User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
things going for this book: its unique concept and all the representation/visibility.
i will always praise an author that can create a well-structured story within a standalone. however, some stories do better with more than one book and this is one of those.
this story is arguably too… simple? its nice and easy and really everything that happens is already given in the synopsis. i think if the author was working with more than one book, the characters could be given more depth, the plot could be given more action, the pacing could be given more attention.
i just think as a debut book, EV was too cautious. if she had more than one book to tell the story, she could have had more room to develop her storytelling style a bit more. and its such a cool concept, i dont think readers would mind committing to a series.
but overall, this is a very promising start to EVs writing career.
thanks inkyard press for the ARC.↠ 2.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Ahhhh I never thought I'd live to see the day when everyone around the MC gets a love interest
except for the MC herself.Beautiful.
wish i could say the same abt the book💀AND THERE WAS STILL NO DEATH aRe YoU kIdDiNg Me?!?!
But that's just me. I'm sure anyone who's okay with characters that don't kill their enemies, will love this.
this is what happens when you've just read the poppy warAlthough, I must say it's unrealistic that you go through a WHOLE book dealing with basically a war between
team good and
team evil and NOT
ONE PERSON ON EITHER SIDE IS KILLED. nO CASUALTIES.
AT ALL.That's totally realistic. Yup, totally.
But again, this might just be me because of how used to I am with death in YA novels but I don't know...you'd think some of them would've died. AT LEAST THE VILLAINS. WHY NOT THE
VILLAINS??? ohmygod I cannot with this book-
Which brings me to another point—
the villain. My dudes, I don't know how anyone would be afraid of this
"Magistrate" when he's as bland as a
piece of cardboard. Where's the personality?? Where's the evil actions he does?? There was more telling than actually
showing .
The characters would basically just
talk about how much of a monster he is and how anyone who goes into
"The Magistrate's Library" (yea I know, very terrifying) didn't come back out normal because the Magistrate was cruel to them.
Yes...but
what exactly did he do? There were no details -- just "oH he's SO EVIL. thAT MONSTER. hoW COULD thAT mAN do thAT to my brOTHER" etc etc.
Tell me,
what's the point of a villain if he's doesn't even drop a hint of dread in the reader?
(now THIS is what I call frightening)
I know I probably sound very salty, but it's just very frustrating. I felt NOTHING at all for the characters.
Nothing They're all basic.
Ahahaha the plot too --
Karis is looking for her brother after being separated from him years ago. Then one day she discovers an automaton, Alix, that can
speak and act of its own will, which of course, is surprising considering automatons haven't been working for hundreds of years, and even before, automatons were always controlled by human beings. He's ~speshul~
Anyways, she uses him to escape from the Scriptorium, the place she was held
prisoner-but-also-not-prisoner (if that even makes sense) as a slave (tho she did have some freedom in learning things) and from there things escalate and eventually turns into what? Yup, a
rebellion against the Magistrate and those who've been making them suffer for so long.
It goes on, and on...and honestly? I'm kind of tired of the
basic rebellion plots, with it's
basic heroes,
basic villains,
basic everything. It's been used way too much and at this point, I think most of us can agree that we're tired of it. Or at least it could be used and have some ✨creativity✨.
How would you make it creative?
I have no idea.
I'm sorry. I'm making this out to be worse than it actually is, but there were actually some parts that I liked.
For one thing, as I mentioned in the first line of my review -- the main character, Karis, is
asexual, which I've
never seen in a YA Fantasy book before so that was awesome.
Between Alix & Karis and Dane & Karis, it was just
platonic love and that is just so beautiful. We don't get enough of that in fantasy novels for the main character and that is not okay. I'm totally a sucker for romance, but this change was nice and
I loved it.
Also, it was really cool seeing through
Alix's POV. The only POVs I've ever read from are through humans, so to see through an
automaton's for the first time *mind-blown*
Though I wouldn't say there's much of a difference between Karis and his. I'd sometimes have to go back because I'd forget whose POV I was reading from since they were kind of similar.
So yeah, other than
nobody dying at all during a full-out battle, the bland characters, and basic plot...this was an alright book I guess.
I definitely recommend this to those who like all the things I pointed out that I didn't like, or if you're simply looking for a book that's very diverse!
