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A review by kindredbooks
Kindling by Traci Chee
5.0
I received a copy of Kindling by Traci Chee from Frenzy Books in exchange for an honest review.
If Traci Chee's books We Are Not Free and A Thousand Steps Into Night adopted a baby, that baby would be Kindling. It had all the heartbreaking elements of WANF - children not getting to be children due to their circumstances - and the fantastical, magical elements of ATSIN.
Kindling is a story of a post-war world that used kindlings - elite, magic-wielding child warriors - to fight. The powers that these children used to fight was at the cost of their own lives, with many not living to adulthood. But once the war ended, and the kindlings' powers were considered unlawful, those who survived the war were left adrift with no home to return to and a trauma that followed them no matter where they went. In this story, a group of seven kindlings find themselves drawn together as violence continues in the country even during peacetime. As these seven band together for one last mission, they have to face their fears, trauma, pasts, and secrets.
What I loved:
- the found family aspect of the seven kindlings and their relationships with one another and the village that they have been enlisted to help
- the mix of complicated emotions that I find myself always feeling when I read a Traci Chee book (the violence, the trauma, the heartbreak, the brutality of the situations that we do not and cannot shy from)
- the cover itself is a masterpiece and added to the story as each character was introduced and I found myself wanting to identity who they were on the cover
What I didn't:
- this is a complicated one, but the violence and the heartbreak; which I also mentioned above; this book will not be for everyone, especially those who may feel triggered by child soldiers, war, trauma, and violence
If Traci Chee's books We Are Not Free and A Thousand Steps Into Night adopted a baby, that baby would be Kindling. It had all the heartbreaking elements of WANF - children not getting to be children due to their circumstances - and the fantastical, magical elements of ATSIN.
Kindling is a story of a post-war world that used kindlings - elite, magic-wielding child warriors - to fight. The powers that these children used to fight was at the cost of their own lives, with many not living to adulthood. But once the war ended, and the kindlings' powers were considered unlawful, those who survived the war were left adrift with no home to return to and a trauma that followed them no matter where they went. In this story, a group of seven kindlings find themselves drawn together as violence continues in the country even during peacetime. As these seven band together for one last mission, they have to face their fears, trauma, pasts, and secrets.
What I loved:
- the found family aspect of the seven kindlings and their relationships with one another and the village that they have been enlisted to help
- the mix of complicated emotions that I find myself always feeling when I read a Traci Chee book (the violence, the trauma, the heartbreak, the brutality of the situations that we do not and cannot shy from)
- the cover itself is a masterpiece and added to the story as each character was introduced and I found myself wanting to identity who they were on the cover
What I didn't:
- this is a complicated one, but the violence and the heartbreak; which I also mentioned above; this book will not be for everyone, especially those who may feel triggered by child soldiers, war, trauma, and violence