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tashasbooks 's review for:

These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy
4.5
adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really, really enjoyed this book. I was pleasantly surprised by how much, considering it is a debut novel. 

The world building is pretty good, and I like the uniqueness of the Magic system and what the Firebird does. It is a retelling of the Russian folklore tale the Firebird, so there is a ton of Russian names and references. It took me awhile to get used to it, but I love how much it is immersed with that culture and language of the tale. This book has a ton of the political intrigue and court politics, so if you enjoy that in fantasy books, you’ll definitely like this!

I wish we got more of the romance between Asya and her guard! I loved her character and the internal conflict she had throughout the book. You really see both her and Izaveta’s growth from beginning to end. Not to mention, Izaveta is a little bit morally grey, which is fun to read about. 

The two huge twists at the end I never saw coming surprisingly and I definitely should have been able to predict. But those last 50 pages were so page-turning and I can’t wait for the sequel!