This just wasn't for me, and I am sad :((
(2.5⭐)✦✧✦✧
Eternally thankful to Harper Collins Canada for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
[1. We have a candle inspired by The Lunar Chronicles
2. Moon shaped fairy lights and the tarot cards of the month.
3. Woot! W
Rating: really liked it
hey we got another legit ace character AND it's a fantasy???
Rating: really liked it
Good: There was an aroace protagonist! That never happens!
Bad: Literally everything else.
Wow. This book sucked. There are no other words for it. It sucked. It was a bad book.
Writing? Terrible. I've read fanfic by ten year olds that was better written. If you're going to insist on writing in alternating first person, your narrating characters need to be distinguishable from each other. These weren't. Nor were either of them particularly likeable (though Alix at least had better reasoning). And do not get me started on how
trite everything was. "She's a she and I'm a they"? Seriously? Have genderqueer characters in your books, that's great, but
no one talks like that. There are better ways to be inclusive than sounding like you're working from the Tumblr School of Creative Writing.
Plot? Less terrible. Unfortunately, also meandering and poorly paced. It read like an unedited Nano novel: things happened because the writer needed to make word count, not because they made any sort of in-world sense.
World building? So terrible I want to throw things. There was no point to it! You don't get to just randomly decide that your story is going to take place in a vaguely Greco-Roman-fantasy-steampunk abomination of a thing without explaining
why this maybe Ancient Greek world has automatrons. World building is not just set dressing! It has to make
sense. It has to be immersive and logical within the constraints of the world, not just fulfilling your need for aesthetic.
Characters? Painfully terrible. They can barely properly be called characters, they lack any and all dimension. This is especially true of the characters around Alix and Karis, including the main villain. Team Rocket was more frightening than the big, scary Magistrate who apparently wields supreme power and tortures everyone in his path...until he's taken down by a ragtag group of kids in the course of a few weeks. There was no build, no demonstration of why this man is so terrifying. The group just plods their way into a victory that was entirely unearned.
Relationships?
I wanted to throw the book across the room, they were that terrible. This was a book told in alternating first person. The human character is aroace. The other is an automatron. You'd think that would mean we would all be spared the frustration of an unnecessarily inserted romantic subplot, but no. It just means we have to put up with an unnecessary subplot
as watched from the side-lines. It was bad. It was painful. It was superfluous. And, more importantly,
it was between (view spoiler)[a kidnapped boy and his kidnapper (hide spoiler)]. That last point isn't likely to bother as many people as it should because it's written off as "but they're the good guys", but that doesn't make it any better.
I am so horribly disappointed by this book. I wanted to like it. I was excited to read it, even more when I realised one of the main characters was ace. YA never has ace characters. Representation cannot make up for flat out awful writing though. I have to wonder how this managed to get published, it's just that bad. That it was picked for my LitJoy box just irritates me more. The physical book itself is too pretty to deserve the words printed in it.
Rating: really liked it
The author does an incredible job of world-building and breaks YA stereotypes by avoiding love triangles, or really any romance at all (other than between minor characters). It was refreshing to read a book where the main character, a female, doesn't make decisions based on romantic love. Instead, the focus is on family - chosen and biological - and what makes us "human". The author's inclusion of LGBTQIA characters was subtle and well-written - their sexuality was not treated like a "big moment", but instead it was simply another facet of their character.
I love that this book is a stand-alone, but would've enjoyed it as a series as well. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Rating: really liked it
Free copy provided in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my rating or review. 4 adorable stars!
Literally everyone in this book was a little cinnamon roll. EVERYONE. It was actually astounding, and I loved it!
The novel begins with our dear Karis as she tries – and fails, for the nth time – to break into the only place where she can find info on her brother. After this plot is thwarted, a variety of events lead to Karis awakening the only living automaton in the world – our darling Alix.
Alix is an absolute sweetheart, and I hope to god that he never changes. He’s brave but sweet and oh-so soft, and I love it!
“Your light is stunning. It’s brave and beautiful. So just be you, because that’s enough. It’s always been enough.” Karis to Alix.
Yes yes yes, here is where I completely and totally agree with Karis! Alix is pure sunshine, and he deserves to be protected.
But more about our MAIN main character. Karis is brutal and tough and fierce and fiery, but she’s really just a loving sister under all that, determined to find her brother. She may act like she doesn’t care, but she has a big heart, and she’ll show it to those closest to her, which I loved. Another thing I loved was the way she accepted and rarely looked down upon herself for being asexual. She knew she’d never have a romantic relationship with anyone, but that was ok with her! Karis accepted herself, and that’s what matters most.
