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The Fireblade Array #1
City of Blaze
The city is crumbling beneath a mountain of indulgences. Its soldiers find entertainment in the beds of the castle's servants rather than fight, believing they are safe from the deadly embrace of wielders. Wars are fought to encourage otherwise absent mortality, and countless citizens suffer the terrible pangs of nalka - the hunger for intimacy. All the while, Cadra's king concerns himself with choosing which of his disappointing concubines to execute next. The duty falls upon his son, Morghiad, to restore the city's strength and the army's purpose. As Morghiad attempts to do just that, he uncovers darker horrors and encounters a young servant who could either be his greatest ally or his greatest hindrance.
389 pages, ebook
First published June 1, 2011
305 people are currently reading
3529 people want to read
About the author
H.O. Charles
13 books77 followersH.O. Charles is author of The Fireblade Array - a #2 best-selling series across Kindle, iBooks and B&N Nook in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy categories (#1 would just be showing off, right?)
Though born in Northern England, Charles now resides in a white house in Sussex and sounds like a southerner.
Charles has spent many years at various academic institutions, and cut short writing a PhD in favour of writing about swords and sorcery instead.
Hobbies include being in the sea, being by the sea and eating things that come out of the sea. Walks with a very naughty rough collie puppy also take up much of Charles' time.
Though born in Northern England, Charles now resides in a white house in Sussex and sounds like a southerner.
Charles has spent many years at various academic institutions, and cut short writing a PhD in favour of writing about swords and sorcery instead.
Hobbies include being in the sea, being by the sea and eating things that come out of the sea. Walks with a very naughty rough collie puppy also take up much of Charles' time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
August 28, 2012
Oh. My. God. What just happened? This book. Is. Awesome.
That’s it. Awesome.
It has:
- One attractive-yet-vulnerable-and-not-quite-perfect-while-effortlessly-manly male lead.
- One female lead who isn’t a total wet flannel and/or an idiot.
- One male sidekick who is subtly hot, whilst being fallible enough not to overshadow his mate.
- Castles.
- A bad guy who has reasons for being bad.
- Horses. I love horses
- A batshit mental magic system (Men get shagged to death? Hilarious).
Okay. First points to note are: the transition between the prologue and the first chapter is confusing, perhaps even irritating. It very nearly had me throwing my Kindle onto the floor in fury. Then I realised that maybe Charles is a git, and maybe he/she/it likes to fuck with your mind a bit. If one sticks to the book, bits and pieces of the prologue start to fall into place. You have to go back and read it just before the last chapter. It’s not quite Catch 22, but if you can survive that book, this one’s a cinch.
When the end comes, you realise that your mind has been well and truly twisted. You know it can’t be happy – this is no HEA romance – but you still feebly hope for it. The ending crashes through like a giant boulder thundering after a running archaeologist. I mean, you know it’s coming, and there is some build up, but oooh, it’s going to hurt when it hits. I’ve just finished the second one, and suddenly that little paragraph before the prologue, and the ending to this book, make sense. Actually, I think Charles has played a pretty risky game I doing that. Very few readers can see/read into the future. It is cliffhanger-y.
Thing is, this book/series is full of hidden secrets and links and analogies that it makes within itself, and you only notice them quite a bit after reading them. It’s like a maze of weirdness.
Is it literature? I’m not sure. Literature is supposed to leave you asking questions about your existence (other than what will happen in the next instalment that I’ll spend all week reading?). This one left me asking: “Why don’t I get to shag people to death?” And “It sounds pretty awesome to live forever.” Actually, thinking about that – there is a part of the book where the king suggests that everyone needs to die in order for society to survive. I’m not sure if this book tries to answer that question especially, but it did get me thinking about it.
Problems: there is some weird hyphenation going on in places, which makes very little sense, because most of the rest of the book is grammatically excellent. Perhaps Charles got stuck in a Victorian book. You know, the ones where every-possible-word-combination-is-either-hyphenated-or-placed-en-dash.
My other issue is Artemi. Is she too perfect? I mean, she kicks ass, which is great, but other than being ‘headstrong’ and argumentative, where are her foibles?
There are one or two sections which are a bit listy: he did this, she did that. But, you know what? I’ll let Charles off for that, because there are also some very beautiful sentences in there, e.g.:
“Rain slicked the deep green stone of the city and further darkened the shaded spine-towers of the castle. It hammered down on the rooftops, cascading from the grooves in the tiling and trickling down the sides of the light wells. It pelted the glass of Morghiad’s window, bringing his attention to the gloom of the low-hanging clouds outside. He had been rather distracted lately: focusing on a particular task had been difficult and maintaining any sort of control over his emotions had been... challenging. The environment around him felt disrupted somehow, as if there were a break in the air or earth that he couldn’t see.”
Lovely.
Other than that, what can I say? Writing: great; Characters: full; Plot: more twists than a twisty-twirly thing; Drawings: nice and home-made and very Beatrix Potter, but not essential.
I think the writer is probably a bit nuts. But that’s fine by me. Weird creates art, and this book is certainly that.
That’s it. Awesome.
It has:
- One attractive-yet-vulnerable-and-not-quite-perfect-while-effortlessly-manly male lead.
- One female lead who isn’t a total wet flannel and/or an idiot.
- One male sidekick who is subtly hot, whilst being fallible enough not to overshadow his mate.
- Castles.
- A bad guy who has reasons for being bad.
- Horses. I love horses
- A batshit mental magic system (Men get shagged to death? Hilarious).
