Reviews with content warning for Blood - A Fire Endless

In this conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology, a blight is infecting the East and West of the isle of Cadence, and the spirits are restless under the despotic rule of Bane, King of the Northern Wind. Jack remains in the East while his wife, Adaira, lives with her parents from the enemy Breccan Clan. Tensions and stress run high as the Tamerlaine and Breccan Clans struggle to trust one another amidst a war in the spirit realm.

Review:

Rebecca Ross’s writing has a magic of its own. Every time I opened A Fire Endless, I forgot that I was reading and became completely immersed in the world and story she created. Her writing allowed me to grasp the storyline, feel the emotions the characters were feeling, and understand the world’s magic with little to no effort, which is not an easy feat in the fantasy genre. I also appreciate her ability to build stakes without making her story too dark.

As I read, there were very few moments that pulled me out of the story. One thing that struck me was how Rebecca Ross eschews cheap plot devices or lazy story conventions to further the story. The main characters, although not perfect, act intelligently and respond appropriately to their situations. Ross lets her story unfold naturally and at its own pace. The result is a magnificent story that is enjoyable to read and provides a satisfying conclusion to the duology.

The only thing that is keeping me from rating A Fire Endless as a 4.75 or 5 is that Ross did not take any risks with the ending of the story. That does not mean that the ending is bad—far from it. I am glad that she chose the safe route if she did not feel that she could handle a bolder ending. That being said, I think if she had been able to successfully shake things up more at the end, A Fire Endless might have been a masterpiece.

The Run-Down:

You will almost certainly like A Fire Endless if you liked the first book in the duology.

Content Warnings

takarakei's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I honestly don’t even know where to begin with this book and series. I am so in love with it I think it might be my new life goal to get everyone in my book club to read it.

3🌶️

Content Warnings

theonlybaillie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

While this book had some pacing issues for me in the beginning, the second half of this book truly stunned me. I love these characters so deeply, and this story of redemption and love and justice just makes my heart elated. I don't re-read books often, but I can TOTALLY see myself re-reading this duology.

Content Warnings

sven47's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The sequel is even better than the original on this one.
The gloomy nature vibes described in the first book came to fruition as the magical inhabitants of the island and the story slowly enveloped the whole island.

The characters were loveable and I really felt for them and their journey. Worldbuilding - AMAZING, vague enough to be mysterious but still logical.

I did feel that the main romance was a bit forced but I didn't mind.

Content Warnings

brontesauruses's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

The publisher gave me early access in exchange for an honest review.
There is so much genuine love in these books and in these characters. There is blood and death and tragedy, but there is always love too. That might be my favorite thing about them, really

Content Warnings

readwithria's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A Fire Endless was a beautifully written sequel that slightly missed the mark for me compared to its predecessor.

A Fire Endless felt like a very different book from A River Enchanted. While it still took place on the same island and with the same cast of characters, a lot of things didn’t work as well for me this time around. But before I get to those, here are the things I DID enjoy!

Things I liked:
- learning about the west and its culture
- Adaira’s growth and overcoming of her fears
- Torin’s renewed appreciation for Sidra and the softer aspects of the isle
- the development of the relationship between the east and west
- Kae!

Things I didn’t like
- the different plot elements felt disconnected from one another. The blight that is the impetus for the book feels insignificant in comparison to Jack’s actual journey
- the climax of the book didn’t satisfy me emotionally. This big moment that ended the series ended up having almost no emotional impact for me, and I knew that it couldn’t be the end because of that

Obviously, I still enjoyed the book quite a bit! The characters and the writing were wonderful, and most of the time I thoroughly enjoyed the story as well. But those two things were enough to drop this down a full star for me. That said, I will definitely be reading more from Rebecca Ross. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley andHarper Voyager for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

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