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Heart on Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles, #3)

Amanda Bouchet

Start date: January 3, 2018

Finish date: January 17, 2018

Discussion: Fantasy and Sci-Fi

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What Members Thought

Jan 14, 2018 Choko rated it it was ok · review of another edition

*** 2.44 ***

A buddy read with my friend Iain, since we obviously never stop reading:):):)

"...“I’m… “ I stop, at a loss.
Griffin lifts his eyebrows. “Inarticulate at the moment?”
Scowling, I thwack him in the chest.
“Overwrought?” he supplies, his mouth quirking up.
I thwack him again.
“Highly emotional?”
Thwack. Thwack.
“Apparently weak, because none of that hurt at all.”..."

Yeah, weak... This is how I felt about this book and I feel utterly let down... The premise for the series had so much poten *** 2.44 ***

A buddy read with my friend Iain, since we obviously never stop reading:):):)

"...“I’m… “ I stop, at a loss.
Griffin lifts his eyebrows. “Inarticulate at the moment?”
Scowling, I thwack him in the chest.
“Overwrought?” he supplies, his mouth quirking up.
I thwack him again.
“Highly emotional?”
Thwack. Thwack.
“Apparently weak, because none of that hurt at all.”..."

Yeah, weak... This is how I felt about this book and I feel utterly let down... The premise for the series had so much potential, I wanted to root for the author and the main female lead, Cat, the special-est of all most special snowflakes in the whole magical world!!! She didn't start out this way, or I would not have held onto hope for her through three books! But of all of them, this one seems to have been the hardest to hit me with the futileness of my hopes, because it is supposed to be the last one of this arc and you just always hope for the best ending of any series you put time and commitment into. However, where the author had the perfect opportunity to get us into a more complicated and informative plot with the theology and Olympian mythology, which hooked me straight away personally, she chose to skim over the g-ds possible machinations and went the way of an angsty, insecure, privileged, apparently most beloved by the g-ds and adored by most everyone who meets her, bipolar, immature acting pregnant girl who is married to a power-hungry warlord and every deity is behind them taking over the world, because they will be benevolent rulers, not like her evil mother, who is the ultimate Evil in the series and the world. Did I mention insecure and angsty? Spikes of angst, then doubts and fear, then love scenes, which were actually not bad, then more angst and more reassurances, and so on and on and on... Then about 70% in there is a battle, than angst again...

"...“When we first found each other, I was a mess, full of conflict and fear. His steadfastness and unwavering faith in me helped to save me from myself, and from what I could become. Right now, he'd kill mother for me. Or he'd watch me kill her myself. He also understands this choice and how it's a part of me.”..."

Darling, you are still a mess, and I wish there was more to you so I could have enjoyed you....

I guess I have gotten spoiled with some good books as of late, because this writing and the repetitious manner the author had of driving home the point of all the emotional torment everyone was going through, did not achieve what it was trying to do... Often times, the strongest emotions are conveyed by the shortest, most striped-down sentences, by a small gesture, by an implied intonation... Just as in most things, less is more, and when you try too hard with too many words over and over, the real feeling gets lost in the sea of words. We get what the author is trying to say, we just go past the emotional feeling and look forward to the end of all of this senseless drama...

"...“I thought you of all people would understand.”
“Understand what? Being an idiot?”
That seems to surprise him enough to add something new to his countenance. A trace of humor softens the stark lines of his face. “No.” A wry smile just barely curves his lips. “Maybe.”
“I am an expert idiot,” I say. “I practice all the time.”..."

Now that is more like it...

I am not going to recommend this to anyone, since I think there are better written books on similar themes in this genre. However, if you are set on reading it, it is more of a paranormal romance than anything else, so be prepared.

Now I wish you all Happy Reading and many wonderful books to come!!! ...more

60 likes · Like · see review

Jul 31, 2016 Carole (Carole's Random Life) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, series, romance, paranormal, reviewed, edelweiss

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I hate to say it but this was a bit of a disappointment. I really expected to love this book. I wanted to love this book. I didn't like this book nearly as much as the two previous books in the series. I thought it was okay and I am glad that I read it. This is the third book in the Kingmaker Chronicles and this review may contain spoilers from previous installments in the series.

