Please excuse any grammatical errors, or typos. I have done my best, but in reality I am just reader. and will leave the writing to all the incredible authors out there.
This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers.



A richly detailed fantasy of twin sisters Asya and Izaveta fate has been decided upon their birth. In Tourin a Tóurensi tradition dictates when the royal line has twins, they must be split up at a certain age.

One will become the heir to the throne, and will the other the Firebird. This is necessary done to maintain the magic balance in the world.
In a series of events their mother dies unexpectedly, thrusting the twins into their predestined roles.
Bringing the girls together for the first time in many years, they are unrecognizable to each other. Asya becomes the “Firebird”, who tracks down those who haven’t paid the proper price for the use of magic, she extracts a flesh debt that is owed.
Izaveta now prepares to take the crown, and with that comes a vast amount responsibilities.

The girls are thrust into political intrigue within the dynamics of the courtly drama. Along with a powerful spell being used, and their mother death was no accident.
The book weaves back in forth in dual narration of both sisters, we get see first hand that both sisters struggle under the enormous weight of what is expected of them. The author has done a spectacular job in giving the reader a beautiful atmospheric Slavic fantasy, with its rich culture apart of world building.


This a must read and definitely one to add to your must list for fantasy for 2021
It’s truly a remarkable reading experience that engages the reader along being for of edge of your seat twist moments. The romance was perfect, and it made for a stunning reading experience. The ending was done in away that will have you yearning for the next installment.

Alexandra Overy’s debut novel These Feathered Flames is a reimagining of the Russian folktale The Firebird. It’s a story of twin sisters whom the rules of the land have pitted against each other—while one is destined to become the next queen, the other has been chosen to train as the next Firebird. Politics is a heavy part of These Feathered Flames, as is the sibling relationship at the core of the story, and I actually enjoyed both those aspects of it.

The customs of Tóurin see that when twin heirs are born in the royal family, one has to become queen, while the other becomes the next Firebird—the one to conserve the magical balance in Tóurin. This means that Izaveta and Asya were separated when they were only ten with Asya sent to train with her aunt who embodied the spirit of the Firebird then, while Izaveta remained at the palace. However, before Asya’s training is complete, the queen dies unexpectedly when both princesses are only seventeen. Asya, now the Firebird, receives a Calling upon the queen’s death that suggests a magical imbalance in relation to the queen’s demise, and she travels to the palace to answer it. As both Izaveta and Asya try to fit into their new roles and try to find their way back to each other despite their wholly different upbringings, they also have to find the queen’s killer.

These Feathered Flames is told through the two sisters’ points of view. While Izaveta’s chapters are mostly about the twisty court intrigue, Asya’s chapters give you some insight related to the magic system in their world, and her chapters also have the most exciting action sequences. We find out that while Tóurin once had magic in abundance, in recent years the land has witnessed a natural phenomenon they have come to call the Fading. Magic is now scarce throughout the land and only the Firebird seems to be able to access it freely. The Church thinks killing the Firebird would bring magic back into Tóurin, and as Izaveta does everything in her power to keep the Firebird from being hunted down, I’ll admit I enjoyed her narrative a lot more than Asya’s.

The main issue I have with These Feathered Flames is its faltering pace. In some chapters, the story adopts a moderate or slow stride as the sisters have these moments of rumination where they analyse their actions and think themselves unworthy of their respective roles (and there are a lot of these moments), and then suddenly there would be a fast-paced action sequence in the very next, and I found the transition from one to the next to be quite bumpy. There’s also the fact that Overy’s worldbuilding leaves a lot to be desired as quite a few questions remain unanswered. As for the magic in this world, while we’re told that to fix a magical imbalance the Firebird extracts a price from the magic user, that’s essentially all we know. The magic system is not very well explored.

