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Starside: A Novel
Alex Aster
4.6
Of Flames and Fallacies: The Arterian Series, Book 1
by Courtney Whims
Categories
About this book
In the kingdom of Arteria, the mere possession of dragon contraband is a death sentence. Katerina Blackwind’s world shatters when she discovers a dragon egg hidden within her father’s grave, forcing her into a perilous race against time. To save the hatchling, Daeja, Katerina must smuggle the creature north to the fabled Dragon Lands, navigating a landscape fractured by civil war and lethal scrutiny.
Survival demands an impossible alliance. Katerina turns to her former flame, Cole Ashbourne, whose transformation from a boy into a powerful, conflicted military Captain complicates their shared past. As Cole struggles to balance his oath to the crown with his lingering devotion to Katerina, the atmosphere at their outpost grows increasingly volatile.
The arrival of the sinister and provocative Darian Raventhorn further destabilizes Katerina’s mission, turning her living quarters into a minefield of secrets and unspoken tension. With enemies closing in from both the military and the rebellion, Katerina must decide who to trust before her discovery destroys everything. Caught between a forbidden bond and the weight of a royal conspiracy, she discovers that the truth about dragons—and her own family—is far more dangerous than the executioner’s blade.
Available Formats
Paperback: $11.30 Audiobook: $0.00
What readers are saying
ShaynaReadsFantasyif how to train your dragon was a female lead romantasy
"In a land where dragons are illegal, it’s not ideal to wake up with one mysteriously in your room while your house is burning down with your disabled mom inside. Kat is really going through it here, and I love her attitude and tenacity to figure it out as life unfolds around her when she has no one to support her. Kat quickly figures out she’s tied to this baby dragon, and heads on a journey to save her dragon pet Daeja and make it to the dragon lands without being caught harboring information about dragons and being executed by order of the king. I absolutely love Daeja so much and she has strong toothless vibes. I love that her and Kat are really growing up together and figuring it out as they go. I was cackling at the banter between Kat and Daeja. Kat ends up on a mission to find her childhood love Cole, who’s a captain in the army and stationed in the north, close to the dragon lands. Cole is sweet and sincere and obviously cares a great deal for Kat. On the other hand there is the best swordsman in the army, Darian, who has a dirty mouth and doesn’t hold back with his ruthless flirting and bantering, trying to catch Kat’s attention, he surely caught mine. This love triangle vibe ends up getting really interesting but I wont say more. Kat needs a map to get her and daeja safely to the dragon lands and avoid being caught or hurt by rebel camps, so she ends up stuck at Coles army base for a while throughout the middle of the book, this dragged a bit for me and I wish we resolved this a bit sooner, but I do like the surprising choices that Kat made, and that the author took a risk and didnt just write another “perfect & innocent” romantasy fmc. Real women make mistakes and real life is raw and messy, this helps me relate and connect to characters on a deeper level. The ending was quite the unexpected reveal, and I am so intrigued to see where we go next, and hopefully MORE DRAGONS! ["
March 10, 2026 Verified Purchase
KendraDragons? War Camps? Tension?
"Picked this book up on a whim (no pun intended) and I was so surprised by how much I liked it! Dragons, brooding males, jealousy, telepathic communication with the cutest winged creature ever! Not to mention, the PLOT TWIST?! Okay, perfect. Give me more ["
March 9, 2026 Verified Purchase
Jenna FullerFavorite dragon romantasy
"Blood And Banes scratched every romantasy itch I had. The writing is so immersive. I very much felt a part of this story. Its like an adult fantasy romance version of Eragon but with a woman. I've been craving another dragon romantasy that isnt Fourth Wing and this hit the nail on the head for me. Book one was great, book two was amazing. Honestly, this book was far better than iron flame and onyx storm in my opinion. The writing is easily digestible. There's humor and wit, scorching spicey scenes, and epic fight scenes. The world building is so easy to comprehend. I liked the pacing. All the characters have depth. My favorite character being Archie!! I just LOVE their friendship so much ! Now.. onto Daeja. The companionship is simply lovely. The bond that they have is so sweet and protective. They really have the chance to strengthen and deepen that bond in this installment. They have the world on their shoulders but they are still practically babies so they must train and prove themselves capable. Nothing will separate them ! The romance!!! I loved Darian in book one, but I am OBSESSED with him in book two. And omg I have just been loving a good love triangle lately and its so well done in this book ! And the spice?? Oh its spicey. Its written so well. His mouth is so filthy and its honestly quite hot lol Not many things can get a physical reaction out of me. This story literally made me cry. The friendship. The found family. So well done. 5 stars. No notes! Dragons, an ancient prophecy, action-packed and a ton of yearning?? Yep, this was right up my alley. Big thanks to Courtney Whims and her crew for the ARC. Im forever grateful 🙏 As always these are my thoughts and opinions given freely ❤️💙 ["
September 17, 2025 Verified Purchase
Emily J-Hdragons & adventure!!!
"This was such a fun and easy read. The world building is easy and simple to understand. The characters are entertaining and relatively likable. And there are DRAGONS!!! I am super curious about the importance of the different colors of dragon eggs. There were several details like this that we were given enough info to understand they had some potential importance but were never given the rest of the picture to bring it all into perspective. I’m ready for more! If you are interested in starting reading fantasy/romantasy, this is a great place to start. The adventure had me hooked and I am excited to see what here the story goes in the next book. ["
June 25, 2025 Verified Purchase