My experience with this book goes back to when I first This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I hate to say it but this was a bit of a disappointment. I really expected to love this book. I wanted to love this book. I didn't like this book nearly as much as the two previous books in the series. I thought it was okay and I am glad that I read it. This is the third book in the Kingmaker Chronicles and this review may contain spoilers from previous installments in the series.

My experience with this book goes back to when I first saw the cover. I immediately thought that it wasn't the real cover and someone had uploaded fan art or something to Goodreads. I kept checking to see when the real cover would be uploaded. Weeks went by. I decided to go to the author's website to see if she had the cover posted and discovered that what I was seeing was in fact the real cover. I was shocked. I think that the covers for the first two books are awesome. This one is not. I kind of hate this cover. I decided that it was just a cover and it was just a cover and I could ignore it and focus on what was in the book. I think it might have actually been some kind of sign.

Cat kind of drove me nuts in this book. I don't know why but she annoyed me. I didn't enjoy being in her head and I felt like this book spent a lot of time there. Cat is pregnant which puts everything in a new light. I understand how focused an expectant mother can be when it comes to her baby but all the talk of the little bean was too much for me.

Don't get me wrong...I did like the book. There were some pretty awesome scenes in this installment and I had no idea how Cat would get herself out of some of the situations she found herself in. There was some real excitement in the story and I was happy to see all of the characters that I have grown to love over the course of the series play a role. There were some pretty major revelations that really explained a lot.

I do recommend this series to others. This book does wrap up Cat and Griffin's story and has some great scenes. I did enjoy the two books leading up to this one a whole lot more but found this to be a satisfactory conclusion. I would not hesitate to read more from Amanda Bouchet in the future.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca via Edelweiss. ...more

26 likes · Like · see review

May 07, 2017 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, books-i-own-audio-book, for-review-read, read-in-2017, books-i-own-print, books-i-own-kindle, netgalley, netgalley-2

I've loved this series from the very beginning so I was pretty nervous about picking up the final book in the trilogy, I wanted it to end on a high note but at the same time I didn't really want it to end at all! I'm very glad that I can say my first wish came true but I still think there is plenty of scope for more stories set in this world so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get my second wish too. I think Cat and Griffin's main story is done now but I wouldn't mind seeing them in the I've loved this series from the very beginning so I was pretty nervous about picking up the final book in the trilogy, I wanted it to end on a high note but at the same time I didn't really want it to end at all! I'm very glad that I can say my first wish came true but I still think there is plenty of scope for more stories set in this world so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get my second wish too. I think Cat and Griffin's main story is done now but I wouldn't mind seeing them in the background while some of the other members of their group get a chance to shine - Carver, Flynn, Kato, Ianthe & Lycheron, a certain Titan we meet in this book, hell even Piers could have a story to tell! Anyway, enough of my hopes for the future, let's get back to discussing the book we've already been given shall we?

What can you expect from Heart on Fire? Cat has come a long way since the first book, she's started letting people into her heart and she's built a family around herself but she still doesn't quite trust herself or her powers. She's terrified of turning into her mother and that fear is stopping her from accessing her magic when she needs it the most. Everything Cat has already been through was nothing compared to what she must face here, now it's time to beat her inner demons and it's harder than she could have dreamed possible. I love how strong the relationship between Cat and Griffin is now and I love that they have such a strong support system around them with the Beta team, Griffin's family and even Cat's friends from her days in the circus. We've known all along that the Olympians have a vested interest in the couple's future but they've stayed pretty much in the background previously so it was nice to see a few familiar gods taking more major roles in this story.

