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rainestor_4's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kjthenerd3's review against another edition
5.0
This was so much better than the first one. I actually cried this time.
gabalodon's review against another edition
5.0
This is a perfect and somewhat rare example of a second book being even better than a very good first. Some of my qualms with the first (some repetition in the internal monologue, Arjun's nonexistent personality) were far reduced in this one. Razia is so sneaky and smart and even though she is cornered in unique ways, it felt like she had a lot more agency over her actions and decision-making than in the first one. All of the new characters were fun additions (I loved Hina and loved to hate a certain someone else). The plot beats and pacing were incredible, the political scheming was fun, the action sequences were tense and flawless, and the vengeance scenes were the BEST. SO satisfying!! Was the plot at the end a little too tidy and convenient, yes. Do I care? No, she deserves it.
casira's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Transphobia, Child abuse, Death, War, Violence, Sexual harassment, Murder, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping, Confinement, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Deadnaming
mxsallybend's review against another edition
5.0
Last year's Stealing Thunder was a book I didn’t just want to be good, I needed to be good - to set the example, and to open the shelves for more books like it. I put some pretty heavy expectations on Alina Boyden, but she delivered a book I feel like I’ve been waiting my entire life to read. Its take on gender and the portrayal of transgender lives was exquisite, the world-building was wonderful, and the romance was absolutely delightful.
The battle has been won, but the war is just beginning.
The tagline for Gifting Fire speaks as much to the plot of conquest and warfare as to Razia's journey of individual acceptance. Having claimed her gender and her identity in the first book, she finds herself struggling with what it means to be accepted as a woman in a patriarchal society. There's a sense of 'be careful what you wish for' in that she finally finds herself accepted - and treated - as a royal princess, expected to serve as an offering to seal an alliance, to put duty ahead of love, and to be sequestered as the perfect wife, rarely seen and even more seldom heard. Denied her autonomy, Razia fights for not just transgender acceptance but female agency, and that struggle is much what makes this story so exciting.
What else makes this second volume so exciting is the addition of Hina, a rival princess, and her entourage, all of whom are hijra sisters. Razia, Sakshi, and Lakshmi find themselves with allies, with an adopted family, and with friends who understand the conflict between expectations and identity. The dynamic between them is absolutely fantastic, with moments of humor to lighten the overall weight of the drama, and the addition of their river zahhaks adds another layer of action to the tale. As exciting as the climax of the first book was, the aerial battles here, especially with the weaponization of zahhaks who have no breath, is epic in the best sense of the word.
At first, I was a bit saddened at Arjun's reduced role in the story, usurped by Karim, but I like that it isolated Razia and allowed us to see her as a strong, independent woman, working with a cadre of sisters who are very much her equal. As for Karim, I think Boyden did an exemplary job of exploring and developing his character, playing upon our emotions and making us question our own assumptions about him. Without wading too deep into spoiler territory, the themes of spousal abuse are almost as cutting as those of the patriarchy. Razia's father is granted a little more depth and compassion here, even if it's hard to reconcile the Sultan with the father, but it's Sikander who is the biggest surprise. I refuse to say more, but his character arc had me in tears more than once.
Speaking of tears, dammit but I've never cried so many times over the course of a story's final hundred pages. Joy, sorrow, triumph, pain, hope, despair, Boyden puts us through the wringer, forcing us to turn pages faster and faster to learn how it all ends. There was one moment in particular where I just had to drop the book and walk away, a sorrow I was ill-equipped to deal with, but she's not a monster and you have to have hope for things to work out. Gifting Fire is somehow an even better book than the first, and one that's even more important in every respect. I don't know at this point if there will be a third book, but I'm not prepared to say goodbye.
https://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/2021/03/fantasy-book-review-gifting-fire-by.html
The battle has been won, but the war is just beginning.
The tagline for Gifting Fire speaks as much to the plot of conquest and warfare as to Razia's journey of individual acceptance. Having claimed her gender and her identity in the first book, she finds herself struggling with what it means to be accepted as a woman in a patriarchal society. There's a sense of 'be careful what you wish for' in that she finally finds herself accepted - and treated - as a royal princess, expected to serve as an offering to seal an alliance, to put duty ahead of love, and to be sequestered as the perfect wife, rarely seen and even more seldom heard. Denied her autonomy, Razia fights for not just transgender acceptance but female agency, and that struggle is much what makes this story so exciting.
