Oh wow that ending!!!

Okay I am getting a little bit ahead of myself. I loved this book, it’s giving fourth wing but with birds. A slow burn which lasts and is just witty perfection. The humour, the story telling and the dual point of views make it perfection.

I need the second book now!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an early copy of this for review.

I unfortunately DNF this at around 25%. I’m loathe to DNF anything and can count on one hand how many times I’ve done so in the past few years, but between the blatant similarities to Fourth Wing and the writing it just wasn’t working for me. It was SO similar to Fourth Wing in parts that I wondered whether it was AI. I may have been able to get past that, but the writing really just wasn’t keeping me immersed. I feel that this author could use a good editor. Considering that this was an ARC I’m hoping it will be improved upon publishing so I won’t rate it below 3 stars, but the dialogue felt extremely stilted and not at all the way people would ever actually speak to one another, which is probably my biggest reading “ick” and ultimately was the reason I chose to finally DNF.

4 star’s - I really liked this book and WHY did it end like that?! I wanted more... no, I needed more!!
If you're a fan of Fourth Wing, go ahead and add this to your TBR immediately. Seriously, who doesn't love a good slow burn romance that really starts burning by the end? The tension, the build up, the payoff.....l'm still recovering.
Highly recommend to my Romantasy girlies, this book needs way more hype!!

I feel the idea was definitely there. Overall I don’t enjoy instalove, which is a large portion of my rating. This story has a lot of jumps in the timeline.

An incredible fantasy that had me gasping, giggling, and now begging for book 2 as soon as humanly possible! With relatable characters and the perfect amount of humor in the mix, this was a binge read that I wasn't willing to put down until I finished it (especially with the delicious slow-burn tension!). It's not easy to write a fantasy nowadays that has original worlds, magic systems, or plots, but K.J. Altair has done it and I am now chomping at the bit waiting for wherever she takes this next!!

K. J. Altair's "Feathers of Ash and Hope," the electrifying first installment in the Flameborn Series, is a compelling new adult fantasy romance that delivers on its promises of high stakes, a richly imagined world, and a tantalizing slow burn. Fans of academy settings, elemental magic, and intricate political intrigue will find themselves quickly drawn into Ara's desperate fight for survival.

The novel centers on Ara, a young woman living under the shadow of a deadly curse that imperils her entire family. Her only recourse is to join the formidable Skyrider Academy, a place of elite training where aspiring riders bond with magnificent, mystical birds called aetheras and master potent magic. What sets Ara apart, and what makes her journey so compelling, is the web of lies and secrets she must weave to conceal her true identity and the nature of her curse – exposure would mean ruin.

Altair's world-building is a standout, particularly the evocative Roman Empire-inspired setting blended with unique elemental magic and the majestic aetheras. The Skyrider Academy itself is a rigorous and dangerous proving ground, teeming with both potential allies and dangerous rivals. The dual point of view, primarily through Ara and the formidable, scarred centurion Tate, offers a fascinating look into their individual struggles and the burgeoning, forbidden attraction between them. Tate, burdened by his own dark past, initially clashes with Ara's seemingly reckless nature, but their undeniable chemistry and slow-burning tension are palpable from their first encounters.

“Feathers of Ash and Hope" excels in its character development. Ara is a resilient and complex protagonist, burdened by her past and forced to make difficult choices, yet consistently fighting for those she loves. Tate is an intriguing blend of gruffness and hidden depth, and their dynamic is expertly crafted, building anticipation with every stolen glance and tense interaction. The novel delves into heavy themes of inherited trauma, the psychological toll of institutional pressures, and the constant battle for self-worth, giving the story a welcome layer of emotional resonance beyond the romance.

While the pacing is generally strong and the world-building immersive, there were a few minor instances where the narrative felt like it lingered a tad longer than necessary, or perhaps a secondary plot thread could have been slightly more streamlined. However, these are small points in an otherwise engaging and powerfully imagined story.

"Feathers of Ash and Hope" is a strong debut from K. J. Altair. It offers a thrilling blend of fantasy, romance, and gripping suspense, perfectly setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting series. If you're looking for a new adult fantasy romance with a unique setting, high stakes, and a magnetic slow-burn romance, this is definitely one to pick up

I just couldn't continue after 24%, dnfed. too many similarities with fourth wing. Even though there's birds and "they condemn their souls to elet". That did me that did and I just couldn't continue. Not happy as really wanted to enjoy this one

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an early eARC of this book.

