A Penchant for Growth

An Affinity for Burning #2

by Alex Nonymous

Saffyr Tremblay's done exactly what she was supposed to do.

After tricking her only competition into leaving, she's won the boy. The crown. The ability to keep her Affinity. But life within the castle is not what it appears to be and she's quickly wrapped up in a sinister secret spanning decades. With both her life and the life of the girl she's in love with hanging in the balance, she's now fighting for far more than just a crown. Luckily, she's not all she appears to be either.

A Penchant for Growth is still one giant childhood friends to enemies to friends to childhood crushes back to enemies to friends to lovers trope masquerading as a book except this time they spend even more time talking about their feelings than actually moving the plot forward. It's still told in 2 POVs, but this time Saffyr's is front and center because it's always been her story to save or destroy, for better or worse.

Genres: Fantasy, Lesbian, Romance, LGBT, Fiction, Royalty

Unknown Binding

Published June 12, 2022

About the author

Alex is trying to publish 22 sapphic YA books before she turns 22. The only flaw in the plan so far is that they only finished 1 before turning 20...

He uses any pronouns so its incredibly easy to talk about Alex behind her back (just please stop adding me to 'women writers' lists oh my god) and they're still trying to figure out how to present themself as a professional a full year into publishing.

If you want to join their email list for updates on book release dates, early reader copies, and to vote on genre polls to control the next book they write, email them at alexnonymouswrites@gmail.com to let her know!

Alex also writes books for queer teenagers and recognizes that a lot of the people who need those kinds of stories the most can't safely be purchasing them, fill out this form for free discrete ecopies of anything he's written! https://forms.gle/ZSAoMh59oLVjz97F8

Reviews

[Alex Nonymous · Rating 5 out of 5]

:)

[nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'M SCREAMING !!!

but in a very positive, over-emotional way. we get to see the thoughts and emotions behind saf's actions and decisions, which i absolutely am IN LOVE with. so we get to see a different side of her this time and with bea, too. they're both more fleshed out in this one and despite their mistakes and flaws, you can see they're trying their best, given such a difficult and impossible situation.

i was given the opportunity to read an early copy of this for free, courtesy of the author, Alex!!! and it's always such a delight — yet again, i couldn't put this book down and read it in a couple of hours and it still left me desperate for more! if this series ends up being a duology, it wouldn't upset me at all. the ending for A Penchant for Growth was pretty good but still leaves it open for more

i literally just finished reading this like 30mins ago and i'm still frazzled over everything that happens so apologies if this review is too incoherent and a mess 😭

rating: 4.5 rounded up to 5 because the characters, storyline, plot, twists, just everything was so good

[libby🧣 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad that this was only a duology but satisfied with the conclusion <3

[kavya ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

more like 3.5 stars, I sort of can’t decide between 3 and 4?? I think a lot of it was that the first book was so insanely good it was kinda hard to live up to


okay wow I didn’t expect to take so long to finish this but. the thing is. it takes soooooooooo long to get to the point?? bea only comes in around a third of the book in, and the story really gets going only around halfway through. I think I took like a month to finish half the book and finished the second half in a day. but ONCE IT DOES it’s so so so good and beaffyr had my whole heart this book. their conversations on communication and honesty and bea explaining that she wanted to be able to be mad at saffyr without it automatically meaning she wanted to end things and thereby having to spend all her emotional energy assuring safi that they’re good and comfort HER when bea needs some space to be mad hit really close to home and I loved it so much. loved the gorgeous gorgeous representation of what it’s like to have a healthy relationship as or with a traumatised or mentally ill person. they made me so happy at so many points this book, and they communicated so well throughout and I’m so proud of my babies and I love them so much

-

well that was…gay

[Amethyst Smirnoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amethyst found screaming,Crying,Throwing up over this book

Thank you SOO much for the early copy.
Saffyr being the "main" character is so nice,Just seeing everything from her perspective was wonderful. Saffyr and Bea sneaking off to see each other it just...fed my lil Sapphic brain.I just I absolutely loved this book.I have no other words aside from that.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank fuck they ended up together, stressed the entire time

[Lizzy Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 but maybe a 3.5? undecided

tbh i think the first book was just too good that the sequel could just not live up to it,,, the trial trope is one of my favourite tropes of all time and so the first book absolutely rocked my world and set my expectations unreasonably high methinks

as usual, i loved the characters and the writing style, and i really felt like i could see the author putting parts of themselves in the dialogue and how the characters talk and express their feelings!! also consent yahhhh

the povs were really well done, and including bea's sister in the plot was also very epic!!!

and i like it when people talk about their feelings, but it also did get a bit repetitive at some parts, especially near the end. pacing might also have been a little off near the end (i cant tell if it was too fast or too slow? maybe both), but i still very much enjoyed this book!!!!