“I might not have what Dane and Zara do, but that doesn’t mean what I have is weaker.”
Karis thinking about her asexuality.You go girl! Own it!
Apart from the characters, I also really liked the worldbuilding and fantasy elements! The idea of scriptwork and automatons and everything was a nice combination between technology and magic, and I found it really interesting. Some concepts were a little difficult to grasp in the beginning, but I soon worked everything out, and loved all the interesting elements of the world that Victoria created.
All in all, this was an interesting and creative book, and I really enjoyed reading about the characters and the bonds of friendship that they developed! Lots of fun and really cute. Thank you so much to the author and TBR & Beyond Book Tours for the free review copy!
Rating: really liked it
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC provided in exchange for an honest review.This fun, adventurous YA fantasy novel featuring an aromantic asexual girl and an automaton with a heart of gold is one that I was very much anticipating, and while it wasn’t entirely what I expected, I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint.
This Golden Flame is mainly set in Eratia, a fantastical country inspired by Ancient Greece, and follows eighteen-year-old Karis as she tries to find out what happened to her brother after the two were separated seven years prior. Karis is an acolyte to the Scriptorium, an organ mainly comprised of scholars trying to discover how to reanimate the infamous Eratian automatons that were all deactivated a few centuries before. One day, while Karis is busy with her duties as an acolyte, she stumbles upon a still-functioning automaton named Alix, who appears more human than one would expect from an automaton. Together, they embark on a journey to find out what happened to her brother, only to find that their search for her brother comes with unsettling discoveries related to Alix’s mysterious past…
The points of view in
This Golden Flame are split between Karis and Alix, which was an interesting experience because while I’ve seen non-human creatures like AIs, robots, and automatons questioning whether they are capable of feeling like humans do, I’ve never read this from one of their perspectives before. Throughout the story, Alix is questioning whether he is more than a tool created for a single goal and I think it was refreshing to see this struggle from his own point of view. Karis has been hardened by a difficult life and is surprised by the human softness she sees in Alix, and it was really touching to see these two connecting and learning from one another. Karis is aromantic and asexual and I loved seeing a YA fantasy heroine whose most important relationship is platonic rather than romantic. There are barely any traditionally published YA fantasy books centering aroace characters, so as a reader who is on both spectrums it was incredibly validating to see this experience being represented in one of my favorite genres for once.
Aside from Karis and Alix, there is a lovely cast of secondary characters, many of whom are part of a pirate crew Alix and Karis encounter on their adventure. Zara, the captain of the crew, is so confident and badass and so much fun to read about and even though the members of her crew don’t get a lot of individual page-time, they all feel like real people. They hail from many different parts of the world, and the snippets of information we get from them about the countries they hail from gave me the sense that the world is bigger than just Eratia, which is always a good sign. There are also various identities from the LGBTQ+ community represented in the side characters, among which we see a nonbinary character (who uses they/them pronouns) and a male/male couple. None of this is questioned, which is exactly what I like to see in my fantasy worlds.
Aside from being queer-friendly, the worldbuilding is fun and original. Ancient Greece has always been a special interest of mine and it was interesting to see a YA fantasy world based on that historical setting. The magic system with runes is intriguingly described, although it’s only explored on a surface-level. At the end of the novel, several questions related to the runic magic system and the automatons remain unanswered, which makes me feel like there is potential for a sequel or companion nonvel, even though it appears
This Golden Flame is intended to be a standalone novel for now.
If there is anything I would criticize about this novel, it is that perhaps it does not have a particularly original plotline. It follows the generic YA plotline of a character who discovers a dark secret from the past and corruption within the government of their country and joins a rebellion to combat it. Victoria’s writing style also wasn’t anything special. It is quite simplistic and to-the-point, at times leaning more towards telling us about character’s emotions rather than showing them. However, I feel like this more simplistic writing style also opens up the book to a wider audience. Due to the accessible writing style and the minimal exploration of darker topics, this book is also suitable for an older middle grade and younger YA audience. Keeping that and the original setting and interesting characters in mind, these aspects ultimately didn’t take away too much of my enjoyment of
This Golden Flame.