What else makes this second volume so exciting is the addition of Hina, a rival princess, and her entourage, all of whom are hijra sisters. Razia, Sakshi, and Lakshmi find themselves with allies, with an adopted family, and with friends who understand the conflict between expectations and identity. The dynamic between them is absolutely fantastic, with moments of humor to lighten the overall weight of the drama, and the addition of their river zahhaks adds another layer of action to the tale. As exciting as the climax of the first book was, the aerial battles here, especially with the weaponization of zahhaks who have no breath, is epic in the best sense of the word.
At first, I was a bit saddened at Arjun's reduced role in the story, usurped by Karim, but I like that it isolated Razia and allowed us to see her as a strong, independent woman, working with a cadre of sisters who are very much her equal. As for Karim, I think Boyden did an exemplary job of exploring and developing his character, playing upon our emotions and making us question our own assumptions about him. Without wading too deep into spoiler territory, the themes of spousal abuse are almost as cutting as those of the patriarchy. Razia's father is granted a little more depth and compassion here, even if it's hard to reconcile the Sultan with the father, but it's Sikander who is the biggest surprise. I refuse to say more, but his character arc had me in tears more than once.
Speaking of tears, dammit but I've never cried so many times over the course of a story's final hundred pages. Joy, sorrow, triumph, pain, hope, despair, Boyden puts us through the wringer, forcing us to turn pages faster and faster to learn how it all ends. There was one moment in particular where I just had to drop the book and walk away, a sorrow I was ill-equipped to deal with, but she's not a monster and you have to have hope for things to work out. Gifting Fire is somehow an even better book than the first, and one that's even more important in every respect. I don't know at this point if there will be a third book, but I'm not prepared to say goodbye.
https://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/2021/03/fantasy-book-review-gifting-fire-by.html
siavahda's review
5.0
HIGHLIGHTS
~skirts are scarier than swords (no joke)
~ridiculously beautiful jewelry everywhere
~real men love strong, smart women
~fight for your family
~do what it takes to survive
~Don’t ever think you can outsmart a princess
:A note – Razia is a hijra, which is a nonbinary gender identity from South Asia. It is often understood by Westerners as the equivalent of being a trans woman, but not all hijra agree with that. For the purposes of this review, Razia is referred to as a woman or a hijra, as that is how she refers to herself in the books.:
Gifting Fire is the sequel to last year’s Stealing Thunder, and if you haven’t read that, stop now and hit the back button. And go read Stealing Thunder, because it’s awesome.
Then come back, because Gifting Fire is even better.
The book starts where Stealing Thunder ended; Razia is now subahdar (provincial governor) of the province of Zindh as part of her father’s empire. But the situation is made very clear very quickly: Zindh is such a mess after the events of the previous book, and with the various factions taking advantage of those events, that Razia is all but guaranteed to lose control of the province – if she can even get it under control to begin with. Making her subahdar is a kind of back-handed compliment from her father; when asked why on earth he’s doing it, he says
He expects her to fail. But…
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
~skirts are scarier than swords (no joke)
~ridiculously beautiful jewelry everywhere
~real men love strong, smart women
~fight for your family
~do what it takes to survive
~Don’t ever think you can outsmart a princess
:A note – Razia is a hijra, which is a nonbinary gender identity from South Asia. It is often understood by Westerners as the equivalent of being a trans woman, but not all hijra agree with that. For the purposes of this review, Razia is referred to as a woman or a hijra, as that is how she refers to herself in the books.:
Gifting Fire is the sequel to last year’s Stealing Thunder, and if you haven’t read that, stop now and hit the back button. And go read Stealing Thunder, because it’s awesome.
Then come back, because Gifting Fire is even better.
The book starts where Stealing Thunder ended; Razia is now subahdar (provincial governor) of the province of Zindh as part of her father’s empire. But the situation is made very clear very quickly: Zindh is such a mess after the events of the previous book, and with the various factions taking advantage of those events, that Razia is all but guaranteed to lose control of the province – if she can even get it under control to begin with. Making her subahdar is a kind of back-handed compliment from her father; when asked why on earth he’s doing it, he says
“It occurred to me then,” my father continued, “that if anyone in Daryastan could save Zindh, it would be the girl who had pulled herself out of the gutter to become a princess.”
He expects her to fail. But…
“I don’t think you’re clever enough to save Zindh, but I’d have to be a fool to underestimate a courtesan who somehow orchestrated the worst defeat Nizam has suffered in my twenty-seven-year reign.”
Read the rest at Every Book a Doorway!
cecireda's review against another edition
5.0
This one was really good and way better than the first.
The pacing was well done (which was my main complaint about the first) and the story and world building well crafted.
Will definitely keep an eye for next books from the author.
The pacing was well done (which was my main complaint about the first) and the story and world building well crafted.
Will definitely keep an eye for next books from the author.