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Firehearted
The Empire is vast, ancient, cultured, powerful--and in deadly peril, from enemies without and within. The luxury-loving court ignores all signs of danger, consumed by corruption and treachery.
Exiled to a deserted border outpost, swordnoble Ronne tes Arhi is powerless to intervene. While her food supplies dwindle, she waits for the end -- until she finds a dying barbarian warrior, outcast from his people. Thinking it will never be discovered, Ronne gives him shelter. But then the man's mortal injuries miraculously heal....
With the aid of the barbarian, Erith, Ronne discovers the Empire was betrayed -- and its enemies have awoken a malevolent magic long absent from the world. Ronne, Erith, and the few remaining loyal soldiers of the Empire will need all their battle-tested skills -- and trust in their own new-found magic -- to fight the evil and keep their people free.
Exiled to a deserted border outpost, swordnoble Ronne tes Arhi is powerless to intervene. While her food supplies dwindle, she waits for the end -- until she finds a dying barbarian warrior, outcast from his people. Thinking it will never be discovered, Ronne gives him shelter. But then the man's mortal injuries miraculously heal....
With the aid of the barbarian, Erith, Ronne discovers the Empire was betrayed -- and its enemies have awoken a malevolent magic long absent from the world. Ronne, Erith, and the few remaining loyal soldiers of the Empire will need all their battle-tested skills -- and trust in their own new-found magic -- to fight the evil and keep their people free.
242 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 11, 2011
Love and duty spar within the larger arena of good and evil.
With her second page-turner, Ms. Chase has earned a spot on my list of "must-buy" authors.
With her second page-turner, Ms. Chase has earned a spot on my list of "must-buy" authors.
June 20, 2019
3.5. The ending was a massive anti-climax.
December 22, 2011
This was a really good book.
It tells the story of an exiled barbarian (think Native American -type) who, contrary to law and custom, has his life saved by an enigmatic woman warrior from an advanced civilization (think feudal Japan or medieval China with both male and female warriors). The two then embark on a near-hopeless mission to save her homeland and civilization from destruction by a demon-inspired civil war.
I enjoyed everything about this book.
The world the author has built is unique and very compelling. The clashes of culture, from the opening scenes where the barbarian and woman warrior can barely communicate due to their differing world views, to the constraints placed on both when they return to the warrior's homeland are just one of many aspects of the book I enjoyed. Equally interesting is the development throughout the book of the back-stories of these cultures, the "magic" system (such as exists), and the unfolding of the history of the world that predates the cultures of the present era and that is influencing the conflict that now has arisen.
The book moves at a brisk pace throughout; no dull moments here. Yet it does so in a way that is logical and unrushed and not at the expense of character development. While this is not a strictly military-focused fantasy novel, the descriptions of combat, both by individuals and massed armies are well presented.
Speaking of character development, in my opinion it is likewise excellent. The two primary characters are fleshed out nicely. We understand their motivations. Neither of the primary characters is infallible. Neither is a Mary Sue. And as the two grow to respect and rely upon one another, while one might anticipate a certain romantic element to appear, as it does it is unrushed and it is left to the end of the book to resolve itself (and notice I didn't say how it was resolved). No bodice-ripper here masquerading as epic fantasy, thank god.
Now I do have one criticism of the book. And it will be astonishing so the faint of heart need to stop reading now. Ready? Here it is:
I wish this book had been longer: a duology or a trilogy. There I said it. I actually wish a fantasy book had been longer and spread over two or three books.
Why do I wish it had been longer? Because I really liked these characters. And I really liked their struggle. And I really enjoyed the world in which this story takes place. And while I know I said the world building and character development were very good, I really wish I had been given more of the two characters' histories and I wish I knew more about the two cultures from which they both came. Now this is a fine line. The author DOES give us enough world building, character development, and story to make this a very interesting book without the all too frequent bloat of many fantasy books. I am not complaining about their lack making the book not good. I'm stating my greed for wanting more of a good thing.
This is a stand-alone book. BUT, there is potential, I suppose, for a sequel. I actually would find a prequel developing how these two main characters and their cultures came to be as they are fascinating and suggest the author consider it.
I would buy a prequel or sequel.
It tells the story of an exiled barbarian (think Native American -type) who, contrary to law and custom, has his life saved by an enigmatic woman warrior from an advanced civilization (think feudal Japan or medieval China with both male and female warriors). The two then embark on a near-hopeless mission to save her homeland and civilization from destruction by a demon-inspired civil war.
I enjoyed everything about this book.
The world the author has built is unique and very compelling. The clashes of culture, from the opening scenes where the barbarian and woman warrior can barely communicate due to their differing world views, to the constraints placed on both when they return to the warrior's homeland are just one of many aspects of the book I enjoyed. Equally interesting is the development throughout the book of the back-stories of these cultures, the "magic" system (such as exists), and the unfolding of the history of the world that predates the cultures of the present era and that is influencing the conflict that now has arisen.
