The Fires of Vengeance

I didn't think I was gonna pick up this sequel so soon after reading the very fiery and bloody The Rage of Dragons but the characters were still on my mind, and I decided to continue before I forget what I loved about this world. And I was definitely right to do so.

The author takes us right back to where we ended in the first book but there's no time to breathe. Right from the get go, there are plans to make, betrayals to endure, warlords to kill and a civil war to win. This book pits the Lessers against the Nobles, demons against humans, Xiddeen against Omehi, dragons against dragons, and sister against sister. Along with the dragon fight sequences, we also have multiple encounters with demons in their world and those action sequences were some of the most brutal. But the one showdown I was anticipating the most felt quite anticlimactic and I missed feeling the emotions going through the heads of the fighters during it. It's all still brutal and violent and extremely fast paced, hardly leaving any time for contemplation or mourning. And there is a lot to mourn for - the author breaks our and the characters' hearts over and over again but leaving none of us any time to grieve, because there is more to fight for if they need to survive. I almost felt numb after a point because I couldn't process so much painful heartbreak.

But despite the relentless and very well written action sequences, we also get to know more about the history of the Omehi people, the reasons for the hierarchy of power between the Nobles and the Lessers, and the author leaves us a lot to ponder about - which history is true, are some people naturally powerful than others, does that necessitate oppression, what does destroying this privilege and making everyone equal entail, is such drastic change even possible after centuries of discrimination and fighting. These are questions that linger in the minds of our characters, especially the ones who have been historically oppressed, as they continue to fight for the Queen in the hope that change may be possible in their lifetime.

This book is very much still about Tau's revenge. His ultimate goal is to kill Abasi Odili and he will not be stopped at any cost. But his character arc is paved with grief and pain and the author has decided he needs more of it. Even as he believes he only has revenge in his heart, he loses more people he cares for, sometimes making him question the price of his purpose. But he knows he can't stop even if it destroys him. But I was very glad that his friends and Sword brothers support him every step of the way. He may be the champion and Hadith maybe grand general, but they are still always questioned by the nobles about their worth, but I was glad that they all stood up for themselves and their people, proving that they are anyone's equal.

It was nice to get some perspective from Tsiora and see what she is feeling about this civil war with her sister. She is young but definitely determined, has a goal in mind and is totally set on achieving it, whatever it takes. She could be sweet at times, but there were also times she displayed her cruelty. And watching her through her sister Esi's POV gave me pause about her true nature. But Esi herself has her own beliefs and prejudices and despite her childhood trauma, I couldn't sympathize with her enough because of her attitude towards Tau and the Lessers. Nyah is a very competent vizier of the Queen, always ready to protect her, even from herself. She butted heads with Tau a lot because of their differing opinions about what needed to be done, but her loyalty was commendable. Hafsa is a healer who is another character very good at her job, lending both voice and support for her patients, and saving as many people as she can. I was so glad to see so many interesting women in this book and I'm hoping it continues.

In the end, this was a throughly engaging and action packed sequel, battering the reader's hearts with more pain and heartbreak. It also expanded the scale of the already epic story, ending on such a dreadful note that it's obvious that the next book will open with another thrilling battle, and bring more violence and death to our characters. That's ofcourse not gonna stop me from devouring the next installment of this series as soon as I can get my hands on it, and I can only hope that it will be before the end of this year.