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!

This book was amazing. The plot is interesting and the way it's told keeps you enthralled and waiting to find out what's next. I can't wait to be able to read the future books and find out what happens next!

Dieses Werk ist einfach nur fantastisch. Es ist die rührende Geschichte von Maximus, dem nicht nur seine Eltern, sondern auch seine eigene Identität genommen wird, als er in den Strudel aus Intrigen und Machtkämpfen gerät. Doch immer gerade wenn er einen Hoffnungsschimmer in Händen hält, wird auch dieser ihm entrissen. Neben seinem atemberaubenden Inhalt, ist das Werk zusätzlich auch noch gut und verständlich geschrieben, sodass man sich die Bilder zu den einzelnen Szenen hervorragend vorstellen kann.

It's spicy, it's magical, it's GAY! The perfect trifecta for the best book you're going to add to your shelf this year. Even better, it's only the beginning of this tale. Anderson has lots in store for this upcoming series, and he has started off on the right foot.

Thank you Netgalley and Second Sky for this ARC!

- when I saw New Adult as part of the subtitle, I thought there would be some spice and some more cursing than you'd get from a YA book. Nope! Instead, there was really graphic violence.
- I would not recommend reading this unless you're okay with Game of Thrones-style violence throughout the book. There was also a lot of threatened and attempted sexual violence, with more descriptions of flashbacks.
- This book tried so hard to put a twist at every corner, but instead of drawing me into the story I found myself not caring as things escalated.
- The MC is manipulated by villains threatening to hurt loved ones throughout the entire book. Multiple times, the MC is reunited with a loved one, only for them to immediately be graphically killed. This really took away from the shock value, and I can only listen to the MC talk about reacting to this violence so many times before it gets repetitive.
- With so much time put on twists and shock value, there is a lack of character development. The villain's motives are flimsy, and it's hard to get a read on any character.
- The MC is incredibly passive for most of the story. A lot of the first 60% of the book is just things happening to the character, which got repetitive quickly.

Heir to Thorn and Flame is an MM fantasy romance, with some great world building, plenty of magic, dragons, and Gay Romance.

Overall, I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a fantasy with a fairly complicated world building background. The writing style was a bit more YA, and left a bit to be desired - but I was absorbed into the tale regardless. I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of the series and to see more from Alderson in the future!

Many thanks to the publishers (via Netgalley) for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow !! I honestly did not expect to love this book as much as I did! The world building was amazing! It was complex but easy to get into !! The characters were really well done!! I enjoyed Camron a lot as well as Simion. Max though, oh sweet bean! You have been through the ringer and have a ton of things to deal with !! So much trauma!! But that cliff hanger!! I am anxiously awaiting the second book and will be purchasing both of these to have on my bookshelf!!

I received Heir To Thorn & Flame by Ben Alderson for free on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for my advanced copy!

I love Ben Alderson’s books on Kindle Unlimited, I have been obsessed with the Darkmourn series and I was so excited to hear he was going to be traditionally published too! I was immediately interested in this story when I heard the comparisons to Merthur from Merlin and also I can never resist dragons!

As usual, the worldbuilding was fantastic! I love how the author builds these fantastical worlds and how the supernatural feeds into them. Each one is so wonderfully unique and as a reader it’s such a joy to dive in and discover them! Whilst I did enjoy the characters as well, I did find that the main character wasn’t really given much agency throughout the story and I would’ve loved to see him fight for himself a bit more. It would've been nice to see his relationships with his romantic interests developed as bit more as well as it kind of seemed like they were just thrown together for the sake of having a romance. I would definitely class this as more of a fantasy book as there is more focus on the interesting creatures and magic systems which were fun to explore.

The story was well written and I love how Ben Alderson always manages to write in a twist that will completely shock me! I love that I can get that big *gasp* moment and not see it coming. The twists and betrayals will keep you guessing and not knowing who to trust!

Heir to Thorn & Flame is a highly enjoyable fantasy and I would like to continue the series in the future!

I have been a big fan of Ben’s work since I first found him on bookstagram years ago. He’s such a sweet guy and I love his works. This one is no different. It sucks you in right away with the quipped banter and plot never stalls!

