The Twisting Flame follows Carys after her family was forced to leave their comfortable aristocratic life for their own safety. With the kidnapping and return of her sister, Carys struggles with learning who she can trust which leads to her own kidnapping that opens The Twisting Flame. Carys endures brutal treatment from her kidnapper as she gradually learns more and more about who she is and what lies in wait for her destiny. Will she make it home? And what of her kidnapper?

This fantasy story feels very much like Game of Thrones meets Lord of the Rings; combining the epic fantasy feel of Lord of the Rings and the human drama and intrigue of Game of Thrones. There is a vast universe that we are introduced to, although from a very unfortunate lens of Carys’ point of view. There is also enough twists and turns to keep readers intrigued throughout the story. As someone who has been subjected to assault in the past, there were some pages that were troubling to read. However, the author does a good job in incorporating troubling topics into the story without feeling purposeless. Readers are able to identify with Carys’ struggle throughout the story. Despite this being a fantasy story, I feel as if Carys is incredibly relatable to women everywhere because of what she endured in the story, and how the author conveys the emotions that go along with that is so authentic and stirring. I also believe that Pierce does an excellent job setting up the ending of this book to lead into the third book in the series, The Crimson Blaze. What Carys went through is part of what builds up her character for the third book in the series and I’m eager to see how her storyline plays out.

The Twisting Flame is an impassioned epic fantasy novel that tells a retable human story against the backdrop of a deep and complex world that I can’t wait to explore more of. 

Pages: 348 | ASIN: B094C297VC