Sierra Simone

I’m an outcast and a loner, named for death itself. Fate wasn’t supposed to have plans for me. But then she came back—the girl I once kissed in a thorn-covered chapel in the woods. She came back, and I could no more resist her than I could pry out my own heart. And by some trick of fate, she wants me as much as I want her. The only problem? She also wants the man who owns Thornchapel, Auden Guest. And so do I. Eight years ago, I did something to Auden, something terrible. He hurt me back the only way he knew how, and so here we are: our hatred seasoned with pain and my loneliness seasoned with longing. The only thing we can agree on is Proserpina Markham, and she wants us to find a way to be together—all three of us. If Auden wants to earn her as his submissive, then he has to earn me as well. But with the discovery of bones behind the altar and the carnal revel of Beltane fast approaching, it’s becoming clear that Thornchapel’s secrets are much deeper and older than any of us could have ever guessed. And no matter how bright and merry a feast of sparks may be, it’s always followed by ashes. And darkness.

Feast of Sparks

arwen

Solid continuation of the series. I liked seeing the mystery continue. I was a little apprehensive about the teenage Auden and Saint flashbacks cause I just really don’t prefer to read that age group but they didn’t overtake the present time and stayed intriguing (you know the big question of what broke up their budding relationship and friendship??). 

Not a fan of the cliffhanger, I think that could’ve been handled in a more developed way. It feels like a jump the shark moment when the whole previously slow boil tension is what I have been loving about this series and that’s a random plot twist. Regardless I’ll read what’s next. 

Abigail

Solid continuation of the series. I liked seeing the mystery continue. I was a little apprehensive about the teenage Auden and Saint flashbacks cause I just really don’t prefer to read that age group but they didn’t overtake the present time and stayed intriguing (you know the big question of what broke up their budding relationship and friendship??). 

Not a fan of the cliffhanger, I think that could’ve been handled in a more developed way. It feels like a jump the shark moment when the whole previously slow boil tension is what I have been loving about this series and that’s a random plot twist. Regardless I’ll read what’s next. 

Lover of Romance 

Feast of Sparks is the second book in the "Thornchapel" series. I was excited to return back to this series. Feast of Sparks begins after the first book finished off, which had a bit of a cliffhanger. I really enjoyed the way that they began the story, and we get to see so much more depths to the relationships that are involved here. I enjoyed the intricate layers to this story and how it just built on the depth of character building that was slowly built from the first book. I am really enjoyed this menage, the BDSM content, the gothic-like mystery, and the darker edges to this contemporary. I have really enjoyed the way that Sierra Simone is writing these books and I have a feeling we are only going to get on some deeper levels of the friendships involved here and more mysteries resolved at Thornchapel. I also enjoyed the way that this menage relationship is being built. I am so drawn to all characters here and even though it has some flashbacks, it is kinda needed in some way to really add more depth to the building of the characters and their relationship with each other. I had a challenging time putting this one down and I think many readers will be easily engaged by this one and swept up in this dark magnetic romance that just is built in such complexities that will draw you in further. UTTERLY CAPTIVATING!

jupiter

** spoiler alert **
           you think you’re fine. you’re fine. but you’re not fine.

sits silently in thought. when u bitches kept saying shit about incest did it occur to y’all to ELABORATE.

we vibing till the end when we find out two ppl in the group r half siblings. 

like i was having a ball w how messy they r. this is not what i wanted. like idk if i want to continue but at the same time i feel like i need answers cos wtf??? (i mean i’ve read tmi so on some level i could get thru this but do i want to ??) 

ahah plot twist am i right 🤷‍♀️

samantha youngclaus

we just had to add an incest subplot into an already wild book didn’t we

Logan Chisholm

4.5 ★

I started this book when I was in a slump, so it took me a while to finally finish it, but I finally did this weekend! The mystery, rituals, kink, and secrets I loved in book 1 were all present (and multiplied) here. I was a little lost at times as they got deep into the rituals and history and terminology, but overall I still really enjoyed it! 

