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umairah's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
One of my favourite aspects of the book was the magic system. It was heavily based on the senses and the mind which is not something I see often (most magic systems I've seen are more physical or elemental). In the book, the kingdom of Puerto Leones conquered neighbouring Memoria and sought to wipe out its magically gifted people, the Moria. They had magical abilities of four types: Robári (can take people's memories), Persuári (can influence and bring people's emotions to life), Ventári (can tell if someone is lying) and Illusionári (capable of conjuring illusions). Moria with no magic were called Olvidados.
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Moria were feared, hunted, persecuted and killed by the crown of Puerto Leones and the Robári were the most feared of them all. Which brings us to our main character, Renata Convida, a Robári who was kidnapped by the King's Justice as a child and was used to steal memories from royal enemies. Memories that contained information leading to the deaths of thousands of Moria. However, the Moria rebels (called the Whispers) rescued her and let her join their ranks but they never let her have their trust. When Dez, the commander of her unit and the only person who truly trusted and cared about Ren, was captured, Ren had to go under cover and complete his mission no matter the cost.
Ren's character development was amazing and I really felt sorry for her. Her mind was filled with so many stolen memories yet she couldn't remember so many of her own. Her people would never forget her actions that caused so much harm and pain and she lived with the burden of that guilt even though her actions were the result of manipulation as a child. Her relationship with the King's Justice was so twisted- how could she hate him when he was good to her? How could she love him when he made her do monstrous deeds she didn't understand at the time? This conflict inside her led to her need to prove she was capable and worthy of trust and every time she failed the pain deepened
I did predict the majority of the plot twists but they were still quite thrilling and there were still a couple of shocking twists I didn't see coming. Incendiary was a gripping fantasy full of espionage and betrayal that you don't want to miss.
I interviewed Zoraida Córdova for the Incendiary blog tour- read it here!
Incendiary was an action-packed fantasy set in a world inspired by 15th century Spain, reimagining the Inquisition. While it had many of the tropes that are common in YA fantasy such as a main character with rare/ special powers it didn't feel boring or unoriginal to me and managed to make those common tropes exciting.
One of my favourite aspects of the book was the magic system. It was heavily based on the senses and the mind which is not something I see often (most magic systems I've seen are more physical or elemental). In the book, the kingdom of Puerto Leones conquered neighbouring Memoria and sought to wipe out its magically gifted people, the Moria. They had magical abilities of four types: Robári (can take people's memories), Persuári (can influence and bring people's emotions to life), Ventári (can tell if someone is lying) and Illusionári (capable of conjuring illusions). Moria with no magic were called Olvidados.
Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Moria were feared, hunted, persecuted and killed by the crown of Puerto Leones and the Robári were the most feared of them all. Which brings us to our main character, Renata Convida, a Robári who was kidnapped by the King's Justice as a child and was used to steal memories from royal enemies. Memories that contained information leading to the deaths of thousands of Moria. However, the Moria rebels (called the Whispers) rescued her and let her join their ranks but they never let her have their trust. When Dez, the commander of her unit and the only person who truly trusted and cared about Ren, was captured, Ren had to go under cover and complete his mission no matter the cost.
Ren's character development was amazing and I really felt sorry for her. Her mind was filled with so many stolen memories yet she couldn't remember so many of her own. Her people would never forget her actions that caused so much harm and pain and she lived with the burden of that guilt even though her actions were the result of manipulation as a child. Her relationship with the King's Justice was so twisted- how could she hate him when he was good to her? How could she love him when he made her do monstrous deeds she didn't understand at the time? This conflict inside her led to her need to prove she was capable and worthy of trust and every time she failed the pain deepened
I did predict the majority of the plot twists but they were still quite thrilling and there were still a couple of shocking twists I didn't see coming. Incendiary was a gripping fantasy full of espionage and betrayal that you don't want to miss.
