After her mother is killed and her home destroyed, eighteen-year-old Seraphine Marchant finds sanctuary with the Order of Cloaks, one of two feuding factions that rule the underworld in Fantome. Utilizing Shade, a magical - and illegal - powder used to manipulate shadows, Cloaks steal while rival Daggers murder. And Seraphine is the latest target of heir-apparent Dahger Ransom Hale. As Seraphine and Random play cat-and-mouse across the city, sparks start to fly - and new dangers begin to emerge from the shadows of Fantome.

I was drawn to this title for its similarities to The Night Circus, a comparison that is in some ways (magical rivals) apt. However, The Dagger and the Flame sits much more squarely in the increasingly popular romantasy genre, and with it's steamy enemies-to-lovers plot, this series opener is sure to appeal to adult readers or YA romantasy as well as older high schoolers who enjoy Sabaa Tahir, Shelby Mahurin, or Leigh Bardugo.