Blog Tour- These Feathered Flames by Alexandra Overy

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the tour for These Feathered Flames hosted through TBR and Beyond Tours.

You can find the full tour schedule here.

On my stop today I am sharing my full, spoiler free review of the book.

About the Book

Purchase Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Indigo

Content warning: Death of a parent, On page emotional abuse, References to physical abuse, On page death Fantasy violence

A queer retelling of “The Firebird,” a Russian folktale
When twin heirs are born in Tourin, their fates are decided at a young age. While Izaveta remained at court to learn the skills she’d need as the future queen, Asya was taken away to train with her aunt, the mysterious Firebird, who ensured magic remained balanced in the realm.
But before Asya’s training is completed, the ancient power blooms inside her, which can mean only one thing: the queen is dead, and a new ruler must be crowned.
As the princesses come to understand everything their roles entail, they’ll discover who they can trust, who they can love—and who killed their mother.

About the Author

Alexandra was born in London, England. Ever since she was little she has loved being able to escape into another world through books. She currently lives in Los Angeles and is completing her MFA in Screenwriting at UCLA. When she’s not working on a new manuscript or procrastinating on doing homework, she can be found obsessing over Netflix shows or eating all the ice cream she can.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

My Thoughts

This Russian inspired YA fantasy is full of magic, political intrigue and a hate to love f/f romance that is so swoon worthy I am still thinking about it. The story features two twin sisters, Izaveta who has been groomed by her mother to take over as queen when the time comes. Then there is Asya, who was taken away from her mother and sister in preparation for her to become the firebird when Izaveta takes the throne.

I think if I had one complaint about the novel it would be that the pacing was a bit inconsistent in places. The crux of the plot balances on the political intrigue that both sisters must navigate in the ten day span between their mother’s death and Izaveta’s coronation. This compressed time frame lent itself to frenetic feeling to everything that happens, keeping the story moving at a largely even keel.

The magic system was interesting because basically anyone could do it but there are consequences that usually involve some kind of payment. I was not ready for how violent some of the scenes were but as someone who loves horror, I thought they only added to the story.

Overall, I gave These Feathered Flames 4 ? and recommend it to anyone who loves books by authors like Holly Black and Katherine Arden.

What About You?

Have you read These Feathered Flames? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!