This has been on my TBR for forever now, which is probably why I didn’t remember it was an lgbtq title. I was really happy going in and seeing Karis was ace! But because there were many individual pieces I liked and a few meh things, I did struggle a bit committing to a rating. But I do feel confident giving it a 4-average (3.75 on SG). I really enjoyed things like the characters and their diverse identities (lgbtq and disability rep, but also more general walks of life - pirates, thieves, scholars, students, and more) and how there were real consequences to their actions. Their growth but also their non-growth and more. The thing that made it meh was mainly the pacing, but in general, I really enjoyed this read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars

I appreciated the world-building in this YA fantasy story.; with an interesting mix of AI, pirates, and even greek mythology.
For me to completely love this one, I would have liked to have seen more development of the characters and a more solid plot. Thank you #inkyardpress for a gifted ebook

I really liked the dual point of views with the two main characters, one character that happens to be an automaton. It really gives the reader the opportunity to learn more about each character and their potential motives. Karis wants to find her brother and in her hunt, she awakens Alix, an automaton that should have been destroyed. Whereas Alix is more an introvert, Karis is an extrovert. She fights for what she believes in and protects those she loves most; she is the type of person that always puts others before herself, especially if its her loved ones. And I loved that quality about her.

I also enjoyed that Alix was the complete opposite of Karis. Alix is basically a mystery; he has no clue why he was created and why his father tried to destroy all the automatons. But he's set on figuring this out while he's working with Karis. He offers a wonderful sense of reason to the story, which at times is needed. And even though these characters were both different from each other, I enjoyed each point of view equally.

The story flowed so well and fit effortlessly with the world Emily Victoria has created. The magic system and background of the automatons was so interesting and intricate that definitely made the story more enjoyable. Victoria's writing was refreshing yet lush and soft when it needed to be; she's a master when it comes to writing intense, vulnerable scenes. Honestly, she's a master with writing a story because her debut blew it out of the park.

THIS GOLDEN FLAME is not just a book that flickers, but one that burns fierce. I have no doubt that many readers will enjoy this story. Emily Victoria's debut shines and I can't wait to see what Emily writes next.

I really enjoyed the casual diversity! To me, the ending wrapped up a little too nicely and neatly, but I really liked the magic system with automatons!

This book was an absolute adventure. I loved the characters (Alix was my favorite) and the slight found-family vibe between some of them. The rep was great, the world-building was interesting, and the plot intriguing. I know it’s a standalone, but I could totally have read this as a series. It would have worked well as one.

DNF. I tried to start it more than once and couldn't really get past the first few chapters. I think I got bogged down by the worldbuilding.

I found this book to be a decent debut novel. It had a solid plot, but fell flat on the execution. The characters were wonderful and had exceptional potential for more development. The world was interesting and I wanted to know more. The pacing was stilted and uneven. I honestly think it would have worked better as a duology or longer and more fleshed out story.

I love pretty much anything that has androids involved, and this was no different! The world building was great, and there was just a bit of intrigue about the robots that kept me reading, as well! Highly recommend, especially for those that love sci-fi!!

I liked this book because everyone had very clear motives and they usually did not match other characters' motives, so there was a lot of interesting interpersonal conflict throughout this book. I loved the pirate ship setting on this book when it was present. I found the ending to be fairly predictable of a YA novel, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed what I understood to be asexual representation. The questions of identity really underscore other storylines and plot points in the novel, but the story itself I didn't find exceptional or riveting.

This Golden Flame was an easy story to go through but I would have liked a more developed world to fully immerse myself in it. As it was, I wasn't sure how to picture this world or the enemy that had to be defeated.

However, I still went for the ride and followed Karis as she was looking for her missing brother. In the process she manages to wake up an automaton, Alix. He was sweet and probably the only character that stood out to me. He also wants to help Karis in her mission.

We also met pirates and the characters ended up having to defeat the bad guy but I didn't know enough or about him. It felt like it was a bit too surface level but I did have an easy time distracting myself with this book.

<i>(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

While I loved the diversity of the characters, I unfortunately wasn't able to get into this story as much as I wanted to. The story is basic, there was nothing new there to really grab my attention. There were great elements but the overall book simply didn't excite me.

