Thank you to DAW and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book! all opinions are my own!

Ever read a book that makes you feel kinda dumb? That's h0w I felt through at least 75% of this book, both beginning and end. I'm not sure if it was the slow start to the plot itself that at times left it hard for me to stay focused. Or if it was the complexities of the worldbuilding itself.

I really enjoyed the coziness of the story and the complexities of its characters and their journeys. It was truly an epic journey that left real people reeling at the end, and I loved discovering how it changed their lives.

I wish I had enjoyed it a bit more, but I think this book definitely has an audience that will adore it!

I was not a fan of this ultimately. I think it’s more of a me issue and not an issue with the book. I would be willing to try the author again either way though.

Wonderful worldbuilding really infused with history and nostalgia and that particular sense of loss and wonder one gets exploring ruins. Fascinating magic system, engaging characters, and a sweet slow burn built on gradual understanding and acceptance. Really enjoyed this one

3.5

Grace Curtis has such interesting concepts. I’ve read and enjoyed her first two sci-fi books so I was interested to see what this foray into fantasy would be like and I was intrigued by the marketing reference to the fall of Rome.

The first section of the book was a bit hard to get oriented but once I settled into the rhythm of the story I flew through it. I think the worldbuilding was by far the strongest part but I think it came at a cost. This is a journey book so we get to see a lot of the world and the details that flow throughout make it feel fully realized but because it’s a journey book the plot moves really slowly and I think we spend so much time with the world that the characters and their internal journeys lose a little of their depth.

I think this was fun and I will continue to pick up work by Grace Curtis, but ultimately I don’t know how memorable this one will be in the long run.

A very well done fantasy read! I really enjoyed the premise and feel like the follow through was satisfying. I look forward to reading more from Grace Curtis in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and DAW for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun roadtrip book, and while I really loved the quality of Curtis’ writing and the setting and vibe of the book, I struggled to click with the characters and the overall plot. I’m not sure if it was a genuine mismatch between book and reader or if I came upon this book when I was just in a particular mood, but while I thought Curtis’ atmosphere was stellar, it was difficult for me to really care, even though all the ingredients for me loving this book were there. I especially loved the “you” chapters, and I think Curtis made interesting narrative choices that make me want to try again when I’m in a different mental state. And I do plan on trying again, since the author is supposed to be writing a companion novel. I admit that I read a lot of this via the audiobook from my library as I made my way through my backlog of ARCs, and I didn’t really jive with the narrator’s choices. Regardless, while I hope that this was just a case of right book, wrong time, at this moment in time I just sort of feel like “I don’t regret having picked this up, but it’s far from a favorite.”

Great storytelling and well done plotting and character development. Intriguing and gripping, loved this story
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

So in a world sort of similar to our own but set way in the past, there is a place called Bern (think North England/Scotland) where Kirby and her brother Balain live and one day he finds a sword. He decides this is the way to put an edn to a curse that is plaguing their village, rendeing the inhabitants infertile and any children conceived tend not to survive. So for a few years he plans to go on an epic quest, then decides actually that was a kid's idea and gets married and plans his future. Only his sister didn't think that was the case and basically goes off and one and wishes him harm - which then befalls him! She feels terrible about it and decides to head off on her own to find a stolen god and break the curse.

Across the world in somewhere India inspired, Aleya is the bastard offspring of a dead monarch. Loads of people hate her even though she's really good at fighting and can do magic. So in order to choose their next leader the youngsters have to go on "a calling" I'm still not sure what hers was but it involved a lot of travelling across the globe.

Nylophon is the head of a gang of soldiers - they were on a boat to do something but they went the wrong way so they decided to attack a boat full of people instead. Well it turns out he's a bit of a loser, he took the glory for somebody else a while ago which is why he ended up in charge and his men all thinks he's a bit useless. One of them challenges him and he chops his thumb off which alongside starvation kills him. He is a fanatic about the lifestyle from Carthe where he hail from - nothing can be done not in the pursuit of forwarding the city. No fun, no booze, no rich food etc. What a laugh he is.

The two women end up meeting and deciding to trek around together. Nylophon decides to follow them around because he's a massive creeper. Despite facing things that should have killed him a few times he is still there hanging around.

