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The Soulfire Saga #2
The Fire Within Them
The second book in Matthew Ward's action-packed trilogy, the Soulfire Saga, The Fire Within Them is set in a world ruled by an immortal king, where souls fuel magic and a supernatural mist known as the Veil threatens to engulf the land. Perfect for fans of John Gwynne and Anthony Ryan.
For the first time in a millennium, the kingdom of Khalad is divided. The Battle of Athenoch has fanned the spark of Bashar Vallant’s rebellion to a raging flame. Tyzanta, jewel of the east, has declared for his cause, and other cities have followed. Vallant, the people’s hero, may soon be powerful enough to challenge Caradan Diar, Khalad’s immortal king.
But such power demands great personal sacrifice.
Afflicted with omen rot after channeling the Deadwinds to save Athenoch from the koilos army, Kat searches for a means to stop the disease killing her as it did her mother. Her journey will uncover secrets long since buried–secrets concerning her past, her family and the kingdom itself. Eventually she’ll learn that the past never stays buried in Khalad–and that the truth can cut deeper than any blade.
For the first time in a millennium, the kingdom of Khalad is divided. The Battle of Athenoch has fanned the spark of Bashar Vallant’s rebellion to a raging flame. Tyzanta, jewel of the east, has declared for his cause, and other cities have followed. Vallant, the people’s hero, may soon be powerful enough to challenge Caradan Diar, Khalad’s immortal king.
But such power demands great personal sacrifice.
Afflicted with omen rot after channeling the Deadwinds to save Athenoch from the koilos army, Kat searches for a means to stop the disease killing her as it did her mother. Her journey will uncover secrets long since buried–secrets concerning her past, her family and the kingdom itself. Eventually she’ll learn that the past never stays buried in Khalad–and that the truth can cut deeper than any blade.
593 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2024
13 people are currently reading
667 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Ward
58 books432 followersMatthew Ward is a writer, cat-servant and owner of more musical instruments than he can actually play (and considerably more than he can play well). He’s afflicted with an obsession for old places – castles, historic cities and the London Underground chief amongst them – and should probably cultivate more interests to help expand out his author biography.
After a decade serving as a principal architect for Games Workshop’s Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 properties, Matthew embarked on an adventure to tell stories set in worlds of his own design. He lives near Nottingham with his extremely patient wife – as well as a pride of attention-seeking cats – and writes to entertain anyone who feels there’s not enough magic in the world.
After a decade serving as a principal architect for Games Workshop’s Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 properties, Matthew embarked on an adventure to tell stories set in worlds of his own design. He lives near Nottingham with his extremely patient wife – as well as a pride of attention-seeking cats – and writes to entertain anyone who feels there’s not enough magic in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 15, 2024
My thanks to Orbit Books, Matthew Ward and Netgalley.
This will be a very short review.
I read this book at a fairly stressful time in my life. I have had some health issues and my Doc. put me on heart meds that truly made my life feel a bit funky. Also, my daughter had a cancer related issue at the same time. What's more scary than heart stuff? Yeah, that would be thinking your daughter is going to die. Terrifying.
She's fine. Sometimes a lump is just a lump. "Picture me wiping sweat off my brow." I've never been so afraid in my life.
So...this book really got lost along the way. I should have reviewed this a month or so ago.
Its actually a good book! Matthew Ward has never steered me wrong, and I love his other books.
In all honesty, I really can't recall much of this book. And I know that I'll eventually end up reading it again.
This will be a very short review.
I read this book at a fairly stressful time in my life. I have had some health issues and my Doc. put me on heart meds that truly made my life feel a bit funky. Also, my daughter had a cancer related issue at the same time. What's more scary than heart stuff? Yeah, that would be thinking your daughter is going to die. Terrifying.
She's fine. Sometimes a lump is just a lump. "Picture me wiping sweat off my brow." I've never been so afraid in my life.
So...this book really got lost along the way. I should have reviewed this a month or so ago.
Its actually a good book! Matthew Ward has never steered me wrong, and I love his other books.
In all honesty, I really can't recall much of this book. And I know that I'll eventually end up reading it again.
June 11, 2024
3.0 Stars
Compared to book one, I found this sequel more interesting but ultimately I still struggled with this grimdark series. The ending of the first book left the series with a lot more potential.
The premise is great but the actual storyline I found to be quite dull. I just found the characters and plotting to be rather underwhelming.
I wouldn't primarily recommend this series to readers who can’t get enough of the fantasy genre and don't mine a familiar, tropey story. I just wish it provided something fresher.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Compared to book one, I found this sequel more interesting but ultimately I still struggled with this grimdark series. The ending of the first book left the series with a lot more potential.
The premise is great but the actual storyline I found to be quite dull. I just found the characters and plotting to be rather underwhelming.
I wouldn't primarily recommend this series to readers who can’t get enough of the fantasy genre and don't mine a familiar, tropey story. I just wish it provided something fresher.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
June 22, 2024
When I tell you I nearly burst into tears when Rima appeared like a savior in the dark...that's my girl. I really missed these characters, and now I can't believe I have to part with them again until book three.
We still follow Kat and Damant, but we also follow...Tanith!!! I was SO annoyed with her, I don't think I even mentioned her in my review of book one? But yeah we started off with her and I was like "oh no". It took me a while to warm up to her, I won't lie, but her PoV was interesting and added a lot to the story.
The rest of the gang is back too, and more developed than ever. I think that's where this book thrives actually, if you had any complaints about Kat, or the others, you won't after this. So many new layers were added to each character (and the world!), it's a delight to read.
Now what may be a stumbling block for some, is that this series is generally slower paced. I wish I could say it got faster, but not really? In certain parts here and there sure, but it's very similar to book one in terms of pacing. I do think it's worth it though.
The vibes felt a bit different this time around, it could just be the world expansion rocking my sky ship (we couldn't have gotten through this review without a little sailing joke, no sir), or maybe I'm right and something is different, we'll see.
What I really appreciate, is how consistently good the writing is, how engaging and creative the story is, and how Mr Ward keeps throwing surprises my way even when I think he's all out of them.
I was once again left on the edge of my seat as I read the final page, only to be greeted with the glossary instead of more pages. Cue crowd boos!!! It was an amazing place to end the story to keep us wanting more, but that doesn't mean I didn't contemplate throwing my phone at the wall for a second there.
The glossary is also very useful, please never stop doing them! I'd even suggest a bit of a recap for the final book, because I feel like so much happened, I'm bound to forget a few things by next year.
As it is Pride Month, I have to mention that the lesbian rep is still good. And generally I also like the way Matthew Ward writes female characters. It reminds me of Richard Swan.
Ok, so, I have a year to think of a ship/sailing pun for book three, and you, yes, YOU reading this, have a year to catch up on books one and two, better make that time count!!!! But seriously, give this series a try, it needs more recognition, I promise it's so good, just listen to me.
*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
We still follow Kat and Damant, but we also follow...Tanith!!! I was SO annoyed with her, I don't think I even mentioned her in my review of book one? But yeah we started off with her and I was like "oh no". It took me a while to warm up to her, I won't lie, but her PoV was interesting and added a lot to the story.
The rest of the gang is back too, and more developed than ever. I think that's where this book thrives actually, if you had any complaints about Kat, or the others, you won't after this. So many new layers were added to each character (and the world!), it's a delight to read.
Now what may be a stumbling block for some, is that this series is generally slower paced. I wish I could say it got faster, but not really? In certain parts here and there sure, but it's very similar to book one in terms of pacing. I do think it's worth it though.
The vibes felt a bit different this time around, it could just be the world expansion rocking my sky ship (we couldn't have gotten through this review without a little sailing joke, no sir), or maybe I'm right and something is different, we'll see.
What I really appreciate, is how consistently good the writing is, how engaging and creative the story is, and how Mr Ward keeps throwing surprises my way even when I think he's all out of them.
I was once again left on the edge of my seat as I read the final page, only to be greeted with the glossary instead of more pages. Cue crowd boos!!! It was an amazing place to end the story to keep us wanting more, but that doesn't mean I didn't contemplate throwing my phone at the wall for a second there.
The glossary is also very useful, please never stop doing them! I'd even suggest a bit of a recap for the final book, because I feel like so much happened, I'm bound to forget a few things by next year.
As it is Pride Month, I have to mention that the lesbian rep is still good. And generally I also like the way Matthew Ward writes female characters. It reminds me of Richard Swan.
Ok, so, I have a year to think of a ship/sailing pun for book three, and you, yes, YOU reading this, have a year to catch up on books one and two, better make that time count!!!! But seriously, give this series a try, it needs more recognition, I promise it's so good, just listen to me.
*Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
March 26, 2024
There are always a couple of things that you always know you are going to get with a Matthew Ward book. The first is a thoroughly detailed world with a rich history and often a cool magic system that is associated with it. The second is characters who are so vividly drawn that they act and react in ways that make them utterly unpredictable and complex in the best way possible. His books are also slow burns that often unfold in a gradual yet intriguing way so that by the time the real action hits, the reader has a full depth of knowledge as to the ultimate stakes and ramifications. I would go so far as to say that Ward writes epic fantasy in the same manner that Tad Williams and Robin Hobb write high fantasy. This isn't instant-gratification, rather it requires a certain amount of investment. But that's also what makes it that much more rewarding in the end. This especially holds true in his latest series The Soulfire Saga, of which this book THE FIRE WITHIN THEM is the second installment.
This entertaining sequel really expands the story considerably and even gives us the additional viewpoint character of Tanith. I think this added to my enjoyment this time around because I felt like I was getting another view of the events that took place in the previous book, The Darkness Before Them. It's always good to change things up in my opinion and not following the same old characters through an entire series is certainly a crafty decision by Ward that really pays off. The good news for those who loved the characters from the first book is that many do return in this one and seeing how things have changed after the events that culminated book one was interesting to say the least. As I said earlier, Matthew Ward does have a special gift when it comes to the development of his characters.
I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible as this is the second book in a series so I will mainly focus on the things that I really connected with in the story and my feelings and emotional reaction while reading it. I will say that THE FIRE WITHIN THEM is a brilliant setup book for the ultimate conclusion, but that's not to say that it is a placeholder book by any means. Quite a lot happens, the bad guys do bad things, those who we are rooting for strategize and make plans to try to turn the tide in their direction, and along the way we are treated to some cool magic and a few intense action scenes that will leave you breathless and craving that final book once all is said and done.
If you appreciate thoughtful epic fantasy that is teeming with political strategy, warring factions, tyrannical leaders who desire absolute power, and worldbuilding that is deep and intricately constructed, then you will find much to love with this series. Ward has definitely created a great deal of suspense and intensity in THE FIRE WITHIN THEM which bodes really well for a potential crazy thriller of a finish. I personally cannot wait to see how this all ends and look forward to devouring the next book as soon as I get my hands on it. Do yourself a favor and read this series, and while you are waiting for the final book to be published, pick up Matthew Ward's previous series, the Legacy Trilogy. It's another brilliant epic fantasy series by him that will totally knock your socks off.
This entertaining sequel really expands the story considerably and even gives us the additional viewpoint character of Tanith. I think this added to my enjoyment this time around because I felt like I was getting another view of the events that took place in the previous book, The Darkness Before Them. It's always good to change things up in my opinion and not following the same old characters through an entire series is certainly a crafty decision by Ward that really pays off. The good news for those who loved the characters from the first book is that many do return in this one and seeing how things have changed after the events that culminated book one was interesting to say the least. As I said earlier, Matthew Ward does have a special gift when it comes to the development of his characters.
I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible as this is the second book in a series so I will mainly focus on the things that I really connected with in the story and my feelings and emotional reaction while reading it. I will say that THE FIRE WITHIN THEM is a brilliant setup book for the ultimate conclusion, but that's not to say that it is a placeholder book by any means. Quite a lot happens, the bad guys do bad things, those who we are rooting for strategize and make plans to try to turn the tide in their direction, and along the way we are treated to some cool magic and a few intense action scenes that will leave you breathless and craving that final book once all is said and done.
If you appreciate thoughtful epic fantasy that is teeming with political strategy, warring factions, tyrannical leaders who desire absolute power, and worldbuilding that is deep and intricately constructed, then you will find much to love with this series. Ward has definitely created a great deal of suspense and intensity in THE FIRE WITHIN THEM which bodes really well for a potential crazy thriller of a finish. I personally cannot wait to see how this all ends and look forward to devouring the next book as soon as I get my hands on it. Do yourself a favor and read this series, and while you are waiting for the final book to be published, pick up Matthew Ward's previous series, the Legacy Trilogy. It's another brilliant epic fantasy series by him that will totally knock your socks off.
June 9, 2024
Review available on JamReads
The Fire Within Them is the second instalment on the Soulfire Saga, an epic fantasy proposal written by Matthew Ward, and published by Orbit Books. We return to the kingdom of Khalad, ruled by the Eternity King, and to our two sisters who are still struggling; but we become spectators of their growth into a world which Wards expands and improves.
Kat is still searching for a cure for the debilitating illness that eventually will end with her; but this time, she's not only a rogue fighting against the nobility, as she has become part of the Vallant. Despite that, we can still see how she tends to struggle with asking for help, but it's still a kind soul, as it is reflected in her interactions with the rest of the characters. Finding the truth behind her father's secrets is not an easy task, and in general, we can see that Kat has too much on his mind.
Remember Tanith, Kat's half-sister? Well, she's back in a spectacular way, and Ward decides to include her as a POV; she's not so focused on eliminating Kat, but her own path will be enlightening around the secrets that are under the surface of Khalad. I found myself enjoying so much each time Tanith took the spotlight, as they are some of the best chapters of the book.
With the descriptive and evocative prose that characterizes his writing, Ward continues expanding and developing the world, connecting some threads that were introduced in The Darkness Before Them; similarly to the first book, we could say that the pacing is relatively slow at the start, putting all the pieces on the board and preparing all for a great finale that in reality, leaves more questions that need to be answered in book 3.
The Soulfire Saga is the perfect election if you want a big and expansive epic fantasy series, with a second instalment that continues developing the characters and that doesn't have a single dull moment; I can't wait to see how Ward wraps all in the final instalment. A seriously underrated writer that more people should check.
The Fire Within Them is the second instalment on the Soulfire Saga, an epic fantasy proposal written by Matthew Ward, and published by Orbit Books. We return to the kingdom of Khalad, ruled by the Eternity King, and to our two sisters who are still struggling; but we become spectators of their growth into a world which Wards expands and improves.
Kat is still searching for a cure for the debilitating illness that eventually will end with her; but this time, she's not only a rogue fighting against the nobility, as she has become part of the Vallant. Despite that, we can still see how she tends to struggle with asking for help, but it's still a kind soul, as it is reflected in her interactions with the rest of the characters. Finding the truth behind her father's secrets is not an easy task, and in general, we can see that Kat has too much on his mind.
Remember Tanith, Kat's half-sister? Well, she's back in a spectacular way, and Ward decides to include her as a POV; she's not so focused on eliminating Kat, but her own path will be enlightening around the secrets that are under the surface of Khalad. I found myself enjoying so much each time Tanith took the spotlight, as they are some of the best chapters of the book.
With the descriptive and evocative prose that characterizes his writing, Ward continues expanding and developing the world, connecting some threads that were introduced in The Darkness Before Them; similarly to the first book, we could say that the pacing is relatively slow at the start, putting all the pieces on the board and preparing all for a great finale that in reality, leaves more questions that need to be answered in book 3.
The Soulfire Saga is the perfect election if you want a big and expansive epic fantasy series, with a second instalment that continues developing the characters and that doesn't have a single dull moment; I can't wait to see how Ward wraps all in the final instalment. A seriously underrated writer that more people should check.
June 9, 2024
The Fire Within Them is book 2 in the Soulfire Trilogy.
Wow, what a book.
This is a fantastic follow-up to the previous book, The Darkness Before Them. We have 3 POV's in this instalment, Kat, Damant, and Kat's half-sister Tanith. For fans of fantasy who like the slow burn with a great payoff at the end.
With its great world building, political intrigue, and a complex magical system, I highly recommend it. I am looking forward to the next book.
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC
Wow, what a book.
This is a fantastic follow-up to the previous book, The Darkness Before Them. We have 3 POV's in this instalment, Kat, Damant, and Kat's half-sister Tanith. For fans of fantasy who like the slow burn with a great payoff at the end.
With its great world building, political intrigue, and a complex magical system, I highly recommend it. I am looking forward to the next book.
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC
June 24, 2025
9/10
Oh this was so excellent. The last 200 pages were actually so perfect and made me feel insane. I’m really getting attached to these characters now and I’m terrified for book 3!!!
Oh this was so excellent. The last 200 pages were actually so perfect and made me feel insane. I’m really getting attached to these characters now and I’m terrified for book 3!!!
July 22, 2024
Thank you to Orbit and Angela Man for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was a big fan of the first book in this series, The Darkness Before Them, and I was really looking forward to starting this one. Not just because the story ended on a cliffhanger, although that did play a role. And after a quick reread of book one, I was ready to start this book.
The pace of this story was about the same as the first book. It was kind of meandering, but it allowed for plenty of room for the plot to unfold, as well as character interactions and growth. There was some action, but it also felt like Ward was strategizing, moving around chess pieces to set up a bigger payout in book three, where a big showdown is going to have to occur. The stakes are higher in this book, but I’m willing to bet that the next book in this series is going to be epic.
Although the story was a slower-moving one, it worked out beautifully because the character development has the space to shine. And there is so much more character development in this book than in the previous one. We have three POV characters in this book—Katija, Tanith, and Damant, and each of them provides much-needed insight into the story.
