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kathydavie's review
I still don't see how the title fits the story although I did enjoy it. It's that combination of history, action, mystery, and romance... Some disturbing facts about Long Nu and Roland come to light. Roland especially is a downer. There's an echo of Tiger Eye about this story.
thecozyreaderwbo's review
5.0
Plot: 4
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Passion: 4
Overall: 28/30 = 93%
Cover/Title Bonus: 5
Dorchester Pub sent this wonderful book to me to review a few weeks ago.
Summary (author’s website):
Long ago, shape-shifters were plentiful, soaring through the sky as crows, racing across African veldts as cheetahs, raging furious as dragons atop the Himalayas. Like gods, they reigned supreme. But even gods have laws, and those laws, when broken, destroy.
Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. Three words in three very different languages, and yet Soria understands. Like all members of Dirk & Steele, she has a gift, and hers is communication. When she is chosen to learn the dead language of a shape-shifter resurrected after thousands of years of icy sleep, she discovers a warrior consumed with fury.
Strong as a lion, quick as a serpent—Karr is his name, and in his day he was king. But he is a son of strife, a creature of tragedy. As fire consumed all he loved, so death was to be his atonement. Now, against his will, he has awoken. Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. In English, the word is despair. But Soria knows the words for love.
Read an excerpt on her website as well!
Plot:
Soria, a young woman with a missing arm is forced to return to a day job she’s not fond of doing but she’d rather live so she cooperates. She has a talent for being able to speak any language. No matter what. How cool is that!?
Karr is a mystical shape shifting creature that is awoken from a tomb he was buried alive in many, many years ago. He is captured and imprisoned until someone able to speak his language is found.
Soria is able to speak to Karr and she finds a way to form a bond with the enormous, dangerous creature he houses inside. Together they escape and are on the runs for their lives.
Setting:
Briefly the setting is in the US but it quickly switches to Russia, in Mongolia I remember. There’s a ton of desert walking and flying. A sandstorm scene was pretty intense.
Writing:
Marjorie knows her stuff! Since the main character was a linguist and I did read that Marjorie too studied languages there was a ton of references to those foreign languages. The entire book flowed very well. There was a large portion of this book dedicated to action scenes. The detail shown to the shifters was awesome. And writing the main character as having only one arm? Amazingly done. Finding out the back story to why Soria lost her arm doesn’t happen until a little past half way through the book, which worked well but had me constantly wondering what the hell happened to her arm! It was a major distraction and I wish the reader would have found out about that a bit sooner.
Originality:
This wasn’t my first shape shifter book by a long shot but it was a very awesome one. It was my first book that had a disabled main character but that didn’t stop her from being amazingly strong and actually even more so because she had an extra obstacle to overcome.
The shape shifters in this book were different than others I’ve read though. Karr is a half breed so he’s able to mix and match the shapes that his parents were: dragon and lion, making a pretty intense and beautiful creature.
Characters:
Soria is amazing. I had my doubts in the beginning when I first learned that she was missing an arm. But she doesn’t let it stop her from kicking ass. She’s mentally strong and that is exactly what she needs to get through this difficult time in her life. Her story behind the lose of her arm is horrific. Her ability to speak to Karr was awesome!
Karr is just wow. The fact that no one but Soria can understand his language forces him to ally with her. It was the best decision he makes. They make an awesome team together. Karr is strong, intelligent, and an intense warrior.
Passion:
The attraction between Soria and Karr builds over the course of the book. It is not the reason for the book but rather a subplot and it happens very naturally. I was almost yelling at the author/book because it wasn’t a major topic or rather the characters chose to ignore it just a wee bit too much for my liking. And there’s only one cool scene with them together sexually. It fit for their situation but it could have been so much better. Too sad.
Overall:
I enjoyed this book immensely. Mostly because I saw the attraction between the two main characters and wanted to see them together. Plus, their adventure was very cool. Karr was such a sweet and protective alpha male and Soria was strong but not bitchy or overbearing. They were a perfect couple.
Also, this was my first Dirk & Steele novel. I didn’t feel lost or anything so I’m not sure how the series works. I’m guessing they just cover one Dirk & Steele agent at a time.
Cover/Title:
The cover is AWESOME! The only thing I don’t like is the guy. He’s not strong jawed enough to be Karr. His face is just too round and fleshy. The lion, sand, and the side mountain houses fit perfectly with the subject of the book.
The title? I don’t get it. The FIre King? I don’t remember reading that Karr was a king in his original life. However, after reading the summary on Marjorie’s website he apparently was a king. Interesting.
