Dagger and the Flame

Darci's Review

Catherine Doyle has written an astounding first instalment to the new City of Fantome series – Dagger and the Flame. With elements typical of many great YA fantasy series, such as the Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo and A Hunger of Thorns by Lili Wilkinson, Dagger and the Flame is a must read for fans of heists, mystery, and stabbing lovers.

In the City of Fantome, a substance called Shade is used by the Order of Cloaks and the Order of Daggers – two underground and opposing forces under the payroll of the King. Daggers are assassins who swallow Shade and use it to hide in the shadows while giving them heightened abilities, like swiftness and faster healing. Cloaks are thieves who use cloaks crafted from Shade and tailored to their measurements to become invisible in shadows, and complete heists of varying degrees of difficulty. This Shade is cultivated through the root of Boneshade, with very few suppliers living around Fantome due to the danger of the job. Unluckily for Sera Marchant, her mother was one of these suppliers.

Sera Marchant finds herself on the run from her farm on the outskirts of Fantome, flames at her back and tears in her eyes. With her mother now dead, Sera only has one place to go – the Order of Cloaks – because her mother always hated the Daggers. Once safe at the Cloaks’ dormitories, Sera finds herself in desperate need to find answers to her mother’s death, although one thing gets in the way – she is now a mark of the Daggers. As Sera unravels the truth around Shade’s properties and the Order of Daggers obsession with killing off her family, another mystery of ghoulish Shade-infested monsters begins to wreak havoc on the streets of Fantome. Alongside her already convoluted life, Sera finds herself warring with her assassin, Ransom. At first this rivalry is fuelled by passionate hatred, but could this passionate hatred burn into something more?

Doyle has built the City of Fantome beautifully, with descriptive historical and political landscaping enhancing the read. Backstory on the creation of Shade and its effects on Fantome itself set the tone perfectly for Sera’s unprecedented journey. The characterisation is brilliantly complex, with a captivating and tense romance explored through the main plot. Overall, Dagger and the Flame is a 4-star read, and I cannot wait to delve further into the story of the City of Fantome in its sequel.

Publisher's Review 

From the number one bestselling author Catherine Doyle comes the most fiery enemies-to-lovers romantasy of the year. Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo and Stephanie Garber.  

In the dark underbelly of a beautiful city, two rival assassins are pitted against each other in a deadly game of revenge, where the most dangerous mistake of all is falling in love…

In Fantome, a kingdom of cobbled streets, flickering lamplight, beautiful buildings, and secret catacombs, Shade-magic is a scarce and deadly commodity controlled by two enemy guilds: the Cloaks and the Daggers – the thieves and the assassins. On the night of her mother’s murder, 17-year-old Seraphine runs for her life. Seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks, Sera’s heart is set on revenge. But are her secret abilities a match for the dark-haired boy whose quicksilver eyes follow her around the city?

Nothing can prepare Sera for the moment she finally comes face-to-face with Ransom, heir to the Order of Daggers. And Ransom is shocked to discover that this unassuming farmgirl wields a strange and blazing magic he has never seen before…

Among rumours of monsters stalking the streets and the rival guilds grappling for control of Fantome’s underworld, Sera and Ransom are drawn together by something more than just magic and must face a deadly choice - forgiveness or vengeance? Kiss or kill? Dagger or Flame?

Note: The Dagger and the Flame is recommended for readers aged 16+