The clashing personalities of the siblings, however, make their story a quite fascinating read. Izaveta, who’s almost the anti-hero in this book, is definitely my favourite of all the characters, and I really enjoyed being inside her head and seeing her schemes play out. As for Asya, Izaveta’s strong personality shadows her quieter, more introspective nature. There’s a queer enemies-to-lovers romance in this book that, despite being pushed into the background, manages to shine brightly enough, and I really wish we got to see a little more of it. Among the remaining characters, there’s a scholar called Nikov who’d definitely become one of your favourites with all his wit and snark.

These Feathered Flames, despite its flaws, has a plot that will keep you hooked throughout with some breathtaking action scenes, queer sword fights, and some strong characters you’d definitely like. Definitely give it a read if you’re a fan of YA fantasy, retellings, and books about siblings!

The plight of these two sisters drew me in immediately. Izaveta is caught in a world of politial intrigue where every word and look can be laced with meaning and danger. Asya, a gentle, loving girl is tasked with ensuring the price for magic is always paid by the people who use it. I felt like both sisters were easy to identify with, and both were in such desperate circumstances that I couldn’t help holding my breath and reading more and more to find out what would happen.

There were a couple moments toward the middle where I got a little bit impatient. Asya and Izaveta’s feelings of desperation came awfully close to self-pity, and it felt like the story might stall out. And then it did NOT. The action picked right back up, and things began happening pretty fast. I stayed lost in the story all the way until the end.

So… the end has one of those moments where there’s a quick setup for the second book. I totally get why books include those teasers, but they are not my favorite, especially when they feel like a hard right turn with little foreshadowing. Still, I enjoyed the rest of the book so much that I can’t imagine I won’t read the second one. I’m a huge fan of sister books, and this one is no exception.

Readers who enjoyed THE GIRL KING by Mimi Yu or SEA WITCH RISING by Sarah Henning will definitely want to check this one out.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

While I really enjoyed the setup and the idea of this story, I found myself frustrated with Asya and Izaveta and their inability to tell each other the truth. They both wanted to have a better relationship with each other, but then they both kept not telling the other how they really felt, and it just felt like we were going around in circles on that front. I was looking forward to a good twin sister connection here, and maybe we'll get it in future books, hopefully.

The overall story was interesting, I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the way the Firebird worked, the way the twins were raised and everything. The two romances were... interesting. I think I wanted more from both of them, though. They both seemed to get much too close much too quickly and there just wasn't enough time to develop something real there.

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.

Twin sisters are destined to become a queen and a Firebird. Once their fates were decided as children, Izaveta stayed with her mother to prepare to be the queen. Her sister Asya traveled with her great-aunt, the current Firebird. The role of the Firebird is to take something from someone who uses magic, to make sure magic remains balanced. This could be the caster’s heart or a limb. When the current queen, and the twins’ mother, dies suddenly when the girls are seventeen, Asya must return to the palace to reunite with her sister. Asya must find the source of the magic at the palace while Izaveta must convince the council that she is ready to be queen.

This story followed dual narratives of Izaveta and Asya. Both of them had fascinating stories. In their own ways, they had to prove that they were old enough and strong enough to fulfill the roles that they were born to do. Since they were teenage girls, they were overlooked and underestimated, but they had to stand up to their enemies.

There were tons of twists in this story. The death of their mother was kind of glossed over at the beginning, and it ended up being part of a twist at the end. Everyone had secrets that led to a fast paced, exciting ending. It ended on a cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to read the next book!

I highly recommend this exciting new fantasy!

Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 STARS

Seven years ago, the twin heirs of Tourin received their destinies.

The gods proclaimed Izaveta the future queen, while in the same breath, they marked Asya as the Firebird, the being who exacts magic's price when it has not yet been paid. Since then, the two sisters have lived a world apart, entirely without contact, facing their destinies alone.

But when the death of their mother forces Asya to return to the court and fully ascend as the Firebird, everything changes. She must root out the person who has not paid the price for their hand in the queen's death, and must navigate this new divide between Izaveta and herself. Meanwhile, Izaveta stands poised to become Tourin's next queen, if only she can discover who her true allies are, and place her pawns on the board three moves ahead of everyone else.

