Firstly, I have an issue with books that don’t include a trigger warning list, this book definitely needed one. There were many difficult topics broached, including slavery, sex slavery (though not explicit) and human sacrifice. Whilst these may not have been the worst instances I’ve ever read I do believe it would have been courteous to consider the audience and allow them warnings as these were difficult to read.

That said, this book was enjoyable, it had mystery and intrigue and a lot of the best romantasy tropes. The eventual romance that bloomed didn’t feel forced and developed in a natural way, with some cute run ins. The twists and turns weren’t entirely predictable, and still caused some pleasant surprise. However, there were times where the story felt mistimed and incomplete, there were objects and places mentioned once and then forgotten, or moments where the FMC repeated herself unnecessarily.

Overall the story was enjoyable and I will be looking out for the next book, but it sadly doesn’t break into my list of best books of 2024.

This was a take it or leave it for me. I kind of didn't really like anyone and the story itself was kind of over done. I think that this could have been fleshed out a little more and then could have been epic but as it sits if it does turn out to be a series I most likely won't read the rest of them.

Overworked Anthea struggles to fit any excitement into her life as she's too busy working and taking care of her two younger sisters. One evening, she ventures out on the town, to escape a life on the crazy hamster wheel - except she gets more that she bargained for.
Waking up in a world inhabited by Elves, Anthea finds her life completely changed. These elves are vicious, steely and focused and they need Anthea. The plot felt very well paced, and it has the perfect balance of romance, fantasy and intrigue.
A great debut and I'm looking forward to the next instalment to see where Anthea's journey ends.

This books follows a woman from modern day who is thrust into world filled with magic, but the elves she encounters are intrigued by her because magic does not affect her. All she wants is to return to her world and her family, but the elves don't know how to return her there and they would rather test and use her immunity to magic for their plans.

This is definitely not going to be the book for everyone - the characters are not very loveable and some aspects of the story might be disturbing to readers, such as torture, death, and mentions of sexual assault. Despite this, I enjoyed this story and am am 100% looking forward to the next book in the series, which is set to release in early 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and A.E. Asavi for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review!

The fact that this book is a debut surprises me a lot because it was VERY well done. If you want the perfect balance between fantasy, romance and mystery, that’s your book!! For me the only (small) flaw was the FMC, Anthea. She didn't captivate me even though I understood her motivations.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The whole elves and humans plot line had gotten a little old for me but I loved it in this book.

The action and expected romance kept me going. There were moments that left me speechless and almost in tears as I read through Anthea's pain. I appreciate that romance isn't the main storyline within this and our heroine has a real purpose and strong personality.

This book does include some violence, which could be a turn off for a lot of people. That being said it isn't a main thread through the story.

One thing I struggled with was the names, in particular similar sounding names or spelt names (this may have just been a me problem though).

Overall, loved it and was getting more anxious as I saw how little I had left and how much more I needed to know. Really excited to see how this series will be brought to life.

Initially, the romance aspect of the book felt unnatural, but by the second half, I completely understood why—and I loved the little twist in direction! This is definitely a slow-burn romance, and it's set up to span multiple books, which I adore.

In the first book, the female main character is thrust into a magical world separate from Earth. We follow her journey as she learns that humans in this realm are slaves, meets some elvish royalty, embarks on mini heists, and travels through multiple courts—all in an effort to discover her role in an ancient, mysterious prophecy.

At times, the writing style felt like a YA novel and was a bit repetitive, but the content was more mature/new adult, which was a little strange to me. It also took me a while to form a connection with the characters, but as I mentioned earlier, the story is well set up for a second book!

4.5 ⭐️ Wow. I devoured this book. I literally couldn't put it down. It was fast paced and the action never stopped, basically meaning outpr poor main character never got a break lol. My only co okaint is that the character names were too similar and the side characters were only introduced one time. I had lots of trouble remembering who was who so different names for side characters and a little remainder about who they are would have been helpful for me. I will 100% be reading book 2.