[Garnet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll admit, when I knew there was going to be a second book I had my doubts. I love the ending of the first one so much, but I was so very wrong. This book was somehow even better. It was great to see Saffyr get more time in the spotlight, and if I’m honest she is quickly becoming one of my favourite fictional characters ever. I also really loved that they actually talked about things. So many relationships in books just have the characters deal with things without really dealing with them, but Bea and Saffyr actually communicate about the problems they’re having, and that was really great to see. I really can’t say anything else without risking spoilers, but let’s just say this book was fantastic, and these characters are going to stay with me for a long time.

[O'Call · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again I just loved this book so much. I really enjoyed experiencing the story from Saffyr’s point of view this time around. It gave the entire story a fresh new perspective.

The complexity of Bea and Saffyr’s relationship is as brilliant as ever.

The only reason I’m giving it four stars as opposed to five is because it took longer to get into the story for me. Possibly because An affinity for burning was so good that I had unrealistically high hopes for A Penchant for Growth. However once the story got going, I couldn’t put it down.

Again I would highly recommend giving it a read.

[Mena · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I wanna talk about the things I liked

I loved Saffyr, we only had her perspective while she was a child in the first book so knowing her after everything she's been through was amazing.

Bea and her are complete oposites, while Saffyr is vengeful, rude and seeks for blood Bea is forgiven kind and doesn't want to hurt anyone, even if they hurt her first. Saffyr can't trust other people to save her life but Bea trusts too much.

I also liked seeing more of Bea, things that we didn't see before, before I thought she was way to naive and forgiven, to the point of being ridiculous because no one is like that, but then we see her side, I liked how they made her more human and less angelic in this book, and her being the one who kills the king with her own hands was a great thing to see.

Seeing their dynamic was a breath of fresh air and I was constantly surprised by Bea's emotional maturity, we almost don't see people like that.

This book was super easy to read, there were things happening all the time and it kept me entertained.

I'll admit I fell into Damian's trap at first. He's charming, okay?

What I didn't like is that there were some things that made little to no sense to me. I don't know if it's because I let so much time between reading the first book to reading this one, but still.

Most of all the thing that didn't make sense to me was what happened to Saffy's aunt, she was such a big deal just for her to run away and never be heard of again, I feelt it like a quick route out.

Then Damian, he betrayed them, trapped them, and most likely would've kill them if he had to, he wanted to keep the affinities all to himself and his bloodline even if it meant lying and stealing blood from others, maybe he was better than his father, but they just let him continuing his reing?

The whole book Saffyr was convinced she was going to do something, that she was going to change things and make them better, make things right after her mistakes, but at the end they just saved themselves and ran away, that ending left me deeply unsatisfied.

Like I got that Bea never wanted to be a hero and she says it numerous times, but like, what was the point then? after everything that happened nothing changed.

Even though Saffyr was my Favorite character I found her very childish and her personality a bit inconstant, she was very vouluble at times and most her actions were manipulated by someone else, someone being her aunt or Damian or even Bea, even if Bea didn't mean to manipulate her. I undestand she's traumatized and everything, but I never liked that part of her, and she was talking so much and being so convinced to do something to just leave.

Anyway Thanks to the author for kindly giving me a free copy of this book. I hope I can support you by buying some of your books in the near future.

[ana grace]

Thanks to the author for providing me with an early copy of this book!

While I didn't enjoy A Penchant for Growth quite as much as An Affinity for Burning, it was a great read nonetheless. I appreciated the thorough character development that occurred throughout the story. The switch in character perspectives from those included in Affinity was an especially satisfying element. For me, the highlight of the story was the interactions between Saffyr and Bea. The only things that hindered my enjoyment of the book were the slightly repetitive plot and the occasional poorly worded or grammatically incorrect sentences. If you enjoyed An Affinity for Burning, this is a must-read!

[prisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the author for sending me an early copy!

It was so nice to dive back into the story after 'An Affinity for Burning' It was a bit frustrating to see how Saffyr would keep lying to Bea and kept messing it up but I guess that makes the story all the more realistic. How you hide secrets from the people you love and care about because you think you're protecting them but it just makes it worse in the long run. The book also portrayed carefully how people crave power and how they are ready to manipulate and twist their words and actions to get what they want.

[Karla M · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Final, edited review]

While it's a good sequel, I liked the first one more. It had me hooked on the mystery of what happened in the past while this one didn't hook me. I read it quickly, because it's a nice quick read, but it doesn't hook you.

I really liked to learn about the politics of this fantasy world, even if it wasn't deeply developed or explained. It was a nice touch. Adds realism.

Besides we get to see more of Bea's family! That was definitely one of my favorite parts. Bea and her sister are my favorite duo of the book.

(Besides it greatly improved from the early version. The final published version is way better. It even lacks the weird grammar and phrasing of the first book! The author has improved :) so that was nice)

Anyway, I'd say read it if you loved the first one. It's a good sequel, but you're not missing much if you liked the way the first book ended :) its nicely open in that way, you can either read the sequel or don't but you're not left wondering either way.