Okay. First points to note are: the transition between the prologue and the first chapter is confusing, perhaps even irritating. It very nearly had me throwing my Kindle onto the floor in fury. Then I realised that maybe Charles is a git, and maybe he/she/it likes to fuck with your mind a bit. If one sticks to the book, bits and pieces of the prologue start to fall into place. You have to go back and read it just before the last chapter. It’s not quite Catch 22, but if you can survive that book, this one’s a cinch.
When the end comes, you realise that your mind has been well and truly twisted. You know it can’t be happy – this is no HEA romance – but you still feebly hope for it. The ending crashes through like a giant boulder thundering after a running archaeologist. I mean, you know it’s coming, and there is some build up, but oooh, it’s going to hurt when it hits. I’ve just finished the second one, and suddenly that little paragraph before the prologue, and the ending to this book, make sense. Actually, I think Charles has played a pretty risky game I doing that. Very few readers can see/read into the future. It is cliffhanger-y.
Thing is, this book/series is full of hidden secrets and links and analogies that it makes within itself, and you only notice them quite a bit after reading them. It’s like a maze of weirdness.
Is it literature? I’m not sure. Literature is supposed to leave you asking questions about your existence (other than what will happen in the next instalment that I’ll spend all week reading?). This one left me asking: “Why don’t I get to shag people to death?” And “It sounds pretty awesome to live forever.” Actually, thinking about that – there is a part of the book where the king suggests that everyone needs to die in order for society to survive. I’m not sure if this book tries to answer that question especially, but it did get me thinking about it.
Problems: there is some weird hyphenation going on in places, which makes very little sense, because most of the rest of the book is grammatically excellent. Perhaps Charles got stuck in a Victorian book. You know, the ones where every-possible-word-combination-is-either-hyphenated-or-placed-en-dash.
My other issue is Artemi. Is she too perfect? I mean, she kicks ass, which is great, but other than being ‘headstrong’ and argumentative, where are her foibles?
There are one or two sections which are a bit listy: he did this, she did that. But, you know what? I’ll let Charles off for that, because there are also some very beautiful sentences in there, e.g.:
“Rain slicked the deep green stone of the city and further darkened the shaded spine-towers of the castle. It hammered down on the rooftops, cascading from the grooves in the tiling and trickling down the sides of the light wells. It pelted the glass of Morghiad’s window, bringing his attention to the gloom of the low-hanging clouds outside. He had been rather distracted lately: focusing on a particular task had been difficult and maintaining any sort of control over his emotions had been... challenging. The environment around him felt disrupted somehow, as if there were a break in the air or earth that he couldn’t see.”
Lovely.
Other than that, what can I say? Writing: great; Characters: full; Plot: more twists than a twisty-twirly thing; Drawings: nice and home-made and very Beatrix Potter, but not essential.
I think the writer is probably a bit nuts. But that’s fine by me. Weird creates art, and this book is certainly that.
August 2, 2013
I enjoyed the setting and a novel magic structure, but I found the story itself to be so incredibly implausible that I simply couldn't get into the story. The kings son is hiding a mythical warrior and training her right under the kings nose in the castle. The writer makes a point of stating the King had been very successful in war so he must be quite shrewd, yet he has no idea any of this is going on? Not only does the king not know, but the hundreds of servants and other nobles bustling through the castle don't notice either? I was just about OK when he was secretly training her to fight in his room, but when he had her join his army and nine thousand men were just supposed tk keep it a secret, that's when I gave up.
I tried to suspend disbelief and enjoy it but I just couldn't.
I tried to suspend disbelief and enjoy it but I just couldn't.
December 4, 2012
I picked this ebook up from Amazon during a promotion (it was free, you can't go wrong there!) as it was recommended to me. My impressions are that the actual story is pretty good but it takes a while to warm up and in terms of the promoting the series, the author has done well as I bought the second book to find out what happens next and I will probably go for the third..
The reason I have this as 3 star instead of 4 or 5 is that there are some plot jumps as the story unfolds and I found it a bit disconcerting to jump forward a few months in the next chapter. I think I've got used to the long slow build up of plot and characters in the George RR Martin's brilliant a Song of Ice and Fire.
The series is set in a made up world where certain mean and certain women can channel a type of energy called blaze. The current King Acher has had a policy of rooting out and destroying the female wielders, as they are called, whilst they are still young.
However, when King Acher's son discovers a hidden wielder and learns a little bit more about her things start to get a bit interesting and as head of the army he starts to make changes without the King's knowledge.
Naturally they start to fall for each other, he tries to keep her a secret and protect her until her powers fully mature.
Anyhow, if it's still a freebie on Kindle why not give it a try?
The reason I have this as 3 star instead of 4 or 5 is that there are some plot jumps as the story unfolds and I found it a bit disconcerting to jump forward a few months in the next chapter. I think I've got used to the long slow build up of plot and characters in the George RR Martin's brilliant a Song of Ice and Fire.
The series is set in a made up world where certain mean and certain women can channel a type of energy called blaze. The current King Acher has had a policy of rooting out and destroying the female wielders, as they are called, whilst they are still young.
However, when King Acher's son discovers a hidden wielder and learns a little bit more about her things start to get a bit interesting and as head of the army he starts to make changes without the King's knowledge.
Naturally they start to fall for each other, he tries to keep her a secret and protect her until her powers fully mature.
Anyhow, if it's still a freebie on Kindle why not give it a try?