First of all, I liked the plot, which kept me from giving up on the book. The idea and world-building were interesting, especially the concept of humans being slaves. It made me think a lot about the book. Even though I don't agree with slavery, reading this made me wonder how I might see it differently if I lived in Isluma or another place where it was normal. This book stayed on my mind even when I was reading other books.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌶️🌶️
Age recommendation: 16/17+
“A mouse also has claws and teeth. And a clever mouse knows that sometimes the best way to survive is to play the cats game better than they do.”
A E Asavi brings to us an amazing new fantasy series. “The False Pawn” book one in the series A Song of Ancient Flame, tells us the tale of Anthea Clark. A woman just trying to a catch a break from the unbearable amount of responsibility placed upon her since her parents' death. She feels it is up to her to provide for her sisters and keep them safe, but after a fight with her youngest sister, it becomes clear that she needs a night out. Anthea goes out and has a few drinks, but when she leaves the bar, a strange man attacks her. A strange man who knows her name… One babbling about dragons and her needing the free someone, Anthea struggles to get free, and when she does, she finds instead of getting a break more has been added to her load off responsibility. Thrust into a new world ruled by elves, with no know way to get home she has many things to figure out. Why won’t these elves let her leave, why are they so interested in her when to them she’s a mere human, and will she ever return to the human world again?
I adore Anthea. She is so relatable and her sparky attitude and ability to adapt is amazing. She is inspirational and everything a female wants to see in a fmc. I also love Beldor, I hated him at first but honestly, he seems like such a sweetheart, he is definitely my favourite. I also find both Endreth and Eldrion to be quite intriguing I love their protective nature, and I love their similarities, but I also love their differences. Endreth is on the shy side though he definitely doesn’t seem like it. Once you read the book you’ll understand though, but in this aspect Eldrion doesn’t give a ****. Eldrion doesn’t allow himself to be walked all over. No offence to Endreth of course… Moving on I find the character growth and plot develop really well, and I live for the slow burn in this read. It is done just right. I also really admire the authors writing style. It fits really well with the plot, and I could not stop reading! This is definitely one of my favourite reads so far this year. Now that being said, I did find some of the wording to be repetitive at the start, other than that I can’t think of anything else that I didn’t like.
Some of the tropes in this novel include: one bed, enemies to lovers, forbidden love, slow burn, and love triangle.
Now we need to add the TRIGGER WARNINGS: sexual assault, abduction, abuse, slavery, racism, suicide, ptsd, gore, and death.
It’s clear that the author put a lot of thought into this novel, from the unique names, to the different twists and details within this novel. I am ecstatic for the next book, and I hope many readers will find this series because it deserves some hype! Lastly I would like to say thank you to A E Asavi, and netgalley for a free e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It was an honour to read this novel, and I can’t wait to see more work from this author.

I really enjoyed this book. I want to thank NetGalley and A. E. Asavi for the opportunity to read the eARC.

I did struggle with the beginning of the book, I personally felt it was lacking plot and depth in the characters, partly because we were seeing it from the point of view of Anthea (FMC) who was constantly confused until about 70% into the book. I also felt there wasn’t enough of a strong story in the beginning leading us to anything, just that we were following a human girl who was scared and confused and kept in the dark.

Once Anthea was finally able to take control of her life and have a choice in whether or not she wished to participate in the prophecy I was drawn in. I really like the premise and I really like the world, it’s a very compelling story and I have started to really care for the FMC and want to follow her story.

I do find that because the book had such a delayed start the book ended in a way that felt quite abrupt as it finally had started to get going.

With that being said I feel like I would have enjoyed it if the book had either had less build up following Anthea while she was confused and unaware of anything.

I am however very eager to find out what happens as I was drawn into the characters and I’m eager to see where our FMC ends up. I am also interested in following the story of who I believe our MMC is, although it may change again and I’m interested to see where the romance goes.

I will be following this series as I know first books have a lot of world building and it’s needed to tell a compelling story and I have the utmost faith that A. E Asavi will keep readers on the edge of their seat as we follow Anthea and the many characters while they fight for Isluma.


Therefore I will be purchasing this book for our library members and hope the second book is everything I am expecting from A. E Asavi.

