The Vorrh
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'In The Vorrh we have one of the most original and stunning works of fantasy that has ever been my...
Guns of the Dawn
9.0
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Shortlisted for the 2016 British Fantasy Society Award for Best Novel Guns of the Dawn is a pacey,...
Raybearer (Raybearer #1)
8.0
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The epic and phenomenal West-African inspired New York Times bestselling YA fantasy from an...
West Africa Magic High Fantasy
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Shifting Flames ( Bound by Fire 1) in Books
May 2, 2024
Kindle
Shifting Flames ( Bound by Fire 1)
By Victoria A. Williams
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hunted, persecuted and taken as slaves, the Fire Born know one thing, hide or die.
When Cyra is taken by the terrifying Prince Theron to become a slave in Wolfram Citadel, she must adapt or fight. Beautiful and ferocious, Cyra would rather die, killing as many of her enemy as she can, than submit to them.
Prince Theron knows his enemy, his duty and to follow his orders. Kill the Fire Born, protect the country. So why does he refuse to kill the ferocious Fire Born girl keeping her hidden instead? His beliefs and sanity are challenged and he is drawn to her even knowing he risks being burnt.
If you enjoy slow burn enemies to lovers romance, epic fantasy world building and elemental magic then this is the book for you. Enjoy it while it’s hot.
This was pretty decent read a good fantasy fire vs ice! Characters we’re interesting the story was interesting. I can’t help but think I’ve read a similar book though.
Merissa (13255 KP) created a post
Mar 25, 2021
The Jaguar King (The Wild Rites Saga #1)
5.0
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Magic is real? Big deal. Bills still gotta be paid. Especially when you’re heading into vet...
Blood Witch (Witches of Westwood Academy, #5)
8.0
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Will the hunted become the hunter before it’s over? Everyone thinks Mabe Marlow is a total...
Urban Fantasy Romance
Sun of Blood and Ruin
6.0
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Mexican history and Mesoamerican mythology meet in this thrilling historical fantasy with magic,...
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Children of Blood and Bone: Book 1 in Books
Feb 18, 2018
That massive frustration aside, I LOVED THIS BOOK. African-inspired fantasy novels are starting to crop up, along with other non-European based fantasy, and I'm loving it. (You can find Russian inspired fantasy that I've read previously here and here, and Jewish/Arab fantasy here.) Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American author, and this is her debut novel. It definitely shows some hallmarks of a debut novel - the dialogue is a bit stilted in places, and it's a little bit formulaic - but the world building is excellent.
Children of Blood and Bone is a story of oppression, and the sparks of a rebellion. I assume the rest of the trilogy will deal with the actual rebellion, but given the cliffhanger it ends on, I'm not actually sure of that. When Zélie, the main character, was very young, magic failed, and the king, who was afraid of maji, took the opportunity to kill every maji in his kingdom before they could find a way to regain their powers. Since then, every person who could have become a maji as they grew (they're marked by their white hair) has been treated as a second-class citizen. They're forced into slums, used as slave labor, kicked around by nobility and guards, made to pay higher taxes, and forbidden to breed with the other classes. They don't have magic - and they have no way to get it - but they're treated as trash by the king that hates them, and accordingly by the rest of his subjects.
At the beginning of the book, a magical artifact resurfaces that restores magic to any diviner (potential maji) that touches it. This, of course, is not okay with the king, and most of the book is about the race to use the magical artifact while being chased by the king's son and his guards who are trying to destroy it. The conflicted prince has secrets of his own, though, and as the book weaves through jungles, mountains, and seas, he wavers in his mission.
It's always difficult to review books without giving too much away about the plot, so I won't say much more about the events. I really enjoyed that they rode giant cats - leopanaires. Zélie and her allies ride a lion leopanaire, which is apparently somewhat unusual. Most of the guards ride leopards or cheetahs, while the royal family rides snow leopanaires. The magic is unique, the gods and religion are beautifully fleshed out, and overall I just really loved this world, and I'm very sad it will be so long before I can dive back into it.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com