After Fantasy of Flight, I wasn't too sure about this one, afraid of the direction Kelly St. Clare was going to take but I ended up loving this book even more than the first one. I am so happy right now, I had the time of my life reading Fantasy of Fire.
Finally, our heroine, Olina, makes the right choices and stops running everytime something scares her emotionally. Her three different identities from the second book, identities that were bothering me greatly, are not an issue anymore. I loved her so much in this third installment, she grew a lot and learned from her mistakes. I loved the fact that she realized all that and was willing to change. Loyalty, patience, kindness, love, fierceness, devotion, she showed all of that and more in Fantasy of Fire, I fell in love with her character even more.
The romance is finally moving in the right direction and I couldn't be happier. I love King Jovan, how smart, strong and protective he can be. Their relationship took a turn for the better in this book, I had been waiting for it for a long time and it was perfect. I'm glad Kelly waited for them to realize their feelings for each other, they needed that time, especially Olina. She was inexperienced at first and had been in love with Jovan's little brother. She needed to find her true self, to experience life before she could truly face her feelings for him. Jovan is a little different, he's older, more experienced but he was patient and knew she needed time. However, I loved that when he realized time was running out, he gave up all pretense and went public with his feelings. The last few chapters of this book were, by far, the best.
I admit at being frustrated while reading some scenes. Jovan can be a stubborn asshole when he wants to be, but I really liked how the author handled that part of the story. He always made the right decisions, so it was nice to see him in a different light. I liked the fact that, when he realized his mistake, he apologized to everyone and meant it. I also liked the fact that Olina didn't dwell on it, she tried to put herself in his shoes and realized how hard it was for him. Power couple right there. Even if they didn't know it at the time.
The story itself was full of tensions and had me on the edge of seat for most of the book. Things are getting serious between the Bruma and the Solati. War is coming. It was a thrill to read this from Olina's point of view, knowing she's the rightful heir to the Solati but she's choosing to fight with the Bruma. As I've mentioned, the last few chapters are intense in the romance department but not just. The fighting, the suspense, the revelations, I couldn't stop reading.
The secondary characters were, as usual, so fun and entertaining. We get to see the delegation but also Olina's other friends, those who know her as Frost, the pit fighter. I love both sides so I was excited to see them all interacting and become friends.
I can't wait to read the last book in this amazing series, a little sad knowing all will be over after that but extremely excited to see how things are going to end, and, finally, get some important answers.