What a brilliant fusion of sci-fi and fantasy within the YA genre. The world-building that the author has done here allows readers to witness a world where they can seamlessly see where magical runes and magic itself end and technology and advanced science begin. The fictional setting that the characters find themselves in harkens back to a similar time as Ancient Greece, adapting many of that era’s way of life and the pursuit of knowledge while at the same time observing ancient customs and beliefs.

The thing that stood out the most for me as a reader was the amazing character development the author brought forth to this read. The protagonists in this story, Alix and Karis, are both fantastic as readers get to see from both perspectives. However, Karis was an especially inspired choice for the protagonist, as her status as one of the heroes of this tale not only gives representation to the asexual community within the larger LGBTQ+ community but inspires young asexual people to embrace their identity no matter what. This is an extremely important territory the author has entered, and it adds to more representation within the YA genre.

A stunning, engaging, and breathtaking world of magic and wonder, author Emily Victoria’s “This Golden Flame” is a must-read YA sci-fi and fantasy read. The author brilliantly brings an important LGBTQ+ character to the narrative and creates a fascinating world of science and magic that astounds the reader and creates a world that is brimming with possibilities but haunted by corruption. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

This Golden Flame is a brilliant read about magic, friendship and most of all, freedom. Set in an Ancient Greek inspired world where statue-like automatons dot the towns and cities, forever frozen when the magical fuel that powered them was locked away. The premise from the start had me intrigued, from the setting to the automatons and Alix, the automaton who was so much more.

Alix, without doubt, was my favourite character and arguably the most complex. He’s an automaton, and according to everything known about them, shouldn’t be able to speak, let alone think and feel. And yet he can, and so much more, and it makes him real and vulnerable. There’s such a depth to Alix’s character, it practically sang off the page in every chapter from his point of view. I enjoyed reading every page of it.

Throughout, Alix struggle with who or what he is, what his purpose is, and if anything, that is what makes him most human of all.

He’s a character that comes alive in the way he’s expertly crafted and I could picture him so vividly in my head, he may as well have been stood in the room before me.

Karis, the character you’d probably call the main, if not very key, didn’t shine quite as brightly for me. She was a strong character in herself with a clear motivation and meaning behind every action she took, even when it was the wrong one. Karis was also asexual and aromantic, and I’ll admit it’s the first book, especially fantasy, I’ve ever read with an aro ace main character and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was refreshing to see a character who’s focus wasn’t constantly on the boy. And that’s not the only rep in this book! There’s also 2 gay characters and a character that prefers they/them, and it didn’t seem forced or like an after-thought. It seemed natural to the story and worked really well.

As for the plot with the automatons, the golden flame, pirates, bandits, rebellions; it had it all and I loved the story that was weaved amongst these characters. A personal favourite point is the fact that Alix heard the rune magic as music, and, whilst he didn’t need to, he’d hum a tune to go along with it. It was such a brilliant way to frame it and made for some luscious reading.

Overall, this book ticked a lot of boxes and was quick and easy to read, with characters I was routing for and a world I was itching to explore. If you’re debating whether to pick this up, it’s a resounding yes from me.

I really only have one word to describe this book and that is weird. I mean it was interesting but weird to me. Interestingly weird. Yeah. Going with that. In This Golden Flame, you will meet Karis. She is currently an orphan and trying to find a wait out of this shithole she is in. If that makes sense in any way. The reason why she wants to escape and smell freedom? Well, her brother was taken and shipped to far far away. No, not that place in any of the Shrek movies.. just really far away (from her).

One day she randomly awakens an automaton - Alix - and they begin the adventure of escaping this hidden gem. Along the way, they learn more about themselves. Now at times, I really liked Alix and Karis.. but other times they would annoy me. It would just be little things honestly. Oh and the big betrayal but other than that they were likable.

In the end, it was an okay book. I don't really have a specific feeling for how it really ended. It just did - plain, simple, and easy. So I guess, in a way, I'm glad that it's a standalone.