It's a dangerous time in Tourin, succession uncertain, magic unstable. And only Asya and Izaveta can reach the heart of it.


These Feathered Flames blends mystery, court intrigue, and Russian folklore all into one.

In fact, the court intrigue elements are perhaps the strongest. Though Asya focuses on solving the Calling behind her mother's death, she also struggles with her role in the world, both as Asya and as the Firebird. How is she meant to fit in at court, or with her sister, when she is the being who exacts terrible prices for unpaid magic? She is, after all, more dangerous than she is welcome among the people of Tourin.

As for Izaveta, her mother's sudden death leaves her stranded, scrambling for political allies and struggling to discredit her enemies. Each move she makes is met with a shrewder one from her opposition, and she must draw on everything she ever learned from the late queen to survive long enough to reach her coronation. In these fraught days, every allegiance she has ever known falls under scrutiny, and navigating her ascension may easily become her undoing.

Though bursts of action punctuate these troubles, especially during Asya's chapters, the focus is on the treachery of court and the precarious fate of queen and country. More than anything, these issues drive the novel forward, pushing the characters into deeper and deeper waters.


"The truly monstrous thing would be to do nothing."

While the heavy reliance on political intrigue didn't do it for me (I've always loved a good action-packed story just a bit more), I absolutely fell in love with the characters. To no one's surprise, I'm sure, my favorite is Asya. She's so reluctant to trust in her powers, so afraid that she's doing the wrong thing, and her hesitancy is rooted in such heartfelt reasons. As the Firebird, she sometimes claims entire lives in order to exact magic's price, but as Asya, she does not want to bring harm to anyone.

But at the end of the day, Asya is a protector, and I always fall completely in love with the protectors. Her duty is to make sure her world does not fall into chaos, and if the price of one life saves many, then that is the price she must claim. Her personal journey on the way to realizing how she wants to fill her role warms my heart, and at the end of the day, no one else can beat her as my favorite.

(A close second is Yuliana, her bodyguard and love interest. Can I get some more sapphic pining sprinkled with enemies to lovers, please?)

Izaveta, though, is a character force to be reckoned with. Her calculating nature and ambition make her a sharp character, but her youth and the strain of the situation at hand sometimes make her impulsive or short-sighted. Overall, she's cutthroat and worth acknowledging as a major player in Tourin's future, and I love that she's complex in that way! I just simply love Asya more because of my own personal tastes.


Regardless of which sister might be your favorite, give These Feathered Flames a try!

It's a quick read, but one bursting with life and danger and the faintest glimmers of hope on every page. And that's even before you encounter the magic, which is elusive and unsettling in the very same breath!

I particularly recommend it for readers interested about stories that emphasize the bond between sisters, and for anyone who enjoys a folkloric background to their reads. And, of course, for anyone who likes backstabbing and court politicking. There's plenty of it, I promise you, and this duology has only just started! 🧡


CW: loss of a loved one, violence, graphic injury, gore, self-harm

[This review will go live on Hail & Well Read at 4pm EST on 5/5/21.]

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Inkyard Press, for the chance to read and review this book!

In Tourin, when twin heirs are born, their fate is decided at a young age. While Izaveta is destined to be queen, Asya has to train with her mysterious aunt to become the Firebird, a legendary and powerful creature, who has the power and duty to balance the magic in the realm. Separated for seven years, when their mother died, the twins are reunited, but everything is changed. Asya's training isn't over, an ancient power is blooming inside her and she struggles to embrace it and Izaveta has to battle against intrigues and dangers at court.
Asya and Izaveta have to join forces to discovers who they can trust, who they can love and who killed their mother and is threatening the whole country.

