A slow-going YA fantasy. I thought there were too many details that held it back. Definitely could've moved faster. A fun read, but not one I'd pick up again.

Thank you to Melanie K. Moschella and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. The below is my honest review, freely given.

This was a lovely read! Theres a map (always a good sign to me) and a great FMC. The story was fast-paced enough that I read it in just over 24 hours, but had enough depth that I feel like I know the world well at the end of this story and I can't wait to carry on with it.

Meera feels like a slightly unreliable narrator at the beginning of this story and its hard to believe her motives for working as a kitchen made, but as the story develops, you start to see the picture of this young woman who is completely lost without the anchor of her father, experiencing loneliness for perhaps the first time in her life. She resonates with me because of that. Its that driving need to be a part of something and to be wanted and loved that gets her into the situation she finds herself in : Caretaker to the enemy and a Spy.

What happens next is a lovely story of loyalty and friendship and "being a good person". There is some lovely representation in this book, and I hope to see more characters like Cook in the rest of the story.

Can't wait to find out what happens next.

This is the first in a series, and when it came to worldbuilding, I did find it lacking. I would have liked to know more about the political tensions, the war, and what led to the Raek en Knell being taken prisoner.

The motivations of the fmc can be best explained as, "I didn't think it about it.". She's a people pleaser and seems to think that being a good person equates to continuously sacrificing yourself.

I will probably continue reading this series because of the ending. I'm hoping that in the next book, we will learn more about the how and why of the war.

When Meera Hailship, a lonely kitchen maid, accepted to care for the dangerous dragon-like creature imprisoned in the castle, she had no idea that it would lead her to become a weapon, a spy and an interrogator to the creature’s rider for the king. Juggling all these positions has Meera longing for a new one : The hero. But being the hero has Meera threading the fine line between loyalty and treason.. which will she choose?

Iron bound flame (4⭐️) is book 1 of a 5 part series that is coming out (all at once, yes you read that correctly) on March 19th and I highly suggest that you look up the covers cause they form a person when put together! Which I think is cool.

I enjoyed this one despite it being a bit repetitive, not in the lines and stuff but in the actions. By that I mean that the FMC’s day looked the same throughout the whole book, but the writing is really good and it got me invested in the story.
The fact that Cerun trusted Meera so easily, was so cute to me. Linus is a puppy and he deserves nice things. Hesitating about the king though, time will tell.
I’m excited to read book 2 at some point and discover more about these characters.

Thank you to the author @melaniekmoschella and @netgalley for the arc.

4/5 stars
Not spicy
- Beautiful character arcs
- great world development
- enemies to...not enemies?
- book 1 of 5
- relatable, genuine FMC
- moderate pacing
- rescue and adventure

This book is a hidden gem - for sure. I loved it and I love that it's a huge book series all released on the same day, giving me no time between finding out how this story unfolds. The characters are gorgeously developed, Meera having a rich backstory and coming into her own in such genuine ways. This is such a well written story, down to the smallest of side characters, and growing a really beautiful fantasy world. The only thing holding this book back is the very extensive, and sometimes slow going, internal monologue.

Book Review:
Meera is a scholar's daughter left behind while her father is conscripted into the civilian army. She and her father were close, his loss felt every day and leaving her lonely. She earns a place within the palace's kitchens, keeping her busy and surrounded by people and constant movement, but she continues to feel alone. A dangerous and deadly creature is caught and brought in with his rider in the dark of night, and when no one dares go near them, Meera finds herself volunteering to care for them. The attention her new role brings isn't all pleasant, drawing the gaze of the King and his cruel son, all while she balances attempts at new friendships, caring for a huge and feathered Raek, and creating a relationship with his handsome and tortured rider. She fills so many roles and takes on so many new challenges, losing and finding herself and new relationships in an every changing and dangerous world.

As a blogger, sometimes I have a few free weeks where I'm not bound to any other ARC commitments and I take advantage of those moments to look through NetGalley. This time it was ‘Iron Bound Flames’ that caught my eye and I am so glad that it did because it is an absolutely stunning read.

Iron Bound Flames is the debut book for Melanie K. Moschella and the first in The Raek Rider series. Iron Bound Flames follows the story of Meera and how she navigates her life after volunteering to take care of the king’s captured raek. It's a beautiful story that discusses right and wrong and how sometimes there's no clear path to doing moral good.

