🔥 A Kiss of Hammer and Flame is a striking YA fantasy debut that smolders with destiny, secrets, and steel—and it left me both satisfied and curious for what comes next.🖤
This is perfect for fantasy lovers who crave strong heroines, slow-burn stakes, found family, and a dash of forbidden yearning. Think:
🗝️ Prophecy quest
👑 Hidden royalty
🗡️ Ex-thief-turned-blacksmith
🖤 Enemies circling from every direction
✨ And one mysterious voice in her head that may or may not be totally swoon-worthy…
Cahra is a reluctant hero you root for from the start. Just a girl with a hammer, a past she’s trying to escape, and a city she’s unknowingly destined to save. The pacing pulls you in with gritty battles, quiet character moments, and a rich (if slightly under-described) world on the brink of rebirth.

💬 FAV THINGS
• Cahra’s steady growth as she learns to trust herself
• The themes of sacrifice, legacy, and who we are when the world tells us we’re nothing
This book is light on romance (🧁 0/5 spice), but there’s tension simmering under the surface.
🧭 Also includes:
found family (with swords)
warring kingdoms
a dying city slowly brought back to life
betrayal, loyalty, survival
a finale that hurts in the best way
📚 Final Thoughts:
A solid 3⭐️ If you love the feeling of quiet power slowly building—and a girl who doesn't know she’s chosen but decides to save the world anyway—add this to your list. 🖤🔥

I want to wish that I enjoyed this book, but it was a DNF for me. Because of this, I will not be reviewing this book on my social media platform. Absolutely no hate to the author! I just merely couldn't get engrossed in the story- and that is completely my fault, because I was expecting romance when I really shouldn't have. After reading the first couple of chapters, I decided to step away from the book. That is what I do when I am feeling like I want to DNF a book; I always back away and revisit it with new eyes. And even this second time around, I just wasn't mentally in the headspace to read a book without a little bit of spice. I know from others that the romance is almost there, as if the next book may bring certain characters together...but I was just in the headspace where I wanted that insta-love to hit! Because I refuse to rate a book that I never finish, I will be giving this 3 stars as a middle ground for the review.

Really enjoyed this book, it was super fast paced and the world & character building was really well executed. I did wish there was more romance and development there, but I am impatient when it comes to the leg kicking moments! Looking forward to seeing where this goes!

Amy de la Force takes readers down the trail of a young adult romantasy full of world-building, reluctant heroes, danger, and magic. The female lead is Cahra, a young blacksmith who unknowingly awakens a fearful immortal. Hunted by those who seek to control or vanquish the sword, Cahra must determine who is really the villain in the equation. This is the first entry in a planned trilogy, and readers will be left eager to know what happens next!

Advanced reader copy provided by Canelo. All opinions are my own.

Okay! This one swept me away, I was really into this book, the writing was easy to follow, engaging and the story line kept it's pace pretty well! Cahra's character development was brilliant and I found her a likeable character to follow. But the world building was a little hollow, not enough of it to help me immerse myself. The romance felt a little unrealistic, but that's a love at first sight trope for you! So I'm on board, Hael was engaging enough for me to go with the flow! I would recommend this book for a light read, interesting to see where the author goes with other stories in this universe!

Love love love!! Completely obsessed with this new romantasy from Amy de la Force! The romance was sooo well done and I am completely obsessed and need more!

I didnt read this book in the right moment for me, but still caught my atention. Its a very good, and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

It was predecible some times, and the love triangle was a little obvious, but still good. I liked Thierre, and I love that he hadnt a villain arc or smth just to make him a "bad" love interest. Him being so cute just makes Hael and Cahra's ship stronger.

And with that, this fucking ship. I just love it. Its soooo good and I am so obsessed with it. I NEED seeing them in the next book, the forbidden thing makes it more appealing.

In conclusion, an very good book that I would defenitely reccomend to YA fantasy readers.

my 7th arc read and i must say that this was so exciting! i was so curious about the plot and it was a completely badass read! the main characters? a shadow daddy? yes thanks you
however the only thing i was missing was even more tension and chemistry between the love interests!

Nothing is as it seems at the start in this fantastic story. Cahra is a blacksmith who makes a sword for lord Terryl not knowing what she has just set into motion. It turns out that she isn’t just a blacksmith who grew up on the streets she is a fighter, scion, and a princess? The sword she made for Terryl unleashed a prophecy and they end up running for their lives, but Terryl is really Prince Thierre. Will Cahra and her new friends and allies be able to keep the ultimate weapon out of the hands of evil and bring back the lost capital Hael’stromia? Read A Kiss of Hammer and Flame by Amy de la Force to find out.
I couldn’t get enough of this amazing romantasy. I loved how strong Cahra is and that she would do anything to save those that she cares for even if it means putting herself in grave danger. I loved Prince Thierre’s character so much and was a little upset that he doesn’t get the girl in the end.

