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Flames of Mira
Flames of Mira
Jul 11, 2025 11:22 AM

Author:Clay Harmon,Luke Francis

Flames of Mira

Brought to you by Penguin.

People like Ig are born from life-threatening trials that bind periodic elements to the human body, forged in the boiling volcanoes and subterranean passages under Mira's frozen lands. One of the most powerful known elementals, he is forced to work as an enforcer for Magnate Sorrelo Adriann - cursed with a flesh binding - magic that will kill him at the first sign of disobedience.

When Sorrelo is overthrown, Ig quickly learns he can do worse - far worse - than what has been asked from him so far. If he can't escape the flesh binding in time, Ig will have to kill friend and foe alike as his master seeks to reclaim the throne or sacrifice himself trying.

© Clay Harmon (P) Penguin Audio and Rebellion Publishing 2022

Reviews

Savagely funny... Enormously entertaining

—— Sunday Times

A satirical masterpiece...it will come to be regarded as a classic

—— Daily Telegraph

A stunningly accomplished work, possibly his best yet

—— Financial Times

McEwan has succeeded in producing a novel that is both profoundly serious and hilariously funny

—— Mail on Sunday

Vivacious and sprawling, a beautifully and compellingly written novel

—— The Times

Wonderfully enjoyable... He shows a side to himself as a writer - a puckishness, a broadness of humour, an extravagance of style - that we haven't seen before

—— Sam Leith , Spectator

From an early stage, McEwan's sumptuously textured language rested on a flair for finely engineered design

—— Independent

He's green and he should be read

—— Observer

[An] engagingly self-conscious debut . . . our attention is firmly held by the wry wit of Daphne's voice, as well as regular hints that she's something of an unreliable narrator . . . the book's success lies chiefly in its line by-line charm

—— DAILY MAIL

Weird, compelling and unique: I was completely absorbed by BERLIN, with its slippery, unsettling narrator, its vivid evocation of a city seen through the troubling lens of disorientation, and by the writing itself, which gleamed.

—— Francesca Reece, author of VOYEUR

Intimate, confessional . . . Rich and rewarding . . . readers will leave eager to hear more from Bea Setton.

—— CultureFly

Berlin made me laugh aloud, and then became strangely and compellingly dark. I loved it.

—— Louisa Reid, author of THE POET

I loved this novel with its complex, flawed and fascinating heroine. Bea Setton presents us with a vivid and youthful depiction of one of my favourite cities in the world. A wonderful achievement.

—— Nick Bradley, author of THE CAT AND THE CITY

In this dark and twisty debut, Setton crafts a clever thriller-cum-expat narrative for fans of Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation . . . Setton expertly portrays the wily, seductive nature of addictions and dysfunctions . . . Daphne's youthful despair and loneliness are horror stories in and of themselves-ones from which it is hard to look away, especially when coupled with the evocative German setting. . . Raw thriller meets darkly funny coming-of-age for an enjoyable, unsettling debut.

—— KIRKUS

A moving and rollicking tale of self-delusion...Setton proves herself a masterful and hilarious chronicler of contemporary life...Well-plotted while still capturing the meandering feeling of Daphne's unbound life, and with deliciously handled foreshadowing, Setton's sharp novel of stunted plans is compulsively readable and ultimately devastating. This isn't one to miss.

—— Publishers Weekly

Written in funny, punchy vignettes perfect for consumption between U-Bahn stops, and a few hours in the presence of Daphne Ferber pay generous spiritual dividends.

—— WASHINGTON POST

Bea Setton's luminous drama will keep you on your toes with razor-sharp wit

—— WOMAN'S OWN

Shines an unsparing light on the murky grey space of a woman's mid-twenties with a narrative voice that's sharp, wry, and unexpectedly tender

—— Isabel Kaplan, author of NOT SAFE FOR WORK

Bea Setton's narrator Daphne, full of quirky observations, incisive humour, and a winning vulnerability, is a delight to chase through Berlin. Although I couldn't always decide whether I wanted to scold her, shake her, or join her, I know I'll never forget her.

—— Beth Ann Fennelly, author of THE TILTED WORLD

It's uncomfortable, it's telling, it's interesting, it's thought-provoking, just everything . . . it really delivered

—— The Quick Book Review Podcast

Bea Setton's scathing portrait of expat life traps her protagonist in layers of self-deception . . . an astute accounting of a young woman's checkered struggle to change her life

—— Nell Zink, author of AVALON

Animated with sensual detail on every page and filled with lush, gripping storytelling that cuts to the bone, MATRIX resonates right into the present moment. I never thought I would find myself longing to be a medieval nun but Groff is a worker of wonders. This book is a ferocious joy

—— Madeline Miller

Lushly textured and uniquely vivid, Matrix settles itself on your mind like a dream or vision - it's absolutely stunning

—— Sophie Mackintosh

What a book. Perfectly done. I adored it

—— Max Porter

It's as brightly lit as an illuminated manuscript and would make the most perfect Christmas present imaginable

—— Naomi Alderman

Full of sharp sensory detail, it's balm and nourishment for brain, heart and soul

—— Guardian

Matrix takes the mysterious life of the late 12th-century poet - known today for her romantic lais - and runs with it . . . Groff explores themes of domination, death and desire in compelling (if at times, stomach-turning) detail

—— Financial Times, Best Books of the Year

However, like Groff's earlier novel, this becomes a vivid, immersive and at times wild account of female agency

—— Sunday Times

In Lauren Groff's hands, the tale of a medieval nunnery is must-read fiction

—— Washington Post

A marvelously told story of devotion, desire and ambition in the heart of a female utopia

