It’s a bittersweet day today as I join the blog tour for the final (sob!) book of the Fire-walker series by Emma Miles, Raven Fire. Many thanks to Emma for providing me with a copy of the book, and to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be a part of the tour.
BLURB:
Is prophecy real; can Arridia and Joss defeat a god?
Evil never sleeps, and neither can the fire spirits who have guarded Kesta and her family so faithfully for more than fourteen years. United in a desire for peace, the four lands beneath the sky have enjoyed relative stability, but under the surface stirs unrest. Greed, ambition, disquiet, rebellion; and the ever-present threat of Geladan’s crazed god discovering she has been fooled.
Quiet Arridia is a Raven Scout, dedicated to the principles and hopes of her parents. When an opportunity presents itself to come home, she grasps it, longing to settle and find the love she has patiently waited for.
Fun-loving Joss is drawn to the court of Elden with all its colour, noise, and intrigue; but has he taken on more than a young man can survive?
Raven Fire is the final part of the breath-taking Fire-Walker saga.
If you could, would you dare to change the world?
PURCHASE LINKS:
REVIEW:
It’s no secret that I love Emma’s books, particularly the Fire-walker series, and with this being the final book in the series, I really wanted to read it slowly, savouring every word. However, once I started reading, I couldn’t stop, and ended up reading it in a single day – if you are familiar with the length of Emma’s books (this one sits at over 400 pages), you will realise what a feat this is! As much as I loved the previous books in the series, I think this one is the best of the bunch.
Picking up some years after the end of Raven Storm, the focus for a large part of this book moves away from Kesta and Jorrun towards the younger generation. Whilst I did initially miss Kesta and Jorrun, it was only a matter of pages before I was swept up in Arridia and Joss’s story and totally forgot to miss their parents. I absolutely adored getting to know these new characters, learning who to trust and who to be suspicious of and understanding the motivations behind each of their actions.
Raven Fire is a suitably dramatic conclusion to the Fire-walker series, featuring an epic battle scene which, for many of the characters, sees their storylines resolved (one way or another) absolutely beautifully. Emma Miles explores this battle to magnificent effect, with the point of view switching between characters to show one particular part of the battle from every possible angle so the reader doesn’t miss a single detail.
Azra has been a favourite character of mine from the very first book. I just love him, and his quirky personality adds a lighter mood to the book, easing the problems and tensions that his friends are dealing with.
Raven Fire is a book that evokes a whole range of emotions, from joy to heartbreak, laughter to tears.
Although I know Raven Fire marks the conclusion of Kesta and Jorrun’s story, it almost feels like they are handing the baton over ready for a second series in this world focused on the newer characters that we got to know this time around. I can hope anyway, can’t I?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I often get asked when I knew I was a writer; the answer is always. A writer is what I am, it’s in my soul. There have been times in my life when I couldn’t write, and times when my writing has been the only thing that kept me going. I think I always longed for something deeper from life, something more meaningful, and I found it in my imagination and in the music of words.
It was poetry which first caught my attention, and whilst my younger cousins called for ghost stories it was animals I first wrote of. I think I gravitated toward fantasy because of the freedom it gives, I could create my own worlds and decide my own rules. My Wind’s Children trilogy was born from an image that came to me whilst daydreaming, of a young man sitting alone below a bridge. I didn’t know who he was; it turns out neither did he, but we found out together.
I’m now working on my eleventh book and love writing more than ever, it’s an addiction, an obsession, but one I now share with my wonderful writing family. My beta readers, my editor, and you, my readers, having you with me on my journey means the world to me.
I write as much as I can around work, but I also try to squeeze in a ridiculous amount of hobbies! I’m a wildlife photographer and do a little archery. I paint, sculpt with clay, withies and driftwood, preferring to be outdoors if I can. I still have a love for the theatre, having started out in life studying backstage crafts, and a great love for language. I speak a little French, Romanian and Italian, ma non molto bene!
Thanks for reading this. If you read any of my books and love them, please come say hello and tell me, you’d be surprised at how much that means to an author.
Take care of yourself.
Em x
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Make sure you visit the other blogs joining the tour for more information about Raven Fire.
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