CW: attempted sexual assault, on-page sex

I was initially worried because I read some bad reviews for this book, mostly citing the lack of warnings for the above. But I've read so much worse and so much more graphic one. (Our spice preferences vary, obviously, so some might not even find the love scenes particularly spicy or enticing. I could've done without them, since I'm not big on spice.)

I love the protagonists, though! Isbet is such a badass FMC and Bram is a total sweetheart - really, just my kind of characters right there. The villains are really good too, and there are plenty others to like and admire. An adorable kid, a talking staff, lots of awesome females all around...

I enjoyed the world too. Weaving the other fairytales into the history and lore was a brilliant move, and there's so much variety in terms of magic and character types. I can't wait for the sequel and I was hoping the epilogue would've hinted at that, which was a bit of a waste but hey, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. 😉

RECOMMENDED LISTENING: "Protectors of the Earth" by Two Steps From Hell

A debut fantasy set around a stolen tinderbox belonging to Isbet. Told from alternating perspectives between Isbet and Prince Bram, it follows the quest for vengeance against the mortal who stole the tinderbox and killed Isbet’s grandmother. Featuring witches and underground worlds this book has great world building. If you like fantasy you will love this.

Today, is my spot on Random Things Tour blog tour of W.A. Simpson’s Tinderbox. This epic fantasy novel is published by FlameTree Press. I’m so glad I took part on this blog tour as I simply loved reading this thrilling and exciting fantasy novel. It was a magical story full of witches, far away places, spells, royalty and of course magic.
This epic fantasy novel told a story of a young witch on a mission to avenge the death of her grandmother. This takes her on an adventure to far away places which is filled with magic, war and love too. The young heroine falls in love with a prince and together they save the magical realm from an evil king and other evil powers that are lurking around.
I loved the happy ending in this epic fantasy, and the fact that good always wins over evil. I’m quite new to reading novels in this genre, normally I read thrillers, romance novels and psychological thrillers, but the fantasy novels I’ve read so far, Tinderbox especially have all been fantastic reads. Once I started this epic fantasy I did not want to put it down and I read this novel in one sitting it was that good.
I loved discovering a new author for me whose writing style I really like and I cannot wait to read more by W.A Simpson in the future. I’m giving this novel 5 stars and I recommend it to all readers.

The excellent debut for a new fantasy series: great world building and characters, excellent storytelling.
I loved it since the first pages and it kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

TINDERBOX
by Wendy A Simpson

Genre: Epic Fantasy


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

—--

THOUGHTS:

First off, the book cover? *chef’s kiss* is very beautiful. And I have to admit that this was why I was drawn to this book. That is until I read the blurb: Murder you say? Missing box? Danger? An epic fantasy? Count me in please.

And I was not disappointed.

I love how the author was able to weave established fairy tales and superstitions in this book without it feeling forced and clunky. It goes well with our story and further enriches it.

I like Isbet, the witch, and especially her cranky ‘assistant’ that in some cases serves as a comic relief - to readers and to other characters.
And then we have Bram. I find him really interesting. A captured prince who had undergone a roller coaster of experience in this story. And I can’t help but admire his tenacity.

And the romance! It’s a bit of a slow burn but..

“Whatever for? I’m not some adventurer or princess in disguise. You may find my life mundane.”
“No,” Bram said, tugging on his earlobe. “I believe you have quite a few interesting tales.”

This is really worth the read. Really recommend it.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First up I want to give some cover love, it's absolutely stunning isn't it?!

This is W. A. Simpson's debut epic fantasy and I couldn't tear myself away from it. Simpson's inspiration comes from none other than Hans Christian Anderson.

The world building throughout is immense, the characters fantastic and the story flows from the pages with such speed and intensity that they were literally turning themselves.

Tinderbox is action packed, absolutely mesmerising and a highly enjoyable piece of escapism.

Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tinderbox is a debut epic fantasy novel from author W.A. Simpson courtesy of small press Flame Tree Publishing. It's the type of novel whose description would usually make me skip it - seriously the summary that shows up on its publishing page and on NetGalley, which kind of feels like word salad, with each sentence being an incomplete thought and it all feeling stilted and just odd to read. Still something about it's cover intrigued me a little bit, so I did wind up requesting it on NetGalley anyhow to see if its contents were better than what it's description suggested.

And the answer is - sort of: Tinderbox is a folk tale inspired (as in Grimm Fairy Tale type tales - such as the classic ) epic fantasy story with a pair of very enjoyable lead characters, who I did in fact grow to care for. It also is overly complicated, throwing together way too much in there to the point where it's original antagonist is out of focus for nearly all of the book and then winds up being far less threatening than he should be in the end, and does have a bit of that stilted dialogue and descriptiveness within its full pages. This is the type of novel that probably could've used a better editor to form a really good novel, as the core of that is definitely here, just muddled.