"The False Pawn (A Song of Ancient Flame)" by A.E. Asavi is a stunning and captivating fantasy novel that will transport you to a world of magic, myth, and mystery. It’s a game-changer.
The plot is expertly paced, with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Asavi does an excellent job of balancing action, suspense, and character development, making it easy to become fully invested in the story.
If I have any criticisms, the pacing can be a bit uneven at times, with some scenes feeling rushed while others drag on for too long.
Stunning world-building, complex characters, and expertly crafted plot, it's a must-read for fans of fantasy and adventure. If you're looking for a new series to get hooked on, look no further!!!!!

This book was really interesting, but it took me a bit to realize how much I enjoyed it because there was a lot to get through with the world building. It was amazing though, the way the author built up the cultures, the politics, the hierarchy, etc. Plus having a bada*s FMC never hurts as well as a bit of romance. I really did enjoy this book and the author's writing, I look forward to seeing where things go in this epic fantasy.

I absolutely loved this book. Yes some parts are a little cheesy and I personally think Anthea is a little whiny but that was ok with me.
Imagine after a night out you falling and somehow landing into a princes bed. You have no idea what’s going on or how you got there. You left your world for an unknown that you didn’t even know existed. All you want to do is get home to your sisters. That’s what happens to Anthea (Thea). This book is filled with lots of feelings, lots of masks, prophecy and perseverance. It was exciting to read and also I loved that I was feeling what she was feeling. It was quite the journey. I would absolutely encourage anyone who likes a little spice and a little adventure with fae to read this book! I can’t wait for the next one.

I LOVE a slow burn in a gorgeous fantasy world. The world building in this book was beautiful and gorgeous- honestly the writing style was just BEAUTIFUL.

The author did an amazing job balancing romance and other plot- and I couldn't read anything else for like 2 weeks after I finished this one.

10/10 would read anything else by this author, no additional notes.

By chapter three there has been one sexual assault and one threat of sexual assault; chapter four; more threats of sexual assault, adding slavery to the mix. Other elven courts are added to the story and their evilness is portrayed by how many threats and promises of sexual assault — and how many adverbs — they throw into a given conversation. Honestly, I found it to be ridiculously heavy handed, lacking any and all subtlety or tension.

That said, the world building is well explained — in bite sized pieces as Anthea comes across it rather than with info dumps. Conversations are a bit stilted, a bit simplistic, but the plot and the mechanics of introducing characters and events works, for me. The characters though … didn’t.

I found Anthea serviceable as a character. She reacted appropriately, thought things through, used her intelligence to handle situations, but I found her to be a bit hollow. She’s a protagonist rather than a character, which is fine. It just left me … whelmed by her. Eldrion, likewise, does all the proper things in the proper order, but I have no idea who he is as a character. What does he like? What does he want? What are his goals — beyond Anthea, Anthea, and Anthea.

For me, the overall impression is that this is a decent book. It just didn’t give me what I wanted; that doesn’t mean it won’t work better for someone else. I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for granting me access to an advanced reader copy

The beginning was a little slow but it picks up the pace towards the 30% mark. It was an easy read as it's almost like a YA but with steam and older characters.

Overall, I liked it, and it was a good sunday afternoon read.

THANK YOU to NetGalley & the Publisher for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Holy cow, I was actually pretty blown away by how invested I was in this book. I think honestly, its a solid 4 start read. There's some parts that lag a little, some parts I didn't like the direction of, etc. but overall I couldn't put it down, and I'm craving to read the second book!!

I think the first and most important part to discuss is how similar this feels to ACOTAR. I think this is mirrored most within the theme of Courts, Setting (mountains), Elves/higher beings/princes/kings, 2 sisters, enemy to lover, lover to enemy, playing a role, pacing, etc. However, there are all really basic things in my opinion. All fantasy books have some sort of combination of these things so to me it wasn't that distracting. I was a lot more invested with this than I was with ACOTAR, and ACOTAR has it's own very clear inspirations so...

