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A review by sinamile
The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter
5.0
Rating: ★★★★1/2
CW/TW: graphic death, war, graphic murder, poison, graphic gore, graphic violence, blood, ableist slurs, genocide, racial slur, vomitting, suicide, mention of parental death, racism, claustrophobia, PTSD, anxiety, hallucinations, beheading, self-harm, ableist slurs, suicide, dissociation, mental health issues/mental health illness, swords, knives, stabbing, grief, body horror, graphic torture, xenophobia, child abuse, child neglect, suicidal thoughts/ideation, religious bigotry, slavery
1. This book, considering many similar books I've read, should be riddled with causal mentions of rape. AND YET THERE IS NO MENTION OF IT AT ALL! Now then, now then, this tells me that rape doesn't need to be mentioned to make a story compelling, to make us see that war is bad and it hurts people. Sure, a hell of a lot bad things happen, but having graphic rape is not it, you don't even need to mention it my gang. I am pleased.
2. The characters all got so much better. I don't remember much of the first book because it's been a while but I remember that I loved them all and now I love them even more because they are so natural. Themba is still hopeless for someone who's name means hope. Everyone is hilarious and the new characters fit right in without making it awkward. They just come in and naturally fill the space.
3. Anyone who says they were bamboozled by that pairing is a lying liar and hates thriving gays* because it wasn't just hinted, it was shoved in our faces. Professional shippers such as myself, queer people who've been queer baited since before queer baiting was a word, such as myself, could see that relationship miles away. But because we've been queer baited so hard over the years, I assumed nothing would come of it. But look at us: ✨ thriving ✨.
4. It's strange because I knew a certain fight was coming, but when it did come I was still shocked. Silly me for thinking that after dying and re-dying for each other in actual hell was going to make people forgive each other and move past earthly nonsense. Silly, silly me.
5. I keep forgetting how short Tau is because he has such bug ways, but every time I'm reminded I find it hilarious. This boy does the most with his short stature, bringing men way larger then himself done by sheer destermination. Basically, at this point, Tau is surviving on sheer pettiness and brute loathing and I am okay with that. Let this tiny, angry thing strive and never stop.
6. My ship was sailing in the best way. I like that it wasn't rushed, that there was a care to how the relationship was handle. Nobody jumped into anything, we weren't clogged with a love affair when everyone is busy fighting for their lives and dying all over the show. Their relationship is, as I said, natural and well handled and actually really well written. It wasn't quick and forced, like how it can sometime be with these types of ships, but instead was carefully done so it can out feeling unforced, allowing for us to care more for the pair when they finally did move on to being more.
7. I need the audience to know that I am embarrassing in the way that I knew Tsiora has a sister, knew she was fighting for her throne because her sister had taken it but my brain still somehow ended up being confused as hell because I did not know who this woman was, lmao. I think what loosed my screw was the fact that they're twins. The moment I heard that, my brain just decided I'd never heard a thing about this woman before.
I— I don't know either truth be told, I don't know either.
8. Yeah, this book got so, so much better than book one. Like, everything got better, so much! The characters, the story, it all just grew so beautifully and I really, really enjoyed.
9. I mean, I don't exactly know how most of the magic system works, lmao, but I knew enough not to be out put each time it was mentioned. I like that the magic system is uncomplicated and that it follows rules. Winters really thought the magic through, and I haven't found a moment where it suddenly clashes and is confusing. The whole time there was a system that, even though I'm still not sure how the whole thing works, didn't leave me confused.
10. I cannot wait for the next book, and now that I've seen the title I am losing my shit because oh no, what is going to happen. There is so much going on and I don't even know who I trust anymore. Like after everything with Tsiora's sister, can I trust that Tsiora is actually who she is? Can I trust that Tau's people are on the right side.
Liike imagine a series three books in and you leanr that the people you've been rooting for are actually the villains of the story. YOOOOW, I would lose my shit completely and not be able to recover, but in a good way. These books have perfectly set us up for that and I would still be shocked outve my mind but would also absolutely eat it up, because imagine: three books in and whoop, they're actually the villains (I mean when you think about the fact that they are technically colonisers... ... ... Yeeeeeeah)
11. Again, i cannot wait for the next book. I am ready for the stress!
------------------------------
* by gays I mean queer people on general..... Homomisic, I'm calling haters homomisic.
