Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - A Light in the Flame

That ending… Let me back up first. The book picks up right after ASITE. Sera and Nyktos have been told a lot, yet by the end of this book, they are both still learning new things. Book ends on a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more like right now, but the ending felt rushed.

Spoiler

My Favorite Couple: Sera and Daddy Nyktos are the best written couple in this series. Yes, it helps we know they get a somewhat, TBD happy ending, but I still learn a lot and am left wondering how we get from where we are now, to where they are in the main story timeline. As a couple, their love for each other, because YES Nyktos loves Sera is goals. I was all Cas who after ASITE, but this went deeper. We learn more about why Nyktos denied Sera when he was first summoned, and we get to see into the past deal that inevitably intertwines their fates. There are scenes were you get all the warm feels, and there are some heartbreaking, world shattering scenes too. Daddy Nyktos loves fiercely but he has a few moments were the truth would have spared a lot of tears and loves that get frustrating. Biggest gripe is that they each don’t see clearly or refuse to admit how they truly feel to each other.

Our Lead: Sera is complex, imperfect, and a badass. She gives me hope and it’s her flaws that make her so much more relatable and likable than Poppy. For reals…. There is a lot of character growth for her in this book and seeing her form true friendships and feelings for those around her is beautiful. Sera, Nektas, Reaver, and Jadis are just the best.

The Story: To sum it up, not a lot happens to advance us closer to where we are in the main storyline so in that sense, I was let down.

Spoiler

Sera remains a mortal as of when this ends.

What we get instead are more prophecies, and more characters with what would seem are minor scenes, but then you realize they connect to our main storyline so it leaves you wondering. 95% of the book is introductions, backstories, and world knowledge. The last 5 chapters are when we see EVERYTHING happen at once so it feels incredibly rushed and then fade to black. It leaves you wanting more, but not in a good way… I want more because it feels like I suddenly lost power as I was in the middle of something, not because I felt this chapter of the story was truly complete with more ?s. Not sure if that makes sense or not….

Overall, Daddy Nyktos and Sera, along with their court of Gods and Draken save this book from being a total filler book. Truly, if you want to read the parts that advance the story, read only the last 5 chapters. Definitely could have been edited better and likely combined with the next book in this timeline, especially since we know where this relationship and the major players end up as of TWOTQ.

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plsnotanotherdamselindistress's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

I love this series.
This world is the one true escape. This book has made me feel every emotion I have. I felt it deeper than I thought I could feel a book story and I fear I am never going to find a book that gets to me as much as this devastatingly beautiful world did.

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livruther's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

omg omg omg. i loved this. i got so attached to all of the characters. and the romance was soooo well developed. they are perfect for each other ugh. and the ENDING !!!

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emthompson's review

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adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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brysonchristina1's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Would have been 5 stars but I felt the first half of the book was a bit repetitive.

Spoiler

Basically was just Nyktos telling Sera to stay in her room and then her not doing that and getting into trouble.

But the adult content was 👌

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hapalyn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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symabee's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

3.75

I always feel so conflicted about rating the books in this series. The writing is average and repetitive, but the overarching plot is intriguing enough to always keep me coming back for more. If there's one thing JLA is good at, it's a cliffhanger that insures you'll be reading the next book. At this point I'm in it for the long haul.

I'll start with what I liked about this installment in the FBAA/ASITE series:

- Nyktos and Sera are the embodiment of enemies to lovers, and you just can't beat that.
- Slowly piecing together the connections between the past and present is really satisfying.
- The spice is 🔥
- Plenty of conflict and character development
- Sera is unambiguously plus-sized and still badass

What I didn't like:
- The use of modern words and phrases is starting to get annoying. It pulls me out of the story and disrupts the flow. One character actually said "I nope'd out of the chamber" 🤦🏻‍♀️
- There are so many side characters (primals, gods, godlings, etc) That I honestly can't keep track of who is who, their titles, and what they look like. People would die, and instead of being upset I thought "who was that again?"
- SO REPETITIVE. Things I'm tired of hearing:
•I don't know why but her use of the word 'clamped' got on my nerves (it's used 16 times in the book) if I heard "my mouth clamped shut" or "pressure clamped my chest" one more time I was going to lose it.
•"Are you reading my emotions?" IT'S OBVIOUS NYKTOS IS READING YOUR EMOTIONS SERA, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ASK EVERY FIVE MINUTES.

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kimmag92's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed A Light in the Flame and it definitely answered some questions we have from Blood and Ash. At times it did feel like I was rereading Poppy and Castille's relationship but I do think that is on purpose to show how similar they are and how the prophecy applies to both of them. I am really interested to see how the last book in the trilogy ties everything up as I feel we still have a ways to go between where this book leaves off and what we know happens to Sera and Nyktos.

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