3 stars. This book was a solid fantasy romance read. It features Ara who is a part of a noteworthy family and the youngest of 4 older brothers who decides to enter the Skyriders against the wishes of her older brothers. She decides to conceal her identity and pose as a boy while trying to hide that she is cursed meaning she can drain other people’s magic. She meets Tate and slowly it becomes harder for her to keep all her secrets. The story continues from there.

This story has several interesting elements to it. I enjoyed Ara and the idea of her needing to hide her identity. I found the idea of her being cursed very interesting. I liked the idea of the skyriders being bonded to birds. However, this idea is not entirely unique and felt very reminiscent of Fourth Wing.

I felt like the pacing was a bit off for me. I feel like the author had so many ideas on where the plot of this story could go that there was a lot of random scenes or events that took place that did not need to be included in this story. I felt like so much was happening that at times it distracted from the main point of the plot. Because of this the book seemed to progress quite slowly and I found myself not as invested into the book. I think this book could have benefited from simplifying the plot a bit and cutting down the number of pages.

With all this being said, I did enjoy my read. I think this is a solid fantasy romance with interesting elements.

This review is currently available on Goodreads.

KJ Altair’s debut ‘Feathers of Ash and Hope’ is a strong, lyrical, and extremely compelling start to the Flameborn series! I have seen many reviews comparing this book to Fourth Wing, however I have to say that I enjoyed it a lot more. Most notably, Altair’s decision to focus on birds amongst the plethora of fantasy creatures available at a writer’s disposal is refreshing and was an imaginative shift that gave the world within this book a more ethereal yet somehow grounded quality. In an era where dragons dominate much of the fantasy/romantasy genre, the avian focus distinguished this book as something new and exciting!

Ara, our female protagonist, is resilient and determined! However, our fmc is emotionally layered in a way that feels real and adds to the tension surrounding her bid to curb her curse and become a rider. Ara’s vulnerability (facing her curse) is never shown as a weakness but only complicates the relationships she develops within this story, making the budding friendships, taught familial bonds, and brooding romance all the more compelling. Having mentioned relationships, the bond that grows between our fmc and mmc, Tate, adds depth to the story, as our characters’ memories and backstories are slowly revealed to each other as their trust grows authentically. This was an aspect that I particularly enjoyed, as the characters became more fleshed out throughout the story!

My only reservation about this book lies in the lack of information about Ara’s curse and the history of cursed beings throughout this world. While it's central to the plot, readers are given little explanation of the curse’s origin or why the cursed are so ruthlessly hunted. However, that being said, I understand this is the first installment in the Flameborn series, and it’s clear Altair is laying groundwork for deeper revelations in future books, and after that ending I cannot wait to read the next book!!

Run, don’t walk. Feathers of Ash and Hope is a New adult Romantasy book, first of the series and If you are a fourth wing fan then this is for you. I do not say this lightly when I say I personally love this more than fourth wing. This was a 5 star read for myself and I can not wait for the next book. I think this is my favourite read of the year and will be my new obsession. @kjaltair i love you for this book ! It was just what I have been hoping for 🥰🙌🏻🫶🏻

Fourth Wing Dupe. Some say that imitation is the highest form of flattery and that may be true, but I feel this is far too close to the FW storyline. I feel as though I cannot treat this as if it were an original work because to me it doesn't stand far enough apart from the inspiration to be original. Some of the similarities to FW in the first ~100 pages:

Academy/Military College type setting
Assessments/Trials
Skyriders (birds instead of dragons that you bind with and ride)
Brother's best friend is Squadron Leader
The gifted have magic marks aka tattoos on their skin
Broody/sexy/dark haired MMC love interest
Lightning type magic

And while some of these could be seen as taking inspiration from the original work, the storyline also follows very closely to FW. I suppose if you have never read FW this will be new and exciting and I can see why this one is getting good reviews but I'm going to have to DNF this one at 50%.

Thank you NetGalley and Edwyn Publishing for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this as an eARC and Oh. My. Goodness. I absolutely LOVED this book! I need the next book NOW! I am fully invested in Ara and Tate’s story and can’t wait to jump back in once the next book comes out. If you’re looking for a slow burn with excellent banter and sassiness then I would start reading this IMMEDIATELY ❤️ I absolutely love how quick witted Ara is and how she is so unapologetically a rule breaker and fights against being told what to do. And Tate. 🥵 Holy Mists is right… add him to the list of book boyfriends! And the side characters also deserve some mention too! I love how they all have their own parts to play and you get a peek into their personalities as well. All around just a great read!! I can’t wait to have some of my questions answered in the next book (hopefully books - because one more is not going to be enough for me!)

