Book Review: Bright Burns the Flame

Title: Bright Burns the Flame
Author: Angelina J. Steffort
Series: Bright Burns the Flame #1
Pages: 544
Publication Date: February 28, 2026
Publisher: Paper Ray Media
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Fantasy / Romantasy
Synopsis:

Welcome to the dark and secretive world of Ashthorn Ward, the kingdom’s most brutal military academy—where weapons aren’t forged of steel, but of people.

Nineteen-year-old Lory has spent her life surviving Dunai’s alleys with blades, wits, and an iron will. Now, caught and conscripted, she must endure Ashthorn, where rivals are lethal, failure is fatal, and obedience comes at the cost of herself.

But Lory is not like the others. When the Ward uncovers a dangerous secret in her blood, she’s offered an impossible survive their trials, and she’ll serve the crown as a weapon honed for war. Fail—and she won’t leave Ashthorn alive.

Overseeing her transformation is Captain Khayrivven Falcrest. Cold, ruthless, and utterly untouchable, he’s the last person she should trust—and the only one who seems to see the person beneath the monster the Ward wants her to become.

As war rises beyond the border and rebellion festers in the shadows, Lory must navigate Ashthorn’s deadly games—and her forbidden gift—before both claim her.

Enemies. Rivals. Lovers.
At Ashthorn Ward, trust is a weapon, love is a liability, and the only way out is through blood.

LINKS: Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon | Bookshop.org

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Bright Burns the Flame is an entertaining and suspenseful dark academia romantasy with great world-building and tons of heart-stopping moments. The story follows Lory, who is dragged from life on the streets into Ashthorn Ward, an exclusive and brutal military academy that turns people into weapons. Overseeing her is a ruthless, suspicious, and gorgeous captain who could be her biggest enemy or her strongest ally.

Lory is a tough and resilient FMC with a tragic past. Alone, she lives on the streets and steals to stay alive. I don’t think she has ever had a break or a spot of good luck in her life, and with the trials she goes through in this story, it doesn’t look like any are coming her way anytime soon. But Lory is a survivor, and she never gives up. Luckily, she makes friends who become more like family.

I always love found families in stories, and Lory’s group of friends is fantastic. They fill a hole that’s been missing in her life, and the loyalty and support they show are so wonderful, especially considering their brutal, cutthroat, and deadly surroundings. It reminded me a bit of the school in Fourth Wing (minus the dragons) in its cruel brutality and senseless lethality.

I still don’t know how I feel about the MMC, but I think this has more to do with the fact that I hated his pet name for Lory. Lol Khayrivven’s story is compelling, and I want to be all in, but I don’t know if she should completely trust him. He has a lot of secrets and a hidden agenda, and he sometimes does things that hurt Lory because he’s told to. Even when he doesn’t want to, he always follows commands, but he doesn’t really have a choice. He also finds small, secretive ways to help, not just Lory but others. He’s definitely complex, emotionally and physically stoic, and enigmatic, and it’s hard for Lory to really discern his true intentions, but behind that steely exterior is a man who has suffered as much, if not more than, her.

The romance between Khay and Lory has a ton of chemistry and sexual tension, and it has a slow build that worked really well. It definitely has some enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance feels to it that I loved. I’m really curious to see how their relationship develops as the series progresses because they have so many obstacles standing in their way!

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. It’s dark and brutal, suspenseful and violent, with mysterious prophecies, characters you can’t help but root for, and a love story that’s tumultuous and spicy. I did feel that some of the plot elements, magic, and tropes were ones that are very commonly seen in romantasies. This made parts of the story a bit predictable and reminded me of different scenes from Fourth Wing, The Hunger Games, and a few others, but I still ended up thinking it was a pretty entertaining read. Special thanks to Paper Ray Media for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.