Book Review: Blood and Flame by Brendan Corbett

There’s something refreshing about picking up a book and being able to read several chapters in one sitting without struggling through overly decorated prose, lengthy descriptions, or a complex plot. I didn’t have to reread a single page in an attempt to understand what was happening. It feels like an increasingly rare thing these days.

It's good to start a review on a positive note because, in actuality, my first impression was a negative one. The issue I had was before I had even turned the first page.

Great cover, but the blurb is a little long. Five paragraphs worth of introduction. Once the cover has made you pick the book up, the blurb should sell it. I'd probably have stopped reading after the first paragraph and put the book back on the shelf if I'd encountered this randomly in a store.

What follows is my attempt to summarise said blurb for the purposes of this review.

Wynne’s final trial to become a Flame Mage sends her and the impoverished Initiate Dara to investigate murdered livestock and rumours of an impossible source of mana. Their journey takes them across Llendshold, from the Fae-haunted Nomridian Forest to the Zanerian Archipelago and the abandoned Dwarven city of Yuvsgrend. As the mismatched pair uncover a conspiracy, they begin to question everything they believe about the Quinarium, forcing them to choose between the lives they have dreamed of and the truth they have discovered.

Blurb aside, I had a good time with this one, although at times it felt a lot longer than its three hundred pages suggests. At its simplest, the plot is about a pair of adventurers given a quest, meeting interesting characters, visiting interesting places and gradually uncovering secrets. Obviously, that’s a very simplistic description of what is actually a decent plot.

The characters are sent on a quest for the Quinarium as a kind of initiation. Whilst this is a great premise, I struggled to understand why two green recruits are sent on what is actually a very important mission. It felt a little like a convenient construct by the author to launch the characters into the quest. The fact that they are not full blown members of the Quinarium however is central to the dilemma our protagonsits face as they uncover the truth.

This didn't stop me from enjoying the sense of adventure Corbett conjures. The story keeps moving, taking Wynne and Dara to new locations, introducing new characters and gradually revealing more of what is going on.

One thing I did find a little disappointing was the opening. The book starts with Dara and Wynne entering the Academy to learn new skills, and I was looking forward to seeing how they developed and progressed. However, the story moves on from this quite quickly, and I felt both protagonists became very capable rather too fast. I would have enjoyed seeing more of that learning process and perhaps a few more setbacks along the way.

I also found it refreshing to have two female leads, something I’ve come to appreciate after reading and writing a lot of YA fantasy. The characters themselves are likeable and varied, and it was such a change to read a fantasy novel that was not either male dominated or contained angry princesses on a mission.

The locations are varied, and the action sequences are well told. I never felt that I was being hit with information dumps beyond the usual conversations between characters explaining what was going on.

I particularly enjoyed the description of the deserted Dwarven kingdom and its immense library. There was something about exploring a once-great civilisation that had been left behind that really worked for me. If I were being critical, though, the magnificent Dwarven cities felt like fairly standard fantasy territory.

When the blurb mentioned “a touch of slow-burn romance”, I was a little concerned about where that might lead. But slow-burn is definitely the right description, and it’s handled tastefully without taking over the story.

Looking at some of the other reviews, there are a few that are quite critical of the writing style and prose. I can understand where some of those criticisms come from, but personally, I never encountered anything that made me want to stop reading. There are certainly places where the writing could have been more polished, but for me, those imperfections never got in the way of the story.

Blood and Flame is a fun adventure story with likeable characters, an interesting premise and a good sense of adventure. It isn't without its flaws, but I enjoyed my time with Wynne and Dara, and I'll probably be interested enough to see where the story goes in books two and three.