Book Review: The Flame and Thorn Series

Chaotic, Addictive, Flawed….and I Can’t Stop Reading It

I finished Realm of Wind and Vines, the fourth book in Marion Blackwood’s Flame & Thorn series, only a few hours ago. And while I’ve loved this series from the very first page, this installment left me with a swirl of emotions I’m still trying to sort through. So here I am doing what any deeply invested fantasy romance reader does when a book leaves her spinning: writing until it all makes sense.

Because despite everything I’m about to critique, I want to be upfront — this series sits at a very firm 4.5 stars for me overall. Almost perfect. Absolutely addictive. Wildly entertaining. But Book 4? It stumbled. Hard. In ways that shook me more than I expected.

Still… I can’t stop thinking about these characters.

And yes, I would absolutely crawl for Draven Ryat — but Selena very literally already beat me to it.

Why This Series Works So Well

Let’s acknowledge something from the start: the Flame & Thorn books aren’t trying to be literary masterpieces. The writing can be repetitive, tropes flash their neon signs from a mile away, and some lines feel pulled straight from a romantasy bingo card. And still, none of that matters, because the series delivers something far more important: pure, unrestrained entertainment.

It’s fast. It’s fun. It’s high-energy and high-drama.
The banter sparkles. The tension crackles. The pace…