Kat is a character that we already know well, but we get to see a different side of her in this book. She has omen rot, and for a woman who has only been able to rely on herself for most of her life, asking for help is obviously difficult for her. But in order to get by, she especially as she gets sicker and the plot gets more involved, it’s something she’s going to have to learn how to do. Showing vulnerability doesn’t come naturally to Kat, but now that she’s found a family’s worth of people who care about her, they’re all willing and ready to be there for Kat, as soon as she asks.
Tanith was a character that I truly disliked in the last book, especially once I got to see who she was and what she was really about. So I wasn’t thrilled to see her as a main character in this book with so many POV chapters. Fortunately, she grew on me, and I got to see a different and more human (no pun intended) side of her. Instead of being a surface-level character, we got more in-depth development for Tanith, and she ended up being a complex, multifaceted character. I found myself enjoying her chapters more once I knew her a little better and got through the surface persona to know who she was underneath the mask.
There aren’t as many Damant chapters as the two women, but he provides a nice balance to them. Damant was the guy who tried to do the right thing in the last book, and now he’s settling into a morally gray lifestyle, although I could also argue the opposite for this book—working with the Bascari family was his morally gray period and now he’s actually trying to do the right thing and be a good guy, depending on which way you’re looking at the situation.
Overall, I’m still loving this fantastic series. Despite all the jokes out there about men writing women, Ward actually does a wonderful job with writing a series with many female characters. There’s great queer representation in the story, especially with the resurgence of Azra/Yennika Bascari in Kat’s life, and all of the baggage that accompanies that relationship, not to mention how tangled up Kat is with both Azra and Yennika, and how much work she did in the last book to heal. Since this is such an involved and complex story, I would love to see a quick summation of the story thus far, like I’ve seen in some other books. And of course this book leaves off on another cliffhanger, so I’ll be quietly suffering until the next book comes out. But I can easily recommend this to my fellow fantasy readers.
I was a big fan of the first book in this series, The Darkness Before Them, and I was really looking forward to starting this one. Not just because the story ended on a cliffhanger, although that did play a role. And after a quick reread of book one, I was ready to start this book.
The pace of this story was about the same as the first book. It was kind of meandering, but it allowed for plenty of room for the plot to unfold, as well as character interactions and growth. There was some action, but it also felt like Ward was strategizing, moving around chess pieces to set up a bigger payout in book three, where a big showdown is going to have to occur. The stakes are higher in this book, but I’m willing to bet that the next book in this series is going to be epic.
Although the story was a slower-moving one, it worked out beautifully because the character development has the space to shine. And there is so much more character development in this book than in the previous one. We have three POV characters in this book—Katija, Tanith, and Damant, and each of them provides much-needed insight into the story.
Kat is a character that we already know well, but we get to see a different side of her in this book. She has omen rot, and for a woman who has only been able to rely on herself for most of her life, asking for help is obviously difficult for her. But in order to get by, she especially as she gets sicker and the plot gets more involved, it’s something she’s going to have to learn how to do. Showing vulnerability doesn’t come naturally to Kat, but now that she’s found a family’s worth of people who care about her, they’re all willing and ready to be there for Kat, as soon as she asks.
Tanith was a character that I truly disliked in the last book, especially once I got to see who she was and what she was really about. So I wasn’t thrilled to see her as a main character in this book with so many POV chapters. Fortunately, she grew on me, and I got to see a different and more human (no pun intended) side of her. Instead of being a surface-level character, we got more in-depth development for Tanith, and she ended up being a complex, multifaceted character. I found myself enjoying her chapters more once I knew her a little better and got through the surface persona to know who she was underneath the mask.
There aren’t as many Damant chapters as the two women, but he provides a nice balance to them. Damant was the guy who tried to do the right thing in the last book, and now he’s settling into a morally gray lifestyle, although I could also argue the opposite for this book—working with the Bascari family was his morally gray period and now he’s actually trying to do the right thing and be a good guy, depending on which way you’re looking at the situation.
Overall, I’m still loving this fantastic series. Despite all the jokes out there about men writing women, Ward actually does a wonderful job with writing a series with many female characters. There’s great queer representation in the story, especially with the resurgence of Azra/Yennika Bascari in Kat’s life, and all of the baggage that accompanies that relationship, not to mention how tangled up Kat is with both Azra and Yennika, and how much work she did in the last book to heal. Since this is such an involved and complex story, I would love to see a quick summation of the story thus far, like I’ve seen in some other books. And of course this book leaves off on another cliffhanger, so I’ll be quietly suffering until the next book comes out. But I can easily recommend this to my fellow fantasy readers.
June 8, 2024
Events take a surprising and welcome turn in this second part of a trilogy with new focuses on characters; evolving situation plus gods, magic and cults to battle. Highly recommended and a lot of fun to read
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
April 22, 2025
4.25/5 stars! This is the second book in the Soulfire Saga by author Matthew Ward. I enjoyed book one and this picks up with lots of intrigue and action. I loved learning more about the omen rot and the scientific angle of trying to find a cure while everything else was happening. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
November 26, 2025
After the battle of Atenoch between Vallant’s rebels and the Bascari army, the city of Tyzanta is finally free from the rule of the fireblood family and has become a beacon of rebellion against the tyranny of the Eternity King. Kat, after miraculously surviving the Deadwinds, is however now afflicted with omen rot, the same terminal illness that has taken away her mother, while also completely losing her ability to use her glyph-tattoo. In order to find a way to cure herself - if there’s any - Kat and her trusted companions are looking for her father’s researches and experiments, and while doing so, they stumble upon a mysterious relationship between Kat’s father and an old, heretic cult that professes the existence of a third face of their goddess beside Nyssa Benevolas and Nyssa Iudexas, the Obsidium Cult.
This cult, led by the fervent Ardoc, believes that the true face of Nyssa has been imprisoned in the Stars Below by the Eternity King and they want to free her. To do so, Ardoc recruits a barely alive Tanith, who also survived the Deadwinds. Giving her a home where she can feel safe, Ardoc also teaches Tanith to keep at bay her demon’s hunger. For the first time in her life, Tanith feels accepted and, after meeting with Esram, a naive boy whom she falls in love with, Tanith starts to find a new purpose in her life. After surviving the Deadwinds, she has gotten a second chance and she wants to use it to decide who she really wants to be, without letting the monster inside her get the better of her.
But Tanith is not the only one to get a second chance to “redeem” herself. After meeting Azra/Yennica by chance, and after resolving and setting aside their past issues, Kat is ready to forgive her ex-lover - whom she still loves despite everything. Her life inexorably running toward its end, she doesn’t want to have any regrets, and that’s also why she is determined to meet her sister again, which happens by chance during an attempt to save Tanith’s mother. The occasion turns into a sort of family reunion where both Kat and Tanith let go of whatever resentment they had toward each other.
Someone else is also settling their past: Rima, followed by ex-catellan Damant, has to face the phantoms of her past. Kidnapped by her people, she is brought back to her eternal kingdom in Tadamur, a city that seems everything but alive, where people who age but never die go on without actually living. Her grandfather, the King, wants Rima to abide by her responsibilities as the Principessa and take over the throne. But doing so would mean for Rima, who has left her people in order to avoid a destiny of servitude of a soulless city, to lose herself. With the help of Damant, Rima is able to save herself and destroy the forces that were eating the city’s souls, thus destroying the city itself and its people.
The "trip" to the ancient city of Tadamur and the following escape through the Stars Below open Damant’s eyes on the uncanny similarities between Tadamur’s first Queen and Nyssa, to the point he starts doubting about how much of Kahlad’s faith in the goddess is true and how much of it is it taken from the previous kingdoms that had ruled over it.
In the meantime, in the capital Zariqaz, the Obsidium Cult is ultimating their plans, sending Tanith to kill the Voice, the young heiress to the throne who speaks with the voice of the Eternity King. Close to accomplishing the plan, she is stopped by Kat who, together with Azra, Yali and Tatterlain, has been sort of hired to protect the Voice. Tanith, who can’t and won’t fight her sister, fails in her duty, causing Ardoc's resentment, whom she was starting to see as a father. Because of her insubordination, she is trapped inside the Stars Below, amongst scary creatures and her increasing, uncontrollable demon hunger that Ardoc cruelly lets her satisfy on the dead body of her lover Esram.
Having saved the Voice, Kat and her companions are brought inside the King’s palace, where she meets the Eternity King, a corpse inside a column of magenta flames, who proposes her to let him study her glyph-tattoo - as he believes it can be a useful weapon against the forces trying to destroy his kingdom - in exchange of curing her illness and giving her tattoo its power back. Kat is wary at first, but after talking with her friends and her lover, she realises that what she wants the most is to keep living and so she accepts the King’s offer.
the review contains major spoilers from now on
I have enjoyed this book way more than the first one. The second installment in the Soulfire Saga is a book full of twists and shocking revelations. Dealing with themes of redemption and second chances, some successful like Tanith’s, others failed like Azra’s (whose selfishness won over Kat’s forgiveness); of settling the past and cutting ties with it; of revealing the lies behind one’s own beliefs and memories, The Fire Within Them is a story about finding one’s own true purpose and one’s own place even in a world full of lies and on the brink of chaos.