The book moves at a brisk pace throughout; no dull moments here. Yet it does so in a way that is logical and unrushed and not at the expense of character development. While this is not a strictly military-focused fantasy novel, the descriptions of combat, both by individuals and massed armies are well presented.
Speaking of character development, in my opinion it is likewise excellent. The two primary characters are fleshed out nicely. We understand their motivations. Neither of the primary characters is infallible. Neither is a Mary Sue. And as the two grow to respect and rely upon one another, while one might anticipate a certain romantic element to appear, as it does it is unrushed and it is left to the end of the book to resolve itself (and notice I didn't say how it was resolved). No bodice-ripper here masquerading as epic fantasy, thank god.
Now I do have one criticism of the book. And it will be astonishing so the faint of heart need to stop reading now. Ready? Here it is:
I wish this book had been longer: a duology or a trilogy. There I said it. I actually wish a fantasy book had been longer and spread over two or three books.
Why do I wish it had been longer? Because I really liked these characters. And I really liked their struggle. And I really enjoyed the world in which this story takes place. And while I know I said the world building and character development were very good, I really wish I had been given more of the two characters' histories and I wish I knew more about the two cultures from which they both came. Now this is a fine line. The author DOES give us enough world building, character development, and story to make this a very interesting book without the all too frequent bloat of many fantasy books. I am not complaining about their lack making the book not good. I'm stating my greed for wanting more of a good thing.
This is a stand-alone book. BUT, there is potential, I suppose, for a sequel. I actually would find a prequel developing how these two main characters and their cultures came to be as they are fascinating and suggest the author consider it.
I would buy a prequel or sequel.
January 8, 2014
3,5 stars
This book is about the barbarian Erith who's an outcast, and the girl who saves his life, Ronne. They have to fight for her country, to save the people, family and friends from the "demon possessed" Talorgen and his army.
Let's talk about the negative stuff first. I found myself thinking about something else sometimes during the book, and had no idea what was going on. It might have been because of the font (it was like the one in the penguin classics I think), that stuff is pretty important to me, and maybe this one wasn't good for me when reading fantasy, hehe.
I also felt the fighting and war scenes were a bit poorly written. It was just oh ok now there's a war and some soldiers, wow now it's over. They got away a bit too easily for my taste, but maybe that's just me.
Now on to the positive. I really liked the story overall, and the characters were interesting, especially Kashan! (Sometimes there were a bit too many PoV to read from though, I think it would've been enough with just Ronne and Erith) I liked how Erith discovered his powers along the way, and didn't really understand and master them completely from the start.
I liked the fantasy elements in this book, it wasn't too much and it was interesting.
I also really liked the fact that the romance didn't take over the whole book. There were some romantic scenes here and there, but not too many at all.
I find this book pretty well written too, except for the fighting scenes, which is always a good thing!
So in conclusion, I liked this book, but it had its downs too. I'm happy with the overall experience!
This book is about the barbarian Erith who's an outcast, and the girl who saves his life, Ronne. They have to fight for her country, to save the people, family and friends from the "demon possessed" Talorgen and his army.
Let's talk about the negative stuff first. I found myself thinking about something else sometimes during the book, and had no idea what was going on. It might have been because of the font (it was like the one in the penguin classics I think), that stuff is pretty important to me, and maybe this one wasn't good for me when reading fantasy, hehe.
I also felt the fighting and war scenes were a bit poorly written. It was just oh ok now there's a war and some soldiers, wow now it's over. They got away a bit too easily for my taste, but maybe that's just me.
Now on to the positive. I really liked the story overall, and the characters were interesting, especially Kashan! (Sometimes there were a bit too many PoV to read from though, I think it would've been enough with just Ronne and Erith) I liked how Erith discovered his powers along the way, and didn't really understand and master them completely from the start.
I liked the fantasy elements in this book, it wasn't too much and it was interesting.
I also really liked the fact that the romance didn't take over the whole book. There were some romantic scenes here and there, but not too many at all.
I find this book pretty well written too, except for the fighting scenes, which is always a good thing!
So in conclusion, I liked this book, but it had its downs too. I'm happy with the overall experience!
January 4, 2014
This book is about Ronne and Erith: two outcasts that try to save Ronne's country from demon possessed Talorgen.
I liked the story. The author created a very interesting world with interesting characters. It was nice to see three totally different cultures coming together.
I liked the fact that the characters had trouble to understand one another, it makes everything a little more real than when there would have been some kind of 'common speech,' like in a lot of other fantasy worlds.
I also liked the magical element of the story. The magic stays very 'mysterious,' so to speak, and is not as straightforward as in many other fantasy worlds.
