ARC Book Review: Flame and Sparrow (Court of the Marr #1) by S.M. Gaither

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 651 pages
Author: S.M. Gaither
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 12th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

On the eve of her twentieth birthday, Karys woke to the sight of a divine creature dying outside her home.

Two weeks later, her sister disappeared, leaving nothing but a trail of blood in her wake.

Convinced the gods were responsible for the disappearance, Karys has spent the past five years plotting her revenge with the help of a cutthroat band of likeminded elven rebels. So when Dravyn—one of her world’s most powerful deities—descends upon her kingdom in search of humans worthy of serving him, Karys knows what she must do. Earning a place at the god’s side will allow her to find out what truly happened to her sister…and then destroy the gods from the inside out for what they did.

Thrown into the dazzling but deadly world of the divine courts, she must navigate complicated politics, strange magic, and dangerous trials to prove herself worthy of standing among the gods.

Among the most dangerous of these trials is Dravyn himself.

Karys knows better than to trust the enigmatic God of Fire. The flames of passion that stir between them are only divine trickery. And yet, the more she learns about him, the hotter the forbidden sparks burn. The more she begins to question all she thought she knew about the world of gods and mortals and everything in-between.

And the more she risks betraying her own secrets, which may be the most dangerous thing of all.

This is a romantic epic fantasy with some adult language and spicy content. Though it’s set in the same universe as the Shadows and Crowns series—in the distant past—it can be read and completely enjoyed without reading any previous books in this world. Book two will end with a HEA, but beware the cliffhanger at the end of this first book!

Thank you to S.M. Gaither for the ARC!

FIRE.

I love love love this world building. It was my favorite aspect and I thought it was so interesting and perfectly complex. The layered worlds and gods and mortals and elves. I loved it all. I was continually fascinated at the construction and I thought the magic system worked well along side the story too.

Karys was a great FMC. I love characters that are strong, but also make mistakes and work towards making amends. Karys is open to new information about those around her and allowing her choices to come from a better stance. I loved watching her grow and with that ending I’m sure there’s more awesomeness to come.

The romance had one tiny thing I wished for more of. THEM. I felt the first half lacked general communication between Karys and Draveryn and I was hoping for a bit more before the physical aspects of the relationship started. They did really grow on me and I love how passionate they are about each other. There’s some [hopeful] foreshadowing that I can’t wait to see pan out in the sequel.

Fantastic side characters (as always) from S.M. Gaither. Even adding in more lovable creature friends too. Another wonderful fantasy romance by one of my favorite authors. I’m very excited to continue this series!

Overall audience notes: