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skateanddonate's review against another edition
5.0
Great read. Well written and captivating. Need to buy the rest of this series in eBooks.
adubrow's review against another edition
4.0
At last! A well-crafted romance with a real plot that gets resolved and fascinating characters. Marjorie M. Liu never fails to deliver, and I'm interested to see what the other books in this series are like.
prationality's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second Dirk and Steele novel I've read after the newest book, In the Dark of Dreams (yes I did things out of order). Liu doesn't write easy stories, and by that I mean her books more often then not will have both the hero and heroine face tremendous odds. Odds that most people would find unimaginable; The Fire King is no different. Karr faces the fact that he wakes up thousands of years after he thought he had died, in a world that is in stark contrast to what he knew, but still manages to be prejudiced and brutal towards his people.
Soria meanwhile lost an arm, but more than that she lost her faith. Emotionally hurt and physically impaired, she just wanted to be left alone. Well Dirk and Steele is a bitch of a company to work for and they don't let assets just fly in the wind. Soria's stubborn refusal to come to terms with losing her arm is part of what drives the book. She is determined to prove that no matter what she can be self-reliant. She puts on her 'tough as nails' face, snaps at anyone who even hints at pity and ignores the startled looks others give her.
Part of what draws Karr and Soria together is her ability to talk his language, but their scars as well. Individually their pasts and memories overwhelm them, but together they sort of work. Karr doesn't treat Soria like a cripple or someone to pity, he's a warrior and he understands that when you can no longer be what you are, its hard to come back. Soria in turn understands that Karr is lost and adrift, so much has changed and nothing is what he remembers.
Like In the Dark of Dreams Liu keeps the book in the 'here and now'. Since I'm reading things backwards (apparently) some of the storylines were spoiled for me so I knew what would eventually happen. Like with Eddie, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment. I was so focused on what was going on with Soria and Karr everything else was just gravy.
Soria meanwhile lost an arm, but more than that she lost her faith. Emotionally hurt and physically impaired, she just wanted to be left alone. Well Dirk and Steele is a bitch of a company to work for and they don't let assets just fly in the wind. Soria's stubborn refusal to come to terms with losing her arm is part of what drives the book. She is determined to prove that no matter what she can be self-reliant. She puts on her 'tough as nails' face, snaps at anyone who even hints at pity and ignores the startled looks others give her.
Part of what draws Karr and Soria together is her ability to talk his language, but their scars as well. Individually their pasts and memories overwhelm them, but together they sort of work. Karr doesn't treat Soria like a cripple or someone to pity, he's a warrior and he understands that when you can no longer be what you are, its hard to come back. Soria in turn understands that Karr is lost and adrift, so much has changed and nothing is what he remembers.
Like In the Dark of Dreams Liu keeps the book in the 'here and now'. Since I'm reading things backwards (apparently) some of the storylines were spoiled for me so I knew what would eventually happen. Like with Eddie, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment. I was so focused on what was going on with Soria and Karr everything else was just gravy.
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