This cult, led by the fervent Ardoc, believes that the true face of Nyssa has been imprisoned in the Stars Below by the Eternity King and they want to free her. To do so, Ardoc recruits a barely alive Tanith, who also survived the Deadwinds. Giving her a home where she can feel safe, Ardoc also teaches Tanith to keep at bay her demon’s hunger. For the first time in her life, Tanith feels accepted and, after meeting with Esram, a naive boy whom she falls in love with, Tanith starts to find a new purpose in her life. After surviving the Deadwinds, she has gotten a second chance and she wants to use it to decide who she really wants to be, without letting the monster inside her get the better of her.
But Tanith is not the only one to get a second chance to “redeem” herself. After meeting Azra/Yennica by chance, and after resolving and setting aside their past issues, Kat is ready to forgive her ex-lover - whom she still loves despite everything. Her life inexorably running toward its end, she doesn’t want to have any regrets, and that’s also why she is determined to meet her sister again, which happens by chance during an attempt to save Tanith’s mother. The occasion turns into a sort of family reunion where both Kat and Tanith let go of whatever resentment they had toward each other.
Someone else is also settling their past: Rima, followed by ex-catellan Damant, has to face the phantoms of her past. Kidnapped by her people, she is brought back to her eternal kingdom in Tadamur, a city that seems everything but alive, where people who age but never die go on without actually living. Her grandfather, the King, wants Rima to abide by her responsibilities as the Principessa and take over the throne. But doing so would mean for Rima, who has left her people in order to avoid a destiny of servitude of a soulless city, to lose herself. With the help of Damant, Rima is able to save herself and destroy the forces that were eating the city’s souls, thus destroying the city itself and its people.
The "trip" to the ancient city of Tadamur and the following escape through the Stars Below open Damant’s eyes on the uncanny similarities between Tadamur’s first Queen and Nyssa, to the point he starts doubting about how much of Kahlad’s faith in the goddess is true and how much of it is it taken from the previous kingdoms that had ruled over it.
In the meantime, in the capital Zariqaz, the Obsidium Cult is ultimating their plans, sending Tanith to kill the Voice, the young heiress to the throne who speaks with the voice of the Eternity King. Close to accomplishing the plan, she is stopped by Kat who, together with Azra, Yali and Tatterlain, has been sort of hired to protect the Voice. Tanith, who can’t and won’t fight her sister, fails in her duty, causing Ardoc's resentment, whom she was starting to see as a father. Because of her insubordination, she is trapped inside the Stars Below, amongst scary creatures and her increasing, uncontrollable demon hunger that Ardoc cruelly lets her satisfy on the dead body of her lover Esram.
Having saved the Voice, Kat and her companions are brought inside the King’s palace, where she meets the Eternity King, a corpse inside a column of magenta flames, who proposes her to let him study her glyph-tattoo - as he believes it can be a useful weapon against the forces trying to destroy his kingdom - in exchange of curing her illness and giving her tattoo its power back. Kat is wary at first, but after talking with her friends and her lover, she realises that what she wants the most is to keep living and so she accepts the King’s offer.
the review contains major spoilers from now on
I have enjoyed this book way more than the first one. The second installment in the Soulfire Saga is a book full of twists and shocking revelations. Dealing with themes of redemption and second chances, some successful like Tanith’s, others failed like Azra’s (whose selfishness won over Kat’s forgiveness); of settling the past and cutting ties with it; of revealing the lies behind one’s own beliefs and memories, The Fire Within Them is a story about finding one’s own true purpose and one’s own place even in a world full of lies and on the brink of chaos.
July 9, 2024
I’ve come to expect complexity and unexpected twists in Ward’s books and, while The Fire Within Them provided some, none of them were really surprising and I found I could predict the major ones. Sadly, this trilogy isn’t shaping up to be as complicated and layered as his first trilogy, but I still appreciate the smaller scale and fewer layers as it really brings the characters into focus. It’s where the characters are that things are the most interesting, because they’re interesting with deep needs and wants and desperation, and I really like the story between half-sisters Kat and Tanith. While this isn’t and hasn’t been what I keep hoping it’ll be, I’m interested to see where the story goes and what will ultimately happen to the characters.
After the events of the first book, Kat, accompanied by some of Vallant’s followers, has made her way to Zariqaz, where Caradan Diar, Khalad’s eternal king, rules from, using his young descendant Isdihar to serve as his Voice. Here, she thinks she’ll find her sister Tanith, but she also discovers her late father’s associates have all either vanished or died. She does discover, though, a puzzling journal, and a way to see her father’s married lover who has been locked up by her husband. Meanwhile, Tanith has fallen into the middle of a movement to bring Nyssa’s third face back into the world. Desperate to be loved, or at least liked, she has an unexpected romance that keeps her off-balance, and is surrounded by secrets if she’ll only look hard enough. As this movement and the Eternity King hurl towards a confrontation, a deep world is revealed and a frightening being moves to become a major player, revealing secrets that could make a fraught sisterly bond stronger.
It’s the characters that make this trilogy for me. They’re flawed, they have secrets, they have needs and wants, and they have changing allegiances. I was disappointed two of my favorite characters from the first book seemed so diminished in this one, and they had their own journey to make that didn’t always make a ton of sense to me. It felt more like a long aside in order to explore the history of the world and an ancient people than an integral part of the story, so I’m hoping it comes into play in the third book and makes complete sense. I did like how their story tied into the rest of the story, but it somehow managed to feel more tangential than relevant. On the other hand, I love the sisters, and I love them even more when they’re together. Unfortunately, they spend a lot of this book separated. While I enjoyed Tanith’s story, I found Kat’s to be a little lackluster and even meandering. Where I felt Kat and Damant were the heart of the first book, here I felt it was Tanith. She had the more interesting and compelling story line, and I really found myself feeling for her. She has it much tougher, and it would be so easy to give in, but she’s quite the fighter and I found myself absolutely loving her.
The thing I loved best about the first book was that it focused more on family relationships than romance. The close friendships and family the characters formed were heartwarming and I loved watching them continue to play out in this book. The friendship between Kat and Yali is one of my favorites, and I love how everyone works hard to include Yali, who can only communicate through a form of sign language (but she’s amazing and I need one of her in my life). But The Fire Within Them decided to give both sisters a romantic subplot. I wasn’t keen on either of them because one felt too desperate and the other always felt like someone had something up her sleeve and, as much as Kat wanted to trust, it just never felt like a good idea and I found myself exasperated. The friendships, though, and the growing relationship between the sisters, were really lovely, and I can’t wait to see Kat and Tanith in action in the last book. They started so far apart, so I’ve really loved watching them come together, especially since they now seem to have a common enemy.
I do like, though, that, where the first book revolved around a rebellion, this second book is really finally getting into the meat of the story. It did feel a little sudden to be including this goddess and her desire for a corporal form, but I guess there were enough breadcrumbs leading up to it, starting well before the start of this story. The rebellion seems like just a small part in the grand scheme of everything going on, so I find myself mildly curious about what role it’ll play in the last book. Honestly, most of this one felt like little more than setup for the last book. There are no major twists and turns, nothing that will completely turn everything on its head. The whole story is rather straightforward and lacks the complexity I enjoyed in the author’s first trilogy. But I do appreciate the narrowed focus on the characters.
Fortunately, the world, as narrowed as it is, is interesting. I love the idea of traveling the skies, and the dangers that lie there and on the ground. There’s a fascinating mythology woven in in this book, and I feel like I got a lot of strong glimpses. I’m intrigued to see how it’ll develop in the last book. I loved the imagery it conjured in my head, and I want more. The world building is as I would expect from Ward, but it feels a lot less complex, making it easier to slip into the world and understand it. I have so many questions and I like to think that they’re slowly being answered. While I still can’t quite picture these cities where they’re built on top of what came before, I like the idea of it. I just find it really hard to picture towering cities. There’s a whole other world, too, that’s introduced, and I’m just so fascinated and intrigued by it, but I really don’t understand it, how it exists, or what it is.
The Fire Within Them feels like a fairly standard middle book. It has some surprises and twists and turns, but I found much of it to be predictable and the rest of it to be little more than setup for the last book. There were some sequences that felt more like filler with some world building worked into them. I’m disappointed this isn’t more complex and layered, but I find I’m mostly here for the relationships between the characters. The sisters are fantastic together, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
After the events of the first book, Kat, accompanied by some of Vallant’s followers, has made her way to Zariqaz, where Caradan Diar, Khalad’s eternal king, rules from, using his young descendant Isdihar to serve as his Voice. Here, she thinks she’ll find her sister Tanith, but she also discovers her late father’s associates have all either vanished or died. She does discover, though, a puzzling journal, and a way to see her father’s married lover who has been locked up by her husband. Meanwhile, Tanith has fallen into the middle of a movement to bring Nyssa’s third face back into the world. Desperate to be loved, or at least liked, she has an unexpected romance that keeps her off-balance, and is surrounded by secrets if she’ll only look hard enough. As this movement and the Eternity King hurl towards a confrontation, a deep world is revealed and a frightening being moves to become a major player, revealing secrets that could make a fraught sisterly bond stronger.