January 27, 2019
Quite an enjoyable read
I found more than I bargained for with this book. I was expecting witches, Brutish men and arrogance all round. But no, this is quite the in-depth, enjoyable read that I don't often come across. Yes, there were witches, otherwise know as weilders, arrogance from the king and some of his army and the occasional British man, but all in all, I was definitely pleasantly surprised and look forward to reading more.
I found more than I bargained for with this book. I was expecting witches, Brutish men and arrogance all round. But no, this is quite the in-depth, enjoyable read that I don't often come across. Yes, there were witches, otherwise know as weilders, arrogance from the king and some of his army and the occasional British man, but all in all, I was definitely pleasantly surprised and look forward to reading more.
September 26, 2018
I gave up on this on after a few chapters over a few months because it's not holding my interest and I've got so many books I am actually excited about reading. I've been making an effort to read things that have been on my Kindle since the beginning of time and this is one of them--I picked it up for free in the early days of my Kindle, when free was all that mattered. The characters have not grabbed me. The book starts with a lengthy and complicated and boring glossary of terms, which wasn't a great start. There's an unusual sex thing here that's kind of intriguing and bonkers--if a person doesn't have sex with the same person within ten days of the last time they got it on, they get violently ill. People under twenty-one often die from it, so the young folk stay chaste. And you can't get pregnant unless you've been with the same person for nine years or something. The army commander, to try and cut down on the sick days, is trying to forbid casual sex. And so on. It's fine, but I'm not excited about it, so I'm stopping.
January 1, 2017
I don't even know where to begin with this review because I became so completely obsessed with this book. It was absolutely incredible, and I'm dying to buy the second book and continue the series.
The world that this book is set in is fascinating. Not only are their wielders (females) and kanaala (males) that can harness blaze energy (a type of magic basically), but everyone is also immortal unless they are killed. Because of this, wars are incredibly common place as a way of keeping population down, and the king thinks nothing of performing executions, especially of his concubines that offend him in even the slightest capacity. The king seems to have an almost irrational fear of women, and he is especially scared of wielders. Because of this, he's called for the execution of all wielders. His son, Morghiad, has much different views, and he ends up wanting to change things. One of the ways he does this is by secretly allowing wielders to live unknown to the king.
Another intriguing aspect of the book is how relationships are treated. There's this phenomenon called nalka where, if two people stop sleeping with each other for more than two weeks, they will have to go through incredible pain. Anyone under twenty, can't survive nalka, so they're typically careful about entering into relationships. You'd think nalka would cause people to be incredibly careful about who they sleep with, but they're apparently not. There are always countless people who are suffering from nalka because they ended a relationship with someone. Child birth is also interestingly different from our world. Two people must be together for nine years before a child can be born, which I'm sure is good when people are immortal. I found the entire idea behind all of this stuff incredibly fascinating.
I just loved this book so much that I could go on about it for days. The setting was wonderful, and I've kind of fallen in love with this world. I'm sure that's obvious by the way I went on about it. The characters are just as amazing. The society as a whole is pretty oppressive of women, but the female characters are all strong characters that fight against that oppression. In addition to that, there are many decent men who either realize at the beginning or come to realize that women aren't weak, such as when the army men come to accept Artemi as a perfectly capable member of the army. Artemi did seem a bit too perfect at times, but I never found it to be too off-putting while reading. I do hope she gets a bit more flawed in later books though.
I'm going to stop now before I go on forever. I highly recommend this book to everyone though, and I plan on getting the second book as soon as possible.
ETA: Years later, I have re-read this book, and I have noticed important things that I feel it important to add onto my review. The biggest of these is a very transphobic moment towards the beginning of the book where one of the male characters is terrified at the idea of a woman he is attracted to "secretly being male". It really is an absolutely horrible moment that I greatly regret not calling out in the original review I wrote of this book.
There are other moments which are more subtle but which I noticed. I imagine I did the first time around too but I managed to brush them off easier back then than I did now. There's an attempt at LGBT (well, LG and T if you count the transphobia) inclusion in this book, but it's not always carried out well. The one openly gay character is very sexualized, though that could be dismissed as it's true for many of the characters. What's more worrisome are the ways the straight characters react to certain things. Artemi acts offended when her father asks if she's gay (though her father does not act like he would have a problem with it), and the king (who, to be fair, is the villain) is offended that there are gay rumors about his son. Each of these moments is small, but taken all together, there is definitely homophobia there.
There's also a moment of sexism that I had to mention in that one of the soldiers is threatened with the "punishment" of having to dress "like a little girl". Undoubtedly, there's a lot of sexism in this book, but what's disappointing about that moment is that it comes from one of the supposedly good characters who is often tearing down the more blatant sexism of those around him but who, I noticed this time around, also exhibits quite a lot of sexism himself that is just muted and slightly more concealed than many of the other characters.
http://hmweasley-blog.blogspot.com/20...
The world that this book is set in is fascinating. Not only are their wielders (females) and kanaala (males) that can harness blaze energy (a type of magic basically), but everyone is also immortal unless they are killed. Because of this, wars are incredibly common place as a way of keeping population down, and the king thinks nothing of performing executions, especially of his concubines that offend him in even the slightest capacity. The king seems to have an almost irrational fear of women, and he is especially scared of wielders. Because of this, he's called for the execution of all wielders. His son, Morghiad, has much different views, and he ends up wanting to change things. One of the ways he does this is by secretly allowing wielders to live unknown to the king.
