The Flame That Sings
Eternal Library Book 3
The Flame That Sings is an adult fantasy novel about queer bookbinding witches, mentorship, found family, memory, spirituality, and the healing powers of storytelling. This is the third novel in the series, narrated by Aeronwy, one of the mentors from the first book—but when e was younger. The Flame That Sings directly follows the prequel plot of The Tale That Twines (book 2) and continues that section of the story.
What will we learn about Aeronwy’s mysterious past with the cult of the Fellowship of the Ardent? What does it mean to be a Flamekeeper in exile? Why was Aeronwy such close friends with Mairead? What challenges and healing will learning the secrets of Illumination bring, under the quirky eye of Catrina Rosefall? All this and more, finally answered.
Note: this book is a bit darker than the previous entries in this series. Please scroll down to check out the trigger warnings before reading.
The series also has a companion divination deck called the Threadbound Oracle; the characters are on the cards, and the cards appear in Book 1, The Thread That Binds.
The Flame That Sings is coming to BackerKit Crowdfunding on June 2, 2025! Click here to use the Pre-Launch signup page to get notified when it’s live!
Fire speaks in song.
At the tender age of sixteen, Aeronwy Silverdream married the spirit of the great volcano, Mount Cináed. But the mantle of Flamekeeper is a heavy one, and the cult known as the Fellowship of the Ardent is an unkind place to grow up for an autistic child. It’s only when Aeronwy runs away to the modern capital of Caspora City and the Eternal Library that e finds freedom to be emself—with the help of new friends Siobhan, Inyene, and especially Mairead Moonsea.
Years later, Aeronwy becomes apprenticed to Illuminator Catrina Rosefall, a quirky artist and former circus actor who is determined to help Aeronwy face eir past. Their personalities couldn’t be more different, but friction starts fires, and isn’t fire what Aeronwy needs the most right now? Throw in an ancestor spirit with an unfinished story, confusion over what "romance" really means, and an increasingly toxic best-friendship, and what started as a spark threatens to blaze out of control.
Creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin, and death is necessary in order to be reborn. As the Flame of Ashes, Aeronwy knows this, but after a life of lies and deception, how does one relearn how to recognize the truth?
You might like THE FLAME THAT SINGS if you like:
Found family
Intergenerational mentor/student friendship
Autistic narrator, auDHD romantic partner (own voices)
Queernorm society
Two aromantic-spectrum characters figuring out what romance means to them
Polyamory
Detailed magical art, writing, & traditional crafting
Fantasy 1980s setting
Trauma healing
The power of folklore and fairytales
Difficult topics and feelings handled with care
BIG LIBRARY
Content warnings for THE FLAME THAT SINGS:
Memories of surviving a religious doomsday cult
Past childhood emotional abuse and neglect
Past parental death
Gaslighting and codependency within a friendship
Bigotry towards an ethno-religious group (may feel similar to antisemitism)
Allusions to past genocide of an ethno-religious group