It’s the characters that make this trilogy for me. They’re flawed, they have secrets, they have needs and wants, and they have changing allegiances. I was disappointed two of my favorite characters from the first book seemed so diminished in this one, and they had their own journey to make that didn’t always make a ton of sense to me. It felt more like a long aside in order to explore the history of the world and an ancient people than an integral part of the story, so I’m hoping it comes into play in the third book and makes complete sense. I did like how their story tied into the rest of the story, but it somehow managed to feel more tangential than relevant. On the other hand, I love the sisters, and I love them even more when they’re together. Unfortunately, they spend a lot of this book separated. While I enjoyed Tanith’s story, I found Kat’s to be a little lackluster and even meandering. Where I felt Kat and Damant were the heart of the first book, here I felt it was Tanith. She had the more interesting and compelling story line, and I really found myself feeling for her. She has it much tougher, and it would be so easy to give in, but she’s quite the fighter and I found myself absolutely loving her.
The thing I loved best about the first book was that it focused more on family relationships than romance. The close friendships and family the characters formed were heartwarming and I loved watching them continue to play out in this book. The friendship between Kat and Yali is one of my favorites, and I love how everyone works hard to include Yali, who can only communicate through a form of sign language (but she’s amazing and I need one of her in my life). But The Fire Within Them decided to give both sisters a romantic subplot. I wasn’t keen on either of them because one felt too desperate and the other always felt like someone had something up her sleeve and, as much as Kat wanted to trust, it just never felt like a good idea and I found myself exasperated. The friendships, though, and the growing relationship between the sisters, were really lovely, and I can’t wait to see Kat and Tanith in action in the last book. They started so far apart, so I’ve really loved watching them come together, especially since they now seem to have a common enemy.
I do like, though, that, where the first book revolved around a rebellion, this second book is really finally getting into the meat of the story. It did feel a little sudden to be including this goddess and her desire for a corporal form, but I guess there were enough breadcrumbs leading up to it, starting well before the start of this story. The rebellion seems like just a small part in the grand scheme of everything going on, so I find myself mildly curious about what role it’ll play in the last book. Honestly, most of this one felt like little more than setup for the last book. There are no major twists and turns, nothing that will completely turn everything on its head. The whole story is rather straightforward and lacks the complexity I enjoyed in the author’s first trilogy. But I do appreciate the narrowed focus on the characters.
Fortunately, the world, as narrowed as it is, is interesting. I love the idea of traveling the skies, and the dangers that lie there and on the ground. There’s a fascinating mythology woven in in this book, and I feel like I got a lot of strong glimpses. I’m intrigued to see how it’ll develop in the last book. I loved the imagery it conjured in my head, and I want more. The world building is as I would expect from Ward, but it feels a lot less complex, making it easier to slip into the world and understand it. I have so many questions and I like to think that they’re slowly being answered. While I still can’t quite picture these cities where they’re built on top of what came before, I like the idea of it. I just find it really hard to picture towering cities. There’s a whole other world, too, that’s introduced, and I’m just so fascinated and intrigued by it, but I really don’t understand it, how it exists, or what it is.
The Fire Within Them feels like a fairly standard middle book. It has some surprises and twists and turns, but I found much of it to be predictable and the rest of it to be little more than setup for the last book. There were some sequences that felt more like filler with some world building worked into them. I’m disappointed this isn’t more complex and layered, but I find I’m mostly here for the relationships between the characters. The sisters are fantastic together, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
June 11, 2025
Great premise, rough execution. The things I liked about the first book (political intrigue, complex characters, dramatic relationships) were missing here. The connective tissue between characters was pulled thin and the twists dropped too late. Read more like a standalone in the same universe than a trilogy entry - we went from “thief joins rebellion” to “mystery cult” - what was the point of book one? Not sure I’ll finish the series.
March 26, 2024
The second book of the Soulfire Saga, "The Fire Within Them", fits well as a 2nd book in a trilogy. We return to Katija (Kat) Arvish adjusting to her changed life, from the events of the debut book "The Darkness Before Them", and it's a mixed bag for her, in her current state.
Let's review her position, what's going well for her and what's not going well for her:
Pros:
1) Kat is no longer living on the streets
2) Kat has friends now, a very unfamiliar concept to her for most of her life. Rima, Tatterlain, and Yali. Even Damant, to an extent.
3) She is in a position where she can pursue her own goals, without Bashar Vallant and the rebellion demanding too much out of her.
4) Her half-sister Tanith is not trying to kill her...yet
Cons:
1) Kat is hardly any closer to discovering secrets regarding the dubious circumstances regarding her father- his notes, his romantic relation with the Countess (Tanith's mother)
2) She is still dealing with chronic worsening pain from the curse she suffered at the end of the first book. She will do anything for a cure, but she does not want to burden her friends
3) Kat is not over her ex-girlfriend Azra/Yennika Bascari- even with the deception and manipulating Azra/Yennika pulled on her, she can't help but think of her...in both good and bad ways.
4) She has no idea about Tanith's whereabouts, to go along with the unknown about Yennika's location
No kidding, Kat has a lot on her mind. In her quest to make sense of these changing times, trying to get healthy and stay safe, she is dragged back into a conflict- but this time, not involving the rebels. This time, it is involving the Obsidium (not "Obsidian") Cult, and their connections to her father in the past and Tanith in the present.
Speaking of Tanith, she is given her point of view. She survived the events at the end of the first book, but she's at the lowest of lows. Alone, injured, and the daemon within her isn't relenting. When the Obsidium Cult comes around, she finds opportunities that she has never had before.
Damant returns as a point of view, rounding the POV cast off at three. Now employed by Valiant with the rebellion, he cannot forget or forgive his inaction throughout much of his life. But he feels that with his current position, that he is not doing enough. With another conflict opening up alongside Kat's one with the Obsidium Cult, Damant jumps at the opportunity to truly create positive change.
The characters, main, recurring, and side, are all terrific and expanded upon from the last book. The setting, magic, and world building is the strongest part of these books, and they continue to be Ward's strength throughout his writing. The pacing improves on the first book too- I regarded it as a weakness beforehand, but there is improvement there. The plot progression has a firm ending sequence too. There's once again, a pretty large scale reveal in this book. Though not quite the "Azra is Yennika" bombshell of the first book, it caught me completely off guard. The general prose and also the heavy reliance on world-specific terms still remain slight weaknesses. It wasn't a deal breaker though, as the Glossary really helped out with some of these terms (thank you very much for that!).
Overall, this was a good second book, setting the events up for the final book of the trilogy. Matthew Ward is one of the most purely creative authors in the genre. I give this a 4/5 rating.
(Received ARC from Orbit though Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)
Let's review her position, what's going well for her and what's not going well for her:
Pros:
1) Kat is no longer living on the streets
2) Kat has friends now, a very unfamiliar concept to her for most of her life. Rima, Tatterlain, and Yali. Even Damant, to an extent.
3) She is in a position where she can pursue her own goals, without Bashar Vallant and the rebellion demanding too much out of her.
4) Her half-sister Tanith is not trying to kill her...yet
Cons:
1) Kat is hardly any closer to discovering secrets regarding the dubious circumstances regarding her father- his notes, his romantic relation with the Countess (Tanith's mother)
2) She is still dealing with chronic worsening pain from the curse she suffered at the end of the first book. She will do anything for a cure, but she does not want to burden her friends
3) Kat is not over her ex-girlfriend Azra/Yennika Bascari- even with the deception and manipulating Azra/Yennika pulled on her, she can't help but think of her...in both good and bad ways.
4) She has no idea about Tanith's whereabouts, to go along with the unknown about Yennika's location
No kidding, Kat has a lot on her mind. In her quest to make sense of these changing times, trying to get healthy and stay safe, she is dragged back into a conflict- but this time, not involving the rebels. This time, it is involving the Obsidium (not "Obsidian") Cult, and their connections to her father in the past and Tanith in the present.
Speaking of Tanith, she is given her point of view. She survived the events at the end of the first book, but she's at the lowest of lows. Alone, injured, and the daemon within her isn't relenting. When the Obsidium Cult comes around, she finds opportunities that she has never had before.
Damant returns as a point of view, rounding the POV cast off at three. Now employed by Valiant with the rebellion, he cannot forget or forgive his inaction throughout much of his life. But he feels that with his current position, that he is not doing enough. With another conflict opening up alongside Kat's one with the Obsidium Cult, Damant jumps at the opportunity to truly create positive change.
The characters, main, recurring, and side, are all terrific and expanded upon from the last book. The setting, magic, and world building is the strongest part of these books, and they continue to be Ward's strength throughout his writing. The pacing improves on the first book too- I regarded it as a weakness beforehand, but there is improvement there. The plot progression has a firm ending sequence too. There's once again, a pretty large scale reveal in this book. Though not quite the "Azra is Yennika" bombshell of the first book, it caught me completely off guard. The general prose and also the heavy reliance on world-specific terms still remain slight weaknesses. It wasn't a deal breaker though, as the Glossary really helped out with some of these terms (thank you very much for that!).