In my opinion the book starts very slowly (first six chapters) and it took some time to really get into the story. After that it sometimes seems a little rushed. The battles for example could have been a lot more detailed.
One thing I really missed is a map. I think maps are always very helpful in fantasy stories.
I liked the story. The author created a very interesting world with interesting characters. It was nice to see three totally different cultures coming together.
I liked the fact that the characters had trouble to understand one another, it makes everything a little more real than when there would have been some kind of 'common speech,' like in a lot of other fantasy worlds.
I also liked the magical element of the story. The magic stays very 'mysterious,' so to speak, and is not as straightforward as in many other fantasy worlds.
In my opinion the book starts very slowly (first six chapters) and it took some time to really get into the story. After that it sometimes seems a little rushed. The battles for example could have been a lot more detailed.
One thing I really missed is a map. I think maps are always very helpful in fantasy stories.
January 17, 2012
I had a very difficult time reading this book and getting into the characters. The premise is about a female warrior who has the ability to go into a beserker state and a barbarian who has the ability to heal are thrown together due to circumstances. They have to work together against a nemesis bent on destroying everyone because of his past relationship with the female warrior among other things.
The writing didn't flow as well and felt the writing was a bit choppy - just like the dialogue and characters. It was bit slow in the beginning then picked up (about) closer to the end. It was an 'ok' read for me - not one of my favorites.
The writing didn't flow as well and felt the writing was a bit choppy - just like the dialogue and characters. It was bit slow in the beginning then picked up (about) closer to the end. It was an 'ok' read for me - not one of my favorites.
August 27, 2012
Negative first - needs a bit of editing yet, but not much.
Positive - Loved the book, the characters are wonderful, emotional, three-dimensional (not just stereotypes) true products of their cultural heritage. There are three distinct cultures portrayed each with its own sense of social structure, belief systems, and moral compass. This makes the world rich and diverse. There is action, romance (handled lightly and in some places comedically), and a snow-tiger! Well done Sabrina Chase. A recommended read for fantasy enthusiasts and author wannabes!
Positive - Loved the book, the characters are wonderful, emotional, three-dimensional (not just stereotypes) true products of their cultural heritage. There are three distinct cultures portrayed each with its own sense of social structure, belief systems, and moral compass. This makes the world rich and diverse. There is action, romance (handled lightly and in some places comedically), and a snow-tiger! Well done Sabrina Chase. A recommended read for fantasy enthusiasts and author wannabes!
January 27, 2012
I’m always a bit reserved when I start books that I got for free.* I quickly lost all reservations after the first two or three chapters. Chase’s writing style is easy to lose yourself in.
She also has a masterful way of seamlessly switching between the perspectives of Ronne and Erith. I don’t know many writers who can do that without making me dizzy.
...Read the rest of my review at the Akamai Reader...
She also has a masterful way of seamlessly switching between the perspectives of Ronne and Erith. I don’t know many writers who can do that without making me dizzy.
...Read the rest of my review at the Akamai Reader...
May 1, 2013
An old-style fantasy. An ostracized plainsman on his last legs meets up with a nearly-ostracized warrior woman from a more civilized/formal/culturally complex kingdom. An ancient magical evil is taking over the kingdom. They work together with a remnant of loyal soldiers and a wild group of horse riders to fight the evil.
A pleasant read. Not wildly original but also not so cookie-cutter that it was boring.
A pleasant read. Not wildly original but also not so cookie-cutter that it was boring.
December 10, 2013
I never expected to find work of this caliber wrapped up in such a poorly done cover. This is one of those rare books that can not be judged by its cover! Excellent world building and characters with wonderful writing. I really recommend this one if you enjoy soft fantasy (ie not the 5 bazillion characters you would find in a Martin book...just enough to keep things moving without being confusing.) This is one of those rare books you wish WOULD become a series.
August 2, 2013
Really great book. Liked it right from page 1. Was one of those books that I read with every free minute I had. Only bad part, wad that it ended. Hope that there is a book 2.
Also, a great lead female character. Often, these books put females in more secondary or subservient roles. Not this one. Ronne is not a nut you can crack.
Also, a great lead female character. Often, these books put females in more secondary or subservient roles. Not this one. Ronne is not a nut you can crack.
September 8, 2016
This is one of the first books that I read by Sabrina Chase. I love her strong characters, both female and male, and the creative storylines and worlds that the characters inhabit! You won't be disappointed.
March 18, 2012
Good book, looking forward to the next!
November 2, 2015
Well written fantasy/adventure. Characters primarily rely on their own skills without an overabundance of magic.
October 30, 2016
It was soooooo great. The attraction was very natural in the book and chase built their characters well. Only detriment, I need more of them!!!!!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews