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Chaos and Flame

by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland

ISBN13: 9780593353325
ISBN10: 0593353323

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Staff Pick

Gratton (Queens of Innis Lear) and Ireland (Dread Nation) combine their considerable skills to craft a fantasy world of warring Houses, prophetic doom, and ancient magic in this fantastic duology opener! If you’re a fan of Leigh Bardugo or Sabaa Tahir and you’re watching House of the Dragon, you’ll want to pick this one up. War Prince Talon Goldhoard is determined to uphold his family’s (House Dragon’s) rule. But when the young woman his older brother has been painting in prophetic artwork for years shows up demanding they release her father, a prisoner of war from House Kraken, he finds himself entangled in politics and schemes that will shape not just his House, but their entire world. Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

From New York Times bestselling author Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton comes the first book in a ferocious YA fantasy duology featuring ancient magic, warring factions, and a romance between the two people in the world with the most cause to hate one another.

Darling Seabreak cannot remember anything before the murder of her family at the hands of House Dragon, but she knows she owes her life to both the power of her Chaos Boon and House Kraken for liberating her from the sewers where she spent her childhood. So when her adoptive Kraken father is captured in battle, Darling vows to save him — even if that means killing each and every last member of House Dragon.

Talon Goldhoard has always been a dutiful War Prince for House Dragon, bravely leading the elite troops of his brother, the High Prince Regent. But lately his brother's erratic rule threatens to undo a hundred years of House Dragon's hard work, and factions are turning to Talon to unseat him. Talon resists, until he's ambushed by a fierce girl who looks exactly like the one his brother has painted obsessively, repeatedly, for years, and Talon knows she's the key to everything.

Together, Darling and Talon must navigate the treacherous waters of House politics, caught up in the complicated game the High Prince Regent is playing against everyone. The unlikeliest of allies, they'll have to stop fighting each other long enough to learn to fight together in order to survive the fiery prophecies and ancient blood magic threatening to devastate their entire world.

About the Author

Justina Ireland is the New York Times bestselling author of fifteen novels and four anthology contributions, including Dread Nation and Deathless Divide. She is a former editor in chief of FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, for which she won a World Fantasy Award, and her work has been shortlisted numerous times for state and literary awards. She holds a BA in History from Georgia Southern University and an MFA in creative writing from Hamline University. Visit her at authorjustinaireland.com or follow her on Twitter @justinaireland.

Tessa Gratton is the author of adult and YA SFF novels and short stories that have been translated into twenty-two languages, long-listed for the Otherwise Award, and several have been Junior Library Guild Selections. Her most recent novels are the dark queer fairy tales Strange Grace and Night Shine, and the queer Shakespeare retelling Lady Hotspur. Her upcoming work includes the YA fantasy Chaos and Flame (2023), and novels of Star Wars: The High Republic. Though she has lived all over the world, she currently resides at the edge of the Kansas prairie with her wife. She/any.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 3.8 (9 comments)

