an explosive finale worthy of the forces in its name

So honored Aurealis chose to review Lightning and Flames!  I'm glad they caught on to Alea and Arman's somewhat dysfunctional relationship--it's something a lot of people miss when they expect a romance.

The second book in V S Holmes’ Blood of Titans: Reforged series begins slow, but
burns towards an explosive finale worthy of the forces in its name.
More introspective and character-driven than its predecessor, Lightning and
Flames picks up the protagonists broken by events of the first book and charts how
they reforge themselves through training, politics and magically-augmented physical
changes.

This is where the novel shines brightest—Arman and Alea’s struggle to make
sense of their powers and their feelings for each other is tumultuous, and royal scion
Brentimir’s battle between his duty and his sense of self is engaging, if a little focused
on world-building for the sequels...As a set piece, Holmes’ prose perfectly illustrates the incredible, world-shaking horror unleashed when Alea and Arman’s magic clashes with that of the gods...read more