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words cannot explain how much I love this series. After the first book, I was seriously concerned about the shift that occurred in Saffyr that caused her to do what she had done, and the explanation was creative and stayed perfectly in line with her character arc. There seems to be less of a plot in this one, but the character work was better than in any book I’ve ever read. I typically rely heavily on an action-filled plot to push the story forward, but I was perfectly content with Bea and Saffi just talking through things with each other. When they got into an argument, I would be counting down the pages even until I got to see how they would resolve it, because they do it in such a healthy and loving way that is completely unique to their relationship. Each of the characters were really well developed, even the prince, who we got to see a lot more of his personality in this book rather than in the first one. THE ENDING omg it was absolutely perfect in every way. It was beautiful and everything I wished for. I do wish that there was maybe another book so we could get to see them live out their happily-ever-after, but it ended on such a perfect note that I am satisfied with where it ended. I hold this series so close to my heart and even though I don’t typically re-read books, I found myself itching to start this over back with An Affinity for Burning, just so I could live with Bea and Saffi a little while longer. I find myself thinking constantly about them. I now want to read everything that Alex writes! This is a comfort series for sure.

[Jonathan Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The TL;DW on its review is: it does a lot of things a sequel should do, in exploring questions the previous book left open, and expanding the characters and their arcs as previously established. It doesn’t do so cleanly, or without inserting any of its own faults, but it is still welcome, and a fulfilling read overall. For those of you who want to know more about the aftermath of the conflict between author’s pet and author’s self-insert, that’s what I’m going to give you.

The book picks up right after the ending of the last one, a few hours later, as “to the victor go the spoils.” However, “heavy is the head that bears the crown,” and Saffyr finds herself caught in a deadly social game, where she has to leverage her abilities, her time, her demeanour, and her presentation, in order to stay one step ahead of the people who seek to control her, and to make sure her plans fall into place. On her quest, she is aided by her former competitor Bea, and a surprising, but deceptive, ally in her husband, Prince Damien.

That being said, what are the strengths of this book? In short, pretty much all of its strengths stem from its ability to use elements its predecessor established. The melodrama I was complaining about last week has by now melted away, Alex has a better grasp now on what drives these characters, and what makes their interactions distinctive. And I don’t just mean the leads, pretty much every named character gets a little more fleshed-out, a higher degree of context provided to them and their backgrounds, making the quite a bit more numerous dialogue scenes notably more satisfying to read. This book employs a dual perspective as well, only this time Saffyr narrates the present events, and Bea the past ones. The supplemental details the two are able to bring into focus help them come across more clearly, and are better capable of expanding upon the characters around them. I particularly have to appreciate how interesting Saffyr’s aunt comes across. She’s not just a simplistic, selfish monster, she has a larger design in her head, and the hints towards that were quite exciting to pick up on. The plotting is better as well, making the book more exciting and engaging to follow as the readership, alongside Saffyr, has to consider what her best potential course of action could be. It makes for an improved reading experience, I’ll say that much. Another thing I appreciate is the supplemental information given about the magic system. Even though Affinities manifest randomly, they are, to some extent at least, bloodborne, and can, as such, be transferred, or transfused, if you will. There also is a magical artifact involved, somehow, the book was somewhat inaccurate about that.

While I appreciate the detail, it does open up a few questions. Do the people on this island know blood types exist? Is everyone on the island somehow the same blood type? Do they isolate the blood components that hold the Affinities? If yes, how would they have learned about that? And how do they make and maintain the devices that allow them to manipulate blood? I get the impression Alex wanted to up the stakes, but didn’t consider what would factor into said upping of stakes. Also, my complaints about the writing style of the previous book are still in place here, Alex still uses modern lingo and turns of phrase that broke my immersion in the story.

Overall, while some things in this book still displease me, it is, in many important ways, an improvement over its predecessor.

[El · Rating 5 out of 5]

trusting the guy who was totally willing to stand by and people be drained entirely of all their blood was probably not the smartest of moves, though to be fair this book is full of not-the-smartest-of-moves. i thoroughly enjoyed reading about these two girls making bad decisions and fumbling their way to (probable) freedom as a result

[Moony · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book was a little boring in the beginning, but it defined picked up in by the end of it. I loved the romance and the ending, but I think the plot just fell a little short. Still excited to read the other books by the author though!

[Phoebe Monsour · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a self-indulgent book but it was very fun

[Just another fangirl on the internet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great, while I did prefer the first one A Penchant For Growth kept me invested the entire time, and the character development was phenomenal. I would recommend this series, especially for fans of She-Ra! I loved Bea, as a neurodivergent lesbian who struggles a lot with social cues I love her portrayal as smart, compassionate, flawed, and most importantly to me: human.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the book focuses on Saffyr's pov this time, it's interesting that we get to read the story through her perspective. The narration was great and the plot made me want to keep on reading till the end. I very much enjoyed reading it.