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Passion: 4
Overall: 28/30 = 93%
Cover/Title Bonus: 5
Dorchester Pub sent this wonderful book to me to review a few weeks ago.
Summary (author’s website):
Long ago, shape-shifters were plentiful, soaring through the sky as crows, racing across African veldts as cheetahs, raging furious as dragons atop the Himalayas. Like gods, they reigned supreme. But even gods have laws, and those laws, when broken, destroy.
Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. Three words in three very different languages, and yet Soria understands. Like all members of Dirk & Steele, she has a gift, and hers is communication. When she is chosen to learn the dead language of a shape-shifter resurrected after thousands of years of icy sleep, she discovers a warrior consumed with fury.
Strong as a lion, quick as a serpent—Karr is his name, and in his day he was king. But he is a son of strife, a creature of tragedy. As fire consumed all he loved, so death was to be his atonement. Now, against his will, he has awoken. Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. In English, the word is despair. But Soria knows the words for love.
Read an excerpt on her website as well!
Plot:
Soria, a young woman with a missing arm is forced to return to a day job she’s not fond of doing but she’d rather live so she cooperates. She has a talent for being able to speak any language. No matter what. How cool is that!?
Karr is a mystical shape shifting creature that is awoken from a tomb he was buried alive in many, many years ago. He is captured and imprisoned until someone able to speak his language is found.
Soria is able to speak to Karr and she finds a way to form a bond with the enormous, dangerous creature he houses inside. Together they escape and are on the runs for their lives.
Setting:
Briefly the setting is in the US but it quickly switches to Russia, in Mongolia I remember. There’s a ton of desert walking and flying. A sandstorm scene was pretty intense.
Writing:
Marjorie knows her stuff! Since the main character was a linguist and I did read that Marjorie too studied languages there was a ton of references to those foreign languages. The entire book flowed very well. There was a large portion of this book dedicated to action scenes. The detail shown to the shifters was awesome. And writing the main character as having only one arm? Amazingly done. Finding out the back story to why Soria lost her arm doesn’t happen until a little past half way through the book, which worked well but had me constantly wondering what the hell happened to her arm! It was a major distraction and I wish the reader would have found out about that a bit sooner.
Originality:
This wasn’t my first shape shifter book by a long shot but it was a very awesome one. It was my first book that had a disabled main character but that didn’t stop her from being amazingly strong and actually even more so because she had an extra obstacle to overcome.
The shape shifters in this book were different than others I’ve read though. Karr is a half breed so he’s able to mix and match the shapes that his parents were: dragon and lion, making a pretty intense and beautiful creature.
Characters:
Soria is amazing. I had my doubts in the beginning when I first learned that she was missing an arm. But she doesn’t let it stop her from kicking ass. She’s mentally strong and that is exactly what she needs to get through this difficult time in her life. Her story behind the lose of her arm is horrific. Her ability to speak to Karr was awesome!
Karr is just wow. The fact that no one but Soria can understand his language forces him to ally with her. It was the best decision he makes. They make an awesome team together. Karr is strong, intelligent, and an intense warrior.
Passion:
The attraction between Soria and Karr builds over the course of the book. It is not the reason for the book but rather a subplot and it happens very naturally. I was almost yelling at the author/book because it wasn’t a major topic or rather the characters chose to ignore it just a wee bit too much for my liking. And there’s only one cool scene with them together sexually. It fit for their situation but it could have been so much better. Too sad.
Overall:
I enjoyed this book immensely. Mostly because I saw the attraction between the two main characters and wanted to see them together. Plus, their adventure was very cool. Karr was such a sweet and protective alpha male and Soria was strong but not bitchy or overbearing. They were a perfect couple.
Also, this was my first Dirk & Steele novel. I didn’t feel lost or anything so I’m not sure how the series works. I’m guessing they just cover one Dirk & Steele agent at a time.
Cover/Title:
The cover is AWESOME! The only thing I don’t like is the guy. He’s not strong jawed enough to be Karr. His face is just too round and fleshy. The lion, sand, and the side mountain houses fit perfectly with the subject of the book.
The title? I don’t get it. The FIre King? I don’t remember reading that Karr was a king in his original life. However, after reading the summary on Marjorie’s website he apparently was a king. Interesting.
sarahc_98's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
siria's review
3.0
I enjoyed this one much more than the previous installment in the series, The Wild Road, mostly because of the heroine. Soria is a former agent of the Dirk and Steele detective agency, someone who can understand and speak any living language (most awesome superpower ever, y/y? She says as a medievalist who struggles with Latin), who left the agency after suffering a disabling injury.