Star Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️

This story started incredibly strong, and pulled me in straight away! Altair created an amazing story and background for the military academy.

Duel POV. We learn that Ara leaves her family to visit a cousin, but secretly enlists as a man in hopes of becoming a sky rider. Her curse makes it difficult to hide who she is. Tate, her division leader, has secrets of his own hidden behind his grumpy and serious demeanor. He discovers parts of Ara’s identity, and his role of helping her and falling for her makes the story compelling.

It was a fast-paced story that kept me on my toes. A lot happened, and I feel like I was itching for more. I can’t wait for the 2nd book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(3.5 rounded up)
I really loved how well- written Feathers of Ash and Hope was.
The slow burn between Ara and Tate was amazing and really kept me wanting to keep reading. I also loved Ara’s personality and how she held onto her secrets so tightly for the sake of everyone around her.
I did, however, feel that this book related quite closely to fourth wing and found myself comparing the two books and their similarities at times. I feel the book had enough original ideas to have been presented quite nicely without the comparable characteristics, but, nonetheless, it was still a really good read.
Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this book, all opinions are my own.

This book has definitely become one of my favorites, thank you to K.J. Altair and Net Galley for allowing me to review this book.

First of all, yes this book in the beginning has many similarities with Fourth Wing, but as you read, it becomes its own story.
Key Tropes were as follows;
Slow burn romance
Animals who could talk telepathically
Trials
Military collage
Forbidden love
Family angst

This book really shines through its characters. Our MMC and FMC were both well written, thought out and bounced off each other well. Ara, our FMC is at the military college against her family's wishes. We learn that she has been brought up around a military family with four brothers who serve, so it's understandable she’d want to join instead of becoming a wife like she is expected. Ara also has a secret that she was born cursed, which is not something that is good in Ara’s world. This is explored through the book however, I think there is more to this as its mention multiple times and other characters have given hints to what being cursed means.
Tate, our MMC, is a secretive character only trusting Jared, his best friend, who has known him for years. We begin to know him as a badass instructor that you don't mess with, but are also given little drops of information about his past without fully knowing until a final bombshell at the end of the book. Jared ends up being one of my favorite characters as he knows how to rile up his best friend but stay loyal too.

The book is written with two POV’s but we are still kept in suspense and don't learn about how they both ended up at the college. They butt heads multiple times, heightening the romance between the two, trying to fight the attraction as it's against the rules for them to be involved. The loose ends of the book makes me want to read the second book as soon as possible.

My favourite quote is about cake..“What is your favorite cake?”......“Chocolate cake.".....“Good one. Fits you."....“Dark, tempting, delicious, and much sweeter than anticipated.”

Book: Feathers of Ash and Hope
Series: Flameborn (#1)
Genre: Fantasy Romance, General Adult Fiction
Rating: 5 ⭐ (x ∞)

5/5 Relationships
5/5 Characters
5/5 Plot
2🌶🌶

*:✿˚⋆ SPOILER FREE REVIEW *:✿˚⋆

Oh-ma-gawd. This was so good. So so so good. I went into this story blind, not having read the blurb or looked at the reviews, so I didn’t have many expectations, but it completely knocked my socks off. I swear, I drank this book like water in a drought. I loved everything about it and I don’t understand how it is not talked about more, because this is one for the shelves.

I absolutely love the characters, all of them. I think the personalities and their dynamics were masterfully constructed. You have the comic relief, the deep & meaningful, the sunshine and the bullies; there are great friendships and found families, the rivals and the angsty lovers, and even some potential future couples to keep you addicted. There were no irritating characters (unless that was their role, of course) and I truly enjoyed every single scene no matter who it concerned, which is an absolute feat on its own.

The romance was frankly exquisite. In my opinion, it had the perfect amount of slow burn, angst, smut and depth. It is for sure one of my favourite book relationships and I really really cannot wait to get more of Ara and ****. Also, the romance-to-plot ratio was spot-on for a fantasy romance.

This was complemented by an utterly captivating plot. As this is only the first installment, you only get a sneak-peak at the bigger picture plot-wise and honestly, with just that, you can tell that this will be an amazing story. It gives you just enough to be addicted but never enough to be satiated. It’s mysterious and thrilling while being profound, meaningful and emotional. It’s so easy to relate to Ara and her struggles, and I really just cannot wait to see how her story will unfold.

Another tidbit I want to mention is the dual POV. I love multiple POVs, I think they really make the experience better and thorough, but I'm always disappointed when the scene changes as the POV does because I want to see someone else's take on the previous scene. In this book, the POVs often starts by covering a part of the previous POV's scene before moving on to new information and I don't think I've ever seen a better execution.

