A review by dani_k
Call of Fire by Beth Cato
4.0
I've taken issue with the way many steampunk novels avoid the troublesome cultural issues of the time they're glorifying. Even though this series takes place in a timeline altered from true history, it manages to address a very real problem at this time in American history—the plight of Chinese immigrants. Breath of Earth introduced an extreme version of real events with the invention of the United Pacific, a cooperative union between the United States and Japan (with an eye toward empire-building and the complete destruction of China). Call of Fire expands on this theme.
While this book doesn't maintain the break-neck pacing of the first, it does take time to examine culture and show us a bit more about this world. I also really enjoyed getting more info on the fantastics, which are magical creatures based on fae and other creatures from mythology. All these elements added together, and combined with a magic system that's fun and different, make for a great series so far.
While this book doesn't maintain the break-neck pacing of the first, it does take time to examine culture and show us a bit more about this world. I also really enjoyed getting more info on the fantastics, which are magical creatures based on fae and other creatures from mythology. All these elements added together, and combined with a magic system that's fun and different, make for a great series so far.