In summary,
This Golden Flame is a YA fantasy story with interesting main characters and a fun, original world that will intrigue readers who are like pirates, Ancient Greece-inspired settings, and stories filled with seamless, casual diversity. While the plot might not be one that readers haven’t seen before, the well-realized characters and world make up for it. This is one of those stories I wish I could’ve given to my younger self; she would’ve been overjoyed to read a book about a girl like her who gets to go on an adventure with pirates and isn’t romantically involved with anyone. I truly hope this book finds the people who need it, the aromantic and asexual teens who need to see a main character like them who gets to go on a typical fantasy adventure. I’m so thankful this book exists, and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world for people, especially aro and ace teens, to read.
Content warnings: internalized aphobia, allusions to torture, starvation, and war
Rating: really liked it
This was very solid fun, very entertaining. So please consider this a very positive 3 stars.
There's a lot to love about this book. The premisse is amazing: an automaton main character, queer pirates, it's all so fun!
I also loved the aroace rep. It's very casual and it's just so refreshing to me to read a book, especially a YA fantasy, without a main romance. I also loved the focus on platonic relationships.
That said, I would have just liked to see a bit more in terms of character depth and development. I feel like I only got to know the characters on a surface level, and for me to really love a book, I have to be able to get to know the characters a little better.
Rating: really liked it
Honestly couldn’t finish it, I made it over halfway. It had good potential and good representation, but I just got bored with the MC and the world.
Rating: really liked it
This Golden Flame is a stunning young adult standalone fantasy with such a tempting premise and richly woven world that I devoured it all in a single gulp. Flee across the sun-and-shadow islands of Eratia, where runes have the power to unleash monsters. The story follows protagonist Karis who seven years ago was forced to become an acolyte for the Scriptorium, the rune scholars who rule Eratia. For centuries, these Scriptmasters have sought the key to reanimating the country's fearsome automaton army, and anyone they deem unable to help them achieve their goal is sent away including Karis's brother, Matthias. Then Karis discovers a unique human-sized automaton and unintentionally wakes him up. Intelligent, with a conscience of his own, Alix has no idea why he was created. Or why his father-Eratia's greatest traitor-once tried to destroy the automatons. Upon learning Matthias is being held by the Scriptorium's sinister leader, Alix and Karis set out to rescue him and uncover the truth about Alix's past. But when Karis is faced with an unthinkable choice, betraying everyone she cares about may be her only desperate chance to save their world.
This is a captivating and compulsive fantasy rich in both danger and magic and written a seamlessly flowing style that dares you to try putting it down before coming to the realisation that putting it down for any length of time without knowing the fate of the characters you've become so invested in, is not about to happen. Its intricate and subtly nuanced worldbuilding shows other YA fantasy novels exactly how sword and sorcery should be done and it takes barely a chapter to become completely immersed in the world which the characters inhabit. There is enough drama, intensity, mythology and action that you fail to recognise the twists in the tale and the unexpected shift of the narrative until it hits you right there and then and you realise you've been had; that Emily Victoria has played a good game! The flawed cast is the icing on the cake for me and most of the characters are so intriguing and engaging that they soon become alive on the page before you - making the transition from paper into your heart. An entertaining, thoroughly gripping and exciting read. Highly recommended.
Rating: really liked it
Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book.I always say that I am a big fan of standalone books, I prefer one-shot stories over duologies or trilogies. Except, on this rare occasion I felt this should have been at least a duology.
This story is told from two POVs, Karis and Alix. Karis is an orphan girl, who was forcibly separated from her brother when they were brought to Tallis island. She doesn’t know where they took her brother to or what happened to him. She was forced to work for the Scriptorium, wearing a bracelet to track her all the time. Except for Dane, another orphan who became a soldier for the Scriptorium, she was never able to, or wanted to, connect with anyone else on this island. She never felt like she belonged or wanted to stay as her only purpose in life was to find out where her brother was taken. One day, she accidentally finds a cave where one of the automatons, an ancient and mysterious machine from the past, was hidden. All the automatons stop working for some unknown reason 200 years before and the Scriptorium has been working relentlessly to find a way to wake them up since then. Karis manages to wake the automaton in the cave using its runes and tomes, and she astonishingly finds out the automaton, Alix (he not it), can think and talk. Karis and Alix try to escape Tallis in pursuit of finding what happened to their respective remaining families.
