A
Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles #1)
by Amanda Bouchet
Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice…
Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle, Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he's ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in love with her.
Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle, Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he's ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in love with her.
This book is not YA. It is suitable for adults and older readers due to sexual content as well as graphic violence.
My Thoughts:
In case you don't follow me on Goodreads, you might not be aware of my Ilona Andrews obsession. I got addicted to the genre of urban fantasy thanks to them and for a long time kept searching for novels that had an emotionally strong female and did not focus too much on world building (Basically Game of Thrones without the lengthy descriptions and family trees). I like intricate worlds but after a point I want to engage with the characters and not the world.
A Promise of Fire was a nice surprise. It had a strong and sassy heroine with an interesting family tree as well as a lot of political intrigue.According to Goodreads, it is to be a trilogy and the positive effects of this defined end can be seen when the plot progresses quickly and steadily.
I think the weakest link of the story is the alpha male in it. Though Griffin is a sweety, at times he just seems like a caricature when compared to Cat.His family has better character development.
The book introduces us to an intriguing mythology. The secondary characters are well developed and certain scenes with them make the story almost unforgettable.
Overall, I thoroughly recommend this book , especially if you're an Ilona Andrews fan or in the search for Percy Jackson for adults or a replacement for Trudi Canavan.
My Rating:
4.5/5
I adored this book too, but I absolutely agree on the alpha-male-caricature-ness of Griffin and he was one of the main reasons I didn't enjoy the sequel. I hope it works out better for you, though! Fantastic review! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Keertana, but in my opinion even Cat became slightly insufferable in the sequel. Which is why even though I loved this book, the sequel was not upto the mark
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