Another intriguing aspect of the book is how relationships are treated. There's this phenomenon called nalka where, if two people stop sleeping with each other for more than two weeks, they will have to go through incredible pain. Anyone under twenty, can't survive nalka, so they're typically careful about entering into relationships. You'd think nalka would cause people to be incredibly careful about who they sleep with, but they're apparently not. There are always countless people who are suffering from nalka because they ended a relationship with someone. Child birth is also interestingly different from our world. Two people must be together for nine years before a child can be born, which I'm sure is good when people are immortal. I found the entire idea behind all of this stuff incredibly fascinating.
I just loved this book so much that I could go on about it for days. The setting was wonderful, and I've kind of fallen in love with this world. I'm sure that's obvious by the way I went on about it. The characters are just as amazing. The society as a whole is pretty oppressive of women, but the female characters are all strong characters that fight against that oppression. In addition to that, there are many decent men who either realize at the beginning or come to realize that women aren't weak, such as when the army men come to accept Artemi as a perfectly capable member of the army. Artemi did seem a bit too perfect at times, but I never found it to be too off-putting while reading. I do hope she gets a bit more flawed in later books though.
I'm going to stop now before I go on forever. I highly recommend this book to everyone though, and I plan on getting the second book as soon as possible.
ETA: Years later, I have re-read this book, and I have noticed important things that I feel it important to add onto my review. The biggest of these is a very transphobic moment towards the beginning of the book where one of the male characters is terrified at the idea of a woman he is attracted to "secretly being male". It really is an absolutely horrible moment that I greatly regret not calling out in the original review I wrote of this book.
There are other moments which are more subtle but which I noticed. I imagine I did the first time around too but I managed to brush them off easier back then than I did now. There's an attempt at LGBT (well, LG and T if you count the transphobia) inclusion in this book, but it's not always carried out well. The one openly gay character is very sexualized, though that could be dismissed as it's true for many of the characters. What's more worrisome are the ways the straight characters react to certain things. Artemi acts offended when her father asks if she's gay (though her father does not act like he would have a problem with it), and the king (who, to be fair, is the villain) is offended that there are gay rumors about his son. Each of these moments is small, but taken all together, there is definitely homophobia there.
There's also a moment of sexism that I had to mention in that one of the soldiers is threatened with the "punishment" of having to dress "like a little girl". Undoubtedly, there's a lot of sexism in this book, but what's disappointing about that moment is that it comes from one of the supposedly good characters who is often tearing down the more blatant sexism of those around him but who, I noticed this time around, also exhibits quite a lot of sexism himself that is just muted and slightly more concealed than many of the other characters.
http://hmweasley-blog.blogspot.com/20...
March 30, 2012
I received this from Goodreads First Reads. I loved this book. I didn't want it to end and wanted to read more and more. Great story and pictures. Front cover looks really good. A lot of weird and wonderful imagination used with the different types of people etc..
Would definitely read more of these.
Note for Author: Thank you for the lovely bit of art work in the book, nice touch.
Would definitely read more of these.
Note for Author: Thank you for the lovely bit of art work in the book, nice touch.
March 29, 2015
It’s no secret I’ve fallen behind on my reviews, but I read this baby last autumn and it’s taken me this long to tell you lot about it. (Yes, I’m a horrible blogger. Bad me.)
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the book. I grabbed it under the old cover because it was Epic Fantasy and it was free for Kindle and that combination is like a siren song to me. It sat around on my Kindle for Lord knows how long before I read it, but once I did, I got involved, I got emotional, I became invested. Next thing you know, I’m buying the second book, the third book. I’ve never read anything quite like this and it got its hooks in my brain.
The thing to be aware of when reading this is that it truly is an epic. The tale spans several years and takes us through a great deal of character development. The book takes commitment to finish, but I found it exceptionally worth it. Not to mention the world building and the rules of the world are about as original as I have seen. It was so different, so thought out, it’s pretty much impossible not to be impressed.
The plot:
I’ll admit I was kind of stumped about this for a while. My inner editor was trying to identify the exact plot and I couldn’t, so I just stuffed my inner editor into a cupboard and decided to enjoy the story.
It might seem like the plot meanders a bit, but I actually didn’t mind. There was plenty of action and I got hooked on the romance, though I’m going to take that opening and tell everyone that this is not Young Adult. There were some pretty intense lead-ups to sex scenes and I’m going to assume those parts of the scenes were also intense because I still maintain my practice of sex-scene-skipping. (Yes, I’m nearly 20 and still do that, shut up.)
The characters:
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Artemi at first. I was certain that I wasn’t going to like her because in general if a girl is playing two different men at once (which she kind of did, but kind of didn’t), I tend to get upset. However, we ended up getting along quite nicely and I really want to ask the author on where her name came from.
As for Morghiad, I think we can safely say that he has joined the ranks of my babies (a hypothetical collective of fictional characters over which I am viciously protective). He seems to have this masochistic belief that he’s horrible, which doesn’t go away—at least not in the first two books. But he’s a sweet chap overall, so we’ll cut him a break.
This review is running a bit long, but I just want to mention Silar—whom I didn’t like at first, but who grew on me. There are also several different antagonists who provide varied amounts of antagonization at different parts of the story and the book has an open ending—which is code for “cliffhanger,” so be ye warned.
Looking back, I’m not really sure what I loved most about this book. I finished reading and the characters kept bouncing around in my head until I broke down on downloaded the sequel. I truly did enjoy this and am very excited to see what lies in store for the series.
I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the book. I grabbed it under the old cover because it was Epic Fantasy and it was free for Kindle and that combination is like a siren song to me. It sat around on my Kindle for Lord knows how long before I read it, but once I did, I got involved, I got emotional, I became invested. Next thing you know, I’m buying the second book, the third book. I’ve never read anything quite like this and it got its hooks in my brain.
The thing to be aware of when reading this is that it truly is an epic. The tale spans several years and takes us through a great deal of character development. The book takes commitment to finish, but I found it exceptionally worth it. Not to mention the world building and the rules of the world are about as original as I have seen. It was so different, so thought out, it’s pretty much impossible not to be impressed.
The plot:
I’ll admit I was kind of stumped about this for a while. My inner editor was trying to identify the exact plot and I couldn’t, so I just stuffed my inner editor into a cupboard and decided to enjoy the story.
It might seem like the plot meanders a bit, but I actually didn’t mind. There was plenty of action and I got hooked on the romance, though I’m going to take that opening and tell everyone that this is not Young Adult. There were some pretty intense lead-ups to sex scenes and I’m going to assume those parts of the scenes were also intense because I still maintain my practice of sex-scene-skipping. (Yes, I’m nearly 20 and still do that, shut up.)
The characters:
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Artemi at first. I was certain that I wasn’t going to like her because in general if a girl is playing two different men at once (which she kind of did, but kind of didn’t), I tend to get upset. However, we ended up getting along quite nicely and I really want to ask the author on where her name came from.
As for Morghiad, I think we can safely say that he has joined the ranks of my babies (a hypothetical collective of fictional characters over which I am viciously protective). He seems to have this masochistic belief that he’s horrible, which doesn’t go away—at least not in the first two books. But he’s a sweet chap overall, so we’ll cut him a break.
This review is running a bit long, but I just want to mention Silar—whom I didn’t like at first, but who grew on me. There are also several different antagonists who provide varied amounts of antagonization at different parts of the story and the book has an open ending—which is code for “cliffhanger,” so be ye warned.
Looking back, I’m not really sure what I loved most about this book. I finished reading and the characters kept bouncing around in my head until I broke down on downloaded the sequel. I truly did enjoy this and am very excited to see what lies in store for the series.
September 26, 2014
This was a great read except for a few things.
The Positive: Great characters, a fun storyline, and a cute mostly drama free romance. I enjoyed Morghiad's sense of honor, honesty, and his rapport with his men. I really likes how Artemi shakes up his world, and how dedicated he is to not only keeping her safe but to helping her become powerful and self-sufficient. I definitely want to read Book 2, particularly since Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger (readers be warned).
The Neutral: I normally hate reincarnation as a plot device, but so far it hasn't been too corny. Since this was just the first book and I'm still not sure how this is all going to play out, I'm willing to reserve judgment for now.
The Negative: The world-building is a bit all over the place - the people are substantially different from normal humans (they have incredibly long lifespans, heal faster, have a very different gestation cycle, etc.), but we have to learn this only through bits and pieces of text throughout the book. It might have been nice to have some of these things a bit clearer from the beginning. There are just a lot of elements that seem cobbled together without rhyme or reason (reincarnation, magical mating bonds, different types of magic users, politics, mistaken identity, etc.).
Also, there were A LOT of grammatical errors. Normally, I can overlook a few, but there were really enough for me to notice and be irritated by them. It says a lot about how good the story was that I ignored them as best I could. It would not be a bad idea to publish a revised edition with the benefit of more editing.
The Positive: Great characters, a fun storyline, and a cute mostly drama free romance. I enjoyed Morghiad's sense of honor, honesty, and his rapport with his men. I really likes how Artemi shakes up his world, and how dedicated he is to not only keeping her safe but to helping her become powerful and self-sufficient. I definitely want to read Book 2, particularly since Book 1 ends on a cliffhanger (readers be warned).
The Neutral: I normally hate reincarnation as a plot device, but so far it hasn't been too corny. Since this was just the first book and I'm still not sure how this is all going to play out, I'm willing to reserve judgment for now.
The Negative: The world-building is a bit all over the place - the people are substantially different from normal humans (they have incredibly long lifespans, heal faster, have a very different gestation cycle, etc.), but we have to learn this only through bits and pieces of text throughout the book. It might have been nice to have some of these things a bit clearer from the beginning. There are just a lot of elements that seem cobbled together without rhyme or reason (reincarnation, magical mating bonds, different types of magic users, politics, mistaken identity, etc.).
Also, there were A LOT of grammatical errors. Normally, I can overlook a few, but there were really enough for me to notice and be irritated by them. It says a lot about how good the story was that I ignored them as best I could. It would not be a bad idea to publish a revised edition with the benefit of more editing.
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May 6, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/6/2019)! 🎁
November 16, 2012
Don’t think of City of Blaze as its own book. Think of it as a really massive free sample for The Fireblade Array, and you’ll be doing yourself a favor. I’m not starting at the beginning here, and I know its a sin, but the thing readers should be warned about is this: this book, on its own, will not give you a satisfactory conclusion to any of the storylines contained therein. I suspect this is intentional; Charles has decided to release City of Blaze as a free novel, and then provide what I assume is the second half of the novel at full price.
Not actually a bad marketing technique. There are other reviewers ripping Charles up one side and down the other for being sneaky, but really all of us provide sample chapters to our novels in order to gain a little interest. The fact is, Charles has simple provided us the entire first half of his story free. I applaud it, but the reader should know what they’re getting.
On to the actual review, then.
City of Blaze is not about human beings. It takes the reader a while to figure that out, but noone in the book is strictly human. Their lifespans are significantly longer than humans (not many people reach two millenia in age, but some do). As a result, their reproductive processes are drastically different. Creating a child between two people is a nine-year-long effort that culminates in two weeks of pregnancy and a childbirth that requires both parents to successfully perform.