In the beginning, we are introduced to an interesting magic system, with runes activated via tomes or through a ledger, which are also engraved in the surface of the abandoned dormant automatons and that made me super excited about the story. And from the very first chapter we encountered Alix, I was absolutely in love with this character.
The story continues, told from Karis and Alix’s perspective, and it is fast-paced and easy to read. Other side characters start to be introduced in the story and I suddenly sadly realise that Karis wasn’t bringing anything to the plot. On the journey to find Karis’s brother and more information about Alix’s father, the writer brings into the play this amazing, smart, badass pirate queen, Zara. In my opinion, she absolutely overshadows Karis as the female main character, and I thought Zara had a way bigger story to tell. Continuing with the reading, Karis becomes a bit insignificant, doesn’t add much to the story, doesn’t do anything special to help the development of the story, and I felt the dual POVs wasn’t actually working. Both POVs were just a mix of each other’s inner thoughts.
Alix was a very well developed character, with some concrete character development. Everybody sees him as an object, a tool or a weapon and he is struggling to be accepted for someone with opinions, likes and dislikes and feelings. He has to find his place and purpose in the world. Karis, well… we know she is looking for her brother, and that’s the only thing she cares about. It’s mentioned at the beginning she is asexual but even this characteristic ends there. I felt unfortunate that even her being asexual was not explored further, which is a bit of a shame. In the end, Karis’s growth was forced, I didn’t like her as the main character and she didn’t strike me as a vital part of the plot or with exceptional strengths.
In general, this story started with a good premise and interesting world-building, with Ancient Greek vibes and AI-like automatons. It’s well written and easy to read, and I was intrigued to see where Alix’s story would go and discover more about Zara’s past. Towards the end, I was a bit confused by the magic-system and the ending left me with lots of unanswered questions and plot holes. Here’s why I thought it should have been a duology, so Karis could have more space to grow and be more the main character that she was supposed to be, and also to fully explore the automatons’ story.
I still think it’s worth reading for Alix and Zara – and I wish there was a book only for her. If you like fantasy stories without romance being the main focus you would like this. Unfortunately, I am all for romance in every shade, so I missed that bit in this story. There is in general good diversity representation as well, but it could have been more. This Golden Flame brings in the basics of a fascinating world-building but the plot and pace shift during the second part and the repetitions in Alix’s internal dialogues makes me give it just 3.5 stars.
You can read this review and more on the Monogamist Reader Blog
Rating: really liked it
I received an ARC from NetGalley i'n exchange for an honest review.This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria is a promising standalone YA LGBTQ+ Fantasy debut. The world-building is truly outstanding and the world comes across as quite vivid and atmospheric. The magic system regarding the Scriptorium and the automatons is also really cool and unique as well. I really enjoyed getting to know both Kara and Alix, but as far as I'm concerned Alix held my attention the most. I think I would have preferred the novel not to be told in dual perspectives, but to focus specifically on one character or the other. I think the story could have benefited from the streamlining that could have provided regardless whether Kara or Alix would have become the main focus. Either way, I greatly appreciated Kara as our aroace lead. I don't often get to see the A of LGBTQIAP represented at all, so this was refreshingly delightful especially in this fantasy setting. Overall,
This Golden Flame by Emily Victoria lives up to the hype and I can't recommend it enough. There's so much potential for this author to become a favorite of mine just based on her debut release. I'm really looking forward to her next #OwnVoices YA Fantasy book,
Silver in the Mist, which is due to be released in the Fall of 2022.
Rating: really liked it
[amnesia, nightmare, nonconsensual branding & scars, human medical experimentation, death of a mother & father recounted, murder, knife & sword violence, explosion, disappearance of a sibling, and kidnapping (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
This book was so good I loved everything about it from the characters to the amazing story that had me hooked from the start. I loved the characters so much especially Karis and Alix they both were complicated yet easy to like characters. I loved Karis for her tenacity her want to finally be reunited with her brother and most of all her strength both of character and actual strength of many other things. I loved Alix for his want to know himself and change what he has seen has happened after the amount of time he was not awake. I loved the plot it started with Karis stealing something ending up with her finding something she has never found Alix and learning he is different and many things are not what they seemed it became a great adventure I really loved how it ended. So overall I loved this book I would read more by this author for sure.