I first just want to say that so many amazing fantasy debuts are releasing this year, and this is definitely one of those great debuts! I loved how this story was brought to life with exquisite world building and flawed yet beautiful characters. THIS GOLDEN FLAME has such an unique storyline with a wonderful magic system that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I really liked the dual point of views with the two main characters, one character that happens to be an automaton. It really gives the reader the opportunity to learn more about each character and their potential motives. Karis wants to find her brother and in her hunt, she awakens Alix, an automaton that should have been destroyed. Whereas Alix is more an introvert, Karis is an extrovert. She fights for what she believes in and protects those she loves most; she is the type of person that always puts others before herself, especially if its her loved ones. And I loved that quality about her.

I also enjoyed that Alix was the complete opposite of Karis. Alix is basically a mystery; he has no clue why he was created and why his father tried to destroy all the automatons. But he's set on figuring this out while he's working with Karis. He offers a wonderful sense of reason to the story, which at times is needed. And even though these characters were both different from each other, I enjoyed each point of view equally.

The story flowed so well and fit effortlessly with the world Emily Victoria has created. The magic system and background of the automatons was so interesting and intricate that definitely made the story more enjoyable. Victoria's writing was refreshing yet lush and soft when it needed to be; she's a master when it comes to writing intense, vulnerable scenes. Honestly, she's a master with writing a story because her debut blew it out of the park.

THIS GOLDEN FLAME is not just a book that flickers, but one that burns fierce. I have no doubt that many readers will enjoy this story. Emily Victoria's debut shines and I can't wait to see what Emily writes next.

I had some pretty mixed feelings about this book.

First off, some things I liked - this book has own voices aroace rep & mlm side characters. I can’t personally speak for the aroace rep but so far I haven’t heard anything bad about it (+ like I said it is own voices), and I did mostly like the mlm rep.

As for plot & characters - personally, I didn’t manage to really get attached to the characters, and I never felt super invested in the plot. However, this was really just due to my personal preferences rather than any problems with the book, so I really think other people might enjoy the book a lot more than I did. (especially if you tend to value plot over characters)

NOW. There is one thing I did actively dislike and that is how the non-binary side character was handled.

The way that the author chose to let us know the character’s pronouns was quite literally by making them say « I’m a they ».

A person who uses they/them pronouns is not « a they », they just use they/them pronouns. Pronouns are words, they are pieces of language that people use, they’re not something that people are.

So many people who use they/them pronouns have repeatedly explained that they do not like being called « a they ». Please respect that.

And then ON TOP OF THAT, there are two separate instances in the book where he/him pronouns are used for this character instead of they/them. with no explanation, for no apparent reason, and without it being challenged. The character is just randomly misgendered two times.

(I guess it could maybe have been a mistake, but honestly I’m so confused how this could’ve accidentally gotten past edits, especially since there’s two instances of it?)

Overall, I do think a lot of people will enjoy this book, but it didn't exactly work for me personally, and the way the non-binary rep was handled really disappointed me.

I'm not sure how to describe my feelings towards this one. It was good, but not great. My opinion may change when I reread, because I really wasn't in the mood for this book, but we'll see.

I really loved the world we're given here. It's full of rune magic and automatons, and it's just so interesting! I was immediately drawn into it, and although I do wish certain aspects of it had been explained better, it was a super interesting debut.

I also liked the characters in this. They weren't super memorable, but I enjoyed their conflicts. Dane mightve been my favorite, but I also loved Alix. I wish he would've felt a bit different though, because even though he was an automaton, he felt like a regular person. I understand that was the goal, but I would've loved for his voice to be more distinct

My favorite thing about this was definitely the lack of romance. I feel like so many YA books have fallen into the trap of forcing a romance. I was kind of worried that Alix and Karis would end up together at the beginning, so I loved that that wasn't the case. It was so refreshing to have a book built from purely platonic relationships, and its something I want more of.

My main, and only problem with this would have to be how indistinct it was. A few pieces of it may stick in my brain, but nothing was too memorable. I will be rereading though, so we'll see how my feelings change!

Thanks to Emily Victoria and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

*Thanks to Inkyard Press and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review*

My main complaint about this book is that everything that happens in the book is in the synopsis. Normally I don't have to worry about that except for in thrillers but the synopsis gave pretty much everything away so reading it wasn't exactly exciting for me. It was well-structured for a standalone but I feel like it lacked a lot and was too simple of a book for me, especially for the fantasy genre.