The Fires of Vengeance is truly an epic sequel to Winter’s debut, The Rage of Dragons. I love how Winter examines privilege, class, and morality. In this sequel, all the discussions about how to make change, paired with the secret history of the world, made The Fires of Vengeance an explosive sequel. Keep reading this book review to find out my full thoughts!
Summary
In order to reclaim her throne and save her people, an ousted queen must join forces with a young warrior in the second book of this must-read epic fantasy series by breakout author Evan Winter.
Tau and his Queen, desperate to delay the impending attack on the capital by the indigenous people of Xidda, craft a dangerous plan. If Tau succeeds, the Queen will have the time she needs to assemble her forces and launch an all out assault on her own capital city, where her sister is being propped up as the ‘true’ Queen of the Omehi.
If the city can be taken, if Tsiora can reclaim her throne, and if she can reunite her people then the Omehi have a chance to survive the onslaught.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
By the end of The Fires of Vengeance, I realized that I am fully committed to this series. Action packed from start to finish, this book examines morality and revenge. It tackles an unjust system built on oppression, sacrifice, and power imbalances. The fight for justice and equality, while the world is on fire around them, is my favorite element of The Burning Quartet. Tau has to reckon not only with the cruelty of warfare, but also the necessity for bloody compromises.
To some Nobles, the Lessers will always be beneath them. But there’s a reckoning in the air. The taste of vengeance in the air and the current of rage in the waters. Will this thinking, which has resulted in generations of oppression, be their downfall? They view the conditions of their rise to power as the ‘natural order’ because they wrote the histories. The Fires of Vengeance is, unsurprisingly, a story about vengeance on all fronts. In the midst of war, against the backdrop of raging fires, and at the frontlines of skirmishes.
Overall,
Will there ever be a defense, an argument, a sacrifice that will be enough to persuade the Nobles? Maybe I’ve just grown too cynical, but I feel like those in power will never willingly give it up unless forced against their will. But The Fires of Vengeance is a story that explores just this. The quest to have a voice, to fight for peace, and, above all, to pursue vengeance. Full to the brim with secrets, this sequel will have leave you gasping. Sometimes the road to peace can be bathed in blood. And while we may have begun as humans grappling with morality, war has the tendency to make monsters of us all. People willing to sacrifice and slaughter, to raze homes and allies to the ground.
Find The Fires of Vengeance on Goodreads, Amazon (UK), Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.