While this book has the same flaws as Liu's other books (her prose never rises above the serviceable; some of the dialogue makes me wince), I'm willing to take that for an awesome, multiracial heroine who is sexy and kickass despite having lost an arm. (Was anyone else picturing her being played by Zoe Saldana?) Also to be liked: older women being awesome and in control; the reappearance of Eddie and Koni.
While this book has the same flaws as Liu's other books (her prose never rises above the serviceable; some of the dialogue makes me wince), I'm willing to take that for an awesome, multiracial heroine who is sexy and kickass despite having lost an arm. (Was anyone else picturing her being played by Zoe Saldana?) Also to be liked: older women being awesome and in control; the reappearance of Eddie and Koni.
ericawrites's review against another edition
5.0
I thought this book was just going to be another entertaining fantasy romance book by Liu. But I really loved that her heroine Soria was disabled and the other themes of disability that ran through the book. It made for a much more layered story.
loverofromance's review
4.0
Soria is a member of the Dirk and Steele, have special gifts of her own. Although she isn't a shape-shifter, she can understand any language on earth. So when the leader of Dirk and Steele, asks her help them with a problem that only she can assist with. Soria is however very reluctant to do so, because a year previous she lost her right arm, and has had a difficult road since then. However when she meets a creature unlike anything she has ever met, she is intrigued and acts out of character, even for her. Karr, having been awoken from the ground from three thousand years, he is furious that he is chained to the floor. Karr is a mix breed of shifters, half lion and half bird, is unlike any of them have ever seen. Since he is the epitome of the impossible. But Karr is far from the last of his people, having been the leader of all those that were mixed shifters, he vowed to protect them at all costs. Then he meets with Soria who is the most captivating woman he has ever met. Even though he has a rage within him, he knows that he could never hurt her no matter the circumstance. The Fire King is a searching journey for both Karr and Soria where they search for the truth and also share a precious love that they both would fight for.
This is the last one of the Dirk & Steele series that is out, and the only one that I hadn't read, and I am so glad that I have. Its definitely one of my favorites of this series. Both Karr and Soria are powerful enigmatic characters where I endeared myself to them. Karr has only known of killing and rejected and pain in his life. Then he meets up with someone that embraces him fully as he is, never judging and always having trust in him. Never has he known anyone to have such complete faith in one as him, not feeling as deserving of it, even though he does. Soria is a young woman that was powerful and able in her own right before the incident that changed her life forever. Having lost her dependent arm, she struggles more than anything trying to adjust to this new life. However when she is summoned once more, she wants to escape from it, but she learns that you can never escape fate. After she meets with Karr, she knows that no one should be chained as he, even if he is dangerous. So they help each other, learning to live and trust once more and in each other. This is a powerful story that brought a tear to my eye a time or two. Marjorie M Liu portrays their emotions so well, its such a enthralling read. Definitely one I would recommend to anyone that enjoys a good romance mixed with some paranormal.
This is the last one of the Dirk & Steele series that is out, and the only one that I hadn't read, and I am so glad that I have. Its definitely one of my favorites of this series. Both Karr and Soria are powerful enigmatic characters where I endeared myself to them. Karr has only known of killing and rejected and pain in his life. Then he meets up with someone that embraces him fully as he is, never judging and always having trust in him. Never has he known anyone to have such complete faith in one as him, not feeling as deserving of it, even though he does. Soria is a young woman that was powerful and able in her own right before the incident that changed her life forever. Having lost her dependent arm, she struggles more than anything trying to adjust to this new life. However when she is summoned once more, she wants to escape from it, but she learns that you can never escape fate. After she meets with Karr, she knows that no one should be chained as he, even if he is dangerous. So they help each other, learning to live and trust once more and in each other. This is a powerful story that brought a tear to my eye a time or two. Marjorie M Liu portrays their emotions so well, its such a enthralling read. Definitely one I would recommend to anyone that enjoys a good romance mixed with some paranormal.
thecozyreader's review
5.0
Plot: 4
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Passion: 4
Overall: 28/30 = 93%
Cover/Title Bonus: 5
Dorchester Pub sent this wonderful book to me to review a few weeks ago.
Summary (author’s website):
Long ago, shape-shifters were plentiful, soaring through the sky as crows, racing across African veldts as cheetahs, raging furious as dragons atop the Himalayas. Like gods, they reigned supreme. But even gods have laws, and those laws, when broken, destroy.
Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. Three words in three very different languages, and yet Soria understands. Like all members of Dirk & Steele, she has a gift, and hers is communication. When she is chosen to learn the dead language of a shape-shifter resurrected after thousands of years of icy sleep, she discovers a warrior consumed with fury.