This is one of those books where there isn't much action but there is so much vivid description and character work to compensate that you don’t even notice. Moschella’s writing is so vivid and real that Meera’s character feels so human and relatable; it's honestly refreshing to see a character be vulnerable and flawed in small moments that are narrated despite her being alone in that moment.

I really loved reading this to see Meera’s character grow and her relationships blossom with all of the side characters. One thing that I appreciated was that one moment where she stopped to consider what a life with Linus would be like and see her navigating that relationship/friendship.

Everything element about this book is complex in its own way and so well thought out. It's a nice fluid read perfect for curling up in the evening. I'm definitely going to be recommending this to more than a few of my friends.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I've just recently read Fourth Wing and Iron Flame so when I read the description of this book, it was persuasive and intriguing enough that I wanted to read it. Sad to say that the book did not meet my expectations.

The start of the book was a bit difficult to follow through. Dialogues felt somewhat dry and lacking. Certain parts were 'overwritten' in the sense that it dragged the story unnecessarily and should be cut. The story needs to be smoother and revised so that the contents and character development flow in a general direction because overall, it just felt jumpy and jarring. I like the author's vision for the story and there is definitely potential, but the writing falls short and it's just too confusing.

While iron bound flame started off a bit slow, 1 blame the fake she is a new author and this is a debut novel. Quickly after some awkwardness at first the chapter or so it quickly found its rhythm.
The story of a bold young poc woman battling loneliness which leads to some adventures she at times regrets. The emotions are bound in realism with the thoughts of. "Why.. did I just do that" the book is diverse with poc characters and speaks of an archaic kingdom who is currently in war. I really enjoyed the raw reality of the main characters emotions. With the paradoxical thoughts us humans sometimes have. She was quite dynamic.
For those who enjoyed forth wing I would recommend this too. This book is the first book in the series and has a similar concept of riders of raek which are dragon like creatures with beautiful feathers. The first book in the series has no spice but it does have elements that could be triggering for some. This includes: death, attempted assault, descriptive gore (just once), talking about torture, and more.
I found it to be a great book and I can't wait to read the rest of the series on release. This book brings the question of what would you do?

I absolutely devoured and adored this book! This is a perfect read for fans of dragons, romantasy, and adventure.

Amid war, Meera, a kitchenmaid, volunteers to care for a raek and its rider, prisoners in the castle. She makes an unlikely connection with both, which contradicts her role as the king's spy. Though she is already kind and caring, Meera realizes she must reassess her moral compass once she witnesses the brutal torture both the raek and the rider endure while imprisoned. And once she faces the reality of her situation and how it affects those around her, she makes a decision that forever alters her life.

Meera is a smart and compassionate FMC and I really enjoyed watching her develop through the book. Alongside her is a great cast of characters who each challenge her in different ways. From her close friend to the castle cook to the imprisoned raek, each character forces Meera to reassess the meanings of right and wrong. Unlike some FMC in other fantasy books, I felt like no one was telling her what to think and THAT was refreshing all on its own. I enjoyed reading how Meera sorted through her challenges and came to her own conclusions.

I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

5/5 stars!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Iron-Bound Flames.
I loved this story! I really enjoyed following Meera’s growth as a character; to see her go from a passive girl to someone taking charge of her own life and choices, was really well done.
I think the pacing of action in this story was great and the relationship dynamics that developed were engaging and realistic and I really felt the loss and pain and loneliness.
The world was easily imagined and the raek an easy to picture creature which is props to the author and her descriptions. Though I did find it challenging at times to imagine how the characters themselves looked.
I’m excited to read the rest of the series!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC for this book!!

I had been in a bit of a reading slump when I started this so this book was a bit of a slow start, but once I got past the 15% mark, I was hooked! Fantasy books have always been my escape from reality, and this was such an interesting take on dragon riders, even though they are technically feathered raeken. The world building is a bit more "telling not showing" but I can look past that since it does in fact show how isolated Meera is from the rest of her peers, with the lack of dialogue as a world building tool.

Meera Hailship: nice, maybe too nice, brave (if maybe a little reckless), and also maybe a bit naive. Those are the words I would use to describe the main character, and those are in no way bad things because it gives room for her character growth through the series. When a main character starts out strong and (usually) overpowered, I rarely see any room for character growth, and the character's strength plateaus, and I hope that doesn't happen with Meera.

