Cover Image: To the Flame

To the Flame

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Member Reviews

It was sort of interesting, but it lacked something... and it could`ve been gotten more meat to the bone. I did not feel the chemistry between Morris and Emmerson much. It lacked dept, it lacked interaction. I was honestly a little bit bored.

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Loved the premise of the book.
Loved the supernatural elements.
Always enjoy a college romance 😍.
The two MCs were delightful, although obviously the supernatural complications made for some relationship issues.
Always nice to read a book with diversity in its characters.
The big downer for me was the length - I didn't real;ise this was a novella when I started reading it, so it basically finished for me just as it was getting started!
Nonetheless, I'm rounding 3.5 stars up to 4, because I loved the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early copy.

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I really liked the plot a lot, it was enticing and atmospheric. Very grateful for the LQBTQIA representation, as a queer myself, I find that very important to be able to relate to a story.
However, I did feel like I was missing information to be able to keep up. I felt confused at times and found myself going back on some pages to make sure I hadn't accidentally skimmed over. It definitely could've been a little longer for that more satisfying immersive feeling. Overal, I give it 3.5, rounded up to 4 stars

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This almost read like an early draft to me. There needed to be much more depth layered on to this story for it to hold my attention. The characters needed more holistic development, for one thing. They came off flat and not engaging to me.

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Archived before I could download it. Concept still sounds cool and I’ll be looking to read it on my own.

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** spoiler alert ** A short one with a little bit of supernatural mystery, awkwardness and a whole load of confusion. From Morrie’s side it felt sweet, seeing the reason behind their behavior and damn that was a lot to take on. From Emerson’s side it felt awkward, a little scary and sad. I liked the radio messages, clever way to get the warnings across.

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To The Flame, by AE Ross is a DNF for me.

I didn't like the writing style, as it's too descriptive with no action

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4.5 stars!

This was pretty dang amazing. The writing is incredibly atmospheric, and the dual POVs worked perfectly, as each MC had such a distinct voice. I actually have very little knowledge of cryptids, but this was so wonderfully told that I want to change that. It’s odd, a little mystical, and just an all around good story.

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I had trouble getting into this book. I found it reslly hard to get past the first few chapters. The characters were dull and the plot didn’t hook me in. Not for me!

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To the Flame by A.E Ross.
Seattle boy Emerson Oakley is about to find that the strangest thing about his first year at West Virginia’s Vance University isn’t the neighbor in the next dorm over, who ghosts him after one kiss. It’s the fact that he keeps having his life saved by a stranger who seems to know about each accident before it happens.
A very good read with good characters. I liked the story. 4*.

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Thankyou to NetGalley, NineStar Press and the author, A E Ross, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of To The Flame in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Unfortunately, I had trouble getting into the storyline. It didn't hold any surprises and the characters were hard to connect with.
Sorry but not a book for me.

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I enjoyed this book . That’s it finished just as it seems to be starting to get going . I hope that this means there will be a sequel otherwise I felt a little bit let down . If there is a sequel then I will certainly be in line for it .

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I tried my best to finish this book but after I read half of the book I dnf it. I think I wasn't in the mood for this story because I finished a really good book and my expectations were high. Apparently too high for this little story.

I liked the writing, it was easy to read but the story was vapid, especially that if you read the blurb you find out who is the secret saviour.

I received a free eArc in exchange for an honest review.

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This was way to short for me. There was a lot i wanted to like because monster romances are my thing but the non linear story telling just did not work for how short this book was. Which is a shame because moth person romance could have been so dang good

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Short and sweet. I didn’t know what I expected with the whole moth thing but I was picturing an actual moth which made some parts of the book extremely convincing. Then I googled mothman and felt a little less creeped out.
I enjoyed the diversity and the characters. A fun read that got me out of a slump.

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This little novella does a fantastic job of answering the question from the blurb: "What is a reasonable response to falling in love when the world itself is without reason?"

I would call this more of a fable/morality story -- although there's probably a more precise term I should be using! -- and that makes this a very different type of romance. I almost wouldn't even call it a "romance" even though it very much has one. The story doesn't even exist without the romance, but that really just serves as the kicking off point for the real story, which is about that moment in time when you get slapped in the face by the scariest reality of our fragile human existence: our inevitable mortality.

The MCs are freshmen in college, and the author does a wonderful job walking that fine line between making them intelligent, mature and likable while still feeling like flawed, completely realistic teenagers.

The lesson learned is well-crafted, subtle AND enjoyable, which is impressive for something that's tackling a pretty damn serious subject matter underneath all the entertaining layers. And most importantly, it achieves all of that while dripping in casual queerness. Lovely.

I am not a huge fan of novellas in general, and probably wouldn't have picked this one up if I had realized how short it is, but I'm glad I did. It's the perfect amount of thought-provoking -- it just happens to be about a topic I have already come to terms with in my middle age :) 

In that regard, I think this would work best for the NA audience. And that is not at all a criticism. It's just what had me reading this more as an objective observer instead of getting completely sucked into it. Which is why ultimately it's a three-star read for me personally, even though I think it's a 4-star entry in queer literature.

I could easily identify the few areas that would need to be developed further to turn this into a full-length novel, and I think that would be brilliant. But it's still fantastic for what it is.

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I had to DNF this book. The writing was good but I felt like I couldn’t get into the story. It felt a bit rushed also.

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While the premise had potential, I feel like this fell short of that potential. The writing was okay, though a bit more YA than I was expecting, to be honest. I couldn't really connect with the characters at all, though. Not just because of the length of the book, but just the characters themselves. I also spent a lot of time confused about various things and it just really leached any enjoyment I might get out of the reading and made it drag on.

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A dual pov queer contemporary fantasy novella where someone is sending Emerson messages via the college radio just in time to keep saving his life and it might be the college neighbour who ghosted him after they kissed. I loved both characters in this so much, Emerson was feeling so lost, Morrie was conflicted and quirky. I loved the way he needed music and his love of lamps! They were spiky at each other but adorable and I loved how the relationship unfolded through all the obstacles in their way. The setting was vivid and perfect. I don’t have anything bad to say. A brilliant quick read about two teens at college falling in love while dealing with supernatural complications.

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I found this story quite confusing. It became apparent that this was a gay love story but the love scenes were a bit too explanatory for me!. Emerson is saved lots of times and finds out who it is eventually,all will be revealed!!. Morrie has psychic abilities and turns into the moth person. The ending left lots of questions so maybe there'll be more to come!

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