Right before I read this ARC (thank you, @secondskybooks), I finished reading two other ARCs, both of which I absolutely enjoyed reading but have decided to not review for reasons.
.
When I dove into this world, I expected it to focus on the plot more than the world-building itself—just like the other indie fantasy Achillean books I had read before.
.
Chapter after every chapter, this book kept me on my toes, wondering what would happen next. Every single page oozed with a lot of raw & powerful emotions, awe, and magick. Each page gave me something to react to—whether it be gasping out of shock or saying “no!” out loud.
.
Yes, it did give me some of my favourite tropes (e.g. arranged marriage, slow-burn romance), but it also gave me more, which was the plot twist near the end of the book.
.
I also expected this book to have a lot of spice in it because that’s what I’ve been hearing most of the time when Ben markets his other works, but I did not get any of that in this one. Perhaps because this was one of his first works, and he was still testing the waters when it came to that element, but it was nonetheless an exhilarating and fun read.

Thank you for the chance to ARC read.
Kept me engaged during the whole book, I did not want to put it down once I picked it up (I ended up reading it twice). If you enjoy MM stories, and fantasy... do I have a book for YOU!! Ben's books always are so engaging i have never regretted picking them up!

Ben Alderson did it again! I really enjoyed the storyline but there were times I had to force myself to jump back in.

This is a world of magic and lore, there are a lot of magical creatures around, like dragons and dryads among others. There's barely any political intrigue despite the whole situation with the king and Max taking over his son's place.

The story starts in a absolutely brutal way and it doesn't get better for a while. When it comes to pace, I found it with many highs and lows. It starts off strong, then it calms down for a while, then it picks up again. I would liked that it was a bit most constant instead of going up and down. Even so, the plot is engaging and is developed well. The style of writing is simple and pulled me in, much like Alderson's other books.

When it comes to the characters, I loved Max. Despite the hand he's been dealt, he's determinate to live, to save his parents and the kingdom, but also to break free from the King's iron hold. He's very human, he struggles with what is expected of him, the situation, and dealing with the whole trauma. Even so, he's a reliable protagonist with a lot of fight in him. It was incredible to see his evolution throughout the story.
Camron, the fierce protector who has Max's back at all times. I enjoyed reading their interactions. Simion is a bit of a mystery character. He's quick to anger but he's the one that makes Max feel seen throughout his ordeal in the palace.

Despite the ups and downs in pace, I enjoyed it and want to know what happens next!

Thank you Second Sky for the e-ARC!

It was almost like a story. Max went from being a servant to being the prince overnight. All it cost him was his innocence, his parents, and his freedom. The King calls him Julian, the name of his son — the same son Max killed in self defense, using magic, something that the Southern Kingdoms haven’t seen in generations — and treats him as if he were Julian. Max’s hair is dyed, he wears the clothes of the man who tried to kill him, and the servants who were once his friends are now threats to be used against him. Disobey, they die. Try to run away, they die. Fail … they all die.

King Gathrax, the red king, is a monster. But he’s a monster with a purpose. Now that he has a mage at his command, he sees the chance to finally stand up to the Northern Kingdom, to reclaim the South’s power and stand firm against the dragons and mages who slaughtered every magic user the South had. Julian doesn’t want to go to war. He wants his parents, who are being held by Gathrax. If it takes killing one men or a dozen, an army of dragons or innocent farmers, he will.

Even if it means destroying his soul.

The first book in the Court of Broken Bonds is a fantasy romance that personally I’d put it firmly in the YA category. The writing style, the age and maturity of the characters, and the very straightforward way morality and themes are approached in this book seem geared for a younger audience. However, there are some subjects, such as attempted sexual assault, bullying, the constant threatening of harm to Max’s parents, and so many murders and death to keep an eye on for more sensitive readers.

