A review by books_over_everything
Temper the Flame by Jade Church
3.0
Initial Thoughts
I literally stumbled upon this book on NetGalley while trying not to apply for books. But, alas, here we are. I applied, was accepted, and dropped everything to read my shiny new book.
Some Things I Liked
The premise. I really liked the idea of fallen angels and their connection to the real world. I normally don't love contemporary settings with fantasy elements, but it worked here.
The romance. I also liked that the romance had enemies to lovers banter while not being actual enemies. I'd like to have seen a little less insta-love and more banter, but overall, I liked the main couple.
Some Things I Wasn't Crazy About
Scene changes. Many of the scene changes within or between chapters felt incomplete. It made the story a bit hard to follow.
Insta-love for all other couples. I really didn't like that every other couple literally formed out of utter convenience. It felted forced and unnecessary.
Plot arc. The story felt like the climax that the first half built to was completed around 75% in and then we moved to a totally different plot. It felt random. Almost like an incomplete sequel that was jammed into this book or a really long epilogue.
Series Value
I probably wouldn't keep reading this if it became a series. This book was decent, but definitely not my favorite.
Final Thoughts
This was a good debut. Not great, but not bad. I think it has some good bones but needs some work before I'd consider reading a sequel.
I literally stumbled upon this book on NetGalley while trying not to apply for books. But, alas, here we are. I applied, was accepted, and dropped everything to read my shiny new book.
Some Things I Liked
The premise. I really liked the idea of fallen angels and their connection to the real world. I normally don't love contemporary settings with fantasy elements, but it worked here.
The romance. I also liked that the romance had enemies to lovers banter while not being actual enemies. I'd like to have seen a little less insta-love and more banter, but overall, I liked the main couple.
Some Things I Wasn't Crazy About
Scene changes. Many of the scene changes within or between chapters felt incomplete. It made the story a bit hard to follow.
Insta-love for all other couples. I really didn't like that every other couple literally formed out of utter convenience. It felted forced and unnecessary.
Plot arc. The story felt like the climax that the first half built to was completed around 75% in and then we moved to a totally different plot. It felt random. Almost like an incomplete sequel that was jammed into this book or a really long epilogue.
Series Value
I probably wouldn't keep reading this if it became a series. This book was decent, but definitely not my favorite.
Final Thoughts
This was a good debut. Not great, but not bad. I think it has some good bones but needs some work before I'd consider reading a sequel.