I don't want to give anything away about the plot but you can expect shocking betrayals, surprise revelations, heart stopping action, plenty of heat between Cat and Griffin (although that was toned down slightly from the second book), strong bonds of friendship and the chance to catch up with all the characters we've fallen in love with throughout the series. This is one of the best fantasy romance series that I've come across in a long time and it's definitely one that has earned a spot on my favourites shelf. I can't wait to see what Amanda Bouchet comes up with next, whatever it is will definitely be an auto-buy but please, please, please at least give us some short stories or novellas in this world - I'm not ready to completely say goodbye to these characters yet! ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Sep 03, 2016 Kira rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, fantasy, special-snowflake-heroine, greek-mythology

3.5 stars

Once again I have mixed feelings. Some things were so good. I love Cat, Griffin, and their friends and family. They didn’t get enough page time together, so it wasn’t as humorous as the other books. Lots of page time was spent in Cat’s head while she wallowed in endless self pity and tried to figure things out. In a way it’s a good thing that Cat doubts her worth because I’d probably hate her if she were the arrogant type. There was a little too much of it. How many amazing things did s 3.5 stars

Once again I have mixed feelings. Some things were so good. I love Cat, Griffin, and their friends and family. They didn’t get enough page time together, so it wasn’t as humorous as the other books. Lots of page time was spent in Cat’s head while she wallowed in endless self pity and tried to figure things out. In a way it’s a good thing that Cat doubts her worth because I’d probably hate her if she were the arrogant type. There was a little too much of it. How many amazing things did she have to do before beginning to realize her worth?

To wrap things up Cat had to spend time with some new characters or see old ones in a new way. I desperately missed Beta Team. They were there, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t really a group effort to do things; it was all about Cat. The good thing was she was making better decisions and wasn’t as reckless. The character growth was needed, some of which came from her interactions with different characters.

I adore Griffin. The guy is almost perfect, but therein lies the problem. Perfection isn’t always interesting and can be predictable. Griffin is a great character, an excellent book boyfriend, but it was so easy to figure out what he’d do next. He strove to do what was right and fair. That part of him being perfect I liked. It was his constant support of Cat that got on my nerves. When she did really stupid things I wish he wouldn’t have forgiven her so quickly. Sometimes someone other than Cat needed to call her out on her own bullshit.

I didn’t care much about Ianthe or Bellanca. They both popped up towards the end of the last book. Neither of them got enough page time for me to get an attachment to them. Neither of them played much of a pivotal role in the story either. It was weird to me how attached all of the characters were to these two. It made sense that Cat cared for Ianthe since she was her sister, but none of the other bonds seemed realistic.

Little Bean are two words I’d be happy to never hear again. Was it really necessary for a baby the size of a bean to be mentioned so much? The way the baby reacted to things was unusual. The baby didn’t do anything, but still had a strong presence. It was weird.

The end had no big surprises. There were a few bumps in the road on the way to getting there. There were some surprises but none of them feel truly shocking. They didn’t drastically alter what was already known. It’s the characters that made this series, which more than made up for the other areas where it was lacking. ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2018 alicat ♡➹♡ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book_boyfriends, romantasy, libby

3.75 stars... I enjoyed the final book of the series! I thought Cat was more confident and less self-flagellating in this one. Griffin was amazing as usual.

One thing that had nagged me a bit in the past books, the gods being so involved, was explained and it made sense why Cat seemed so overpowered at times. It made the whole series feel even more like a Greek myth!

Despite all that I think the story could have been a bit more meat to it... you do spend a lot of time in Cat's thoughts. Another PO ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jan 20, 2018 Jessica added it

Shelves: dnf, machalo-brs-and-recs

~~~~ MacHalo Buddy Read~~~~

I really enjoyed the first two in the series. This one wasn't working for me.

Not sure if this is too spoilery...

(view spoiler) ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2018 Monty Cupcake ☠ Queen of Bloodshed ☠ rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, 2018

3.5 stars

4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 19, 2017 Vanessa *the Pixie Princess* rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a Buddy Read with the MacHalos

While I really enjoyed this last installment of the Kingmaker Chronicles, there were a few things that held me back from giving it a full 5 stars. 3 things, really:
1. Cat. I have always liked her character, but in this book her constant self doubt and inner turmoil was just too much and took up too much page space. I got so frustrated with her.
2. The ending was anticlimatic. After all that build up it fizzled.
3. (view spoiler) ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 03, 2020 Mimi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Griffin and Cat.

Cat is such a great main character. She's strong. She does need to believe in herself a bit more.

This was a great and satisfying conclusion to the Kingmaker series. I read all 3 back to back and I'm really glad I did. Highly recommend. ...more

Like · see review