Max is the Chosen One, a young man who — in defending himself against the threat of physical harm — ends up discovering he has magic in a violent, bloody display of power that leaves Julian impaled on a tree and Max in shock. This shock leaves him vulnerable when King Gathrax discovers the secret and has his mother beaten to ensure Max’s good behavior, among which is taking him to the body of his son and properly burying it in the woods. King Garthrax makes for a good villain; Max is terrified of him, of the power the man holds, and finds himself hating the man even as he has to call the man father in public and play the part of being Prince Julian. This leaves Max with thoughts of violence, revenge, and even despair — exacerbated when the King brings out one of the palace staff as prey for a celebratory hunt and demands Max kill her. Max then has to make the choice: A friend, someone he knows … or his parents. It’s a dark moment, leading to some interesting character development as Max takes a colder, harder approach to life and people afterwards. Under Garthrax, he’s lost his ability to trust; everyone seems to want to use him, and to do so, they use his parents again and again.

Camron, Max’s husband and the prince of a neighboring kingdom, has his parents taken away to his kingdom … only to promise to bring them back. The Northern kingdom, who very much want to get a look at Max, who claim ownership of him because of his magic, kidnap his parents to encourage him to come North. Everyone he’s met, everyone in power, treats the people he loves as things, bait to be waved in front of him, a club to hit him when when he disobeys. Is it any wonder he’s always angry, distrustful, and sullen?

Camron is a radiant warmth to the fire of King Garthrax, using Max’s real name — never once calling him Julian — offering him freedom, protection, and support. When Max wants to leave, he holds open the door. When Max doesn’t want to eat with him (owing to trust issues and wanting to see how far Camron can be pushed), Camron is more than willing to come to Max with food. However, he admits to hiding things from Max, to making decisions without Max’s input. And for Max, with all the lying, all the threats, all the people who have power over him … finds it hard to trust him.

The world building here feels clumsy. There are the ubiquitous peasant farmers tending the castle, but there are also brown paper bags. The Southern kingdoms are fairly egalitarian, with women queens and no difficulties with same-sex relationships. There are dragons and dryads, mentions of giants and more, but there is no specific feel to the kingdoms other than the vague fantasy feel.

The writing is a bit stiff, and the characters have no real set voice other than Max, who is anxious, nervous, and angry by turns. The book was also previously published as The Lost Mage; this updated version is said to have more steam but, to be honest, I didn’t feel any steam. There are two scenes between Max and Camron with some intimacy, but in both Max wants distraction from thoughts of his parents being hurt rather than wanting either an emotional or physical intimacy from Camron. I’d consider this more a slow burn.

In the end, this is a decent YA fantasy with dragons and mages and I wouldn’t mind reading the next one in the series.

I didn't know very much about this book or author, but it was an amazing read. The story is incredible, full of twists and turns that you van't see coming, and the romance was so nice. I cannot wait for the second book in this series. This fantasy romance is way more than just that, it has so much gore and action which is something that I LOVE and the writing was so dynamic. The only thing that bothered me was the lack of character development involving the women in the story.

This is the first book I've read by Ben Alderson and I have mixed opinions about it. The story has everything I'm looking for, slow romance, drama, magic, an arranged marriage and dragons, however it also has something else that doesn't quite convince me: a love triangle.
I'm not exactly a fan of love triangles, but they have to be very well done for you to enjoy them and in this case both love interests left me cold. They are not to my liking, although I did not hate them, compared to the protagonists they seemed very gray to me.
I did like Max, throughout the story he went through a lot of things and I think he is a constant character both in his reactions and in his way of being, but I think we needed secondary characters who were there the pair.
The story is very interesting, I saw that in the recommendations they compare it with those of Sarah j. Mass and it definitely has a vibe.
The book also has very shady scenes, both physical and psychological and sexual violence, as soon as we start we have a long chase, death, an attempted rape, etc., so you have to be careful with the trigger warnings.
The plot twists were a bit predictable, but this is something very personal because he saw that there are people who have left their mouths open while reading.
However, despite the details, it is an interesting book that reads very quickly. I like to see that there are more and more lgbt stories that stray from the typical contemporary romance (ok, I love contemporary romance, but from time to time I like to read other genres) and surely it is also a good option if you are starting to read high fantasy .

I finished this in one day! I love the high fantasy lovers! This was well written, super fast paced, and riveting and intense. I couldn't put this down! Absolutely loved it

What a ride!