CW/TW: graphic death, war, graphic murder, poison, graphic gore, graphic violence, blood, ableist slurs, genocide, racial slur, vomitting, suicide, mention of parental death, racism, claustrophobia, PTSD, anxiety, hallucinations, beheading, self-harm, ableist slurs, suicide, dissociation, mental health issues/mental health illness, swords, knives, stabbing, grief, body horror, graphic torture, xenophobia, child abuse, child neglect, suicidal thoughts/ideation, religious bigotry, slavery
1. This book, considering many similar books I've read, should be riddled with causal mentions of rape. AND YET THERE IS NO MENTION OF IT AT ALL! Now then, now then, this tells me that rape doesn't need to be mentioned to make a story compelling, to make us see that war is bad and it hurts people. Sure, a hell of a lot bad things happen, but having graphic rape is not it, you don't even need to mention it my gang. I am pleased.
2. The characters all got so much better. I don't remember much of the first book because it's been a while but I remember that I loved them all and now I love them even more because they are so natural. Themba is still hopeless for someone who's name means hope. Everyone is hilarious and the new characters fit right in without making it awkward. They just come in and naturally fill the space.
3. Anyone who says they were bamboozled by that pairing is a lying liar and hates thriving gays* because it wasn't just hinted, it was shoved in our faces. Professional shippers such as myself, queer people who've been queer baited since before queer baiting was a word, such as myself, could see that relationship miles away. But because we've been queer baited so hard over the years, I assumed nothing would come of it. But look at us: ✨ thriving ✨.
4. It's strange because I knew a certain fight was coming, but when it did come I was still shocked. Silly me for thinking that after dying and re-dying for each other in actual hell was going to make people forgive each other and move past earthly nonsense. Silly, silly me.
5. I keep forgetting how short Tau is because he has such bug ways, but every time I'm reminded I find it hilarious. This boy does the most with his short stature, bringing men way larger then himself done by sheer destermination. Basically, at this point, Tau is surviving on sheer pettiness and brute loathing and I am okay with that. Let this tiny, angry thing strive and never stop.
6. My ship was sailing in the best way. I like that it wasn't rushed, that there was a care to how the relationship was handle. Nobody jumped into anything, we weren't clogged with a love affair when everyone is busy fighting for their lives and dying all over the show. Their relationship is, as I said, natural and well handled and actually really well written. It wasn't quick and forced, like how it can sometime be with these types of ships, but instead was carefully done so it can out feeling unforced, allowing for us to care more for the pair when they finally did move on to being more.
7. I need the audience to know that I am embarrassing in the way that I knew Tsiora has a sister, knew she was fighting for her throne because her sister had taken it but my brain still somehow ended up being confused as hell because I did not know who this woman was, lmao. I think what loosed my screw was the fact that they're twins. The moment I heard that, my brain just decided I'd never heard a thing about this woman before.
I— I don't know either truth be told, I don't know either.
8. Yeah, this book got so, so much better than book one. Like, everything got better, so much! The characters, the story, it all just grew so beautifully and I really, really enjoyed.
9. I mean, I don't exactly know how most of the magic system works, lmao, but I knew enough not to be out put each time it was mentioned. I like that the magic system is uncomplicated and that it follows rules. Winters really thought the magic through, and I haven't found a moment where it suddenly clashes and is confusing. The whole time there was a system that, even though I'm still not sure how the whole thing works, didn't leave me confused.
10. I cannot wait for the next book, and now that I've seen the title I am losing my shit because oh no, what is going to happen. There is so much going on and I don't even know who I trust anymore. Like after everything with Tsiora's sister, can I trust that Tsiora is actually who she is? Can I trust that Tau's people are on the right side.
Liike imagine a series three books in and you leanr that the people you've been rooting for are actually the villains of the story. YOOOOW, I would lose my shit completely and not be able to recover, but in a good way. These books have perfectly set us up for that and I would still be shocked outve my mind but would also absolutely eat it up, because imagine: three books in and whoop, they're actually the villains (I mean when you think about the fact that they are technically colonisers... ... ... Yeeeeeeah)
11. Again, i cannot wait for the next book. I am ready for the stress!
------------------------------
* by gays I mean queer people on general..... Homomisic, I'm calling haters homomisic.