They all end up in a weird city that was sealed by somebody magic. Kirby manages to grab the God statue she was looking for. Aleya goes home and everybody loves her.

The epilogue is them both getting old.

Believe it or not I did enjoy a lot of this book! BUT, there was a lot of dragged out marching sequences, starvation problems etc that do not a fantasy romp make I'm afraid. The relationship between Kirby and Aleya was well carried out - but I'm still unsure why Nylophon was even a character in this book, what purpose was he supposed to serve?! Anyway, I felt like it was the beginning of a much bigger story but then nothing ever materialised and the epilogue killed off any hope of a sequel,

Inspired by the fall of Rome, Idolfire bites off a big chunk. It was described to me as a sapphic fantasy road trip. What's more to love right? While that's certainly a component - which takes a bit to get into - Idolfire is much more focused on characters than this road trip angle. For the beginning parts, which feel a bit slow in comparison, it's devoted to a multiple POV look at the different worlds. Being thrown headfirst into these very different perspectives was a bit of whiplash at the beginning and a bit slippery. But when they are established a bit more, you begin to make a bit more sense of what's happening.

Following two characters, from different ends of the world on separate, then combined, journeys to one city, Nivela, Idolfire is a slow moving slow burning story.
While the world building was interesting, the story itself was, overall, a bit too slow paced, for me.




Thank you to the publisher/Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Idolfire is a gentle, slow-burn fantasy with sapphic romance, crumbling empires, and a strong emotional core. Kirby and Aleya make for an interesting duo—both dealing with grief, legacy, and a broken world. The writing is lyrical and atmospheric, though the plot takes its time getting anywhere, which might not be for everyone. If you’re into quiet, character-driven stories with a touch of magic and romance, this one’s worth a read.

3.5 ⭐️

Idolfire is in essence a sapphic camping, road trip until the final act. It is very much about the journey and learning about the different countries, cities. and cultures along the way. These civilizations each have their own ruling structure. Some have women rulers and others create male mercenaries as their ultimate purpose. It is all very low stakes until the final act. Because of this, I had difficulty connecting with the characters. The book has a unique magic system called idolfire, where certain people, including one of the main characters, can draw limited power from idols and other objects people pray to. I loved the last act and how grounded in reality the ending was. I enjoyed how the final conflict was a bit ethereal, but I do think it left some of what happened ambiguous. Overall, the book was slow, but I think the payoff was worth it.

An engaging and entertaining novel that does most, but not quite everything, that it says on the tin



In a world of fallen empires, lost gods and the power to channel divinity, Kirby, a young woman from a dying village, sets off on a quest to find the stolen icon of goddess Iona. Kirby is convinced, with some solid evidence, that Iona’s absence is the reason why the community suffers under a curse that is slowly and steadily strangling it. Meantime, Aleya, the overachieving daughter of the current ruler of the powerful city of Ash, is finally given a quest (a Calling) to prove her worth, which sets her off on the road as well, to the same destination as Kirby: to a city that once ruled the vast and now fallen empire of Nivela.

This is the story of Grace Curtis’s Idolfire, a resolutely standalone fantasy novel.

Rest at the link

A book in which the real story is in the journey, not the destination. Curtis put their own spin on the fantasy genre by taking seemingly standard tropes and combining them to craft something new and exciting.

Idolfire follows Kirby and Aleya, two very different characters who end up on the same path to the city of Nivela. The world Curtis creates is an interesting and unique take on the fall of Rome, the characters are well developed. However, I did find many parts of this story boring and found it hard to want to continue. I always appreciate Curtis's unique approach to storytelling; this story mixes in 2nd person narrative.

I think some readers will not enjoy the ending. While I didn't mind it, it was somewhat sad to have it end as it did.

Overall, there were things I enjoyed about this book, and some parts I didn't. I still look forward to any furture books the author will release.

I unfortunately DNF'd this book at 35%. I think it had a lot of potential and it was well written but I couldn't seem to really connect with the characters and the slower pacing was just not for me.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

for now, this is a soft dnf @13% in which i will eventually return — i just do not find myself interested in the plot/characters, and i’ve too many other things to read at the moment.

