Flame of Surrender by Rhiannon Paille

Flame of Surrender
Rhannon Paille
The Ferryman and the Flame #1

Krishani doesn't understand why he's so different from the other elven. But when he meets Kaliel, he finally feels whole. She's all he can think about. Kaliel, too, feels out of place in her home. Neither of them know that they have far more ahead of them than they could ever imagine, that they could save or destroy the world...


I want to first thank the author for sending me Flame of Surrender to review. It was an unusual read to say the least, but I was surprised at how invested I was by the time it ended.

Whatever preconceptions you have about this story, discard them now.  Flame of Surrender is at various times romantic, tragic, terrifying, and sweet. Although I found Kaliel and Krishani's pining during the first half of the book a bit slow, eventually I was caught up in their love, wanting desperately for them to be together, impossible though it seemed.

*The rest of the review contains some spoilers*

The world of The Ferryman and the Flame was fascinating and a little bit confusing. Composed of various races and worlds, there was quite a bit going on behind the scenes with history, interracial interactions, and the different worlds. I would have liked to learn a lot more about this world, but hopefully there will be something in future books. I thought the villains of the story, the Valtanyana, were surprisingly scary, and the sense of doom and fear that grew throughout the story was quite well done. One aspect that I was surprised sort of disappeared was the witches, who seemed like a threat that never really materialized.

As I said, the first half of the book was composed mainly of Kaliel and Krishani pining for each other and failing at doing the things they were supposed to be doing. However, events picked up speed in the third quarter, and the final quarter of the book was absolutely thrilling. Mostly because of the not-so-happy ending, I think, this book actually felt kind of like a prequel, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though it was a little odd. At the end I was so shocked I had to go back and read it again to make sure I'd gotten it right the first time. I can't wait for the sequel, especiallly after reading the beginning of it at the back of this book. I just hope it's a little happier! (Please?)

Plot: 3 cupcakes
Characters: 4 cupcakes
Style: 4 cupcakes
Overall: 4 cupcakes