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A review by alexalovesbooks
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
I'm thrilled that I finally read A FIRE ENDLESS, the sequel and finale to the Elements of Cadence duology. I loved the first book so much both times that I'd read it; there's something about the dreamlike cadence and folk tale vibes of this series that really works for me. I definitely had some high expectations... and it totally exceeded them in the best way!
Many elements that I loved in A River Enchanted are still very much present in A FIRE ENDLESS. Rebecca's writing style and word choices add on to the overall book vibe, still evoking that "folk tale passed down through the generations" feel. We also learn more about the lore (and magic) of the isle of Cadence, with additional details woven into the narrative as the story progresses. And the plot feels a little more action-forward than the first; a natural change because threads are coming together and plenty of things are happening as the different situations our characters face continue to escalate towards the end game scenario (which, by the way, is a very satisfying wrap-up for the series as a whole).
I do really love all of these things, but our main characters are really the thing that made this book sing for me (yes, that is an intentional pun). We're still following Jack, Adaira, Torin and Sidra, but their situations are vastly different after the events of book one. While I'm not going to get into specifics, it's interesting to see both how they've been forever shaped by the things they went through and how they confront the things that challenge them (and their loved ones and home) now. There's a lot of stressful situations happening in this one, and while it hurt to see this quartet (and the secondary and tertiary characters) go through those things, it was also really admirable and relatable to bear witness to how they felt and the choices they made. Unsurprisingly, I also adored the different relationships depicted. We see the spectrum yet again of family, friendship, kinship and romance (and oh, the romance definitely tugged at my heartstrings still!). We see these ties in a new light after the first book, given the knowledge, challenges and history that inform them, and they're just depicted on page so dang well.
A FIRE ENDLESS is a remarkable follow-up and finale, and I enjoyed every second I spent listening to this tale. It truly cemented this duology as being collectively my favorite work from Rebecca Ross (so far)! With its wonderful characters and folk tale feel, I can highly recommend checking this out.
I also ended up listening to this one on audiobook since I'd already grown accustomed to having the narrator bring this story to life. It added even more emphasis to the feeling I had of this being a story told to be passed down through generations, and I really liked that!
Many elements that I loved in A River Enchanted are still very much present in A FIRE ENDLESS. Rebecca's writing style and word choices add on to the overall book vibe, still evoking that "folk tale passed down through the generations" feel. We also learn more about the lore (and magic) of the isle of Cadence, with additional details woven into the narrative as the story progresses. And the plot feels a little more action-forward than the first; a natural change because threads are coming together and plenty of things are happening as the different situations our characters face continue to escalate towards the end game scenario (which, by the way, is a very satisfying wrap-up for the series as a whole).
I do really love all of these things, but our main characters are really the thing that made this book sing for me (yes, that is an intentional pun). We're still following Jack, Adaira, Torin and Sidra, but their situations are vastly different after the events of book one. While I'm not going to get into specifics, it's interesting to see both how they've been forever shaped by the things they went through and how they confront the things that challenge them (and their loved ones and home) now. There's a lot of stressful situations happening in this one, and while it hurt to see this quartet (and the secondary and tertiary characters) go through those things, it was also really admirable and relatable to bear witness to how they felt and the choices they made. Unsurprisingly, I also adored the different relationships depicted. We see the spectrum yet again of family, friendship, kinship and romance (and oh, the romance definitely tugged at my heartstrings still!). We see these ties in a new light after the first book, given the knowledge, challenges and history that inform them, and they're just depicted on page so dang well.
A FIRE ENDLESS is a remarkable follow-up and finale, and I enjoyed every second I spent listening to this tale. It truly cemented this duology as being collectively my favorite work from Rebecca Ross (so far)! With its wonderful characters and folk tale feel, I can highly recommend checking this out.
I also ended up listening to this one on audiobook since I'd already grown accustomed to having the narrator bring this story to life. It added even more emphasis to the feeling I had of this being a story told to be passed down through generations, and I really liked that!