“I’m not sad that you’ve changed. I’ve changed, too. I’m sad because you can’t see the good in yourself anymore.”
A Fox Among Flames by Sara Puissegur. Oh my gosh. If ASAS laid the foundation for Puissegur’s world, AFAF absolutely sets it alight. This second installment of the Celestial Destiny Series, coming in January 2026, takes everything that made the debut so stand-out – its heart, its peril, its sense of destiny – and sharpens it into something richer and far more emotionally complex. What a seriously incredible read, and so, so rich. I’m going to be reflecting on this arc for a while.
The story picks up right where we left off: Serena training under Queen Elara’s direction and finding her place among soldiers and allies. She’s no longer the frightened girl who fled her home in ASAS. She’s a leader now, hardened by grief and journey but still defined by compassion. Her growing bond with Will adds both tenderness and ache to her journey, especially as the tides of war begin to rise again. Meanwhile, across enemy lines, Anteros continues to emerge as the series’ most compelling contradiction; a prince born to cruelty, fighting to keep his soul intact. As with the first story, his loyalty to his father continues to fracture in surprising ways, and by the time Sabine’s arc unfolds, that fracture becomes something more like a chasm. We see new layers to the prince that were hinted at in ASAS, but become even more potent here. (I have things to say about Talitha, too, but I’ll bite my tongue so we don’t venture into spoilers.) Beyond our parallel heirs, the battle scenes are cinematic, the emotional beats are intimate, and the worldbuilding has SO much texture. Relationships also evolve beyond the expected, from Cole and Xandra’s companionship to Queen Elara’s precarious marriage and motherhood.
Without venturing into spoilers, I’ll just say this: the final act left me HOOKED, y’all. The losses cut deep, the victories feel earned, and the questions left hanging are the kind that keep you itching for the next installment. Puissegur has built a world worth exploring and a cast of characters worth fighting for. Literally SO excited for the next book!
Read if you love: High-stakes fantasy series, slow burn, Chosen One