She might be a little isolated but Meera does eventually befriend a young palace guard, Linus, meant to "protect" her, but I always got the feeling that he was an insufferable whiny brat who had no realistic world experience. He had this blind loyalty to the royal family and his country, that when that was challenged, he would storm off like an overgrown toddler. Now I am not saying I wish him dead, but I hope for some character growth from him as well.

Honestly, I am also looking forward to getting more information about Cerun and Shael, since the latter didn't even speak until extremity late in the book, and all Cerun communicated was blinks. Regardless, they seem like a pair I would want as allies and not enemies since one is a fire-breathing raek.

Now I am going to get more into the not so fun parts to read, and that warrants some trigger warnings, so if these turn you off the book, I'm sorry. At some point Meera is instructed to feed and care for the Shael and part of that is to tend to his wounds from torture. Some of the descriptions and gore were parts I just scanned over. There is also the huge red flag named Prince Phineas since he is known for being a womanizer with dark tendencies, and he sets his sights on Meera. The trigger warning would most likely be from the attempted SA (NOT SUCCESSFUL!!!!!) down in the dungeon.

Now here I am salivating for the rest of the series to drop next month so I can hopefully binge read the rest. If you like dragons and fantasy, I do highly recommend this book.

This book is setting up for an exceptonal series!

The world building at the beginning of the book was really engaging and useful, engaging the reader into the ambience of the world inhabited by Meera Hailship, our sweet and kind FMC and stunning, feathered, dragon-like creatures called Raeks. This had me immediately captivated. (As much as I enjoy standalones, I am always here for a series to get behind)

The reader is easily lead to relate to Meera, the mundanity of her life, the unjust path it has taken up to now. That is, until thinngs take a turn and her adventure takes flight


Meera's loyalty to King Bartro I am conflicted upon. (I would seriously tell him where to fluffing well get off) But, it is a strong scaffold for Meera's character growth, as is the development of her relationship with the Raek. Strong story arcs

There is a good combination of tropes to make this a really strong debut novel and I am very much enjoying Moschella's writing flow. The age old battle between light and dark has a colourful and epic reimagining, but this time it has feathers

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I found this to be just alright. It's a very slow start for what will inevitably a very involved series, but it's extremely slow. And also extremely familiar. Many characters exist just to be archetypes with no depth afforded to them, even though there is the proper amount of space in the narrative to do so. Its familiarity and deep roots in the fantasy genre was comforting at times and boring at others. The main character calls herself a weapon at one point, though there is no real sense that she is a weapon, or dangerous. The narrative attempted to force a tension onto the reader that wasn't organically there. Some of it is just silly (particularly the bit about the dragon's name). I really am beholden to this kind of book, the slow start and worldbuilding of a really traditional fantasy, but unfortunately the character work was too thin for me to find myself invested enough to continue.

Also, the way the character spoke about class was so weird to me. She was bullied by poor people for being middle class and then got offended when the king thought she was poor. Like. What's all that about? Just an icky vibe there.

Iron Bound Flames starts off with a bang; there is excitement right away. The book draws you in right away with the level of action. Meera is witness to a raek – a dragon like creature – being captured and brought to the palace, where she works.

Meera is an interesting protagonist; she works in the palace kitchens voluntarily, having chosen the profession to keep herself busy and entertained, surrounded by people. Her kingdom is at war with a neighboring kingdom and her father was called away to fight.

Meera quickly bonds with the raek, helping care for its wounds and striking up a conversation with it. She draws the attention of the king, who recruits her for more than just tending the raek.

I enjoyed this book, it was a little slow at times and the scenes between Meera and the king seemed wholly unnecessary, but I enjoyed her spunky nature and willingness to help those that needed it the most.
Meera is unwittingly drawn into intrigue, but this also seemed like a random plot line. I hoped that this would be developed more, because it was truly interesting.

I hope that the book will continue into more books so we can learn more about the war, the knell-people with magic-and the lands that surround the palace and Meera’s ordinary life.

3.5 stars. After a slow start, an intriguing plot develops into a rewarding finish. I would recommend Iron-Bound Flames to New Adult fantasy readers, especially fans of Fourth Wing.