Overall, this was a good second book, setting the events up for the final book of the trilogy. Matthew Ward is one of the most purely creative authors in the genre. I give this a 4/5 rating.
(Received ARC from Orbit though Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)
October 24, 2024
Enthralling, unique, and adventurous, Matthew Ward delivers a riptide of brilliant ideas sure to pull you straight back into the Soulfire Saga with The Fire Within Them.
Mere months have passed since infamous thief and skelder Katjia Arvish channeled the deadwinds to win a brutal battle for power and save the kingdom of Khalad. But the fallout of such a victory has taken her plummeting to new depths. Her body is failing - consumed by a rot that stretches all the way into her soul. Her friends are dwindling, pulled thin by politics of the present and responsibilities of the past. Her family, of what little still exists, is holding on by mere threads. And if she wants a chance at survival, she’ll have to dive into an ancient history of magic, of souls, and of gods older than both.
Picking up in the relative aftermath of The Darkness Before Them (Book 1 of The Soulfire Saga), Matt Ward returns to his exceptionally inventive and unique world to deliver a wild ride of action and adventure. And while the politics and twists aren’t quite as deeply rooted in this sequel, the quality and compelling nature with which it is written still dazzles.
The characters, a continuation of our assembled, lovable core from book one, continue to shine in a found-family relationship, and the snark and wit with which they interact is so wholesome. The stakes, somehow growing both larger in scale and tighter in intimacy, are brilliantly laid out - especially as they ramp through the rising action. The plot, as is always a treat with a Matthew Ward book, is as windy as you could possibly imagine, interlinking at all the right points of convergence and never straying to dally.
But what continues to make this series shine are the ideas present and the prose used to weave them together.
Souls as magic, ancient, hive-mind cities, rail-runners that operate through glyphs, and weapons capable of killing the immortal are just some of the many concepts in this world that continue to surprise. But no matter the subject matter of the scene, it cannot be over-stated that Matthew Ward is a brilliant line writer. His skill at crafting cadence and sentence structure is a treat to read, especially as it pours through an immaculate vocabulary. Each and every page of this novel is littered with complexity, but it never feels like a chore to digest - and that is the mark of someone truly adept with the pen.
Thus, if you love big ideas crafted to excite, and a plot that steams by, all wrapped up by the hands of a master, look no further than The Soulfire Saga.
Mere months have passed since infamous thief and skelder Katjia Arvish channeled the deadwinds to win a brutal battle for power and save the kingdom of Khalad. But the fallout of such a victory has taken her plummeting to new depths. Her body is failing - consumed by a rot that stretches all the way into her soul. Her friends are dwindling, pulled thin by politics of the present and responsibilities of the past. Her family, of what little still exists, is holding on by mere threads. And if she wants a chance at survival, she’ll have to dive into an ancient history of magic, of souls, and of gods older than both.
Picking up in the relative aftermath of The Darkness Before Them (Book 1 of The Soulfire Saga), Matt Ward returns to his exceptionally inventive and unique world to deliver a wild ride of action and adventure. And while the politics and twists aren’t quite as deeply rooted in this sequel, the quality and compelling nature with which it is written still dazzles.
The characters, a continuation of our assembled, lovable core from book one, continue to shine in a found-family relationship, and the snark and wit with which they interact is so wholesome. The stakes, somehow growing both larger in scale and tighter in intimacy, are brilliantly laid out - especially as they ramp through the rising action. The plot, as is always a treat with a Matthew Ward book, is as windy as you could possibly imagine, interlinking at all the right points of convergence and never straying to dally.
But what continues to make this series shine are the ideas present and the prose used to weave them together.
Souls as magic, ancient, hive-mind cities, rail-runners that operate through glyphs, and weapons capable of killing the immortal are just some of the many concepts in this world that continue to surprise. But no matter the subject matter of the scene, it cannot be over-stated that Matthew Ward is a brilliant line writer. His skill at crafting cadence and sentence structure is a treat to read, especially as it pours through an immaculate vocabulary. Each and every page of this novel is littered with complexity, but it never feels like a chore to digest - and that is the mark of someone truly adept with the pen.
Thus, if you love big ideas crafted to excite, and a plot that steams by, all wrapped up by the hands of a master, look no further than The Soulfire Saga.
July 26, 2024
Matthew Ward (https://thetowerofstars.com) is the author of more than a dozen novels. The Fire Within Them was published last month and is the second of his Soulfire Saga series. It is the 58th book I completed reading in 2024.
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.
This novel picks up shortly after the first one ends, and most of the characters carry forward. Tanith Floranz has been reborn and is sustaining herself by feeding on the souls of others. She has become a follower of Ardoc. He has been sharing his view of wisdom with the people in his Obsidium Cult.
The Kingdom of Khalad is torn between the establishment and the rebellion being led by Bashar Vallant. The city of Tyzanta supports the rebels, and other cities are following suit. The rebel cause has grown to the point where they can challenge Khalad’s immortal king Caradan Diar.
Kat has contracted the deadly omen rot after channeling the Deadwinds to save Athenoch. She tries to keep her affliction a secret while she seeks cure. Her search uncovers many secrets. Some of her own family, others about the kingdom itself.
The ancient swordstress Rîma’s father wants her to come home and ascend to the throne. She and Ihsan Damant must repulse attacks by a Hadîm. He has been sent to bring Rîma home. Rîma and Damant venture deep into the Earth to find her home.
Ardoc leads his cult into the caverns, to the Stars Below. They desire to release Tzal. The cult believes Tzal is a new god that will save them. In reality, Tzal is an ancient enemy of the Issnaîm. It was they who had imprisoned him many years ago. This all leads to a massive confrontation in the caverns.
I enjoyed the 18.5+ hours I spent reading this 584-page fantasy. I had the opportunity to read the prior novel in this series, The Darkness Before Them. These have both been enjoyable reads. Both books are lengthy, action-packed adventures. The plot follows different groups as they traverse their independent paths, only for all to be brought together in a final confrontation. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as R.
This novel picks up shortly after the first one ends, and most of the characters carry forward. Tanith Floranz has been reborn and is sustaining herself by feeding on the souls of others. She has become a follower of Ardoc. He has been sharing his view of wisdom with the people in his Obsidium Cult.
The Kingdom of Khalad is torn between the establishment and the rebellion being led by Bashar Vallant. The city of Tyzanta supports the rebels, and other cities are following suit. The rebel cause has grown to the point where they can challenge Khalad’s immortal king Caradan Diar.
Kat has contracted the deadly omen rot after channeling the Deadwinds to save Athenoch. She tries to keep her affliction a secret while she seeks cure. Her search uncovers many secrets. Some of her own family, others about the kingdom itself.
The ancient swordstress Rîma’s father wants her to come home and ascend to the throne. She and Ihsan Damant must repulse attacks by a Hadîm. He has been sent to bring Rîma home. Rîma and Damant venture deep into the Earth to find her home.
Ardoc leads his cult into the caverns, to the Stars Below. They desire to release Tzal. The cult believes Tzal is a new god that will save them. In reality, Tzal is an ancient enemy of the Issnaîm. It was they who had imprisoned him many years ago. This all leads to a massive confrontation in the caverns.
I enjoyed the 18.5+ hours I spent reading this 584-page fantasy. I had the opportunity to read the prior novel in this series, The Darkness Before Them. These have both been enjoyable reads. Both books are lengthy, action-packed adventures. The plot follows different groups as they traverse their independent paths, only for all to be brought together in a final confrontation. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
June 11, 2024
Katija feels her soul is deteriorating from the inside out. Omen rot is creeping through her body one inch at a time, starting from her ruined tattoo. Now that she has friends and family, she has little interest in dying, even if she refuses to tell them of her illness. During her search for a cure, life as she knows it crumbles around her. Answers only lead to more questions. Old lovers reappear…and the past catches up with more characters than only Kat. Tanith, Rîma, Vallant, Ihsan Damant—their pasts chase them into the present and the future. Though it might sound exaggerated, it’s the truth: Their decisions could impact the fate of the kingdom. The Fire Within Them by Matthew Ward is an imaginative, exhilarating, and beautifully complicated tale that fantasy readers will relish.
I had trouble with The Darkness Before Them, but I had few of the same issues with its sequel. My big struggle with The Fire Within Them: Each time I put it down, it took me fifty pages before I felt engrossed in Ward’s world again…then I would have an errand to run, or a pet would want to go outside. I had to go back to move forward. But isn’t that the same with life sometimes? We must retrace our steps so we can better understand where to go next. Study the past so we do not make the same mistakes. The Fire Within Them’s main characters must delve into their personal histories, even if they do not want to. Elements of their backgrounds influence the them. And, unfortunately, their accepted “truths” turn out to be false.
