These Feathered Flames is a book that took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. There are strong themes of love, betrayal. sacrifice, justice, and peace. Being 100% honest, the book didn't really pick up until the second half, however, there are a lot of parts of book that deserve recognition for doing things that are not really common in YA novels.

I want to note that there is representation of individuals with impairments, which I genuinely appreciated. I cannot recall one book I've read that has included this before. This book also represents the LGBTQ+ community, which is super important to include in literature as well. The romance's in this novel are not thrown onto the reader where that is the main story line, they are more like a shoulder to lean on for our main characters.

The twists and betrayals in this novel are awesome! These are what kept me reading! With this novel finishing on a cliffhanger, I am intrigued to see what will come next.

This book definitely lived up to my expectations. Based on a Russian folk tale, "These Feathered Flames" has plenty of court intrigue, action, magic, romance, amazing world-building, and some interesting plot twists. It's going to be a long wait for the sequel, but totally worth it.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

These Feathered Flames was a richly imagined, character intensive novel that fell somewhat short of my expectations. If there existed a spectrum for books where on the right was the words "plot-driven" and on the left was the words "character-driven", this book would lean heavily to the left.

The novel follows a pair of twins, Izaveta and Asya, the former destined to be Queen and the latter destined to carry the power of the the legendary Firebird, whose duty it is to exact prices for the use of magic and keep balance in the land. I have to hand it to Overy--these two characters were incredibly well-established. I truly sympathized with their individual plights--Izaveta's to maintain a hold at court while trying not to fall into the twisted habits of her mother, and Asya's to fix the cognitive dissonance caused by the alternating agony and balence her role brought to the world. However, the novel frequently felt almost TOO introspective. We spent so much time in Izaveta and Asya's heads that I felt like it came at the expense of other crucial story aspects--namely world-building and the fleshing out of more minor characters. I was fascinated by the magic system and the lore surroundings the Saints, but none of that was explored to the extent that I was hoping. Furthermore, the minor characters felt fairly flat compared to the protagonists.

Example A: I ADORED Asya's relationship with Yuliana, but I felt as though that the few details we received about Yuliana's life were hurried and unsubstantiated. I also didn't feel remotely interested in whatever was going on between Izaveta and Nikov--I feel like Izaveta would have been better served without a love interest at all, regardless of how nothing really "happened" between them.

Another minor thing that bothered me was how much emotion the author attempted to convey by describing "the look" in a character's eyes. It just became a pet peeve for me as it occurred more and more frequently throughout the book--I feel like there are other, less contrived ways to write emotions.

Overall a beautiful portrait of two characters set in a world with a fascinating background that wasn't explored to the extent that it could have been.

This book was received as an ARC from Inkyard Press - OwnVoices in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a huge fan of female protagonists especially sisters that ban together to achieve a common cause and bring themselves closer together than never before. Izaveta and Asya discover their skills and powers and Izaveta after finding out the queen has been taken away by a firebird and its now Izaveta in line for the crown. Asya was destined to meet Izaveta and ban together to uncover secrets of their mother's past and the fate of their family is at stake and the cost might be bigger than they imagine. I was smiling ear to ear the whole time I was reading this book and our teen book clubs gravitates towards female protagonists overcoming obstacles.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I enjoyed most of the plot of the book. I did find myself skipping over large sections of description and boring court politics just to read the dialogue to move on with the story. I felt once it got away from the court politics and the threat was being discovered, the book became much more interesting. I'll be interested to see how the second book turns out.

Blurb:
Three Dark Crowns meets Wicked Saints in this queer #ownvoices retelling of “The Firebird,” a Russian folktale, by debut author Alexandra Overy.

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.

My review:

I'm still speechless as I write this review. It had EVERYTHING I wanted in a magical, own voice story. Magic. A retelling of Russian folklore, "Firebird." The magic was so well written. I'm a sucker when it comes to a deep power, billowing within someone because as a child, I always wished that I'd be someone who had a secret power. It has f/f enemies! SO MUCH FIRE!!!!!! Everyone needs to read this novel!!!!