These feathered flames is a queer #ownvoices retelling of "The Firebird" (I didn't know the Russian folktale about The Firebird and after falling in love with this book I read it right away ) and it's brilliant.
Told by two different POVs, Asya's and Izaveta's, the story is intriguing and full of plot twists and compelling characters.
The twins are skillfully written, very different from one other with their fears, doubts and strengths, both brave and really stubborn, both weighed down by different fates: Asya, being the Firebird and balancing the magic in the realm, with actions many see as cruel, struggling with people's prejudices and hates, Izaveta, destined to the throne, trained to be queen in a place filled with deceptions and lies and secret, forcing her to hide behind a mask and protect herself.
The worldbuilding is amazing, wonderfully described in its intricacies, I loved, above all, the magic and the balance, and the writing style is lush and evocative, really brilliant.

The queer romance is really sweet and complex and I enjoyed reading its development and I'm so curious to know what will happen in the next book!

I really loved the bond between Asya and Izaveta, how much they have changed after being separated, their individual struggles and how they decided to fight together to find out the truth. In a place full of lies and deceptions, loves and mistakes, Asya and Izaveta are great characters.
I also loved how the story was developed and ended and I can't wait to know what will happen next!

We will not be posting our review here but it does appear on our website. The review was sent privately to the publisher.

The characters in this book were similarly strong. The narrators, Izaveta and Asya, were both so interesting to read from and I really loved seeing how their different upbringings and circumstances had impacted them and made them so different from each other, as well as them each trying to reconcile this new version of their sister with what they remembered from childhood. Their relationship was the highlight of this book and I really enjoyed this exploration of complicated sister relationships and the conflict between familial love and duty. I also adored the relationship between Asya and Yuliana, the bodyguard assigned to her. The enemies to lovers aspect was written really well, with a believable conflict and gradual warming up to each other and I just loved their scenes together!

The worldbuilding was also incredibly well done. It was clear that the author had put a lot of research in and it really paid off! I loved that this culture was so steeped in tradition and history and that it flowed so naturally with the story, without need to explain every tiny detail. I just wish I’d known there was a pronunciation guide before I started because wow, was I pronouncing things wrong. This worldbuilding tied in so well with the political conflicts of the book and really gave depth to them. The magic system was really interesting to read and I loved the role it played, both politically and in relationships, and I can’t wait to see how these conflicts are resolved in the sequel. And who doesn’t love bears you can ride?

This was a beautiful story that I could not stop reading. I loved the characters and the story and just everything about this one. I so need this one in hardback!! I need the second one ASAP!! The relationship between the sisters was wonderful and the enemies to lovers F/F was perfect!! I fell hard for the characters and OMG yes!!

This is a solid retelling of a cultural myth and a nice YA fantasy novel. Overy's work was a bit more predictable than I was expecting, but not enough that I won't want to read the conclusion work. The world-building and imagery involving the court and the firebird are well done. The supporting characters, both companion and villain, are complementary to the plot and are written well. The separation of the two sisters, and the tension they experienced upon reconnecting was believable.
The one-paragraph reconciliation and subtle tension that remained was a bit far-fetched for me. The cliffhanger ending, was predictable, but it is intriguing enough to make me think about it even days after reading (this is a good sign that I need to read the second book for peace of mind).

Overall, a solid 3.25 with the potential to go up to 4 if the sequel connects the storylines enough to flesh everything out.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

A unique fantasy story that will not let you go. I have no words for this masterpiece of a book that has made me cry a few too many times. These feathered flames is full of vivid characters who have amazing dynamics, a romance that owns me, betrayal and twists that made my heart ache and so many twists. I'm in love.

The Feathered Flames sells itself as a queer, Russian folktale remix; and, oh boy, does it deliver! Filled with fiery characters, tangled in politics and court intrigue, this book keeps you hooked from the first chapter.

