5 stars for A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Trilogy book 1) by Amanda Bouchet.
It has been a long time since I last read a fantasy novel. Add in the romance and the idea of starting the year with a fantasy romance story appeals to me no end.
Naturally I am wary of my choice author as not many can get away with striking a good balance between fantasy and romance. As it turns out, this debut author exceeds my expectations. A Promise of Fire starts out promising and continues to live up to its promise right down to the last page. I am not only awed by the fluid writing that emits sparks of fire and magic at every turn of the story, my heart flutters and is set aflame at practically every turn of the page.
So, what - or rather, who - is a Kingmaker? A Kingmaker is a person who brings leaders to power through the exercise of political influence, without being a viable candidate. Here, the Kingmaker is a woman who hears the lie and knows the truth and is sought after by many to assist in royal succession. Long story short, it is about Power Bid.
The author does a fantastic job crafting the three realms (Sinta, Tarva and Fisa) and breathing life into each of the characters through the use of Greek mythology which I so love. We have Cerberus (the three-headed Hound of Hades), Charon (the Ferryman of Hades), Athena (the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War), Poseidon (the God of the Sea) and Zeus (the God of the Sky and ruler of the Olympian Gods) to name a few. The author's choice of Greek myth fascinates me so much so that I have a strong desire to read up more on the ancient Greeks, their origins and the lives and adventures of their gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines and mythological creatures.
This novel is flawless on all counts, almost that is, and unquestionably a good genre and splendid story to start the year with. *** Spoiler Alert *** The only grievance I have is the excessive graphic account of steamy scenes in the later part of the book. However, there is the good that results from these encounters as it does not all go downhill from there. It actually makes the heroine more vulnerable and the story even more forward looking.
A Promise of Fire, a fabulous book to start the year with. A promise to a great story which guarantees to set the reader on fire. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy - the dead tree version - of book 2 Breath of Fire.
P/s: Ophs! I know I'm supposed to keep it short and sweet. This review is still sweet, just not that short. Sorry guys, I can't help it.. 👅
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication date: 2 Aug 2016
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KINGDOMS WILL RISE AND FALL FOR HER…
“Cat” Catalia Fisa lives disguised as a soothsayer in a traveling circus. She is perfectly content avoiding the danger and destiny the Gods—and her homicidal mother—have saddled her with. That is, until Griffin, an ambitious warlord from the magic-deprived south, fixes her with his steely gaze and upsets her illusion of safety forever.
BUT NOT IF SHE CAN HELP IT
Griffin knows Cat is the Kingmaker, the woman who divines the truth through lies. He wants her as a powerful weapon for his newly conquered realm—until he realizes he wants her for much more than her magic. Cat fights him at every turn, but Griffin’s fairness, loyalty, and smoldering advances make him increasingly hard to resist and leave her wondering if life really does have to be short, and lived alone.
*Blurb from author's website*
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