This was so interesting. It isn't gold standard psychology, hence why I've shelved it in "spiritual", but this is the kind of self-help andThis was so interesting. It isn't gold standard psychology, hence why I've shelved it in "spiritual", but this is the kind of self-help and personality-based book that really changes your perspective on yourself and your peers. This is also an incredible resource for character creation and I need to get a copy of my own soon!...more
First and foremost, I'm a Cinda Williams Chima stan. I've read all her books except for the last 2 in the Heir series, and they just keep gettingFirst and foremost, I'm a Cinda Williams Chima stan. I've read all her books except for the last 2 in the Heir series, and they just keep getting better and better. I didn't know if Shattered Realms could top Seven Realms, but Lyss? Lyss. Can we talk about Lyss.
Actually let's not because I can't even begin to describe how much I adore and identify with Alyssa ana'Raisa, Princess Heir, tol girl, strong girl, sensitive and EXPLOSIVE girl. Good god, it's like I could be her. I wish I was her. I'm both in love with her and want to be her.
There's a ship in this story that needs to set sail--and catch some damn pirates together. I loved this book so much that I accrued my first overdue library fine. Yup. I savoured this book and didn't want it to end. I knew it would end on a cliffhanger, because that's what CWC does and that's what fantasy series do, but I had to read it.
Absolutely phenomenal. Love it. Ripped my heart out and made me look at it....more
I'm reminded of so many other fantasy stories while reading this, so Chima manages to, once again, use tropes in her genre without reducing them toI'm reminded of so many other fantasy stories while reading this, so Chima manages to, once again, use tropes in her genre without reducing them to cliches. I have three concerns/critiques for FLAMECASTER:
1) As is often the case with fantasy series, the first book feels like a set-up for the larger story. For me, personally, this is very hit-or-miss, as I believe that books should stand on their own, even within a series. This book had very little plotline to stand alone on, and made up for it in the development of the characters of Ash and Jenna.
2) The insta-love was... not my thing. I really hope it is, in line with one of the character's beliefs, a taste to savour in the moment. I appreciate how it was constructed, but I really, really hope by the end of the series, they aren't all soul-matey. This one is entirely my own preferences.
3) The scope of this novel was very large. Multiple years passed, and there was a lot of wide brush strokes to show that passage of time. I'm not sure how I feel about this--it was good for some reasons, but not so great for other reasons. I didn't get the fast-paced excitement I've gotten in other works by Chima--within and without the Seven Realms--but the pacing was very apt for introducing a new cast of characters. In a way, readers were given backstory in the narrative, rather than the normal flashback, so we read in chronological order from origins and motives to the final outcomes.
TL;DR: A character-driven introduction to the new spin-off series, with a blossoming insta-love that I hope blooms and wilts. The story wasn't fast-paced enough, but it maintained linear storytelling instead of cliche flashbacks.
I'm excited to read the next book. There was so much to FLAMECASTER that was left open-ended and I need to know the fates of characters, the reveals to subplots, what the rest of the royal family was up to, and most of all... more about the Flamecaster. Take me to Carthis and Empress Celestine!...more
This book caters to all of my interests. Complex characters. Race acting not as a fantasy trope, but as part of the political system. Non-conventionalThis book caters to all of my interests. Complex characters. Race acting not as a fantasy trope, but as part of the political system. Non-conventional views on romance (from same-sex relationships to questioning the notion of "The One"). Matriarchy. Magic. Mystery.
It has been a while since I've cared this much about a fantasy series.
As a reader of Chima's earlier work (her debut--The Warrior Heir--was my introduction to her writing shortly after it released in 2006), and as a fellow writer, I am truly blown away by the growth Chima has achieved for her craft in the four years between that first novel and this wonderful story. Her characters have improved significantly, becoming much more complex and human in comparison to that first book of The Heir Chronicles. She has worked within fantasy tropes to create something refreshing, while still remembering the real world audience she gives the story to.
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