The novel revolves around the twin sisters, Izaveta and Asya, one destined to be a queen and other relegated to being the Firebird, someone who must ensure that balance of magic in this Slavic-inspired world. Izaveta feels incompetent and nowhere near the same level of cunning and manipulation that her mother was; while Asya struggles with the duty of the Firebird that she believes is sometimes too cruel and violent. Separated at ten years of age, the sisters come together again when their mother, the queen, dies a sudden death. They struggle in their new status quo, feeling like strangers and even opponents, reminding themselves that the other is not the person they knew, loving each other deeply and knowing they cannot place their trust in the other, much less be sisters.

These Feather Flames spins a fantastical storyline with politics, steeped in rich history and tradition. Izaveta and Asya drive the plot with their actions born out of love for each other and their sense of duty. Both of them as narrators continue to thrill and delight as they go through the sequence of events, and struggle with their destinies.

Although, I greatly enjoyed reading this novel, I did encounter some issues with pacing – especially, in the middle. There were some times when I felt like some plot points that could have turned into very interesting and complex storylines were abandoned, with their potential unused.

These Feathered Flames is vividly imagined with Russian folklore and rendered with immense beauty of interesting and complex characters. It leaves you wanting more, and I for one, can’t wait to see where this story takes me next.

This was the story I didn't know I needed. The F/F romance is fantastic, and I love their relationship. The worldbuilding is wonderful, and the book is very well paced.

These Feathered Flames is a retelling of the Firebird, a Russian folktale. I adored this book, the main character Asya is very relatable and the sapphic enemies to lovers romance made it all the better.

What an amazing book!! I could barely put it down! In a nutshell, this book is an #ownvoices retelling about twin sisters separated from a young age. Asya is destined to become the next firebird and the Izaveta is fated to become the next queen. I was intrigued from the first chapter, both Asya and Izaveta are compelling characters, each sister has there own personality and sometimes they clash. The mythology and worldbuilding were interesting aspects, but I especially liked the politics of the court.

Thank you to NetGalley and InkYard press.

These Feathered Flames is an intricately woven story based on Russian folklore. Alexandra Overy did a great job creating a believable worldbuilding, remarkable characters and relationships, and enough political intrigue and betrayals to keep the reader invested.

My favorite aspect of These Feathered Flames is the relationship between Asya and Izaveta, twin sisters and heirs to two very different roles in their queendom. The author promised Sansa/Arya vibes for their characters and she definitely delivered! Their relationship is complicated, and yet their unwavering love and support for each other is still there. Both Asya and Izaveta were forced into roles neither of them truly wanted, and yet they are both working to do the best they can.

The writing was another powerful element of These Feathered Flames that really helped bring the story to life. From the court intrigue, to the betrayals and manipulations, this book is full of fun elements to keep the readers invested. The first two-thirds of the book are a bit on the slower side. It isn’t until the last bit that things really start to pick up and pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place.

These Feathered Flames is a YA fantasy full of political maneuverings and Russian folklore elements woven together to form a fun, fascinating story!

I love this book! This was the story I didn't know I desperately wanted 😂
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.

This book is really well written with fantastic characters and word building! Full of politics, complex relationship and full of magic. Did I mention this is an enemies to lovers?? And drama and sapphic romance...
I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read the next book!!

It is so hard to find an ugly cover! I found just books with stunning covers. These feathered flames has a perfect cover, it really caught my eyes with this red. And I prayed for the story to be the same as the cover. And guess what! I wasn’t disappointed.

From the beginning, the story wrapped its claws around me and it didn’t let me go until I finished it! Both main characters, Asya and Izaveta, are very interesting. They are brave, they don’t give up when the situation is too hard. Their both jobs, one being a Queen and the other one being a Firebird, are full with obstacles. They are doing some mistakes, but they try to get up every time they fall.

I like that this is not a romance book. It has some slow-burn romance but it’s not the main thing. The book is more about magic and what you have to pay for it.

All in all, These feathered flames was a captivating book and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it. Thank you NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.