Thank you so much to netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book early!

At times charming and fun, and at others bogged down by more clunky passages, this remains a good queer romance to dive into for a quick read. I do love the surge in queer romance, and queer fantasy romance, but in the end, I don't think this was the book for me. While reading, I didn't quite feel like the characters were fleshed out enough and any three-dimensionality given to them was predictable and the world building felt rushed enough that I didn't believe in the stakes.

I appreciate that romance novels are not expected to be literary masterpieces and as a fun, romantic romp in a fantasy world, this book definitely checks many boxes many readers of the genre look for. Steamy scenes and romantic tension galore can be found here.

Unfortunately, I just wasn't the right audience for this book at the time I read it. But romance readers, and fellow lgbtq+ people looking to find themselves reflected in the most bestselling book genre, will undoubtedly enjoy it.

Heir to Thorn and Flame follows Max as he realizes that he is a Mage. Then we are drawn into a political atmosphere where things spiral out of control.

Some big things that set this book out for the rest is the fact the MC is queer. I'll read anything with queer rep but for a very long time there I felt like fantasy was lacking, especially with MC at the front. I though the magic was thought out and paced well throughout the novel. Max himself was a very likeable character that I was excited to watch developed into the character he was in the end.

However, one of the big reason the book didn't work for me was the structure of the novel. Parts of the romance, and the fact it was a tad bit too long. I felt like I read two books in one at certain points. I also felt like the dragons that do make an appearance are fleeting. With that being said, I quite enjoyed the steamy parts.

Overall, I landed on 3.5 stars.

Would recommend.

This wasn't terrible but it just wasn't working for me. In full disclosure, I DNF'ed at about sixty percent. The story was dragging and I wasn't invested in either the plot or the characters. Most of the characters felt very one-dimensional and just 'there'. The idea is great though and the cover is beautiful.

Heir to Thorn and Flame isn’t the usual book that I would pick up but I am very glad that I did. Filled with characters that you quickly grow to love, you are in the woods with Max when he discovers his powers, you are with him when he feels powerless against Kings and you are with him as he tries to keep his parents safe. Well written and based in a world that Alderson makes very real for his readers, it kept me gripped as the truth about what really happened between the North and South comes to light.

The only thing that I didn’t LOVE about the book is that I didn’t enjoy how passive Max is about what is happening to him. At each stage he just goes with the flow and allows people to use him. The whole of the first book is Max being told where to go and what to do by different people and him just going along with it each time. Granted this is often borne out of fear for his parents but you don’t see any kind if rebellion or even proper planning. I hope this is just part of his character arc and that you will see Max over the coming books, find his voice and learn more about the man he is going to become.

Book lovers who enjoy the fantasy genre will love Heir to Thorn and Flame by Ben Alderson. Filled with magic, drama, love, betrayal and characters who feel real. I certainly look forward to reading the next books in the series to understand what happens to Max and Simion and what else life has in store for them both.

This was a really fun read. Alderson has created a really interesting and intricate world that feels feels new and intriguing. The book took me in very different directions and had some really fun twists along the way. I'm excited to see where he takes this world next, because this first book definitely had me hooked.

Max is a servant of the noble house of Gathrax. When the heir to the throne tries to assault him, Max defends himself with a lethal burst of magic that kills the heir. Instead of being executed, the king wants him to assume the identity of Prince Julian, restoring the glory of the line of mages for the South. But playing prince to a tyrant king is much more complicated - and involves a betrothal to a rival prince as well.

I think the character development in this book is rich and has lots of potential to grow as the series continues to develop. A really wonderful beginning of what I'm hoping will be a lengthy series!

Ben Alderson does it again! What an incredible book! As always he knows how to deliver remarkable books. This beauty and the best inspired MM book is just fantastic written. Go and read it right away

Heir of Thorn and Flame…I’m close to speechless so let me try and get some words of praise together. Many Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So I was instantly requesting this for the author- I have read some of Ben’s work before and I love M/M High fantasy books so much. Also the cover looks amazing!

I was beyond invested from chapter 1. This book was an absolute whirlwind. The plot was fast paced and genuinely just had me engrossed while snacking for a solid afternoon. It’s got everything you want in a fantasy, with some great Queer rep and an arranged marriage! What’s not to love.

Character wise- I loved everything about all of them, I have no complaints. They all had time to shine, they all developed and the main relationship was just absolutely superbly and deftly written.

Honestly if you love Fantasy, M/M relationships, chaotic dynamics, dragons, dryads, arranged marriages and magic just get this book.

I DNF this at Chapter 9 (20%). Though I adore m/m fantasy and really wanted to love this, there was too much violence for me to continue, especially since so much of it was sexual violence. That’s something I’m not comfortable reading about. For similarly sensitive readers, I’d recommend checking the content warnings before reading.

That said, what I did read was well-written with interesting world building.

For anyone who’d prefer a lighter, cozier m/m fantasy novel minus the triggers, I recommend A Rival Most Vial: Potioneering for Love and Profit by R. K. Ashwick.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wish that the other characters were more fleshed out. This is especially due to the central romance in this novel being a love triangle. I honestly didn't care about the other men in the triangle and couldn't care less who he ends up with. I know that this book is a series and I hope that the author can add to the side character's personalities more.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy.

This one was okay for me. Nothing special about it, but still enjoyable. And I LOVE the cover.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I could just not get into this at all. I found it quite boring and I skimmed through from the middle to the end.

This was just not to my taste, but I can definitely appreciated how inventive the author was in creating this complex magical world.

I had high hopes for this one but was unfortunately left disappointed.