Sex, however, is prevalent. It’s actually addictive; having sex and then stopping causes these people to go into something called nalka, which is somewhat similar to (as I read it) heroin withdrawal. So its very important that you either abstain from sex entirely, or (and this is the choice of most of the people in the City), have as much of it as possible.
Lastly, we have Blaze Power, which is the magic system at play here. In a reverse-Wheel of Time move, male users of Blaze Power (kanaala) are limited in their powers, but female users of Blaze Power are hunted down and killed because they are so potentially dangerous. This danger stems not only from the fact that they, themselves, are powerful, but that apparently they lose control of their power during sex and either kill or turn into a mindless zombie-like creature anyone who’s inside them at the time.
Giving birth to a wielder of Blaze Power kills the mother.
All in all, this gives the setting a decidedly misogynist feel to it. Of course, our noble hero and heroine struggle against the society in all the relatively predictable manners. The heroine is a re-born hero who will eventually come into her memories and do…something important. The hero is a kanaala and a prince, and filled with a conscience and a sense of duty that puts him out of place with most of his society. It’s almost like reading Homeland by Salvatore if we threw a bunch of sexual tension into the mix.
The book presents little originality, but I never think of that as being terribly important. Instead, we’ve got a solid hero and heroine, and a good set of supporting characters. I enjoyed the read a great deal, and am even tempted to pay for the second part of it. So far, the only thing I have invested in this series is time, and it was well worth the investment.
Not actually a bad marketing technique. There are other reviewers ripping Charles up one side and down the other for being sneaky, but really all of us provide sample chapters to our novels in order to gain a little interest. The fact is, Charles has simple provided us the entire first half of his story free. I applaud it, but the reader should know what they’re getting.
On to the actual review, then.
City of Blaze is not about human beings. It takes the reader a while to figure that out, but noone in the book is strictly human. Their lifespans are significantly longer than humans (not many people reach two millenia in age, but some do). As a result, their reproductive processes are drastically different. Creating a child between two people is a nine-year-long effort that culminates in two weeks of pregnancy and a childbirth that requires both parents to successfully perform.
Sex, however, is prevalent. It’s actually addictive; having sex and then stopping causes these people to go into something called nalka, which is somewhat similar to (as I read it) heroin withdrawal. So its very important that you either abstain from sex entirely, or (and this is the choice of most of the people in the City), have as much of it as possible.
Lastly, we have Blaze Power, which is the magic system at play here. In a reverse-Wheel of Time move, male users of Blaze Power (kanaala) are limited in their powers, but female users of Blaze Power are hunted down and killed because they are so potentially dangerous. This danger stems not only from the fact that they, themselves, are powerful, but that apparently they lose control of their power during sex and either kill or turn into a mindless zombie-like creature anyone who’s inside them at the time.
Giving birth to a wielder of Blaze Power kills the mother.
All in all, this gives the setting a decidedly misogynist feel to it. Of course, our noble hero and heroine struggle against the society in all the relatively predictable manners. The heroine is a re-born hero who will eventually come into her memories and do…something important. The hero is a kanaala and a prince, and filled with a conscience and a sense of duty that puts him out of place with most of his society. It’s almost like reading Homeland by Salvatore if we threw a bunch of sexual tension into the mix.
The book presents little originality, but I never think of that as being terribly important. Instead, we’ve got a solid hero and heroine, and a good set of supporting characters. I enjoyed the read a great deal, and am even tempted to pay for the second part of it. So far, the only thing I have invested in this series is time, and it was well worth the investment.
April 23, 2013
I saw this in Bookbub and thought, "Meh," but downloaded it anyway because it was free. Man, was this book anything but "Meh"! City and Nation have become part of my ALL TIME favorite fantasy series (and I've read a few!). I've yet to read the third, but I'm sure it won't disappoint. H.O. Charles is a genius and a brilliant writer.
July 31, 2016
I picked this up as an Amazon freebie, and I am so happy I did. Wow. Seriously, wow. H.O. Charles has written an intriguing and unique fantasy, with strong, complex characters set in a fascinating world. It was perhaps a little slow to start, but once the pace picked up it was difficult to put down. I must admit, opening the book to find one of my personal shuddering horrors—a glossary—nearly had me running screaming for a different book. But the glossary was short, and the author introduced the 'alien' terms frequently and early on, thus neatly avoiding the need to keep flicking back and forth, which is what usually drives me screwy with glossaries. Artemi, the female lead, was a good, strong character, and Morghiad and his lieutenant, Silar, were excellent complements to Artemi and each other. The supporting characters were well drawn too. The plot shines through, with romance, conflict and intrigue rubbing shoulders with politics, history and very detailed world building. This was an enticing and very enjoyable first novel in a series, and I definitely plan to continue with the other books by this author.
August 18, 2014
***THIS BOOK WAS GIVEN TO ME IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW***
First of all, I would like it known that I tend to chew on my lip when I am immersed in something enthralling. The point being, this book ended up costing me money to read it - because I needed chap stick! I won't go into details, but just know this... I had no idea how many hours had gone by while I was reading this.
I loved this book. The world H. O. Charles created was amazing, and the characters were not ones I will easily forget. I can't think of a way to explain it without pretty much quoting the entire book or giving away spoilers. Just trust me when I say, you will not be disappointed when you read it.
I have pretty much told everyone they need to check out this book. I've even brought it up over dinner with my family and friends, because I found it that enjoyable, and I haven't done that with a book in a long while.
