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kbowles24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Chronic illness and Death
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
linneak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
allishortell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
jessiereads98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This story had almost too
much going on for a final book of a duology. Adaira is learning the culture and politics of the West, Torin is adjusting to his role as laird of the East, Jack, Sidra, and Torin must save the Isle of Cadence from a mysterious plague affecting both the land and people. With this much ground to cover things felt rushed and choppy at times. The character development and main relationships which shone in the first book remain, but to a lesser degree. I felt the relationships were the biggest strength of the first book, and putting them to the side to focus on too many plot elements made this a weaker story. I especially didn’t like
While the main relationships between Jack and Adaira, and Torin and Sidra remain we unfortunately don’t get to continue exploring the familial relationships from A River Enchanted in A Fire Endless. Mirin, Fraeda, and Maisie who played a prominent role in the first book are all but absent here. There was an attempt to explore the fraught relationship between Adaira and her biological parents here, but it ultimately gets lost and falls flat amongst everything else happening. Jack interacts with his paternal relatives 2 or 3 times total in 500 pages despite not having known his father being central to his character. I was disappointed by the lack of connections outside of the two main romantic relationships.
While there seemed to be more magic overall in A Fire Endless, there was less bardic magic. I loved the uniqueness of Jack’s powers as a bard in A River Enchanted and the way it was written. In A Fire Endless the interactions with the spirits are more direct, and initiated by the spirits. This made the magic seem more mundane, and like a plot device that Ross used to get us from one point to another.
Finally, I was disappointed by the ending. It felt rushed to make sure every loose end was tied up neatly, rather than those endings having been earned and making sense. I also didn’t like how
Overall, this was a fine conclusion to the duology despite being a little disappointing.
Graphic: Death, Blood, Vomit, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug use, Sexual content, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Rebecca Ross has crafted these twin books with great care, and it shows in the writing. Whilst reading Fire, I could feel her expert hand guiding the plot and characters, rather like (at least as it seemed to me) a chess master moving all their pieces into place to reach - in this case - a winning conclusion.
There were times when it seemed that Ross's writing held me under some magic spell, that to stop reading would be to break it. I realise that may sound odd and faintly ridiculous, but it is a testament to the immersiveness of the world and characters Ross has created that I felt this way.
I don't mean to say that this book was without flaws. Sometimes in between reading sessions I would lose the thread of certain plot elements, and had to accept that they had already been explained so I did not have to go back and reread. And that phrase I referred to earlier, about the chess master? Well, there were times when the chain of events seemed a little too convenient, too planned, too predictable.
But these quibbles didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the novel, and I am greatly looking forward to reading more from the extremely talented Rebecca Ross.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Blood, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Torture, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
A major plot point in the novel revolves around the Breccan Laird and her family takingyourbookishbff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
naomi_k's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Confinement, Torture, Sexual harassment, and Classism
chrisljm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment
alite428's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Child death
mbmayo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol