Kier Scrivener's Reviews > Flamecaster

"If wishes were horses, even beggars would ride."

Cinda Williams Chima is a masterful writer and coming back to the Seven Realms was like a warm embrace but also a reminder of how she creates beautiful worlds and characters. Often sequel series feel stale, but she brings new beauty and intrigue and expands our understanding of the Seven Realms. As well as allowing the world to grow and develop in the time between series made it realistic. It was recognizable but changed.

Taking place twenty five years after the finale of the first series. It follows a prince who is bent on revenge and a coal miner with mysterious birthmark and origin, and unruly soldier and an unhappy spymaster.

It has such a unique magic systems that I adore, they need their amulets for any power, keeps the characters from being too overpowered. Learning more about healing was also interesting, and I loved the use of power. Also exploring more of the Malthus mythos was strengthening but interesting, I never expected to see vampire priests. Those scenes are definitely bordering on horror.

I love that Chima writes such fragmented stories, at the beginning the reader is truly unsure of how all these characters are going to come together and merge plots. It was less fragmented than the earlier series but still I liked how it made it more slow burn. I found the point of view slightly peculiar in pacing, at the beginning we had several chapters of Ash and Jenna four years before the main storyline setting up the motivations of revenge, then we glance at Jenna where she is now and then meet Ash at Oden's Ford but then we do not hear about Jenna again for approximately a hundred pages as we largely get introduced to Lila and Destin with Ash;s perspectives intermingled. Than we get one more of Jenna's and abandon most of Lila and Destin's once Jenna's returned. It was truly odd. I must say Jenna is my least favourite to follow so I was disappointed that it dropped the Lila and Destin in favour of her. i hope we will see more of them in the sequel though with Lyss also coming in I am afraid we won't.

The romance was instant, though aided with the help of mysterious mind powers I was not a huge fan and was not at all invested. I did really enjoy Lila and Ash's banter, it was the highlight. Lila was one of my favourite though both of men I also enjoyed following.

I love that Chima always has so many story lines, characters and plots simultaneously moving along. Also that there is never just one opposing force that one can be solved without a clean finish, making each book conclusive but yearning for more.

SPOILERS:

"But all he felt was mingled grief and relief. Grief for those who had died too soon. And relief that perhaps this chapter was over." -519

I loved the Lila reveal, I figured it out right before it was so I think it was there but also not too obvious. I am also intrigued to see more about Destin's allegiances. The dragon though I figured out much sooner and I am not sure why intelligent little Jenna hasn't discovered it as well.

The Queen Marina twist I adored, I cannot wait to see how that goes forward. Also I don't know if we will follow the Northern Islander's more but I hope we will. I am excited to see how Jenna and Evan are connected, how their magic systems works and to meet Empress Celestine and how no one knows who she is. After all, Ash should know who the other rulers are he is a princeling, and was at Oden's Ford. Also excited to meet Lyss, and see Raisa and see if Micah has changed at all.