In a world long after the breakup of a huge empire, we meet two young women: Kirby of Wall's End, and Aleya Ana-Ulai of Ash.

The populations of Walls' End is fading, with fewer and fewer births occurring. The Empire had stolen their god years ago, and its this that the people of the town believe contributed to their diminishing birthrate. Kirby's brother, after finding a large sword, decides he's going to travel to Nivela, the prime city of the former Empire and retrieve their god. After he dies, Kirby decides to fulfill his quest, and she sets out, walking to Nivela.

Aleya is a trained warrior, intelligent, and prone to annoying people with her attitude, and the niece of the current Empress. She's sent on a seemingly hopeless quest to Nivela to recover something.

Of course, these two meet along their way, and also encounter Nylophon of Carth, leader of a band of warriors who attack the ship both Aleya and Kirby were on. After losing all of his men to drowning and other dangers, Nylophon continues to pursue Kirby and Aleya; eventually, the trio gradually get to know each other, before they must deal with the strangeness that is Nivela.

Much of this story is actually spent on the journeys of the three, rather than the end point. I love that author Grace Curtis sets this in an analogue of Europe post the fall of the Roman Empire, and considers the way the Romans took all sorts of things from the places they conquered, and in a time when superstitions, legends and myths would have been seen as real, it's not surprising that people would have believed that taking a god from its original place meant that the power associated with the god, and the consequent good things, would have vanished to wherever the oppressors took the god.

Kirby is quite naïve, open and kind when she leaves Wall's End, while Aleya is more worldly, intensely stubborn and arrogant, and the two don't seem to be destined to care about each other, but it's their differences and skills that first ensure they survive their journey, and gradually help them learn from the other. Kirby remains kind by the time they part, while Aleya has grown to accept help from others, and to see others as having value. Nylphon begins as an annoying and dangerous idiot, but becomes more interesting and open over the time he spends with the two women.

This is not a fast-moving book, but I loved the atmosphere, and the worldbuilding is great, with each culture everyone encounters as fascinating, and sometimes dangerous. I really liked the way belief plays such a large part in this story, and how belief is used throughout, whether in those they meet, or within each of the trio.

The ending is fantastic and wonderful, and brought a tear to my eyes.

If you're looking for action and paciness, move on. This isn't going to give you that. Instead, you'll get great characters, and an interesting treatment of how cultures develop after being suppressed by a conqueror for years.

Thank you to Netgalley and to DAW for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I dunno what exactly it was but this tickled the Soulsborne lore part of my brain a bit. "Idolfire" by Grace Curtis is a real rough road trip.

A nation nearly conquered the world. But then they didn't. Their city had been left to rot, filled with the power of stolen gods and forgotten magic. Kirby has no prospects living in the cursed city of Wall's End, so she leaves to find something to help that crumbling community. Aleya Ana-Ulai wants to fix her city, and prove she is more than a mistake, so she leaves when finally given the chance. What will these two find on the road?

Reasons to read:
-Hey, I don't like cult of personality leaders and organized religion
-Character growth
-Sudden and disturbing escalations of violence
-It hits a part of my imagination just right
-Didn't see that ending

Cons:
-Whiplash of my expectations impacted sleep due to not being able to stop on certain chapters

A road trip fantasy with an interesting take on gods & magic that made me cry within the first 10%.

This is a very fun book with an interesting narrative structure, there are 3 main character main character points of view but then also some interjected 2nd person interludes where you aren't totally sure who is talking or who they are talking to. Of the 3 main points of view Kirby was far and away my favorite character, the most engaging parts from the other 2 were their relationships with Kirby.

The best part was definitely Curtis’s writing, I find it very friendly but then there will also be lines & metaphors that jump out at me as being an interesting/unique way to look at look at something. For example this line after Kirby is exhausted from walking all day: "she was more or less ready to unbutton her body and leave it behind.". I also really appreciated the authors note at the end talking about some of the inspiration for this book.

The only downside for me was that there was a bit in the middle with a merchant ship and a warship that took me out of the story a bit, I couldn’t figure out if I was misinterpreting or if it just didn’t make sense, but once we moved on from that I really enjoyed everything else.