This book took me on a ride. It had a number of my favorite tropes. The ending literally took my breath away and now i'm just sitting her like where do I go next? Alexandra Overy weaves a vivid wintery world of lavish furs and silk dresses, firey monsters and bears that you ride! The tale of two sisters chosen for two separate burdens finding their way back to eachother and themselves. The sequel cannot come soon enough.

*Spoiler free, 4.5 stars*

This book sounded firey and that was basically enough for me to know that I wanted to read it. Honestly, I'm realizing it doesn't take much to draw me into a book. I heard feathers and I heard flames. Firey birds. And that's enough for me to become invested. But I found out there were sisters and a dead queen and magic that demands a price. All of which sounds amazing, and which had me incredibly eager to see what else this book would hold. Trigger warnings: abuse

I have weird feelings about this book. I felt like most of the time I was reading it was spent wishing for certain things to happen, and then them not happening, but also enjoying what I was reading. Yeah, it was weird. I feel like this book could have been stronger in some places, but I also think that could just be my personal preferences talking. Nevertheless, this was a very, very good book and I really, really liked reading it.

This book had all the politics and lies hidden behind smiles that Game Of Thrones had, but what made this book stand out is that everyone seemed so much more, human. Asya and Izaveta weren't perfect. They made mistakes and had to make adjustments in their strategies. They felt things so fully and so clearly. They struggle with guilt and the pressure and the weight of their responsibilities on their shoulders. That doesn't mean they aren't darn good at what they do. Izaveta's strategy and the way she can weave words was something that left me wanting to see more to what she can do. Asya's firey power and her yearning to do the right thing was so starkly portrayed that it left me aching. These two girls are powerful, but they're also human. The balance was incredibly well done and it made the book all the better.

The one thing I was hoping for more of this book was for a character to lean towards the villain side. I have to be vague because of spoilers, but I wish someone's darker side was leaned into more. I was fully ready to hate them and to love hating them. I did end up not liking them that much, but in a different way. A softer, more "I don't really like the way you go about things but I can see where you come from and I think you're smart but hurting and extremely ambitious" and less "wow its fascinating to see this person cut out someones heart". But, the ending did intrigue me and I feel like it's leading into the more villainous side of this character and I am very, very eager to see where it goes.

There is also a f/f romance in this book and just, just. It was the bodyguard/princess trope and the grumpy/sunshine trope and some enemies-to-lovers and just all around incredibly sweet. I basically wanted to hug them the entire time, even when they were threatening each other with swords.

This whole world was so firey. I know that seems like a given, given the title and even the cover, but it truly is firey. Sometimes it's the burning power of wings made of flame and sometimes it's the sunlight sparking through the trees and cold air. Sometimes it's the subtle smile between pretty words to hide the manipulation and sometimes it's the price that has to be paid for the cost of magic.

There were also BEARS that you can PET. Gosh, am I jealous. Bears are so cute but too dangerous for petting and it makes me sad. But these bears are absolutely adorable.

This book was very character driven for me. I found myself liking characters I wasn't too fond of. I found myself in love with characters without really realizing it. Even the side characters were ones that I love. Really, my feelings can be describes as wanting to give everybody a hug haha. Two sisters shouldering their own guilt, a guard, a mentor, a sweet scholar, and cabinet members trying to further their own agenda. All of them were fantastic.

There's also a character who uses Sign Language. I can't comment on if the rep was good, only that it was there.

All in all, this was a very solid book that I find myself surprised to have liked so much. Human emotion is so prevalent and fire is in every single nook and cranny. There's also a cat and pettable bears!

A standout debut rich in Russian lore and lustrous magic, THESE FEATHERED FLAMES is for fans of Wicked Saints and A River of Royal Blood. Overy has a gift for writing about magic, and her visceral descriptions of the flames of the Firebird are perfection. The Sansa/Arya sisterly competition vibes are strong in this, and you'll feel for Iza and Asya as they try to navigate the death of their mother and their new positions of power in an unforgiving court of ice and intrigue.

A really fun and interesting read. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day!