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A review by dhiyanah
Fire Heart by Joyce Ch'ng
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
‘Fire Heart’ is a young adult novel following the coming-of-age story of Wehia, a feisty and lovable main character with big dreams and an even bigger drive for truth. It’s a story that’s relatable to anyone who has committed time and energy to learning and mastering a craft, a practice, an artistry. The patience and care - of both craft and community - that this requires are at the forefront of the emotional pulse that carries this journey forward. This, I feel, many can relate to.
Wehia is impatient but focused. In a world of compartmentalized hierarchy, she strives for greatness in her chosen role, her passion - to make beautiful swords as part of a great swordsmaking holding. She joins the t’Tolani holding, with whom she shares matrilineal ancestry with. She faces the head of the t’Tolani clan, Hadana, who guides Wehia with arduous tasks and a firm gentleness that ensures Wehia can meet her lifelong dreams face-to-face. The scenes between mentor and pupil were achingly honest and affirming. I’m once again reminded (with mourning) how crossing paths with the right teacher at the right time can make or break one’s path towards success.
Hadana is by no means the perfect teacher for Wehia, but she is patient with the girl and insists on forging her with the care and precision akin to the swordmaking mastery that's gorgeously interwoven throughout this novel (it’s like literary ASMR!). Through this, a mutual understanding takes root between the characters. The scene where Hadana apologizes to Wehia for a mistake she made was one of my favorites, as it beautifully displays the trust being cultivated between the characters.
My other favorite scenes were of the sweet, wholesome romance budding between Wehia and Geri. Geri is gentle and contemplative where Wehia is stubborn and impulsive, and we see how this complements and challenges their dynamic as they navigate their commitment towards each other and their chosen livelihoods.
Wehia is impatient but focused. In a world of compartmentalized hierarchy, she strives for greatness in her chosen role, her passion - to make beautiful swords as part of a great swordsmaking holding. She joins the t’Tolani holding, with whom she shares matrilineal ancestry with. She faces the head of the t’Tolani clan, Hadana, who guides Wehia with arduous tasks and a firm gentleness that ensures Wehia can meet her lifelong dreams face-to-face. The scenes between mentor and pupil were achingly honest and affirming. I’m once again reminded (with mourning) how crossing paths with the right teacher at the right time can make or break one’s path towards success.
Hadana is by no means the perfect teacher for Wehia, but she is patient with the girl and insists on forging her with the care and precision akin to the swordmaking mastery that's gorgeously interwoven throughout this novel (it’s like literary ASMR!). Through this, a mutual understanding takes root between the characters. The scene where Hadana apologizes to Wehia for a mistake she made was one of my favorites, as it beautifully displays the trust being cultivated between the characters.
My other favorite scenes were of the sweet, wholesome romance budding between Wehia and Geri. Geri is gentle and contemplative where Wehia is stubborn and impulsive, and we see how this complements and challenges their dynamic as they navigate their commitment towards each other and their chosen livelihoods.
"If you do not master your own heart, how do you protect the blade's heart?"
The world of ‘Fire Heart’ is one that is aware of its own faults and fissures. There are border people being severely marginalized and blood families that deal in violence, but the socially acceptable thing to do is to look away from this conflict. Wehia, forged by her own fire, decides this isn’t enough. Her drive towards truth is what opens the story up for the sequel, a tension ringing in the air like a secret song. I’m looking forward to seeing how this story is concluded!
From the art of following one’s dreams to the courage of staying true to the heart’s callings, there’s something in ‘Fire Heart’ for a wide range of young and adult readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence