Heir to Thorne and Flame by Ben Alderson is the first book I finished in August and it was a good one! I really enjoyed this MM fantasy, it reminded me of the fantasy books I fell in love with from Karen Miller and Trudi Canavan AND its on KU here.

Max is an engaging and endearing MC in a clever and twisty plot. I do think he needs to be developed more as this novel dunked us straight in with his story with little lead up which in my opinion did affect the pacing as there is a lot of world building and character/relationship development to squeeze in - a hard balance to achieve!

However, the way the plot unfolds kept me reading and I'm in need of reading book two immediately after finishing this one late at night. And speaking of development, I'm not usually a fan of love triangles but I do like an arranged marriage and this book ends on a bit of a cliff hanger in that regard

Thanks to publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantasy tv show and movies are my favourite things to watch but I rarely read fantasy books but the cover to this is just so captivating I had to request to read and review it.

Max is a servant for King Gathrax and his family , he’s the lowest of the low in everyone’s eyes. Max loves sneakily reading in the Library and living another life in the books (servants aren’t allowed to read).

Julian Gathrax is the eldest child of the family and he’s the next in line to rule the Kingdom and he’s vicious and cruel towards Max whenever he gets the opportunity.

When Max finally snaps and takes his revenge he uses a rare kind of magic that he didn’t even know he had, rather than being punished he has to take Julian’s place and enter an arranged marriage with Prince Cameron.

What an epic adventure this was, I devoured every single page so quick.

It read like my favourite Fantasy Tv Shows and Movies it was that good.

The shocks and twists just kept coming and I was cheering on Max all the way through and felt so sorry for him when he had to deal with all the heartbreak and deceit.

The author creates the perfect fantasy world that you’ll know and love in just a few short pages and I can’t wait to read more.

This MM Fantasy Romance is so good I’ll definitely have a HUGE Book Hangover.

Thank you Netgalley, Ben Anderson, and Second Sky for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book. But I think that it just wasn’t for me. I ended up DNFing it at 10%, as such I will not be giving it a star rating on Goodreads, or StoryGraph.

When I read a book the details can make or break it for me. Especially when it comes to the author describing characters / being consistent with their description’s. For me it didn’t help build my image of the character. And yes someone can be short and have long legs, but I don’t know it just didn’t do it for me.

For example: when describing Maximus

“I might not have been riddled with muscle, but my compact height could over power him.” vs “long legs and narrow build.”

The book also started off very uncomfortable? There was little to no preamble between him and the prince before what happened in the woods.

'Heir to Thorn and Flame' is the first book in the War of the Wood series. I am no stranger to Ben Alderson's style and even though this story may not quite reach the heights of 'Lord of Eternal Night', it undeniably serves as a fantastic kick-off to the series. Mages, dragons, familial bonds and treacherous betrayals . . . what is not to like?
Accidentally killing the heir to the throne, Max is forced to wear his mantle and marry Prince Camron. Plagued by uncertainty and torn between loyalties, he finds himself in a precarious position as his parents remain captive in the clutches of his enemies. Whom should he trust? Dangerously attractive Camron or Simion the dragon riding spy or his loyal but secretive friend, Beatrice? Delving further into the plot will only spoil your reading experience, and thus, I better refrain from divulging any more details.
I should warn you though . .. there is sort of a love triangle in the beginning which is almost resolved towards the end. Aaah!! I do hope that the author will pick that plot point again . . . at present my sympathies lay with the (presumed) villain. Sigh! Can't wait to read the next one.

I don't read a whole lot of fantasy, but when I read that there were going to be magic and dragons in this book, I thought that sounds like something I want to read.

Heir To Thorn And Flame combines action and romance in equal measures to make a captivating read.

Max is a wonderful character who you just root for throughout. He's had a tough life working for the cruel Gathrax family. That all changes when he discovers his magic abilities and is forced to wed a handsome prince from a neighbouring kingdom. And that's just the start of his troubles.

There is so much packed into this story, that's never a dull moment! Greed, betrayal and secrets run rampant throughout the story. I also enjoyed the magic system, which I hope we will find out more about in the next book.

