A review by e_knight
The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Wow, this book really surprised me! I loved all of the characters, and the plot was very interesting. At the beginning, it almost gave me Six of Crows vibes, but after reading more of the book, it’s not super similar. But, if you liked Six of Crows, I think you will like this book. I’m very excited to see where the story continues in book 2! The only reason I gave this book 4.5 stars was because at the beginning, something about the story felt a little off – I’m not sure if it was maybe the pacing or some of the world building, but something just didn’t quite feel right to me.

For whatever reason, I was very suspicious of Theo almost the whole book. I kind of thought he would maybe betray them at some point, and then towards the end, I thought he might die lol. But, seeing his true heritage, I guess I was kind of right in thinking something of him in a way.