`	Bigreader342 , June 21, 2023 (view all comments by Bigreader342) This story certainly was interesting and kept me hooked for the whole book, despite its flaws. I think the houses were cool, especially back in the day when their crests were actual beings all due to the power of Chaos. It was hard to decide whether Caspian was actually mad ( I would love to see his paintings) or just very devious in all his plans that included the other Chaos touched person, Darling (odd name and it threw me a bit). The insta love between her and Talon was a bit much but it did show that Talon was a decent guy and I hope things turn out alright between him and Darling, especially after that cliff hanger. I had my suspicions about Caspian in what he was up to and I am glad I was right. The next book should be super exciting with that twist. So this book was good, not the best but it was building up to the next book I think. I still had fun reading it.
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`	Paperivore , May 14, 2023 (view all comments by Paperivore) I really enjoyed this book! It’s a fun YA fantasy with a headstrong heroine, magic bloodlines, and some political machinations. There are some cool details that made this book feel interesting and original. I thought the writing was great, fast paced, and kept me interested and wanting to read more. I was seriously hooked by the introduction: it feels like a legend is playing out: a boy who obsessively paints the same hollow eyed girl over and over; his younger brother who grows up under the shadow of this obsession, determined to protect his family; and the girl herself who survived in hiding for years, even when everyone else was gone. The rest of the book unfolds with two narrators: Darling, the girl from the paintings, and Talon, the younger brother. Each is trying to protect their own family and each views the other as an enemy. But they’ll end up reluctant allies as they try to navigate dangerous political intrigue. I really enjoyed all of the characters. Especially Caspian, Talons brother and the High Prince Regent. I think the best thing about this book is the fast paced writing. I felt like a lot happens in the plot and it really keeps your attention (which is amazing imo for a book by two different authors). I also loved the cliffhanger. It didn’t feel forced and dramatic - rather I felt like we had been building towards something epic the whole time. Very cool.
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`	bookchik , May 08, 2023 (view all comments by bookchik) Chaos & Flame has all everything a great fantasy book needs- political intrigue, enemies to lovers romance, and an epic magic system that is utterly unique. I loved how the book was set up to bounce between the two main characters POVs. The writing was sharp and clever, and descriptive enough to where you could clearly place yourself in this war-torn world. I quickly became invested in the characters and their motives for doing things were clear and captivating. The best part of this book is the magic system/house system which gives each house a mythical creature like the Kraken, Dragon, Sphinx, Phoenix, and a few others. Now once upon a time each regent of the house could actually become the creature and protect/defend their lands and people, but a hundred years ago that stopped. I was thrilled to see how the book ended and what that means for the next book. Incredible read!
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Product Details

ISBN:: 9780593353325
Binding:: Hardcover
Publication date:: 03/28/2023
Publisher:: Razorbill
Language:: English
Pages:: 336
Height:: .88IN
Width:: 6.00IN
Age Range:: 14 to 17
Grade Range:: 9 to 12
Author:: Justina Ireland
Author:: Tessa Gratton