4/5 Platypires
***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fan Site: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.NG #NerdGirlPlatypire’s Review ***
http://www.platypire.com/3/post/2014/...
First of all, I would like it known that I tend to chew on my lip when I am immersed in something enthralling. The point being, this book ended up costing me money to read it - because I needed chap stick! I won't go into details, but just know this... I had no idea how many hours had gone by while I was reading this.
I loved this book. The world H. O. Charles created was amazing, and the characters were not ones I will easily forget. I can't think of a way to explain it without pretty much quoting the entire book or giving away spoilers. Just trust me when I say, you will not be disappointed when you read it.
I have pretty much told everyone they need to check out this book. I've even brought it up over dinner with my family and friends, because I found it that enjoyable, and I haven't done that with a book in a long while.
4/5 Platypires
***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official. For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fan Site: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.NG #NerdGirlPlatypire’s Review ***
http://www.platypire.com/3/post/2014/...
December 5, 2012
I am a huge fan of the fantasy genre. City of Blaze is centered around the hero Morghiad a Kanaala ( a male that can control Blaze energy through a wielder) and the heroine wielder Artemi (a woman that can access Blaze energy) Wielders are very powerful and are to be killed. Morghiad discovers that Artemi is a wielder and decides to spare her life. This is a complex story with elements of romance, reincarnation and magic. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the concept of nalka was fascinating and the nine year dating ritual and birthing process was unlike anything that I have ever read. City of Blaze is an entertaining read.
Pros: a strong heroine and hero
an evil king
awesome plot
great supporting characters
Con: The only downside to the story is the abrupt ending. Luckily, the second installment is already out and I can continue the adventure.
I would rate this story a 4 1/2
Pros: a strong heroine and hero
an evil king
awesome plot
great supporting characters
Con: The only downside to the story is the abrupt ending. Luckily, the second installment is already out and I can continue the adventure.
I would rate this story a 4 1/2
April 17, 2014
Couldn't put it down!!!!!##
the book revolves around two main characters Artemi and Morghiad. Artemi is the reincarnation of a warrior women who wields the power of the blazes and is forced to abstain from sex or else her partner when she reaches climax will be incinerated by the power of the blazes. Morghiad is the Kar(Prince) of the land and also the captain of the kings army, often refer to as walking stone, Mor strives to better the army and the country rebelling against the selfish and cruel desires of his father the king.
these two characters lives become interwoven between destiny and the need to protect each other and their goals.
this book is creative and takes unexpected turns in plot forcing the reader to keep reading unable to guess the future of the characters.
the book revolves around two main characters Artemi and Morghiad. Artemi is the reincarnation of a warrior women who wields the power of the blazes and is forced to abstain from sex or else her partner when she reaches climax will be incinerated by the power of the blazes. Morghiad is the Kar(Prince) of the land and also the captain of the kings army, often refer to as walking stone, Mor strives to better the army and the country rebelling against the selfish and cruel desires of his father the king.
these two characters lives become interwoven between destiny and the need to protect each other and their goals.
this book is creative and takes unexpected turns in plot forcing the reader to keep reading unable to guess the future of the characters.
May 22, 2014
I was so excited about this novel after reading the description and obtaining it as a free nook book. I was not disappointed. Though the beginning was a bit slow to get into. Once I got a few chapters in I could not put it down. Artemi is the woman we all want to be. Throwing her attitude and independence at every man she meets, at a time when women are though of as nothing. In enters morghiad. The prince sees through to the strong woman beneath and sees what her future will entail. I loved the story. I was surprised at the ending, but I have a feeling we have not seen the end of the deep seated love that everyone holds for Artemi. I really would love to read the next novel in this series and definitely recommend reading this novel.
September 11, 2015
I wish I liked it as much as all the other reviewers but I just didn't see what all the fuss was about. Going from nearly no understanding of each other's character (as Artemi frequently mentions) to them being madly in love was just one of the areas of this book where I was left wondering if a couple chapters had just disappeared in the editing process. Also frustrating to have to read a glossary of terms to figure out what the author was talking about vs. getting a sentence or two quick explanation during the reading. Even the climax kind of plodded along to the eventual end which the prologue already pretty much covered. While the cliffhanger at the end is a doozy, it's not enough to entice me to read the next books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2013
This was a really good book with a completely new plotline. It took a while to understand all the complexities of the characters and their world. I was reading it avidly and at the end it was all I could do to keep from throwing the book across the room. I felt completely betrayed by what happens and it seems such a ridiculous end for such a strong character. I scanned the next book to see if it really happened and it does. I get the whole "rebirth" theme but really I'm not sure I trust the author enough to continue the series.
October 20, 2014
Excellent fantasy book
this book is very well written.lots of intrigue action drama. the characters are well engaged in dialog that tells a great story that will keep u captivated. lots of action magic and love. fantasy readers will enjoy this book and look forward too all the books in this series. you won't want to miss a single book. if u like to read fantasy magic love action then you will enjoy this whole series
this book is very well written.lots of intrigue action drama. the characters are well engaged in dialog that tells a great story that will keep u captivated. lots of action magic and love. fantasy readers will enjoy this book and look forward too all the books in this series. you won't want to miss a single book. if u like to read fantasy magic love action then you will enjoy this whole series
October 31, 2014
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.... You can't leave a book there!
H.O Charles... I commend you. I must get the next in the series! I need to know what happens!!!!
A very good read... I loved the world and the different concept of sexual relations as well as the magic created.