Trigger Warning: Attempted Rape


-------------------------------------------Plot Summary--------------------------------------------
Isbet has been years away from the town where she was raised by her grandmother, a powerful village witch. She returns to find her grandmother murdered, her body left on the ground where it was decapitated....and to find her grandmother's most precious possession, a magical tinderbox that provides the wielder with command of three deadly and powerful dogs, having been taken. Isbet resolves to obtain vengeance for her grandmother, and to get back the precious Tinderbox....but Isbet's own magic soon reveals that the murderer/thief she is looking for has used his power to become a powerful and well guarded King...on whom vengeance will not be so easy to get.

That same King has used the Tinderbox, and possibly other darker magics, to wage war upon the continent and to conquer several other nations....and to take the Princes of those nations as hostages for their good behavior. One of those Princes was Bram, who now has to serve as the "son" of the very man who took him from his home and killed his father, to Bram's immense disgust and self-loathing. But when a task for the King finds Bram caught in the powers of a Gifted magical enemy, Bram finds himself saved only by the intervention of Isbet...a woman he knows he shouldn't necessarily trust...and yet he cannot bring himself to stay away from her.

Together, Isbet and Bram will find themselves searching for the root of the dark magic behind the King's rise, dark magic stemming from the Fay and non-human parts of the lands, whose source seeks to rise up once more and consume all in its path. And only working together can they achieve not just Isbet's vengeance and Bram's freedom, but also the saving of the land from the encroaching darkness.....
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Tinderbox is at times a rough novel to read - the prose is sometimes overly wordy (and sometimes under-so) in the way you expect from a novel that is either self-published or published by a press small enough to provide little editing support. It's also overly stuffed - the story begins with a clear take on the Tinderbox folk/fairy tale, with it seemingly going to be a story about Isbet trying to get revenge and Bram trying to get his own freedom....but soon gets massively more complicated, adapting parts of a number of other fairy tales (Jack and the Beanstalk), and then morphing into an epic fantasy-esque tale of Fae/Dwarves and other fantasy beings fighting against a dark, indescribable force...such that the original vengeance/freedom plot line kind of gets lost. The power of its main protagonists also varies throughout, with Bram going from an absolutely useless fighter in the face of magical foes at one point to him being the absolute force in the face of the Dark with pretty much no justification for the shifts whatsoever (Similarly, the countries being threatened by the Evil King have seemingly so much magical power it's hard to see them actually being threatened). In a lot of ways essentially, this novel is a mess.

And yet, I actually enjoyed Tinderbox overall, mainly because its protagonists were highly enjoyable. Isbet is a powerful witch who seeks revenge, but is not just good-hearted but also understanding of her own limitations, while also not being some perfect heroine. She struggles as new things come up and demand her attention, as she finds Bram and others who can possibly help her in her quest...but whose activities may cause her to go out of her way - especially when their combined activities get them involved in a world-spanning quest to save the world. And her dialogue with her sentient staff Gaemyr is often very amusing, with Gaemyr's witty exasportated comments and reactions to both her and Bram. Meanwhile, Bram struggles with his feelings of anxiety towards being a hostage "son" of the King who conquered his nation, his desire to go back to his nation but fear that doing so will jeopardize those he cares for; he also tries to do his best for the boy who is taken as a similar hostage by the evil King, all the while fearing he is only doing more harm. And as he gets caught up in greater magical threats, ones beyond his understanding, he worries more and more...even as he tries to take steps to ensure the right thing is done and evil is beaten back. And well his relationship with Isbet is really done well, culminating in the inevitable sex scene, which is pretty solidly done.


Again, this book is very messy and sometimes the prose is a struggle to read, but its main characters are really well done, so I didn't really mind even if so many of the side characters (the various queens/sorceresses from other factions in particular) kind of blurred together. So if you're okay taking a chance on a rougher non-big-publishing fantasy work, you might enjoy this one.

I DNF this book. I apologize as I'm in a bit of a reading slump and the release date for this snuck up on me.

For this reason I only made it about 10% in. It was intriguing and I will finish it and update my review on Goodreads and Amazon at that time.

For the first 10% I will rate it 4/5.

Thank you to NetGalley and FlameTree for this eARC. My reviews when posted will be my own, freely given.

