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A review by cranberrytarts
Truth of Embers by Caitlyn McFarland
4.0
I had mixed feelings about the first book, Soul of Smoke. I loved the world and basic storyline, but the characters frustrated me. I started book two, Shadow of Flame, but by the second chapter my head was ready to explode so I DNF'd it. I started this one by accident. I opened it on my PC and before I knew it was I was 4 chapters in. The plot really pulled me in. The first few pages where Rhys is connected to Kai as she's being tortured were really intense and set up the story well.
I was pleased to see both Kai and Rhys had done some growing since the previous book. Kai wasn't as selfish or immature. She seemed to have settled into herself more and she seemed more accepting of her future with Kai and the Dragons. Rhys, too, seemed a bit more mature. One of the things I struggled with in the previous book was the lack of maturity he showed for being a thousands-of-years old dragon. He still read more like a twenty-something than an old, wise dragon, but he showed more maturity than in the first book.
We saw more from Owain's point-of-view this time around. He was clearly mad, but his reluctance to see more dragons perish, coupled with his own ideals about the future, gave him added depth. He was much more one-dimensional in the first book. Here he was a flawed but fully formed character.
Though I had some continued frustrations with the lack of maturity shown by many of the characters, I can't deny this was a thrilling read. I was quickly swept up in the race to save Kai, the push to gain the full mantle from both sides and the complexities of the relationship between Kai and Rhys. Overall this was a very satisfying read I won't soon forget.
I was pleased to see both Kai and Rhys had done some growing since the previous book. Kai wasn't as selfish or immature. She seemed to have settled into herself more and she seemed more accepting of her future with Kai and the Dragons. Rhys, too, seemed a bit more mature. One of the things I struggled with in the previous book was the lack of maturity he showed for being a thousands-of-years old dragon. He still read more like a twenty-something than an old, wise dragon, but he showed more maturity than in the first book.
We saw more from Owain's point-of-view this time around. He was clearly mad, but his reluctance to see more dragons perish, coupled with his own ideals about the future, gave him added depth. He was much more one-dimensional in the first book. Here he was a flawed but fully formed character.
Though I had some continued frustrations with the lack of maturity shown by many of the characters, I can't deny this was a thrilling read. I was quickly swept up in the race to save Kai, the push to gain the full mantle from both sides and the complexities of the relationship between Kai and Rhys. Overall this was a very satisfying read I won't soon forget.