This book has some really interesting elements to it, with the prophecy, and the magic, and this intriguing connection between Cahra and Hael which I definitely want to see more of. The relationship between Cahra and Terryl felt underdeveloped, and so I would have liked to see more of their relationship building for it to feel more genuine. That being said I liked the closeness of Cahra and her mentor father figure, as well as her passion for doing the right thing. Overall I wanted to enjoy the book more than I did. I think it has some great elements and but the execution didn't quite hit the mark for me personally. It didn't grip me, despite a fair bit of action, though I enjoyed it enough to read to the end so it's definitely worth a shot if it sounds like your kind of book.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I had a lot of trouble getting into this book and I think it’s because I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. They lacked depth and since I couldn’t connect with them, I didn’t really care what happened to them. I also found the pacing of the story to be slow and there was insta-lust which I’m not a fan of.

I did enjoy the fact that Cahra was a blacksmith, which was different from the usual FMCs in fantasy books.

In the harsh kingdom of Kolyath, apprentice blacksmith Cahra is hired to forge a sword for a young charming lord. When she accidentally sets in motion a centuries old prophecy in the process, she and the lord, Terryl, are forced to go on the run from those seeking the sword. As they travel across the empire of Hael'stromia, Cahra begins to commune with the empire's 'ultimate weapon' that was awakened by the prophecy in. The empire's capital city. She finds herself growing closer to both Terryl and the 'weapon' while trying to keep ahead of enemy armies. Which path will she choose and who is she really?

I recognize that this book has its flaws but based on vibes alone? I loved it and could not put it down. The author definitely leans into a good number of romantasy tropes: a teenager paired with a centuries old immortal being, a love triangle, forbidden romance, etc but xhe also defies alot of tropes at the same time. Cahra is able to recognize her feelings are infatuation and wisely makes the decision to focus on plot relevant things instead. Also, she respects and admires her first love interest (Terryl) for reasons beyond, 'he's hot'. And he's a legitimately good love interest! I will withhold my judgement for the second love interest, Hael, until I see how it plays out in the remaining books. De la Force is going for a slow burn (which is a nice change of pace from insta spice) but I'm still a little hesitant about that age difference......

I do think that the world and its people should have been fleshed out more. What De La Force gives us is adequate for a romantasy book but that extra attention to detail would have really elevated the story. The same critique applies to our side characters outside of the main foursome. I also think that De La Force jumped around with POVs as a cheat code for exposition instead of integrating story beats in more naturally. My last minor quibble is that Cahra's views on violence and its usage flip flops throughout the book in a way that undercut her character arc.

Despite all this, I consider this book far and above a lot of other romantasy books that I have read in the past couple of years. As I said above, De La Force goes out of her away to not fall into the same tired tropes as other romantasies (mostly) and I really liked the plot. And she left us with a cool plot based cliff hanger! I cannot wait for the next book and will be reading it as soon as its published.

Reviews going live on Goodreads, Storygraph, Fable and Tiktok on 7/7.

I really enjoyed this book! The world building was well done, and I really liked the FMC. I am excited to see what happens next, and hope for more Thierre!

A Kiss of Hammer and Flame is a richly atmospheric, emotionally layered romantasy perfect for readers who enjoy psychological depth and slow-burn tension. Centered on a tough but vulnerable heroine, the story blends gothic worldbuilding with subtle magic and introspective stakes, focusing less on flashy action and more on trust, longing, and internal conflict. The romance simmers with restraint, growing out of emotional friction rather than instant attraction, while the world reflects the characters’ inner struggles—dark, mysterious, and quietly dangerous. If you’re drawn to stories where the real tension lies beneath the surface—in what’s unspoken, uncertain, and emotionally charged—this book offers an intimate, haunting, and deeply satisfying read.

I enjoyed this book but it took me a while to get into due to the pacing.

The overall concept and worldbuilding were intriguing enough to keep me reading.

I am interested in seeing how the rest of the series unfolds.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

So, I was really struggling with this book at the beginning. It only got much more interesting when a secret identity has been revealed. After that exact moment, the story is really fast-paced, exciting, action-packed, and so many turns and twists. You won't be able to sit still while reading this book.

The writing is exquisite. The character developments are amazing. The plot is so well-thought. This was a fantastic read, and I can't wait to read the second book.

This was a phenomenal start to a new romantasy series!
The amazing world building, the characters are wonderful.
This book was absolutely unputdownable!

I completely forgot to leave a review for “A Kiss of Hammer and Flame” when I read it a few months ago, but better late than never! I really enjoyed the storyline; It felt refreshing to read something unique, that stood out from many of the fantasy romance books currently out there (and I’ve read quite a few).

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC.

I am sorry but I couldn’t finish this. DNFed it at 60%. I’m not sure if I wasn’t in the mood however, the story just didn’t grit me. I didn’t care about the conflict or the characters and I just didn’t wanna waste my time. I do think other people will like this however this book is not for me.

I am sorry but I couldn’t finish this. DNFed it at 60%. I’m not sure if I wasn’t in the mood however, the story just didn’t grit me. I didn’t care about the conflict or the characters and I just didn’t wanna waste my time. I do think other people will like this however this book is not for me.