I found it unbelievable that Maximus could take place of the brutal prince as easily as the King played it out to be. If they had kept him hidden for a period of time, claiming the prince was off on some adventure or something, then maybe it would’ve been believable.

I also didn’t understand the point of making Maximus (posing as the Prince) kill someone he loved only to later show she was actually ok…but then to finally end her life for good just a few sentences later. Felt like a cheap shot to just cause more/unnecessary pain to the main character.

The writing style was also a bit too clunky for me and felt like the author was just throwing every fantasy character he could at this book without thoroughly thinking what the point of everything would be in the end.

I truly thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me an e-copy to read but unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me

Marketed as Adult Fantasy, this reads like Young Adult with coming of age and classic fantasy elements.

Based on description, this book has everything I love M/M fantasy romance with magic, dragons, battles, and a chosen one trope. I didn’t go into this expecting an epic fantasy, but I was looking for a fun time. I was disappointed.

This book starts out in a library of sorts and quickly moves to the death of the prince (in the description). What it doesn’t say is that this was a result of the prince’s brutal actions that live somewhere between attempted rape and violent homicidal intent. I don’t have triggers, but this book should disclose them for those that do. This was painful to read more so because of the writing than the actual events. .

The writing style didn’t resonate with me at all. It was clunky and forced with drama that missed the mark. The plot was written like it wanted to be an epic fantasy and a fun time but couldn’t achieve both so it ended up being neither. The scenes that were supposed to be dramatic came off as cheesy and predictable, and the author seemed like he just wanted to throw in every fantasy element he could just because he could. Additionally, for a book marketed as romance…. there could have been more romance. What romance there was… it was meh.

I wanted to love this book, and I truly thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this, but unfortunately this didn’t work for me. I finished this in order to do a proper review but otherwise would have put this in my DNF pile.

Thanks to NetGalley for this amazing e-ARC!
4 ⭐️
What can I say? This book was amazing, I really really couldn’t put it down!
Even if I love romantasy, the way this book focuses on all the court intrigues had me hooked!
Don’t worry there was still a lot of romance, and like Max i really couldn’t decide who would I prefer as my enemy or as my lover.
It was very intense, as if I’m always on the edge of my seat, and that’s literally the best kind of book!
This was a great start to what I feel is going to va a fantastic series, and one I highly recommend!

It's very rare I DNF books so this was a special case but sadly I just couldn't bring myself to keep reading as I found little in it that gripped me enough to continue on. Based on the cover and the synopsis for this book I thought I'd love it but truth is I found most characters, specially the villain ones, to be very one dimensional and that there was violence for the sake of violence alone. Max, our main character, was also infuriating at times by how he acted rather dumbly, picking all the worst times to rebel.

As I was having an hard time forcing myself to continue reading I did check other reviews before deciding to stop and the fact there is a love triangle and Max seemingly just keeps being tourtured throughout the rest of the book helped me decide to drop it.

However I'd like to note that I had never read a book by Ben Alderson before this one and was excited to do so and even if this book wasn't to my personal liking, I'm still interested in trying some of his other works as I have heard good things.

Ben Alderson is always a must read for us and this title was no exception. A great queer novel reimagining of Beauty & the Beast with interesting characters and a strong plot base.

I love this book! I follow the author on social media and absolutly love his content. I also read another book of his retelling stories and loved it. Through that I was hyped for this story and was not dissapointed. It gives you the vibes of the "Merlin" series, just in gay and perfect as it is. And this book has dragons that breath ice instead of fire. Soo cool! I liked the world building and that we learn about it with the mc.
This book is just the start of this series.I can't wait untill the sequel comes out.

Oh boy. I was over the Moon for the e-ARC, I felt so honoured. I love Ben Alderson's books. But this one is a big fat DNF (so far... I... I don't know if I can finish it.)
Firstly:
HEA is my preference, but I loved his Realm of Fey series, which is a big beautiful mess, I can't wait the final book, so what I'm trying to say is, I can live without the HEA if I feel like it's worth it. The Darkmoor series is also lovely, those books are stand alone and each one has a happy ending, so I had high hopes...HIGH hopes. Usually I love his world building.

But this book is too... anxious for me, the motivations are a bit unclear, there are hardly any romance in it and I'm halfway through. I can't be botherd by the poor dragons because I don't get the MC. And... I don't really feel the double love interest also. (Max doesn't come through as a very sexual being, which is okay, but I'm also not convinced that it's by purpose.)
I didn't read the original book before, but I looked into it since, and I realized it's a heavier rerelease, not just with a few changes. I'm sad to say I feel like the style paid the price of it.

Now I love Simion's telepathic ability, and it's a new trope, and I find it fascinating. I'm a bit hopeful for this trope. But I'm very afraid about the ending. I need my emotionally fulfilling moments. So far I hardly got any.

Edit: I finished it!! I gave it another star, bc most of my questions are answered and the picture became more clear. I love Ben Alderson's worldbuilding and storytelling, but this was way too angsty for my taste and too fast paced. I really can't keep up with such a twisty book. Like there's a twist on every five pages.

A very good fantasy romance, obviously it is a MM romance so if that bothers you this book is not for you. But I loved the heat and story between the to main characters!

Ben has this ability to create magic that captures you from the first sentence. The words fall away and a film plays in your head and you get pissy when the real world forces you to pause your movie. Heir to Thorn and Flame has you devouring each chapter, one after the other, and yet scared about what you'll find on the next page. Being the first book in a series, it is heavy on world-building and lore but written in a way that you forget that’s what is being told to you. The cluster of characters are lifelike with ones you hate and ones you fall for. This is my second book by Ben and he has a customer for life! Can’t wait for the next one!