Meera is a scholar's daughter who takes a job in the palace kitchens for company after her father is drafted into the army. With her loneliness exacerbated by an inability to connect with her coworkers, Meera finds herself drawn to a captured raek (feathered dragon) as well as to the political and personal intrigues of the nobility. Meera's bold choices entangle her with forces beyond her control, and she must struggle to determine right and wrong.

One of Meera's main strengths as a protagonist, and which makes this book so interesting to read, is her agency. Throughout the story, she makes choices that become main driving forces in the plot. I also found her interesting in her character development: she starts out confident and well-meaning, but also somewhat self-centered, snobby, and naive, and her growth throughout the story is fascinating to watch.

Another strength of this book is the author's straightforward writing style, which pushes the story forward and makes for a fast, comfortable read, without any detours through extra-flowery language.

For me, the weakest aspect of this book is the side characters, who often feel flat or possess only a single motivation or personality trait. This is partly due to the story's tight third-person perspective: we always see characters through Meera’s eyes, and Meera takes everyone around her at face value. She tends to think she understands everything about side characters’ motivations and personalities, and internally explains others’ actions and emotions. This gets us really into Meera's head, but as a reader, I prefer to have room to develop my own insight and inferences about characters, so this was off-putting for me. However, as the story progresses, several side characters that begin as fairly one-dimensional or as part of a faceless crowd do emerge to have unique perspectives and motivations.

Overall, this is a strong first installment. Iron-Bound Flames seems likely to become a staple in the New Adult fantasy dragon genre, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Meera gets up to in the rest of the series.

And the best part? Iron-Bound Flames is free, and the sequels are already written and will be released simultaneously in March 2024.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this book.
Our main character, Meera Hailship, has an overwhelming urge to be good, whatever that may mean. She works in the kitchens of a castle, and this book follows her decision to volunteer to assist a captured dragon and, eventually, a dragon rider while also serving as a spy for the king.
My favorite parts of this book were scenes that included the blue-feathered Raek. Even though he doesn't speak, the creature has so much personality, and I hope we get much more from him!
Overall, the pacing of this book was relatively slow, but that helped as the audience was gradually introduced to more details about the government and universe. The last third of the book picks up in action, ending with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that left me wanting more. I am particularly looking forward to learning more about the world-building and characters introduced at the book's end.
Iron Bound Flames is the first of the five-book series, The Raek Riders, all releasing on March 19. If you like dragons, dragon riders, and political intrigue in your books, this is a series for you!
Thank you, Netgalley, for providing me with an ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This is a fantasy story about Meera, a kitchen maid who volunteers to care for a Raek (basically a dragon) who has been captured and has already killed two people who tried to feed him. Obviously, Meera finds a way to win over the Raek pretty much instantly and they become besties. I LOVED the Raek (Cerun), and I liked this plot a lot even though it felt a bit cliche. I liked the heroine, Meera, as well, although, at times I felt like she was written a little too perfect. She's very compassionate, intelligent, and observant. There are several well written side characters, and some funny moments as well.

The major issue I had with this was the over-descriptiveness and the slow pace, which made it drag at times (for me). But I really like the idea and the world building.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book!
This book is the first book about dragons that I've read in a while and I absolutely love it!!!

I loved the plot and the characters. The pace of the story was good, it depended quite a bit on the main character, Meera and how she felt. I loved it tho. It's a fast and easy read that u would recommend if you like dragon.

Also, the whole series is releasing on the same date, so it's perfect to binge it!

Book Reviews

3.5 stars

This book got me hooked and upset that I have to wait two more months for the rest.

The FMC is one that makes decisions based on her heart. She is smart, and gets herself into trouble but she never lets go of her morals.

We don’t receive much else in regard to other characters. We meet Shael, but he does not give us much as to who or what he is and where he is from.

The storyline overall was enjoyable. I loved the spying for the king, having to avoid the prince and caring for the prisoners. The main thing that brought down the stars for me was the severe lack of dialogue. There was a lot of words, but almost no conversation. I know Meera is meant to be kind of a loner, but I’m a gal that loves the dialogue.

The ending also didn’t grab me as much as I would have liked to, but I will definitely be continuing on with this series!

This was a strong concept for a fantasy series, it had a great overall feel to the genre. The characters were written perfectly and had a great overall concept with them in their world. It had a great adventure feel to it and worked with what I wanted from the description. It left me excited to read more in this world and I’m glad I got to read this book.