Flame and Crystal Thorns is a suspenseful, and entertaining YA fantasy filled with danger, intrigue, and an epic enemies-to-lovers romance! This series is a spin-off of Moody’s The Fae of Bitter Thorn series, though you don’t have to read the original books to understand this one. The story follows Chloe, a young woman perfectly happy to never return to Faerie again after the dangerous, frightening, and life-threatening events of the past, not to mention the betrayal of someone unexpected. However, Chloe learns that a group of mortals threatens her sister and the other fae, and she may be the only one who can save them. With a frustrating and annoyingly handsome fae from her past, Chloe returns to Faerie intent on saving her sister and the others and finding a cure for an unusual illness plaguing the humans in her town.
Every time Kay L. Moody comes out with a new book, I do a little happy dance. I love her writing, which immerses you so easily into the story. Moody is such a great storyteller! The worlds this author creates are vivid and unique, the characters are brilliant, and the author’s writing style really captivates me. I started reading Moody’s YA fantasies in 2020 and have been hooked ever since.
Chloe’s such a fantastic character! A skilled apothecary, Chloe always puts others’ needs before her own. She is so selfless and caring, and her love of reading and learning is very relatable. I also love that, like Moody’s other protagonists, Chloe is not without her faults, yet she owns them, faces them, and grows. She learns a lot about herself as she fights to help others, and her journey, both physical and emotional, is compelling.
“Why did she want to strangle him and kiss him all at the same time?”
And the relationship between Chloe and Quintus is AMAZING! Quintus is more mysterious than Chloe, and he isn’t as open as Chloe. His actions, on the other hand, often show exactly how he’s feeling. He and Chloe have so much chemistry, and their banter is soooo good! The way they snip and gripe and antagonize each other but are still so drawn to each other – ugh, I just love it. It’s like they don’t want to have feelings for each other, but they do. It makes for a lot of angst and tension between the two, and I’m eager to see how their slow-burning romance plays out.
The intrigue, action, excitement, and morally gray secondary characters are other elements of the story that stood out for me. This is the type of story that you lose yourself in to the point that you stay up until the early hours of the morning reading the book in its entirety and wake up the next day with no regrets. And by you, I mean me. lol I mean, I wasn’t happy the next morning when my kids got up extra early, but it was totally worth it!! And the ending!!! After that cliffhanger, I can’t wait to find out what happens next!
