Temper the Flame by Jade Church: Review and Exclusive Q&A
Thank you Jade Church for sending me a copy of Temper the Flame to review! To anyone considering purchasing this book, I highly recommend trying to get your hands on the special hardcover! It's absolutely beautiful!
This book reminded me of Fallen and A Touch of Darkness with angels and Greek mythology references! I thought this was clever and made for an interesting plot! There were a lot of “edge of your seat” moments and lovely interactions between friends! I did however think that some of the story happened way too quickly and I craved a little more detail! That said, for a short book, a lot happened and we got a nice mix of seeing the characters in relax mode as well as action mode! The tone was also great. It was pretty sarcastic and to me, very British, although I can't explain why ahaha.
The characters were very likable and I particularly loved Freddy! He was so sarcastic and I could relate to his outlook on life! There’s something about “I don’t love anyone” female characters that annoy me and Ivy was a little like this at times….but she was very headstrong and tough which made her likable! I enjoyed that I didn't know who to trust or where my loyalties lay whilst reading, creating a subtle intensity!
The diversity in the book was lovely with same-sex relationships and angels of all ethnicities 💜 the spice level of the book was good 😍 I'd compare the smut-level to The Bridge Kingdom - it's there but it's not the only important plot of the book! Dev sounds absolutely dreamy!
I did enjoy this read but the ending disappointed me a tiny bit as I felt like not much came of the big plot twist! I feel like this book needs a sequel to be fully appreciated! I gave this book 3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ This was a fantastic debut novel and I cannot wait to continue following Jade's journey as an author!
Photo from @jadechurchauthor Instagram page!
Part of what I love about collaborating with authors is digging a little deeper into their inspirations behind their work and watching debut authors grow into successful household names. If you enjoyed Temper the Flame, or you're planning on reading it soon, you'll love this exclusive Q&A with the author- Jade Church!
Let's start with the BEAUTIFUL cover and foiling on the hardcover book! Did you have any input in designing this and would you like to tell us what inspired the cover?
I absolutely adore the cover that Fran (@coverdungeonrabbit) created for Temper! I told her the main themes of the book and that I wanted fire and wings and thorns and boy, did she deliver. When it came to the hardback foiling design I actually had my Dad create the design for this as it’s his area of expertise. My inspo for the foiling was the Shadowhunter rune edition books!
There's a very steamy romance between the main characters and Devlin is described as the perfect man. Is his character based on anyone in real life or inspired by other book characters?
Devlin is wholly his own person, but I did try and embody some of the things I admire and love about my own partner into his character. Things like his patience and caring nature but also his ability to call out Ivy on BS. More than anything I wanted their relationship to be equal and full of trust and love.
I often long for more fantasy books set in the UK and this book fulfilled my want. What made you choose the UK for the setting of Temper the Flame?
To be honest, I never even considered setting Temper anywhere else! I wanted some of Ivy’s struggles to be relatable and in my first draft there was initially more detail into her life as an ordinary human working in retail and wishing for something more.
In my opinion, the book ended quite quickly, however no sequel has been mentioned. Is this something that might be on the cards?
The ending was definitely a whirlwind and looking back I might have done things a little differently in places – but I’m so happy to learn and grow as I continue to write. At the moment, Temper the Flame is intended as a standalone but I might return to Ivy’s world one day!
Are you currently working on anything else? Can we have any sneak peaks?
Yes! If you’ve been following me on social media I often post snippets of my works in progress, but recently my time has been devoted to one specific manuscript that I’m hoping to have completed by December. It’s a sapphic, high fantasy enemies-to-lovers romance. I would describe it as sapphic From Blood and Ash meets Stardust (the movie) and I’ll include a little quote below!
'“Impressive,” Saiph said as she effortlessly caught the blade in mid-air with one hand. “You would have hit my heart.”
“I knew you would catch it.”
Saiph prowled slowly forward and heard Auren’s breath stutter before resuming its slow, even pace.'
Thank you Jade for taking the time to answer my questions and from your little snippet - I will certainly be picking up your new novel!