Strong as a lion, quick as a serpent—Karr is his name, and in his day he was king. But he is a son of strife, a creature of tragedy. As fire consumed all he loved, so death was to be his atonement. Now, against his will, he has awoken. Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. In English, the word is despair. But Soria knows the words for love.
Read an excerpt on her website as well!
Plot:
Soria, a young woman with a missing arm is forced to return to a day job she’s not fond of doing but she’d rather live so she cooperates. She has a talent for being able to speak any language. No matter what. How cool is that!?
Karr is a mystical shape shifting creature that is awoken from a tomb he was buried alive in many, many years ago. He is captured and imprisoned until someone able to speak his language is found.
Soria is able to speak to Karr and she finds a way to form a bond with the enormous, dangerous creature he houses inside. Together they escape and are on the runs for their lives.
Setting:
Briefly the setting is in the US but it quickly switches to Russia, in Mongolia I remember. There’s a ton of desert walking and flying. A sandstorm scene was pretty intense.
Writing:
Marjorie knows her stuff! Since the main character was a linguist and I did read that Marjorie too studied languages there was a ton of references to those foreign languages. The entire book flowed very well. There was a large portion of this book dedicated to action scenes. The detail shown to the shifters was awesome. And writing the main character as having only one arm? Amazingly done. Finding out the back story to why Soria lost her arm doesn’t happen until a little past half way through the book, which worked well but had me constantly wondering what the hell happened to her arm! It was a major distraction and I wish the reader would have found out about that a bit sooner.
Originality:
This wasn’t my first shape shifter book by a long shot but it was a very awesome one. It was my first book that had a disabled main character but that didn’t stop her from being amazingly strong and actually even more so because she had an extra obstacle to overcome.
The shape shifters in this book were different than others I’ve read though. Karr is a half breed so he’s able to mix and match the shapes that his parents were: dragon and lion, making a pretty intense and beautiful creature.
Characters:
Soria is amazing. I had my doubts in the beginning when I first learned that she was missing an arm. But she doesn’t let it stop her from kicking ass. She’s mentally strong and that is exactly what she needs to get through this difficult time in her life. Her story behind the lose of her arm is horrific. Her ability to speak to Karr was awesome!
Karr is just wow. The fact that no one but Soria can understand his language forces him to ally with her. It was the best decision he makes. They make an awesome team together. Karr is strong, intelligent, and an intense warrior.
Passion:
The attraction between Soria and Karr builds over the course of the book. It is not the reason for the book but rather a subplot and it happens very naturally. I was almost yelling at the author/book because it wasn’t a major topic or rather the characters chose to ignore it just a wee bit too much for my liking. And there’s only one cool scene with them together sexually. It fit for their situation but it could have been so much better. Too sad.
Overall:
I enjoyed this book immensely. Mostly because I saw the attraction between the two main characters and wanted to see them together. Plus, their adventure was very cool. Karr was such a sweet and protective alpha male and Soria was strong but not bitchy or overbearing. They were a perfect couple.
Also, this was my first Dirk & Steele novel. I didn’t feel lost or anything so I’m not sure how the series works. I’m guessing they just cover one Dirk & Steele agent at a time.
Cover/Title:
The cover is AWESOME! The only thing I don’t like is the guy. He’s not strong jawed enough to be Karr. His face is just too round and fleshy. The lion, sand, and the side mountain houses fit perfectly with the subject of the book.
The title? I don’t get it. The FIre King? I don’t remember reading that Karr was a king in his original life. However, after reading the summary on Marjorie’s website he apparently was a king. Interesting.
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Passion: 4
Overall: 28/30 = 93%
Cover/Title Bonus: 5
Dorchester Pub sent this wonderful book to me to review a few weeks ago.
Summary (author’s website):
Long ago, shape-shifters were plentiful, soaring through the sky as crows, racing across African veldts as cheetahs, raging furious as dragons atop the Himalayas. Like gods, they reigned supreme. But even gods have laws, and those laws, when broken, destroy.
Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. Three words in three very different languages, and yet Soria understands. Like all members of Dirk & Steele, she has a gift, and hers is communication. When she is chosen to learn the dead language of a shape-shifter resurrected after thousands of years of icy sleep, she discovers a warrior consumed with fury.
Strong as a lion, quick as a serpent—Karr is his name, and in his day he was king. But he is a son of strife, a creature of tragedy. As fire consumed all he loved, so death was to be his atonement. Now, against his will, he has awoken. Zoufalství. Epätoivo. Asa. In English, the word is despair. But Soria knows the words for love.