I interviewed Zoraida Córdova for the Incendiary blog tour- read it here!
secretdearest's review against another edition
4.0
My initial thoughts:
- the MC doesn't stand out in any way
- Rebels taking down a Kingdom, not particularly original
First 10 chapters were 'meh', then it got good.
- the MC doesn't stand out in any way
- Rebels taking down a Kingdom, not particularly original
First 10 chapters were 'meh', then it got good.
readingwithrae's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars.
this was your standard, ya fantasy: girl has rare powers, girl goes undercover in the palace, it started out strong but *dragged* so much in the middle i seriously considered dnf’ing, but since i’m a completionist i pushed through. the last 100 pages really are what made this book? the action, the twists, the promise of taking down a kingdom (plus prince castian ending up being not the vicious villain he was made out to be and the hints at him getting romantically involved with ren in book two? *elmo voice* DELICIOUS)
will i read the next book? still up in the air— the only reason i picked this up was because it was an owlcrate pick back when i still subscribed, but if i could find it at a library probably read the sequel just to see how it all plays out
this was your standard, ya fantasy: girl has rare powers, girl goes undercover in the palace,
Spoiler
girl finds out her dead boyfriend is actually alive and ends the book in the start of a love triangle.will i read the next book? still up in the air— the only reason i picked this up was because it was an owlcrate pick back when i still subscribed, but if i could find it at a library probably read the sequel just to see how it all plays out
worldsunlikeourown's review against another edition
4.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
In the kingdom of Puerto Leones, the Moria people who can wield magic are persecuted for their abilities. As a Robari, Renata’s feared power to steal memories saw her kidnapped and brought to the palace as a child to serve the King’s Justice. Years later, Renata is part of the rebellion that rescued her, the Whispers, who help the surviving Moria all over the kingdom to escape – but she is still an outcast due to the nature of her powers, friendless except for the commander of her unit, Dez. When Dez is captured by the Prince and a rescue attempt goes disastrously wrong, Renata must now step in and complete his mission – which means returning to her former captors in the palace. But what she finds is not what she expects as the familiar surroundings stir memories of her childhood that have long since been locked away, and Renata will have first find the answers to her own past even as she works to help her people.
I’ve been waiting to read this book since April and I’m so glad to have finally gotten around to it! Incendiary was…one wild ride. I barely had time to wrap my head around one thing before the next pops up. There were a lot of common tropes in this, admittedly, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Nothing felt cliched and this was a surprisingly easy read. This was actually my first time reading a novel by this author, though I’ve heard so many good things about her books, and I have to say, I really liked her writing style. The world building is something that unfolds throughout the story rather than one big info dump at the beginning. The only thing I wished would have been explained better was the magic system. While a lot of thought has clearly been put into it, there are parts of it that are still rather vague such as its origins and limits.
Incendiary was very much a journey of discovery for Renata who has lost so many of her own memories even as she struggles with those she has taken from others along with the feeling of never quite fitting in anywhere as even the rebels are severely distrustful of her, sometimes hostilely so. It was really interesting to see how the narrative changes along with Renata’s goals as she unlocks more and more of her past and the blanks are filled in for us right alongside her. She is a variation of an unreliable narrator I guess, but in a form that I haven’t come across before. This partial information she is basing her decisions on make her incredibly reckless and impulsive at times, and there were times I just wanted to scream in frustration. But of course, this makes Renata quite an interesting character and I loved both her arc and backstory which was very well crafted.
Given the ending of this book, I am now really curious to know more about Prince Castian, and it would be amazing to see some chapters from his perspective in the next book. I think it’s rather unlikely considering how solidly focussed this is on Renata’s journey, but it would be fascinating to get a second perspective. The big reveal at the end wasn’t all that surprising as there were several hints dropped leading up to it, but it does add a new layer of complexity to an already delightfully intricate tale. It was quite delightful to see so many pieces come together and there are still so many unanswered questions that I’m really looking forward to seeing answered in the sequel. Overall, Incendiary was an entertaining and fast paced read and I would definitely recommend it!