—— Daily Mail

Matrix is another masterpiece from a writer whom few at this point can best

—— The Atlantic

Through Marie, Groff explores how a society's religious and gendered constraints can be turned on their head to create a utopia

—— The New Yorker

[A]n electric reimagining . . . feminist, sensual, magisterial, de France's saga is one of hardship and triumph, an unforgettable character whose far-seeing vision and devotion to the nuns in her community enable them to transcend what threatens to erase and silence them

—— Oprah Magazine

Matrix focuses less on Marie the author and more on Marie the abbess - and if you think that doesn't sound like the obvious angle for a fun and engaging story, you underestimate the scope of Groff 's imagination and talent

—— The Daily Telegraph

In these incandescent pages, Groff reverently imagines her way into the life and lore of Marie de France . . . Woven from Groff's trademark ecstatic sentences and brimming with spiritual fervor, Matrix is a radiant work of imagination and accomplishment

—— Esquire

Thrilling and heartbreaking, Groff crafts an electric work of historical fiction

—— TIME, Most Anticipated Book of the Fall

A transportive and meditative tale that will swallow you up from the very start

—— Newsweek

Groff, a premier stylist . . . .continues to grow, taking on a medieval foremother's story in her latest novel. The voice she finds for Marie de France . . . .will hold readers fast as the exiled Angevin royal becomes abbess of a convent, leading her charges through historic upheavals

—— LA Times

Feverishly exhilarating stuff

—— Chicago Tribune

With her unparalleled gift for sumptuous, sublime prose, Groff paints an engrossing portrait of a woman who, despite living in a world bound by constraints, experiences a life rich with passion and creativity. Surrounded by a supportive sisterhood, Marie uses strength and ingenuity to subvert the oppression of the patriarchy

—— Atlanta Journal Constitution

Utterly absorbing

—— Vogue

Splendid with rich description and period vocabulary, this courageous and spin-tingling novel shows an incredible range for Groff (FLORIDA, 2018), and will envelop readers fully in Marie's world, interior and exterior, all senses lit up. It is both a complete departure and an easy-to-envision tale of faith, power, and temptation.

—— Booklist

In this bildungsroman about the real-life 12th-century poet Marie de France, a teenage Marie is exiled to a blighted Benedictine nunnery, where she finds strength and power as a prioress

—— Vanity Fair

Powerful, sapphic historical novel . . . Richly realized with historical details that don't overwhelm

—— BuzzFeed

Readers will recognize her stunning prose and grand, mythic perspective. . . . in a tale that feels both ancient and urgent, as holy as it is deeply human

—— Entertainment Weekly

The pages are almost completely devoid of men - seen, but not heard - with Groff using poetic, melodic and yet fierce writing to breathe volume into themes of power, ambition and success from the perspective of women

—— Press Association

[A] propulsive, enchanting, and emotionally charged read

—— Washington Independent Review of Books

A clever spin on the story of Marie de France

—— Bustle

I loved this accomplished piece of storytelling. So much so, I added it to my Booker wish list at the last minute, a wish not fulfilled, of course

—— A Life In Books

Matrix is a rich, beautifully written novel about ambition and desire, and also witchy separatist medieval nuns

—— Vox

Mesmerizing and inspiring

—— Newsday

Medieval life can seem far from our modern grasp, but Groff vividly describes the daily workings of the convent, from prayers to practical chores. She has done her research and it shows in the rich details she provides of working the fields, preparing meals, governing novices . . . magical, a beautiful evocation of what women can achieve and what they can mean to each other

—— NY Journal of Books

[A] feminist foray into a medieval nunnery that is stunning in its labyrinthine artistry and sensual tracing of life as lived during the era of the poet Marie de France and the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine

—— Lit Hub

Must-read

—— HuffPost

A[n] artful writer, Groff has no need for fantastic artifice to construct a world without men. She . . . gives us an extraordinary protagonist . . . Anyone who has read Groff's previous novels and stories knows that this author's greatest virtue is her economy of prose. A disciplined writer . . . If "Eleanor's best currency is story," that goes double for Groff . . . Groff's "Matrix" simultaneously transports us to a backward world that once was and the grim future that seems inevitable. And all this through the eyes of a group of extraordinary women who decline to live lives of quiet desperation

—— Gainesville Sun

[A] transcendently beautiful novel with sensuality, religious ecstasy, gender and power explorations, and a fair bit of tasteful gore. It's surprisingly delicious to read fiction about a historical figure we know so little about

—— Shondaland

I'm on page 17 and now nothing else matters . . . Once you have this book in your hands I feel certain you too will be consumed

—— Sarah Jessica Parker

[D]reamy prose . . . At its heart, the book's message is simple: joy can exist in darkness

—— Popsugar

Richly imaginative

—— AP

[A] relentless exhibition of Groff's freakish talent . . . an unforgettable book . . . ecstatic, refulgent, God-struck, heretical

—— USA Today

[A] creative, intelligent work that will last

—— Boston Globe

The real Marie de France may continue to elude historians but the speculative fiction in Matrix combine to produce an unfailingly absorbing novel

—— TLS

An uplifting novel in its own unique way, and up there with Groff's best work

—— iNews

Matrix forms an intensely focused character study, but also succeeds as a probing exploration of female power

—— Literary Review

A beautiful and beguiling novel that transports the listener utterly and completely to another world

—— Irish Examiner

Against a convincingly filthy and precarious medieval backdrop, Marie is a figure of dazzling complexity

—— The Times
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