A YA Fantasy by Gillian Bronte Adams
Is it possible to find a beautifully written, free-from-explicit content book anymore? After a seemingly endless quest, I finally found one I’m thrilled to review. At this year’s Realm Makers conference, I scooped up an autographed copy of Of Fire and Ash by Gillian Bronte Adams, right after it was awarded their Book of the Year.
Book One ofThe Fireborn Epic introduces us to the sword-wielding, horseback riding banished princess, Ceridwen. Her father, the king, blames Ceridwen for her twin brother’s tragic death, branding her (literally) a traitor. He refuses to acknowledge her even when she warns him of an attack on their kingdom. The entire story of the war against the cruel invading power is written from the point of view of not only Ceridwen, but two others—Jakim, a slave, and Rafi, the deposed prince of the opposing kingdom.
I admit it, it took me until the second chapter to really get into the story. This is largely due to my own weakness in remembering names. (The book contains a giant cast of characters, a rich vocabulary, and many new terms.) Once past these stumbling blocks, I became thoroughly immersed in a tale packed with fascinating people and the most original magical creatures I’ve seen in a good while, the solborn. These battle-horses possess powers rooted in the earth’s elements that they can transfer to their riders.
I am in awe of Gillian Bronte Adam’s skill with words. She weaves her words in such a way to make you not only see the fantastic world she fashioned, but to hear, smell, and taste it. In most books I skim through fight scenes, but the writing was so compelling, I reveled in the not-overly-gory violence.
Wood creaked as the archer drew. Mindar flamed as he reared, charring bow and arrow. His descent invested Ceridwen’s stroke with blinding force. Her blade hewed through the archer’s coif and lodged in his collarbone. The impact reverberated up her arm. She spun Mindar, flames spewing from his throat. Summoning too much too fast risked winding him, but she needed to force her attackers back before their numbers overwhelmed—
Of fire and smoke
There, an opening.
If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings or similar epic fantasies, order your copy today and get reading. I gave this novel 5 stars.