Romance wise, it felt at times like Max's feelings went from zero to one hundred in the blink of an eye, but of course that's just my opinion as I'm very much a fan of slow burn romances.

A well-written fantasy that has me intrigued for more!

I really enjoyed this book. The magic system was new and exciting- who doesn’t love dragons?! The characters were engaging, although a little wishy-washy in personalities at times. It did make sense for one of the characters at the end, however. There were plot twists abound, a love triangle, and betrayals. Overall a very interesting and enjoyable read- I am excited for the next one to come out to see where it takes us!!

This had a nice fantasy foundation, and I liked the queer romance a lot. I kinda slogged through the middle, so it seemed like there were some pacing issues. 3.5 rounded up.

I haven't read anything before by Ben Alderson. There were good and bad things for me about this book... That's why I gave it a neutral type of rating.

This book is definitely well-written. I enjoyed the descriptive qualities of the writer's style and I felt that the characters developed quickly at the beginning. I did think the pacing was a bit off but I've experienced that on occasion with books that are the beginning of a series. The first part of the book was on the slow side pacing wise and then a lot of things started to happen all at once.

It does need a content warning for sexual assault as this can be a real issue for some folks and it emerges rather quickly in the story. For this reason, this is probably not a book we would have in our Library system. We classify NA books with YA.

Overall a good beginning to a series.

DNF 29%

This book was dark in a very fascinating way similar to previous works by Alderson. I like his previous works and was excited to read this one. However, there was no trigger warning for attempted sexual assault on this book and I feel as though that is something very important for readers to know before they start a book. There are no rules to what makes a book romantasy verses fantasy with romance but this book feels like the later. The first act of this book was very difficult to get through because of how depressing and dark it was but I kept reading in hopes of the romance saving it and creating a more interesting dynamic. But, this book bored me before I could even get there.

I love Ben Alderson's books, but I must say that this one felt a little strange to me. I felt a unconnected to all the characters, I found lacking chemestry between the characters and overall messy. I won't continue to read this series, but I will keep loving Ben's other books...

This book had a lot of action and a lot of twists I didn't expect!

It did start out a little slow, but understandably had to build up a rather complex plot. I enjoyed the world building, how the magic works in this world and the fantasy creatures.

Max is young and understandably a little immature and has a lot thrown at him at once. I enjoyed Simion and Bea and their respective relationships with Max. I want to know more about Camron and would def read the next in series about these characters.

There was pretty light romance in this book, but enough to keep it interesting. I hope we get to see more of the dragons as well. A good first start to the series!

I received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is being marketed as NA, but it’s very YA with some mild sexual content. This is also being marketed as a romantasy — I don’t fully understand which end of the romance fantasy to fantasy romance spectrum this means and don’t like the term — but in any case it’s more of a fairly predictable fantasy novel with a love triangle romantic element squished in. So your usual YA fantasy, but adult characters and gay. Fantasy readers I think will enjoy this a lot more than romance readers.

I didn’t really care about Max, much less his love interests. My gripes with the romances are the same as they are with most YA fantasy books that have a (usually het, so I was more lenient with this one because I am biased to queer romances) romance. There’s limited to no actual development of chemistry, things just happen and the shifts from ‘hate’ to lust/love are abrupt or forced. Or that could just be how allos are, your mileage may vary.

Another issue I had was the pacing. The pacing was whack. It’s super slow for the first half (which could and should have been the first 20% or so). Then a million things suddenly happen in the 50-60% range. The plot and characters kept going back and forth, I’m surprised I didn’t get whiplash following along. Then we slow back down and suddenly we’re the climax and a rapid drop into resolution for book one, but we got some unresolved elements and mild cliffhanger to lead towards book two.

However, I did like the magic system. I thought it was interesting, as well as the world building vague though it is. It was nice to have a queernorm world with a normalised queer marriage (though forced) and no 'but what about heirs' and legacy etc. Perhaps we (and Max) will learn more and see better development in book two. I just don’t know if I’ll be keeping an eye out for it.

TikTok’s darlings are not for me, but they clearly are for a lot of people so give this a go if your interests align with what’s going on on that app.

