A Heart of Crimson Flames Book Review

We’ve finally reached the end, folks. It’s the last book in The Golden Court series, and oh boy, is it a doozie. Strap on in to read my “A Heart of Crimson Flames” book review to see how this epic queer romantic fantasy trilogy ends. If you haven’t read the first two books yet, what are you doing here? Get out! At the very least, check out my “A River of Golden Bones” and “A Sky of Emerald Stars” review before you continue reading.

There’s something to be said about finding yourself in the face of danger. Time and time again, the characters in The Golden Court trilogy have stumbled upon life-changing battles, and through the haze of death and sorrow, they’re able to complete their journey of self-discovery.

Naturally, this trend continues in “A Heart of Crimson Flames.” While we continue to get some scattered Calla and Sadie points of view, the main star of the show here is Briar as she works toward finding out who she’s really meant to be in this world.

It’s a journey that’s similar to the strife our two former female main characters undertook, but for Briar, it’s compounded even more by the fact that her mate, Maez, has been turned into an evil sorcereress. Not only must she determine who she really is inside, but she must also risk losing herself to the darkness to save Maez.

How Briar’s Journey Differs From Sadie and Calla

For Calla, her journey was about breaking free from gender norms and finding strength outside the confines of a female box. For Sadie, her journey was a softening of her hard edges and finding a way to let love in. But for Briar? It’s about breaking out of the role she was trained for her entire life. She no longer wants to be a prim and proper princess waiting for her knight in shining armor to rescue her. She wants to fight for herself.

I love seeing female characters find their strength, and it was especially satisfying to see Briar break the shackles of princesshood and give her moniker, the Crimson Princess, new meaning. Seeing Briar stand up for herself – in more ways than one – and fight for the things she believes in is the type of motivational hero we need in this patriarchal age.

Battling for the Silver Throne

Beyond Briar’s personal journey, the book focuses on the battle for Aotreas as Calla and Sadie lead their armies from different corners of the continent. This conflict is what we have been waiting for the entire series, and though I found the buildup ultimately fulfilling, I was slightly disappointed at how the battle progressed. In the end, it seemed like all of the preparations and previous political schemes were completely irrelevant to the outcome. The situation would have unfolded the same, no matter who showed up in battle.

Even so, I did not see the big twist at the climax coming, and I had real doubts about any chance of victory or hope. I won’t say what happens, but I will say it all relies heavily on luck and circumstance. If you’ve read the first two books, you’ll likely be able to figure it out pretty quickly once things start unfolding. It was more than a little convenient how everything came together, but in the end, it had the epic feel of a series-ending battle.

In “A Heart of Crimson Flames,” Love Conquers All

One of my favorite parts about this story is the romance. I don’t identify as part of the queer spectrum, but I always love reading about sapphic characters because it makes me happy to see people being able to live their lives without interference. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying that Briar and Maez’s connection is strong, and while some of the love scenes were HIGHLY questionable (an emerald? really?), overall, I found them to be a fitting match for each other.

That said, because they’ve been fated mates since book one, there wasn’t much in the way of romantic tension. Even though Maez becoming a sorcereress created some distance between them, they got right back into it like nothing happened after a bit of brooding.

A Satisfying Conclusion to the Golden Court Series

In the end, I think “A Heart of Crimson Flames” delivers. It ties up our story cleanly and concisely, and each of the main characters’ journeys feels complete and well-earned. Our trusty side characters, unfortunately, continue to act as unpaid extras without a personality, but we can’t have everything. Regardless, I’d happily embark on a journey with Galen den’ Mora and the Golden Wolf pack again, especially if we got to learn more about the rest of the world and the various human cultures (I’m still not over the fact that HUMANS are the most gender/gay-friendly species in this universe).