Incendiary
Ratings10
Average rating3.7
I really enjoyed this book. I loved how it took place during the time of the Spanish Inquisition and the concept of a memory thief was fascinating. I am looking forward to the sequel of this book. Very entertaining.
4.5 stars
This was an awesome read, fast-paced and really interesting. I loved the whole idea of the magic system in this book and how every Moria had their own power.
The characters are pretty nice, there were some plot twists that I didn't expect, but I figured out the biggest one of them and it kinda ruined the ending for me, but I'm not mad about it.
It's a good book overall if you want a light fantasy read.
Niets te grensverleggend, maar voldoende meeslepend en boeiend.
Na alle DNF's en flauwe fantasieboeken was ik zo blij om eindelijk nog eens een wereld te ontdekken waar ik enige interesse voor voelde, waardoor ik me dit boek waarschijnlijk met meer plezier zal herinneren dan het verhaal op zich misschien waard is.
Niet dat er iets mis mee was, maar baanbrekend was het ook niet. Het is een vrij standaard YA-rebellieverhaal, met veel voorkomende plotelementen en een paar voorspelbare wendingen, maar ook met een interessant magiesysteem, meeslepende schrijfstijl en een einde waardoor ik meteen het vervolg wilde oppikken.
In this story, we follow Renata, a young woman with the power to take memories. Her power is extremely rare and dangerous, and she isn't trusted everywhere she goes. As a child, she was forced to work for the kingdom, using her powers to steal the memories of the people against the crown. People with magical powers are persecuted in this kingdom, and many go into hiding. As a child, she is rescued from the kingdom by rebels, but then is similarly used by them. Lonely for most of her life, Renata is faced with losing one of the only people she loves, while trying to help improve the lives of magic users like her.
This book was definitely entertaining. The characters were fun and the plot was fast paced. However, it was full of very stereotypical tropes. This made the plot pretty predictable. There were one or two plot twists I didn't see coming, but for the most part, I could see what was going to happen. I also didn't really like the narrator. She felt a little flat in the reading of the story. The magic system really drew me in, however. Renata's power is super interesting and unique I am excited to continue on in this story and see what happens next!
TW: burning, death, execution, fire, grooming, injury descriptions, kidnapping, mental illness, mind control/altering, murder (including parental), poisoning, racial discrimination, suicide, torture, violence
I was afraid this would be a little too capital-F fantasy for me to enjoy but I really dug it. It helped that it's more of a spy/heist kind of a story, and I am fond of like the X-Men style of magic where people have different classes of magical abilities. The world building hit the sweet spot for me personally of being engaging and different without being like, “here's 50 pages of my fake language and 7 maps.” (Which I know some folks like but it's not for me!) Also nice to see a fantasy world that acknowledges that queer people exist and don't seem to be particularly oppressed, or at least, only if they happen to have the wrong kind of magic and not for their sexuality.
I did see the big twist coming before the protagonist did, which is rare for me tbh, but I kind of get that she was so shook by it and so involved with other things/her own memory problems that it didn't click for her.
I am eagerly looking forward to book 2!
I probably enjoyed this 4 stars but I'm awarding a bonus star in honor of the brilliant choice to name the protagonist Renata :)
I felt so many feelings while reading this. I was sad and happy and mad and surprised and so much. Renata made so many mistakes, but kept on going. I really appreciate that. The ending was unexpected! I can't wait to see what happens next.