Read an excerpt on her website as well!
Plot:
Soria, a young woman with a missing arm is forced to return to a day job she’s not fond of doing but she’d rather live so she cooperates. She has a talent for being able to speak any language. No matter what. How cool is that!?
Karr is a mystical shape shifting creature that is awoken from a tomb he was buried alive in many, many years ago. He is captured and imprisoned until someone able to speak his language is found.
Soria is able to speak to Karr and she finds a way to form a bond with the enormous, dangerous creature he houses inside. Together they escape and are on the runs for their lives.
Setting:
Briefly the setting is in the US but it quickly switches to Russia, in Mongolia I remember. There’s a ton of desert walking and flying. A sandstorm scene was pretty intense.
Writing:
Marjorie knows her stuff! Since the main character was a linguist and I did read that Marjorie too studied languages there was a ton of references to those foreign languages. The entire book flowed very well. There was a large portion of this book dedicated to action scenes. The detail shown to the shifters was awesome. And writing the main character as having only one arm? Amazingly done. Finding out the back story to why Soria lost her arm doesn’t happen until a little past half way through the book, which worked well but had me constantly wondering what the hell happened to her arm! It was a major distraction and I wish the reader would have found out about that a bit sooner.
Originality:
This wasn’t my first shape shifter book by a long shot but it was a very awesome one. It was my first book that had a disabled main character but that didn’t stop her from being amazingly strong and actually even more so because she had an extra obstacle to overcome.
The shape shifters in this book were different than others I’ve read though. Karr is a half breed so he’s able to mix and match the shapes that his parents were: dragon and lion, making a pretty intense and beautiful creature.
Characters:
Soria is amazing. I had my doubts in the beginning when I first learned that she was missing an arm. But she doesn’t let it stop her from kicking ass. She’s mentally strong and that is exactly what she needs to get through this difficult time in her life. Her story behind the lose of her arm is horrific. Her ability to speak to Karr was awesome!
Karr is just wow. The fact that no one but Soria can understand his language forces him to ally with her. It was the best decision he makes. They make an awesome team together. Karr is strong, intelligent, and an intense warrior.
Passion:
The attraction between Soria and Karr builds over the course of the book. It is not the reason for the book but rather a subplot and it happens very naturally. I was almost yelling at the author/book because it wasn’t a major topic or rather the characters chose to ignore it just a wee bit too much for my liking. And there’s only one cool scene with them together sexually. It fit for their situation but it could have been so much better. Too sad.
Overall:
I enjoyed this book immensely. Mostly because I saw the attraction between the two main characters and wanted to see them together. Plus, their adventure was very cool. Karr was such a sweet and protective alpha male and Soria was strong but not bitchy or overbearing. They were a perfect couple.
Also, this was my first Dirk & Steele novel. I didn’t feel lost or anything so I’m not sure how the series works. I’m guessing they just cover one Dirk & Steele agent at a time.
Cover/Title:
The cover is AWESOME! The only thing I don’t like is the guy. He’s not strong jawed enough to be Karr. His face is just too round and fleshy. The lion, sand, and the side mountain houses fit perfectly with the subject of the book.
The title? I don’t get it. The FIre King? I don’t remember reading that Karr was a king in his original life. However, after reading the summary on Marjorie’s website he apparently was a king. Interesting.
prgchrqltma's review against another edition
4.0
Characters: injured universal translator, ancient reconstituted shifter
World Building: continuing, Mongolia
Plot: figuring out opposing forces, coming to terms with changes
Sex: medium
Read another: Always
Such an interesting world.
World Building: continuing, Mongolia
Plot: figuring out opposing forces, coming to terms with changes
Sex: medium
Read another: Always
Such an interesting world.
mfred's review against another edition
4.0
Oh man, Marjorie Liu, do you give good angst.
Soria lost her arm. Karr rose from the dead, thousands of years too late. Now the two find themselves in the middle of the Gobi Desert, embroiled in something large and dangerous. They can't quite trust each other but they're only safe together.
And the pain! The emotional turmoil! The loneliness, and the rage and the fear and the wanting... the desperate wanting! I could eat this novel with a spoon.
Soria lost her arm. Karr rose from the dead, thousands of years too late. Now the two find themselves in the middle of the Gobi Desert, embroiled in something large and dangerous. They can't quite trust each other but they're only safe together.
And the pain! The emotional turmoil! The loneliness, and the rage and the fear and the wanting... the desperate wanting! I could eat this novel with a spoon.