Like all of Ward’s other books, The Fire Within Them is superbly multi-layered. What appears simple on the surface ends up being deeper than the blackest point in the ocean. Ward builds on his already detailed world in a slow-burn story with battles, stellar character development, moments of humor, and political strategy. It also features a group that Ward describes in the Dramatis Personae as the “heralds of a new world.” The group works in the dark, a juxtaposition to Bashar Vallant’s rebellion. But there is so much more the characters do not—and cannot—understand until Ward provides all the pieces as the novel travels toward its conclusion…
…which then sets up for a third book. If you end a novel with “But first, we should talk,” you’re going to send my imagination reeling. I enjoyed The Fire Within Them by Matthew Ward much more than its predecessor. Could I have the next book already? I may age twenty years by its publication date.
Note: I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher (thanks, Orbit and NetGalley!) in exchange for my honest review. All views expressed are my own
I had trouble with The Darkness Before Them, but I had few of the same issues with its sequel. My big struggle with The Fire Within Them: Each time I put it down, it took me fifty pages before I felt engrossed in Ward’s world again…then I would have an errand to run, or a pet would want to go outside. I had to go back to move forward. But isn’t that the same with life sometimes? We must retrace our steps so we can better understand where to go next. Study the past so we do not make the same mistakes. The Fire Within Them’s main characters must delve into their personal histories, even if they do not want to. Elements of their backgrounds influence the them. And, unfortunately, their accepted “truths” turn out to be false.
Like all of Ward’s other books, The Fire Within Them is superbly multi-layered. What appears simple on the surface ends up being deeper than the blackest point in the ocean. Ward builds on his already detailed world in a slow-burn story with battles, stellar character development, moments of humor, and political strategy. It also features a group that Ward describes in the Dramatis Personae as the “heralds of a new world.” The group works in the dark, a juxtaposition to Bashar Vallant’s rebellion. But there is so much more the characters do not—and cannot—understand until Ward provides all the pieces as the novel travels toward its conclusion…
…which then sets up for a third book. If you end a novel with “But first, we should talk,” you’re going to send my imagination reeling. I enjoyed The Fire Within Them by Matthew Ward much more than its predecessor. Could I have the next book already? I may age twenty years by its publication date.
Note: I received a free copy of this novel from the publisher (thanks, Orbit and NetGalley!) in exchange for my honest review. All views expressed are my own
June 22, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and Matthew Ward for giving me an eARC of The Fire Within Them, in exchange for my honest review.
The Fire Within Them follows the conclusion of the Darkness Before Them. Vallant's quest to free Khalad is becoming increasingly successful and is well on the way to facing the Immortal King. Kat, suffering from omen rot is doing everything in her power to discover her father's secrets, while also hiding her impending death from all her friends. While the crew from the first book does not stay together throughout, Ward weaves a wonderful tale of rebellion, sacrifice, and heartache. The Fire Within Them brings a new point of view to the story, which allows readers to gain a better perspective as to what is going on in the story. Ward brings this new perspective in such a wonderful way, where it does not feel as though you are getting a third point of view for no reason. Each time there is a change in perspective and narrator, it is done purposefully. The information that is given to you from each of the narrators is essential, and the novel would not be complete without it.
One thing that I really appreciated about The Fire Within Them compared to book one is that readers are introduced to so much more of the Kingdom of Khalad, tactfully. Nothing about world building feels forced but rather happens through a slow building process, where readers discover more of the world alongside the characters of the book. Readers also get to learn more about the Immortal King, and why the kingdom is run the way it is. I have to say, the twists throughout this book were not those I was expecting. Out of all of them, there is only one I was not completely shocked by, but even that one, I was unsure if I was correct until the end. I cannot wait to continue to read more of this series as books are published and learn more about Khalad. I cannot fathom how this mess (meaning the well-thought-out ending) will be resolved and there is something wonderful about that.
The Fire Within Them follows the conclusion of the Darkness Before Them. Vallant's quest to free Khalad is becoming increasingly successful and is well on the way to facing the Immortal King. Kat, suffering from omen rot is doing everything in her power to discover her father's secrets, while also hiding her impending death from all her friends. While the crew from the first book does not stay together throughout, Ward weaves a wonderful tale of rebellion, sacrifice, and heartache. The Fire Within Them brings a new point of view to the story, which allows readers to gain a better perspective as to what is going on in the story. Ward brings this new perspective in such a wonderful way, where it does not feel as though you are getting a third point of view for no reason. Each time there is a change in perspective and narrator, it is done purposefully. The information that is given to you from each of the narrators is essential, and the novel would not be complete without it.
One thing that I really appreciated about The Fire Within Them compared to book one is that readers are introduced to so much more of the Kingdom of Khalad, tactfully. Nothing about world building feels forced but rather happens through a slow building process, where readers discover more of the world alongside the characters of the book. Readers also get to learn more about the Immortal King, and why the kingdom is run the way it is. I have to say, the twists throughout this book were not those I was expecting. Out of all of them, there is only one I was not completely shocked by, but even that one, I was unsure if I was correct until the end. I cannot wait to continue to read more of this series as books are published and learn more about Khalad. I cannot fathom how this mess (meaning the well-thought-out ending) will be resolved and there is something wonderful about that.
September 19, 2025
Ultimately, I think this book suffered from trying to achieve too much at once.
The plot lines weren’t interwoven in ways I would expect from Matthew Ward, there was too much misalignment between characters choices for it to make sense that they agreed or otherwise assisted each other in the ways they did.
Ardoc makes little to no sense to me as a character. His origins and ability to control others was not explored nearly as much as I would have hoped it to be. There was a lack of grounding in his character development: anything he did would have had to make sense, since he had no previous ties to a cause we are familiar with. Yet I couldn’t overlook those choices to make myself understand what motivated him.
Tabitha was such a focal point earlier in the book, yet the less we saw of her, the less her significance to the story made sense. I hoped she would have been brought to the forefront again for the conclusion, alas this was not so.
Kat became sidelined in what I would have confidently called /her/ series. There’s nothing connecting her to the story’s progression, except to draw connections to whichever character happened to be leading at any given moment. She wasn’t explored as an individual as much as in the first book, which I believe to be a major downfall in the writing.
All the well established side characters like Yali, Rima, Tatterlain, Vallant etc, weren’t utilised in any ways which I would have liked to see. They’re electric together on page, and not seeing them together as often as expected to break up the pacing made the story drag for me.
I’m overall disappointed with the plot, but as usual Ward’s writing kept me hooked (until the last 160ish pages). There’s something about the way that he uses character exposition to build the world in which they exist the fascinates me once again.
Upon finishing The Fire Within Them, I’m not feeling motivated to pick up the final book, unfortunately.
The plot lines weren’t interwoven in ways I would expect from Matthew Ward, there was too much misalignment between characters choices for it to make sense that they agreed or otherwise assisted each other in the ways they did.
Ardoc makes little to no sense to me as a character. His origins and ability to control others was not explored nearly as much as I would have hoped it to be. There was a lack of grounding in his character development: anything he did would have had to make sense, since he had no previous ties to a cause we are familiar with. Yet I couldn’t overlook those choices to make myself understand what motivated him.
Tabitha was such a focal point earlier in the book, yet the less we saw of her, the less her significance to the story made sense. I hoped she would have been brought to the forefront again for the conclusion, alas this was not so.
Kat became sidelined in what I would have confidently called /her/ series. There’s nothing connecting her to the story’s progression, except to draw connections to whichever character happened to be leading at any given moment. She wasn’t explored as an individual as much as in the first book, which I believe to be a major downfall in the writing.
All the well established side characters like Yali, Rima, Tatterlain, Vallant etc, weren’t utilised in any ways which I would have liked to see. They’re electric together on page, and not seeing them together as often as expected to break up the pacing made the story drag for me.
I’m overall disappointed with the plot, but as usual Ward’s writing kept me hooked (until the last 160ish pages). There’s something about the way that he uses character exposition to build the world in which they exist the fascinates me once again.
Upon finishing The Fire Within Them, I’m not feeling motivated to pick up the final book, unfortunately.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2025
The Fire Within Them is definitely a step up from the first instalment, The Darkness Before Them, though it is not without its own flaws.
The writing is just more engaging from the off. Whereas the first instalment felt a bit like 'swim or die', The Fire Within Them does take the time to lightly explain a few things so that the reader doesn't get completely lost. It is never too heavy or detailed and thus easily keeps the right balance to help you know what on earth is going on.
Tanith was definitely a strong addition to the PoV. Otherwise, Kat's was just as strong as in the first book. Also, the plot is somewhat dramatically different to that of the first instalment, marking it as one of those series where it goes in a completely different direction than expected. The world-building is insane, and it is definitely a series that will benefit from multiple reads to fully appreciate the magic system and to glean out all of the little important details. In that alone, the series is a mighty feat.