Overall, as you can probably tell by my review, I think this book was a definite chef's kiss. I know I will be fangirling over it for some time and forcing it on everyone around me. I am thoroughly consumed by it and I don’t mind one bit. Another sure way to know if I truly loved an ARC is whether or not I buy a physical copy, and I can confirm that mine was already on its way before I finished the book. If it wasn’t for other ARC obligations I currently have, I would have started my re-read the moment I finished this one. K.J, you are brilliant and as you already know, I will be eagerly waiting for the next installment, and I recommend everyone hop on the bandwagon and start reading FoAaH without delay.

Couldn’t put it down! I read this entire book in one sitting (minus a few snack and bathroom breaks). I love the characters, the storyline, the banter and the twists and turns. I cannot WAIT for book two!!

Thank you NetGalley and Edwyn publishing for this ARC. All opinions are my own!

This book is similar to fourth wing! I really loved the writing style. The slow burn was perfect and the amount of spice worked nicely. I liked the story line and how we get different POV from the main characters. Definitely worth the read! I will be reading the next book. The magic system is interesting. I wasn’t entirely expecting the ending. TBR worthy

I absolutely loved this book! The beginning felt pretty familiar as the setting is a lot like Fourth Wing but with mystical birds. Even though we're told attending the Skyrider Academy is risky, it didn’t feel quite as high stakes as Fourth Wing, because runners (new recruits) weren’t dropping like flies. What intrigued me right away though and kept me engaged were the mysteries surrounding the FMC, Ara, and MMC, Tate.

Ara kicks ass! She disguises herself as a boy to attend the academy because she can’t have her family finding out she is there. Her and her family are also hiding the fact that she is cursed, which is forbidden, but you’ll have to read more to learn more. She must do some digging herself. She has a fiery personality and sometimes speaks before she thinks. She loves hard and enjoys life. My favorite quote from the book is her describing herself: “The point is you all stamped me as irresponsible and reckless and can’t see that I would hang the fucking moon for the people I love, even if it cuts me apart.”

She isn’t the only one holding on tight to secrets, because Tate also is hiding plenty. Very early in the book, he is sneaking away to meet with someone for information. He is broody, has rumors and a bad reputation swirling around him, and he has a past with a lot of heartache. He wants to follow the rules but somehow keeps finding himself bending or breaking them for the girl he can’t stop thinking about.

The banter and flirting was so good. Ara is hilarious, and the friends she makes are as well. I laughed out loud a few times. The side characters were incredibly likeable, and I’m worried there will be a hard loss before the series is done.

This is a slow burn romance. There is plenty of tension, and of course, Ara and Tate aren’t allowed to be together. I’d personally rate the spice as a single pepper.

I won’t give spoilers. I just want to say the last few chapters were awesome and had a pretty epic moment! I’m ready to see characters reach new heights, get to know the birds better, and learn more about Tate’s past and Ara’s curse. I will be watching for the next book!

- Dual POV
- Forbidden romance
- Hidden Identity
- Grumpy/Sunshine
- Mystical Birds
- Elemental Magic
- Slow Burn
- Military Academy
- Banter!

Thank you NetGalley and Edwyn Publishing for letting me an ARC reader for this amazing book!

5/5 I’m surprisingly into this and a fan. Will be purchasing when this one comes out!!
Thank for the ARC NetGalley and publisher!!

Okay so this felt like Fourth Wing but with giant birds, way more likable characters, better writing, better plot, gender bender, and not cringe!

There were a lot of predictable moments but they were the satisfying kind of predictable!

The characters are so lovable - Ara is sunshine (though the pet name gets a teensie cringe when oversaid), Tate is the right amount of broody but not insufferable, Calix and Jared are comic relief teddy bears, Marial is the gal pal we all need - would love to see more of her, Joel doesn’t suck which I was glad about.

The romance is not toxic and not cringy, imo - the spice was there, but not overwhelming, which I personally appreciated - I’m cool with some spice but don’t like when it’s overdone, I’m reading for the characters and story and feelings!

A few things I would like to see more of in this series - more history behind the world, the war, the birds, the magic system, Ara’s curse, the character backstories. More of the bond with the birds, at times, I forgot about the birds - if they’re in each others’ minds, probably just a bit more reminder of that. I like that it’s not overdone like in Fourth Wing but just a tad more so we don’t forget about the bond would be good. I know this is the first in series, so I’m glad it wasn’t overstuffed with alllllll of this but I am looking forward to more!!