This is an intense fantastical adventure, one I struggled with at times but ultimately quite enjoyed. It's queer fantasy drama + romance, though I recommend going in aware this is the first of a series so the romance is definitely more in the sexual tension/growing feelings stage here. The worldbuilding was very fun, especially with how it gets more and more intricate the deeper in you get. While I guessed a couple things ahead of time there were definitely twists I didn't see coming, all well written and sneakily foreshadowed!

I found Maximus to be an interesting, well-rounded protagonist, with strengths and flaws. The depth of his grief and rage was heartbreaking, his determination igniting. The supporting characters are great too, I didn't find any character to be too shallow or one-note, even the more vicious villains.

One thing I struggled with was the pacing. The beginning of the book and the final climax are great: sharp, action-packed, and vivid. The middle section dragged for me. It also reads more upper YA than adult to me, with a little bit of that coming of age plus Chosen One narrative vibe.

Even so, the parts of the book I did like were so enjoyable I'm definitely planning on picking up the next one! I have to know what happens, and I have a massive weakness for dragons.

I loved it! I honestly can’t wait for more I was hooked from the get go and could barely put it down! Thank you to Netgalleyand the publisher for allowing me early access to this title

DNF at 58% ...I'm kind of confused by all the gushing reviews. Honestly, to me this book felt scattered and anticlimactic. My overall mood while reading was frustrated, agitated, and overall just sour. I had high expectations based on the blurb, the cover, etc, but everything felt off, or too bland. I may try again one day but right now I just don't have the patience.

So the first couple of chapters are actually very strong; the intro the night of the festival, the inciting incident, etc. I also like how the parties set up as the main villains totally got Emperor Snoked early on.

But I quickly grew frustrated by Max, who is stubborn and defiant at the worst times, finds his bravery only when it's time to hang back and observe, makes scenes at the most idiotic moments, and makes his situation so much worse at every turn.

Trying to destroy his murder weapon in public and getting caught up in the events at the festival I can forgive, but after that once he'd become a captive, everything he did was so annoying to me. Max acts like a total girlboss, but when push comes to shove he's kind of a coward, his bravery and defiance flare up when he should keep his mouth shut but then when he actually needs to step forward or be strong it's gone. He's all bark and no bite. Which is fine, I guess, but he takes himself way too seriously, and for someone who I'm supposed to believe is like twenty-six he just seems way more like a seventeen or eighteen year old.

The book reads very YA. Upper YA, sure, but it's not as adult/new adult as I was hoping. I tried my best to accept that early on, but it got more and more grating the more dumb Max acted. I also had a hard time caring about his parents at all because while they seem like good people who love him, I know nothing about them. Max doesn't seem too concerned finding out he's adopted, which, cool, they're his folks either way and they're in danger so his priority is saving them, but even then he makes so many heedless mistakes and miscalculations and makes things so much worse. He gets people killed just because he wants the last word, he thinks he's smarter than he is. I love ACOTAR and I love Feyre, but she was never more annoying than in the beginning of book three when she kept patting herself on the back for being a girlboss spy, when literally everyone in the Spring Court except Tamlin knew what the hell she was up to.

Max fluctuates rapidly between boss bitch moments and then just straight up hating himself and thinking he's pathetic at all times. Writing a confident, powerful character who also struggles with self-hate is no easy feat, and even the most talented writers often fumble it. But it made it seem like he was all bluster, like he was gassing himself up far more than he deserved and I just couldn't delude myself along with him. It's not that I hated Max, I just found him stupid and kind of frustratingly weak.

I also got fed up with the love triangle. Every time I got comfortable with or invested in one of the guys we rushed past it and they would disappear for huge chunks of the plot. I was definitely more interested in Camron and Simian just truly seemed like the usual annoying 'mysterious dark broody bad boy' love interest with no depth to him, where Camron's trauma seemed compelling.

The worldbuilding actually felt very basic, vague, been-there-done-that for me. It was fine, but it wasn't anything special. In fact at 58% into the book I honestly felt like we'd learned far too few details and were still being fed such huge important information that felt like it should have been addressed far earlier in the narrative that it made it hard to get invested in because I genuinely didn't care, as it seemed at that late in the game that the author would just introduce whatever he needed to in the moment to keep the plot rolling, but it was all stuff I'd seen before in a billion other fantasy stories. And it's stuff I like, I just felt like there wasn't anything interesting or unique to flavor it or contrast with it, so I was left feeling like it was all wasted potential.

