Of Sea and Smoke by Gillian Bronte Adams
Epic Fantasy. 512 Pages. 5 Stars
Synopsis:
He rides a seablood, a steed of salt and spray, born to challenge the tides.
Six years ago, the wrong brother survived, and nothing will ever convince Rafi Tetrani otherwise. But he is done running from his past, and from the truth. As civil war threatens Ceridwen’s tenuous rule in Soldonia, Rafi vows to fight the usurper sitting on the imperial throne of Nadaar, even if it means shouldering his brother’s responsibilities as the empire’s lost heir.
The stolen shipload of magical warhorses offers just the edge he needs. But the steeds have been demanded in ransom by the emperor’s ruthless assassin, and if Rafi hopes to raise a band of riders, he must first outwit his brother’s murderer.
Yet when his best efforts end in disaster, and an audacious raid sparks an empire-wide manhunt, even forging an unexpected alliance might not be enough to help Rafi turn the tides, let alone outrace the wave of destruction intent on sweeping them all away.
Seas boil and jungles burn in this tempestuous second installment of The Fireborn Epic as the outcast queen, captive missionary, and royal rebel strive to unearth the mysterious power that hungers for their world.
My Review:
Ahh, okay! I adore these books. Rereading the first was delightful and finally getting to the sequel was just as epic as I’d hoped.
Y’all know I love the sea, so I was super stoked for this cover and sequel. Plus, who doesn’t love Rafi! I know I didn’t get to this one when it came out, even though I pre-ordered it. But, honestly, I’m kind of glad. Cause, y’all, if I’d had to wait for the third book after the cliffhanger of this one, I’d have gone insane. But let’s back up first.
Adams continues to rotate between the perspectives of Rafi, Ceridwen, and Jakim, weaving a tight plot that compels the reader ever onward. Much like the first, this was just plain hard to put down. Some books that swap between POVs can be exasperating because you just like one character or plot thread more than the other(s), but each of these POVs are equally compelling and enjoyable. Every time she’d leave us on her horrible chapter cliff hangers and swap perspectives, I had half a second of “Noo! I need to know more” but immediately remembered why I’d said the exact same thing about the current perspective we were diving back into. There are no slow or boring parts anywhere! That is a fantastic feat, if you ask me.
Also! Good GRAVY! The first book was epic and awesome and we loved all the characters, world, and super intriguing threads, but this book got real in some places. I didn’t think it was possible to love this story more than I did after reading the first one. But this story takes stuff to the next level. It’s like we dug in deeper, but in a completely natural way that doesn’t diminish the first book in any way. Some stuff went down that definitely had me way more invested than I should have been. I can’t say more than that, but man. I adore this story.
Much like the first story, I just love the worldbuilding of this. The elemental horses are each so cool and I love how we got to dive deeper into some of the other types of riders in this story. Both steeds and riders take an unprecedented turn that I can’t say too much about, but I will say I really, really enjoyed both Rafi and Ceridwen’s threads and how they intertangled in this one.
We get to see more of the elusive Dawnling, too. And I have to say thematically Jakim’s story went to all the most exciting places. His culture and background were intriguing in the first story, but again, we go deeper here and now I’m absolutely invested. There are remnants of the Joseph story that I’m excited to unwrap, but also I was most pleasantly surprised to see the development of the faith of Aodh. I enjoyed that in the previous story and connected with it, but in this story the elements hit deeper (I know I keep saying that but I don’t know how else to put it!) and connected with me on more than an “I appreciate this in the story” level and on more of a personal faith level. I’m really, really, really looking forward to seeing how that becomes integral to the story in the finale.
The themes of redemption, fulfilling one’s potential, leadership, and nobility ring all the bells for me. There’s such aspiration to what is good and true amidst such suffering. Adams handles the balance of the broken world with the hope of redemption and reconciliation in such a delicate way that touches the core of my heart. I’m almost afraid to hope for the good, as Ceridwen is, and yet, I do see it and can’t help but feeling so incredibly encouraged by the journey of these characters. The suffering and loss, grief and sorrow they carry, witness, and wrestle with is such a beautiful reflection of our own world and lives. I cannot wait to see how this resolves, and yet, I don’t want it to end. This is truly one of my very favorite series.
Also, that ending. Y’all. I cannot wait to see what kind of tangled up web we have to sort out in the finale. I feel like I’m on the precipice and things could either go really, realllllly well. Or they could be devastatingly disappointing. I have faith. Adams has brought us this far. She’s built the suspense in a brilliant way. Weaving an incredibly engaging world, characters, plot, and themes. She can pull us to the finish line. This is gonna be good. I can feel it.
Content: there’s a very, very subtle romance – enough to give you someone to root for, but not enough to really say there’s any in the story itself – no swearing, and some fantasy violence (story’s set during an intercontinental war), but nothing horribly graphic. It’s tactfully done, though there are some mild descriptions of wounds and etc. I’d probably recommend this one for 15+
More:
Book 1 of the Fireborn Epic is Of Fire and Ash (5 Stars)
Book 2 is Of Sea and Smoke (5 Stars)
Book 3 is Of Dawn and Embers (Coming Soon!)
This trilogy should absolutely be read in order! Check out the Goodreads links above for more information and reviews.
More:
On GraceBought
Check out my thoughts on the first book!
If you liked these, you may also want to check out:
Mark of the Rave, The Goose Girl, Wishtress, The Eternity Gate, Calor, Keeper of the Lost Cities, Cinder, or Eragon.