Thank you NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about Isbet who finds her Grandmother dead. She vows to get revenge on the people who did this to her by getting close to them and then taking whatever they deem close. Isbet is a diviner and along the way she meets people who will later become her friends and help her.

This book was okay. At times I felt that the events were very detached and I didn’t really understand what was happening most of the time. I also felt that the plot was too slow-moving for me so at times it was quite dull. However, the writing style was very good. I am usually a massive fan of books like this, but I felt that it wasn’t for me and it wasn’t that unique. But, I did love the character development of Isbet.

Thank you NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for the ARC book!

Actual rating 3.5 ⭐!

One thing for sure that I like from this book is how the author create the world. The author give us not just a glimpse but a full view about this world. The author always explain in detail but not in a roundbout style.

The conflict itself also good, I like how the mystery build up throughout the story. And I like the battle that happen in this book, well it's quite a lot actually.

But, the POV is confusing me. At first I can see clearly who is talking but later on I can't really get it. The turn over is blurry. And I also confuse with the romance, it looks like almost forced to. I can't see the chemistry between the main character as a lover, I know there's a tension but I still didn't feel their love or anything.

4 Stars!

Over the years, I have moved away from fantasy fiction to some extent. I still enjoy a good fantasy novel but I just got burned out on the genre that I felt got too cluttered with a few very good writers and a legion of those looking to copy those masters of the genre. I am always searching for a good read regardless of genre, so when I saw Tinderbox by W.A. Simpson, the stunning cover and the fact that it was published by Flame Tree Press was enough to pique my interest.



Isbet returned home to find her grandmother murdered. Even worse, the Tinderbox was stolen by the murderer who is now using its power to rule the kingdom that he forcefully took from Prince Bram. Now Bram and Isbet are thrown together with a common goal even though they have different motives. Isbet yearns for revenge and to reclaim the Tinderbox while Bram seeks to free his people and reclaim the kingdom. It will not be easy, but they can accomplish their goals together if they can put aside their differences.



Nothing is ever as easy as it seems, though, and this is no simply theft. Isbet and Bram are summoned to an underground kingdom and learn of an ancient evil source of magic that has returned to the land once again. Bram and Isbet must work together to stop this new threat before it destroys the world as they know it. Along the way, the two may just find a way to reconcile their differences and unite the land once again, and maybe even find more for themselves than they bargained for. It is magic and adventure to save the Riven Isles before the magic can tear it asunder.



Tinderbox has an amazing premise and Simpson pulls it off for the most part. There is a lot going on in this book and it is easy to get a little overwhelmed at times. Simpson has created a vibrant world filled with characters that shine. Bram and Isbet are great leading characters that the reader comes to sympathize with over the course of the novel, and the complementary characters shine as well. The magic of the world is multi-faceted which makes it interesting. It seems as if there is nothing that is clear cut in this world which makes it feel real. In fact, there are so many levels to the world in this novel that it is almost too much to be squeezed into one novel (although I see there is a planned sequel, so there is room for growth). The characters and the world itself are the starts of Tinderbox and give the reader a vibrant backdrop for the tale of intrigue and magic that Simpson weaves.



Tinderbox is a very strong work of epic fantasy and left me wanting more of this world. It is not a perfect novel, the pacing was a little off at times and the switching perspectives forced me to work a little more than necessary to keep up, but it is a compelling story in a lush world filled with vibrant characters. The characters are grounded in the midst of the fantastic so that they feel real and I could almost feel myself sinking into the world of the story. There is a mix of light and dark that keeps the tale balanced with characters whose motives shift as the story evolves. I do not know what Simpson has in store for the future, but Tinderbox stands strong as a solo work that will only get better with future tales of adventure and magic. This book is highly recommended for fans of the genre.



I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Tinderbox is scheduled to be released on August 16, 2022.

dnfed- I just couldn't bring myself to like this book even though the premise sucked me in. The characters were particularly lovely and the plot was definitely something I was looking forward to. I don't know if it was the week of staying in bed recovering from a cold or if it was anything in the book. I deeply regret dnf-ing this but at the moment, I'm afraid I cannot bring myself to pick it up (however, I definitely will try this one again)

Tinderbox
by W.A. Simpson
Fantasy
NetGalley ARC

Isbet, a young witch, returns home to find her grandmother murdered and the Tinderbox, a magical box hidden within a tree because of its power, stolen. Isbeth vows to make that person pay. That person is a man who used the Tinderbox's power to conquer and become King, and he only wants more, attacking and taking control of more Kingdoms.

Bram's kingdom was one of those that fell, and in order to protect his kin from death, Bram now acts as the King's son. But when Isbet and Bram meet, while their goals at first were different, they begin to merge, because in using the power inside the Tinderbox, the king released an evil force that will consume the world.