As the shock of what was discovered buried deep beneath the Thornchapel starts the settle, the six friends continue to grow closer. They continue their research into Thornchapel’s history and its long standing rituals. Proserpina, Auden, and Saint attempt to put the past behind them and see if the relationship they all long for has any chance of surviving. This book is mostly in Saint’s pov, but again has some chapters from the other characters throughout (in third person). It was clear in book 1 that Auden and Saint had some conflicts in the past to work through, and a lot of that was uncovered here. Saint has spent so many years hating himself for his past with Auden and what happened all those years ago, and it honestly made my heart hurt to read his povs and how he viewed himself as an outcast and on the edge of friendships (relatable). 

Auden sets out to be worthy of both Saint and Proserpina, and I loved the evolution of their relationship. But I had a feeling I shouldn’t get too comfortable, bc this is only book 2 of 4… and I was right. 🙃 As more secrets continued to unfold and the six learned more about their parents’ history with Thornchapel, I had a hunch about how this would end. I’m nervous for book 3, but super excited for this story continue, especially from Rebecca and Delphine’s pov!

Laura

“And seeing Auden was like touching one’s tongue to a battery—pleasantly unpleasant. A shock one couldn’t help but repeat over and over again, as if expecting each time to be different.”
#1: A Lesson in Thorns ★★★★★
#2: Feast of Sparks ★★★★★

I actually liked this book more than I did the first one, but that is probably because I love Saint the best out of all the other characters, and his relationship with Auden is the one that I find most interesting. That said, I would have really liked the six of them to actually take the time to just talk about their feelings.
To be honest, while I see that other reviews are shocked and/or disappointed by the discovery on the last chapter, I must admit that I thought (view spoiler)[Auden and Saint might be brothers back in A Lesson in Thorns because Saint's mother seemed to be the odd one out in the parent gang. And the flashbacks in this book pretty much confirmed it, both because of the emphasis Auden made on how he was not a bastard (as if paving the way for someone who actually was to be revealed), and because of the way Auden's father acted when he met Saint and how Saint's mother was so worried about him being involved with Auden. That said, the doubt I had was whether Auden had or hadn't known from the beginning and, well, that was cleared up in that last chapter. To be honest, this didn't ruin the story for me, because they didn't know and I really want to see what happens now that they do know. (hide spoiler)] 
I don't know, perhaps I have read too many Cassandra Claire books.

Katie

A tentative 3.5 until I sort out my feelings.

Heather

2.5 stars 

Honestly I was so bored. I found myself skipping entire pages of uninteresting monologue about what each protagonist should or shouldn’t do/feel. All the mythical / pagan history wasn’t engaging. And I could see the ending coming from 3 miles away. 

Expect if it receive extremely good reviews, I will not be continuing with the third installment.

Cat Nunez 

That ending though!! I’m so glad I read the book now so I don’t have to wait to know what happens next but I just want to dive in and read more about those big news at the end.

In this book through flashbacks we know more about the relationship between Auden and Saint before and why they started hating each other, and my heart:( I really loved those scenes between them, even though it didn’t end well.

In the present we see more of Rebecca and Delphine together and I can’t wait to read more of them, as well as Poe, Saint and Auden’s relationship, especially now after that cliffhanger!! 

This book is kinkier than the first one but I loved all of it and I’m dying to know what happens next with everyone.

 “Can I be in love with all five of the people here at Thornchapel and not be yanked apart by the inevitable gravity of it all?”

Jess Ostrander

I am so attached to these characters and to Thornchapel! I have all the feels. And Sierra, why did you do that to me and my baby Saint?? I need book three yesterday!

Ashlee

OMG OMG OMG💥 I KNEW IT.

There were subtle hints dropped and I had a feeling the story might go this direction but damn, what a bombshell! 🙈 Sierra has done it again.

This book will mess you up, it absolutely messed me up. My favorite part was getting to learn Auden and Saint's backstory from when they're teens and discovering why they had their falling apart so many years before. We also see a softer side to Auden and see some of his walls break down in his quest to finally have and keep Saint and Poe at his side.