However, there were a few flaws... Firstly, some of the stakes never felt that high - - and there were many convenient plot points that allowed the characters to get out of difficulty, or even solve a problem, without much ado. Secondly, there were a few predictable, tropey elements - and moments that fell entirely flat: . These points/events risked it falling into a 3* rating for me, but the immensity of the ending and the originality kept it at 4*, in the end.
Looking forward to seeing how Kat's (and the others') journey ends with book 3!
The writing is just more engaging from the off. Whereas the first instalment felt a bit like 'swim or die', The Fire Within Them does take the time to lightly explain a few things so that the reader doesn't get completely lost. It is never too heavy or detailed and thus easily keeps the right balance to help you know what on earth is going on.
Tanith was definitely a strong addition to the PoV. Otherwise, Kat's was just as strong as in the first book. Also, the plot is somewhat dramatically different to that of the first instalment, marking it as one of those series where it goes in a completely different direction than expected. The world-building is insane, and it is definitely a series that will benefit from multiple reads to fully appreciate the magic system and to glean out all of the little important details. In that alone, the series is a mighty feat.
However, there were a few flaws... Firstly, some of the stakes never felt that high - - and there were many convenient plot points that allowed the characters to get out of difficulty, or even solve a problem, without much ado. Secondly, there were a few predictable, tropey elements - and moments that fell entirely flat: . These points/events risked it falling into a 3* rating for me, but the immensity of the ending and the originality kept it at 4*, in the end.
Looking forward to seeing how Kat's (and the others') journey ends with book 3!
July 26, 2024
Is "Omen Rot" covered by my insurance plan? It definitely isn't for Kat in the second book of the Soulfire Saga "The Fire Within Them" by Matthew Ward.
So Kat saved the day, the rebellion against the immortal king and the society built on the backs of the people can continue. Sadly she is falling apart. With a few familiar faces she is investigating her past and looking for potential cures in her father's notes. Meanwhile her sort of sister is being treated as a herald of the imprisoned goddess who is going to return. And also is conflicted about killing or not killing Kat. Family right?
Narrated by Sara Novak, particularly enjoyed when 3 specific people were all in a room together and how well you flipped between the various emotions there.
Reasons to read:
-Wtf do you do with your sometimes murderous ex?
-Hangry to another level
-Oh that's what's really going on
-Once again, don't trust the cults
-Proper dashing entrances
-Still enjoy the different kind of magic/mechanic workings
Cons:
-Can one god just be chill?
So Kat saved the day, the rebellion against the immortal king and the society built on the backs of the people can continue. Sadly she is falling apart. With a few familiar faces she is investigating her past and looking for potential cures in her father's notes. Meanwhile her sort of sister is being treated as a herald of the imprisoned goddess who is going to return. And also is conflicted about killing or not killing Kat. Family right?
Narrated by Sara Novak, particularly enjoyed when 3 specific people were all in a room together and how well you flipped between the various emotions there.
Reasons to read:
-Wtf do you do with your sometimes murderous ex?
-Hangry to another level
-Oh that's what's really going on
-Once again, don't trust the cults
-Proper dashing entrances
-Still enjoy the different kind of magic/mechanic workings
Cons:
-Can one god just be chill?
December 31, 2025
Slightly better in the prose-, and hence also reading-, department than it's predecessor. But other than that it suffers comparably:
The story is more spread, feels smaller/less developed and more inconsistent.
In much the whole book felt like an angsty teenage novel about two sisters, which is kinda was.
Meanwhile the story steps away from the WH04k tone and just goes grimdark in its own way, something it should have credits for. While there certainty is a lot of potential for the plots, basically none of them actually develops into anything useful: Rima's feels small and niche, even though her arc is supposed to be grand and been building for millennia, Kat's felt like a slow side-story and Tanith's got quite cliché.
If they instead would have had more time to develop along the way, to book likely could have done better.
3.5/5, completely fine read, but nothing special. But I wished for a bit more.
The story is more spread, feels smaller/less developed and more inconsistent.
In much the whole book felt like an angsty teenage novel about two sisters, which is kinda was.
Meanwhile the story steps away from the WH04k tone and just goes grimdark in its own way, something it should have credits for. While there certainty is a lot of potential for the plots, basically none of them actually develops into anything useful: Rima's feels small and niche, even though her arc is supposed to be grand and been building for millennia, Kat's felt like a slow side-story and Tanith's got quite cliché.
If they instead would have had more time to develop along the way, to book likely could have done better.
3.5/5, completely fine read, but nothing special. But I wished for a bit more.
July 6, 2024
I’m so glad I gave the first book in this series 4 stars, because it left room to give this one a well deserved 5.
This is definitely a middle book, setting everything up for what is shaping up to be an action packed and likely heartbreaking final book. Being a middle book isn’t a bad thing. Lots happened, even though at time the pacing was slower, in a good way.
I feel like we got a whole lot of character development, particularly for characters we didn’t get to know as well in book 1. There were multiple factions at play, and although I knew that things were very, very wrong, I had no idea how everything would turn out in the end.
I’ll write a better review in the morning. Highly recommend this.
This is definitely a middle book, setting everything up for what is shaping up to be an action packed and likely heartbreaking final book. Being a middle book isn’t a bad thing. Lots happened, even though at time the pacing was slower, in a good way.
I feel like we got a whole lot of character development, particularly for characters we didn’t get to know as well in book 1. There were multiple factions at play, and although I knew that things were very, very wrong, I had no idea how everything would turn out in the end.
I’ll write a better review in the morning. Highly recommend this.
August 22, 2024
4.5 rounding up for Goodreads
I really enjoyed this sequel. I’ve found both books to be slow starters but become quite riveting once the plot engages fully. This builds nicely on what we know from The Darkness Before Them and either expands or that lore as Kat and company journey through Zariqaz and its secrets. I did think but on the other hand, I’m entirely a fan of . I’m desperate for the next novel, which isn’t even announced yeeeeeet. Onto the watchlist it goes.
I really enjoyed this sequel. I’ve found both books to be slow starters but become quite riveting once the plot engages fully. This builds nicely on what we know from The Darkness Before Them and either expands or that lore as Kat and company journey through Zariqaz and its secrets. I did think but on the other hand, I’m entirely a fan of . I’m desperate for the next novel, which isn’t even announced yeeeeeet. Onto the watchlist it goes.
July 6, 2024
Its a solid second book and while I will say that I did like the first book a tiny bit more I wound up liking Tanith more than I liked Kat this time. I don't think we had Tanith's POV in the first book but its been a few months since I read it so I could be wrong. While nothing really stood out for me with the actiony parts or plot twists I think its because I know I have to wait a whole year even if I loved this book, if not more, for the next book to get released and I've got a lot of ongoing series that I wish I could wrap up and this is one of them. Technically not the authors or the books problem but a me the reader issue, I'm sure other readers can relate to it.
June 1, 2024
Epic fantasy. I think I would have been lost if I hadn’t read book 1 first. Like that book there is so much detail given to the reader that the story takes time to consume. The characters which we met in the first book are back, although their paths separate and remix as a complex story is presented, and I think there is still more to come. I look forward to seeing if the characters lives end in positive outcomes. Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.
July 21, 2024
So I believe I gave the previous one 4.5 stars. I just felt like it was missing something. Well, good peeps! This one more than made up for the DARKNESS BEFORE THEM (which was still good). I feel like I can't say anymore without major, major spoilers, and I try to keep these spoiler-free. The last 20% of the book felt like I was in a UFC fight where the revelations, plot twists, and characters' betrayals just kept hitting me while I was down. Then that last little chapter thing was thrown in at the end. Talk about a jump scare! And a nice little cliff for the next one!
December 30, 2025
soulfiresaga number two #thefirewithinthem #matthewward is just as captivating and brilliant as the first installment. The redemption arcs for Tanith and Azra are brilliant with a few unexpected twists along the way. The muddied lore around Tzal, Nyssa, the eternity king and the voice as well as the warring factions of believers in each is handled extremely well, with coincidental reintroductions of characters feeling smooth and genuine.
I'm hoping I get to learn more about Enna and beyond the veil in the final installment 🤞🏻
I'm hoping I get to learn more about Enna and beyond the veil in the final installment 🤞🏻
September 12, 2024
The Fire Within them
The second book sees Kat and her group discover the eternity king has been containing Tzal not Nyassa while Obsidium cult led by Attic is trying to bring back Tzal. Kat and her group rescue the voice while the eternity king dies and Azra sacrifices herself so Kat and her sister Sanity escape to fight another day. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next book
The second book sees Kat and her group discover the eternity king has been containing Tzal not Nyassa while Obsidium cult led by Attic is trying to bring back Tzal. Kat and her group rescue the voice while the eternity king dies and Azra sacrifices herself so Kat and her sister Sanity escape to fight another day. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next book
February 6, 2025
I'm not going to lie, the first book was a little bit of a struggle at the start. Fast forward to the end of book 2 and I'm fully invested. This series is not getting any exposure in the fantasy sector and I'm shocked... Matthew Ward is legit, folks. I'm looking forward to the final book this year and then reading the Legacy trilogy next year.
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