Sounds like an interesting premise, and it started off really interesting. I felt for Isbet when she found her grandmother, but sadly the writing fell short. Not many deep descriptions, more like a brushing over, and that is the same with the characters and their descriptions, they were described a couple of times but none of them didn't seem to have many emotions or actions. Not many crooking of eyebrows, or other habits that would make them real, mostly just the same actions repeated. And of course, there just had to be a sex scene that was more detailed than anything else in the book, which made me think this was the only reason the book was written, so it's not appropriate for readers under 18.

If more thought and love were given to all of the details and descriptions it would have taken this book to the next level and even possibly beyond.

2 Stars

Tinderbox by W A Simpson is the epic fantasy for you if you enjoy reading about conflicted witches, captured Princes, underground realms and a villain corrupted by magic.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased review.
Prince Bram and the witch Isbet tell the story from alternating points of view characters, and they are both engaging, full of conflicting duties and loyal to the people they love. It was a nice change to have straightforward, interesting characters with plenty of depth to them without them being horrible.
The world-building and the magical system are descriptive and intricate- I loved the idea of a magical vine with branches in all the kingdoms and an underground realm. There are some interesting takes on some of our popular fairy tales that add depth to this fantasy.
The book focuses on the bonds between family both born and found, and the dilemma of dealing with conflicting loyalties but ultimately this is a tale of good vs evil.
My only negative ( and it is very minor), I did find it a bit annoying after a while that everyone seemed to find Prince Bram amazingly attractive.
I read this book at a time when life was a little stressful, and I’m glad I did as it left me smiling and would definitely read more books set in this world.
Perfect for Fans of
Epic fantasy
Content warning
Sexual assault, sexual coercion, child abduction.

Thank you to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for the ARC.

It's been a while since I read epic fantasy, so it was an adjustment to get back into the world building. I was really impressed with the setting and descriptions, and they didn't feel out of place.

Isbet is a really great character, and her development held up well throughout the story. I enjoyed the ambivalence around the other characters.

My biggest criticism would be on the pacing - it was often disjointed, which took away from the reading experience. I suppose that is a result of such an expansive plot, but I think it could have been snappier

Well, this was GOOD.


I enjoyed it. The pacing threw me off a bunch of times and sometimes the characters felt a bit... Shady?
Maybe it's just me but I felt that all of them were unreliable for some reason.

The pacing was honestly all over the place and I felt that certain events were unconnected. But anyway, that was the only thing I DIDN'T like, rest EVERYTHING was Amazing!!

The flow was great, the worldbuilding was super, everything was spot on!!! The pacing could be fixed and smoothened the transitions but that's about it.

Tinderbox has an interesting premise, with a strong female character, a world full of magic, a trip to the Underworld, and a kingdom to reclaim.

So why the 3 stars? Pacing and how that impacts character relationships with each other. Also, there was an unexpected SA scene that was not mentioned in any of the reviews or trigger warnings. The fact that the only visible LGBTQ character in the book was the one who committed it also left me uneasy.

This book's plot moves so quickly it gave me whiplash. One moment we're splashing about and having a fun time at a lake and the next, our main characters are being escorted to...a battlefield? Oh, yeah, we're going into a full on battle in the Underworld that gets resolved in five pages. And then we're off to the next quest! There's absolutely no breathing room in between these pages, and while I normally prefer fast-paced books, this one was a bit too much.

Because of the quick pacing, it affects our characters relationships with each other as well. They develop ridiculously fast, with no depth or development given to create a believable connection.

While I enjoyed the premise and Isbet (our FMC is a total badass!), this book had a few too many issues for me to give it a higher rating.

Tinderbox is a refreshing read and I really enjoyed reading it. In my opinion, it’s very well-paced and it’s filled with wonderful descriptions. I also like the characters and the plot itself. One thing that I also love is the title which makes the book unique. I believe that readers who enjoy fantasy and adventure will enjoy this book.

Isbet is fierce, powerful and the perfect 'girl boss' representation that young women need right now. The romance element does not overshadow her determination to get her prized possession back which is important BUT Isbet and Bram are just perfection together! I did swoon a tad. Highly recommend.

Isbet returns home to find the witch who raised her murdered and her prized possession, the Tinderbox stolen. She discovers a common man has used it to seize the throne. The same who conquered Prince Bram’s kingdom. Isbet’s goals are vengeance and reclaim the Box. I enjoyed the book and Isbet and Bram chemistry is amazing. I would recommend this book.