This sequel is just as haunting and atmospheric and beautifully written as A Lesson in Thorns. It’s truly magical. If you're shocked at the ending and wanting to scream a little ... trust me, you aren't the only one reeling over that revelation. But stick with it, I think you'll like how the series ends.

Jessica 

(1.5 stars) "It just feels right, like when all of us are together, some essential connection is made that can't be made when we're apart."

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review can be found here at Booked J. 


  Thornchapel Series:

A Lesson in Thorns: ★★★★★
Feast of Sparks: ★★☆☆☆ (1.5) 
Harvest of Sighs: TBD
Door of Bruises: TBD

Sigh. This is not a fun review to write, because I so looked forward to this novel. We all know how much I love Sierra Simone (one of the queen's of the genre) and how I totally adored A Lesson in Thorns, the start of the Thornchapel series. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of its sequel. In fact, I'd say that, at most, I tolerated Feast of Sparks instead of having enjoyed it. It felt sloppy and the way it unraveled was a little incoherent and nonsensical. 

Feast of Sparks picks up fairly quickly after the events of A Lesson of Thorns, which is fantastic because that cliffhanger was massive and I *needed* to see where the story would go next. Nothing says unexpected like lost virginity in the Thornchapel, rituals and, you know, finding the body of your long missing mother the next morning. 

Let's just say that Sierra Simone knows how to keep her readers dangling over the edge of their own anticipation. All eyes were on her prose for the continuation. It's obvious why. With the first novel, we had such a gorgeous and unique setting and premise. And, true, A Lesson in Thorns was so rich with angst, sex, and mystery. It intrigued from the start. It was, in short, one of the best starts to a series I'd seen all year. 

However, one of the things that made Feast of Sparks feel a lot less developed was the lack of exploration following the grief Poe might be suffering. All of it felt rather blink-and-you'll-miss it, which is unusual for Sierra Simone. All the intrigue and mystery and emotionally charged nods of the first installment was gone; in its place was something more hollow and dull. I felt like there was a huge question mark over the general story arches in Feast of Sparks and it was so, so disappointing. 

While the sex was brilliantly charged with magnetic energy and a whole lot of changing partners, there were a lot of issues I had with how it wove itself through the novel. I think that Melanie said it best with her review: it was a mess. I actually agree with every issue she raised in question of the novel, so definitely read her review for a more in depth look at why so many parts of this novel were packed with problems. 

I am with her on many of her central points--the unprotected sex, back to back, is a massive no-go from me. That's not a great thing to portray in anything. Ever. I also agree with her about the lack of communication re: BDSM and whatnot during specific scenes for Saint and Auden. (Auden is textbook abuser being masqueraded as a ~dom~ and that's another can of worms that I am just not up to opening today.) 

The fact that we have a group of bi characters is WONDERFUL, but it's curious that we have yet to see more exploration of the women together. Thus far, we've mostly seen the F/M, M/M and hints of the core group of six, sexual scenes in detail. In and of itself, that's a problem. 

Not to mention the little flashbacks between two sixteen year olds, that has no real business being written in the way it was due to the fact that there were kids. Look, I am all for normalizing sexuality. It's perfectly normal. But in this context, an erotic novel written explicitly for ADULTS, it is not a good look. Oh, and the age old Cassandra Clare "is it Incest?" trope, which is always a no. It cheapens the novel even more.. 

Only one good thing will come from that: it will probably be a cop out. Hopefully. However, it is totally unnecessary and gross. It left a bad taste in my mouth but, frankly, so did a lot of things in this novel. I had high hopes for it, but perhaps that is my own fault and not Simone's. She set out to tell a story and I don't fault her for that. 

At the end of the day, I will likely not continue on with the series--unless the issues of Feast of Sparks are cleaned up and pushed back on track. This book just wasn't for me and felt like it'd been written by another author entirely.

Rowan Jones

I'm leaving the 4 rating and pretending the last chapter didn't happen :) it better not be real. :))))))))))

Edit: dug for spoilers and end is real. Reduced to 3stars

Feast of Sparks

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