under the Kings complete control, including his magical abilities. This snowballs into more conflict when Simion appears, a mysterious spy. A shit tone happens and yeah. For being around 500 pages, only about 100 were good. Somewhat intrigued to continue but meh.

I’ll admit that I think I have read everything Ben Anderson has written, including the first draft of this book, The Last Mage. I grabbed my copy and did some comparisons as I was reading this new version. First, I love Alderson’s world building and magical system. You want Max to figure out everything that has been bothering him and the villain, well I can’t mention it because of some spoiler alerts. The situation Max finds himself in, working in the Gathrix palace is complicated and emotionally challenging. It wasn’t the most inventive storyline for a character to find secret powers that were hidden for a long time, but Alderson adds a twist with the politics between classes and countries. The list of Max’s obstacles, including that of supporting his parents, only makes the tension grow. The political intrigue of the novel is definitely a set up for future books as this will likely be a trilogy. Oh, and did I mention dragons? The plot twist at the end came as a surprise but definitely another cliff hanger to get me to read the second book. I like Alderson’s because they are complex worlds but characters you can understand. While the dialogue isn’t always smooth and sometimes is a little forced, it does the job. Can’t wait for the next book.