What can I say?! This was such an engaging and compelling story. The author did a wonderful job with not only creating characters that brought this story to life but the whole world building aspect was so well done too. Everything just clicked and I got a real feel for the situations Max ended up in.

The story itself moved at a lovely pace keeping me invested in Max and those around him. There were secrets to be discovered and a few twists along the way. I also thought the romance worked brilliantly in this book. It was woven so well into plot and it definitely kept me on my toes. I enjoyed every moment of time spent with Max. It’s safe to say that he doesn’t have things easy. The reader sees him get caught up in a world of danger, dragons and intrigue.

Heir to Thorn and Flame was a gorgeous fantasy treat from start to finish. There was magic, dangerous power struggles and a hint of romance. I especially loved the found family aspect. Basically there is a little bit of everything to entertain. All that’s left to say is that I cannot wait to catch up with Max and his friends once more. I need to know what happens next! 😂

This book is about adventure, love, arranged marriages, murder, and dragons! When Max accidentally kills the prince he finds out that his life is not what he thought it was.

I did enjoy this book but it did read a little watpad-ish. I do wish to read the next instalment but more so I can see if the story gets better and have some closure rather than me truly being excited for the next book. I do however love that it is a lgbtq+ fantasy novel as there is so few of them out there.

A deliciously enticing Tale!

This book is everything Ben Alderson promises and more, yet another impressive jewel in his already regal crown! It’s got magic, intrigue, dragons, romance and a touch of danger… I was hooked! As a long time fan, Dare I say, this might be his best book yet and an absolute must read.

This world needs more @benaldersonauthor.
Fantasy
Romance
Two Men
Arranged Marriage
Oh MY YES! Though some of it was slow going, I enjoyed the plot and story. These character will keep you engaged, long after you complete the book.
I'm looking forward to the next release - building upon the storyline.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Second Sky for a copy in exchange for an honest review*

HOLY F*CK MAN. WHAT THE H*LL? BEN YOU DID IT AGAIN.

Ben is one of my favourite authors and this is another god damn 5 star read from him. His writing never makes me bored, his ability to weave in world building just works so well for me, and the gay characters just existing in fantasy books? I LOVE IT.

Heir to Thorn & Flame is easily one of my favourite fantasy reads of this year. I loved everything about it and now I'm desperate for book 2. I want more of Maximus

Overall: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Spice: 0/5
Ben Alderson really knows how to start off a book that really grabs your attention and immediately has you sitting on the edge of your seat. It was a mistake to start this book before bed because it was so hard to put down! This is a fast paced book with lots of action, heartbreak and adventure. There is multiple love interests (not harem) and I'm so torn between the two! Ben truly knows how to write a book that pulls you into a whole new world and makes you easily fall in love with the characters. Oh and did I mention theres dragons???

Thank you NetGalley and Ben Alderson for this arc. The below review is completely my opinions that I am giving voluntarily.

I am truthfully feeling a lot of emotions surrounding this book. Chief among them being anger for Maximus. This poor man has been through so much and more and more just keep piling up on him. The biggest source of this anger is everyone around him. The two love possible love interests are completely infuriating. Truthfully he'd be better off being single, he's a powerful mage who don't need no man. Especially one's that continually cause him pain. I do appreciate this story's focus on the plot rather than just the romance. While it plays a large part in the plot it is not what the plot ultimately builds to.

The fantasy aspects are outstanding. I do wish there was a bit more world building but that may be because I am sadly missing the backstory of these creatures that essentially are gods in this world. But it is extremely interesting how they each fall into their respective elements. The settings are fantastical and I wanted more, which I am hoping to get in future books.

Maximus is by and large my favorite character from this book. He is well fleshed out, he isn't perfect, he has plenty of morally gray moments, and he does not have a huge ego. All of this together makes me love him as a character.

Anyways, would I recommend this book. Yes if you enjoy fantastical worlds with creatures galore and a downtrodden mc that is thrust into the limelight and blamed for everything going wrong. No if you don't enjoy mm romance, you like your hero to be classically a hero, you don't like morally gray mcs.