With that out of the way... I mostly enjoyed these characters. They all felt different enough, though the names got a little confusing all kind of starting with the same few characters. Even if I found myself being like, which one is that again? Once the characters talked, it resolved itself pretty quickly. I wasn't a fan of how the characters came together, for instance the relationship between our MFC & both males the author chose to be closest to her. The CHEMISTRY was there. But the lead up and eventual escalation of relationships weren't paced well. It would be really slow going, a ton of little moments, then BOOM something big. It just felt off. Also, I really disliked the introduction. The sister stuff didn't feel like it fit, and our FMC came off as a horrible person. Not how you want to introduce a FMC you're then going to put through turmoil and expect us to care.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

I also didn't like the MMC/group's reasoning for their treatment towards her. I don't like the characters logic behind hiding all of it and treating her like crap. There was never a real reason for the crimson court to act the way they did. If they'd given her some time and freedom from the start, and were just honest with her, none of this darker stuff would have been necessary and she probably would have immediately jumped in to help them, in order to gain their help to get home in return.

The dragon stuff was kinda confusing. I couldn't quite figure out if they were people, dragons, both, etc. since there was so much lying. I think at the end I figured out there are dragons, descendants of dragons that look like people (think Wolf's Rain), and none of them are actually time travelers? ugh. The history aspect of the world was all over the place since our FMC is coming in blind and also doesn't know.

Lets talk about the spice/darker aspects -- I was very happy to find myself not cringing at the spice scenes in this book. Language is everything when you're writing a smuttier scene, and the language here was blunt, descriptive, and to the point. It was a little embellished without coming off as flowery/unrealistic which towed the line between a true romance novel and reality. Thank you for not being cringy with it AND not shying away from using appropriate terms for body parts. Call it like it is! lol.

I found myself wanting more intimate moments - not necessarily sex but like, kisses, sneaky hand holding, embraces that meant something, etc. like I mentioned before, it would go from glances, glances, glances, small brush of fingers against skin, to maybe a hug of comfort, to sex or something. It didn't feel like the intimacy ramped how 2 people falling in love would react. But the fact I was feeling chemistry between the FMC and like half the male characters made me very interested and I kinda wish she had more going on across the board lol. I also felt like there wasn't enough moments between FMC & her second love interest. I know, I know, it's coming in book two!

I was actually pretty happy with the torture (mental & physical) aspects in this book. Way more believable than some books I've read. I actually felt like I could understand her torment & that it was palpable, Again, it wasn't cringy, and her reactions escalated the way I'd expect to see (attempt on her life type thing). What I didn't like about our FMC is her reactions verbally. A lot of the time I would feel like whatever she was saying verbally was the opposite or completely off track of what I'd expect or want her to say. I realize this was within her character, but it did skew the conversations/consequences after into a direction that felt unnecessary or slightly annoying at times.

**SPOILERS DONE**

Okay, okay, I'll stop gushing my feelings about the book lol. I was honestly super invested in this novel and I'm sad I'll have to wait a couple years for the 2nd book to come out! I need it NOW! lol. Overall a really solid debut novel & very excited to see more in the future!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-book ARC <3
DNF @ 65%

I tried realllly hard to finish this book. I wasn't super invested in it, but I could read it, and I was interested to see how it all unraveled. But after 65% of repetitiveness of "I'm a strong woman who won't be broken by these elves" and basically every elf being crappy and OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN trying to either test her or get answers from her then her demanding answers then them telling her to "know her place"...

This was basically the entire 65% of the book, and then when the why is finally explained... I really didn't like it. And it didn't even feel like anything was going to change after it. I'm tired of not having answers, I'm tired of hating every character, I'm tired of men/women being a foreign word, even to the human MC, so everyone is a male or female.

This book wasn't horrible. I can definitely see others enjoying it. Just for me, I couldn't take the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and A. E. Asavi for providing the eARC.

I enjoyed this book so much! It’s got just what my Romantasy loving brain needed, fantasy, mystery, deception, betrayal, and a bit of spice.

While I enjoyed this reading experience I did not enjoy the main character, she was unlikeable but I slowly started to warm up to her.

I am interested in where this story could go from here