So A Promise of Fire was my October TBR List Pick, but I stay a full month behind on reviews… because I read THAT slow.
I listened to A Promise of Fire and I really enjoyed the narrator, Mia Barron. She had great voices and I think she helped me grow attached to the characters a lot faster. BUT they were easy characters to grow attached to. I LOVED their personalities and interactions. I found myself laughing quite a lot, which was a surprise, since A Promise of Fire is really an action packed, magic packed Urban Fantasy. But the personalities had their own wit and snark, which added quite a lot to my enjoyment.
But that wit and snark should not put this on the same shelf as say, Jane Jameson. It’s not THAT MUCH wit and snark and is most definitely more Urban Fantasy than that. The magic and action kept coming and were pretty unique, which is nice. As someone who has read a SHIT TON (most official measure I can come up with) of UF, it’s always exciting to find something that presents a startlingly fresh and different world. That being said, it did take a little time to get comfortable in that world – as is the norm with most UF. Figuring out how the world worked and their relationship with magic was a constant process, but I liked the way it was never out-and-out explained, so much as trickled into the story. And it was so incredibly unique – I can’t think of one series/book to compare the magic to. It has Greek Gods (or Roman? I get them confused, but I’m pretty sure it’s Greek). It has a historical feel, with tribes and courts. It has Dragons and magic ropes and healers. And none of them work quite the way I’m used to.. but also nothing that has me up in arms about being too far off the mark. Good stuff 🙂
Once I did get the feel of it, I was kind of disappointed by the obviousness of the BIG SECRET in the story. I had it figured out pretty early on and that can be frustrating, especially since I never doubted my accuracy (which turned out to be 100% correct). However, the ending was like “Whoa! What?!” I may not have been surprised, but some individuals were and their response left us on a bit of a cliff. So I will be reading the next book sooner than later. I have it in possession 🙂
Um, I think you could have started the review with…dragons! 😉 Just kidding. I’m happy to *finally* have your thoughts on this one, Berls. (again, kidding) You have me decided on starting it now because it sounds rather neato. And since I’ve only read a quarter of a shit ton of UF, I won’t have near as much to compare it to. haha In all seriousness, I like that the world building is done bit by bit rather than the info dump. I also like the sound of the magic as well as the Greek gods. And, of course, the dragons. 🙂
{{{big hugs}}}
Lol you crack me up. Yeah, surprisingly the Dragons weren’t the BIG takeaway for me, even though they were cool. It was more the world and the characters/relationships. Hahaha since you’ve inky read a quarter of a shit ton of UF this will definitely be unique for you 🙂 {{Hugs}}
Yay glad this one was good and had a great narrator. Enjoy the next book!
Thanks! I’m looking forward to reading it!
I really enjoyed this story too. I do agree with you that this world does take some getting used to, but it is because it is unique, which is nice. I wasn’t real happy with that ending either. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on book two. I’m anxiously awaiting book three.
The uniqueness was quite nice! The ending was whao! I have book two and plan to listen to it before the end of the year.