Not Every Book Can Be a Hit – My Honest Thoughts on Capturing the King of Flames

Capturing the King of Flames – A Review

First off—this book, unfortunately, lands under 3 stars for me.

It felt super rushed—not just in pacing, but in the way the story was told. Reading it almost felt like listening to someone casually recount what they and their friends did over the weekend, without any real effort to bring you into the experience. It lacked the depth and detail that usually makes a story immersive. Honestly, this is the first book by Lola Glass that I haven’t absolutely loved.

I typically turn to a Lola Glass book when I need a break from heavier, slower-paced series. Her books are usually my perfect “palate cleanser”—fast, fun, and steamy reads that don’t require too much emotional investment. But with Capturing the King of Flames, the characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out, and the storyline didn’t carry the weight it needed to. Instead of feeling like I was uncovering a rich world and dynamic relationships, it felt like I was only getting a surface-level summary of a story that should’ve had more depth.

I can see where she’s trying to take this series, and if there had been just a bit more—more development, more connection, more time spent on world-building—it might have landed better for me. But it’s difficult to enjoy a book when you feel like you’re missing key parts of the story.

This is probably the hardest review I’ve ever written. I never want to discredit an author’s work or the effort they put into their books, but I can’t help but feel like this one wasn’t fully cooked. It almost feels like it was released before it was ready, like the characters needed more development, and the story needed more layers to make it as compelling as it could be.

That being said, I love Lola’s writing and the stories she’s created in the past, so I’m considering this a fluke. This won’t stop me from reading her other work, but from my personal standpoint—where I crave deep, immersive stories—this one just didn’t give me what I needed.

📖 Have you read Capturing the King of Flames? What did you think? Let me know on Threads @BlondeBookDiaries!