Reviewed by Alma Boucher for Readers' Favorite

Reawakened Flames by Lindsay McCafferty is about Aria, whose perfect life fell apart the day her mother died. She started experiencing panic attacks and feared she would also die from a mysterious illness; her everyday life became difficult, and she developed anxiety and depression. Landa is a phoenix and the daughter of Landaro, the leader of the phoenixes. Landa lit her feathers two years prior, and everything went wrong; she fell into the lake, and her father rescued her. After this incident, Landa loses faith in herself and struggles to set herself on fire. Phoenixes acted as negotiators between the human kingdoms, and when Landa overheard King Rodrick’s plans to capture King Garne’s kingdom, he went to warn him. To save the kingdom, Aria and Landa must work together and overcome the obstacles they face.

Reawakened Flames has a unique plot that amazed me, being action-packed throughout; I could not turn the pages fast enough to find out what would happen. Lindsay McCafferty handled the sensitive topic of mental illness with great care. Readers learn that panic attacks and depression are more common than we realize. There is no shame in admitting that you are suffering from it and seeking help. The characters were excellently developed, and the story follows Aria, the human, and Lana, the phoenix, in alternate chapters. Reawakened Flames was beautifully written, with each subplot nicely concluded. It was a unique and engrossing read.