Two teenagers on opposing sides of a war try to stop the conflict in this energetic and absorbing YA fantasy.
The land of Pyrlanum has been "torn apart by constant war" between its noble houses "for an entire decade." Darling Seabreak, who was adopted by the leader of House Kraken after soldiers from House Dragon killed her family, is the last-surviving member of House Sphinx and gifted with magically accelerated healing. Though she is a soldier with the Barbs, the Krakens' elite assassins, she is tired of this "endless" war. Her plan is to rescue her adopted Kraken father from House Dragon then "lay down my arms once and for all." Darling's mission places her on a collision course with Talon Goldhoard, younger brother of the High Prince Regent of House Dragon and commander of the Dragons' army. Talon immediately recognizes Darling as the girl that his brother, who is secretly prophetic, has spent years obsessively painting. He captures Darling and brings her to the Dragon's court, where the two become unlikely allies in the High Prince's web of political machinations and mysterious prognostications.
Tessa Gratton (Moon Dark Smile) and Justina Ireland (Rust in the Root) humanize House Kraken and House Dragon through the alternating viewpoints of "deep brown skin[ned]" Darling, and green-eyed, "tan" skinned Talon. The result is a riveting conflict lacking clear-cut heroes or villains. Many of the elements of Chaos & Flame may be familiar to longtime fantasy readers, but an intriguing cast of characters and a diverse, queer normative fantasy realm make this novel stand out. --Alanna Felton, freelance reviewer