$19.99

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`	Mallory , April 28, 2023 (view all comments by Mallory) I think there is a lot of potential in this story. I wanted a little more with the world building as I think it was a creative and rich world of possibilities. The characters also had a lot of potential but I don’t think any of them truly reached that potential. I must admit I am typically not a fan of instant love with romance books, but in this case I think it worked even less than normal. Given the war between their houses I do not believe that in a couple of days Talon and Darling would have been even having swooning thoughts for each other. Don’t get me wrong, I think their romance has potential but I wanted a slow burn that felt more realistic. With all that said I will definitely be reading the second part to this duology. I do want to know what happens next and how this world will handle the changes that prophecy is bringing. I hope to learn more about boons and some of the house history in the next book. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars.
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`	TheLadywithGlasses , April 25, 2023 (view all comments by TheLadywithGlasses) We come into this novel where most stories would end: the throes of an interminable conflict and its abrupt end. The story embroils us in the tale of people struggling with conflicting instructions even as they strive for a unification of their war-torn provinces. The authors immerse us in a thrilling world, where psychic talents are called “boons”, legendary animals once roamed the planet and ancient gods once granted mortal prayers…albeit not exactly as the mortals wanted. While we are invested in the growing romance between Talon and Darling, we’re even more swept up by Talon’s frustrated attempts to connect with his older brother, Caspian. Talon is told time and again that Caspian is neither ill nor mad. But Caspian’s fits, cryptic messages, haunted paintings, mood swings and enigmatic public outbursts strain Talon’s patience and nearly drive him to despair. Talon can’t bear his brother’s behavior yet his love for his elder sibling is genuine and without question. The final denouement is an astonishing, jaw-dropping scene of metamorphosis, yet, like the consort’s murder, all the signs are there if you read the story. Will this stop the war, as Caspian, Talon and Darling hoped? I will be on the lookout for the sequel.
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`	lurkykitty , April 07, 2023 (view all comments by lurkykitty) Chaos and Flame is set in a fantasy world of warring houses, ancient history and mythological creatures. The book alternates between the points of view of Talon, war prince from House Dragon and Darling, adopted daughter of House Kraken, both warriors ready for peace after years of conflict. They start as enemies but come to realize that they can't resist each other. Caspian, the high prince, and Talon's older brother is the most intriguing character with his (perhaps intentionally) unhinged behavior and mysterious motives. I enjoyed the setting, characters and political intrigue, but the story would have benefited had there been more focus on the magic system and world building instead of so much on the romance. Chaos and Flame could have really used a map, since the book is set over the course of a journey. I liked that there were characters who were queer and POC. The cliff-hanger ending was unique and astounding. I wish it had gone on longer because now I have so many questions and must have the second book. Now. Thank you to BookishFirst for a copy to review.
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`	solenophage , April 01, 2023 (view all comments by solenophage) The romance really didn't work for me in this book, which is too bad because it's the only thing that's happening for a lot of the book. It wasn't so much the insta-love itself, but the way it flattened the relationship between the two leads. It's enemies-to-lovers, but the transition was too fast and complete to be interesting. There was little complexity to their feelings and relationship and the fact that they were former (and maybe even still) enemies didn't do much to inform them. I could see hints of how they might warm to each other, so it was especially disappointing how the story basically skipped over any development of their relationship. The plot was plodding and only picked up in the last couple chapters. I was surprised when the book was ending because the plot had barely started moving. At the same time, our main characters' visits to the other Houses felt rushed. I was excited that the tour of Houses plot would provide a chance to show off different cultures and myths within it and see what interesting characters populate this world. If the plot had been slow, but an exploration of the world was interesting enough I would have been satisfied; too bad this also felt shallow. The first chapter, showing Caspian's boon was great and there were aspects of the worldbuilding and the characters that were done well enough, but overall I wasn't very impressed or entertained by it.
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`	MJ , March 28, 2023 (view all comments by MJ) Cassian Goldhoard has visions of the future—almost exclusively featuring a girl that he paints with no eyes. As the High Prince Regent of House Dragon, his mercurial moods put him in danger of being proclaimed mad and removed from the throne. His brother, Talon, the War Prince, does everything in his power to protect his brother and his House. Darling Seabreak is an assassin for her adopted House, Kraken. She was adopted by the House Regent after House Dragon murdered her entire House, Sphinx. She spent years living in the sewers, which damaged her eyesight, requiring her to wear special goggles. After Darling is captured by Talon during an attempted rescue of her adopted father, Cassian presents an enigmatic solution for peace between the Houses. Together, Cassian, Talon, and Darling work toward trusting each other and peace for their country. The characters, though immature, were believable and interesting. The immaturity worked, though, because the book is YA fiction. I enjoyed that the ending of the book wasn’t immediately evident to me either, despite Cassian leaving clues as to what he was plotting. The romance between Talon and Darling was enjoyable but it felt a little rushed. But, again, as they were teenagers, I think the immaturity of the romance works. I also think that it is something that will be further developed in book 2. Overall, I’m so happy that I read this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good YA fantasy.
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`	bostieslovebooks , March 27, 2023 (view all comments by bostieslovebooks) CHAOS & FLAME is the first book in a YA high-fantasy duology. The first page had me pulled in, with its creepy mysterious vibe. I really liked the premise of the book after reading the synopsis. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me overall. The pacing was slow and within all that time, didn’t provide sufficient world-building or character development. The narration alternates each chapter between first-person of Darling and Talon. Normally, I like dual POV, but in this case the voices of the two main characters were so similar that I frequently had to stop to remember which character was the focus at the moment. Talon’s brother played a large role which makes me wonder what it would have been like had he been included as a narrator as well. The romance of the enemies-to-lovers trope happened too soon and too fast, verging on insta-love, so there wasn’t any tension left to carry interest in that plot line through to the end of the book. There’s some action but not a lot in total. I did like that there were a variety of magic aspects included. The book ends on a cliffhanger, though I didn’t feel very disappointed. I will likely read the second book at some point once it’s released, but it’s not high on my priority list. CHAOS & FLAME didn’t live up to my expectations but may be enjoyed more by other fans of YA fantasy. Thank you to Razorbill for the giveaway copy.
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