Maybe it doesn't help that I watched the new Dungeons and Dragons movie while reading the first half of this book and that was more well developed and charismatic in every way. I just couldn't maintain my interest when Max was so hard to root for and kept upsetting me so much I wanted to slap him, and Camron kept leaving him alone at the wrong time and neither of them seemed interested in actually governing for all their talk of shifting the power balance and rebelling and reclaiming Max's parents. At one point I wished his parents would just die already.

All this said there were some things I did like:

1) Camron, he's a cool love interest and one of the sole reasons I'm tempted to try reading this again one day in the future. I will give it a second chance, and that's probably mostly because of him. His backstory and the hints of emotional depth we see from him felt more skilled and more interesting than most of the other material

2) Beatrice. She's pretty damn impressive and powerful. I felt like she had major "I deserve my own backdoor pilot episode" energy. Give me a Beatrice spinoff I'll read that.

3) The dragons. Dragons are always dope.

4) The dragon armor Camron made. Serious Dragoons vibes. Very cool.

5) The hot guys. Simian has no personality aside from being a bad boy spy and I want him to either pitch a threesome or go away forever, but Camron is cool and fascinating. And swoony. Max...again, nothing but pity for the airhead. I wanted a powerful badass political mage character. After reading Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao I just...stop giving me these annoying 'I wanna be normal' heroes and give us politically active rebels who have a plan and want to enact change! Most young people these days are political and wish for power! Not to be 'normal' and insignificant lmao. Still, hot gay dudes are hot gay dudes, props for that.

6) The Emperor Snoking of those two motherfuckers. I did enjoy that. Light 'em up!

7) The village/Ganthrax territory. The manor did seem very vivid, as did the forest.

I just felt like things weren't moving along fast enough or in enough detail, I didn't love the characters enough, and I was so annoyed it was sending me into a reading slump. Unfortunate dnf. Cover is beautiful.

I liked the writing style enough to try other books by this author, hoping this one is just a dud, because his tastes seem to be very similar to mine and his concepts and covers are all amazing. Just not the right time for me I guess.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

This is my first time reading a Ben Alderson book and I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I can confidently say it wasn’t this!

This being a riveting, fast-paced, well-written, high-stakes, high-fantasy romp, a bit dark and a lot brutal, featuring Maximus Oaken, a young servant who discovers his latent mage abilities, and the many, many people who wish to use him for the might his immense powers will bring to their personal plots and schemes for more control over the land of Aldian.

I might be slightly obsessed and therefore a lot bias, but I honestly couldn’t put this book down. Although the romance element is in the background—at least for book one—there was so much royal intrigue, heart-pounding excitement, and jaw-dropping twists and turns, I almost forgot I had picked this up because I saw the words “arranged marriage” and “found family.”

Don’t worry, there is a romance here—or the beginnings of one—but for most of the book there’s more than one love interest present, and half the fun was trying to work out who Max was actually going to fall for and who was the potential villain of the piece. Now I’m done, I know what team I’m on and I’m SO EXCITED to see what happens with Max and his potential beau in book two.

I honestly can’t say a damn thing about the larger plot without immediately spoiling something (or everything), but if you love grand world-building, magic and dragons, court intrigue, and juicy secrets and betrayals, this will be the story for you.

It’s pretty heavy—as in, it’s angsty and violent and stressed me the hell out several times with the intensity of some of the suspenseful scenes, but I was all the more obsessed because of the darker tone, which I’m not sure I was expecting at all, but am so glad I got here.

Now I must wait (im)patiently for book two, Heir to Frost and Storm (DO NOT read the synopsis if you don't want book one spoilers!!!), which you can all best be assured I have already pre-ordered and will be reading promptly on release day.

This will be the book for you, if you enjoyed any of the following high fantasy series:

The Rifter by Ginn Hale
A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Dragon & Emperor by Emily Holloway & Amanda Crowe
The Folk of the Air by Holly Black
Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat
Tales from Verania by TJ Klune
Rowan Blood by Kellan Graves