Impressed with this considering it was a freebie!
H.O Charles... I commend you. I must get the next in the series! I need to know what happens!!!!
A very good read... I loved the world and the different concept of sexual relations as well as the magic created.
Impressed with this considering it was a freebie!
September 17, 2013
Interesting story but I found the writing inconsistent with abrupt jumps of the plot.
Read
February 1, 2016A great book, hard to put down.
January 26, 2019
What did I like? It was lush and gory, and the political intrigue was interesting. I liked the complex plot, though it took a little bit of suspension of belief for it to work. The magical system was complicated enough to be fascinating. Artemi was a little spitfire (maybe too perfect, but still likeable) and Mor and Silar were so... well, I liked them both. The ending was GREAT. but not to
This is a rare book that I feel might benefit from a LITTLE info dumping. I spent the first three chapters horribly confused. I don't like reading glossaries before reading the story, but I had to go back and check vocabulary - a few well-paced relative clauses might have done the trick and been less jarring. I know Charles is looking at the long game, so after reading three of the books in the series, I understood the significance of some short POV alternatives with Mirel and Lily, but in the short term, it was just...confusing. I also felt that the whole theme of rebirth got a bit overused in later books. I read up to Book 3 and then my interest petered out. That may not be the author's fault; I just don't like series that go past 4 books.
This is a rare book that I feel might benefit from a LITTLE info dumping. I spent the first three chapters horribly confused. I don't like reading glossaries before reading the story, but I had to go back and check vocabulary - a few well-paced relative clauses might have done the trick and been less jarring. I know Charles is looking at the long game, so after reading three of the books in the series, I understood the significance of some short POV alternatives with Mirel and Lily, but in the short term, it was just...confusing. I also felt that the whole theme of rebirth got a bit overused in later books. I read up to Book 3 and then my interest petered out. That may not be the author's fault; I just don't like series that go past 4 books.
June 10, 2022
I love, love, loved this epic fantasy. It had such a cool premise, and the gender politics were really well-done. The worldbuilding is quite intricate, and I thought paced very well--the author was careful not to over-explain, but I also wasn't left confused as one sometimes can be in adult second-world fantasy. For instance, the reincarnation stuff was just fascinating.
I enjoyed Morghaid as a character a lot. He isn't an over-the-top brave hero. He's just a really good guy, in a bad world, trying to the right thing even when it's hard. I admired that.
Pretty much my only quibble with the book is Artemi's character. She's very self-deprecating, and that didn't really feel rooted in the character.
However, their relationship was great. I particularly loved Artemi's father (more good dads in fantasy, please!) Really a wonderful, original adult fantasy.
I enjoyed Morghaid as a character a lot. He isn't an over-the-top brave hero. He's just a really good guy, in a bad world, trying to the right thing even when it's hard. I admired that.
Pretty much my only quibble with the book is Artemi's character. She's very self-deprecating, and that didn't really feel rooted in the character.
However, their relationship was great. I particularly loved Artemi's father (more good dads in fantasy, please!) Really a wonderful, original adult fantasy.
March 19, 2020
It's rare that a book I bought free is actually good! This one is.
To be honest, the beginning is a bit confusing as it doesn't explain a lot of the terms and special circumstances of this world. It takes you nearly the entire book to understand the beginning.
That said, this is a fantasy with romance. It's a good plot, world and has strong characters. However, the beginning romance and such were not very well coveyed to the reader. I kept wanting actual emotions, not just story.
Still if you love fantasies, try this one out. Be warned that the story will continue in book 2.
To be honest, the beginning is a bit confusing as it doesn't explain a lot of the terms and special circumstances of this world. It takes you nearly the entire book to understand the beginning.
That said, this is a fantasy with romance. It's a good plot, world and has strong characters. However, the beginning romance and such were not very well coveyed to the reader. I kept wanting actual emotions, not just story.
Still if you love fantasies, try this one out. Be warned that the story will continue in book 2.
February 5, 2019
City of Blaze took me a while to get into as many of the terms and history of the places and people were not explained straightaway. I became more interested in the plot and characters as these were explained. There were some archaic views towards women which were sometimes awkward to read but you knew that the views were not felt by all characters and there may be change to come. I didn't enjoy this enough to read the rest of the series, but it was a detailed; well written and executed read.
February 12, 2018
2.5 stars
The idea behind this novel was very intriguing to me. The writing was fine, the beginning of this book was AMAZING - gotta love the angst - buuuuut the ending (from about 80%) was too slow and I strongly dislike the way the author chose to go with the story ().
The idea behind this novel was very intriguing to me. The writing was fine, the beginning of this book was AMAZING - gotta love the angst - buuuuut the ending (from about 80%) was too slow and I strongly dislike the way the author chose to go with the story ().
November 4, 2019
I just can't read it
This may be a great story but I wouldn't know because I just can't slog through it. I've left it & come back several times, to no avail. To me it has no hook, nothing to draw me in & make me want to complete it. I never got past the first 50 pages each time I tried to read it. Sorry Charlie...
This may be a great story but I wouldn't know because I just can't slog through it. I've left it & come back several times, to no avail. To me it has no hook, nothing to draw me in & make me want to complete it. I never got past the first 50 pages each time I tried to read it. Sorry Charlie...
November 11, 2019
I do not know if this book just did not interest me or what but I had a hard time following the story line. I mean I kind of knew where it was going but as far as some of the chapters, I felt it kind of just jumped around. So rated a 3* for this reason but not happy it left me hanging. But do not want to read 2nd book.
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