A review by thebalancedbookshelf
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

slow-paced

3.25

Unpopular opinion…while I did like some aspects of this book I definitely struggled with it overall. 

I do think there’s a lot to enjoy about this. I liked how it really expanded on the world and the characters that were portrayed previously, while still adding something new. I think we get a really great look into the characters and their struggles. It feels like each character is carrying something heavy and you can feel for them as they are going through it. I like that some time had passed and we didn’t just jump right into where the story left off. I also really enjoyed the spirits involvement in this. It felt very mystical and added to the whimsy of the island itself. The myths of both clans was so interesting to me and I loved the Bane reveal. 

What I struggled with is that I do think this book covers a lot of ground. Literally, in that we get to see the west but also figuratively as we get so many characters and their perspectives. There are multiple plot points and storylines all corresponding at the same time. I definitely enjoyed some more than others and think the amount tended to make this book drag on. While I loved the addition of the spirits, I think Torin’s time in detail there was a bit much. He was able to show us things that were happening while he was also learning about them but it was so slow and too descriptive. Kae’s character in this was literally just as a plot device and she wasn’t able to add much to the overall story. I loved the opening chapter but was so disappointed when we got nothing from Kae but memories when it was convenient for plot. 

I think there are a lot of good elements in this story and you can feel the emotions but at the same time it felt repetitive and boring. The romance aspects were okay in the first book but not really to my liking in this one. I think that’s a personal preference as these tend to lean towards friends to lovers and that’s not really for me. 

I do this book does a great job at  portraying the characters struggles and how they care about each other, their clans, and their island. I just think that overall there was too much going on, with too many characters, and point of views to be shoved into this one book. I think with the amount that went into this it could have benefitted from being a trilogy instead of a duology.