Burn Up In Victory
by Jennifer R. Donohue
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted August 26, 2025
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I often say I normally do not seek detailed information about books ahead of time. In the case of several authors their name is all that is needed to spark my interest, and Jennifer R. Donohue is one of those. When I first saw the cover image for Burn Up In Victory I assumed it was epic fantasy, but in her intro she says it is romantasy, with an emphasis on the fantasy first, romance later. I do not think the sword on the cover is the type that Serafina, Lorenzo, and others in their dueling circle would use, it would be more like a rapier. Other than stories in various magazines, Donohue self-publishes her books, and probably does not always have the budget for commissioned art. I believe she said she got the cover image from Shutterstock. As for detailed information, once again my take is more synopsis than analysis, but hopefully not too spoilery.
This novel, the longest she has written, is actually a sequel to a short story from 2022, "Mistempered Weapons," available to read online at Kaleidotrope. It is set in a secondary world which does include magic, although it is subtly placed and described, not the highlight. Both the story and novel made me think of Romeo and Juliet, lines from the play used as an opening epigraph in the book. Dumas' Musketeers also came to mind a time or two. The earlier story is told in first-person by Katarina, an actress for the Company of the Canted Stage. Her cousin Adelaide, several years younger, usually gets the lead roles, with Katarina mostly a background player. They are both indentured to the Company, Katarina with three years left of her servitude, but for Adelaide it is seven. Katarina has a frequent suitor, Marco, a noble son of House Galeazzo. Adelaide surprises Katarina with the news of a lover, Antonio, an actor from the rival Golden Company. Their play having reached the end of its run, they are celebrating at a pub. Adelaide either didn't attend, or left early. After closing, Katarina is heading home before curfew, when Antonio calls her name, announcing they are now cousins. When did Adelaide have time to marry, and why had she not told Katarina? I won't detail much of the rest, only reveal that Katarina utilizes a potion acquired from an apothecary to put Adelaide into a three day trance, indistinguishable from death. Katarina's intent was to deal with Antonio, then hopefully Adelaide's memory would be impaired when she revives. Due to a lie Katarina had told the city guard, Antonio has been banished instead.
The novel begins about a year later. It is also written in first-person, but the chapters alternate between two viewpoints, starting with Serafina of House Galeazzo, Marco's sister. The other narrator is Lorenzo of House Valier, Marco's best friend, who is depressed that his friend had fled the city. Rightly or wrongly, he takes out his frustrations on Serafina, who is several years younger, and with whom he had little previous contact. Dueling with swords and daggers is a way of life, more serious and consequential among the elders of the noble houses, mostly a sport for the younger generations. Even Katarina wore a sword when she was in public, which led to severe consequences in the short story. Lorenzo and Marco had been in the same dueling circle, a club of sorts, training together and fighting in periodic tournaments. Serafina had not participated previously, but feels it is her duty to step into the gap left by Marco's departure. Lorenzo is not happy with that. It was not uncommon for there to be minor duels between members of a circle, with one occuring at a dinner party between Serafina and Lorenzo. They were usually of the "first touch" sort, but occasionally "first blood," although the wounds were never intentionally severe. Serafina suffers a small cut on her chin. One sort of magic mentioned is that of the spark a person possesses, sometimes only one variety, but a few exhibit more than one type. One of Lorenzo's is that of healing, and he would normally heal a scar he had inflicted on another immediately after, but he refuses to do so for Serafina. It is a wonder she had anything to do with him after that, except for her domineering mother, who had put all her energy into promoting Marco's future, and previously ignoring her daughter.
Serafina had previous training, dueling as well as dancing, although she didn't take either seriously. The noble houses all had training rooms, perhaps House Galeazzo being one of the few, if not the only one with a mirrored wall, which had been utilized in Serafina's dancing lessons. But Lady Galeazzo had dismissed her dancing tutor, and shortly after Serafina lost the duel to Lorenzo, her fencing instructor is dismissed, with Lady Galeazzo taking over, and she drives Serafina harder than ever. Her skills do improve, and she becomes part of Lorenzo's circle, gaining friendships with Teodora and Luca, but Lorenzo maintains his antagonism. There are times Serafina welcomes Lorenzo's treatment, since it is less severe than her mother's. The circle participates in one of the frequent tournamets, faring well even if not gaining the highest scores. Serafina wins three of her duels, being eliminated in the fourth, and Lorenzo scores five wins. Their opponents are mixed, Serafina facing both men and women, and the same for Lorenzo and the others. Lady Galeazzo doesn't seem to think that is good enough for her daughter, and a day or so later drives Serafina out of the house one evening, telling her she needs to be more accomplished. Alone on the streets, Serafina attracts unwanted attention, forced into a duel with no second. She is wounded even if she fared better than her opponent, but she is dazed and lost in the city. Eventually she recognizes a house, that of Valier, Lorenzo's home. In this case he doesn't hesitate to heal her wounds, or the best he can at least. She remains there for several days, Lady Valier not allowing Lady Galeazzo entrance to see her. The two families eventually meet, at the end of which both Serafina and Lorenzo receive a shock, that of their betrothal, which neither of them want. Even before that shock has worn off, another announcement comes from the city guard. Marco and Katarina have been found, and returned to the city to face their justice.
Another form of magic several of the characters possess is the spark of sending messages. They write a letter, then fashion it into the shape of a bird, which then flies to its recipient. It is possible Marco had cast a counter spell, since none of the notes sent reach him, instead they return to the sender scorched. Marco is shielded by his family's stature, and Katarina's indenture is purchased by Lady Galeazzo since the couple are now married, but the charges from the Golden Company for their loss of Antonio still stand. It is decided that a duel contest will settle the issue. If Lorenzo's circle prevails all charges will be dropped, but if the members of Golden Company win, one of their opponents will be indentured to them in place of Antonio. Lady Galeazzo doesn't hesitate to name Serafina as the one who will serve that indenture.
Throughout the book, chapters overlap with Serafina and Lorenzo's reactions to the same events. Both express their resentments toward the other, although with occasional second thoughts. For Serafina it is that Lorenzo was Marco's best friend, so she should be aware of how Marco's abandonment affected him. For Lorenzo it is not so much that Serafina is Marco's sister, but more the treatment she has received from her mother. Still, they both express their distaste for the other, multiple times, that they do not want to marry, and resent their parents' manipulations without prior consultation on the subject. The fact that they end up together, in my opinion too quickly, is the only thing I can criticize. The descriptions of the city and its customs, the differentiations between the strata of society, paints a picture of things needing more detail, but the characters are the focus. Serafina's growing confidence, and Lorenzo's eventual realization that Marco is the one he owed his resentments, not Serafina or others in his circle. He is an only child, so has to wonder how it might have been for a younger sister if he had one. His parents were very supportive, and kind to Serafina. There is also the city, which might exert a magic of its own. Several comments indicate no one knows who runs the city, who controls the city guard. If it is the city itself, perhaps it shapes events and directs its citizens to certain ends. That might be what directed Serafina to House Valier the night she was dazed after her street duel. If that is the case, Serafina and Lorenzo's relationship might turn out to be more important than either of them could imagine.
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