Book Review: Brimstone

Author: Callie Hart 

Genre: Romantic Fantasy 

Publication Date: November 2025 

Page Count: 672 

Series: Fae & Alchemy (#2) 

• Yes, you need to read Book 1: Quicksilver first. This is not a standalone.

I am going to do my best to keep this spoiler free. All the information I give will not spoil any big reveals. If you think something sounds crazy and you think it’s a spoiler—it’s probably not, the book may just be that twisty. 

Why did I pick up this book? 

This book has been out for about a month or so at this point, and it’s gotten mixed reviews, just like its predecessor, Quicksilver. Personally, I loved Quicksilver, so at midnight when the app for my local library showed it available, I jumped on it. I’ll jump into why I enjoyed Quicksilver later in this review.  

Synopsis 

Duty. Blood. Honor. Power. 

Saeris Fane doesn't want power. The very last thing she needs is her name whispered on an entire court's lips, but now that she's been crowned queen of the Blood Court, she's discovering that a queen's life is not her own. A heavy weight rests upon her shoulders. 

Her ward - and her brother - need her back in her homeland . . . but the changes that have strengthened Saeris have also made her weak. Born under blazing suns, Saeris will surely die if she makes her way home through the Quicksilver. Which means that, once again, she must send someone else in her stead . . . 

 'Keep your mouth shut. Stick to the shadows. And for the love of all seven Gods, do NOT crack any jokes.' 

Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate has defeated armies and survived all manner of horrors, but traveling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift might just be the death of him. The male just will not shut up. Hidden dangers await them down the narrow alleyways of the Silver City. Unfolding secrets pose impossible threats. Fisher must wrangle the smuggler and accomplish his goals quickly if he wants to see his mate again. 

A darkness falls across Yvelia. The realm and their friends are in danger. Together, Saeris and Fisher will pass through fire and brimstone to save them. 

First Impressions 

First of all, Quicksilver left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I was ready to eat that book right up! Unfortunately, it started a little slower. It picked up, but the first few chapters were slow. Honestly, having just finished, I have a feeling this book was a “bridge” so to speak. Nothing huge really happened, but we learned ALOT that I expect to be important in book 3.

I did expect more of a plot line that opened and closed within the bounds of this book and that didn’t totally happen, so in that regard, I was a bit disappointed; however, this was still a great read due to all the character development and the world building we missed in Quicksilver.  

 

What I Loved 

I LOVED the relationships that developed, and I think that was probably the strongest element of this entire book. 

Saeris and Lorreth 

These two spend some along time together, and we discover bits of Lorreth we haven’t really seen before. 

Saeris and Hayden

Our favorite siblings also break down a few barriers that were extremely satisfying to see. We’ve been waiting for them to have it out since Act I of Quicksilver, and we finally see it. Also, Saeris is regarded as this special and unique figure while in Yvelia and it’s really satisfying to finally have someone who doesn’t care how special she is and talks to her like she’s a normal person with normal sibling problems. I hope we see a lot more of Hayden and Saeris alongside each other.  

Kingfisher and Carrion

If you’ve spent any time on social media at all, you know we love to love this duo. They travel back to Zilvaren together to gather Hayden and more elements for Saeris, and we learn a heap about Carrion. We learn about the Swifts, his businesses, his relationships, and we watch Kingfisher develop a genuine respect for him. It’s extremely satisfying and I really home Hart releases a novella of them just being themselves and bantering back and forth.  

Kingfisher and Onyx

These friends might be a weird one to call out, but we love an MMC with a gentle hand for animals. Onyx also becomes a pretty crucial part of this book, which was not expected. I was on the stairmaster when I was listening to this part and let me tell you. Holding back tears while monitoring your breathing is not an easy task. Also, Archer, please. Archer is perfect in every way, and no one can convince me otherwise. 

Taladaius and Everyone

He throws us for quite a whirl. For a member of the vampire court, he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite characters, and I would go as far to say he was the roundest character in Brimstone. His internal journey was so impressively written, even when being seen through the eyes of other characters. Kudos Callie, he is such a wonderful character to see amongst this cast.  

What Didn’t Work for Me 

The ending was anticlimactic. I understand where the pace quickened, and we were meant to be holding our hearts in our hands, but really, it was almost too overwhelming to understand. Information overload. We also learn new information that replaces what we’ve been told for all 1000+ pages of the two books, and we have to balance that on top of being in that crazy new world where we are trying to piece together family trees and stuff and ahhhhh it was too much. I listened to that last chapter multiple times because my brain kept wandering. It was so much at once that it almost felt like nothing. 

I do trust this author, so I hope there will be reason we were meant to feel overwhelmed while exiting Brimstone. I do think I’ll buy the book and read it physically to see if it helps me piece some of it together—it’s quite obvious it will be central to book 3’s plot.  

But yeah, the rest of the book was so fun, there’s no reason for me not to trust the author and her plan. 

Reader Recommendation 

Readers who like Romantasy will love this book. Finally, in a world where smut is a fad, Hart does not add erotic elements where erotic elements do not belong.  

• Don’t get me wrong, this book is hot, and it’ll make you blush, but never at any moment did I feel like it was thrown in for the sake of including sex. We see each character develop within the sexual experiences. And each encounter was needed and complimentary to that moment in the story.  

This book specifically is more character driven than Quicksilver, but like I said earlier, the relationship building is the best part of this book!  

Readers of the following will enjoy this novel: 

• High Stakes 

• Morally Grey Characters 

• Additional Mythology  

• Books you can come back to at your leisure without getting sucked in from page 1 to 7003 

• Specific to Brimstone. Quicksilver is really fast paced, and you’ll be sucked in, 

Readers who have issues with the follow may not enjoy this book as much: 

• Graphic Violence 

• Graphic Erotica 

• Death/Blood 

• Large Casts with no sign of slowing down 

• Complicated and layered magic systems 

Final Rating 

Overall Rating: My personal enjoyment of the book and its many elements.  

Mature Elements: Violence, gore, sex, substances, language. 

Mature Themes: Trauma, mental illness, death/grief, manipulation, existential or moral complexity, identity. 

• Overall Rating: 4/5

• Mature Elements: 4/5

• Mature Themes: 4/5

*This was a spoiler-free review of the book Brimstone. I will be posting a full spoiler-included breakdown studying the writing of this book, so check back soon!