Book Review: Brimstone by Callie Hart
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Burner Kindle!
Brimstone by Callie Hart
Published: November 18, 2025
Series: Fae & Alchemy #2
Genres: Adult // Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit Open Door, Detailed spice scenes)
Quick Thoughts: While Brimstone was entertaining and hard to put down, the execution was messy which made the story hard to understand at times. Still recommend if you’re you’re a huge fan of Quicksilver or just want something fun to read. But if you were hoping Brimstone would deliver tighter plotting, better world-building, or a more believable romance than Quicksilver, you’ll probably be disappointed.
Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org
-
Infertility (minor)
Death/Violence
Trauma
Suicide (Attempt & Talk of it)
Death of Parent/Sibling
Animal Death
-
Multi-POV
Found Family
Bonded Mates
Court Politics
Vampires & Fae
Prophecies/Foretold Events
Quest Storylines
What is Brimstone About?
The #1 New York Times bestselling romantasy series continues with more drama, higher stakes, and deadly consequences.
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.
Brimstone Review
Despite having serious issues with Quicksilver, the last 20% of that book roped me back in and made me want to read Brimstone, so here I am. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this book and the overall series. Brimstone was entertaining and hard to put down, but had major issues that made the book hard to read and difficult to understand at times.
What I liked
First, things I liked. Once again, Carrion singlehandedly carried this book. I'm so glad we got even more of him in this book. Saeris is finally including him in the plans more and giving him important tasks. Kingfisher's POV during his quest with Carrion was a treat. I would've happily read an entire book with just them! I also enjoyed the big picture plot and the direction the story went in. It is completely chaotic but impossible to look away from.
What I didn’t like
The execution is where things went off the rails. This book was over 650 pages, but a lot of it felt like a collection of random events that popped up, were handled, and then never brought up again. Many things that happened weren't grounded in what we already know about the world, so my brain was doing backflips trying to make it make sense. Sometimes, the characters would even talk about how they didn't know why the crazy event we just spent 10 pages reading about was even possible. It was like the author was just making things up as we went.
On a smaller note, there were many, many errors throughout the version of the eBook I read. Some details recalled from the previous book were flat out incorrect, there were grammatical errors, continuity errors, and other things that all made the book incoherent at times. I moved on after realizing these were mistakes, but they were a little distracting to deal with.
Lastly, in my review of Quicksilver, I commented that I felt the mate trope was used as a shortcut to building a romance. Unfortunately, that lack of chemistry between Kingfisher and Saeris bled into this book as well. Sure, the spice was good but other than them being mates, I don't see why they care about each other and I certainly don't see why they love each other.
So, should you read Brimstone?
Overall, if you’re a huge fan of Quicksilver, just want something entertaining to read, and/or Carrion is your fave, you might enjoy parts of this. But if you were hoping Brimstone would deliver tighter plotting, better world-building, or a believable romance, you’ll probably be disappointed.
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Brimstone FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
-
Yes, Quicksilver is a must read before Brimstone. This book is not a standalone and it jumps straight into where Quicksilver ended. On top of that, Brimstone doesn’t recap much so it would be impossible to pick up who or what everything is.
Bonus tip: Also read the free Kingfisher POV chapters on Callie Hart's website before starting Brimstone. They're not mandatory, but they add some important context about Fisher's past and his godsword that makes Brimstone hit even harder.
-
Brimstone is a 4 🌶️ meaning explicit open door. That means the spice scenes are on page and the details are plentiful. It is spicier than Quicksilver in my opinion.
Expect biting and blood and some filthy banter from Fisher.
-
The spice scenes in Brimstone are in
Chapter 7
Chapter 20
Chapter 30
Chapter 38
-
Yes.
-
As of the writing of this post, book 3 is expected to release in November 2026.
-
Yes. Brimstone is the sequel to Quicksilver and the second book in the Fae & Alchemy series.