The Path of Flames by Phil Tucker

The Path of Flames was another book I listened to in audio format. It was one of those books where I did everything I could to find things to do while listening to the book. I’d place the audiobook as above average, it didn’t stand out as one of those books best consumed in audio but was overall done quite well and I had no issues with the narration.

In terms of the actual content, I’d have to say The Path of Flames was done exceptionally well. For my tastes, it was the perfect balance of action and character focus with some really good worldbuilding thrown in too. The first few chapters indicated that the story was going to be very action heavy and I was quite happy to find that wasn’t the case. I also think that Phil’s writing is very easy to binge and I could easily pick up the rest of the series and keep reading.

There a few different point of view characters and as a general rule, I really enjoyed each of the main characters. Kethe, the lady who wants to go against the grain and be a knight;  Asho, the ex-slave turned squire and then knight standing far above his designated station, and others like this. They each have their own inspirations and motivations, which are all really well portrayed throughout the story. I found the characters to be very realistic and really enjoyed reading about them.

The plot was also very well done and left me wanting to read more of the series. It doesn’t wrap up a lot of plot points; however, it did still work as its own story. Bits and pieces of information that seem to be important to the overarching series are strewn throughout the novel, and just make me all the more eager to continue.

On the worldbuilding level, there’s some very interesting magic which has stigmas and beliefs attached to it. The religion of the book is also very intriguing but I’m not fully sure how to describe it here. The world, magic, and religion aren’t fully explained yet, but I imagine there’s still a lot to come in future books. There’s also a point of view character, Tharric, who isn’t human — and through him, we see a very different cultural system and its thoughts and opinions on the humans.

Overall, the pacing was quite fast and the prose easy to read. This made the book very easy to binge, and I imagine I’d have finished it even quicker if I was reading a print version. I haven’t yet started the rest of the series, I can’t decide if I want it in audiobook, ebook, or perhaps I might splurge a bit and buy physical copies. The Path of Flames was one of those books that was perfect for me. Once I’m through my upcoming new releases and review requests I will undoubtedly be continuing this series.

Audience

This book is best for people who enjoy:

• Epic Fantasy
• Fast Paced books
• Multi POV
• Long Series
• Non human POVs
• Female POVs
• Lots of Action
• Deep Characters