In the kingdom of Puerto Leones, the Moria people who can wield magic are persecuted for their abilities. As a Robari, Renata’s feared power to steal memories saw her kidnapped and brought to the palace as a child to serve the King’s Justice. Years later, Renata is part of the rebellion that rescued her, the Whispers, who help the surviving Moria all over the kingdom to escape – but she is still an outcast due to the nature of her powers, friendless except for the commander of her unit, Dez. When Dez is captured by the Prince and a rescue attempt goes disastrously wrong, Renata must now step in and complete his mission – which means returning to her former captors in the palace. But what she finds is not what she expects as the familiar surroundings stir memories of her childhood that have long since been locked away, and Renata will have first find the answers to her own past even as she works to help her people.
I’ve been waiting to read this book since April and I’m so glad to have finally gotten around to it! Incendiary was…one wild ride. I barely had time to wrap my head around one thing before the next pops up. There were a lot of common tropes in this, admittedly, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Nothing felt cliched and this was a surprisingly easy read. This was actually my first time reading a novel by this author, though I’ve heard so many good things about her books, and I have to say, I really liked her writing style. The world building is something that unfolds throughout the story rather than one big info dump at the beginning. The only thing I wished would have been explained better was the magic system. While a lot of thought has clearly been put into it, there are parts of it that are still rather vague such as its origins and limits.
Incendiary was very much a journey of discovery for Renata who has lost so many of her own memories even as she struggles with those she has taken from others along with the feeling of never quite fitting in anywhere as even the rebels are severely distrustful of her, sometimes hostilely so. It was really interesting to see how the narrative changes along with Renata’s goals as she unlocks more and more of her past and the blanks are filled in for us right alongside her. She is a variation of an unreliable narrator I guess, but in a form that I haven’t come across before. This partial information she is basing her decisions on make her incredibly reckless and impulsive at times, and there were times I just wanted to scream in frustration. But of course, this makes Renata quite an interesting character and I loved both her arc and backstory which was very well crafted.
Given the ending of this book, I am now really curious to know more about Prince Castian, and it would be amazing to see some chapters from his perspective in the next book. I think it’s rather unlikely considering how solidly focussed this is on Renata’s journey, but it would be fascinating to get a second perspective. The big reveal at the end wasn’t all that surprising as there were several hints dropped leading up to it, but it does add a new layer of complexity to an already delightfully intricate tale. It was quite delightful to see so many pieces come together and there are still so many unanswered questions that I’m really looking forward to seeing answered in the sequel. Overall, Incendiary was an entertaining and fast paced read and I would definitely recommend it!
iceboundreader's review against another edition
3.0
Took almost to the end for me to really get into it.
It felt more complicated than it needed to, and I never really got attached to any of the characters.
It felt more complicated than it needed to, and I never really got attached to any of the characters.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun, easy read. It's the kind of YA I really like, but there was not anything new here, and it was quite predictable. Still, I will for sure read the next book in the series.
martareader's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*
A solid ya fantasy with great characters, a lot of action, twists and a well crafted magic system!
Would recommend!
A solid ya fantasy with great characters, a lot of action, twists and a well crafted magic system!
Would recommend!
dannywithaygreenlikethecolor's review against another edition
4.0
“You are vengeance in the night.”
3.5 better than I thought. I am excited to see where this story goes! I wish this came with a MAP!!! I love how everything in the end came around full circle for the protagonist. I don’t like that someone “ran away because they were scared.” It seems SOOOO out of character for them. This is buy a Latinx author and is a Latinx book I absolutely adore!
3.5 better than I thought. I am excited to see where this story goes! I wish this came with a MAP!!! I love how everything in the end came around full circle for the protagonist. I don’t like that someone “ran away because they were scared.” It seems SOOOO out of character for them. This is buy a Latinx author and is a Latinx book I absolutely adore!
tlwd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0